Chapter 86

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter Title: Whispers of Guilt

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"...But Betty, are you by yourself? The, uh, others?"

I asked Betty, who was beaming at me. By "others," I meant the demon and the woman standing beside him.

"Oh. Lord Kahathel said he's summoning magic beasts near the barrier wall using the corpses."

Summoning magic beasts from the dead heroes' bodies. Betty's casual response made me freeze for a moment.

The name of the blue-haired woman I'd glimpsed earlier must have been Camilla. Han had fled in that direction, and it looked like he'd made it after all.

"Don't you need to help out, Betty?"

"They didn't say much to me? Just told me to hang around wherever."

It seemed like they'd deliberately kept her out of it, worried she'd bungle things. It felt a little harsh, but I could sort of understand the demon's reasoning. Betty had this clumsy, scatterbrained side to her. She gave off the vibe of someone who'd blow a minor issue way out of proportion.

"I see."

I kept my thoughts to myself. I was the type to consider others' feelings.

As I gazed at Betty with a touch of pity in my eyes, she looked back with concern.

"But Anis, are you okay? You haven't slept a wink since you collapsed. Look at those dark circles. Your face still looks awful."

"...Does it?"

Now that she mentioned it, I did feel exhausted. It hadn't been long since I'd woken up, but my head was still foggy.

Maybe my mind and body were that worn out. Betty insisted I needed more rest and pushed me back into the room.

"You've eaten, so just sleep a little longer! I'll go help Lord Kahathel."

I doubted he'd welcome the help. Of course, I kept that thought to myself.

"......Okay."

Betty flashed a bright smile at my response and vanished. I lay down on the bed in the corner of the room and closed my eyes.

Maybe I really was as drained as she'd said—sleepiness hit me faster than expected. The bed was surprisingly soft and comfortable, and just as I was drifting off...

Rockbell's voice reached me.

"......... "

I pulled the blanket over my head and clamped my hands over my ears. Even so, Rockbell's voice kept ringing in my mind.

Stop.

Stop it.

"Stop it!!!"

I screamed at Rockbell for dredging up the facts I'd been desperately ignoring. I burrowed deeper under the blanket and curled into a ball.

Then I muttered to myself.

...I'm sorry. I can't go back anymore. There's no place for me to return to.

This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠selfish coward of mine fears loneliness more than death.

I'm sorry.

I don't want to be alone anymore.

[Sister.]

[Will you kill me? Me, who cared for others more than anyone?]

[It hurts.]

[Will you kill Rena? An innocent child who knows nothing?]

[Sister, it hurts.]

[I... sister. It hurts more than anyone. I was honest, I helped, I lived for others.]

[Betray us like that. You, sister, just like us. My stomach hurts so much. Will you kill them?]

"Aaaahhh!!!"

I clawed at my hair. Snap, crackle. The sound of strands ripping free echoed loosely in my eardrums.

"Stop... stop it!!"

I slammed my head into the pillow and screamed in a frenzy. On the rickety bed in that cramped room, I shrieked until my throat was raw.

[Going with her?]

[Sister, are you abandoning me?]

[The magic beast she summoned tore me in half.]

[I can't see, sister.]

The hallucinations showed no sign of stopping. The descent I'd thought must end kept plunging endlessly. I was being consumed by the sensation.

"Haa... haa..."

Tears welled up from the agony and spilled down. I forced in ragged breaths through my choked throat.

Please.

Please, make it stop.

Someone, silence these voices.

As I prayed desperately...

"Anis, I'm back! Lord Kahathel said I'm in the way and to get lost... Anis?"

"......Betty."

Betty had appeared out of nowhere and froze at the sight of me, eyes wide. I stared back through haggard eyes.

She held my gaze for a moment, her face falling into sadness, then spoke softly.

"......Want to sleep together?"

And so, Betty and I fell asleep side by side in the narrow bed.

The hallucinations fell silent.

A chill early-autumn wind blew outside the shelter. The cold air snaking around the buildings chilled the heroes' skin as well.

The heroes standing guard at the shelter's entrance felt it like the final breaths of their fallen comrades. As the wind battered them, they recalled the last moments of the comrades they'd witnessed firsthand.

If they hadn't seen it themselves, they'd sought out witnesses.

If no witnesses could be found, they'd simply imagined it.

Gazing at the sky or the ground, they pieced together those fading final breaths amid the autumn gusts.

And Yoon Na-rin stood there in the wind as well. She paid no mind to it tugging at her red bobbed hair.

"........."

Yoon Na-rin stared blankly at the towering barrier in the distance.

They had always been so close. People whose lives she'd taken for granted.

Yet reality was cruel and merciless.

Had they died staring at the ground? The sky? If not, what had been the last thing reflected in their eyes?

She couldn't picture it. The ends of Yoon Kang-woo and Anis.

Any imaginings were just false shards. Even forcing them together, they slipped from her grasp and shattered.

"........."

The wind grew fiercer. Tears leaked from her eyes.

It felt like rain was coming soon.

"They might not be dead yet. No—they're not dead. Anis is definitely hanging on somewhere. We need to send a rescue team now..."

"Enough."

Aselrika cut off Han U-sol mid-sentence. Ignoring her wind-whipped hair, she stared into the distance.

"I've told you a hundred times. It's impossible."

"Why not...!"

"You know why."

"........."

Once the barrier was up and the situation stabilized, the heroes took stock of their numbers and opted for indefinite standby. Han U-sol had approached Aselrika insisting on dispatching a rescue team, but she'd just shaken her head.

"Look inside that barrier. Even from here, you can see the magic beasts multiplying. Charging in with our current forces would be suicide. Do you have a death wish?"

Han U-sol fell silent at her resolute words.

Fewer than half the heroes had survived. In stark contrast, the magic beasts inside the barrier were visibly growing in number even from afar.

Even if reinforcements arrived from elsewhere, without the terrain advantage of the fortress, storming in would be suicidal, just as she said.

Han U-sol believed Anis was alive. He wanted to believe it.

She was special. She'd always faced crises head-on and overcome them.

But.

Even for someone like her, what were the odds of surviving alone in there?

"........."

Han U-sol bowed his head, and the wind swept through the gap. A chill crept up his body, making him shiver. It felt like sinking into the ocean depths.

The moment submersion began below the surface, the first instinct was to thrash.

She couldn't have died so pointlessly. She had to be alive somewhere. He clung to that hope, refusing to sink.

"...I get how you feel, but you're not the only one grieving lost comrades here. Face it."

But reality...

"All the heroes who didn't make it here are dead."

...only shoved the struggling Han U-sol back under the surface.

"........."

Han U-sol stood rooted to the spot and looked up at the sky. The heavy gray clouds seemed to herald impending rain.

Plip. A single droplet hit the corner of his eye and trailed down. The scattered drops on his skin grew heavier until the rain began in earnest.

Shhh...

Rain and wind mingled. Amid it all, the dazed Han U-sol turned at the sound of his name.

"Han U-sol."

It was Fergus. The old man's beard swayed in the wind, slowly soaking with rain.

"...Yes."

His voice was hoarse, drowned by the downpour.

"......I need a word with you."

The old man led him to a secluded spot. Though puzzled by the behavior, Han U-sol followed.

A narrow back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alley between buildings, some distance from the shelter. They stopped there. The curtain of pouring rain and the concrete walls on either side seemed to seal in any sound perfectly.

Han U-sol gave Fergus a look. A flicker of hesitation creased the old man's wrinkled eyes.

But it was washed away by the rain, and he spoke.

"...It's about Miss Anis."

Fergus didn't know much.

First, that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Anis was a being from another world.

Second, that she'd lost her powers for some reason, and Yeriel had injected demonic energy into her body to restore them—only to plan on sacrificing her once they were fully regained.

Third, that the encroaching demonic energy was causing severe hallucinations and auditory visions, inflicting immense mental torment and driving her toward madness.

He didn't know a great deal, but he knew enough. Fergus had always known just enough. It was the hallmark of an observer who kept a deliberate distance, avoiding deep involvement.

For the first time in his life, Fergus told someone what he knew. Courage that had come far too late.

Han U-sol, who had listened quietly to Fergus's account, clenched his fists tight.

"......I need to see Lady Yeriel."

He bolted from the alley toward the shelter. He had to confront Yeriel right away and confirm if it was true.

His feet moved frantically, yet the shelter felt impossibly distant for some reason.

He hadn't noticed. She'd always tried to keep a bright face.

Even through hardships, she'd bounce back to her cheerful self in no time.

So he hadn't noticed the agony she was enduring behind that mask.

Clueless. Unaware. Blind to it all.

And yet he'd doubted her.

Hurt her, nothing more.

"Huff... huff..."

His breath came in gasps, the rain unrelenting. Han U-sol sank into the deluge.

Sinking. The faint breath he exhaled turned to bubbles and floated away, replaced by inky water.

The black water flooding his lungs burned his chest like fire. Han U-sol writhed in torment, expelling labored breaths one after another.

The color of those breaths was deep regret.