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

71 – Sign (4)

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“…Ha, ha… Ha…”

I was digging Laila’s grave, sweating profusely.

Is it because I am already working with a weak body?

Or is it because she is afraid that she will see with her own eyes the hideous corpse of her sister, with her eggs hatched and a feast of bugs and microorganisms in the cold ground?

I was slowly digging out a pile of dirt, pouring out a lot of sweat for unknown reasons.

“…Ugh,”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything like a shovel, so I had no choice but to dig up the dirt with my bare hands.

It felt like dirt was stuck between my fingernails and they were getting wider and wider, and the blades of my hands, which I had put so much effort into, were cramping and cramping, but I couldn’t stop.

However, as I dug deeper and deeper into the dirt, my fingertips began to tremble more and more violently.

It would have been better if the tremors had been due to fatigue or pain, but that was not the case.

Fear ran down her spine as she might at any moment touch Lila’s remains.

I cried out to the goddess over and over again to overcome her fear.

“May the Goddess… Take care of Lila.”

It’s scary, it’s scary.

I felt very guilty knowing how Lila’s body, which I had not been able to protect, had changed during the time I had enjoyed her in Sylvia’s arms.

But even so, it was something that had to be done.

She had to take her out in her arms, lift her up and bury her in her coffin that Mr. Sylvia had prepared for her.

And finally.

“…Ah,”

The moment when my fingertips touch something that looks like a lump of moist, torn flesh.

The moment has come.

I carefully removed the dirt and found Lila’s body.

The flesh, which had become so brittle that it could easily be torn with just the force of a fingertip, and the pure white bone exposed within it gradually emerged from the dirt.

“Ah… Ugh,”

I could see a very small head that had been eaten here and there, pale eyelids tightly closed, and hair mixed with a lot of dirt.

“Lail… La…”

I tried to hold Lila’s head with her trembling hands, but she fell behind her and grabbed my head as if I was going to rip it off.

I couldn’t control my breathing.

I breathe in more than my lungs can handle.

“Huh, huh… huh, huh,”

My heart was pounding.

Tears are flowing like pouring tears.

Ah, Lila,

Lila, really, really,

“I’m really sorry…”

Guilt, humiliation, self-reproach, and resentment raced through my heart as if they were tearing it apart.

All my emotions attacked me.

I hated myself.

Honestly, you forgot about it, right?

How dare you try to forget?

No,

No, it’s not.

Lie,

You didn’t want to remember.

Were you happy that you survived alone without even being able to protect your younger brother?

You’re going to give Laila a tombstone that you carved out while making her feel like a newlywed with a beautiful woman like Sylvia?

That is truly me! Right?

Self-satisfaction, self-justification.

That kind of cowardice is my nature.

No.

No, think about it.

You’ve been like that for a long time.

I didn’t.

Really? Maria knew that she wasn’t as talented as her older sister, but she learned magic out of self-satisfaction, saying, ‘I’m good at theory.’ Is not it?

…

Even though she knew that she wasn’t suitable for Sylvia, she thought, ‘I guess I’d be a good housemate,’ and boasted about her cooking skills that were at best half as good as her father’s, right?

No… Hey.

After killing someone, Sylvia hugged her, and she immediately felt better, right? You were feeling guilty and all, but didn’t you end up wagging your tail to seduce Sylvia?

Stop, that can’t be happening,

What do you think, you were happy that Sylvia wanted you, but she secretly rejected you? She was happy that Sylvia was not impatient. Yes?

Ugh,

Sylvia, did you really think she loved you? She was just lonely, you know who would love someone as incompetent and immature as you?

You…? Who are you? Who are you?

Oh, sorry, I got the names mixed up. I am you, exactly your nature.

Lie,

Does it seem like a lie?

…

Now, you pathetic friend. Look at the sky, see this beautiful morning sun.

…

Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t the sound of birds chirping every morning fascinating? I’m so happy that I survived because of Lila, I’m going crazy. Is not it?

“No!”

I screamed as if I was screaming and jumped back.

As I slowly look down, I see Laila’s cold body lying there.

Ah, Lila.

Am I really happy that I survived instead of you?

I got caught up in the curse and have already taken the lives of five people.

I don’t know how many more people I will kill in the future.

Is it really okay for me to be alive?

…I’m sorry, Lila.

Actually, that’s true.

I was glad to be alive.

I was so happy to meet Sylvia.

I’m sorry.

I really…

“…Lila?”

For a moment, I thought I could stop breathing.

No, it definitely stopped.

For a while.

Lila was looking up at me with her eyes open.

＊

Sylvia hurriedly took her steps.

The more I ran, the more confident I became.

The sudden appearance of demonic energy,

This was not a problem that only occurred in some areas of the forest.

The entire forest suddenly began to be surrounded by demonic energy.

Just like the day I first came to this forest a long time ago to subdue the Demon King.

Why, what is the cause?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure it out.

Sylvia frowned and bit her lip.

Her eyes were sore, as if there was dust in them.

“Ugh!”

The tingling pain that felt like it was ringing from inside the eye gradually turned into a tingling pain, and soon it turned into a hot burning pain that felt like it was on fire.

Silvia stopped her feet from hitting the ground and leaned against her tree, cupping her eyes.

“Ah, black! It hurts… my eyes…!”

I can’t understand the situation.

Sylvia could not understand the situation that had suddenly occurred.

The forest was filled with demonic energy, and her eyeballs became as hot as red-hot iron.

Sylvia tried tapping her eyes with her palms, but it was no use.

With the burning pain getting worse, Sylvia leaned against the tree and slid down to sit on her floor.

“No way… That time…”

Sylvia recalled the day she picked up her body last time.

The day she found out that Ash was Maria’s younger brother, she was in a hurry to return to Ash, but there were numerous monsters blocking her path.

At the time, she ignored it and ignored the fact that she just wanted to see Ash.

She just thought that she was unlucky today, but it seemed like it was a sign.

It was already too late, but now that I think about it again, I think those monsters may have escaped from the area where they usually gathered and were moving somewhere.

Since the monsters would not avoid the demon energy, were they moving their habitat towards an area where there is a lot of demon energy?

Or are they running away from something, like wild animals running away from an unwinnable natural disaster?

I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but what’s certain is that it’s a crisis either way for Sylvia and Ash.

If the forest is overrun with demonic energy, the two must move to a new place to live immediately.

Humans cannot live in demonic energy.

It’s like there’s a lot of poison powder in the air.

“Ash…!”

Sylvia, who is protected by the curse, will not die, but at least Ash will die.

And if Ash dies, Sylvia dies too.

Even if her body does not die, all parts of her that do not have a form, such as her mind, emotions, will, and soul, will die.

Sylvia barely lifted her writhing body, calling Ash’s name.

I don’t know if she got used to it or if it has lessened, but I could feel the pain in her eyes gradually subsiding.

Sylvia forced her eyes open, her new red eyes streaming down to the whites of her eyes.

Beyond my watery field of vision, I saw someone moving as if moving.

“…!”

Sylvia reflexively covered her face.

Who is it?

I couldn’t see it closely, but it wasn’t Ash because her height and clothes were different.

Silvia hid her body behind her tree trunk and wiped away her tears, peeking out her face to look at the person.

I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate, but it wasn’t a person.

A corpse that comes back to life and walks around.

He was undead.

With so much demonic energy rising, it wasn’t that strange for undead to appear.

As soon as Sylvia realized that the curse would not do her opponent any good, she slowly walked out from behind the tree with relief and pulled out the bow she carried on her back.

His rotten, bruised skin was full of traces of insects, and maggots fell from his body every time he moved, as if the eggs laid by the insects had hatched inside his body.

He was wearing tattered cloth clothes, tattered leather pants, and in his hand, hanging from the end of his broken and shaky arm, was a riding whip.

She was wearing a leather vest, and on her vest was a pattern she was familiar with.

A wooden stick shaped like a question mark.

It was the staff family emblem.

“Ah… Oh my.”

Although it was a face she had never seen before, Sylvia was able to immediately recognize who he was.

‘Uncle Hardy.’

＊

“…Wait,”

Sylvia looked shocked as if she had realized something.

She then pulled the arrow in one go and pierced her Hardy’s head.

It was so powerful that even though it was an undead body that normally moves without dying from most injuries, Hardy’s body boomed! As soon as the sound was heard, it collapsed.

There was a fist-sized hole in his head.

Sylvia put another arrow into the head of the fallen undead, then turned around and ran towards her cabin.

She had no time to worry or hesitate.

It didn’t matter at all right now that he was the person Ash was looking for.

Silvia closed her eyes tightly as her throbbing continued, wrapped her head in her arms and kicked her feet forward in front of her.

Then she ran out, breaking the trees and rocks that blocked her path.

There was no time.

Her heart becomes anxious.

Sylvia clenched her teeth.

“Please, please…”

Two conditions were necessary for the undead to be created in the first place.

An environment overflowing with demonic energy, and a corpse that did not receive a formal funeral accompanied by a priest.

Now, the magical energy has increased explosively, but this forest has always contained a trace amount of magical energy.

Considering that Sylvia still remains even years after killing the Demon King, he could certainly be called a disaster for humanity.

The distance from here to the scene of the carriage accident was so far that it would take more than two hours at a normal pace.

Considering that Uncle Hardy, whose traces could not be found anywhere near the scene of the carriage accident, was here, the coachman must have been wandering around as an undead long time ago.

Now that the demonic energy has been released, he has become more active, but it means that he became undead in the past.

However, if this demon energy surrounds this entire forest now,

If this mysterious manifestation of demonic energy has occurred throughout this forest,

In this forest, there was a place full of corpses that had been buried without a priest’s prayer.

A cemetery where the corpses of all village residents are gathered.

Her and her Ash’s cabin.

Millwood Village.

Now that I think about it, Ash, what are you doing now?

He said what he was doing today.

Ah…

“Ash… Ash… No… Ash!”

Ah,

Ahhh

No, no, no!

Sylvia screamed his name like a scream.

“Ash… Please, there should be no problem. Please!”

Sylvia’s steps did not slow down even though she constantly encountered obstacles.

Gradually, the village of Millwood,

The ruins that were the two people’s comfortable home were getting closer.

My eyes are hot.

No, her whole body was hot.

Sylvia slowly opened her eyes due to the sudden heat.

“Fire?”

Flame.

Everywhere was covered in flames.

The village was burning.

“Ash!”

Everything was on fire, from the only traces remaining, to the fallen log cabin, and even the cabin that was the couple’s home.

Flames raged everywhere, and there were charred corpses everywhere.

Sylvia was able to recognize her right away.

She was once a resident of Millwood Village, whom she killed.

“…”

Without hesitation, Sylvia threw her body into the burning cabin.

After all, the fire couldn’t even leave a scratch on her body.

She went into her room, pushing away the burning remains of her body with her bare hands, and came out carrying her own sword.

She ran straight toward her graveyard, cutting down the bodies that were still writhing.

“Ash! Here it is?”

Like her burning voice, the cemetery was filled with dry air without any moisture.

Ash was sitting in the graveyard covered in red flames everywhere.

A fox made of huge flames burning with orange light was sitting around Ash with her body wrapped around her.

The fox blocked Sylvia with its large tail.

“Ash! “Are you okay?”

Silvia paid no heed as she walked towards her Ash, passing the blazing tail of her fox across her bare body.

Ash sat in silence.

In his arms was a charred corpse, which looked more like a human-shaped charcoal than a corpse.

Sylvia was unable to say anything at that scene.

Ash looked down at the corpse in her arms with empty eyes and let out a dry voice.

It was a voice full of an acrid fishy smell, like vomiting mixed with blood.

“…Silvia.”

“Ash…”

“…”

Ash could no longer part his lips.

It was the same for Sylvia, who understood the situation.

Crackling, crackling,

Only the sound of fire burning everywhere filled the space between the two people.

It felt as if the world was on fire.

If hell exists, wouldn’t it look like this?

Sylvia thought so.

.