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

182 – Sister (6)

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“I burned Layla to death.”

“… what?”

“That may be why I didn’t have much resistance to burning Sister Maria.”

“…”

“Would it be different if I said I was your uncle?”

Blood rushes to my head.

My head was hot enough that I could tell without even touching it, and the sound of my pounding heart echoed inside my heated head.

It feels as if my brain is boiling, but my mind, which had been clouded by fatigue and anemia, is becoming clearer.

No, it was not just clear, but the blade sharpened to the point where it could even distinguish the sound of burning flames tearing apart and scattering into the air.

Oh, I see.

This is what it means to be so angry that it makes your head spin.

I diagnosed my current condition with a hollow laugh.

Of course, I have not lived a life like a monk who has never once gotten angry.

When I learned of Layla’s death, I was angry at my helplessness; when I killed five innocent people, I was disgusted by the terrible sins I had committed; and when I met the green woman and heard of her twisted fate, I despaired at the cruel twist of fate.

But, just as the huge whirlwind of emotions I felt back then felt like a breeze, a terrible anger was swirling inside me now.

My head feels like it’s going to explode.

I had never enjoyed moving my body in my life, but now I wanted to tear the man in front of me to pieces with my bare hands.

As I looked at the five corpses that had been mangled so horribly by the curse that had taken hold of my eyes, I thought that no one should die in such a horrible way, but now, the wicked malice that would make them suffer the most cruel and horrible death in the world was baring its teeth.

“Sister Alice…”

At that moment, Sister Alice’s face vaguely came to mind.

My sister said that because of that mechanical heart, she had trouble controlling her anger.

So, does that mean that Sister Alice has always lived with these feelings?

Oh, my goodness.

How can one live?

If I felt this way every day, I would die.

Just by staring at Balder, I can feel an enormous amount of energy being drained from my body.

“…”

Just a little while ago, when I physically detonated Sister Maria’s magic, Sister Alice’s figure, who had flown away somewhere, was nowhere to be seen.

But I wasn’t worried.

The fact that I was standing still in this forest filled with magic was proof that Sister Maria’s divine power was still flowing through me.

You shouldn’t be embarrassed or surprised.

Right now I can’t take my eyes off that son of a b*tch in front of me.

“Ugh,”

He gritted his teeth and slowly got up, clenching his fists as if he was scraping dirt from the floor.

Is it because you don’t understand the situation, or are you still underestimating me?

The foot began to roll its disgusting tongue again.

“You crazy b*stard, what are you talking about?”

“…”

“What cheeky eyes, Ash. Even though the color of your eyes has changed, those innocent eyes are just like your father’s.”

In an instant, he leapt towards me, emitting a strong magical energy.

Even though I was protected by Sister Alice’s divine power, if such a thick concentration of magic energy approached me, I would instinctively avoid it.

Even though it couldn’t directly inflict damage on the body, it was a strong magic that could act as a pungent smoke that stung the eyes and throat.

I closed my eyes tightly.

But it wasn’t Pia.

“Don’t come near Ash.”

A gust of wind, sharp as a giant blade, pierced Balder’s body.

At the same time, I recited the spell.

To kindle a spark, to shoot it out.

He only created a small spark and sent it flying on the wind created by Pia.

Hot embers burned through Balder’s wounds and dug into his body.

“Ugh!”

Balder arched his back as if he was having a seizure.

I ran up to Balder and kicked him in the chest with my foot.

“I won’t say anything grandiose like ‘traitor to humanity’ or anything like that.”

“Ugh, Ash… you little brat.”

“If you weren’t here, my family wouldn’t have died like that. That’s enough for me!”

“Don’t look down on me!”

Balder shouted and swung his fists rapidly.

Well, my sturdy body, trained over a long period of adventure, will be able to handle my weak kicks with ease.

I hurriedly pulled my head back, but Balder’s fist passed by, grazed the bridge of my nose.

“Ugh!”

When I touched the bridge of my nose, it was slightly crooked, and soon blood started gushing out.

Balder swung his outstretched fist in the opposite direction.

This time I dodged it properly, but at that moment Balder opened his clenched fist.

In an instant, dirt and sand fell as snow.

“It’s the difference in experience, dear!”

Balder screamed and kicked me with his foot.

I couldn’t avoid it because my eyes were tightly shut due to the foreign substance.

His legs, thick as logs, flew toward me.

But I wasn’t worried.

“Pia!”

This time, a thick layer of air, like a hard hammer, struck Balder’s leg.

The knee on the side where Balder had swung at me cracked and bent in the opposite direction to its usual direction.

He screamed and rolled around on the floor.

“Damn, is throwing dirt even considered experience? Well, that’s exactly your level. The level of trash that brags about selling out even your family to the Demon King.”

I rubbed my eyes with my arm and glared at Balder.

Black magic gathered around Balder’s knees, and soon, he slowly got up.

Just like divine power, it seems that magic also has the ability to assist its user.

However, judging from the fact that the knee, which was bent in a strange direction, is still there, it is not a power that heals wounds like Sister Alice’s divine power, but rather it only stops at making one forget the pain.

Balder screamed as he stood awkwardly due to the height difference between his legs.

“Ugh, what is it, what on earth are you talking about!”

Balder was extremely embarrassed and was cursing.

Actually, that was understandable.

Because he won’t see Pia at all.

From Balder’s perspective, it was like being attacked repeatedly by an invisible, strange force of unknown origin.

In order to maximize the fear of being attacked by an invisible enemy, I instructed Pia to use only wind-based attacks, so in effect, the fear Balder felt was exactly as I had intended.

So I had no reason to explain elementalism to Balder.

“shut up.”

“You were a wizard… Pia? I’ve never heard of such magic… before. That earthen pillar… what was it? Did you say you’d believe it…? That wasn’t even a spell…”

Balder, who had been muttering in confusion, flinched as if he realized something and hurriedly pulled his broken leg back.

He had stepped so hastily that his knee, already bent in the opposite direction, creaked and snapped once more.

Balder, who had been staggering for a moment due to the wind, opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“Like the Demon King… You…”

“Can’t you hear me telling you to shut up?”

Balder broke out in a cold sweat.

It couldn’t be because my knees hurt, but it seemed like there was something bothering me.

If he had read something similar to the Demon King’s power in me, then the current Demon King must be a spirit sorcerer.

Balder continued to curse and shake his head.

“Answer me! There is no way a human could have such power!”

“It’s noisy.”

“Even I… only gained a portion of that power after giving up on being human…!”

Balder seemed to know little about elemental magic.

It seems that Balder was not a very trustworthy figure to the Demon King whom he served so fervently.

Well, even if he usurped the throne of the previous Demon King, the new Demon King would also be of the Demon Race, so he would not appoint a human to such an important position.

He keeps talking about receiving his power and such, but since I can’t see any other spirits, I guess all he really gave Balder was Sister Maria’s corpse.

By the way, there was something about Balder’s words that bothered me a little.

Have you given up on humanity?

Well, I guess so.

If Balder were human, it would make sense that this eye curse would have been applied long ago.

That was also the basis for my decision not to hesitate in burning Sister Maria.

Even when I saw Sister Maria, these eyes didn’t drive me crazy.

That means that Sister Maria was no longer human.

“Fuck, I still get mad when I think about it.”

But that doesn’t mean that carrying Sister Maria was fun.

I didn’t feel like my memories with my sister were being tarnished because she looked so different from what I remembered, but I was very confused and distressed when I remembered that day when I burned Layla, who was writhing in undead form.

“Pia.”

“Yeah, I know. I know what Ash is thinking.”

Pia slowly gathered her magic power.

“Ash isn’t going to kill you that easily, is he?”

As always, Pia understood perfectly what I wanted to do.

But this time, since the request was a request, I asked Pia again.

“Please. Is that okay?”

Pia answered with a smile.

His smile was as refreshing as his tall, slender figure.

“Well, what Ash wants is what I want.”

＊

Balder hesitated and stepped back, looking frightened, but inside he was laughing at Ash.

Anyone who saw it could tell that Ash was out of his mind with rage.

Although the nature of his powers has not yet been discovered, deceiving an opponent who has forgotten his cool was easy for Balder, who had made a living through bargaining and deception during his long life as an adventurer.

Ash was staring straight at him with his eyes wide open, bloodshot and red, the pupils barely distinguishable from the whites of his eyes.

And behind Ash, under the blazing flames, Maria slowly rose up.

All threads that controlled her were snapped.

But that doesn’t mean Maria couldn’t move.

If not controlled, Maria will move instinctively like any other undead.

And it was clear that the undead would first target Ash, who had living blood and flesh, rather than Balder, who was full of magic.

An undead that instinctively fires massive amounts of large-scale magic.

That should be enough to scatter Ash’s mind.

Balder limped partway, hoping Ash wouldn’t notice.

I felt like a frail deer dragging its injured leg to tempt a wild beast.

‘When you think you have the advantage, that’s when you’re at your weakest.’

It’s always been like that.

The debt collectors who had tried to kill him with their gang also let their guard down and died at Balder’s hands, the warrior party that had confidently boasted about defeating the Demon King also met a terrible end, and even Alice ran in without thinking and missed Balder right before her eyes.

It has always been the case that only those who do not let their guard down survive.

Balder bowing his head to the Demon King was also a result of not being reckless in order to survive.

Balder trusted deeply in the experience of having saved him from danger time and time again.

And finally, Maria sat up completely and slowly looked back at Ash.

Balder decided to provoke Ash until the end.

“You said you burned Layla?”

“… Shut your mouth.”

“What does it smell like when you burn your little sister? Does it smell like a little kid peeing?”

“Shut up!”

“Your mother said that when she died. She smelled terrible…”

“Hey, this dog!”

Ash rushes in.

And behind his back, Maria slowly raised her arms.

I won.

Balder was sure of that.

But at that moment, Maria’s arm fell limply to the floor with a rustling sound.

“…what?”

Balder was horrified.

Ash also turned his head and looked behind him at the strange sound he heard from behind him.

It wasn’t Ash’s doing.

Then a voice was heard.

It was a murky voice, like a blazing fireball and yet like burnt ash.

“Ash.”

“… Sister Alice!”

Maria slowly looks back.

There stood Alice, swinging the holy sword and shaking off the black blood.

“I’ll leave revenge to you, since it was your revenge in the first place.”

“… huh,”

Balder spat out a curse and gathered magic energy into his fingertips before spitting it out.

Tens of thousands of threads stretched out from his fingertips and caught the trees around him.

Balder threw himself onto the thread and quickly tried to escape the scene.

“Go after him.”

“Ha, but, sister…”

At first glance, Alice’s condition was not good.

His damned heart had finally broken somewhere, his body was covered in wounds that had not healed, and blood was oozing out of every part of his body.

No, looking closely, it wasn’t that the wound couldn’t be treated.

As the wound began to heal, new holes began to appear in his body.

It was as if the cheese was melting and hardening at the same time.

Alice reached out to Ash.

In an instant, hot air filled Ash’s body.

“At this rate… you should be able to last a few hours without me.”

“… Sister?”

“Go quickly.”

Ash could tell instinctively.

That now is the moment,

This is the last time I will ever be able to talk to Alice Goldfield.

Alice weakly dropped the arm holding the sword and shouted at Ash, who was hesitating while covering his slowly melting cheek with the back of his hand.

“Go quickly!”

“… okay.”

“I have to send my friend away.”

Alice slowly tightened her grip on the sword once more.

Ash started running after Balder, leaving Alice behind.

As Ash disappeared from sight, engulfed in darkness, Alice muttered softly.

“…I ended up not being able to say it.”

Alice slowly glared at Maria.

Maria stared blankly down at her missing arm for a moment, then slowly turned her gaze towards Alice.

“under…”

Alice gave a small laugh.

Her breath was so hot that it seemed like it would melt everything it touched.

In fact, her breath was melting even her insides, and all her organs were boiling with a sweltering heat.

Up until now, whenever I had a heart problem, I thought over and over again that today was the end, that this was the end, but the end that really came was on a different level from the previous warnings.

“Still, this ending isn’t so bad.”

Alice forced the corners of her lips to rise and smiled.

And then, very softly,

She muttered slowly in a clear and gentle voice that reminded me of her appearance during the Goldfields days.

“This time, you won’t die alone, Maria.”

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