30.Unexpected Struggle

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

It was a sudden change from the usual peace.

While we were waiting for Milly-san… no, I suppose I should call her Miriam-san, to finish her work, we came to the forest to gather the medicinal herbs that this town needed. It was then that we were suddenly attacked by the little critters that weren’t supposed to be around these parts “back when it was in the game”.

“Damn, one of them escaped!”

“Reiji, you’re straying too far, get back!”

“But who’s gonna handle the archers at the back?!”

“Just get back here, please! My ‘Protection’ is about to run out!”

“Tch!”

…The battle had dragged on for quite a while since the initial ambush. It was no doubt that “a certain weakness” we had been throwing everything out of gear. Ill emotions were building up among us.

Our enemies were green-skinned creatures about the size of a human child, with crumpled faces and long noses… goblins, the staple of any fantasy world.

In games and such, they were mostly cannon fodders, but when we faced them in this way, we realized that they have solid intelligence, work together to compensate for each other’s weaknesses, and take advantage of their numbers to adapt their responses to the situation, making them extremely troublesome. Not to mention…

Because we were in the middle of a forest, Reiji-san’s weapon, a greatsword, couldn’t be used to its full potential. Against a small and quick target, slash attacks are severely limited, and there were many situations where a thrust attack is required, and he seemed to be struggling with this.

Saul-niisama was more flexible with his attacks, but even so, he had to  be aware of everything around him in this place surrounded by obstacles, and he couldn’t leave me, who was apparently the main target. The few goblins that had managed to get close were dealt with immediately, but this had also alerted the enemies, and their tactics had changed to using crude bows and throwing stones. Still, he was slowly whittling away at their numbers by showering them with chains and thunderbolts, but it is not enough to overturn the gap in numbers.

“Iris, above you!”

At Reiji-san’s cry, I quickly raised my hand upward and deployed a “Solid Ray”. Immediately after, with a tingling vibration in my hand, my barrier caught a goblin’s club. It was probably a goblin trying to jump on me from atop a tree.

“Don’t you get away!”

Saul-niisama’s “Chain Bind” quickly wrapped around the goblin’s feet and knocked it to the ground. While it was stunned by the impact, Saul-niisama tried to follow up with an attack…

“…!”

For a moment, the tip of his sword was off.

Not again. Since earlier, both Reiji-san and Saul-niisama were noticeably lackluster in their movements. In that moment of hesitation and freeze, I saw another goblin dragging to retrieve its fallen comrade.

“Divine Spear!”

The two spears that I fired lodged themselves into the goblins’ backs, knocking them unconscious. Reiji-san immediately went in to finish off his fallen opponents, but just before he can do so, his sword tip was dulled by hesitation, and another goblin moved in to interrupt… not again, too.

“Nii-sama, Reiji-san, we’re retreating! Cover your eyes!”

As long as the number of enemies couldn’t be reduced, the longer it took, the more disadvantageous it became for us. The “Wide Protection” had been recast and there was still time to spare, but it would be too late if I couldn’t make it in time. After telling them that, I started chanting, trusting that they were both dealing with the situation properly.

Two seconds later, I unleashed the spell with all my might.

“Flash Spark!”

Instantly, a flash of light filled the space around me. While the goblins were momentarily immobilized, Reiji-san and Saul-niisama fell back and carried me out of the battlefield.

“A horde of goblins?”

When we returned to town, we were the first to report the earlier incident to the mayor.

“Yes… We had to withdraw, partly due to lack of preparation.”

Both Saul-niisama and Reiji-san seemed to be suffering from their earlier blunder, and were standing there looking absentminded. By the process of elimination, I was the one giving the report.

“…If they actively attacked people like this, could it be that we’re dealing with quite the large horde of goblins?”

The mayor put his hands on his chin and wrinkled his brows, looking distressed.

Yes, goblins rarely attack people if their number was low. However, a large enough horde of goblins would turn into a major threat. They rob food, kidnap women, and their brutality is horrific.

“By the gods, this is ill news indeed… Before we go any further, let me say this. I won’t force you to go and defeat them. However, if I may be so bold to presume, knowing what you’re capable of, I suppose you could have handled it?”

At these words, the two of them looked away awkwardly.

…The mayor had a point. Even if it was a surprise attack, even if the other side had the advantage of location, even if they were far outnumbered, there was honestly no way that the goblins could pose a threat to the two of them. But they were forced to run back.

“…Well, I know you have your own reasons, and I trust that you do not have ulterior motives. I will consult with the merchant bodyguards, and if it is all right with you, I would appreciate your cooperation at a later date.”

“Yes, certainly… Are you okay with that?”

“You’ve done enough for today. You should get some rest.”

“I have no objection to that… and sorry for what happened.”

“Don’t sweat it. I, too, had looked only at your fighting ability, and I had forgotten that you are still young. My apologizes.”

So the mayor knew what’s going on too…

The entire reason for this unexpected struggle… was our “aversion to killing”.

Back in the game, when an attack hit, a “blood effect” was generated, and some attacks would cause “dismemberment effect” and the limbs would fly off somewhere. But in the end, it’s all just a performance.

This world is different. People didn’t disappear into thin air when they were killed. If you cut your opponent, real blood flowed, shredded limbs scattered around you, cloudy eyes that had lost their light torment you, and the remains of the melee were a bloody scene with the smell of blood and grease in the air.

Until now, it seemed that the main focus was on exterminating vermin, so there may not have been much resistance, but as modern children living in peaceful Japan, we were usually unfamiliar with such things, and it’s natural that we were not used to it… When we were faced with humanoid opponents like goblins, this problem reared its ugly head.

We all returned to our respective rooms in silence after taking a longer-than-usual bath, forcing food into our stomachs despite losing our appetite, and under the illusion that the stench of blood was stuck in our bodies and could not be removed.

That night, I found it difficult to sleep. Still, as I gazed blankly into space, my consciousness faded away, and I dozed off…

It was only by chance that I noticed the noise.

I was awakened by the sound of the keyhole being opened with a crank, despite it being meticulously muffled. Someone opened the door slightly and entered my room, trying hard to kill their footsteps. I didn’t think Ms. Miranda, who handled the keys, would give a duplicate key to a strange person, so it’s either a thief, or a person she’d have no problem giving it to…

“…Saul-niisama?”

The intruder cowered at the question.

“Ayame?”

“……”

Under the moonlight shining through the window, I could see a face that looked close to crying. Come to think of it, in the old days, whenever Ayame was troubled by something, she would sneak into my, no, “the other me’s” bed. She’d dropped this habits since she started high school, though…

“It’s been a while since we share a bed together, isn’t it?”

I flipped up the edge of the bed cover, and when I urged Ayame to come closer, she approached me with an air of trepidation.

“…Sorry, just this once.”

“You don’t have to be so shy… Come on, get in.”

A warm body heat, now completely reversed in size, slid into the space of the bed that had been opened by the side.

We got into bed, but neither of us said anything to the other, and time passed with only the warmth on my back, feeling nostalgic for the fluffy feel of feathers on “Saul-niisama’s” back, which I had now lost.

“Did you see a bad dream or something?”

“I’m not that kind of kid anymore…”

I chuckled at the sulking tone. Ayame was the kind of person who did everything with ease, but for some reason, she wasn’t a very good liar. As I turned my body around, I urged her to do the same and face me, sounding gentle but determined. Eventually, as if giving up, she reluctantly turned to me.

“Can we talk? I’ve shrunk a lot, but I can at least lend you my chest like I used to, you know?”

Tears slowly seeped down “Saul’s” handsome face. Gently, I held it into my chest.

……

For a while, we remained silent as it was. As I waited patiently, feeling the warmth of Ayame’s breath on my stomach, and the sensation of my chest slowly becoming wet with something warm, she began to talk.

“I killed a person. Right after I came to this world.”

She must be talking about the time “I” was being held captive. I was not conscious at the time, but I knew what happened.

“I thought Onii-chan was in danger, and I lost my temper. One by one, I cut them down. Not just those who couldn’t resist, but also those who turned their back and ran away. Yet…”

I was not able to notice it. No, I might have been aware of it dimly. But somewhere along the way I wondered if I had thought of it as something else, something that was a problem for those two to overcome on their own.

“I’ve killed a lot of people, but I couldn’t finish off a humanoid goblin. Is that weird?”

I was the only one whose hands had not been bloodied. What comfort could I say to her in such a situation? Beautiful words slipped through the back of my brain and disappeared, unable to pass the throat before they left my mouth. Except for this one sentence that did not disappear.

“But in the end… We’re able to meet again like this because you two fought hard for it, no? I can’t thank you enough, Ayame.”

I didn’t want any of them to deny that fact. I was only able to be here now thanks to their help and protection.

There were no words thereafter. Only the faintest of subdued sobs escaped in the moonlight, so all I could do was hold Ayame’s head and gently stroke it until she fell asleep.

I… want to be strong. Even if I don’t have the strength to defeat my enemies, I want to be able to support and lift up others.

As I gazed at the moonlight streaming in through the window, my thoughts drifted to that.