Chapter 39
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I was alone in a dark place.
Ah, right. I died, didn't I...
Then is this heaven? Hell? I mean, does an afterlife even exist?
No, it does.
If it didn't, I wouldn't have been reincarnated in another world.
Then could it be that the person I'll meet here is... the usual god!?
God, please.
If possible, in the next world, let it be a world where people don't hate black hair and black eyes...
——I like your black hair and black eyes.
If possible, I'd also like some cheat-like Skills right from the start...
——Oh, that's fine, that's fine. I'll buy you some Talent Gems next time, Reiji-kun, okay? You don't need to worry even if you don't have any Skills!
Oh... what a disaster.
Could it be that I'd already overcome the disadvantage I'd been saddled with...
Through meeting wonderful people.
"Dantes-san, thank you. Non-san, thank you. Mimino-san, thank you. Rikila-san... You idiot, dying like that. But thank you..."
And then,
"...Lark. I wish I'd called you 'Big Sis' at least once..."
I want to live.
I wanted to live in this world. I wanted to go on adventuring with the people of "Silver Balance" for much, much longer. I wanted to proudly introduce Lark as my big sister.
——Little brother.
Even in a world warped by Contract Magic, Lark was still Lark.
Even after the magic was dispelled, my feelings for Lark hadn't changed.
——Don't die in a place like this yet.
The playful smile she gave me as she tapped my forehead was the Lark I knew through and through——.
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"...? ...??"
When I opened my eyes, I saw a dim ceiling. Apparently I was lying on a bed. As I vaguely wondered whether the afterlife had beds too, I turned to look beside me—
!?
There, I found Mimino-san sprawled face-down with her upper body on the bed—fast asleep.
Why? Why was Mimino-san here? Could it be Mimino-san had died too—?
"Ow!?"
When I sat up, I realized I wasn't wearing any clothes, and that I hurt all over. There was healing ointment on my elbows and the backs of my hands as well—but overall, my injuries were minor, and according to 【All Creation】, the crack in my leg bone had apparently healed, too.
...Mm, Reiji-kun...?
Mimino-san sleepily sat up, and I—
"G-good morning...?"
"Reiji-kun!!"
Then Mimino-san suddenly threw her arms around me.
"W-whoa—ow!?"
"A-are you okay? Does it hurt? It hurts, doesn't it?"
"Ah, no, I was just startled. It doesn't hurt that much... Actually, is this an inn?"
I recognized the place immediately. There were three beds lined up, though I was the only one lying in one of them.
"That's right, that's right...!"
Perhaps because she realized I could answer coherently, Mimino-san hurriedly pulled away, and tears welled up in her big eyes. It didn't even take a second for them to spill over.
"You made it... You survived...!"
"...Mimino-san."
Mimino-san hugged me again, but this time slowly—
"You made it, Reiji-kun. Reiji-kun. Reiji-kun! But promise me you'll never do anything that terrifying ever again... Please...!"
Warm.
Mimino-san's body was warm, and she smelled faintly of her own body, perhaps because she hadn't bathed.
What she meant by "that" was probably what I'd done to help Mimino-san escape.
From Mimino-san's perspective, I'd launched a suicidal attack right after she'd witnessed Rikila-san's death, so of course it must have shocked her—enough to take years off her life.
"I'm sorry, Mimino-san... When I thought you were in danger, my body moved on its own..."
"For me?"
Mimino-san gently pulled away, her face a mess of tears and snot.
"Pfft. What a face."
I picked up the hand towel lying beside my pillow and used it to wipe Mimino-san's face.
"H-hey, stop. I-I'm fine! Honestly! Sometimes you act older than me, Reiji-kun!"
If you count the sixteen years from my previous life plus the ten years in this one, I might be older than Mimino-san. That said, my memories only returned recently in this life, so technically I'm sixteen.
Mimino-san snatched the hand towel from me and vigorously rubbed her face while turning her back to me.
"...Mimino-san, how did I survive? And what about Non-san and Dantes-san?"
Taking advantage of that opening, I asked what I had most wanted to know.
"Non's in the next room treating Dantes. I don't know the details, but apparently there was a huge explosion, and Dantes shielded a lot of people with his body... His burns are pretty bad."
Could it have been the collision between Krista's massive 【Fire Magic】 spell and the dragon?
Dantes-san had protected his comrades even then... He really was an incredible man.
"Non's been using 【Healing Magic】 nonstop because she wants to focus on treating his burns. Oh, she used magic on you first, too, Reiji-kun. So I don't think you have any major injuries, but..."
"Yes, thank you. Then how did I survive? I was right underneath the dragon, wasn't I?"
"Yes..."
Mimino-san knitted her brows and let out a troubled groan.
"Well, um, I don't really know, either."
"...You don't know?"
The dragon had clearly been intent on killing me then. It couldn't simply have changed its mind and fled.
I waited for Mimino-san to continue.
"Suddenly, something like a slash appeared in midair... It was enormous and pitch-black. When the slash struck, it cleanly severed the dragon's neck."
Mimino-san told me, "I'm going to check on things in the next room. I'll buy something to eat once the sun's up," and left the room, but I was left in a daze.
"A slash... in midair?"
What's more,
"A black slash...?"
There was only one possibility that came to mind.
It was Lark.
Lark had been there.
Even when I'd turned my back on the battlefield and was helplessly fretting at the intersection—could Lark have been there? Could she have been watching over me from nearby?
I wondered why she hadn't called out to me, but perhaps it was because I had been with the members of "Silver Balance."
Could Lark still be nearby?