Chapter 143: Awakening (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: Awakening (6)
Concentration and decision-making were important to survival—what to give up and what to choose. The more rationally I solved a problem, the higher the survival rate. However, this time I couldn't do that.
There were three wounded and one bottle of advanced potion. Truthfully, the best course of action would have been to let Rotmiller drink the entire bottle. I had to revive him as quickly as possible and take out the other potions from the Treasure Vault. Then, the right course of action would be to treat me with a high-grade potion and feed Dwalkie the remaining advanced potion.
However, if I had done that, Dwalkie would have died.
It was difficult to make a rational decision. Even though I already knew all of the above in my head, my body had fed half of the potion to Dwalkie without the slightest hint of hesitation.
"Both of you, please hold on! Let's all get out of this damn place alive!"
As a result, any certainty was gone. Because I hadn't been able to give up on Dwalkie, I couldn't even guarantee Rotmiller's survival. Half a bottle of potion would have been enough for him if consumed right away, but the problem was that he'd been given it too late. Simply put, high risk, high return. I wanted the whole team to survive, so I made an irrational decision that might have just killed them all.
"B-Bjorn..."
I approached Rotmiller and checked his pulse and breathing. I hoped he would hold on. If this man died like this, all five of us would be as good as dead.
Ten minutes.
After that, the Dragon Slayer would wake up. Right now, the only one who was fine was the dwarf. If Hikurod couldn't block Vagos, it would all be over.
"Oh, right! The stone chamber! Bjorn, what was that stone chamber!?" Hikurod, standing guard at Dwalkie's side, looked at me and asked about the stone chamber that we'd finally found after searching the maze for twelve hours. The question was filled with hope. "Elixir? Potion? Was there anything like that inside? Ah, if there were, you would've packed it, right? Or, is it a healing spring or something like that?"
"...That stone chamber isn't for that purpose."
"Then, what is it!? We worked so hard to find it! There must be something!" Hikurod demanded, hoping for a certain answer.
I knew it was best not to answer questions like this, but after a brief pause, I opened my mouth. "That stone chamber is a trap room."
"Trap room...?"
"Yes, opening the box inside will take you back to the starting point."
If the bastard and the priest had appeared at the same time, I would have considered discarding Plan A immediately and using it to get to the portal and escape. In that situation, there would be no chance of winning, no matter what I did.
"Y-Yeah! Then let's use that and go back! That will do!"
"Hikurod Murad, snap out of it. Even if we can get back to the Tower, nothing will change."
Getting to the Tower wasn't going to give us any potions. Going back was impossible to begin with, unless we were planning to rob an empty room. And heading for the portal in an injured state? That was suicide. The priest of Karui, whom I believed had changed his class with the divine power of a High Priest, would be guarding it.
"Oh, right! The priest! Wasn't there an old man like a priest in their team? Let's find him."
"Stop."
"From what I can tell, he must have been forced to follow him. If that's true—"
"Stop it, Hikurod."
"How can I stop? They're both dying—something has to be done!" the dwarf cried, as if screaming at his own powerlessness.
"There is nothing we can do now," I said coldly. "All we can do is watch."
"Truly... is that all?"
"Yes."
The dice had already left our hands. There were three possibilities that could unfold: we all lived, we all died, or some of us died and some lived.
Each minute and second passed like eternity. Eventually, Dwalkie regained consciousness. "The man... what happened...?"
"Dwalkie! Don't speak!"
"Yes, stay still. As soon as Rotmiller wakes up, take the potion—"
Watching us babble above him, Dwalkie asked again, "The man...? What happened to him?" As if that was more important than his life, that was the only thing he asked when he opened his eyes.
I pondered this for a moment. Should I tell him the truth? I didn't have to think for long, though. "Not dead."
"Oh..."
"But thanks to you, the immediate danger has passed. Leave it to us and rest."
"I-I can't do that." Dwalkie shook his head desperately. "T-Time... is running out."
"Did you not hear me? When Rotmiller wakes up, the potion—"
"Th-this is not s-something that can be treated... with a potion."
There was a moment of silence at those words, and I calmly faced the facts. "...I see." I still didn't know what Dwalkie had done. However, he was the one who best knew his current situation. Dwalkie, who longed for life more than anyone else, had been the one to say it couldn't be treated, so there was no point in denying it.
"What are you talking about?! I-It's an advanced potion!"
"He's rrright! You should know, too, what this thing is. S-So stop saying weirrrd things—"
"Miss Karlstein." Dwalkie opened his eyes and looked at us. "Hikurod and... Bjorn."
All he did was say each of our names, but having lived through many deaths after spending my childhood in a hospital, I knew what Dwalkie was about to do now. "Tell me. I will pass it on to Rotmiller."
"...Thank you." This was the flickering of a candle whose wick had run out. As if to leave something behind in this world, as if to be remembered, it emitted its greatest light in its final moments. "I have something to tell you all."
Soon, the trembling in Dwalkie's voice stopped.
***
His mother had loved the sea, that unfamiliar thing that she had never seen but only heard about. She wished to see it at least once in her life. He hadn't been able to understand it when he was young, but as he grew older, he came to.
"There are things... you yearn to have because you cannot have them."
There were some things like that in the world. Because they were unfamiliar, because they were things he couldn't possess, they shone all the brighter.
"You all were that to me."
He had been lucky—far more than he deserved. He had met nice people and explored. They had talked a lot and comforted each other. The empty spot that he thought would remain empty had finally been filled. So, he had to say it.
"Everyone, thank you for being my teammates." He hadn't said it before now because of embarrassment. These were words that had always been postponed, put off for later, but words that would be buried in his heart forever if he didn't say them now.
"How can I stop? They're both dying—something has to be done!" the dwarf cried, as if screaming at his own powerlessness.
"There is nothing we can do now," I said coldly. "All we can do is watch."
"Truly... is that all?"
"Yes."
The dice had already left our hands. There were three possibilities that could unfold: we all lived, we all died, or some of us died and some lived.
Each minute and second passed like eternity. Eventually, Dwalkie regained consciousness. "The man... what happened...?"
"Dwalkie! Don't speak!"
"Yes, stay still. As soon as Rotmiller wakes up, take the potion—"
Watching us babble above him, Dwalkie asked again, "The man...? What happened to him?" As if that was more important than his life, that was the only thing he asked when he opened his eyes.
I pondered this for a moment. Should I tell him the truth? I didn't have to think for long, though. "Not dead."
"Oh..."
"But thanks to you, the immediate danger has passed. Leave it to us and rest."
"I-I can't do that." Dwalkie shook his head desperately. "T-Time... is running out."
"Did you not hear me? When Rotmiller wakes up, the potion—"
"Th-this is not s-something that can be treated... with a potion."
There was a moment of silence at those words, and I calmly faced the facts. "...I see." I still didn't know what Dwalkie had done. However, he was the one who best knew his current situation. Dwalkie, who longed for life more than anyone else, had been the one to say it couldn't be treated, so there was no point in denying it.
"What are you talking about?! I-It's an advanced potion!"
"He's rrright! You should know, too, what this thing is. S-So stop saying weirrrd things—"
"Miss Karlstein." Dwalkie opened his eyes and looked at us. "Hikurod and... Bjorn."
All he did was say each of our names, but having lived through many deaths after spending my childhood in a hospital, I knew what Dwalkie was about to do now. "Tell me. I will pass it on to Rotmiller."
"...Thank you." This was the flickering of a candle whose wick had run out. As if to leave something behind in this world, as if to be remembered, it emitted its greatest light in its final moments. "I have something to tell you all."
Soon, the trembling in Dwalkie's voice stopped.
***
His mother had loved the sea, that unfamiliar thing that she had never seen but only heard about. She wished to see it at least once in her life. He hadn't been able to understand it when he was young, but as he grew older, he came to.
"There are things... you yearn to have because you cannot have them."
There were some things like that in the world. Because they were unfamiliar, because they were things he couldn't possess, they shone all the brighter.
"You all were that to me."
He had been lucky—far more than he deserved. He had met nice people and explored. They had talked a lot and comforted each other. The empty spot that he thought would remain empty had finally been filled. So, he had to say it.
"Everyone, thank you for being my teammates." He hadn't said it before now because of embarrassment. These were words that had always been postponed, put off for later, but words that would be buried in his heart forever if he didn't say them now.
Slide.
Dwalkie looked ahead with hazy eyes.
"Noooo! Don't say that! Hm? Dwalkie, please..." The woman he loved was crying. That wasn't what he wanted.
Slide.
He shifted his gaze sideways.
A dear friend looked at him and smiled. "I am... also thankful you were my friend. That you joined... a team I made." He was grateful for the way Hikurod smiled through that trembling beard. And he was sorry. He'd promised to visit the smithy one day. Now he couldn't keep that promise.
Slide.
He shifted his gaze again.
"Riol Warb Dwalkie." The last was a rival and the type of comrade he had yearned for. Unlike him, a coward, Bjorn was a warrior who always fought to the bitter end and protected everyone. He gazed at Dwalkie with calm eyes. "I apologize. I misunderstood you. You were a greater wizard and teammate than anyone else. And the choice you made was heroic and noble," said the man who was always stingy with praise, the warrior who never put words in his mouth he didn't mean. "It was an honor to work with you."
It was overwhelming, and he felt somehow relieved. He was being recognized for the first time. A great warrior, one who lived like a hero in a story, was telling him it had been an honor to know him. A half-wizard like him had added his own flourishes to a page of this warrior's journey. With that, he could die in peace. Yes... he should be able to.
But why am I...
He was angry. This was unfair, scary, and hopeless.
Why...?
That was what death was—being erased from the next page of someone's story.
"Do you have anything more to say? If you wish, we will step aside." Soon, the warrior spoke, and only then did Dwalkie realize the reason he felt this way.
"Nooo! Dwalkie! Don't die! Please, hmm?"
Some people in the world just shone above others. To him, Missha was one of those people. He still hadn't said those words yet.
This must be selfishness.
He tried his best to cast aside his greed. There wouldn't be another chance for him to say it after this, but because of that, he had to swallow it back. Her journey wouldn't end today. He didn't want to linger as a dark shadow for the rest of her life. If he was truly doing this for her, that was the right thing to do.
So, Dwalkie opened his mouth. "Bjorn."
"...Do you have something to say to me?"
"I do." Words were the only thing a departing person could leave behind. "You are not sneaky. Please stop averting your eyes and face it head-on."
The warrior did not ask. He must have known what Dwalkie meant by that. He was much too smart and wise to call a barbarian.
"Answer... me..."
"All right."
Dwalkie, who had finally received an answer, smiled brightly from the bottom of his heart. This was all the time he had been allotted.
The warrior's eyes suddenly grew cold. "...He's awake."
Dwalkie's fading heart began to thump again. The Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos. Although he had fought him at the cost of his life, he was an enemy Dwalkie hadn't been able to overcome. "Can you... win?"
"Don't worry. We will definitely return home alive."
With that, all of Dwalkie's anxiety disappeared. He also dismissed his concern that his death would be a meaningless one. If this trustworthy warrior was saying that, it must be so. He could let go of his burdens now.
Slide.
He closed his eyes. Sound faded and the darkness around him deepened. With a gradually dulling mind, he thought, If I lived a heroic life, one that ended up recorded in a book, even if it was short, what would be written as the final sentence?
A rather plausible possibility came to mind. It might not have been a very fitting description for a wizard's end, but it wasn't bad, either.
Team Half-Wit's wizard, Riol Warb Dwalkie, after protecting a precious comrade from a member of Orcules, the Dragon Slayer Regal Vagos, died bravely in battle.
***
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Condition: First death of a companion character.]
[Reward: Permanently increases your Spirit stat by +1.]
There was no paradise to escape to. From the first moment I learned the identity of this bastard, the Dragon Slayer Regal Vagos, this thought had been solidified more and more. He was a member of the group Orcules, which looked down even on the king. Although we hadn't made introductions, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find us. If he wanted to retaliate, the city wouldn't be safe for us.
I had come up with a plan to get rid of him by taking advantage of the Guardian of Balance effect. I determined that if we didn't take care of him now, there would never be another chance. But how did that end up?
Thump!
My heart beat lowly. My new plan had failed. A battle had been fought, but I hadn't been able to save everyone.
Thump!
Even when I fought back, there was no paradise to be found. It wasn't that I hadn't already known that, because no such fictitious place existed anywhere in the world.
Thump!
Unlike my own quietly beating heart, this guy's heart wasn't beating anymore.
"Hikurod, you must prepare to fight."
"I know."
I stood up, using the mace as a staff. Those left behind had their own work to do. I gathered my breath and gazed into the passageway. The bastard was getting out from inside the shell, which had opened wide like a flower petal. It was time to end this bloody fight.
Slide.
Dwalkie looked ahead with hazy eyes.
"Noooo! Don't say that! Hm? Dwalkie, please..." The woman he loved was crying. That wasn't what he wanted.
Slide.
He shifted his gaze sideways.
A dear friend looked at him and smiled. "I am... also thankful you were my friend. That you joined... a team I made." He was grateful for the way Hikurod smiled through that trembling beard. And he was sorry. He'd promised to visit the smithy one day. Now he couldn't keep that promise.
Slide.
He shifted his gaze again.
"Riol Warb Dwalkie." The last was a rival and the type of comrade he had yearned for. Unlike him, a coward, Bjorn was a warrior who always fought to the bitter end and protected everyone. He gazed at Dwalkie with calm eyes. "I apologize. I misunderstood you. You were a greater wizard and teammate than anyone else. And the choice you made was heroic and noble," said the man who was always stingy with praise, the warrior who never put words in his mouth he didn't mean. "It was an honor to work with you."
It was overwhelming, and he felt somehow relieved. He was being recognized for the first time. A great warrior, one who lived like a hero in a story, was telling him it had been an honor to know him. A half-wizard like him had added his own flourishes to a page of this warrior's journey. With that, he could die in peace. Yes... he should be able to.
But why am I...
He was angry. This was unfair, scary, and hopeless.
Why...?
That was what death was—being erased from the next page of someone's story.
"Do you have anything more to say? If you wish, we will step aside." Soon, the warrior spoke, and only then did Dwalkie realize the reason he felt this way.
"Nooo! Dwalkie! Don't die! Please, hmm?"
Some people in the world just shone above others. To him, Missha was one of those people. He still hadn't said those words yet.
This must be selfishness.
He tried his best to cast aside his greed. There wouldn't be another chance for him to say it after this, but because of that, he had to swallow it back. Her journey wouldn't end today. He didn't want to linger as a dark shadow for the rest of her life. If he was truly doing this for her, that was the right thing to do.
So, Dwalkie opened his mouth. "Bjorn."
"...Do you have something to say to me?"
"I do." Words were the only thing a departing person could leave behind. "You are not sneaky. Please stop averting your eyes and face it head-on."
The warrior did not ask. He must have known what Dwalkie meant by that. He was much too smart and wise to call a barbarian.
"Answer... me..."
"All right."
Dwalkie, who had finally received an answer, smiled brightly from the bottom of his heart. This was all the time he had been allotted.
The warrior's eyes suddenly grew cold. "...He's awake."
Dwalkie's fading heart began to thump again. The Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos. Although he had fought him at the cost of his life, he was an enemy Dwalkie hadn't been able to overcome. "Can you... win?"
"Don't worry. We will definitely return home alive."
With that, all of Dwalkie's anxiety disappeared. He also dismissed his concern that his death would be a meaningless one. If this trustworthy warrior was saying that, it must be so. He could let go of his burdens now.
Slide.
He closed his eyes. Sound faded and the darkness around him deepened. With a gradually dulling mind, he thought, If I lived a heroic life, one that ended up recorded in a book, even if it was short, what would be written as the final sentence?
A rather plausible possibility came to mind. It might not have been a very fitting description for a wizard's end, but it wasn't bad, either.
Team Half-Wit's wizard, Riol Warb Dwalkie, after protecting a precious comrade from a member of Orcules, the Dragon Slayer Regal Vagos, died bravely in battle.
***
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Condition: First death of a companion character.]
[Reward: Permanently increases your Spirit stat by +1.]
There was no paradise to escape to. From the first moment I learned the identity of this bastard, the Dragon Slayer Regal Vagos, this thought had been solidified more and more. He was a member of the group Orcules, which looked down even on the king. Although we hadn't made introductions, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find us. If he wanted to retaliate, the city wouldn't be safe for us.
I had come up with a plan to get rid of him by taking advantage of the Guardian of Balance effect. I determined that if we didn't take care of him now, there would never be another chance. But how did that end up?
Thump!
My heart beat lowly. My new plan had failed. A battle had been fought, but I hadn't been able to save everyone.
Thump!
Even when I fought back, there was no paradise to be found. It wasn't that I hadn't already known that, because no such fictitious place existed anywhere in the world.
Thump!
Unlike my own quietly beating heart, this guy's heart wasn't beating anymore.
"Hikurod, you must prepare to fight."
"I know."
I stood up, using the mace as a staff. Those left behind had their own work to do. I gathered my breath and gazed into the passageway. The bastard was getting out from inside the shell, which had opened wide like a flower petal. It was time to end this bloody fight.