Possessed as a Tutorial-Exclusive Cheat Character

5 – Ruins, Albion (5)

Screams mixed with sobs.

Everything on the table fell off.

“Scarlet!”

Scarlet Peridot, who was struggling, flinched. She wandered around with empty pupils. “Dr, Drakan… Drakan…” she muttered in a cracking voice, trembling with anxiety. “It’s… It’s dark ahead…” She was clearly looking with her eyes, but continued to say it was dark for some reason. Blood trickled from her hands, and there was a small cut on her face as if she had hit something. I grabbed her struggling hand and hugged her. I had to calm her down first, even if I didn’t know what was going on. What on earth is happening? Even my voice trembled. Whispering while hugging tightly was all I could do. “I’m… I’m here.” Scarlet Peridot’s trembling ceased. She reached out her arm and hugged me, breathing heavily for a short time. Several breaths in and out. After whispering that it’s okay several times, she finally quieted down and fell back to sleep in her calm breathing. I covered her with a blanket again and sat next to the bed. That act just now, and that expression. The word darkness. What I had seen so far supported my guess. Subtle eyes that went astray. Frequent mistakes. She is losing her vision. . . . She opened her eyes. She seemed to have recovered somewhat, leaning against the wall. “Thank you.” Silence flowed. I sat in the chair and said nothing. I just carefully observed her condition. “Are you not going to ask?” “Can I ask?” “Yes. It’s okay. I was going to tell you eventually.” Scarlet Peridot smiled weakly. She raised her hand and gently touched her eye. “It was a bit early. But… I thought I had about a month left.”

“Are you sick?”

“Something like that. It’s incurable.”

“Just your eyesight…”

“Not just my eyesight.”

Scarlet Peridot fidgeted with her ear.

“Gradually, all my senses are dying away. In the end, there will be nothing left. First, my eyesight. Second, maybe my hearing. And in the end, I’ll be left alone in the world.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Nothing changes by saying it. In the old days, I would have kept going with medication. Even with an incurable disease, there was a chance to improve the condition. But now, that’s not an option. The harvest swept it all away. The extra medication… was lost when I entered the facility.”

“…Why are you more sad? Foolishly.”

She hugged her knees and looked at me askance.

“Drakan. Didn’t I tell you before?”

“What?”

“Dragons value honor most. They fear running from the battlefield more than they fear death. That’s what being a dragon is. That’s how they were born, that’s how they were taught, and dragons who don’t are laughed at by other races.”

“…I… was weak when I was young. I couldn’t keep up with other kids. I could only watch from a distance. My father was the same. He always watched over me. He never let me do anything dangerous. He was far from the policy of the dragons.”

“That’s why I read books. I always read. At first, it wasn’t fun. Actually… it’s not fun now. But it’s the only thing I can do, so I kept reading. All physical activities were forbidden. I couldn’t overexert myself. Being still was the only game I could play.”

“The weakest child born in the dragon race. My father faced a lot of blame because of me. He was flawed because of me. Maybe I was the flaw of the entire dragon race. The daughter of the greatest warrior, and the most foolish dragon.”

“Scarlett.”

“Drakan. Do you remember what I said the day we first met?”

Scarlet Peridot continued to look at the wall as if she wouldn’t show me her expression.

“A month. I didn’t give you a month for any other reason. When you were pitiful, you were also scary.”

“What?”

“If you regain your memory… you might blame a lonely person like me. For dragons, that’s an irreparable shame. To not go to the battlefield when everyone else is dead makes you nothing but a coward.”

“So… when I heard that you were not from the dragon clan, I felt relieved deep down. Maybe I thought it would be okay to be together a little longer. Fortunately, as expected, you didn’t insult me. You just called me by my name. Scarlet. Scarlet Peridot.”

Her slender hand tightly grips her clothes.

“…It was enjoyable. Living without being mindful of others, it was incredibly enjoyable. Actually, I’m not the head of military support headquarters. That was our father. I was just his daughter… I came here only because I listened to my father’s last words.”

“……..”

“I’m sorry for lying. Really. But… at that time, I was really scared… I was afraid that if I didn’t say something like that, you, who regained your memories, would insult me… So, I didn’t intend to deceive you. Truly. B-but…”

Tears well up in her voice.

I can only listen.

“…I’m sorry, Drakan.”

I stood up.

Turned around and left the room.

…Just like that.

Before leaving, I asked one more thing.

“What illness do you have?”

“…It’s a disease called DH-21. It’s similar to a heart disease, I heard. Drakan… What I wanted to say is…”

“It’s okay.”

I closed the door.

“For now, rest. Scarlet.”

. . .

I had a nightmare.

Everything crumbled, a dream where I was trapped in an empty place.

Scarlet Peridot opened her eyes. She forced her sweaty body to sit up.

When did she fall asleep?

Scarlet Peridot wiped her face. Fortunately, her vision, which she thought would completely disappear, had returned somewhat.

It was faint, but she could see. If she brought her eyes closer, she could vaguely recognize the figure.

Since the day she first met Drakan, her eyesight had been deteriorating, but today she could consider her condition quite good.

“…Drakan?”

She called out to him in a louder voice. There was no moving figure. Everything was silent.

The door he closed was still shut. Scarlet Peridot staggered as she stood up.

The reason she always kept the light on was that her vision was not good. In this situation, if she even turned off the light, she would truly not be able to see anything. She would be trapped in complete darkness, fumbling to find a switch whose location she didn’t even know.

Scarlet Peridot cautiously drank the water on the table. She opened the door and went out to the square.

As always, the same sound. But as if water had entered their ears, the sound of machinery could be faintly heard from a distance. Occasionally, something seemed to roll around inside their ear, causing a buzzing sensation.

Their senses were becoming strange. They had originally wanted to leave before reaching this state.

He…

He was such a shrewd person. Kindhearted. Friendly… It was obvious that he wouldn’t leave when he was in this condition.

Nothing in this place was eternal. Didn’t they hear that from their father passing by?

Even on the day when everything disappears, emergency power will operate for nine months.

And when that day comes…

Everything inside the secret base will be incinerated as well.

If you add up the remaining time, it’s four months.

In four months, all of this will be over.

And they themselves…

On the day everything is set ablaze, they decided to share the fate of this secret base. That was the pride of the dragons. It was the only courage that the last remaining coward could choose.

Let’s burn it.

Burn everything so it doesn’t fall into the enemy’s hands, and throw themselves in as well.

…But.

But they weren’t Drakan.

“…Drakan?”

Scarlet Peridot, leaning against the wall, arrived at his room. But there was no sign of life coming from inside.

He opened the door and went in, but there was nothing inside. There wasn’t even a faint trace left, and even the bed was neatly arranged.

Only his faint scent lingered at the tip of her nose.

Scarlet Peridot continued to search the base afterwards. But it was gone. He couldn’t see him anymore in this secret base.

It was only after thoroughly searching the last remaining place that Scarlet Peridot realized.

He had left.

He completely hid his presence in this secret base.

“……”

It was a good thing.

If he hadn’t gone, Scarlet Peridot would have pushed him away. Yeah, this is the right ending.

Perhaps feeling betrayed by the fact that he lied, he might have grown tired of hiding while others risked their lives to protect Aldebaran. He might have had some duties to fulfill.

Whichever way you look at it, he wouldn’t have left with good feelings. So, it’s probably for the best.

…Clearly, it’s for the best.

If you hate yourself, it means there is no chance for him to come back here.

Scarlet Peridot moved her feet. It was heavy, but she managed to move somehow.

In the flow of daily life, merely one person had disappeared. She could just spend the day as usual and wait for the end.

Scarlet Peridot had breakfast.

For some reason, it didn’t taste good. After taking two bites, she threw it in the trash.

Perhaps it was expected. Rations never tasted good from the start.

Scarlet Peridot read a book.

She barely turned a page and closed it again. Hologram books were always hard on the eyes.

In this deteriorating situation, it was normal that nothing would hold her interest.

Scarlet Peridot stroked Titan.

She didn’t touch the parts directly. In times like now, touching tools might lead to unforeseen consequences.

Anyway, it was just a pastime. That must have been the case.

Scarlet Peridot lay on the bed.

Just lying down.

Because she had no strength.

It didn’t hold any special meaning.

“……. “

Life is heavy.

I wish I hadn’t known from the beginning…

It’s too heavy.

Just because one thing is missing.

. . .

I have to eat.

Scarlet Peridot couldn’t withstand her hunger and chewed on rations.

Her heart was heavy, but she couldn’t endure hunger. Chewing on undisturbed rations made her feel self-loathing.

Still, it was better than yesterday. If she lay quietly, she could think about it less.

After all, wasn’t she someone who disliked herself? The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt.

Eat.

Read a book.

Pass the time. Very slowly.

Scarlet Peridot marked it on the calendar. The countless crossed-out lines were drawn by someone else, not herself.

Absently caressing those traces, she turned her head. She began filling in her own lines one by one in the empty spaces.

Three days had passed.

It was fine. Much better than before.

A week had passed.

She was gradually improving. Her heart still felt heavy, but she could pretend to be unaffected.

Six days had passed.

Now she started taking supplies on time again. But she didn’t build fires or roast food like before.

…Because it could be dangerous.

A week had passed.

Scarlet Peridot closed the book she was reading. She didn’t want to, but she had no choice.

For a moment, her vision blurred. She took a slow breath, but soon everything darkened.

The sound of the machines being repaired outside suddenly disappeared. Everything became muffled. Even her hearing seemed temporarily paralyzed.

She tried to calm down. But her hands trembled. Unable to regain her balance, she hesitated and sat back down in place.

Scarlet Peridot opened her mouth. No voice came out. Even her own voice got lost and drowned in the darkness.

Please. Please. Please.

Someone…

Someone, please…

Dad… Ah…

“…Ah…”

Scarlet Peridot heard a sound. She also realized belatedly that something had entered her mouth.

Something in the form of a pill.

She swallowed it down. Her blurred vision returned. The hand that had been wandering in the darkness became visible again.

A faint smell of blood grazed her nose. Her lost gaze returned in an instant.

“…Thank goodness.”

And…

“It’s not too late.”

Standing in front of her was a bloody warrior dressed in rags.

Holding an unknown pill in his hand.