Earth’s Doom Starts with… Me?

"That's hecking sus, man."

"Huh?" He blinked a few times, seemingly confused by what I had just said.

"From the start? When I was only a random stranger that appeared out of nowhere? Suspicious," I pouted, "does that mean you wanted to use me?"

"Frankly speaking, yes I did," he answered without hesitation, and then looked down, "at least, that was the plan. Now I'm not so sure myself."

"Acceptable. It's not like I've never used someone for my benefit. I think taking advantage of people is something that everyone has done," I shrugged, "I'll be mad if you're still thinking of using me now, though. I'm no longer a stranger to you, right?"

I glared at him, emitting an 'I'll-cut-your-dingadong-if-you-dare-use-me-now' aura.

He let out a deep sigh, unexpectedly, and then said, "that's why I'm in a bit of trouble right now. I'm not here to use you anymore, little cub. And that means I need to change my plan a bit." He chuckled.

"You don't need to if you let me help," I said as I took some alcohol pads and ointments to treat his minor wounds that were scattered here and there, "but I can't help you if you don't want me to."

As I bent down to treat the wounds on the side of his abs, I peeked through my shoulders to see him staring at me, watching me silently move my hands here and there without saying a word.

"… You have your own problems to deal with," he chuckled, his tone a bit off as if there was sadness mixed in there, "so what do you plan to do regarding Elias?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure yet, to be honest. Deep breath, it's gonna hurt," I warned him as I started applying this and that on his wound. He didn't even flinch, which made me jealous of his endurance, "I just… Want to meet him and listen to his story, just like how it has been for years. After that, I'm not sure. It'll be great if he could remember who I am, though…"

'Pat.'

"It's okay, you don't need to have everything figured out." He said as he patted my head.

Upon feeling the soft tap of his rough hand on my head, I looked up to see him smirking confidently at me.

"We'll meet him soon." He winked playfully at me.

"Ohhhh, so you two have secretly agreed to meet up or something?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm, I can't answer that in a yes or no fashion, but we should be able to meet him soon," he shrugged, "so in the meantime, let's focus on rescuing the chihuahua and Owen, okay?"

"Chihuahua?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ah, it's general Enzo. You know how he has this stomach acid magic thingy that he had to vomit to use it as bullets? Well, someone I knew once had a chihuahua, and that little monster puked like, twice a day. So I correlate puking with chihuahuas."

"… Ah."

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After we had finished patching up each other's wounds and also general Emilio's, we figured it was finally time to head back and check on Jeanne. We ended up spending like, an hour or two in the clinic, including the time we spent getting lost just looking for the clinic door.

Not long after the chihuahua talk, Lia knocked on the door, reminding us that she was there to pick us up already. We didn't talk much after that, and mostly just focused on tending the wounds. I made sure to bring some supplies so we could treat Jeanne's wound as well when we got there.

Strangely, though, I was kinda enjoying the silence. It wasn't the awkward silence type, but rather, a comfortable silence type. Something that I didn't expect I would be able to feel around that eel. Well, I could count the people whom I felt comfortable with using one hand, so it was quite a shock for me, honestly.

"Lia, are you guys done? So, which room did she choose?" I asked, striking up a conversation with the shy elf maid while general Zhang walked beside me, carrying the unconscious general Emilio.

"Umm, she ended up choosing the one near the back, the one with huge windows. It's supposed to be a study room, but…" Lia answered while fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

"Ohh, thank you for letting her stay there." I nodded. I wonder why she chose that spot, probably for an easy escape route just in case things go wrong? Plausible.

"Hey, I also want a room~" General Zhang pouted, "and this porcupine needs one, too."

"Are you nuts? General Emilio is unconscious. He's gotta stay with you!" I retaliated as we walked along the silent, crumbling hallway.

The strange thing was, although I've always hated the sight of something breaking down, there was always something strangely enticing about them. Like this castle, for example. Although it was barely holding itself up, the moonlight that shone among the cracks and holes illuminated the dim interior, creating a nice atmosphere.

Not only that, but the soft midnight wind that danced through the cracks brought along with them the pleasant smell of grasses and trees… With a little hint of blood. And burnt smell, actually, considering that we basically just annihilated a humongous tree monster with fire. Alas, it was a smell that I enjoyed filling up my lungs with.

"We're here." Lia announced as we stepped in front of a small door with some writing in orc language on it. After walking for quite a long time, we had finally arrived in front of Jeanne and Firiell's room.

"Thanks, Lia. Do you have another room near here that they can use?" I asked as I pointed towards general Zhang who was picking his nose without care.

"The room beside this one is available, but it's…"

"Great! Hey eel, go to your room." I exclaimed in joy as I clapped my hands together. Ah, finally, I got to sleep on an actual bed soon.

"… It's a storage room." Lia finished timidly.

"… Oh," I looked at general Zhang, who gave me a 'pls-no' look. To which I returned with a big, big grin, "hey, at least you can loot while you rest."

"Little cub… So mean…" He pouted, but complied regardless, by walking towards the room with a similar door right next to Jeanne's.

"Aww, don't be too sad. It's only for one night. Remember, we're heading out tomorrow regardless of the crest's outcome." I giggled.

"Fine, little cub. In exchange, next time I'll decide the room arrangement." He smirked as he twisted the doorknob and pushed it open, producing a creaking sound that reverberated throughout the hallway.

"Sure, sure~" I accepted without thinking much, that sounded fair, "hnggh—" Ahh, that was a goooood stretch before bed.

"Next time we'll sleep together." He said with a wink.

"Wha--!"

"See yaaa~!"

'BAM!'

"B-but… Wha…" I froze as I watched them disappear behind the storage door, leaving me with my flushed face, confused in the hallway.

Wait, did Lia see that?

I quickly turned around to see her, looking at me with awestruck eyes, like a little girl who had just seen something magical happening in front of her.

"… What are you looking at?" I asked hesitantly.

"N-nothing, esteemed guest. It's just… It's like seeing a fairytale unfold in front of me…" She explained with a happy blush on her face.

"Huh? You sure you weren't reading horror stories, instead?" I frowned upon hearing her reasoning, "anyway, I'll come inside. See you tomorrow morning." I said with a sigh.

"R-right, sorry. Have a pleasant night, esteemed guest." She quickly saluted and turned around to leave me.

"Wait, you do have a room, right?" I asked, before turning the iron doorknob in my hand.

"Yes, we have a servant room." She smiled and nodded.

"Great. Meet us at the castle's front door tomorrow morning at, uh… I don't know. Just be ready, I guess." I returned her smile and opened the door.

'Creaaak.'

"Chae! You're back!" Jeanne beamed with happiness once she saw me opening the door. She was surprisingly already dressed in a pajama, but she still kept her shoulder plates with her. So cautious, even in this situation.

"I'm here! Jean-jeannnn, we can finally sleep! Soon!" I threw my hands up in happiness, and hopped towards her.

Firiell was laid down on the makeshift bed that was laid in the middle of the room. Lia was right, this room had a huge window looking out towards the beautiful forest behind the castle, surrounded by plenty of bookshelves. There was also an immaculate desk, complete with a bunch of papers, files, and pen scattered on top of it.

For a room that was supposed to be a study room, it was quite comfortable. Heck, if I had the time, I would surely check out the books here. Wait, wait, wait. I could just store some of them in my inventory and read them later, right? Or like, hand them to Elena so she could read them for me because I got the brain of a malnourished rat.

The only problem would be how to get those books without them noticing… Eh, I would figure out a way. There was plenty of time, anyway. For now, though…

"Here, Chae, you should change to something more comfortable, too," Jeanne smiled as she handed me a set of pajamas, a bucket of water, and a towel, "I got you some warm water, you can use this to wash your face. Sadly, we can't have the luxury of bathing here. Their bathrooms are all destroyed. I got this from their kitchen."

"Thanks a lot, Jean-jean! You're such an angel~" I grabbed both of her hands and teared up, happy that someone would look out for my comfort.

"No problem, let's get some rest for today, we've done a lot. Let's discuss things tomorrow morning. What do you think?" Jeanne tilted her head, still beaming with happiness. I guess she was also looking forward to this rest.

"Perfect! But before that, let's get some blankets, clothing, and stuff for general Zhang and general Emilio. They're staying in the room just next to us." I clapped my hands together.

"Oh, you're right. Let me get some from the—"

"Hnng… Where is this…?"

"Huh?"

"Hmm… Big sis Chae? Big sis Jeanne? What happened?"

My mouth gaped when I saw the little girl who was just laying down motionless a few seconds ago, suddenly sat up, awake.

"You're… Awake already!?"