Chapter 328 - Ouroboros (3)

Some would call her foolish. People were bound to die someday, and everyone in this world experienced loss at least once.

It was an all-too-common tragedy.

Some would even be surprised that a woman who had seemed so utterly cold-blooded was heading toward her own destruction, unable to overcome a single death in the family.

Some would call her weak. In twenty years, she alone had failed to overcome something everyone else could endure.

Even Amelia herself could not say they were wrong.

But...

SHUNK!

Even so, her sister would surely have told her how hard it must have been, stroking the hair of the little sister who had always been so young and needed so much looking after.

Setting aside her sorrow, and even her reproaches about why Amelia had done such a thing, she would have held her tight and told her she had been through so much.

Even if the whole world felt uncomfortable around her, even if some pointed fingers and called her a heartless woman who knew nothing of emotion, to her sister she would only ever be her tearful little sister.

She was the only person in this world who could see Amelia that way.

Yes, surely that was what she would have done...

"Sor... ry..."

"Who are you apologizing to?"

Amelia closed her eyes, pushing aside the pain in her abdomen.

"Laura..."

In the end, she had accomplished nothing. She had spent twenty years growing stronger in preparation for today, but it had not been enough to defeat that man.

She had even tried talking to clear up his mistaken belief that she was connected to the Rose Knight Order, but he had not listened to a word. In the end, they had fought, and she had desperately bought time for her sister to escape.

But this was as far as she could go.

"What, were you seeing things?"

The man sneered and twisted his sword. Burning pain flared in the wound.

"You think I'll let them get away?"

The sharp pain dragged her mind back to reality.

"You need to see it too. What I had to go through."

He pulled out his sword, and Amelia collapsed. Grabbing her by the hair, he dragged her along as he walked onward.

What would happen next was painfully obvious.

["I can teach you what it feels like to lose someone."]

He would hurt her sister right before her eyes.

Just as he had that day.

SPLASH!

Every step made her stomach churn. Her consciousness faded, and each time she opened her eyes, the scene before her had changed.

"You didn't get far, as I thought."

The man's murmur.

"L-Laura..."

"Go on ahead! I'll handle...!"

The same exchange as on that day.

"Amelia...!"

A sword aimed at her younger self.

And then...

SHUNK!

Her sister, embracing her younger sister.

"Laura...!!"

The man's sword pierced her sister's chest, just as it had before.

'In the end, I couldn't change anything...?'

Only then did Amelia understand. This was where her twenty-year wish ended.

An ending where the two of them lived happily ever after existed only in fairy tales.

"That's a fine expression."

In reality, all that remained there was a foolish, weak human woman.

SHUNK!

The man pulled the blade from her sister's body. At the same moment, Amelia's consciousness dimmed, and the scene changed once more.

A dark sewer reeking of blood.

BOOOOM!

With a deafening crash that filled the passage came a voice.

"Sheesh, what are you crying for?"

She felt warmth against her cooling skin.

"It's not over yet."

Not over? What could he possibly mean?

She did not know.

But...

"You've been through a lot. Leave it to me now and get some rest."

At those words, the tension drained from her body, and her eyes closed.

"It'll all be over when you wake up."

That was the last scene her consciousness allowed her.

* * *

As soon as Amelia lost consciousness, I shouted.

"What are you doing? Take your sister and run!"

I was shouting at young Amelia.

Youngmelia, for short.

"Ah, ah...!"

Youngmelia seemed stunned by my order for a moment, then hoisted her sister onto her small frame and started running.

Whew. I could leave the rest to the old geezer...

I shifted my gaze.

"You...!"

Luhenpraha looked around, unable to hide his dismay. He seemed to be checking whether the Knight of Light had come with me...

'This bastard really is something.'

"If you're that worried, just run. What did you come all this way for? Hoping to pick up some scraps?"

He did not answer my question. He simply averted his eyes with an odd expression.

"You... don't tell me you got lost trying to find the way out and ended up here?"

I thought that couldn't possibly be it, but asked just in case.

His answer was brief.

"... Fate merely led me here."

"Ha. Fate, my ass."

It was so absurd I laughed, but on second thought, I realized that calling it fate wasn't entirely wrong.

If things followed a predetermined course no matter how hard we struggled, how was that any different from fate?

While I was thinking that, he asked a question.

"At any rate... did you come alone?"

"Yeah."

The Knight of Light and I had never been friends to begin with. There was no reason to hide it, so I simply confirmed it before asking what I wanted to know.

"Hey, let me ask you one more thing. Why are you so obsessed with her?"

"... You don't need to know."

"Touchy, aren't you?"

As I spoke, I shifted only my eyes to check on Amelia. Her wounds were healing fast enough to see with the naked eye, thanks to the extra Unity scroll I had torn before jumping in.

Simply put, our three-person link meant Amelia was no longer affected by [Silent Decree] either.

'It would've been easier if she'd stayed awake.'

That was a bit of a shame, but what could I do? This much trouble was nothing for an SSR Companion Recruitment Ticket.

Right, so...

"Move aside. Hand over that woman, and you—"

"What's that, you silence one-trick?"

I beckoned with a finger.

"Shut up and come at me."

This would be my final battle on this trip through time.

* * *

"Hah, hah..."

The girl running through the sewer passage panted hot breaths. Her burning muscles showed no sign of cooling, and an even greater heat spread across her soaking-wet back.

"L-Laura... y-you're... okay, right...?"

Even as she ran so hard she could barely breathe, Amelia kept speaking to Laura on her back.

"..."

No answer came.

Still, she forced herself to ignore her growing dread and kept her feet moving. But perhaps it was too much to run carrying Laura when her body was already at its limit.

"Ugh...!"

Amelia, moving at little more than a jog, lost her balance and fell. She had not tripped over anything. Her legs had simply given out.

"L-Laura! Are you okay? Are you?"

Before checking the ankle she had twisted in the fall, Amelia examined Laura, afraid the fall might have worsened her wound.

"A... melia..."

Perhaps the impact had brought her around. A voice escaped Laura's lips.

"L-Laura! I-it's okay! We're almost there. Don't talk—"

"Alone..."

The feeble voice trailed off, but Amelia knew what would have followed.

She wanted Amelia to leave her and go alone.

Surely, if she had the strength to speak, she would have supplied all manner of reasons: that she was already beyond saving, that it made more sense for at least Amelia to survive.

But...

"Sorry, I don't know what you're saying."

Pretending not to have heard, Amelia carefully supported Laura's limp body. Her sister, who was fifteen centimeters taller than her, felt strangely small.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but she seemed lighter than before, too.

It wasn't as though Amelia could have recovered her strength now.

"Blood..."

It was because of the blood she had lost. The weight of life that had filled Laura's body was draining away, making her that much lighter.

Amelia propped her sister against the wall, tore some clothing, and pressed it against the wound. Then she poured on all the potions she had.

She had been too frantic to think of anything but escaping that place, but she should have done this long ago.

'Wh-why am I so stupid...?'

Self-loathing filled her. Her ever-composed sister would surely have known exactly what to do, even in a situation like this.

"Ghhh...!"

As the potions began healing her wound, Laura writhed in pain. Thick veins stood out on her forehead and neck.

"L-Laura! Just hold on a little longer..."

Amelia lifted Laura onto her back again.

But just as she was about to stand...

BOOOOOM!

The passage shook with a deafening crash.

And then...

RUMBLE.

The ceiling collapsed, sending rocks tumbling down. At the same time, Amelia pitched forward.

Someone had pushed her from behind.

THUD!

Having fallen forward, Amelia hastily turned around. Then she saw her sister.

It was an utterly unreal sight.

Her beloved sister's lower body lay crushed beneath a massive boulder.

"Amel... ia..."

"L-Laura..."

Amelia approached her as though in a trance. But Laura brushed her hand away.

"Wh-what are you doing!"

As Amelia shouted, Laura turned her weak, half-open eyes toward her.

"There were... times... I resented you."

"I-I know. E-even you must have felt that way sometimes. Anyway, I understand, so stop being stubborn and—"

"Listen...!"

Amelia clamped her mouth shut at Laura's cry. Her voice rattled with phlegm and was not even loud enough to be called a shout, yet something in its force froze Amelia in place, making her feel she must not refuse.

Laura gently laid her hand against Amelia's cheek.

Then, in a voice far gentler than before, she continued.

"You've... wanted this."

"..."

"It's what you've... always wanted..."

At those words, something ran down Amelia's cheek. She could not tell whether it was sweat or tears.

Only one thing was certain.

THUMP!

Amelia's heart began beating as though it had broken. Perhaps, however desperately her mind tried to deny it, she had known all along.

"Wh-why... are you saying that...?"

Laura had left herself out of her words.

As though this moment were their last.

"L-Laura... don't give up. You've had potions, haven't you? We just have to go a little farther... D-don't worry about the rock. I-I'll move it in a moment. I-I promise I will... Okay?"

At Amelia's pleading, Laura bit her lip with an anguished expression.

But only for a brief moment.

"Forget... all the painful memories... of this place."

"..."

"An ordinary life... is finally beginning... for you too."

Laura forced her spasming jaw upward and smiled brightly.

And then...

"...!"

It happened in an instant.

With a small tug, Laura reached out and drew the dagger at Amelia's waist, then plunged it in.

Into her own throat.

SHUNK!

"N-no...!"

Amelia hurriedly pulled out the blade. She sprinkled the little potion she had left over the wound, then pressed both hands against it, trying to stem even a little of the bleeding.

But...

"N-no. No, no..."

It was not enough.

The blood that had been welling out in gushes stopped.

HISSSSS.

So did the blood that had been reacting to the potion with a boiling hiss.

The warmth against her fingertips faded. The blood was merely sticky now, no longer hot.

"Ahh... ah, ahh..."

Amelia understood.

Her sister was no longer here.

"AAAAAAAH!!!"

Screaming like someone who had lost her mind, Amelia wrapped her arms around Laura's upper body.

And at that moment, the ceiling collapsed again, raining down rocks.

RUMBLE!

Amelia saw them, but did not move away. She intended to stay with her sister until the very end.

But the cruel world would not allow even that.

"... Ugh!"

Her body flew backward as though someone had yanked her by the scruff of the neck.

THUD!

Her vision shook, perhaps because the back of her head had struck the wall. As her consciousness slipped further away, Amelia stared at her sister buried beneath the rubble.

Then it happened.

STEP.

A footstep sounded from somewhere. Amelia reflexively turned toward it.

An unfamiliar old man was walking toward her.

"Wh... o...?"

At Amelia's murmur, the old man looked at her without any change in expression. Yet on closer inspection, he seemed to be considering something.

A brief silence passed.

"Good grief, so many demands."

The old man sighed and spoke.

"Auriel Gabis. That is my name."