When I thought back on what happened, I could feel the blood rush to my face.
“Are you fine with being weak?”
If it hadn’t happened at such a time, I would never have asked such a question. After all, I wasn’t particularly strong myself. The truly powerful were people like Yu. They were strong and radiant, and had value. They were different from me.
I was far more mean-spirited than I’d intended, but the boy didn’t really pay it any mind. On the contrary, he came to talk to me several times after that.
He was a strange boy. There was something in his eyes that really left an impression on me. I had no idea what went through his mind. I couldn’t understand humans, so that only made sense, but this felt a little different.
I grew the slightest bit interested in him. This was pretty unusual for me. As a result of keeping the anxieties in my heart from Yu, something had taken shape between me and another human. Fate truly was a mystery. Perhaps, given a little more time, there could’ve been some kind of development.
In the end, even when the expeditionary force left, I didn’t open up to Yu. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her. On the contrary, I trusted that she would try to help me more than anyone else. That was precisely why I couldn’t get her involved. Even if the Beast of Darkness and the Skanda stood their ground with all their might, I doubted we could stand a chance against that monster.
This was probably the right choice. I became sure of this when the Absolute Blade Hibiya Kouji caught me by surprise and split open my belly. Hibiya Kouji was a nicknamed cheater who’d stayed behind in the Colony with me. He was talented and meticulous—both in the good way and the bad.
After cutting down his most troublesome enemy, he went on to kill the remaining core members who’d stayed in the Colony before they could recover from the shock. He was disgustingly efficient. However, he messed up in one small way. He failed to kill me on the spot.
Despite taking a surprise attack, I just barely survived. Perhaps “still not dead” was a better way of describing it, though. At any rate, I couldn’t move my body, so I created a hound using the Beast of Darkness and rode it to get away.
Hibiya Kouji had carelessly informed the dying exploration team members that Nakajima Kojirou was the culprit behind everything. Well, this had been a mental attack against them, and he’d killed everyone who heard it, so it hadn’t really been that careless. Still, my getting away on the verge of death had to be unexpected. It was a major problem that I knew who the culprit was. He chased me relentlessly.
Unfortunately, due to the scheming of the people working with him, the Colony had been thrown into chaos. I had nowhere to go for help. I escaped into the forest as Hibiya Kouji gave chase. Our deadly game of tag went on for nearly half a day. From another perspective, it meant half a day’s worth of people hadn’t been killed by the Absolute Blade. Yu had left the Colony to me, so it would be nice if this lived up to her expectations somewhat. I did my best. I really did my best.
“Anyway, to think he’d do such a thing...”
I’d been under the impression that Nakajima hadn’t taken me along because I was a nuisance for having discovered his identity. If so, it was fine to remain at a distance. I’d never thought he’d destroy the Colony and have me killed while he was at it. He truly was terrifying. It was a good thing I hadn’t gotten Yu involved. If she’d sided with me, even if my survival chances could’ve been slightly better, it would’ve been far more likely that she would have died. I couldn’t let that happen.
Still, even if I hadn’t gotten Yu involved, this wasn’t the end. I had no idea what Nakajima was up to, but Yu would definitely be in danger one day. I could only pray that someone who could oppose him appeared while Yu was still alive. I couldn’t do anything about it myself anymore, after all.
“Ugh...”
Before I knew it, Hibiya Kouji was nowhere in sight. That said, I hadn’t escaped death. My wound was far too deep. Some of my organs had spilled out from being jostled around. The strength granted to me by this world was simply keeping me from dying immediately. No healing magic could do anything about this. In that sense, the supernatural vitality I’d obtained was like a tool to torture me.
“Guh... Hrk...”
Agony and pain ran through the entire meat sack that was my body. Each time I vomited, it felt like my broken intestines would come out my mouth. My hands trembled violently, and my consciousness faded over and over.
“Ah...”
And then, my ability vanished like a snapping thread. The hound I’d created disappeared, throwing me to the ground. Pain tore my body apart and my consciousness turned hazy. Everything was rapidly fading away. All sensation vanished from my body, and all I could do was let out faint breaths. I viewed these events soberly.
I had no worth. My life had no worth. I met my end without being rewarded in any way. What a fitting end for a nonhuman. The moment that thought crossed my mind, I suddenly felt like letting go. However, just then, I heard a dog’s desperate howl. It was then followed by a scream. This changed my fate—and that of many others.
“What...?”
Despite my current state, I opened my eyes without thinking about it. Beyond some greenery, a boy was being tormented by several others. Next to him, an enormous dog was convulsing on the ground. This was apparently the dog—no, wolf—who’d screamed. It’d been the scream of a monster who’d been sent flying with a kick. I then realized that the boy on the ground was someone I knew. It was the boy I’d recently become acquainted with.
“No way...”
Honestly, I was shocked. I’d never thought I would see him all the way out here. We were a fair distance from the Colony. To get here, he had to have gone through this forest that was rampant with monsters. He had to have walked while fighting the fear of death. There was no way he should’ve gotten this far. He was so weak, after all. It had been enough for me to have asked him that question.
“Are you fine with being weak?”
“Ah...”
I remembered my own words. The sight before my eyes now was his answer. It was a little too late to realize, but I finally understood why he’d talked to me several times since meeting me. I remembered the eyes he’d directed at me. I’d always wondered how he’d perceived me.
I was different from Yu. She was strong and radiant, and had value. I was an alien, harbored darkness, and had no worth. But it was different for him. That was precisely why the question I’d thrown him had surely had some value that I didn’t even know about.
“How...troublesome...”
It really was a bother. I mean, if he’d pushed himself this far because of that—then I had to take responsibility for speaking those words.
“U-Ugh...”
I clenched my teeth hard, regaining my fading consciousness. The pain came back in an instant. It felt like a hammer was clanging in my brain as sensation returned to my body. My disgustingly sturdy body still moved, even though my heart had practically come to a complete stop. Finding this a little strange, I smiled. Standing up for someone else—it was as if I were human.
“I guess...I’ll hang in there...just a little longer.”