Chapter 25

Beowulf sunk into the muddy stream. It had suffered Daniela’s strongest hit and this concentrated avalanche of debris. What kind of monster would be able to survive…

“Is he…dead?”

Daniela asked as she came to stand next to me. However, that was a death flag. It was almost miraculously optimal that I just happened to brace myself.

Because before I knew it my body had broken through the wall behind.

“Hhha….ggg…”

I couldn’t breathe. There was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. My vision was a blur of white fog. My body felt so heavy, it was overriding any other sensation.

“…gi…sagi…Asagi…!!”

I can hear Daniela screaming my name. Or at least, I think that I can. Surely there was no one else here that could call me.

“Asagi, huh. That was pretty impressive for a human bastard…”

Who, what…? The sudden voice brings me back to full consciousness immediately. The first thing that I see is the ceiling. Then a shadow. Then I’m assaulted by the impact and weight of something on my chest.

“Ggggaah, ahh….damn…!”

“I must congratulate you on being able to hurt me to such a degree.”

Beowulf said as he pressed me down with a single paw.

“Damn you, release Asagi!”

I see Daniela nock an arrow in the corner of my vision.

“Hold it. Your partner will die if you release that arrow.”

“Agghhh…!”

Beowulf leaned more of his weight down onto me. It was so heavy I thought I was going die.

“Tsk…”

Daniela gritted her teeth and returned the arrow to its quiver. But she kept a hand at the sword on her hip.

“Damn it… What are you…”

“What did you expect? The numbers of my packs were dwindling. I had to come and see who was responsible. That is all. Ahh, do not get me wrong. I hold no enmity against you.”

What did he mean? Was he saying that this wasn’t revenge for the forest wolves we had hunted?

“You are assuming that this is a counterattack of some sort, are you not? It is not so, Asagi. I only had an interest because you were strong. My comrades died because they were weak.”

“Then, do you mean to kill us as well…?”

“What a strange thing to say. Does one not kill because they are prepared to be killed in turn?”

Indeed. It would be wrong to turn coward when in danger; after we had killed so many forest wolves ourselves. The fact that they were monsters was no excuse. I didn’t know how to reply, and so I fell silent.

But then again, it was too pathetic to shut up and allow yourself to be killed as well.

“It was I who killed so many forest wolves and pushed you to this point. Kill me and me alone.”

“Asagi…!?”

Daniela had helped me. She had invited me into a party. I wanted to help her somehow. I ignore her voice and stare hard at Beowulf.

“It seems that you are serious?”

“I can’t prepare myself to die as you say. But I don’t care about what happens to me if I can save her.”

And I meant it. It wasn’t like any lecture by this guy could change the way I think. There was no way that I could calmly accept my own death.

But if dying would help save Daniela? That would change things. I had died once already. I would decide for myself, what this second life was worth.

Beowulf stared down at me and then smiled.

“Hahaha. There is no lie in your eyes. Very well then, I will give you a quick death.”

“Asagiiii!!”

Daniela’s voice shook as she screamed. I prayed that Beowulf would stay true to his promise as I smile at her. Then I close my eyes and wait for death.

Ahh, at least my second death would not involve sinking within that feeling of heat and coldness. There won’t be any pain if my body was instantly crushed by this giant foot. Now that I think about it, I had a much more lively time in this world than I ever did in the old one.

It was lonely working alone in a time without the sun.

It was fun talking with Daniela in a time with the sun.

It was hard greeting every morning with a tired body.

It was exciting greeting every night with a tired body.

But now I would die. How good would it be if I were to awake once again on that mist covered hill?

With such fanciful hopes in my chest, I waited for the final blow.

“Or not. I think that I have changed my mind.”

“?”

“?”

The weight on my chest lifted.

“What…? Aren’t you going to kill…?”

“I have told you, I had a change of heart.”

A change of heart. I see. Well, I guess that couldn’t be helped then.

“Bastard! I want my resolution bac…”

“Asagii!!!”

Daniela’s face was a tear-stained wreck as she wrapped her arms around me. I couldn’t see a thing as she covered me.

“Ah, I thought you were about to die…! Uuu…!”

“Daniela…”

She had cried so much on my behalf. I couldn’t help but feel happy. The trick was to hug girls at times like these. I say to myself, but my body does not move. The hit I had previously suffered still remained as damage.

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

“I will not say that you are stronger than me, but no one else has ever harmed me as much as you two have. It would be a waste to kill you.”

Beowulf had apparently been born within this forest territory. In some point in his long life, he had gone from being a forest wolf to a being Beowulf. He said that he did know the reason for this change… But regardless, not once in his long existence had he suffered so much as he had tonight.

“Not even when I fought against a wyvern. Well, they are the most simplistic creatures. Your attack was most surprising.”

“But this strategy could have been conceived by any human. There are many people in the world who are much stronger than me.”

“That may be so. But this place is all that I know. That is why I am considering going on a journey to train. I must search for one who is stronger than I.”

He said and then smiled. Somehow, that just made him even more frightening.

“Are you sure won’t kill me just to commemorate?”

“Do you want to die so much?”

“If you kill Asagi, I will kill you. Even if it is the last thing that I ever do.”

Daniela’s voice echoed in the quiet ruins.

“I enjoy living. Perhaps I’ve seen enough danger for one day.”

“Hmph…I do not know about that.”

Daniela glared hard at Beowulf, but then she took a step back when I tapped her on the shoulder.

“Well, if you say that you’re not going to kill me, I will gladly accept that. It would be very inconvenient for Daniela if I were to die here.”

“That is true.”

And so the battle with Beowulf ended. …at least, that seemed to be the case?

“Hahhh… I’m relieved, but so much more tired now.”

I exhaustedly looked up at the ceiling. It seemed that the previous blow from Beowulf had caused parts of the ceiling to collapse, letting the moonlight flood into the room. Perhaps the clouds had parted because the light seemed much brighter now.

Just then, a faint light shone through a fissure in the wall in the corner of the room. What was it? Was there a room on the other side? I leaned forward to get a closer look. Then Daniela raised her head.

“Asagi… What is it…?”

“…Look over there. There’s a light…”

“Hmm…so there is.”

We both look hard at the crack.

“Ah, I can break it down if you wish.”

Perhaps Beowulf was feeling considerate, he kicked a chunk of broken wall that was right next to my head with his leg. I hiss with surprise. I thought I was going to die.

The chunk of wall flies right into the fissure and with a thunderous crash, brings the wall to the ground. The once faint light combines with the light of the moon as it shines on us. My body was finally able to move again, and so I stood up to inspect what was on the other side.