Ep.2 - Two Women (2)
Ep.2 - Two Women (2)
***
Neva.
Her house boasted a grand scale and Dragon-worthy majesty that could easily be called a mansion.
As a knight who personally served the queen, it was only natural for her to possess wealth befitting her honor.
'What would it feel like to live in a place like this?'
Carried on her back, I passed through the garden attached to the mansion.
Her beautifully kept garden mercilessly seized my gaze, endlessly flaunting its gorgeous appearance so that I couldn't look anywhere else.
From the fountain at the center of the garden, clear water gushed endlessly,
and the surrounding array of colorful flowers lured butterflies and bees, spreading their God-pollen.
'A pretty garden.'
When I imagined knights, I usually pictured people who kept only the bare necessities, but the state of her garden seemed to suggest otherwise.
"Do you like it?"
Neva, perhaps noticing my gaze fixed on the garden, slowed her pace a little and spoke to me.
"Yes. It's pretty. I've never seen such a pretty garden before."
It was true.
Not only had I never visited a place like a mansion with a garden, but the only flowers I'd ever seen were a few forsythias blooming along my commute to school.
Blue trees softly fluffy like wool, and silver-white blossoms harmonizing among them.
The dazzling flowers around the fountain.
Even her silver hair right before my eyes...
The scenery was far too extravagant for my eyes.
"I'm glad. That you like it..."
The faint, relieved smile that rose to her lips—wasn't that also too extravagant for me?
Her consideration for me felt a little burdensome.
—————————————————
Judging by the size of the mansion from the outside, one would expect a hectic interior teeming with countless Dragon-servants,
but what my eyes met inside the mansion was an eerily profound silence and stillness.
There was not a single trace of a lived-in atmosphere, so much so that it was hard to believe Neva actually lived here.
'The inside is in this state—so why is only the garden so well-maintained...?'
Creak, creak—
She walked up the elegantly decorated wooden staircase.
The stairs, which must have taken tremendous effort to craft, groaned under the weight of a human body long absent.
Part creepy, part strange—eventually I opened my mouth toward her.
"Um, Neva-ssi... Do you live here?"
"Normally I stay at the knights' order. I rarely come home—and when I do, I just sleep in the room upstairs. Still, everything you need is here, so don't worry."
Without offering any further explanation, she brought me to a room.
A fairly large bed sat squarely in the room, and various pieces of furniture that seemed to have been crafted with considerable care were well arranged, yet all of them felt equally devoid of any human warmth.
"If you'll sit here for just a moment, I'll clean it up right away. Even if it's uncomfortable, just for a moment..."
She carefully seated me on the bed and, true to her word, brought a duster and rag and started tidying the room.
Unlike the garden, the interior of the mansion was sorely neglected.
Feeling puzzled by that, I nevertheless sat quietly and silently watched Neva clean.
She didn't seem like someone who would harm me, and I also had my Save&Load ability in case of emergency. Though it was still a bit frightening...
Even so, she was the woman who had saved me from Philmark, and the only woman who willingly acted for my sake.
The sole support I could lean on right now. My only support.
It might have been a bit of a vulgar thought, but in a situation where I couldn't even use my legs properly, I did need to entrust myself to her.
No. Still, isn't this a bit much...?
..Yeah. This is a bit much.
This person helped me for no particular reason, and I shouldn't be scheming to exploit that.
She fought so hard for me...
Fuck. What the hell was I thinking? You conscienceless bastard.
If she says she'll help, let's just say thank you and accept it. Stop nitpicking like a little girl...!
"Is this level acceptable?"
Neva's question snapped me back to my senses.
While I had been lost in thought for a moment, she had diligently dusted and wiped everything, and now she was looking at me with a deeply worried expression.
"Ah...!"
Looking around, I saw that before I knew it the area around the bed—and even the dust covering all the furniture—had been made remarkably clean.
How could I have entertained such thoughts about Neva, who even took on this kind of laborious work for my sake...
"Th-thank you. Really. You didn't have to go this far..."
"No. It's only natural."
"No...! You truly don't need to do this. Why are you going so far for me... You've already helped me plenty. I'll just stay until I'm healed and then leave. Thank you so much. If you do this, it actually makes things awkward for me. I've already received more than enough, so I'll definitely repay the kindness later...! Anyway, please don't concern yourself any further."
I desperately waved my hands to stop her.
If she gave me anything more, it would be so burdensome that I wouldn't know what to do with myself, so I drove the nail in: please, no more concern.
Just hemming and hawing while she gave was unmanly, but continuing only to take and take would be unmanly too.
"...I see."
Neva, however, listened to my words and wore a blank expression for a moment, muttering softly, before she stared at me with her mouth agape as if she'd been struck on the head.
1 second.
2 seconds.
3 seconds.
4 seconds.
After that, she briefly looked up at the ceiling, then her gaze dropped straight down to her feet—Neva's clouded eyes...
Had I said something that shocking...?
"Ah, um! Neva-ssi! I didn't mean it that way...! It's just, because you've been so generous, I started to feel a little burdened..."
"..No. I was troubling you too much, Delin-ssi. Please rest comfortably. I'll go meet Philmark and resolve the issue with your ankle."
With those parting words, Neva left the room.
'Is she gone?'
Soon, I was left alone in the room.
Even the faint sound of Neva's footsteps faded away,
and the early evening gradually pushed aside the sunset, tinting the sky a deeper blue.
Left all by myself, I lay on the bed and savored its God-plush softness.
It was so plush it reminded me of hotel bedding; it felt as if closing my eyes for just a moment would send me straight into a deep sleep.
"...Mm."
But as I felt that plushness with my whole body, the expression I'd seen on Neva's face earlier suddenly surfaced in my mind, and I couldn't help but worry.
Was there really no reason to brush her off...?
No, I mean, if such a beautiful and strong noona says she'll help me, shouldn't I be the one bowing in gratitude...?
"Soolp..."
I turned over.
Since savoring it with just one cheek felt like a waste, I rubbed the pillow against my other cheek too.
Mm...
If she's someone who rescues me, helps me, and generously gives me nice things like this, there's no real need to push her away... right? Right?
Her personality seems really good, too—kind, strong, capable...
Wouldn't Neva-ssi be the perfect companion?
Lying in bed, Delin launched into a deeply serious contemplation.
In order to escape this isekai, he had to gather companions.
In this situation, wasn't Knight Commander Neva the ideal companion, bar none?
Righteous and resolute spirit, the goodness to help others, altruism to boot...
Delin judged that Neva was—spiritually—a perfect person without a single flaw. Of course, he also considered her nearly perfect in other aspects.
Indeed, just as he thought, Neva was an extremely powerful woman.
'Mm... But that's not really for me to decide. Neva-ssi would have to agree...'
'Wait. Was the Save&Load ability given to me for times like this? To definitely turn someone into a companion?'
'Still, isn't that a bit wrong...? To just force someone to be my companion without even asking their opinion? Using an ability? That's no different from a hypnosis app...'
'Still, I do need to escape quickly, even if it means using a method like that. This isn't the time to be picky.'
'And besides, just because you actively use an ability doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. It's just me making good use of it...'
'Alright...! Let's do it!'
Delin finally made up his mind.
Once Neva returned, he planned to build up her affection and make her a companion.
Of course, not properly asking her opinion was quite uncomfortable, but he believed that when he eventually confessed the truth, she would understand...!
Believed that even knowing everything, she would still help him escape this other world!
And so he waited for Neva.
But even after quite a long time passed, Neva didn't return.
'Why isn't she coming...?'
Was it because the room was so quiet with no clock that time felt slow?
No. The darkened scenery outside suggested a considerable amount of time had passed.
With a vague sense of unease, Delin kept waiting for Neva.
Had something happened to her? Was her meeting with Philmark dragging on?
Worries like these crept in one by one.
"Delin-ssi."
..Neva suddenly appeared at some point.
Delin, who hadn't even properly heard her footsteps in that silence, flinched in shock and looked toward the door,
"Yes, Neva-ssi...? Eek!"
and seeing Neva standing there, he screamed in surprise once more.
Unlike when she had left, Neva was absolutely drenched in blood;
even her lovely silver hair was stained crimson,
and she walked toward Delin leaving drops of blood on the floor.