Chapter 7: Kind and Cruel
While searching for the corpses of other monsters, my eyes fell upon a body that was unusually smaller than the others. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com
No way, is that a child?
As I approached, it became clear that the figure was a young boy, roughly my age. He lay curled up on the ground, unmoving. His plain black clothes indicated that he wasn’t a soldier but rather a commoner.
“I wish you peace…” I murmured, letting out a deep, melancholic sigh. Despite appearing as a child in this world, my mind was that of an adult. I had lived a previous life and knew what I was doing, but this boy was different. He was just a child. The thought of him dying so young weighed heavily on my heart.
“Ugh, uh…….”
Suddenly, the body shuddered with groans.
“AHH!” I screamed in terror, my knees buckling as I collapsed to the ground. My mind replayed the moment over and over—the body had made a sound. I braced my palms on the earth below, still damp with blood. I didn’t know that dead bodies could respond in this world. Sure enough, this world was different and fantastical. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com
Realization dawned on me.
“Wait! He’s not dead. This boy is still alive!”
Once I regained my composure and realized the boy was still breathing, I shouted for help.
“Over here, there’s a survivor!”
As I waited for the soldiers to arrive, I examined his body. He had an injury on one side of his abdomen. I carefully turned him around, relieved to see his eyelids fluttering open. He was conscious!
I patted the boy’s cheek and spoke quickly but soothingly. “Can you hear me? It should be okay now. Don’t panic; I’m here to help you.”
“Who’re…you…”
His blue-gray eyes looked up at me, unfocused. Optimism blossomed within me. If he was conscious to this extent, there was a good chance he could survive. The thought echoed in my mind like the ringing of a bell.
Despite being stained with blood and dirt, the boy appeared strikingly beautiful up close. He had dark hair and blue-gray eyes, which, though blurry from his injuries, reminded me of rain during a thunderstorm. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. He must have been even more attractive when healthy. Why was such a beautiful child here of all places?
I could have sworn I had seen him before. Although this seemed like our first meeting, he appeared somewhat familiar. I couldn’t quite place it…
At that moment, the boy suddenly looked over my shoulder, his eyes widening in fear.
“D-danger…”
“Huh?” I snapped out of my reverie, looking at him quizzically.
“Magician! Dodge!”
I turned around just as the soldiers yelled my title from across the battlefield. Before I could fully comprehend the situation, the boy’s hand shot out and pulled me towards him. Unprepared for his action and the strength behind it, we rolled to the side.
BOOM!
A heavy noise reverberated through my ears, causing my head to ring. The sound shook the air seconds after we rolled, barely escaping its blast radius. It sounded like a collision had occurred near where I had been crouched. Dazed, I looked at the spot where I had been.
Still overwhelmed by the sudden attack, I clumsily pushed myself up from where I had fallen on top of the boy. I stared at him, wide-eyed in shock. I couldn’t understand where his sudden strength had come from. Moments ago, he had seemed on the verge of death—pale, unblinking, and unmoving. Yet he had managed to save us both. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com
“Over here, there’s a survivor! Soldiers, prepare to attack! Ready!”
A confused cry escaped my throat as I lifted my head to look at the ominous monster in front of me. What the heck?! I thought that beast was dead. Had it really been alive all this time?
The soldiers quickly gathered and closed the distance. However, with so few soldiers, there was no way we could stop the monster’s second attack. Although I could run, the boy’s injuries were too severe for us to escape the monster’s reach in time. His breathing had become more labored and shallow as he held me and rolled us out of the way. There was no way I could leave him behind to face the monster alone.
Then someone shouted urgently.
“Magician!”
I extended my hand and concentrated my mana.
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning streaked from the sky, striking the monster’s head. The entire event happened in the blink of an eye. The charred monster fell to the ground like a ragdoll in a tempest. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com
BANG!
The earth shook with the thunderous sound.
“Wow…” The surrounding soldiers, who had witnessed my display of magic, stood frozen in awe, their mouths hanging open.
For goodness’ sake, don’t just stand there admiring me! Ask for help!
“Urgh.”
A sharp pain throbbed in my head, discomfort radiating from my temples. I tried to massage the pain away, but it was no use. It was expected; it was the first time Fiona’s body had endured such stress. Performing that much magic in such a short time took its toll. However, my injuries were nothing compared to the boy’s.
“Get a hold of yourself!” I urged, shaking his shoulders desperately to keep him conscious until help arrived. Suddenly, it hit me. How had I not noticed it before?
“Ahh!”
I looked at the boy again, this time paying close attention to his details—his worn clothes, dark hair, and misty blue-gray eyes.
At first, I hadn’t recognized him due to his dusty appearance and younger age. But now it was clear as day.
Isn’t this the main male character, Sigren?! Why is he here? Wasn’t he supposed to be introduced six years later, at the start of the original story? Why is he appearing now? Does he meet Abel around this time? Why?! Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com
My thoughts whirled, becoming a tangled mess. My knowledge of the novel’s events was useless in this situation. I didn’t know much about this period because I had never written it myself—the story I wrote began six years later. I was completely clueless about what had happened before then, so every action I’d taken up until now was pure guesswork.
Stop! I need to stop thinking about this now!
Sigren, the protagonist of my magnum opus and the hero destined to save this world, was dying right in front of me. His death would spell the end of all hope and a crisis of apocalyptic proportions…
At that moment, I noticed that the blood from his wounds had vanished. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com
“Please, call for paramedics right away!” I screamed in desperation.
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