Chapter 115 Unstoppable Heartbeat
'Death is something to be feared.'
If you put it that way, it's normal for people to frown and think, "What a given." But if you ask, 'It's something to fear, but at the same time, isn't it something we want to know?' strangely enough, people might nod and say, "Well, that's true."
──I don't want to die.
──But I want to know what it's like to die.
If someone asked, "What does it feel like when you die?"
──It's like a hole opens up, and everything just slips away.
Atami Shou, the one who experienced it, would probably answer like that.
──For example, it feels just like this... right now.
Casually, with a little added comment.
(Hey, why not just throw her away?)
He felt like he was drowning in agony.
The relentless rain poured down on him, making his senses blur. Someone's weight bore down on him, constricting his breathing. His mind was hazy and disoriented, as if a heavy rock crushed his head.
His gaze remained vacant, unable to respond to the cold voice surrounding him.
Consciousness struggled to break through the darkness, but it seemed distant, obscured by the crushing pain.
(Your blood, it just won't stop. At this rate, Master will die.)
Hiiro had miraculously crawled out from the raging river, but at great cost.
His left arm was rendered useless, a stomach wound from driftwood still bled, and his blood loss continued unabated.
Ruthless's words were no exaggeration; indeed, if this trend persisted, he would soon meet his dead.
(That woman, you should just throw her away already.)
Then, to keep death at bay, he should throw away the burden.
Still he didn't listen to the cruel and rational advice. Instead, he even showed signs of holding on tighter.
(You hated her so much. Yet you're going this far to save her. I really don't get it.)
Ruthless couldn't understand.
Her master must have definitely hated this woman. Yet, to save someone like that, they were putting themselves in danger and were now on the brink of death.
It made no sense. It was creepy.
She didn't understand why he hated this woman, but still chose to save her.
She felt frustrated by her own confusion.
Yet, master didn't pick up on the irritation of their tool.
Like an old dog dragging one leg, they walked deeper into the forest.
(............ Hah...)
He should just throw her away, but he didn't.
Without realizing that it applied to her too, Ruthless let out a deep sigh.
* * *
Rose thought it was a punishment.
When the curtain of life falls, she's looking at such gentle memories.
'Hey, Mama. What was Dad like?'
She asked while staring at the crackling fire in the fireplace, feeling a bit guilty about asking about someone who wasn't there.
'Well... he was a big, warm person.'
'Wasn't he cool or rich or something?'
'To me, he was wonderful and enriched my heart.'
'Hmm. I guess it's all about perspective, huh?'
'Oh, you little rascal.'
The flames in the fireplace flickered as if they were laughing, so she could tell what kind of expression her mother had.
Her mother must have really been happy.
She felt a bit envious and a bit lonely.
'...I wish I could have met him.'
'Papa is right by your side.'
'By my side?'
'Yes. He's still watching over you, my cute, cute Roze.'
'Watching over me? How?'
She knew it was a kind lie. So she couldn't help but tease a little. She probably wasn't that cute after all. Still, her mother was always good at singing lullabies.
'Hmm? Well... like this, hugging you tight.'
'Wow!'
She remembered being hugged and feeling safe.
It was all before everything burned away. Fragile bubbles that would pop if touched.
She, who had locked herself away in the depths of memory and escaped to a beautiful world, shouldn't be allowed to see such memories now.
So look, both her mom and her, at the gentle past.
Like it's hidden behind the falling curtain, fading into the dark water's surface.
Surely after the last dream. Everything wrapped in an end. And then she would disappear too.
That's what she thought, but...
The curtain that shouldn't rise again.
────, ...what's that sound?
Thump, thump, her heartbeat echoed.
A quiet warmth wrapped around her body.
It made her open her eyes again.
* * *
Roze's first words upon waking were so confused she didn't even form properly.
"?"
In front of her was a hard chest. Even in the dim light, she could tell it belonged to a man. As she shifted her gaze upward, she saw the face of a sleeping man. Squinting, she realized it was Hiiro.
"Eh?"
She was being held. By Hiiro.
It seems like she was pulled close to his chest with his right arm. Her whole body hurts, but moving her neck isn't a problem. So that heartbeat was his, huh?
And for some reason, he was shirtless. She guess that's why the dream reached her so clearly.
By the way, Roze was also in her underwear, almost naked. That definitely made the heartbeat feel more convincing.
No, wait.
That's not it.
"!?"
Roze quickly snapped back to reality and jumped back in a panic. Her heart was racing.
Of course it was. She had woken up almost n*ked, hugging a man who was supposed to be her enemy. It was no surprise she was in a state of panic.
Inside, Roze was freaking out, but she still pulled the fabric around her and looked around.
"...A cave?"
Her eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, began to recognize the shapes around her.
She was in a small, cramped cave. The cool air was damp, and the sound of dripping water from the stalactites was drowned out by the rain outside.
"...Why am I still alive?"
Her last memory was of falling into the valley while being held tightly. So, did she get swept away by the river afterward, or was she rescued by someone?
"..."
Since there were only the two of them in the cave, it was likely that Hiiro had saved her. If she was brought here to escape the rain and wind, that made sense.
As for why her clothes were taken off, it was probably to warm her up. Looking at the dress draped over the rocks to dry, Roze quietly lowered her gaze. Hiiro was a man who didn't seem to fit that kind of purpose.
"...I was saved, huh?"
The fabric she pulled was Hiiro's knight uniform. He must have laid it down so she wouldn't have to sleep directly on the rocky ground.
After a few seconds of thought, Roze put on the knight uniform. It felt a bit gross, still damp. But no matter how unconscious she felt, there was a man there. She wanted to avoid being naked like this.
"..."
Without saying a word, Roze sat down next to Hiiro. Her eyes, now used to the dark, could see the many wounds on his body.
This is probably proof that he fought against the river's flow. His left arm feels like it's completely limp, almost dislocated from his shoulder. In the darkness, he's in such bad shape that he can't hide it.
But Roze, on the other hand, feels pain all over her body, yet she's not seriously injured. With that thought, she can only bite her lower lip.
"Even though you're a knight..."
It's piled up too high, and she just wants to break it all down.
To be saved by a man who risks his life to save hers, having already lost everything herself.
To stop her trembling shoulders, Roze hugs herself tight.
Her heart feels like it's about to burst, and she can't do anything about it.
She doesn't even know what to do.
"...a witch shouldn't be defeated by a human."
She suddenly spots something leaning against Hiiro, like a lost girl.
It was a sword. From the design, it must belong to the knight order.
When she reaches out and touches it, the shaking in her shoulders stops.
"...only knights are allowed to defeat witches."
As if guided, she pulls it out of its sheath.
The knight's sword that Hiiro had hung at his waist but never used. Roze quietly places the tip against Hiiro's throat.
"Then... why did you save me...?"
Instead of her shoulders, her voice trembles.
Her eyelids shake, and she can't stop the tears from falling.
The witch wasn't absent.
She was there. And she was killed.
"Why, you wanna know? It's 'cause only one reason."
The witch had submitted to just one human.
"Help me, you begged. That's why, ain't it?"
With a look of disbelief, he catches her tears, the only human who matters.
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