As Unease Creeps In
As Unease Creeps In
I walked behind the Hero Kylon, and it was only after quite some time that we reached our destination.
It was one of the Magic Towers that formed part of the colossal city walls surrounding the Royal Capital of the Holy Kingdom.
Here, mages conducted their research, and with their magic, they illuminated the world, managed it, and defended it from enemy attacks.
Normally, no building was allowed to be taller than the castle and the Cathedral, but this tower and wall were the only exceptions, permitted to rise high into the sky without height restrictions.
Because it was a majestic tower built to protect the nation.
After masturbating on the roadside, he seemed a little calmer. He let out a 'Huu,' exhaled, and walked forward.
"Flora is here, but... you stay here."
"...Why?"
"Well, I need to go charm her first, and it'd be a bit awkward if you came along. It's before the game's story, so I need to be careful."
At the sudden order to stay out, I stared blankly at his face, my mouth agape.
Of course, if it was Kylon, who knew the game well, I knew it was best to follow what he said, but on the other hand, it felt strange to be alone again after following him so closely.
I groaned, wondering why this was happening when not even a day had passed.
I watched him enter the Magic Tower blankly, and soon I saw him open the door and disappear inside.
Should I just wait?
As I stood idly in front of the Magic Tower, thinking that, I felt a sharp prick on my wrist, 'Pit!'
A mosquito? How awful that there are mosquitoes even in a game.
Unsure if it was a prick or an itch, I scratched my left wrist with my right hand.
As I scratched vigorously, this time my stomach began to itch.
Since I was wearing a Nun's Habit, scratching over the clothes might damage the fabric, which would be a bit much, but it was so itchy. I hadn't felt this way until a moment ago, and I wondered why it was so itchy now, so my glabellum furrowed.
"Hmph."
In front of the empty Magic Tower.
With an itch and prickling sensation all over my body, as if centipedes were crawling on me, I hugged myself and knelt before it.
Thud.
I didn't care that my one-piece garment, the Nun's Habit, was getting dirty.
I couldn't pay attention to such trivial things.
My wrist itched. It itched, itched, itched.
My arm, which had been cut, my belly, which had split open and spilled its guts, my ankles, which had been severed so I couldn't walk, my thighs, which had been pierced with an awl, my neck, which had been sawn with a saw, my throat, which had been constricted, my body, which had been torn apart in various ways—no scars remained, but perhaps those memories remained instead of scars, or perhaps the pain was etched into me, constantly tormenting me.
"Ugh, ughhh."
There was nothing wrong with me until just now.
Why is this happening? I'm scared, I don't want to die.
My body trembled uncontrollably. What exactly was I so afraid of?
There was nothing threatening me right now, so why was it making me tremble like this?
Unable to understand the reason, I clutched the Veil with both hands, threw it to the ground, and then grabbed my itching head.
I clenched my hair in my fists and then tore at it, desperate to alleviate the unbearable itch.
I was scared; it felt as if the fear of death, which I had overcome, was flowing through my body again, making me tremble all over.
In agony, as if insects were crawling all over my body, I even slammed my head against the ground, trembling and muttering.
"Please, please..."
No matter how much I scratched my body, the itch wouldn't subside.
Even as tears welled up, my body seemed to be screaming uncontrollably, refusing to obey me, and I felt like I was going to die.
I had already escaped death, already gotten out of such a painful situation, but I couldn't understand what was so frightening, what was so painful, so I clutched my body and rolled on the floor.
"...Hngh. Ughhh."
It hurts. It's itchy, it's agonizing.
I feel like I'm going to die. Would it be so bad to just die like this?
The pain that tore through my body was unbearable. That much was obvious, I suppose.
But conversely, the unceasing itch crawling all over my body was also unbearable.
In too much agony, I slowly crawled towards the city wall that formed part of the Magic Tower and slammed my head against it.
It wasn't because I wanted to die that I slammed my head against the wall.
But it was so itchy, I couldn't erase the sensation of something crawling all over me, so I thought perhaps pain could erase it, and I slammed my head.
A dull thud echoed from my head, and at the same time, a taste of blood filled my mouth, as if my head had split open.
I felt a sharp sting in my nose, and soon a throbbing sensation spread to the back of my head, but the itch crawling on my body did not disappear.
In other words, it was just agony.
As I thought it was agonizing, and cried tears because it hurt so much, my head soon began to heal, as if telling me not to hurt anymore.
I gritted my teeth at my body, which acted so capriciously.
Healing on its own, and being able to escape the fear of death, was a good thing.
But apart from that, this unbearable agony, which I hadn't felt until just now, felt utterly overwhelming.
I don't know how much I suffered.
I don't know how much I gritted my teeth. Tears streamed down my face, as if I could hear my molars grinding.
Because I was clutching my body and rolling on the floor, my black Nun's Habit became covered in dust and dirt. Even though I was a mess, this moment of pure agony felt no different from hell to me.
Die. I feel like I'm going to die like this.
As I trembled like that, I soon heard the door burst open.
"...Veronica?"
At the Hero Kylon's voice, I opened my eyes wide and composed myself.
Then, I carefully stood up, slowly dusted myself off, and turned my gaze blankly towards the Hero.
No one was beside Kylon, who had gone to find Flora.
He looked at me with eyes that seemed to disbelieve, then mumbled and asked me.
"What in the world, why?"
"...Because I felt like I was going to die."
"You don't die, though."
"Yeah, that's right..."
I mumbled my reply.
Yes, that's right. Saying so, I slowly lowered my gaze.
What I saw then was my Nun's Habit and my body, both a mess from rolling around on the ground.
The black Nun's Habit was now just a black cloth covered in dirt, and my skin was no different.
My hair was disheveled from tearing at it, and the Veil that had been on my head was tossed on the ground over there.
Hugging my left arm with my right, I let out a deep sigh.
And what I realized was that my body wasn't itching at the moment.
Was it because the anxiety had disappeared?
Was my body itching because of the anxiety that had flared up from the fear of possibly dying, of possibly being tortured to death? I wondered if that was why I had almost gone mad, so I opened my eyes wide and looked up at Kylon.
What I saw then was his expression.
His usual lighthearted, dissolute, and always smiling demeanor seemed subtly tinged for the first time.
But I couldn't be sure yet, so with the thought that I needed to observe him a little longer, I replied, exhaling a trembling breath.
"...I'm fine now. Yeah, let's go."
"I'll even use Clean Magic for you."
"Ah, okay."
Magic that cleans the body is always convenient, I thought. With that, I shook the Veil I was wearing on my head.
I tidied my hair, then neatly put the Veil back on, and glared at Kylon, who was looking at me with haggard eyes.
Kylon then let out a 'Hmm,' a groan, and cautiously opened his mouth.
"No, I tried to find Flora earlier, but it seems she's currently on a business trip somewhere in the Royal Capital."
"...So?"
"So, it looks like we have to go back to the Royal Capital. It seems impossible today, so let's stay the night."
"Ah, I see."
Still, knowing the destination this time brought a sense of relief.
The sun hadn't set yet, but the visible sunset, as if announcing its imminent departure, caught my eye.
After taking in the moment the world was painted yellow, I slowly began to walk.
Following Kylon, who was shuffling along behind me, looking for a place to sleep, I felt a little comforted.
Although he was the Hero, since it was a game, there was no special room provided, so he had to rent an inn.
Kylon, who entered the inn—a place that was just an inn with no food service—slipped a money pouch out of his Inventory and held it in his hand.
And when it was his turn to choose a room, he groaned as he scanned the menu.
Single, Twin, Double.
I inwardly admired the medieval-themed game, which surprisingly had everything, and quietly watched his choice.
"Then, a single..."
At first, I thought, 'Of course, that's what Kylon would choose.' But I soon changed my mind.
I wasn't so foolish as to forget what had just happened.
I never wanted to tremble again from that itch and pain that drove me mad, to the point where I wondered if death would be better.
Of course, I didn't know if Kylon's immediate presence was the issue, but I didn't want to risk such a test during sleep, so I cautiously opened my mouth.
"...A twin room, please."
I whispered this to Kylon, and he looked at me with wide eyes, as if he hadn't expected me to say that.
And before he could open his mouth, the innkeeper's voice followed.
"The twin rooms are full."
The innkeeper, having checked the keys and realizing the twin room keys were gone, smiled awkwardly and suggested another room.
At this point, there was only one option left.
Now, at this moment, this situation was not just a simple game to me.
It was different from pressing a 'sleep' button in a game and instantly waking up the next day.
So, in the end, I kept my mouth shut.
And just as I was about to speak, Kylon cautiously spoke first.
"Then, a double room, please."
"Yes."
The key was placed on the counter table, and Kylon handed over the money and took it.
As he went up the stairs towards the room, he slyly remarked to me.
It seemed he was pleased by my lack of objection when he asked for a double room.
"Looks like you're a bit more proactive at night."
"......."
Even with him making a lewd joke about me, I said nothing and simply followed behind him.
No matter what he said, I wanted to erase the anxiety I felt in my body.
Because the more the anxiety of being able to die cruelly again seeped in, the more my body would scream uncontrollably.
Of course, that didn't mean I had agreed to this room to be assaulted by a man, so I intended to desperately resist.