Ch.186Comrades (3)

*

The sound of flesh, divided into several pieces, squelching as it hit the floor was the final noise before all sounds in this hellish corridor fell silent.

The old walls, with their yellowed wallpaper and cobwebs densely packed in every corner, were crumbling in places.

The opposite wall was filled with windows so dusty that the outside was completely invisible, and many were broken.

The ceiling, which once held a gleaming chandelier, was now completely covered in blood, and the worn-out carpet on the shabby floor, so decayed that it would flutter at the slightest breeze, was littered with corpses.

Among the bodies sprawled about, spilling blood and entrails, not a single one had all limbs intact.

Countless bodies, dismembered along with their armor, were scattered everywhere in such disarray that it was impossible to tell whose arm or leg belonged to whom.

It looked as if humans had been chopped up like chickens, boiled in a giant pot, and then the entire contents had been dumped into this corridor.

In the middle of the corridor, strewn with numerous bodies—or rather, pieces of flesh—stood only one person.

Her once beautiful platinum hair was covered in dark blood, and her armor bearing the symbol of the holy goddess church showed only traces of fierce battle, with no holiness visible.

Her sharp, cold gaze revealed weariness and pain deeply embedded in her heart.

She was undoubtedly the victor who had survived the hellish melee in this corridor.

Naturally, she was Silvia.

“… Hah.”

Exhaling a breath she couldn’t remember how long she’d been holding, Silvia leaned her back against the blood-soaked wall.

She looked up at the ceiling with hazy eyes.

She could see spiders moving here and there, trying to escape the chaotic noise that had just subsided.

Silvia closed her eyes gently and said:

“… I’m tired.”

Yes, she was certainly exhausted.

She hadn’t slept properly during the forced march of the past few days, hadn’t spent satisfying time with her lover, and had been fighting alone against numerous enemies—it would have been strange if she weren’t tired.

Moreover, these enemies scattered on the floor had once been humanity’s greatest champions.

The greatsword warrior had been the proud son of the northern duke who guarded the border, and the archer had been an expert called the ultimate weapon at the final wall that held back the demon race.

A genius swordsman who, despite being born a bastard, had transcended the limitations of his birth through innate sword skills to inherit territory; a man of monstrous strength said to rival orcs with his bare hands; a thief raised as an assassin from childhood; a monk with mysterious knowledge of controlling qi; an alchemist who gained cursed power while seeking forbidden artifacts; a veteran adventurer who had trained countless others.

Fighting against those with legendary backgrounds and skills that seemed to come straight out of fairy tales was no easy task, even for Silvia.

She too had to endure countless stabbings and slashes, groaning in pain.

The Demon King’s curse that had protected Silvia somehow failed to shield her this time, but that was to be expected.

After all, it must have been the Demon King who sent these people to kill her.

“Ha,”

Silvia let out a hollow laugh.

Even as she cut down everyone, she couldn’t tell whether they were resurrected undead or merely puppets of the Demon King imitating the real ones.

All of these people had once been humanity’s answer to the Demon King who threatened mankind, but now they had become chess pieces moving at the Demon King’s command.

She had thought she was the only fallen hero, but realizing that their fate wasn’t much different from hers brought her some strange comfort, making her laugh hollowly.

But that laughter didn’t last long.

Her slightly raised lips soon plummeted, and Silvia slowly dropped her head, raising her fists to cover her eyes.

Tears leaked through the gaps between her fingers.

“Again… Again I’m… the only survivor…”

Once more, Silvia had survived.

She who had never been defeated by anyone had once again claimed victory.

Truly a hero. Truly humanity’s last hope.

Humanity’s strongest sword that never loses.

She had defeated all who had rushed at her at once, and again she stood alone.

“I’m sorry…”

These champions representing humanity had all been Silvia’s comrades.

Companions who faced countless life-threatening crises together, who leaned on each other’s shoulders in rattling carriages, who shared modest drinks and meat as small rewards for protecting villages, who shouldered the overwhelming expectations from everyone together.

No matter how much they were merely empty shells controlled by the Demon King, they were undeniably Silvia’s comrades.

Of course, their skills were much inferior to what Silvia remembered, and there were many inconsistencies in their attitudes and appearances compared to how they were in life, so Silvia’s blade showed no hesitation.

In fact, defeating these evil beings who crudely imitated her old comrades and insulted their memory was undoubtedly the most certain comfort and repayment Silvia could offer to her companions.

However, watching those all-too-familiar faces contort in pain as they collapsed to the floor was by no means pleasant.

Though there was no hesitation, indelible wounds were forming one by one in her heart.

Another large scar formed on Silvia’s already worn-down spirit, weathered by countless pains.

It wasn’t her body but her heart that was exhausted, causing Silvia to drop her heavy sword, unable to hold it any longer.

The clanking sound of metal echoed emptily through the vacant corridor.

Like the sound of a large rusted bell, that resonance made Silvia unable to stand, and she fell to her knees on the floor.

“I want… to stop now… I want to lose… I want to rest too…”

Why, why can’t I rest?

Why can’t I lose?

Even after beheading the Demon King, why must I forever swing my sword in the midst of a painful battlefield and always claim victory?

Why can’t I lose?

Why,

Why, just why.

Directionless resentment and hatred tore at her heart.

That’s when it happened.

“… Silvia.”

A voice so sweet reached her ears.

A voice Silvia knew all too well.

The voice of the only man who had ever defeated her.

And the voice of the only comrade she hadn’t yet lost.

With just that, Silvia felt the self-loathing and lamentation that had been tormenting her melt away.

“Ash…”

Normally she would have rushed to him immediately, but Silvia slowly raised only her head to look in the direction of the voice.

It was because she judged that even Ash might be another trick of the Demon King.

In that brief moment, in such a painful situation, to hear the voice of her beloved and have her first thought be to verify his identity—

That is why she was the hero.

“…”

Ash said nothing.

Having always possessed a sharp mind, he seemed to have already fully grasped what had happened.

He looked at the hellish corridor with trembling eyes, then tightly shut them.

He couldn’t approach Silvia.

Because the floor was so completely covered with bodies and entrails that there was no place to step, Ash would have to trample over those corpses to reach her.

Watching Ash like this, Silvia’s eyes began to well up with tears once more.

Silvia spoke slowly, her lips trembling:

“Is it… really you, Ash?”

A trembling voice.

Not simply trembling from confusion and chaos, but a voice so weak and fragile like that of a child who had lost their mother, piercing Ash’s eardrums sharply.

Ash clenched his fists and opened his mouth.

“Yes… Silvia.”

And Ash boldly lifted his foot and stepped forward.

The squelching sensation transmitted through his sturdy shoe sole to his heel, and that unpleasantly vivid feeling quickly traveled up his spine to his brain.

Goosebumps rose all over his body as that sensation passed through.

But Ash took another step forward.

Splash, splash,

Disgusting sounds echoed through the corridor.

But Ash did not stop his steps toward Silvia.

Silvia no longer doubted.

She could no longer doubt this man who was striding toward her as she sat in this hellish pit.

Even before Ash reached her, Silvia was already stretching out both arms toward him.

Seeing this, Ash approached even more quickly without stopping.

Finally, when Ash’s body was close enough to almost touch Silvia’s outstretched arms,

Silvia stood up abruptly and leaned her body toward Ash.

The shadows of the two merged like puzzle pieces.

“Ash…”

“Silvia…”

Silvia embraced Ash tightly.

Surprised by the sudden hug, Ash held his arms in the air, not knowing what to do.

Silvia waited for him to wrap those arms around her back tightly.

Or it would be nice if he stroked her head.

Whatever it was, she wanted him to transmit his warmth to her in some way.

“Ash?”

But Ash slowly brought his hands to Silvia’s shoulders and tried to push her away slightly.

“Wait… let go…”

“… Ash, why… why…”

Ash turned his head to the side as if avoiding Silvia’s gaze.

Silvia spoke with an urgent voice:

“Is it… because of the blood? Am I too dirty…”

“No, no. I’m covered in blood too,”

“Then why…”

“…”

Ash spoke slowly, stammering:

“I… just crawled through a food waste chute… I smell…”

“…”

At such an inadequate reason, Silvia hugged Ash even tighter and buried her head in the crook of his neck.

Then she slowly moved her lips against his neck.

“Hold me. Please…”

“…”

Slowly, Ash’s hands that had been resting on Silvia’s shoulders slid to her back.

With a familiar motion, one hand moved to the back of her head, gently pulling her into his embrace.

Silvia could feel an indescribable warm emotion spreading throughout her body the moment Ash’s resistance disappeared.

At the same time, she could also feel the small life residing in her womb stirring.

“Ah, aah…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry…”

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

He simply held his lover, who was trembling like a child despite her immense strength, even tighter.

“… I almost forgot.”

“It’s okay.”

“What I’m doing all this for… I almost forgot.”

“I often lose my way too. We’re walking a complicated fate.”

Silvia slowly raised her head to look at Ash.

The foul odor he had worried about didn’t bother her at all.

No, now everything seemed not to matter anymore.

Even this hellish landscape became the most beautiful paradise in the world just by his presence.

Silvia slowly brought her face closer to Ash’s.

“My family…”

Silvia uttered those brief words as she pressed her lips against Ash’s.

The sharp stench and smell of blood filling her nostrils.

The intense demonic energy that made her lungs feel like they were turning black.

The guilt and fatigue weighing heavily on her entire body.

And Ash.

For Silvia, it was a perfect romantic moment.