I Can’t Run Away From the Girl Who Saved Me

13 – housemate (4)

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one day, two days.

Counting the days became increasingly tiresome.

It seemed that the concept of time, such as appointments and schedules, had become dull as he had been immersed in the days in the woods where he had nothing to do and no one to meet.

To remember how many days it had been since I entered this forest, I had to count the nights in my head for a while before I could answer.

I looked down at my fingers, which had been folded and unfolded to count, and let out a sigh.

“Wait… God, it’s already been a month.”

Before I knew it, the 30th day had passed since I entered this forest.

Of course, I passed out for the first ten days or so, but it’s still surprising that the terrible carriage accident had already happened a month ago.

A family sacrificed in an unfair conspiracy, the death of a family member I could never protect.

It was so terrible that it would not be strange even if it haunted me for the rest of my life, but for some reason it felt a little far away to me now.

Why?

Why was it that I was able to accept the deaths of my parents and Lila so easily?

There may be several reasons, but the biggest reason is probably that the fate that has been beating me since then has been a series of surprising events.

First of all, the fact that even my life was in danger, and the fact that the mysterious woman who saved me from dying was the hero Sylvia was also shockingly surprising.

I must not forget that I too have been burdened with the terrible curse she carried.

Even before I was saddened by the pain of loss, I was caught up in a series of incidents that completely changed my future.

The only way for me to remember my family was to diligently take care of Layla’s grave.

“As expected, I knew you would be here.”

Sylvia-san walked towards me who was planting flowers around the graveyard and started talking to me.

Her golden hair rustled to match her gait.

I smiled broadly at her.

“Ah, Mr. Sylvia.”

She said as she lifted the fishing net she was holding in her hand.

Several large fish were flapping around in the fishing net.

“I went fishing today, is the fish okay?”

“sure.”

“Look forward to it, I took some boiled potatoes to eat while fishing, but oops, I just couldn’t get over it.”

“I heard you ate well until recently.”

“It’s because Ash changed my taste buds… Only being able to eat delicious food is a quirk I should avoid living in a remote area like this.”

Despite her words, there was no hint of resentment in her voice or attitude.

After my cooking treats, trying to find something to repay for her lifesaver, a division of roles arose in our cohabitation.

She brings food, and I cook.

Sylvia never failed in hunting, and there was never a time when the food I made didn’t suit her taste.

Even in such an outback, people somehow managed to survive as long as they could eat and drink.

“I won’t eat anything other than the food Ash made for me.”

Saying that, she lifted me from the mud.

Of course, Mr. Sylvia does not starve to death.

At one point, she got tired of even eating and waited for her to starve to death, but the curse somehow kept her alive.

Tired of enduring the pangs of hunger this time, she said that until I showed up, she used to put anything in her mouth and swallow it when she felt hungry.

A dull day when nothing happens. A tomorrow that we cannot die and must face.

She was slowly suffocating in time.

But her e-mail, which had nothing, was now filled with time to eat the food I made.

She has been hunting different animals every day.

Once, after hunting down a pack of wolves, he even asked if he could make anything out of it.

She got used to me and came to depend on me.

I, too, was feeling faithful to cleaning her cabin and making food for her to be delighted with.

“hehehe, what are you going to do without me?”

“Where are you going?”

“…Ah, that’s right.”

Intoxicated with this life that was even peaceful, I sometimes forgot what kind of situation I was in.

The fact that this forest is my home, my prison, and my grave.

“Where am I going?”

“…Whoops,”

But in this house, in the prison, in the grave, she was always there, and always will be.

The only two people who exist in this small world isolated from the outside world.

I was her only roommate.

＊

Now that patterns and methods have been established to some extent, the two of us would talk of various kinds after dinner.

Among the stories she told, I liked the adventure story on the way to catch the demon king the most.

It was a lot of fun to hear the various scenery of the world I hadn’t been to, or the thrilling experience of battle, but it was also an opportunity to hear about my sister, who was her colleague.

After hearing her story, I decided not to tell Sylvia about my sister.

She would enthusiastically describe an argument she had with her colleagues or their wonderful performances with an excited expression, but at some point she would suddenly shut up with a sad expression.

The older sister whom I had missed for years was, to her, a colleague with whom I shared the joys and sorrows of those years.

Friends who were able to turn their backs on each other in the midst of the hardships of that adventure, but who did not survive.

Sylvia was still suffering so much from the fact that she was the only one who survived out of a whopping 8 party members.

That’s why I couldn’t bear to say to Silvia-san, ‘I’m the wizard’s younger sister, so please tell me about my sister’s last words’.

If it did, it seemed like she would collapse in guilt.

On the other hand, what she was most curious about was how the outside world was going.

It seems that he hoped that the world would be as beautiful as he and his comrades sacrificed everything to subdue the demon lord.

Even so, they seemed to want to hear that there was meaning to the hardships they went through.

But, sadly, the reality was not like that.

“It’s hard to say. My family is a country upstart aristocrat, at least the lowest baron, so I don’t know much about the world…”

“I am not asking you to tell me about the current state of the complex political arena. I wonder if the outside world has improved a bit since the demon king disappeared.”

“… Write it down. I’m fine…”

I couldn’t bear to tell her the truth.

How dare I tell her the cruel truth that the chaos in the world has not gone away at all, or, on the contrary, has become more chaotic.

warrior party.

Her journey to catch the Demon King was literally a journey carrying the fate of the entire kingdom.

8 heroes who excelled in their respective fields, including her and my older sister.

And more than 100 elite soldiers who followed them and 40 adventurers who were hired at high prices.

Due to the offensive of monsters attacking villages every day and the containment of neighboring countries that seemed to cross the line to invade the territory in a chaotic gap, in a kingdom that was already operating tightly, this large-scale expedition It was a huge investment and gamble.

The minimum operation, the minimum national defense, and the minimum national administration were left possible, risking everything to subjugate the demon king.

The end of the adventure, which madly absorbed the gold coins earned by the blood and sweat of countless nobles and royal families, including the Count who took care of our family, was ultimately a failure.

The death of all expedition members, including the hero.

And the demon lord was subdued, but the threat did not disappear, leaving only the worst result.

“…because he was such a rural aristocrat.”

“ash.”

“…”

“You are hiding something. yes?”

In a cabin in the woods on a dark evening by candlelight, her red eyes glared at me silently.

Those eyes, flickering like rubies, seemed to see through my clumsy performance at a glance.

My red eyes, trying to avoid her red gaze, were shaking as if I didn’t know what to do.

She opened her mouth slowly with a short sigh.

“…Sorry.”

“…yes?”

“You know what happened to your family, but you ask if the world is better… I was insensitive.”

“ah…”

“Even if the demon lord is gone, bad people don’t disappear, even if the monsters’ offensive is gone, conflicts won’t disappear in the world, whoops… what did I expect?”

She smiled bitterly, reflecting on her carelessness.

Looking at her embarrassed face, I fell into trouble.

Sylvia-san, you truly have the character of a hero.

A person who wonders if his words made me uncomfortable because he couldn’t give me the answer he wanted.

Can I hide the truth from her?

“…Sylvia… Mr.,”

What difference does it make if you tell the truth?

That the world is still a messy mess,

That monsters are still burning countless villages and brutally slaughter countless lives and lives,

that she had failed horribly,

What’s the use of telling her the brutally cruel truth to her who lost everything to catch the demon king and was dying in endless pain?

But, does she need to know?

That the peace she is trying to protect by killing her own desires and freedom like this does not exist in the first place,

That she pays all the costs and doesn’t see the result like a blind man,

The fact that the world you wanted to protect is crumbling,

Should I hide from her?

“…”

“But no matter how much it is, how long has it been since the demon king disappeared and have families been fighting each other? Really… there is no end to human greed.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t know if it’s a fight for rights, or if it’s simply a desire for the position of head of the family, but that bad guy who attacked your family…”

“The demons didn’t calm down. Mr. Sylvia.”

I don’t know.

damn it

“…what?”

＊

“… say it again.”

“…Even if the demon king died, the demonic spirits’ offensive did not diminish at all.”

“…”

Sylvia-san, as if shocked, closed her mouth tightly and twitched.

Since she had already heard roughly how I had come to this forest, she must have guessed that it was a chaotic time when conspiracies and tricks were still secretly working.

However, it seemed that he had never imagined that all of this happened while taking advantage of the confusion caused by the offensive of the demons, which did not diminish at all even after the death of the demon king.

Ms. Sylvia misunderstood that it was a simple dispute over interests, so I finally couldn’t stand it and spewed out the truth.

As if to push her away, at the same time, I told her the truth very calmly.

The madness of monsters has not been resolved, and the number of attacks has increased.

The demons are losing control and running amok without reason,

The kingdom is in chaos, and rebellion and schemes constantly occur inside, and invasions from neighboring countries do not cease outside.

The tragedy that happened to our family was also caused by the instigation of the duke of a nearby estate who was trying to occupy the entire county family.

And even the fact that the employer of those who killed my parents and chased after me and my younger sister was my ‘uncle’.

In fact, I told her everything except my sister’s identity.

“… well… all of that… all of that… all of that…”

“…”

“That suffering, that death,”

Every word that came out of her mouth was full of remorse and memories.

“My, this cursed fate…”

A chill rages.

“What was it all for?”

“…Sylvia-san.”

I said slowly closing my eyes.

“… At least since the demon king is dead… it must have gotten better.”

“…Ha, the monsters who lost control without the madness being resolved”

“It’s tearing people apart like crazy. yes that’s right.”

“…Ah, uhh… Ugh,”

She clutched her head and groaned like someone suffering from a painful headache.

A chill he hadn’t felt in a long time hit his skin like an ale.

But I stood upright and calmly looked at the top of her head and her flowing hair.

Is it because my body is definitely getting better, or is it because I’ve already gotten used to it after experiencing it a few times.

The fear of this bloody death was bearable if you clenched your teeth.

“The Countess, who took care of our family, also invested a lot, so we suffered great damage. As a result, even our family suffered damage. Perhaps… something has gone wrong with His Majesty’s safety. Still, there was nothing strange about the situation.”

“…”

I deliberately hid my family name and the count’s name when I told her.

Even if I didn’t tell her who I was, she was already in great shock.

I know what she sacrificed to subdue the demon lord.

I know what she lost.

He knew all too well what an incomparable hero was paying.

Even now, I am slightly regretting that I finally said it.

So I couldn’t bear to tell her the truth about me.

However, it was no longer possible to hide the current situation from the outside world.

Perhaps, the resentment that the failure of the expedition took the lives of my sister, parents, and sister was left in my unconscious.

Although I was well aware that this was a harsh story for her, I insisted on explaining clearly that the kingdom was collapsing.

When I was done talking, she hung her head and clutched the fork on the table that she hadn’t cleaned yet, so tightly that her hands were shaking.

We sat like that for a while without speaking.

Looking at her silently lowering her head, I deeply regretted it.

A cabin in the woods where no one comes, as if isolated from the world.

It was as if I felt again how great my sorrow was, which had been forgotten in peaceful days.

I was not overburdened by a number of incidents.

I just put a lid on that feeling to live.

Maybe that’s why, out of ungratefulness, he took out his anger on her.

“sorry.”

“…No. Thanks for telling me.”

I shut up again.

No thanks, no apology, no consolation, nothing could be done.

She also couldn’t say anything more to me.

Two people sitting at this table.

The two had a strange thing in common.

They were each other’s cohabitants, and at the same time they were people who shared the same curse.

They were terrible failures who lost everything without being able to keep what they had to protect.

After a while, she slowly got up from the table and went back to her room in silence.

I slowly cleared the table only after I heard her close the door.

“…”

Her fork was completely crumpled and curled into a ball.

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