04. I Promise
04. I Promise
The moment I heard Laila's scream, I started running out of the cave.
'The sound was pretty close.'
Due to the labyrinth's Alteration, the path was completely different from yesterday. I ran, gauging the direction the sound was coming from.
- "Kkyuu!!!"
- Keureong!!!
Thankfully, I was able to arrive without getting lost. As soon as I arrived, what caught my eyes was a wolf monster biting down on Laila's severed tentacle, and Laila bouncing around as she tried to run away.
"Laila!"
When I slammed my shoulder into the wolf trying to pounce on Laila, a strong recoil reverberated through me.
'It's strong...!'
Every being in this world possesses magical power. That goes for monsters as well.
When beings with magical power collide, their respective magics react to each other. A being with stronger magical power can pierce through the opponent's domain much more easily.
It slices through boulders like tofu and easily cuts down massive monsters.
Among such magical powers, the one who possesses an especially strong magic against monsters wielding demonic energy is none other than the Hero.
An ordinary wolf monster could be taken down with bare hands, but given the strong recoil I felt in my shoulder, this is definitely a pretty strong monster.
'I don't have a weapon, so it's just my bare hands, huh.'
I learned hand-to-hand combat and combat arts applicable against monsters. The safest method is to stab a vital spot to neutralize it, or cut off its breath using joint locks like grappling.
Since it's a wolf monster with a keen nose, if we don't deal with it now, it might track us all the way to the safe zone cave we're using as our base.
If it doesn't disappear even when the labyrinth's Alteration occurs and attacks us instead, it'll be dangerous.
'I'll take care of it now.'
"Laila! Run away!"
I shouted at the injured Laila and rushed at the wolf once again.
- "Auuuuu!"
The wolf seemed angry at having its hunt interrupted. It let out a howling roar and immediately bared its jaw, lunging at me.
- 'Lily, when you're floating in the air is your most vulnerable state. Since you can't step on the ground, you can't change direction.'
The wolf rushed forward to bite me with sharp claws and hideous fangs. Lowering my stance, I grabbed its leg, twisted it, and slammed it down onto the ground.
Instead of the neck it was aiming for, the beast's teeth only managed to catch the hem of my ragged cloak.
- Kwang!!
- 'Ah! Ugh! Tap tap!!! My arm is coming out of its socket, Iris!!!'
_
- 'That's what you get for telling you to focus. In actual combat, just handling weapon techniques isn't the end of it.'_
I put my arm around the neck of the beast that had fallen to the ground, choking it. With its other un subdued paw, the beast violently resisted. Flesh was torn from my scratched face and arms, and blood flowed.
"Dieee!!"
If I let go of this arm, I die first. And after that, Laila will be in danger.
Even amidst consciousness blurring from blood loss and pain, I didn't loosen the strength in my arm. The strength in the beast's eyes gradually faded.
'Just a little more....'
At that moment.
- "Geureureuk."
I heard a different sound.
Two red eyes visible from the dark cave in the distance.
'No way, did it have a companion?! That howling from earlier was calling for a buddy!'
- "Kuaang!"
The wolf that spotted me came running. Should I let go of this arm and dodge? But then I'd have to deal with both of them at the same time. With this arm, that's impossible.
I can't use magic because the Holy Sword and all my equipment have vanished. What's left is just an ordinary woman with an injured arm and slightly stronger magical power.
Ah. In the end, am I going to die? Around the time I thought that,
- Bang!
A massive boulder dropped from the ceiling, smashing the head of the charging wolf.
- "Kkyuu!"
And landing right on top of it was Laila.
Wriggling over, Laila restrained the resisting wolf's legs with her tentacles. With Laila's help, I barely managed to cut off the beast's breath, collapsing onto the floor and gasping for air.
"Huff.... Pant...."
I was panting so hard I didn't even have the luxury to say thank you for the help.
Laila gently wrapped her tentacles around my injured arm and cried out.
- "Gyuuuu..."
Along with a faint blue light, the wounds healed. Bleeding stopped, and covered in a purple slime smelling of lilacs, the pain subsided.
"Thank you, Laila."
At that, the creature tapped my nose with a tentacle and began crying as if angry.
- "Kkyu! Kkyuu!"
It seemed to be saying: What would you do if you recklessly jumped into a dangerous place alone? You got hurt again.
I could feel worry, anger, and sadness emanating from the wrapping tentacles.
"I'm sorry...."
- "Kkyuu...."
I hugged the grieving Laila into my arms. Soft and warm sensations.
Only then did I realize that even the remaining scraps of cloth had been torn apart by the wolf, leaving me practically naked.
As my body, excited from battle, cooled down, I felt a chill. I hugged you even tighter.
"Hey, Laila."
- "Kkyueu?"
At first, I didn't want to live anymore.
Neither the war against monsters outside the labyrinth, nor the journey to break through the labyrinth and defeat the Demon King.
My body and mind were exhausted. I had walked forward with just a single wish: to go back home.
But at the very end, after being betrayed by my comrades and falling into despair, I threw away even that last remaining wish.
Even so, when I'm with you, I feel like I can walk again.
I wanted to show you the blue sky and sun we talked about, the beautiful flower garden and the golden wheat fields.
I just wanted to let you smell the real scent of lilacs.
I wanted to harbor even such a trivial, small wish.
"Won't you go up to the surface together with me?"
- "Kkyung?"
You let out a cry filled with doubt, as if you didn't understand.
A being born in the labyrinth who has never seen the blue sky. I want to take you, a monster who would be reviled on the surface, up there.
Not for your future and your life, but simply out of my own selfishness, I want to take you with me.
You listen to the plea of a coward hiding such ugly desires, unable to leave alone.
"Outside, there is a blue sky, and there are also the lilac flowers I told you about. And I have a home there. Will you... go with me?"
"Kkyu!"
You answered brightly, as if you didn't know my inner thoughts. As if anything is fine as long as it's with you.
The cold grows stronger. I hug you tighter into my arms to feel your warmth.
"I must have... lost too much blood.... I'm sorry... I'm going to sleep for a bit..."
Even amidst my fading consciousness, I didn't let go of you in my arms. The moment my eyes closed, I felt a soft touch stroking my head.
It feels like I had a dream.
A blue flower garden. A garden smelling of the sweet floral scents of in-full-bloom lilac trees.
Inside that garden, I am searching for something nostalgic. A silver-haired woman wandering in circles around the garden.
The sweet floral scent rather seems to interfere with finding what I'm looking for.
The woman drops her cumbersome loads to the ground one by one. A bag, a shield, a dagger received from a comrade. The Holy Sword received from the church.
And at the end of that garden, I met a girl. A face that looked just like mine. Familiar pale purple hair. The moment that girl turned her head, the howling of a wolf was heard—
"Hyat! Where's the wolf?"
Waking up from my sleep, I looked around in a panic. But I soon calmed down at the familiar weight and warmth felt in my arms.
- "Kkyuu?"
Laila, sitting on my belly, cried out as if asking what was wrong.
I stroked the creature and said,
"No, I think I just had a dream."
The battle with the two wolf monsters ended in our victory. Having briefly passed out from blood loss, I quickly regained consciousness thanks to Laila's treatment.
Since we had to return to the safe zone before the labyrinth's Alteration occurred, we worried over how to dispose of the wolf monsters' corpses.
Because I couldn't eat monster meat due to the demonic energy, I asked Laila if she could eat it.
Laila seemed to hesitate for a moment before inflating her body, swallowing the two massive wolf corpses, and then shrinking back down.
The creature that had devoured the monsters cried out as if it were delicious, and as soon as we returned to the cave, we hugged each other and fell asleep.
That is our current situation after falling asleep and waking up like that.
My body was still wearing nothing at all. But perhaps because I'd gotten used to it, I didn't feel much embarrassment.
'However, for combat, I need at least a minimum amount of armor.'
Should I have skinned the wolf monsters? But I didn't have any tools to process them, nor the leisure to bring them back to the safe zone.
Because when the labyrinth's Alteration happens, all monster corpses completely disappear.
Seeing me worry like that, Laila must have thought of something, as she suddenly started wriggling and moving.
- "Kkyuu! Guuuuu..."
"Laila?"
Laila repeated inflating and shrinking her body, just like when she gathered water or food.
Concentrating and wriggling for a long time, Laila soon spat out something white.
And delicately picking it up with her tentacles, she handed it to me.
- "Kkyu!!"
"Is this... for me?"
A fluffy and pure white cloth, hard to believe it came out of a mouth.
When I unfolded the folded cloth, there was a modest white dress.
- "Kkyukkyu!"
As I stared at it blankly, Laila urged me to put it on already. Prompted by that, I draped the clothes over my body.
A dress that fit me as naturally as if it had been made exclusively for me.
"How is it...? Does it suit me well?"
Since there was no mirror, I couldn't see my appearance. What if I looked unpresentable?
From my past life's memories, I rarely wore cute clothes even when I was young.
And because of the war and the Hero's work, even after becoming an adult, I had to wear armor smelling of iron and grease rather than fluttering cloth garments.
Surely, I would have hated cute clothes and the like.
Even though I was wearing a cute dress fit only for children, I wanted to look beautiful to you.
Blushing, I managed to raise my head and look at you.
- "Kkyuung!"
Making a heart with your hands, you expressed joy as if saying it suited me really well.
- "Kkyuu! Kkyueu! Kkyuuuu!"
You said you were happy that the clothes you worked hard to make fit me well.
That because it was made from a monster's hide, it would be strong. That I wouldn't get hurt anymore.
That seeing me get hurt and suffer was painful for you.
I hugged you as you said those words.
"Yeah, I won't get hurt anymore. Because we'll be together. Together."
Your warmth can be felt even through the clothes. The magical power flowing through you has become even stronger. Having absorbed both my magical power and the magical power of the monsters you devoured, you will become even stronger.
But I won't worry anymore.
Because I believe in you.
Because I believe you won't become a monster like the Demon King.