Chapter 270: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (63)
Chapter 270: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (63)
My throat tightened, and no words would come out.
So, without a word, I simply pulled my junior sister into my arms.
I felt her warmth, her soft touch. It was a sense of fulfillment that tickled my heart, a feeling only she could give me. A sense of relief, as if my arms were finally full.
But now, the girl in my embrace was fading, her breath bruising with every shallow gasp.
It was because of me.
I had sent her ahead because I had business left in the city, never imagining an ambush would occur in the meantime. Much less did I expect her to deal with the traitors who had been lying in wait for me.
Even now, shockwaves continued to boom from the center of our quarters.
It meant the battle was still raging.
The mere aftershocks were enough to uproot trees and send violent gales howling in every direction. It was a clash between a vampire who had spent ages gnashing her teeth to break free from an old curse and my master, one of the continent’s Masters.
Someone like me would be nothing but a burden if I stayed nearby.
It was a pathetic thought for a disciple, but funnily enough, I was somewhat grateful for that fact. Because of it, I had been granted time to say goodbye to my junior sister.
Faltering, words of apology spilled from my lips. My voice was thick, already wet with tears.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I... I was too late..."
Even on the verge of death, she let out a giggle. It was a playful laugh, just like always. But because even that sound felt faint today, a single tear traced a path down my cheek.
"...Don't cry, you idiot."
Her tone was as bold as ever. As if trying to comfort me instead, she even managed to wrap her arms around me. Her sweet voice soaked into my ears, filled with affection.
"Thanks to you, I could be myself... Not 'Lainella,' but your junior sister and your lover. For the first time in my life, I was happy."
"Please, don't..."
Every word she spoke felt like a final farewell, leaving me with no choice but to plead with her. Yet, she didn't stop, as if she still had so much left to say.
"There are so many things I did for the first time with you."
I choked back a sob.
"Love, kissing, and dating... Laughing and chatting with someone, dreaming of the future. I thought it would be fine even if we were the only two left in the world."
It felt as if a searing laceration was being carved into my chest.
"...So, thank you, Senior Brother."
Even hearing the title she had so stubbornly refused to use, I couldn't say a thing. The girl wore a gentle smile. Then, tightening the strength in the arms that held me:
"I... I finally protected you..."
She let out a mournful, tearful sob, as if relieved.
"...My precious person."
She was a woman who had once lost her younger brother while she stood by, powerless. As if this were her only salvation, she conveyed her final feelings to me.
Thud.
The girl’s hand, which had been fumbling against my chest, fell away.
"No..."
Memories of our time together flooded my senses.
Our sweet first kiss. The way she would playfully peek at my collar with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The fragrant scent that lingered whenever we met. The bitter taste of cosmetics on my lips and the warmth radiating from her embrace.
Gasping for air, I continued to speak in a desperate tone. But it was already too late.
"No, no, no...! I-I was wrong. I was too late... I... I won't do it again, so..."
Even if I cried.
"D-Do you hate being called 'junior sister'? Then I'll call you 'Senior' like you wanted... There are still so many places we wanted to go together... So please..."
Even if I sobbed.
Even if I begged, she wouldn't come back.
"...Don't die."
That was the very essence of death.
Suddenly, my blurred vision cleared. My breathing had grown ragged.
Confusion struck for a moment, but the person in my arms was not a girl, but a boy. A boy who had dreamed of becoming a knight to protect his younger sister. My mischievous friend Ned, who used to follow me around calling me "Master."
My eyes had long since turned bloodshot.
"Master, j-just as you said... Cough! I didn't... slack off on my training..."
"Right, right."
I could only mutter those words like a broken automaton. Ned proudly boasted of what he had done.
"I... I was able to take down... the bad guy who was attacking my sister..."
"Right, right. You did great. So, so well..."
I was so choked up it was hard to keep speaking. But Ned didn't have much time left. Swallowing my tears with great effort, I spoke to him.
"...You've grown so much. Before I knew it. Protecting your sister like this."
"Master..."
Only after hearing my praise did Ned's expression relax into one of relief. He spoke to me in a plaintive voice.
"But May is still back there."
"I will protect her."
It was an answer without a hint of hesitation. It was a heated vow, refined and spat out from the depths of my boiling emotions. My arms naturally tightened around Ned. When no answer came back, I swore once more.
"I will protect her, no matter what... I'll make sure your sister is safe, I swear it."
Because we were older brothers. Because we had sworn to protect our younger sisters.
Obvious truths that I didn't even know why I had forgotten. Ned's final words weren't over yet. He squeezed more words out of his failing lungs.
"There's more than just May... I promised to protect Rudy from the next village, and Charles next door, gasp, too..."
"All of them."
I spat out the promise, clenching my teeth as if hardening my resolve. Reflecting the flickering flames, a pool of blood mirrored my image. My eyes were bloodshot.
"I'll protect them all... Not just your sister, but everyone."
"...Really? Without abandoning anyone?"
It was a question asked as if he found it hard to believe. So, I repeated the words I always used to say to Ned.
"Of course... You know, Ned. A great knight..."
"...Never tells a lie."
Reenacting the exchange we had shared countless times, Ned finally wore a bright smile, as if his mind were at ease.
"I'm glad."
Ned's breath grew faint, as if he were falling into a deep sleep.
"Because Young Master Ian is the best knight I know..."
Thud.
The boy's hand fell limply.
I held him for a while longer. Until even the lingering echo of his breathing had completely vanished from my ears. Only then did I carefully lay the boy's body on the ground.
My body swayed as I forced myself to stand.
I had been a fool. I should have done this from the start.
Until now, I had acted solely based on information from my future self. Believing that I had to discard what must be discarded, and that time would eventually pass. This was the result of choosing and re-choosing that "rational" path—the end of my flight.
In the end, I had protected nothing.
You moron. Why didn't I realize? The fact that if you keep discarding and discarding, nothing remains.
I took a step forward, teeth clenched. My body repeated a pendulum motion with every stride. Blood dripped from the hand axe I had pulled from the flesh monster's corpse.
As I walked with my head bowed, a voice stopped me.
"...Ian."
I glanced back. There stood Reto, the strategist I trusted most. A sigh escaped his lips. It seemed he had already grasped the general situation.
"I understand how you feel... but you can't do this alone."
As always, he laid out his explanation calmly.
"Your future self reached this conclusion after various calculations. We cannot defeat that monster with our current strength. Of course, the sacrifice is heartbreaking, but it's something we have to endure—"
"...Reto."
But for the first time in a very long while, I threw a voice boiling with rage back at Reto. A searing heat had already swept through my eyes. Only a faint, reddish glow lingered in my parched pupils.
Nevertheless, the words I spat out were filled with a desperate fury. It was an emotion I couldn't even identify the target of. Was it myself, the enemy, or the fate that had pushed me into such a steep corner?
I only hoped this would be a choice I wouldn't regret.
"That man might have done that."
With that final remark, I turned my gaze forward again.
"...But not me."
Before Reto could stop me, my body shot forward at high speed, kicking off the ground. Not even the flames licking the world could stand in my way. Space compressed, and the sound of violent wind whipped past my ears.
In the distance, I could see the Corpse Giant.
Before long, the monster turned its hideous gaze toward me. That alone exerted a massive pressure. It was a wall so high and thick. An intimidation that seemed to ask if I dared to resist fate.
Suddenly, I recalled a sentence I had seen once.
'Discard what must be discarded.'
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. Amidst the sonic boom tearing through the atmosphere, a dry chuckle scattered.
"...Bullshit."
There was nothing to discard.
Not Ria, not Ned, not May—nothing.
That was the fate I chose.