Chapter 198 – 198 – Things That Happened That Day
···I don’t need it anymore.
‘No. There’s still something I can do.’
It’s not you. It’s not your fault.
‘Don’t say that. It’s no one’s fault.’
It’s because I’m weak.
The unearthed past crawls out like a ghost and grabs my neck. In the suffocation that rolls over my eyes, my brain flashes and realization comes to me.
The human mind is flexible. Fear is forgotten through repression, and guilt is defeated through rationalization. If you are good enough at that, you can easily reverse the positions of the perpetrator and the victim.
What does it matter what the truth is? It’s okay if you feel at ease.
But who was abandoned that day?
Don’t tell me to follow you now.
Please, Thena. I’m tired now.
Go somewhere.
‘···What?’
———–
···The drifting spirit settles in the skull.
Immediately my whole body throbbed. It’s not very pleasant to wake up and find yourself whining in pain.
If the cause of your pain is a cramp in your leg, just rub it until it gets better. However, the bandaged body has no choice but to hold on until it heals.
Holy shit. I can’t even move. Where did you get hurt and how bad is it that your whole body can’t move?
It was a 4/5 mistake. The only thing that is bandaged is his right arm, which was almost hit by a knife.
And the remaining one arm, two legs, and head… Were held tightly by his colleagues.
“Uuuuu. I shouldn’t die…”
“Stop crying! You’re going to get a ghost, you saltwater dispenser bitch!”
First, it was Sister Taiga who took over my legs. Garam, who was crying funnily, forced himself to hold back his tears, and Eshen sighed, exhausted from comforting him.
“Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. You’re not going to die, are you? You’re not going to die, are you?”
“How many times do I have to tell you that you’ve passed the critical point before you stop asking, my dear little brother?”
“But still…”
“Fuck you! You’re not going to die! Just open your eyes, you bastard! I’ll beat you up to change that damn habit of being a porter and always getting into fights!”
···I guess I’ll have to keep it closed forever.
Judging by the feel, it looks like Eshen and Garam are massaging my feet and legs.
However, the palms of the crying and comforting sides are moist with sweat. I don’t know, but it looks like the tension has eased for a while.
… I guess I wasn’t sure that my life wouldn’t end until relatively recently. I’m getting chills again.
“Where are you going to leave me here?”
Her arms are wrapped tightly around Villena. The sound of her muttering as she nuzzles her face against his shoulder is a little scary.
“I know you can’t go anywhere until you apologize for being less than happy to see me. I’ll make equipment to capture your soul and lock it away, and I’ll embalm your body and hang it from the ceiling…”
The obsession that drips from every word of her words is mind-boggling.
It would have been better if he had been beaten to death by Mithra, but he couldn’t face such an end obediently. The eyes open spontaneously due to the survival instinct.
And there was a superb view. The sister peeked her head out from beyond the feeling of the breast mass above her head.
Sister Monica smiled her eyes warmly. It seems like she was smiling through her mouth, but it wasn’t visible because it was covered by her chest.
The sister who was holding my messy hair and stroking my face lowered her head and kissed my forehead and said.
“I think I asked this question a while ago, but did you have a good dream?”
“I wish I could say yes, but it leaves a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste.”
Why? What happened to make me feel so frustrated and anxious? I can’t seem to remember something vaguely.
What comes to mind right away is the moment when I muffled a panicked scream, not sure if it was Thena or Mithra’s. No matter who the subject was or what they were trying to protest, that protest went straight down Thena’s throat along with the drugs.
So our best efforts reached Mithras. I don’t remember what happened after that.
And looking at the sister’s expression of no regrets, it seems the result wasn’t bad.
“Where am I?”
“The hospital attached to the Temple of Freya in Great Elan. It’s a safe place, so don’t worry. The director is Nenya’s relative, and there are many people guarding the building. Skirnir’s Forest Keepers, Armatam Hero Task Force, and Longsword Even special agents from the bank.”
···The forest guard was on our side, so that’s right.
Hero special task force? Long Sword Bank? Why are those scary people coming to a place like this?
I think it’s going to be a long story. I blinked dry eyes and asked the main question.
“Sister, did we… Do it?”
“More than that. King Danar, who survived, surrendered to the Dragon’s Lair. He said that he would testify at the meeting of the monarchs about what he had tried to do and how Mithra had tried to deal with us.”
“Aha.”
“Mithra has been banished to the spirit world. I guess she will never trouble us again, at least not while we live.”
“···Again?”
It feels like you keep putting off the most important part. When I asked as if it were somehow ominous, the sister narrowed her eyes as if mischievous.
“And above all, we are all safe. Everyone got a little hurt and bruised, but no one died. Thena also came back to us in good health. We won.”
“···You should tell me that story first. I was surprised because I thought you were stopping because something was wrong…”
Defeating God would certainly be a great feat. So, I thought I would feel some kind of thrilling joy first.
However, the words that everyone survived and that they succeeded in rescuing Thena seem even more poignant now. It’s like a glass of cold water handed to you after crossing the desert.
The moment I let out a groan of relief and dropped her head onto her pillow, Sister Tigris jumped up with her yelp.
And then I fell, crushing my stomach. As I was almost thrown away by the recoil, her sister caught me and laid me down roughly.
“Hehe… Wait a minute…!”
“I survived! I opened my eyes! I lived! Furthermore, I opened my eyes! Furthermore, I lived! Furthermore, I opened my eyes! Aaaaah-!”
“You son of a bitch, I’m going to keep making you worry!”
“Now, wait a minute. There’s a bit of tension…”
It’s hard to follow. It means that he is a patient and has just woken up.
However, the two young Tigris, who had energy left, tormented me mercilessly. Eshen grinned excitedly and hit me with a pillow until it made a loud sound, while Garam grabbed my collar and shook it, rolling his eyes.
When my shirt turned sticky like a snail’s skin, Villena got scared and fell out of my arms.
The sister giggled and took out another shirt from next to the bed. I calmly changed and then hugged them all at once.
Eshen pushed the two aside and took the center of her, pressing his cheek against my chest and leisurely listening to my heartbeat.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Eshen.”
“이 좆밥새끼야. 허약한 주제에 몸 함부로 써서 내 속 뒤집어 놓는, 일찍 이승 하직하고 싶어서 환장한 것 같은 자식아.”
“I’m listening.”
“If you think it’s not true, then let’s not show it off. I’m saying that because it would break my heart. Let’s take care of ourselves a little longer. Let’s live together for a long time.”
The ends of the words become increasingly blurred. It seems like he thought the sentimental words were uncharacteristically long.
I smiled and patted the back of his head, and Eshen snuggled in deeply, making a happy snort like a cat. The other two also leaned on me, so we all fell down on the bed together.
I patted the pampered kids on the back and looked back at the sister.
“Where are the other companions? Isilun? Are you going to Nidro? And Thena?”
“Now everyone is in the women’s ward.”
“Yes. It’s in the ‘women’s ward.’ What do you think that means?”
My eyebrows furrowed reflexively at someone’s sarcastic tone. When I look to the side, there are a few more beds in this hospital room.
And the patient who occupied the next cubicle…
“This is a man’s ward. I’m telling you to just mess around a bit and go back to your room. You won’t be able to sleep!”
The patient behind the curtain groaned, raised his wand, and used it to pull back the curtain.
His situation was more serious than mine. He has broken all his limbs and neck bones and is wearing a heavy cast. Her unique messy blonde hair is pulled out here and there and looks unsightly.
… But I couldn’t figure out why I was so hurt. That’s right.
Didn’t this guy escape before the fight even started?
“···What is it, you?”
“It’s the Adamantone Sunstorm.”
“I know that. What are you doing here?”
“What do you think you are doing, Mr. Sibongbang? He is receiving long-term treatment.”
Adamantone flashed his outstretched limbs. I’m embarrassed because I look like a starfish when I’m tied up in a cast.
“What on earth happened that makes your limbs split?”
“A lot happened.”
Adamantone shook his head with a solemn expression.
“So, let’s go back 17 years, when I was learning about life from Sunstorm’s guest teacher.”
Crazy bastard.
“···Is there a short version?”
“···Uh, three days ago.”
“That’s a bit long, too.”
“Hey, you woke up in three days. Do you know? The battle we had against Mithra and the Demon King happened a week ago. What if I told you that was too long? Would you like me to tell you what you had for breakfast today?”
“···What? I was just sleeping for three days…?”
I was surprised by two facts. I blinked and asked again.
“And, ‘we’? You really joined and fought together instead of running away?”
“Or would it have ended up like this?”
Adamantone, wriggling his limbs like a starfish again, looked proud. And he immediately lost his expression.
“···Did you think I was running away and ended up falling off a cliff and becoming an asshole?”
I shrugged. He said, “Why would you guess without knowing what the circumstances would be?”
Instead of answering honestly, ‘Oh, I thought so.’
—————
About three days ago. Somewhere in the great forest.
Adamantone, who was about to leave Elan following the guidance of the forest guards, asked for their understanding before departing in earnest.
The forest guards, who were nervous about what the famous damn warrior would say, looked helpless at the word ‘urine’.
“Why didn’t you tell me before entering the forest, when you saw Skirnir’s mansion building? I would have let you use the bathroom.”
“Well, it’s all a forest, so you can pack it anywhere.”
“···For elves, most forests are both restricted development areas and cities, if compared to human administrative law. Do you urinate in national parks or on the streets of cities?”
Adamanthon told us how serious his bad friends were about urinating outside the bar.
The elves, who were tired of listening to the drunken bastards’ toilet routine, eventually graciously agreed. With a warning not to even come near Elan after this.
Adamantone, who had entered the deep forest, shivered as he filled his lungs with the refreshing air of the evergreen forest.
An unspoilt lake. Butterflies with blue-green wavy wings. A natural scenery beautifully harmonized with quiet irony despite the bustle and noise.
It is different from human forests. This is not a shabby forest that barely manages to bloom where loggers and quarrymen have laid out the giblets. It was great to see everything growing as expected.
The oak tree growing along the lakeside also appears to have grown appropriately. Adamantone kicked the oak tree with all his might.
The roots are strong, and the branches are strong, so there is almost no shaking. Passed.
If becoming one with this landscape was his last time, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Adamantone hung the rope on the branch.
