Chapter 86 - <8>
Anna drifted in and out of sleep, waking up and dozing off repeatedly. She had fallen asleep as if she'd lost consciousness yesterday, only to wake up after a short time.
She was sleepy and wanted to sleep. And yet, when she tried to, she would wake up immediately. Her sleep was just too shallow.
There were several reasons she couldn't sleep. It was cold, and the bed was hard. The pain from her injuries was also severe. But the biggest reason was fear.
She believed she wouldn't die, that help would surely come, but fear was constantly shaking somewhere in her heart. She was afraid to sleep. What if she was dead when she woke up... The thought terrified her.
"I wonder how much time has passed..."
In the crude room that was just dug-out earth, her muttering echoed loudly. In such a deafening silence, she couldn't help but talk, even if it was just to herself.
The lamp had gone out as if forgotten, and now the dungeon was shrouded in darkness.
"They will... come for me, right?"
Anna whispered softly. Ritz and Franz would definitely come. They wouldn't abandon her. She believed that.
But Anna was still bothered by the fact that she had run out after a fight with Ritz.
"What if Ritz doesn't come for me?"
What if he was still angry and didn't come? What if Joe had kept her promise perfectly and kept it a secret from Ritz?
"But Franz is there!"
She tried to encourage herself with a forceful declaration, but after a moment, she let out a small sigh. Anna knew. There was no way Franz alone could make it this far.
And if Franz got captured because of her, Ritz might never speak to her again. Worse, she might completely lose Ritz's trust.
If that happened, would Anna's journey end here? Knowing Ritz, he would probably see her back to Vishnu, but that was out of the question.
"I don't want that..."
But she definitely remembered storming out, saying 'I hate you, Ritz!'. So was it too selfish of her to be waiting with such expectations?
It had been a long time since the lamp's flame had gone out.
Darkness... a silent room... hunger... and pain. Her thoughts grew darker and darker. And the darker her thoughts became, the more depressed she grew.
"It hurts..."
The back of her head and her back were throbbing. She had no way of knowing what the mark from being hit looked like, lying here tied up. Her back had been kicked, so it was probably a bad bruise, but she could only imagine.
If she made it back safely, she would ask Joe or Annie to take a look. If she made it back... that is.
She had already lost all feeling in her bound hands. If only her hands were free, she could use healing magic, she thought, and tried her best to get them loose, but it only made the bound parts chafe and hurt even more.
But she couldn't even see the state of her hands. It was frustrating that she couldn't even brush away the strands of her hair that had come loose and were tickling her face.
"I want to eat a chestnut cream cake."
Dwelling on dark thoughts would do her no good. Anna decided to think about food.
"Chicken sauté, lasagna, fish fry, apple jam, cream... stew."
Damn it. She had meant to think about food, but the cream stew brought back the memory of Ritz's bewildered, yet lonely, face during their argument in the dining hall.
Had she hurt Ritz very badly? Did she think he wouldn't get hurt because he was an adult?
If Franz had been there at that time, their argument probably wouldn't have escalated that far. Because Anna always tried to settle everything as peacefully as possible in front of him, not wanting to cause him any unnecessary worry.
She knew well that even if Franz didn't show it on his face, he was always carrying a lot on his shoulders and worrying more than anyone else. She hadn't wanted to tire out Franz mentally as well, as he was barely keeping up with the journey due to his lack of stamina.
So... because it was just her and Ritz, she had gone too far. She had never meant to say she hated him. And she hadn't expected Ritz to look so hurt.
"This is the worst..."
If she were to starve to death quietly alone in this dungeon without anyone rescuing her, would it be her own fault? Or rather, starving to death might be really awful. Being hungry and miserable, with the pain going on forever... she couldn't bear it.
Anna sank into pessimistic thoughts. Even for the cheerful Anna, she couldn't help but feel down in this situation.
With a sigh, she relaxed her entire body. The back of her head throbbed, but she had gotten used to the pain. She would just stay quiet like this for a while longer. Maybe she could get a little sleep.
Just as Anna closed her eyes, there was a sound of something crashing violently against the door.
"What?"
She wanted to get up, but she couldn't. From the other side of the door, she could sense a fierce struggle. Or was it more of a scuffle?
Something slammed against the door repeatedly. Was it infighting? Come to think of it, they did say the underground passage would be completed this morning.
She considered that possibility first. Otherwise, she couldn't suppress the feeling of hope swelling within her.
That's right, the robbers might be taking me as a hostage...
She tried to calm herself, but she couldn't hold back her expectations.
Or... could it be...
The door opened, and a dim light streamed in. From Anna's vantage point below, she could only see the figure of a person collapsed on the other side of the door. From their attire, it was probably the person who had been guarding her.
And stepping over that fallen figure stood a single man. She strained to lift her head. She could only see a silhouette, but that alone was enough for Anna to immediately know who it was.
Thank goodness, it's not an enemy...
Her strength gave out, and her lifted head fell back onto the hard bed with a soft thud. With joy and relief, she felt on the verge of tears.
"It's dark... Lef, grab me a candelabrum."
That familiar voice said. Apparently, it was too dark from the outside to see inside. The person called Lef, whom Anna didn't know, appeared with a candelabrum in hand.
"Here you go."
"Thanks. Keep watch, will you?"
"Yes."
As the person named Lef left, Ritz held the candelabrum high. Bathed in the light, the pitch-black room became faintly illuminated.
Even with the light, Anna couldn't lift her head. Besides, she didn't need to see his face to know. It was definitely Ritz. He had come for her.
So relieved, she remained silent. Ritz slowly approached her. He asked Anna in a small, confirming voice.
"...Anna?"
Her chest felt so full she couldn't speak. Should she apologize, or should she thank him...
"Hey, Anna, are you okay?"
He asked with a worried voice, and Ritz's hand gently shook Anna's shoulder.
Is he... checking if I'm alive? Right, there was something she had to say first.
"...I'm alive..."
His hand stopped, then he let out a long sigh of relief. After another breath, Ritz spat out his emotions in a roar.
"You idiot! If you were conscious, you should have said so sooner!"
"...I'm sorry."
Realizing that Anna couldn't move, Ritz took out a small knife from his pocket.
"Here, I'm gonna cut you loose, so hold still."
Kneeling beside the bed, Ritz carefully cut the ropes binding Anna's hands and feet. The moment he did, she felt the blood begin to circulate.
"Can you move?"
When asked, she tried to move, but her joints creaked. And her skin was chafed and bleeding.
"It hurts. And they're numb..."
"Of course they are, you fool. Just stay still for a bit."
"Okay."
Still on his knees, Ritz helped Anna sit up. It was the first time she had sat up since being thrown into this room.
Her head was spinning. Was it because she had been hit? Or because she had been lying down for so long?
Sitting on the bed, her eye level was about the same as Ritz's. Not knowing what to say first, Anna simply looked at Ritz's face and fell silent.
Ritz also seemed to be thinking about something and remained silent. She had to apologize. She had acted selfishly and caused him trouble.
But it was Ritz who spoke first.
"I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
She had expected to be scolded, but instead, he apologized. She didn't understand.
"It was my fault. Franz got mad at me, too. Said, 'We're your companions, not your wards.'"
He was talking about that night they had argued. It seemed Franz had stood up for her.
"I guess I'm just too forgetful. When we set out on our journey, I said, 'From now on, we're companions traveling together,' and just the other day... I leaned on you, yet I was completely acting like your guardian. You must be disillusioned with me, right?"
Ritz laughed softly, as if mocking himself. This self-deprecating expression Ritz sometimes showed—she didn't like it. It was a face she never wanted to see, a face she hated.
Anna threw herself at Ritz from the bed. Since her limbs still lacked strength, it was more accurate to say she had slid onto him.
While firmly catching Anna's body, Ritz froze as if he'd been taken by surprise.
"Hey, you're injured!"
To the flustered Ritz, Anna shouted, half-crying.
"I'm not disillusioned with you or anything!"
"Anna..."
"Of course I'm not!"
Relief, guilt, and the fear she had been holding back all came rushing out. She couldn't help but start sobbing.
I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I was so selfish, I'm sorry I worried you—the words wouldn't come out.
"...I thought I was going to die. I thought it was over..."
The words that finally came out were trembling. She could tell. Being like this, she could finally feel, really feel, that she was safe.
She had been truly terrified. Beaten, tied up, locked away. No food, and it was dark. And most of all, there was no guarantee she would get out alive...
She wanted to cry, to lose control, but she knew that wouldn't change anything, so she couldn't. But after holding it in and enduring for so long, the moment she buried her face in Ritz's chest, where she felt safest, she could finally cry.
Whether he knew how Anna felt or not, Ritz just silently waited for her to stop crying.
She must have cried for a while, because she started to calm down a little. But she still couldn't bring herself to let go of Ritz. As if he understood, Ritz didn't try to put her back on the bed.
"I thought you weren't going to come for me anymore, Ritz."
Still clinging to Ritz, Anna whispered in a tearful voice.
"There's no way that would happen."
Ritz's voice was exasperated, yet gentle. It made her happy, but also guilty.
"But I hurt you, Ritz, didn't I? And then I did something selfish, and got myself captured... so..."
She had no idea what she was trying to say.
"That's true."
"...Right. You're angry, aren't you?"
When she looked up at him, Ritz was looking at her with a serious expression.
"Of course I'm angry."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm always worried sick about what you'll do next. And it's not just me. Do you have any idea how much Franz and Joe, who know about this, have suffered?"
"..."
She had no words to reply. The excuse that she never thought something like this would happen would never fly with Ritz. A large hand, as always, rested on the head of the downcast Anna. That gentle, warm hand stroking her head even eased the tension in her heart.
"So, remember this. Helping people, the spirit of self-sacrifice—I think those things are noble. But you have a lot of people who worry about you. Even if you could save one stranger with your life, the many people who care about you would definitely be made unhappy."
She had never thought about that. If someone was in trouble and asking for help, she just wanted to help... that's all she had ever thought.
When she timidly looked up, Ritz wasn't angry. He was smiling serenely. His large hand gently patted her head as if to soothe her.
"If you understand, then stop sacrificing yourself. Father Anton, Franz, Joe, Annie, Evans, Ed, Patty, Lira, Dill. The number of people who would be sad if you were gone is immeasurable. After all, you end up becoming friends with everyone."
Ritz said it in a slightly joking, cheerful tone. But Anna was bothered by the person who wasn't included in the list. She asked seriously.
"...What about you, Ritz? Would you be sad, too?"
When she looked up, his dark brown eyes narrowed gently.
"I'd be sad too. Of course I would."
She felt like crying again. She still wanted to help people. But she would try not to sacrifice herself as much as possible. For the first time, she felt that way. She didn't want to do something so reckless and make everyone sad.
"Well, this isn't the place for a long chat. Are your hands and feet moving now?"
Ritz said, looking embarrassed, as he helped Anna sit up on the bed. When she tried moving her limbs, they hurt, but they moved.
"Yeah. I can use healing magic now."
"Healing magic?"
"Yeah. I was hit on the head with a club."
"<"
"Ehehe, if it had hit in the wrong place, I might have died, huh?"
"...Might have died, you..."
Ignoring the dumbfounded Ritz, Anna quietly placed her hands on the back of her head.
"O Water Spirit, who governs peace and healing, heal this wound."
The pain that had been tormenting her for so long gradually receded. She was finally free from this pain. The sense of liberation was immense. While she was at it, she healed the wounds on her hands and feet as well.
Except for hunger and sleepiness, she was perfect. Anna jumped to her feet and peered into the face of the still-dumbfounded Ritz.
"Ritz, did you hear about the underground treasury?"
"Yeah."
Ritz looked up as if startled.
"We're going to catch them, right?"
"Of course we are. I'll show those bastards..."
She didn't know why, but Ritz seemed abnormally angry at the robbers.
"I'm going too!"
Anna declared it first. She thought he would stop her, but Ritz just sighed once and gave her permission.
"If I say no, there's no telling what you'll do next. It's better to just take you with me."
The heavily emphasized part of his sentence bothered her a little, but she decided to ignore it. Permission was permission, after all.
"Lef."
When they stepped outside the door, Ritz called out to someone. A man as big as Ritz, and even more muscular, was standing there.
But his ears were different from a human's. They were big and fluffy, and the same brown color as his hair. They looked like they would be nice to touch. He had kind, round eyes, so he was probably a nice enough person to let her touch his ears. She would ask him after this was all settled.
"This is Lef, a beastman who we'll be looking after for a while. Be nice to him. Lef, this is Anna. A companion of mine."
Anna, who had been behind Ritz, popped out in front of him and extended a hand to Lef.
"Nice to meet you. It's a pleasure, Lef."
With his large hand, Lef firmly shook Anna's offered hand.
"The pleasure is all mine, Anna."
After introducing themselves, the three of them looked down the corridor. A cave entrance, leading to who knew where, gaped open before them.