Ch.59How to Cross the Desert (6)

Keeeeek-!

The scorpion’s roar echoed loudly.

Immediately after, a massive tail fell from the sky.

The venomous stinger rushed down with enough force to crush its prey before it.

I responded with a swift strike.

Clang-!

The sharp edge of my sword deflected the poisonous stinger.

Following the intense sound of impact, sparks flew into the air.

A heavy shock transmitted through my palm.

“This one’s quite troublesome indeed…!”

I swung my sword.

A pitch-black line was drawn. The jet-black slash collided with the incoming pincers.

The scorpion charged aggressively.

Clang! Crack…! Boom!!

The successive impacts were deafening.

As expected of a mutant, its attack patterns were quite difficult to predict.

Its hard shell made it difficult to inflict damage, naturally forcing me into a defensive stance.

I put strength into the tip of my sword.

Thud! Clang-!

I slowly stepped backward.

The excited scorpion followed. It seemed unaware that it was being led on.

As I continued luring it to the designated spot…

Ping, whooosh-!

A crossbow fired.

The arrow, saturated with mana, tore through the air and lodged precisely between the scorpion’s eyes.

It targeted the gap where the armor-like exterior didn’t exist.

Keeek…!

The once massive silhouette collapsed with a single cry.

Undoubtedly an instant death.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and gave a thumbs up to the old man approaching from behind.

His frail white hair fluttered in the sandy wind.

“That was a good strategy, sir.”

“You did well yourself.”

“Hehe, it was nothing.”

“This one was particularly difficult. I’m not sure if we can consider it a normal magical beast.”

“From now on, we’ll likely encounter many more like this one.”

“Hmm? How do you know that?”

“Well… let’s call it intuition?”

We engaged in light conversation after the battle.

While taking a break, Lezia, who had been waiting behind us, rushed forward.

“Y-Young Master!”

“Miss Lezia.”

“Are you hurt anywhere? I-I can heal you…!”

“Unfortunately, I’m not injured anywhere.”

“Ah…”

The girl stammered with disappointment.

It seemed she wanted to help but couldn’t find an opportunity to do so.

I smiled slightly and stroked her pink hair.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“…I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t be of help this time either.”

She wore a dejected expression.

As I was gently consoling the protagonist, a sudden cough came from beside us.

It was the old man’s cough.

“Cough, cough…!”

The old man coughed up blood, as expected.

It had progressed beyond mere blood-tinged sputum, now closer to vomiting blood.

“S-Sir…!”

“Are you alright?”

We immediately supported his staggering body.

It seemed the exertion from fighting the mid-boss had taken a toll on his already poor health.

“Cough… I’m fine.”

The old man waved his hand dismissively.

Despite the blood on his lips, he maintained his characteristic calm smile.

The atmosphere remained serene.

“I told you it’s a chronic illness. Nothing to be surprised about.”

“B-But…!”

“How can you still not be used to it after seeing it for days? Instead of worrying, could you lend me a handkerchief?”

“I-I’ll wipe the blood for you…”

“Thank you.”

Lezia wiped away the red stains with trembling hands.

Tears had already welled up in her eyes.

The old man looked at the girl with a small smile, then suddenly turned to me.

“You’re quite blessed, aren’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“To have such a kind girl as your lover. I think she might be too good for you.”

“Oh?”

“E-Eh…?”

A mischievous joke.

Lezia, who had been momentarily dazed, finally registered the old man’s words.

Her pale face flushed bright red.

“W-W-What?!”

She even dropped the handkerchief she was holding.

It seemed she had no immunity to such teasing, as she immediately malfunctioned.

I suppose there’s a certain pleasure in teasing her.

I responded in a subtle voice, adding fuel to the fire the old man had started.

“You’re absolutely right. She is too good for me.”

“Y-Y-Young Master?!”

“I always think of it as a great fortune.”

“U-Ugh…”

As we continued teasing our protagonist, the heavy atmosphere soon lifted.

The old man, who had now completely wiped away the blood, gazed at us with a gentle smile.

It seemed this was his intention from the beginning.

“Well, shall we stop chatting and get moving?”

“Sounds good.”

“Y-Yes…”

We finished our rest and continued moving.

Crunch, crunch-

The seemingly endless desert stretched before us.

As we each walked at our own pace…

“U-Um… sir.”

The now somewhat calmer girl spoke up.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing serious… but while looking around earlier, I noticed something strange. I was wondering if you might know what it is.”

“Hmm? What strange thing are you referring to?”

“Occasionally, there are strange things protruding from the ground.”

“Strange things…?”

“They look like… building rooftops? As if something is buried under the sand… D-Do you know what they might be?”

“……”

The old man suddenly stopped.

He seemed to be holding his breath.

“S-Sir…?”

Lezia tilted her head, wondering what was wrong.

After a brief silence, the old man smiled faintly as usual.

“…Well. I’m not sure myself.”

His pupils were trembling slightly.

***

Our journey continued for days.

We endured the recurring scorpion attacks and steadily moved forward.

Of course, the situation wasn’t ideal.

The old man’s condition worsened with each passing day.

His blood-coughing episodes became more frequent, and he now occasionally lost consciousness and collapsed.

Despite our concerns, the old man insisted on continuing the journey.

Since turning back wasn’t an option at this point, we moved forward while caring for him as best we could.

Our pace naturally slowed down.

“My… I feel terrible for being such a burden.”

“W-We don’t mind…!”

“Besides, we need your guidance to reach the city, sir. There’s no need to apologize.”

“Thank you. Both of you.”

The monster waves were also becoming increasingly intense.

Perhaps because we were getting closer to our destination, even the common mobs had risen to a considerable level.

Each one was at least a mid-tier magical beast.

This episode wasn’t called “extreme” for nothing.

“Y-Young Master! They’re coming from behind!”

“I see them.”

“If you can lure them like last time, I’ll handle them from here.”

“Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“No problem.”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

Every battle was intense.

We were reaching our limits.

This was somewhat intentional on my part.

I was only moving just enough to maintain a precarious balance.

The old man’s condition remained poor, and this situation continued to push the protagonist into hardship.

“I-I’ll handle at least one more…!”

Lezia seemed to feel a sense of responsibility.

A gap stemming from her lack of ability.

She appeared to be trying her best to fill that void.

Of course, effort alone couldn’t solve everything.

The crisis was escalating.

A situation pushed to the extreme.

Fortunately, the attacks were programmed to occur no more than six times a day, allowing us to catch our breath and recover in between.

It had been over a week since we’d been dropped into this desert.

“……”

Whooosh-

A gentle breeze blew.

Under the night sky, where only brilliant stars were visible, I was keeping watch alone.

A softly glowing magical lamp kept me company.

It was the end of a grueling day.

Even the scorching desert seemed to have fallen asleep.

Only the chilly air remained.

As I held the dim silence between my lips like a cigarette, a discordant noise suddenly reached my ears.

The sound of shoes stepping on sand.

Crunch-

I raised my lowered head.

Turning slightly, I saw white hair standing there.

“…Sir?”

“Hello there.”

The old man stood with the stars as his backdrop.

When our eyes met, he smiled gently, then came over and sat beside me.

I had noticed him tossing and turning earlier.

He must have been unable to sleep.

Perhaps his ailing body was preventing him from resting.

I asked quietly.

“Are you alright?”

“How many times must I tell you? I’m perfectly fine.”

“I know you barely touched your food today.”

“I’m getting tired of scorpion tail.”

“That’s understandable.”

“It tastes terrible.”

“Especially when we’ve been eating the same thing for a week.”

“I’d rather chew on a cactus at this point.”

“I agree.”

Our voices exchanged idle chatter.

After a while, both of us fell silent.

It was due to the somewhat subdued atmosphere between us.

“……”

“……”

We were sinking into silence.

The night gradually deepened.

The snake and the old man sat side by side.

What broke the stillness that seemed like it would continue forever was the hoarse voice of the old man.

“I’m sorry.”

A gentle apology.

“I know I’m being selfish. I’m aware that I’m becoming a burden to you both.”

“Not at all.”

“Of course I am.”

Despite my denial, the old man just smiled.

His eyes shone transparently.

“Still… I really want to meet her.”

“You mean your friend?”

“She’s still everything in my world.”

“How romantic.”

“Well, Rosaline always said she disliked this side of me.”

“I’m sure she secretly liked it.”

“I think so too. Rosaline was always shy.”

There are things you only realize after losing them.

That was exactly what happened to these two.

When they were together, they didn’t know, but the pain of separation was unbearably painful.

That’s how they became aware of each other and fell into a belated love.

That was written in the official setting guide.

“I… never forgot her, not even once.”

Even when living a lonely life in a distant land.

Even when drafted into war.

Even when fiercely running through the frontlines.

Even after finally finding peace after the war ended.

Even when he received a mysterious letter from his hometown after a long period of no contact.

The old man lived thinking only of the girl.

“Isn’t it foolish?”

“……”

“A promise to meet again. I’ve lived believing in that one promise for fifty years.”

She might have forgotten it by now.

The old man muttered as if bitter.

His white hair fluttered in the wind.

I watched it silently.

“It’s foolish.”

Adults don’t remember their childhood.

But if someone remembers their childhood despite growing old, what should we call them?

A type of person I’ve never met before.

The old man was an adult, but also a boy at the same time.

“It’s not foolish at all.”

I returned a respectful answer.

It was sincere.

The old man seemed to sense this and responded with a smile that reached his eyes.

“Heh… Thank you for saying that, even if it’s just words.”

Someone once said:

The reason deserts are beautiful is because they hide oases.

The most precious things are often invisible to the eye.

Life is the same.

The reason the old man’s life touches people is probably because of his desperate longing for a single flower.

A rose, like a flame, shone in his heart.

“What about you?”

“Hmm?”

“Looking at you reminds me of myself back then. You always smile as if you’re cheerful, but you never reveal your true feelings to anyone.”

Probably because you’re afraid.

“Have you experienced similar wounds?”

“……”

I couldn’t say anything.

I just froze, as if struck at my core.

The old man recited leisurely.

“How can a life without regrets exist?”

Whether child or adult.

People accumulate regrets as they live.

But just as dawn comes because there is daybreak, happiness finds us because there are painful days.

That’s why life is beautiful.

“Even amid such regrets, we must live dreaming of a better tomorrow.”

A wrinkled hand stroked my head.

It felt awkward.

When was the last time I received comfort like this?

I couldn’t remember. Perhaps it was so rare that I could count such instances on one hand, even including my past life.

“You’ll do well.”

“……”

I was always in the position of comforting others, so being comforted felt strange.

As I pondered this fresh sentiment…

A single sentence escaped from between my closed lips.

“You mentioned when we first met.”

The old man’s request.

-Could you perhaps take this old man to the stars?

I remembered that moment and answered.

“I will definitely… take you to the stars.”

The old man looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.

His aged lips broke into a small smile.

“Heh… That’s quite encouraging!”

“I’ll do my best.”

“And I’ll do my best to guide you both to the city!”

“A perfect symbiosis.”

“Hahaha!”

Time remaining until the episode’s end.

One more day.

Recalling the approaching conclusion, I exchanged a few more words with the old man.

It was a night when the desert shone with exceptional beauty.