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

186 – Companions (3)

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With the sound of the flesh, torn into several pieces, sloshing and hitting the floor, all the noise in this hellish hallway died down.

The old walls were full of yellowed wallpaper and spiderwebs that had taken up residence in every corner, and there were some that had collapsed here and there.

The opposite wall was full of windows that were broken in some places and completely invisible due to the thick, dusty haze.

The ceiling, which once had glittering chandeliers, was now covered in blood, and the shabby floor, covered with long carpets that were so worn that they flapped in the slightest breeze, was covered with corpses.

Among the corpses strewn about, spilling blood and entrails, not a single one had limbs still intact.

So many corpses, their armor torn to pieces, were scattered everywhere, so jumbled together that it was impossible to tell whose arms and whose legs were which.

It seemed as if they had chopped up the humans like chickens, put them in a giant cauldron, boiled them, and then dumped the whole cauldron into this hallway.

In the middle of a hallway strewn with countless corpses, or rather, pieces of flesh, there was only one person standing there blankly.

Her once beautiful platinum hair was now covered in dark blood, and her armor bearing the symbols of the sacred goddess cult bore only traces of fierce battle and showed no sign of divinity.

The cold, sharp eyes showed the fatigue and pain that had seeped deep into his heart.

There was no doubt that she was the victor who had survived the hellish melee in these hallways.

Of course, she was Sylvia.

“… under.”

Sylvia let out a breath she couldn’t remember how long she had been holding, and leaned her back against the blood-stained wall.

She looked up at the ceiling with blurry eyes.

Spiders were seen moving around, trying to escape the noise of the chaos that had just occurred.

Sylvia said, closing her eyes tightly.

“…I’m tired.”

Yeah, she was definitely tired.

It was strange that I wasn’t tired after having not slept properly for the past few days of forced marching, not being able to spend satisfactory time with my lover, and fighting countless enemies alone.

Even these enemies lying on the ground were once the strong men representing humanity.

The Greatsword Warrior was the proud son of the Northern Grand Duke who guarded the border, and the Archer was a skilled man who was called the ultimate weapon in the last wall that stopped the Demons.

A genius swordsman who was born as an illegitimate child but overcame the limitations of his social status with his innate swordsmanship skills to inherit a territory; a man with incredible strength said to rival an orc with his bare body; a thief raised as an assassin from childhood; a monk with mystical knowledge of manipulating ki; an alchemist who gained cursed powers while pursuing a forbidden relic; and a veteran adventurer who has raised countless adventurers.

Fighting against those with backgrounds and skills that seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale was by no means easy, even for Sylvia.

She too had to groan in pain as she was stabbed and cut countless times.

The Demon King’s curse that protected Sylvia somehow did not protect her, but in a way, that was to be expected.

The one who sent these people to kill him must be the Demon King.

“under,”

Sylvia laughed bitterly.

Even as they were being slaughtered, it was still unclear whether they were resurrected undead or simply puppets of the Demon King who were merely imitating.

All of these were once the human answer to the Demon King who threatened humanity, but now they have become chess pieces that move at the Demon King’s word.

Sylvia had thought she was the only fallen hero, but the fact that their circumstances were not much different somehow brought her a sense of relief, and she laughed in vain.

But that laughter didn’t last long.

The corners of her lips that had been slightly raised soon fell to the floor, and Sylvia slowly lowered her head, raised her fists, and covered her eyes.

Tears flowed out between my hands.

“Again… Again, I’m the only one… who survived…”

Once again Sylvia survived.

She, who no one had been able to defeat until now, has achieved victory once again.

A true warrior. A true last hope for humanity.

The strongest sword in humanity that will never be defeated.

She defeated all those who attacked her at once, and stood alone again.

“Sorry…”

These strong people representing humanity were all Sylvia’s comrades.

Dong-A, who has experienced countless crises where even multiple lives would not be enough; the moments when they leaned against each other’s shoulders and lay down on a rattling carriage; the small amount of alcohol and meat prepared as a small reward for protecting the village; the colleagues who shouldered the burdensome expectations pouring down from everyone.

Even if they were nothing more than empty shells controlled by the Demon King, there was no doubt that they were Sylvia’s comrades.

Of course, their skills were far behind what Sylvia remembered, and there were more than a few aspects of their attitudes and appearances that didn’t match up with how they were in real life, so Sylvia didn’t hesitate when she reached for the tip of her sword.

Rather, it was a fact that the most certain consolation and reward Sylvia could give to her comrades was to take down these evil beings who insulted her former comrades with crude imitations.

But it was by no means pleasant to see those faces so familiar to Sylvia collapse to the floor with expressions of pain.

There was no hesitation, but indelible wounds were forming in her heart, one by one.

Another large scar was placed on Sylvia’s spirit, which had already been worn down by countless sufferings.

Tired, not physically but mentally, Sylvia could no longer hold the heavy sword and dropped it.

A clanking sound echoed hollowly through the empty hallway.

The sound, which sounded like a large rusty bell, made Sylvia kneel on the floor, unable to bear it.

“Now… I want to stop… Now I want to give up… Now I want to rest too…”

Why, why can’t I rest?

Why can’t I support it?

Even if I behead the Demon King, why must I swing my sword in the middle of an eternally painful battlefield and be certain of victory?

Why can’t I win?

why,

Why, why on earth.

Disoriented resentment and hatred tore at her heart.

That was when.

“…Sylvia.”

I heard such a sweet voice.

It was a voice Sylvia knew all too well.

The only man who has defeated Sylvia.

And the voice of the only comrade he had not yet lost.

With that alone, Sylvia felt the self-torture and lamentations that had been tormenting her melt away.

“Ah… Shh…”

If it were normal, she would have run to him right away, but Sylvia slowly raised her head and looked in the direction where the voice came from.

It was because I judged that even Ash could be a trick of the Demon King.

In that short moment, in that painful situation, when I heard the voice of my lover, whom I loved more than anything in the world, the first thought that came to my mind was confirmation of his or her identity.

That’s why she must be a warrior.

“…”

Ash said nothing.

Since he had a smart mind to begin with, it seemed like he already fully understood what was happening.

He stared blankly at the hellish hallway with trembling eyes and then tightly closed his eyes.

I couldn’t even approach Sylvia.

The floor was covered in corpses and entrails, leaving no room to step, so Ash had to step over them to get to Sylvia.

Sylvia’s eyes began to water again as she looked at Ash like that.

Sylvia spoke slowly, her lips trembling.

“… Really, Ash?”

warble.

It wasn’t just a voice trembling with confusion and bewilderment, but a voice so weak and frail, like a child who had lost his mother, that it pierced Ash’s eardrums sharply.

Ash opened his mouth, clenching his fists.

“Yeah… Sylvia.”

And Ash boldly lifted his foot and stepped forward.

The squishy texture passed through the hard sole of the shoe and onto Ash’s heel, and the unpleasantly vivid sensation quickly ran down his spine and into his brain.

As the sensation coursed through Ash’s body, goosebumps appeared everywhere he passed.

But, Ash took another step forward.

Chulbuk, chulbuk,

A disgusting sound echoed through the hallway.

But Ash didn’t stop walking towards Sylvia.

Sylvia had no more doubts.

She could no longer doubt the man who was striding towards her as she sat in this pit of hell.

Before Ash had even reached her, Sylvia had already stretched out her arms towards him.

At that sight, Ash approached even faster and faster without stopping.

At that moment, Ash’s body was finally close enough to touch the tip of Sylvia’s outstretched arm,

Sylvia jumped up and leaned toward Ash.

The shadows of the two people merged into one like puzzle pieces.

“Ash…”

“Sylvia…”

Sylvia hugged Ash’s body tightly.

Ash was at a loss as he threw his arms in the air in the sudden hug.

Sylvia waited for him to wrap his arms around her back tightly.

Or maybe you could just pat my head.

Whatever it was, he hoped to convey his warmth to Sylvia in some way.

“Ash?”

However, Ash slowly brought both his hands to Sylvia’s shoulders and tried to push her away slightly.

“Wait… let me go…”

“… Ash, why… why…”

Ash turned his head to the side, avoiding Sylvia’s gaze.

Sylvia said in an urgent voice.

“Blood… Is that because there’s blood on it? I’m so dirty…”

“No, no. I have a lot of blood on me, too.”

“Then why…”

“…”

Ash spoke slowly and stammeringly.

“I… just crawled through the garbage aisle… and it smells…”

“…”

For such a ridiculous reason, Sylvia hugged Ash tighter and buried her head in the crook of his neck.

Then she slowly kissed his neck and moved her lips.

“Hug me. Please…”

“…”

Ash’s hand, which had been slowly resting on Sylvia’s shoulder, slid down to her back.

In an all too familiar motion, one hand goes to the back of Sylvia’s head and slowly pulls her into his arms.

The moment Ash’s repulsive force against her disappeared, Sylvia could feel an inexplicable hot emotion spreading throughout her body.

At the same time, she could feel the little life inside her stomach moving.

“Ah, ahh…”

“what’s the matter?”

“Sorry…”

Ash couldn’t understand Sylvia’s apology, but he didn’t ask what she was sorry about.

Despite his great strength, he only hugged his lover, who was trembling like a child, tighter and tighter.

“…I forgot.”

“are you okay.”

“I almost forgot what I was doing this for.”

“I get lost often too. We are walking a complicated path of destiny.”

Sylvia slowly raised her head and looked at Ash.

The stench he had been worried about didn’t bother him at all.

No, now it felt like everything didn’t matter anymore.

Even this hellish landscape becomes the most beautiful paradise in the world just by him standing there.

Sylvia slowly brought her face closer to Ash’s.

“My family…”

Sylvia let out that short word and placed her lips on Ash’s.

A stench of blood and a sharp stench in the nostrils.

A magic so toxic that you can feel your lungs turning black.

A feeling of guilt and fatigue weighing heavily on my whole body.

And Ash.

It was a romantic moment beyond compare for Sylvia.

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