episode_0027

“Cluck…cluck…Seri…su.”

“Captain… It’s me..! Vice-captain Seris..!”

“…cough.”

Kkook-

Seris tried to hold the leader’s hand tightly with a desperate heart, but the leader’s hand was already as cold as ice.

Director Venice continued to cough up blood, and the blood puddle below him gradually grew in size.

….no. I can’t let the leader go like this.

What method… Ah!

“…Hans! I have a return scroll in my bag, so bring it…! One o’clock is urgent!!”

The bag he had thrown away before the battle contained a scroll for returning to Leria Village. After what happened during Nependeath, I always brought a scroll with me whenever I went on a quest.

“…Ugh…Vice-captain…”

“…What are you doing?! Hurry and bring it!!! This is an order!!”

“No….No…”

However, despite his orders, Hans just sat down in his seat, shedding tears.

Thump-!

“….What are we going to do now?! Quickly, take the leader to the treatment center…!”

“Stop…. Seri…cough. Vice leader.”

“…..What..”

That time when I grabbed the sobbing Hans by the collar and looked at him as if he was going to kill me. After hearing the leader’s weak voice, Cerise let go of her hand on her collar.

“….Captain! If you head to Leria Village even for a second, you can get treatment…!”

“….No. Cough… I can’t do that…”

“….what do you mean!!”

“I’m here… coughing. I’m going to die.”

What are you talking about? Captain.

With a wound like this… if you hold on for a little while, if you move to the teleport scroll and heal quickly, you can survive.

“….that…”

“….just because of this wound….cough. Nope. My body has already reached its limit before.”

“…….”

….What are you trying to say now? Please…don’t do it.

I don’t want to hear it from the one I love the most… from my savior.

The leader looked like he had given up and was so sad that he had a lot to say, but his throat was blocked and no sound came out.

“….Seris…vice-captain. I… am going to die soon. Cough!”

“…If you get treatment and rest…!”

“My body… I know it best, don’t I? Even if I get treatment… I won’t be able to survive.”

“…….No…”

no.

No no no no no no no no.

You won’t believe it. The leader… will not leave me.

Because you will come back and shine on me by my side like always.

“….No, you won’t believe it…! The leader definitely survived…!”

“….I’m sorry…. Next 30 minutes…about…cough. Looks like there’s some left…”

“……..Ah.”

no. no. You can survive. If you’re the leader… you can overcome it.

-Captain….

-…Ugh…

-If you go like this…what are you going to do?

“…………”

Looking around, it seemed like no one thought the leader could survive.

Each of the mercenary members shed tears, was angry at themselves for not being able to do anything, and just clenched their hands.

No… the leader is definitely…

“……Sweetheart…Blind…”

However, Seris ended up facing a reality that she had tried to deny. Seris collapsed at the sight of his vague, decisive voice and the look in his eyes.

I felt only emptiness, as if there was a hole in my heart, and tears flowed endlessly.

“…everyone…cough. Would you please come closer…”

As the leader’s voice grew weaker, the sobbing mercenaries quickly gathered to the leader’s side one by one.

When I heard the leader’s name, I tried to gather myself and stop crying.

Leader Venice slightly turns his head and begins to look at the faces of the gathered mercenaries one by one.

As if trying to remember their faces at the last moment.

“…Everyone…you’ve really grown…a lot. Thank you for your hard work…”

His warm encouragement, like a father, once again breaks my resolve.

“No… Leader… I take the position of Leader…”

Among them, Hans sat down and sobbed as he held onto the limp body of the Venice leader.

The mercenary members had no choice but to pour out the tears they had tried so hard to hold back due to their desperate grief.

“….I’m sorry. Hans…cough.”

“….Captain…”

Director Venice managed to hold Hans’ hand and continue speaking.

“…You… As I said before. You could become an excellent leader… Because I… have always believed in you.”

“I….I…!”

“….even if I leave. Please take good care of the Scar mercenaries… Cough… Give Vice-Captain Seris… great strength.”

Hans couldn’t even respond to his words, just fell on his knees, covered his face, and was immersed in grief.

“….Birong.”

“Sniff…. Captain…”

“…. The food you made…. Cough, Cluck… It was really the best.”

“No… Captain…! You have to get up again… and eat again…”

“….you. If you want… I think you could leave the mercenary group and become a chef. Let’s find the path you want.”

Birong, who always had a bright smile on his face, broke down at his words and only shed tears.

For Birong, who lost his father and was looking after his family alone, Director Venice must have been a stronger pillar than his father.

“Black…Ugh…”

Afterwards, Seris sobbed as she watched Venice leader call the mercenary members one by one and wish them blessings for their future.

…I really feel like he’s going to leave. I feel like the time is approaching when I can no longer look at him or be by his side.

Seris wanted to stop time even if it meant selling her soul to the devil. Because watching your light fade away and your love leaving was more painful than having your heart cut to pieces.

“…Seris…Vice-captain.”

However, time passed quickly. After speaking to all the mercenary members, Leader Venice called Seris by name.

Time passed, his voice was much quieter than before, and his mana became weak, like the last ember before it goes out.

“Captain… Please don’t leave… Please…”

“Seris…is that right.”

His red eyes, which had always looked straight ahead, became blurred and it seemed difficult to grasp the being in front of him.

“…You… Cough! Cough… It was my favorite unit.”

“……..No… Please… Don’t leave me…”

“….huh. I can’t hear very well.”

“Da…Captain?! Open your eyes!! Leader!!”

His eyes are shaking mercilessly, as if they will go out at any moment. When Seris shook his body with all her might, a faint vitality returned to his eyes.

“….cough. Vice-captain Seris….”

“…Captain… It’s me. Vice-captain Seris…!”

“….With this request…. I kept my promise.”

“…………!”

At his words, Cerise’s eyes widened. However, soon tears flowed and despair filled me again.

As of now, that promise wasn’t important to Seris.

“Please…no promises…no need for anything. For me, only the leader…”

“….Vice-Captain Seris….”

“….Captain?! It’s not possible! I still…!”

Sigh-

When his hand touched her cheek, Seris’ body suddenly stiffened. Because I felt only coldness in his hands, but only warmth in his face.

“…..Farewell. Seris…”

Sigh-

“…and everyone. Take care…”

A warm smile appeared from him, who insisted on maintaining a blank expression in any situation. This was the first time both Seris and the mercenary members saw him smile.

They seem to be full of warmth and affection more than any other kind people. It was that kind of smile.

Slurp-

“….I’m sorry….ha…” for not being able to reconcile.

Without even finishing his sentence, his hand goes limp and falls to the ground.

The desert day has passed, and now the sunset is setting before night comes. The sunset shines beautifully, and a halo illuminates the back of the Venice leader.

“….Captain?”

Shaking.

“….Captain?! It’s not possible! I’m the leader!!”

Shaking.

Seris, who was staring blankly at that smile, shook the limp body of the Venice leader. However, he never reacted again.

“…No..! No, no, no, no…!!!”

Shake shake shake-

I haven’t even been able to apologize yet. I couldn’t even tell him I loved him or that I was thankful.

Seris shook his body, rationalizing that Director Venice was not dead yet.

-Please… stop… Vice-captain…

-Keuaaagh!!!

-Ugh…black…

“….continuously….blind. Please stop…”

“…No…! The leader is still…!”

He pushes away Hans, who is trying to stop him, and looks at the face of the Venice leader again.

“……Ah.”

His body was limp, and his eyes, which always glowed red, were already dead.

Blood is still flowing from the severed left arm and punctured abdomen.

….no. no. It shouldn’t be like this….

There are still things left to say. There was still something I wanted to say…

“No….No, no, no, no…!!”

Please… tell me it was a joke. Wake up again, like always, and reassure me.

“No!!! Ahhh-!”

Send those indifferent yet warm eyes back to me.

“No, no, no, no! I’m the leader-!!”

No matter how much he shook his body and tried to wake him up, his already dead body did not come back alive.

“Aaaa-!!!!!”

Desert dusk illuminated by a beautiful sunset.

In the place where the legend rested, their pillar and father. And those who lost their loved ones could only scream.

So, all night long, only miserable cries and screams rang out from the Valley of Death.