episode_0061

An outcast.

The girl always thought she belonged in that category.

For in her life, she had received no love, constantly wandered on a solitary journey, her fate to drift aimlessly.

Perhaps she was merely a vessel to contain sorrow.

“-Don’t call me Mom.”

“-It’s creepy.”

“-You ruined my life…!”

“-Get lost! Don’t get in my way!!”

Her mother abused the girl, crying every time.

When cornered and kicked in a cramped space, Regia slowly began to understand her world.

From the very beginning, there had been no home for her to stay in.

“-I-I’m sorry… Mom.”

“-It was my fault. P-Please don’t cry…”

Perhaps it was due to her pure nature from birth.

The girl couldn’t hate others.

Even watching her mother weep, she could only repeat apologies as if she were the sinner.

Thus, the protagonist of this world grew up in such an unfortunate environment.

As time passed, Regia shrunk.

She lost her original innocent self and became a mute, struggling even with basic communication.

It was the result created by ugly adults.

“-Why, exactly?”

When she reached a certain age, the girl’s mother died in an accident.

She had been walking on the street while intoxicated and was struck by a carriage.

It was a futile end.

Since a father had never existed in the first place, the girl instantly became an orphan.

Regia had to escape the slum to survive.

“-W-Where should I go…?”

She walked aimlessly.

Perhaps it was due to her childhood trauma.

The girl became afraid of people.

Thanks to this, even while traveling across the continent, she lived by wandering through places with as few people as possible.

She ran and ran from the fear of breaking out of her shell.

For the girl, loneliness was like an unbreakable axiom.

Tears flowed when she walked under the cold night sky.

It felt as if she were living as an eternal stranger.

Every time, she thought to herself.

That the words she’d heard from her mother might have been true.

“-A useless wretch like you… should never have been born in the first place.”

Those words still tightened her chest.

For she had been denied her right to exist by the very person who created her.

The protagonist’s melancholy deepened.

Repeated sadness, doubt, loneliness.

She tried to close the door of her heart to the world, but an umbrella someone had held caught her sleeve.

It was a gently resonating voice.

“-You were here, Miss Regia.”

Slitted eyes beneath deep blonde hair.

For the first time, someone stepped into her lonely world.

Even after that, the snake consistently stayed by the girl’s side.

When she was sad, he patted her back; when she was happy, he clapped with her; when she was exhausted, he stroked her hair.

It was an infinitely warm presence.

“-Because we’re friends.”

The boy asked nothing of Regia.

He simply offered help time and again.

It was truly blind devotion.

Little by little, the girl’s winter melted away.

“-You’ll surely do well.”

“-Because Miss Regia will become a star shining brighter than anyone.”

What was the reason?

Why would such an amazing person like him care for someone as plain as herself?

Why did he always smile with such affectionate eyes?

“-It’s a secret.”

When she asked, the only reply was a mischievous smile.

Though his reaction made her chest tighten, at the same time, she couldn’t help but think it was just like him.

‘……I want to be helpful too.’

She wanted to protect him.

She felt a desire to repay that unconditional devotion, trust, and expectation.

She didn’t want to lose the light she had found for the first time.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-.

Her heart pounded rapidly.

The fresh pulsation gently colored the girl.

She opened her closed eyes.

“……”

The silent dawn.

Before her, tens of thousands of scorpions bared their fangs.

It was a horrifying sight.

Screech-!

Chittering!

Roar-!

The monsters seemed on the verge of reaching them at any moment.

Normally, Regia would have burst into tears at such a sight, but this time, her eyes shone calmly.

Beyond her clear pupils, a morning star twinkled.

‘I feel strange.’

The world flowed slowly.

As if time itself had stopped.

At the same time, a tingling sensation spread.

A faint light swirled around her fingertips.

A hot warmth slowly crept up from her chest.

What melted her inner self, which had been frozen by fear, was none other than the emotion called ‘courage’.

For the first time, her body wasn’t trembling.

“-When you’re afraid, take my hand.”

“-I won’t let go of Miss Regia, no matter what happens.”

A soft voice whispered in her ear.

Looking down, she saw the boy’s hand truly clasping hers.

A powerful sense of fulfillment washed over her.

‘I think I can do it.’

The girl concentrated her will.

The enormous wall in her heart.

It felt like she could now overcome that obstacle that had repeatedly brought her despair.

Regia squeezed the hand she held.

‘I’m not scared.’

She muttered to herself as if casting a spell.

The warm body heat felt on the back of her hand.

The girl quietly savored it.

If she managed to get through this pitch-black dawn safely, she wanted this hand to stroke her head once more.

Pushing aside such a silly wish, she parted her lips.

“Lend me your strength.”

She was calling out.

To the summoned beast that had always awaited the protagonist’s awakening, preparing its appearance.

Regia calmly intoned its name.

“Effry.”

Immediately after.

A brilliant white flash engulfed the area.

Flames illuminating the jet-black night sky.

The silhouette that brightly illuminated the surroundings was none other than the magnificent flapping of wings.

A mighty roar resounded.

ROOAARRR-!!

Effry gallantly soared across the sky.

Only after witnessing that scene could Regia finally unleash the tears she had held back.

It was a sudden outpouring of tears.

“Miss Regia.”

Someone caught her collapsing body.

When she laboriously blinked her eyes, the blonde-haired boy, as expected, came into view.

A wave of relief washed over her.

The girl took a breath and murmured.

“I… finally… did it.”

She had finally overcome the wall.

***

The protagonist’s awakening, unexpected by anyone.

After the appearance of the wyvern, the tide of battle instantly turned.

BLAST-!

With a single breath, the entire area was annihilated.

The scorpions that had more than covered the golden desert in black were helplessly swept away by the surging flames.

It was truly an overwhelming spectacle.

The dawn covered in pitch blackness.

The brilliant white flash completely dispelled the darkness that had covered the world.

As if to leave no trace of despair, flames poured out repeatedly from the enormous maw.

The waves of monsters crumbled into mere ash.

Even amidst this, not a single spark of flame reached our side.

This demonstrated not only its exceptional attack power, enough to cover the earth, but also its ability for delicate control.

Indeed, it was undoubtedly worthy of being considered the strongest summoned beast.

“It’s astonishing.”

A low gasp escaped her lips.

I stared blankly at the brilliantly spreading light.

So a summoned beast could be this strong.

I had vaguely guessed it, but seeing it with my own eyes was a truly breathtaking sight.

It must have only been about 10 minutes.

While we briefly caught our breath, it was slaughtering all the scorpions crawling on the desert.

It was like an excavator digging up an ant hill.

Indeed.

Every living creature has its own ‘tier’ or ‘rank’.

Among them, Regia’s summoned beast, [Effry], was a creature far surpassing the ordinary level.

Even Yuda from the original story described its flames as dangerous.

‘Of course, he did make it disappear with a single flick of his finger.’

I shook off the random thoughts that popped up one by one.

As I remained silent, Regia, who was nestled in my arms, stirred.

“Y-Young Master… what’s happening?”

“It’s almost over.”

Her green eyes were unfocused.

Only her consciousness barely remained.

The girl leaned her head against my chest, embracing me as if entrusting her body to me.

Her ragged breathing had now calmed.

“I… I succeeded… I-I was scared, but I still overcame it.”

“You did very well, Miss Regia.”

“I wanted to be helpful to Young Master, just once.”

“Thanks to you, all of us are alive.”

“Heh, hehe… please stroke my hair a little more.”

Gently stroking.

Regia melted under the gentle touch.

As if the current moment made her happy, a clear smile kept falling from her lips.

It seemed she had relaxed due to her hazy consciousness.

Chuckling.

As I enjoyed the protagonist’s unusual state, someone with weary steps approached.

It was the Elder, holding a broken crossbow.

“Young ones.”

“Elder.”

“Tsk-tsk… I never thought I’d live to see your faces again like this.”

“It truly is nothing short of a miracle.”

“I really thought it was over this time.”

The Elder smiled gently.

His aged eyes fell silent for a moment, then gazed beyond the horizon where dawn was breaking.

Morning had already arrived in the desert.

“I thought I wouldn’t see the sun today… Life is truly unfathomable.”

The desert slowly brightened.

The fierce final assault was gradually coming to an end.

Effry crushed the last remaining scorpions and slowly approached our side.

It seemed to be checking on its master’s condition.

Just as everything seemed to be wrapping up.

“Cough, cough…!”

Suddenly, the Elder standing beside them coughed.

He clutched his chest as if in pain, and then dark red blood spewed onto the ground.

Though I had seen this sight several times before.

This time, his condition looked particularly bad.

“Are you alright?”

“Gasp, gasp… Don’t mind me.”

The Elder waved his hand dismissively.

He wiped the blood from his mouth and then spoke with a bright smile.

His voice was without a trace of tremor.

“Finally, the destination is just ahead.”

“……”

“Let’s rest for a bit, and once I’ve recovered somewhat, we’ll move right away.”

The Elder appeared calmer than ever.

***

The battle concluded in the morning.

It wasn’t until a full half-day had passed that we could resume our journey.

This was due to the final wave that had continued throughout the night.

We proceeded with the red-tinged sunset at our backs.

Crunch-crunch-.

Footprints were etched into the sand behind their steps.

The snake, the Pilot, and the Elder… these three walked the final path toward their destination.

Even amidst this, the coughing would not cease.

“Cough, cough…!”

“E-Elder!”

The Elder’s symptoms worsened with each passing moment.

Each time, he vomited bright red blood.

But there was nothing we could do.

We could only support his stumbling legs and move forward.

Even though he looked almost like a corpse, the Elder was smiling broadly, as if something brought him great joy.

He seemed to be awaiting an imminent reunion.

“When I was young, you see. Rosaline and I used to play by riding down hills together……”

The Elder occasionally told us stories of old times.

Most of them were related to the girl.

Even though he had lived for 65 years.

What he spoke of was only the 15 years they had spent together in their hometown.

We listened quietly.

“When we cooked together, the kitchen often became a mess.”

Fresh stories.

We sometimes read books with the two people from his memories, learned clumsy magic, and watched them playing in the forest.

Lying side by side on the highest hill in the village.

They would stay up all night, counting the stars in the night sky one by one.

That was all of the Elder’s life that he cherished.

“Our parents always, whenever they saw us……”

Thanks to this, there was never a dull moment.

The desert grew subtly deeper.

As we drew closer to the destination, the surrounding landscape began to change in an odd way.

We only noticed it after a while.

“This is…?”

“Hmm.”

At first, it was just strange fragments scattered on the ground.

Just as Regia had mentioned before, remnants of buildings were visible, buried in the sand.

But such sights became increasingly explicit.

The cross of a church protruding from the ground.

Half-ruined windmills standing.

Buildings standing as if people had once lived there.

“……”

Before we knew it, we were no longer in the desert.

We were merely walking through the center of a terribly ruined city.

As we traversed the ruins swallowed by sand, Regia, who had been observing the surroundings, suddenly asked a question.

“Y-Young Master… are we going the right way?”

“Because the Elder knows the way.”

“No matter how I look at it, this isn’t an ordinary desert. It’s like a city where people used to live.”

“It’s certainly strange. How could it have come to such a terrible state?”

“……I’m a little scared.”

A quiet exchange of conversation.

The Elder hadn’t spoken for a long time.

He was simply leading the way in silence.

Occasionally, he would glance around and flinch, but even that lasted only for a fleeting moment.

We followed him, despite our questions.

It was night once more.

The starlight slowly faded towards dawn.

As I rubbed my tired eyes and walked step by step along the dark streets.

Only then did the Elder stop.

“……”

It seemed they had arrived.

We were standing on a sand-covered hill, somewhat separated from the village.

Regia, who was beside him, asked.

“Elder?”

“……”

“Are you perhaps feeling unwell again? I-If so, it might be good to rest for a moment.”

“……”

“E-Elder…?”

No answer came.

The girl wore a questioning expression.

After a moment of meaningful silence, the Elder’s lips parted.

“……We’ve arrived.”

“W-What?”

Regia tilted her head at the sudden remark.

However, despite her reaction, the Elder calmly gestured, simply pointing at something standing before him.

There, a humble gravestone stood.

An old gravestone, bearing the marks of time.

Part of it was covered in sand, but fortunately, there seemed to be no signs of breakage.

We stared blankly as we read the inscription on the stone.

And then.

[Rosaline Merial, Rests Here.]

We discovered a shocking sentence.

Frozen in shock, we soon turned our gaze back to the Elder.

“You all look surprised.”

The Elder wore a bitter smile.

As if he had known all along, he simply caressed the tombstone before him.

His aged voice spoke.

“I’ll explain. What exactly happened in this desert.”

His clear pupils shone quietly.