Chapter 39
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Chapter 39
She gazed into his eyes. Purple irises and golden ones held each other's gaze without moving for a long moment. Then the strength drained from my hands pressing down on the sword.
I released the blade and retreated to sit. Baraha Islaf rose to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. Cold sweat clung heavily to his hands.
"I trust you, senior."
She spoke. Then added in a thin voice.
"I'm sorry about the wound on your neck."
"What are you talking about? That's barely a mosquito bite. Smaller than the wound on my back."
"Ah... So that wound is fine?"
"I gave it first aid. It's fine."
Baraha rose as if nothing had happened. He spoke while rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'll say it again—I won't tell anyone your secret, so you can rest easy. I'll keep silent even from the Lord."
"... Thank you, senior."
I, who had been sitting collapsed on the ground, rose to follow him. I picked up Baraha's sword and scabbard that had rolled across the floor and handed them to him. Baraha accepted the blade and fastened it at his waist.
"Actually, there's more I'd like to hear, but we can talk about that later. So what now? Since there are no more demonic creatures, do we just wait until the Nodule opens?"
"There's something I want to try."
"Hmm?"
"Let's return to the Starting Point first."
I turned and walked. Baraha followed behind me. He gazed at my retreating figure, which was considerably smaller than his own, and wore a bitter smile. To be protected by the junior I meant to protect. And after hearing threats of death, no less.
Yet the feeling wasn't unpleasant. No—rather, watching that figure walk ahead of me made my chest tremble. It was a pleasant trembling.
Not perfectly groomed as usual, but disheveled and messy, and yet I found it difficult to tear my eyes away from her. Her round head was endearing, her slender neck seemed bewitching, and her legs revealed beneath the shortened dress... No, it seemed there wasn't a single part of her that wasn't beautiful.
Honestly, when she climbed on top of me with that blade earlier, I was more tense about something other than the murderous intent. Baraha covered his mouth with his hand, thinking.
'It seems I've fallen for her, completely.'
The moment I fell was crystal clear. And it hadn't happened just once. A ticklish sensation spread through my chest, and the corners of my mouth rose involuntarily.
Desert men charge forward when they find a woman they want. Moreover, they formulate perfect plans to claim her before charging, so their romances had high success rates. Baraha immediately began contemplating how to obtain her.
'We've become people who share secrets, so we'll grow more intimate from here on. No matter how I look at it, it seems she entered the Nodule to save me, so fundamentally she must have some affection for me. This is a good start in many ways.'
Unaware of what Baraha was thinking behind her, I concentrated on what the Demonic Sword was saying.
[I think I'm beginning to understand why the Nodule suddenly appeared. Actually, I saw Nodules frequently when I had my previous master. That person also rewound time with Kairosgiosa like you, right? Could there be a connection?]
"The distortion caused by Kairosgiosa is being followed by Lakhiagiosa?"
[That could be it. Anyway, you're the main axis of change. You're the one who rewound time. The more things change, the more frequently Nodules appear, don't they?]
"What was it like with the previous master?"
[He tried to change various futures, but at some point he started living quietly, saying he shouldn't carelessly alter what was already set. Now that I think about it, I think it was because of the Nodules. The more he changed things, the more frequently Nodules appeared nearby.]
"... Damn it."
[Hey, I don't know for certain either. I'm just saying that's how it seems.]
"I understand well enough."
She ground her teeth in response. Baraha Islaf and I reached the Starting Point lost in separate thoughts. With no demonic creatures or shadow soldiers remaining, the path was light as a stroll.
"Echinacea, what are you trying to do here?"
"I'm going to try piercing the Starting Point again."
"Since you've killed all the demonic creatures, it shouldn't be dangerous... But will that actually work?"
"The demonic creatures within a Nodule are ultimately a kind of abnormal phenomenon created by the Nodule's internal space. They're not real demonic creatures. When I pierced the Starting Point, all the creatures concentrated on it, so it seems that really is the Nodule's weakness. And since this is a space created by Lakhiagiosa, if I pierce it with Bardegiosa, perhaps... Oh."
As I was elaborating my explanation, my expression suddenly shifted to shock. I hurriedly touched my face and clothes, then began frantically looking around for something. Baraha Islaf asked in bewilderment.
"Why are you doing that?"
"I, I, just a moment, please."
Echinacea Loaz stared at her tent, now consumed by flames, her expression crumbling as if the world itself had collapsed. She turned to Baraha Islaf, her voice desperate.
"Senior! Do you have a mirror in your tent?"
"...What?"
"A mirror, a mirror! I can't go out looking like this!"
Yurien de Harden Kirie might be waiting outside, and I couldn't possibly emerge in this battered, disheveled state from combat. The sensation was far too similar to when I wielded the Demonic Sword.
Baraha Islaf's vacant expression twisted as he fought to suppress his laughter. He covered his mouth with his hand while pointing toward his tent, his fingertips trembling visibly.
"A mirror, yes, there should, *stifle*, there should be one. The camp bed, *snort*, right beside it, there's a box, open it. Ahem."
Laughter leaked through the gaps in his words despite his efforts to contain it. Echinacea shot him a sharp glare before sprinting toward his tent. Following his directions, she opened the box beside the camp bed and found a mirror resting on top. She took a deep breath and peered into it.
[...This reminds me of old times, doesn't it?]
Splattered blood and other liquids, stains everywhere. My hair was a tangled mess. My clothes were utterly ruined. Even with my distinctive hair and eye color, my appearance evoked memories of those days when I was enslaved by the Demonic Sword. A strange, distant feeling washed over me.
Baraha Islaf followed her into the tent, pulling back the cloth flap as he spoke.
"Do you need water? If you want to wash up, I know where the water containers are kept. Though I'm not sure if they're still intact."
Echinacea Loaz nodded eagerly, her expression brightening.
"Yes, yes! I desperately need it! Thank you! Um, Senior, could you also lend me some clothes...?"
"My clothes would be far too large for you."
Baraha Islaf spoke with evident discomfort, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. Suddenly, his face flushed crimson. He had imagined her wearing his oversized garments, hanging loosely from her frame. He quickly turned away, desperate to hide his burning cheeks.
"Senior?"
"...Borrow some clothes from Teresa's tent. It's nearby. Given the circumstances, I'm sure she'll understand."
"Ah, that works. Thank you, Senior."
"I should wash up and change my clothes as well."
"Yes, oh, right—we should probably get our stories straight about what happened inside the Nodule."
Baraha Islaf looked up from examining his own clothes, now stained with crimson liquid, at her words. She paused briefly before continuing.
"It would be difficult to hide everything.... Let's tell the truth about everything else, but say the creatures that emerged were only ghoul-level."
"Ghoul-level?"
Baraha Islaf's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the mountain of demonic creature corpses scattered about. Echinacea laughed awkwardly.
"It has to make sense that way. Let's say the two of us handled the creatures and held out until the Nodule disappeared."
"...Fine, we'll do it your way. That would be better for hiding that you're a Giosa Owner. Oh, didn't you say Ian Peletro came in with you? He's been quiet this whole time—did the creatures kill him? That bastard, if he'd crawled out, I wouldn't have let him off easy."
Baraha Islaf bared his teeth in a bestial grin. Echinacea Loaz naturally averted her gaze as she replied.
"Well, everything was so chaotic...."
"We'll find out once we leave the Nodule anyway. Let's go. I'll show you the way."
"Yes."
Baraha Islaf quickly lost interest and walked ahead. They made their way to the tent where the water containers were stored. Fortunately, the containers had survived intact. Each of them took one and headed elsewhere. Echinacea Loaz entered Teresa's tent, which Baraha had directed her to.
"I'm sorry, Teresa. I'm going to borrow a few things."
She murmured softly and rummaged through the tent. Teresa dressed plainly like Alice Winterbell and was taller than me, but being a woman, she had plenty of items I could borrow.
I found clothes first. Rather than dig through every corner, I grabbed the white blouse, leather pants, leather jacket, and leather gloves from the top. There were leather shoes as well, but they were too large. I'd have to wash my ruined ankle boots and wear those instead.
The pants were a bit long, but I could tighten them with a belt and fold up the hem. I was grateful I didn't need to borrow undergarments. Most importantly, I was delighted to find cosmetics. There was only lipstick, a makeup charcoal pencil, and a cover cream to even out my skin tone, but that was more than enough. Honestly, I hadn't expected these items at all, and I was moved to tears by their presence.
Echinacea Loaz showered with water from the container behind the tent, changed into fresh clothes, and combed her hair. After applying makeup, she looked neat and refined, if not as elaborate as usual.
She checked herself in the mirror in Teresa's tent several times. She examined whether any trace remained that might evoke the Demonic Sword's demon, or whether she appeared only as the countess's daughter, Echinacea Loaz, in her borrowed pants. Anxiety crept in, but there was nothing more she could do about it.
"Echinacea, are you finished?"
"Oh, yes! I apologize for making you wait."
I heard Baraha Islaf's voice calling from a distance. I emerged from the tent, toweling my damp hair. Water-laden strands clung to my now-clean, pale skin. Baraha Islaf flinched in surprise, then quickly averted his gaze.
"Your hair isn't fully dry yet. Take your time."
"No, staying in there too long isn't ideal anyway. The Starting Point might collapse as predicted. Let's go check it out."
We made our way back to the Clearing where the Starting Point lay. I stopped Baraha Islaf just as he reached for the flagpole as before.
"You don't need to carry it."
I removed the leather gloves from my right hand and tucked them into my pocket, then drew out Bardegiosa. Baraha Islaf's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the Demonic Sword, and he took a small step back.
[Look at that expression. Am I some kind of plague? Tch, tch.]
'This is actually a remarkably positive reaction.'
I gripped the Demonic Sword and drove it into the earth. The crimson liquid pooling on the ground splattered upward from the impact, but I ascended higher than the spray in an instant. The fissure carved into the air came into view at my elevated vantage point. I slashed through it with the Demonic Sword in a long, sweeping arc. The moment the blade connected, the entire space seemed to solidify.
I descended and deliberately landed atop the tent to avoid soiling Teresa's clothes. After retrieving the Demonic Sword and pulling my gloves back on, I looked skyward and saw a long crack spreading from the Starting Point's center. Fine fractures branched outward around it.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org