Escape. (7)
"You, how in the world are you alive?"
A voice full of questions echoed in my ears.
How am I alive? Because I'm alive, that's how.
I rub my reddened forearm with my palm.
The wounds were one thing, but bruises had risen all over, making my entire body ache.
"At this rate, it feels like I'll die giving birth... *Keuheung*."
"..."
She looked down at me with a momentarily troubled expression, then, as if resigned, put her hand into her bosom.
What she pulled out were several pieces of paper.
They were densely covered with letters and shapes, seemingly some kind of talisman.
"To use divine power on a Demon, this too is sacrilege."
She stuck talismans on my arms, legs, and neck.
As she muttered something and chanted a spell, the letters written on the paper began to glow faintly.
And from it, an unknown power spread.
No, I called it unknown, but it was definitely something I had felt somewhere before—
'...Divine Power?'
*Thump*, my heart pounded.
The Divine Power Elli used.
More precisely, the Divine Power the Goddess used.
My limbs trembled at the power, which felt very similar, or perhaps completely identical, to it.
"Stop, stop..."
"Could it be that she's being rejected by divine power? No, the wounds are definitely healing..."
"Stop, it..."
Although the large and small wounds disappeared, the strangeness that filled my body did not.
This is the worst.
It felt as if I had swallowed countless blades that could stab me at the Goddess's whim.
It would be better if I could just throw it up.
As I retched, *wook-wook*, her nine tails swayed busily.
"Are you alright?"
"...Not at all."
Of course I'm not alright.
Of course, it wasn't yet certain if the god the fox in front of me served was the Goddess I knew.
But there's no way I could be mistaken.
How could I mistake that unpleasant Divine Power?
"Now, walk. Haven't your wounds been sufficiently healed?"
Heartless bastard.
I put my hands on the ground and limped to my feet.
Perhaps because she was of such noble status, or perhaps she didn't want to touch a filthy Demon, she looked completely like a mere spectator.
"J-just a little, help me."
Just a few steps.
Despite only taking a few steps, my body creaked roughly.
Only the wounds were healed; my depleted stamina and strained muscles had not yet recovered.
As I reached out with trembling hands, she snorted, *heung*.
'...Bitch.'
Even leaning against the wall and gasping for breath, nothing changed.
Her face, as if asking why I wasn't coming, was so annoying that I just wanted to hit her.
"Is helping me with just that one thing so disagreeable?"
"Don't pretend to be hurt when you're perfectly fine."
...But I'm telling you, I'm not fine!
Just moments ago, she was asking how I was alive, but it seems her memory is zero, like an animal's brain.
*Heueuk*...
Could falling to the ground and losing consciousness flow so naturally?
Through my rapidly blurring vision, I saw the Fox Beastman with wide eyes.
...See, I told you.
***
Why are you sad, Arthur?
The Demon King just died.
Your enemy, the Demon King, just died!
"She's not dead."
There's no way she's dead.
She was someone who wanted to live so badly; there's no way she'd die from just that.
Giant trees growing at the bottom of the cliff.
I stared intently between them, but Ariel was nowhere to be seen.
No, it was better that the trees were dense.
If they were growing that thickly, the chances of her being alive were higher than if they weren't.
"Ah, Ariel-ssi. Oh, what do we do...."
It felt like if I didn't pull myself together, everyone would give up.
Elli, Hallibel, even Ai.
All of them were distraught, idly staring down at the cliff.
...I have to do something, even if it's just me.
"You, where are you going—"
"Shh."
You comfort the others, I'll go find Ariel.
I walked past the bonfire burning nearby, moving quickly.
Through the forest, across the stream, I ran down that hill.
Sticking-out twigs whipped my face, but this wasn't the time to worry about such things.
"Please, please be safe."
What exactly is the Demon King to me?
At first, it was hatred.
I only thought of her as the leader of the Demons, who killed my loved ones and the people I wanted to protect.
The days of violating and inflicting violence.
And up until the moment she gave birth to a child.
*Huk, heok*...
Her eye corners were slightly upturned, giving her a fierce impression, but I remembered how they softened into a gentle curve when she smiled.
I had done such terrible things that I couldn't even bring myself to say the word 'beautiful,' yet it was a smile I dared to call beautiful.
A smile that was never directed at me.
From when she held the child in her arms, to the innocent, childlike appearance she sometimes showed.
Nothing could define her.
Sometimes like a country maiden, sometimes like a benevolent mother, sometimes like a timid friend approaching shyly.
How could I possibly define what she, who changed her appearance like a maple tree through the four seasons, meant to me?
'Arthur.'
I hear a voice.
A voice calling my name.
A different voice, not my childhood friend's.
If I had read kindness amidst a face distorted as if in genuine dislike, would that be my delusion?
"ARIEEEEEL!!!!!"
My chest felt stifled, so I screamed.
It was a cry that sounded like a shout, a scream, or perhaps a desperate call for someone precious and missed.
Who exactly am I calling?
Not long ago, I would have agonized over that for a long time.
But now, I could assert it.
'Honey.'
My heart stops.
My heart, which had stopped for a moment, began to pound even faster than it had stopped—or at double the speed.
*Thump, thump, thump* as I walked slowly, then *thump-thump-thump-thump-thump* as I ran at full speed.
To finally realize feelings I couldn't articulate when I was young.
And towards her, a stranger who happened to share the same name.
"..."
I brought my body, which had been running at full speed, to a sudden halt.
A harsh recoil shot up my legs, but my trained body didn't allow even a slight tremor.
Looking at the bloodstains scattered on the ground, the Hero let out a deep breath.
How much pain must she have been in?
She's been in pain until now, and she must have been in pain again.
"I don't know who these bastards are, but..."
On a branch where a torn piece of clothing hung, I found her trace.
Grinding my teeth, I smelled her scent clinging to that small fragment.
I clenched my fists, making a grating sound as if sharpening a blade on a whetstone.
The Hero, who had scanned the surroundings like a predator searching for prey, finally stopped his gaze.
His sharply honed eyes caught sight of a small piece of fur caught in the grass, unable to move forward.
"A Beastman, then."
It was too well-groomed for animal fur, yet ambiguous to be human hair.
A trace I could recognize because I had encountered various races on the battlefield.
The Hero, recalling the faces of comrades he had once met, roughly snatched the piece of fur in front of him.
The past didn't matter.
Because it was the Demon King, Ariel, who taught me that.
Therefore, I decided not to be bound by the past any longer.
"Could I forget the faces of my comrades and harm their kin?"
Denial.
A warning light, flashing red in his vision, ignited a fire in his heart.
I promised, didn't I?
I swore to those who gloriously sacrificed themselves that I would help, no matter what.
"If so, could I persuade them?"
Could I say, 'Give her back'?
Denial again.
It was absolutely impossible.
It wasn't just his heart that was burning hot.
Because every single cell and nerve in his brain was already ablaze.
Therefore, a conversation would be impossible.
"What about the option of rescuing Ariel secretly from them?"
He tilted his posture askew.
Looking at the piece of clothing carried by the wind towards the distance, the Hero gritted his teeth.
Stealth operations would be impossible in this state.
If the opponents were truly Beastmen, moving secretly wouldn't be easy either.
From the start, he wasn't confident he could control himself upon seeing them.
Surely, as soon as they entered his sight, he would draw his sword.
'Why am I doing all this?'
That thought suddenly came to mind.
They were clearly kin of the comrades he had fought alongside, back to back, on the battlefield.
On battlefields soaked in moonlight and rain, they had even talked about taking care of each other's families and kin if someone passed away first.
Yet, what was the reason for him to contemplate such radical thoughts and choices?
"To revive Ariel."
If Ariel isn't here, I can't revive Ariel.
He couldn't let such people snatch away the moment he had waited for his entire life.
They could call him selfish, he didn't care.
But because that was his everything—
'.....No, that's not it. Get a grip, Arthur.'
Even this was an excuse.
He forcibly pulled out the truth hidden deep within his heart.
It was an incomplete, budding emotion, but it was more than enough, even perfect, to defend himself now.
Yes, so.
He took a breath.
Through the deeply inhaled air, the refreshing scent of the forest filled his senses.
Why am I making this choice?
"To save Ariel."
Why do you want to save her?
"...Her."
Her?
"Because I, care for her."
At that one phrase, his heart settled as if by magic.
Now, it was time to save her.