Chapter 281 - 281. Omen and Those Departing the Village
The fullness against my back felt thicker than when I was in Rishellu Town.—Just three months, yet three whole months. Was Fam in a growth spurt? I savored the softness as I carried her.
I shifted her weight to adjust my grip, but she didn’t seem to wake.
Emerging from the dungeon, I stood before the stone stele. My eyes widened at the changed sight. The stele had crumbled, the inscribed words eroded and illegible. Had it fulfilled its purpose? The only constant was the chrysanthemums still blooming around it.
'If you don’t move, even flowers and water fall prey to the darkness.'
I murmured the words I remembered seeing, but they vanished into the silence without reaching the stele. Was Okita Souji, enshrined as a hero of the Dog-Eared race, satisfied to rest in this place? Or did he fervently wish to return to his original world? I could never know his feelings.
The mist cleared; a boundless blue sky stretched above. I spotted Mizuki and the others’ camp and started toward it.
Just then, the ground heaved like boiling water, rippling violently. A series of violent tremors struck the village. A deafening roar erupted from below, as if something was bursting through the earth.
Unable to stand, I crouched on my knees, waiting for the shaking to subside.
The earth blurred into black, rising like miasma to shroud the world. When it touched me, icy chills shot through my veins.
Light vanished; darkness swallowed my vision.
The shaking felt endless.
The tremors subsided, the cold and miasma vanished, replaced by swirling dust that clouded my sight with white. A musty, moldy stench assaulted my nose.
As I slowly stood, testing the surroundings, Mizuki and the others rushed toward me.
'Mash!'
'Are you alright?'
After nodding at my question, she widened her eyes at Fam on my back.
'She just passed out from mana exhaustion. She’s injured from fighting the Guardian Deity—please heal her.'
As I glanced at Myura, preparing to lower Fam to the ground, her arms tightened around my neck.
'Get off if you’re awake.'
'No. My head still spins…'
'That’s mana exhaustion.'
It took me half a day to recover, but it might vary between people. I thought, attempting to shift her off—only for her to cling fiercely.
'Fam, they can’t heal you if you don’t get down!'
'Muu!'
She resisted stubbornly, clinging to me. Myura and Mamie finally pried her off.
'So, what happened?' Mizuki prodded.
I recounted how we’d been swallowed by the stele and Fam’s duel with Okita Souji.
'So, the earthquake just unsealed the God of the End?' she mused, swaying her gaze around the area. The dust had settled, but the air remained murky.
'Where are you looking? It’s right behind you!'
'Uhyaa!'
A cry so uncharacteristic of her escaped her lips as she frantically turned around, hand rushing to her sword. Of course, no monster was there. She glared at me with sharp eyes.
'Stop saying dumb things!'
Her cheeks puffed even more. Nefii watched her with a detached gaze.
'If you’re leaving the party, now’s the time, you know? You can still turn back.'
Nefii shrugged.
'Mash, you’re being redundant. Unless you tell me to leave, I’ll accompany you to the Demon Realm.'
'Demons worship the God of the End, right? It’ll be a fight.'
Nefii smiled at my words.
'I believe in silent gods, gods who grant me blessings. I don’t harbor grandiose ideas like saving the world, but if it’s harming others, I’ll cooperate.'
I couldn’t grasp her reasoning at all. Certainly, if she was going back to the Demon Realm, it’d be safer to travel with us than alone. But joining us meant guaranteed danger. That motive also differed from wanting to join our party for safety.
Considering she abandoned the Saviour and joined our party—achieving her goal—she should, logically, feel it’s better to leave now.
'Well, I do want to see the God of the End, just a little.'
She tacked on, as if reading my skepticism.
'Even so, I don’t see a winning strategy. You don’t need to be with us in this situation.'
'Well, if leaving the party is alright, I’ll leave when it gets really bad. More importantly, what about everyone else…'
At Nefii’s words, Myura paused from healing Fam.
'I’m with Mash.'
'For some reason, we’re talking about fighting the God of the End here, but there’s no need. I thought the goal was to break the curse? Shouldn’t we all just flee?'
Nefii looked at Myura.
'The surrounding area has settlements.'
Fam answered, wobbling to her feet. Her wounds were healed, but her mana hadn’t recovered. I hesitated whether to give her mana recovery medicine—using it would void her growth.
'There’s a settlement near here where my sister lives. There’s also something worshipped there.'
'Hmm? Are you talking about me?'
Myura raised an eyebrow, pointing at herself.
'No, Fam has a dog-eared beauty named Lily who acted as her older sister, apparently.'
At my answer to her question, Myura stared at me with clouded eyes.
'Are you just wanting to meet this woman?'
'D-Don’t say stupid things! It was Fam’s idea. That woman is married, alright?'
She’s got a husband, so she could even have three or four lovers. I still think I should meet her once, but kept silent.
'How would I know? You had a relationship with Irirarye-san, didn’t you?'
Myura retorted, as if knowing my thoughts.
'Guh, that wasn’t my choice! When I woke up, it already was that way!'
I decided to stay silent about whether things would’ve ended up the same either way. As I glared at Myura, who puffed her cheeks and argued fiercely, Mamie slipped between us.
'…If the village we’re going to wasn’t attacked by thieves, we should hurry. Mash’s story indicates that the God of the End sealed here has awakened due to that earthquake.'
Everyone gasped and exchanged glances.
'Let’s go!'
The village where Lily lived was in the exact opposite direction from where we came.
As we finished dismantling the camp and headed that way, there was a place lined with stones about the size of heads, spaced evenly apart. Only that area was cleared of weeds, as if someone was tending it. Fam stopped and stared there.
'What’s wrong, Fam?'
'It’s a grave… The people from the nearby village must have been taking care of it. Dad, Mom, and everyone else are here… Rick and the others too…'
She said this, trembling weakly, her shoulders dropping.
'I barely even decided to get stronger… I can’t… everyone…'
I embraced Fam. She leaned against me, relying on me for support.
'Fam, your sadness isn’t because you’re weak. Besides, people don’t change so easily. You come and go, repeating it countless times. That’s how we progress even a little.'
'Is that how it is for Master too?'
'I’m different. I’ve tried to change countless times, but I’ve never made a choice like you have. That’s why I can’t change anything. But…'
I trailed off, and Fam looked up at me.
'Fam is different.'
I stroked her head, clenching my fist tightly. I hoped she valued her own thoughts more than my words. Was I just running from my words and responsibility? As I pondered it, I repeatedly stroked her head.
'Master… is… different.'
Fam mumbled. As I tried to understand the meaning of her words, Myura stepped forward.
'We are born from soil, and we return to soil. Though some deviate from this path, the dead live on in our hearts.'
Her words were the same as what I had heard when burying the transfer student Ema.
'With the blessings of the Fifty Gods, may I offer a prayer?'
'Come to think of it, Myura was a shrine maiden,' I thought.
'Muu, Mash…'
Myura glared resentfully at me before shifting her gaze to Fam. She nodded slightly.
'I’ll do it too.'
Myura smiled at her words.
Under the clear sky, the small log-built village was empty save for us. Overgrown with plants, it was slowly decaying. Did Fam, Samaym, and the others have any hope of returning to the village and bringing back their people? What thoughts did those resting here harbor as they watched them?
I had the opportunity to avenge those who attacked this village. But I stopped it. What thoughts do those resting here have for me?
Myura extended her arms, dancing like a spinning top. The dead, the living, the flourishing earth, and the endless blue sky. She incorporated everything into her being, weaving it together to carry it on the palm of the Fifty Gods.
Mamie and Nefii silently lowered their eyes. Elven lifespans spanning thousands of years and a demon race that worshiped the God of the End must have very different beliefs.
Mizuki by my side paused, raising her head.
'Myura’s dance connects what is fragmented.'
I looked up at the sky Myura’s fingertips pointed to.
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