Within the Boundary (3)
Death was coming. I had prepared myself for this, but now that it was actually happening, a wave of regret washed over me. A weak thought crossed my mind: Was there really no other way? Fortunately, I wasn't pathetic enough to dwell on it. Even if I thought about it again, I would conclude that this was the only choice. But still... I had regrets. What would happen to Sirien if I died? Could she survive in this dangerous place? The pursuers would catch up soon. Would they do terrible things to her? Helplessness wrapped around my body like creeping vines. If only I had been a little stronger. If only I hadn't been so weak, so many things would have been different. The Rajen from the original novel would have been able to protect Sirien. A bitter taste filled my mouth.
In my head, I counted down the seconds to my death. One. Two. Three. Thud! A heavy, massive weight crashed to the ground. Now, my body would be brutally crushed. I wouldn't even leave behind a proper corpse. Since the pursuers wouldn't be able to find any trace of me, was that at least a silver lining?
But the foretold death did not come. Only after a few more seconds passed did I realize something was wrong. For some reason, my death was taking too long. My body, which should have been crushed to pieces by now, felt perfectly fine. Did the giant miss its jump? Such a ridiculous thought crossed my mind. But I had seen the shadow looming over me. That was impossible. Then what had happened?
I cautiously opened my eyes. Before me lay a massive corpse. Needless to say, it was the giant's.
"...?"
"I wondered what all the racket was about. What troublesome uninvited guests."
A heavy pressure seemed to weigh down the very air. A grim, eerie voice echoed from behind me. When I quickly spun around, a man dressed in black was sheathing his sword.
When? And how? I couldn't even muster a hollow laugh. While I was fighting the giant, I hadn't sensed another presence at all. Was it even possible to intervene in that split second? Yet, the man casually adjusted his collar as if it were no big deal.
At first glance, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about his appearance. Dark green hair so deep it was almost black. Dull gray eyes. A face that seemed utterly indifferent to everything, yet somehow carried an imposing aura. Was the outfit he wore some kind of uniform? My first impression associated it with a knight order's formal attire, but it was a design I had never seen before. If so, I could confidently say he did not belong to any military or knight order within the Empire. Although his aura was well-restrained, his ominous, formidable presence could not be entirely hidden.
Do not get close. He is not an opponent to be trifled with. My instincts screamed in warning.
The man tapped the hilt of his sword. The grim voice echoed once more.
"Do you intend to keep holding that sword? I won't stop you if you want to point it at me."
"...No. I know you saved my life. I am not so shameless as to point my blade at my savior."
"Then that is fine. Your companion is trembling behind that rock over there. Gather your things quickly and leave. You are not welcome here."
"By 'here,' do you mean inside the Boundary?"
"The Boundary? I suppose it could look that way. In that case, what you need to do is get outside of it. That shouldn't be too difficult to understand."
I looked at the fallen giant's corpse. Its massive body had been cleanly cut in half. The severed surface was incredibly smooth. It meant there hadn't been even the slightest tremor while slicing through that hard hide. Such a feat was impossible with the hardness of an ordinary sword. Naturally, the concept of Sword Qi came to mind. A Sword Master. My father might have been capable of something similar. But a Sword Master wasn't some common dog you could find on any street corner; they weren't the kind of figures to just appear out of nowhere. Let alone the Empire, even if I expanded the scope to the entire continent, I had never heard of a Sword Master who looked like this. That remained true even if I included the Sword Masters who would play active roles in the novel later on. Once again, my knowledge as a reincarnator was of no help...
Then, a sudden thought struck me. If I could get this man's help, wouldn't we be able to reach the Elloran Marquisate safely? Even if he didn't accompany us all the way to Elloran, things would be much better than they were now. I slowly tested the waters.
"We would like to, but this place is too dangerous for us. We have a destination we must reach, so we have to pass through here. If you could help us, we would surely reward you..."
"Stop. I clearly stated that you are not welcome here. Whether you live or die is of no concern to me. I merely cut down the beast that was making a racket in my domain, and you happened to survive as a byproduct. Do not beg for my mercy any further."
"Even so, I beg of you. Could you not help us just while we are within this area?"
"No. If it weren't for a certain nagging fellow, I would have cut you down as well. I believe surviving is luck enough for you, is it not?"
The man's attitude was incredibly firm. If I pushed any further, I might needlessly provoke him. There seemed to be no room for negotiation. He didn't seem to harbor a single shred of goodwill toward us. If anything, a thick hostility emanated from him. He had only shown mercy due to his own circumstances, and he had no reason to do anything more. Whatever those circumstances were, they were definitely beyond my ability to comprehend.
"Understood. Then we will leave as you said. We have no intention of staying here indefinitely either."
"You had better not."
It was a shame, but I didn't dwell on it. For now, I decided to count myself lucky just to be alive. After all, this man could have easily killed the giant without saving me. Rather than lingering on what couldn't be, it was better to gather Sirien and set off again. His demands didn't seem overly strict either. The man told us to leave, but he didn't specify a time limit. If we kept moving as we had been, we would eventually exit the Boundary. As long as we showed that much effort, we wouldn't make an enemy out of him.
"Keep this in mind. There won't be a second time."
With those final words, the man vanished. I couldn't even track his departure. There wasn't even the slightest sign of physical movement, so he likely used magic or some supernatural ability. I was about to head toward the rock the man had pointed out, but there was no need. Sirien was already running toward me from a distance, her face drenched in tears.
"Rajeeeeeennn!"
The rock where Sirien had been hiding wasn't very far. It was close enough that she could clearly watch my fight with the giant just by peeking her head out. It was so close that if the giant had pursued her, it wouldn't have taken long to catch her. It seemed she hadn't run away even though I had told her to. Then again, I had already realized that telling her to flee was an irresponsible demand. How could Sirien possibly escape this forest on her own?
The moment she reached me, Sirien threw herself into my arms. It hurt quite a bit as we tumbled to the ground, but given my guilt, I couldn't complain. Don't leave me behind. The memory of Sirien collapsing and reaching out her hand flashed in my mind, sending a wave of guilt washing over me.
"Ugh, *hic*... *hiccup*!"
Sirien's hands cupped my cheeks. Tears streaming from her bloodshot eyes dripped onto the bridge of my nose. Hiccuping, she began to touch my body all over. Her touch seemed almost obsessive. She traced my facial features as if to confirm I was really there, then checked my neck, shoulders, arms, and chest for any wounds. Finally, she pressed her ear against my chest to listen to my heartbeat. Since I wasn't dead, my heart was naturally still beating. Sirien let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. *Sob*... It's not a dream."
A dream. I knew she occasionally had nightmares, but it seemed the trauma of that day still ran deep. I didn't want to imagine what kind of dreams she was having. In any case, once she caught her breath, anger seemed to take over. Sirien glared at me, her face still wet with tears. When I turned my head to avoid her gaze, she grabbed my face and forced me to look her in the eye.
"You promised you wouldn't do that anymore! *Hic*! Rajen, you lied to me!"
"Well, um... I felt like I had no choice."
"But you said you wouldn't! You promised... I hate you!"
Sirien's fist struck my shoulder with a soft thud. Of course, it didn't hurt. But I couldn't bring myself to stop her flailing hands, so I just lay there and took it. I wondered if this was how Therion had felt in the past. It didn't hurt physically, yet it ached deep inside.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not accepting your apology."
"I'm really sorry."
"I won't accept it..."
Just like when she used to punish Therion, Sirien soon broke down. The girl who had been yelling at me began to sob sorrowfully once more. The tears she had desperately held back even when we lost the two of them finally burst forth.
"I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you too... I was terrified that you would disappear from my life, just like my brother and Hena."
"But it worked out in the end."
"You almost died! You almost died, Rajen! If that man in black hadn't appeared, you would definitely be dead right now. You're all I have left."
*Hic.* Sirien's hiccups wouldn't stop. Even patting her back did little to comfort her.
"My brother and Hena are dead, and I don't even know what happened to Father and Mother. The people at the castle, the relatives who used to visit... everyone is gone. I don't even know who the bad guys are anymore. You're the only person in the world I can trust."
"..."
"You said we'd get revenge together... Please, never, ever do that again."
"Okay."
"Never die. Don't leave me behind and go alone."
"I promise."