Part 1

I had expected to die full of regrets the moment Lord Stuart signaled one of the soldiers to cut off my neck.

In my supposed last moments, I burned Eulalia’s image into my mind, one last time before I had to depart from the world, only to have born witness to something unnatural.

She had used magic just now, the ability to create miracles.

The moment the sword was about to make contact with my neck, Eulalia’s eyes suddenly showed a reddish glow as she murmured something under her breath.

The blood she spilt on the floor floated up and quickly stopped the sword.

Klang*

A metallic sound rang through the room, stunning not just me but even Lord Stuart and all the soldiers who saw the blood.

The instant the sound died down, the blood that had protected me separated and turned into 20 floating swords.

Those swords then flew towards all of the people inside the room, stabbing them before they could react.

Even our Lord wasn’t spared from this fate.

“…!”

When I saw her falling down to the floor, my body quickly reacted, catching her.

Even when my mind was stunned from shock of the incident that had occurred in front of me, my body would still react and protect her.

Hehe… it really does seem like my feelings for her aren’t just superficial.

I would sometimes wonder when I started feeling like this and whenever I did it, my mind would just go around in circles.

“Are you okay, Eulalia?”

I tried asking her if she was okay, only to find out that she had lost consciousness.

Looking around her body, it seems like almost all of her injuries have vanished.

I let out a sigh of relief and place her hands on her stomach before I lifted her up and carried her like a princess.

“Eh?”

The moment my gaze fell on her abdomen, I discovered that the stab wound inflicted to her by our Lord didn’t close.

Blood was still dripping out of the wound and on further observation, the color of her skin was getting paler and paler.

“Milor—Kyaaaaa!!!”

As I was about to start treating Eulalia’s wound, I suddenly heard a high pitched scream.

Turning my gaze towards the source, I found a woman with hazelnut colored hair that reached up to her shoulders.

She had sharp upturned eyes and wore the same clothes as Eulalia.

The face she was making was one of fear and anger.

Thinking that it would be dangerous to stay here any longer, I ran towards the door and increased my speed when I reached the hallways.

I looked outside for a moment and saw that one of the barriers had been befallen by an uncountable number of cracks.

Though I don’t really know how magic works, seeing those cracks gave me a very bad premonition.

“Have they begun their siege?! Shit!”

I continued running along the hallway and down a flight of stairs as I carried Eulalia.

Avoiding panicked maids, scrambling soldiers and other obstacles, I increased my speed whenever I took a quick look at Eulalia’s worsening condition.

I decided to leave through the kitchen because I thought I wouldn’t encounter soldiers there, because it was located in the back.

What I saw the moment I ran out of the door, was a long file of soldiers guarding the entrance.

At first I decided to stop and wait for them to leave, but because I couldn’t stay here any longer thanks to the risk of the maid reporting what happened with the Lord to others, I decided to just run through them.

“What!?”

“Where are you going!?”

Ignoring the shouts of the soldiers, I dashed through their lines, moving between their gaps and escaping their capture.

When I saw a soldier unsheathing his sword and making a stance to stop me, I resolved myself to continue my sprint.

Slamming my back against the soldier to protect Eulalia, his body became a makeshift ram and busted the wooden door in the castle walls open.

“Great!”

Even with all my training and skills, busting a door open like that was something that was normally impossible for me.

But because my mind was filled with nothing but escaping from this castle, my common sense was turned off and a rush of adrenaline circulated within my body.

I continued to run even when I was outside the castle.

When I decided to stop running, I was already quite a long distance away from the castle and was now overlooking it from the top of a hill.

The place where we were staying was still dangerous because of the risk of getting caught up in the crossfire was high, but because I was getting tired, I decided to stop for a moment before continuing my escape.

I placed Eulalia under the shade of a nearby tree and started thinking what to do.

“Her bleeding still hasn’t stopped! Lord Stuart said that any wound inflicted to her would heal! Then why hasn’t this wound healed!”

I realized that I didn’t know how to treat a wound to the stomach.

We were instead trained on how to reduce the pain we experience once we’re pierced and fight till the end.

Normally when in a battle, once a soldier was inflicted with a fatal wound like the one Eulalia has, he would be abandoned and left to die, but I could never do that to her.

“… a…”

As I was panicking, I noticed her mouth twitching.

It looked like she was trying to tell me something so I tried placing my ear near her mouth.

Suddenly, I was pulled by Eulalia’s hand and a painful stimulus was felt from my neck.

Gulp* Gulp* Gulp*

The sound of someone swallowing a liquid was heard.

I tried to remove Eulalia from me but I couldn’t do it because she was already hurt, if I were to push her away from me, her injury may become more severe.

She continued to drink my blood for a while and stopped only when I was starting to feel dizzy.

She then fell towards my chest and the rhythmical sound of peaceful sleeping entered my ears.

I slowly placed her on the ground and checked if she was still bleeding.

“Haaa~ Thank goodness, it stopped… even the color of her skin went back to normal. Did she recover because she drank my blood?”

As I said that, I placed my hand on top of my nape where bit me and strangely there was no wound on my neck.

I only felt a slight dizziness and weakness which acted as proof that I was suffering from blood loss.

I slowly sat on a tree and guarded her as she slept.

Part 2

I woke up and felt the itchy feeling that grass would make when your skin is touching it.

Opening my eyes, I discovered that I wasn’t inside the castle nor was I inside the dungeon.

Instead, the place I woke up in was the forest behind the castle.

Surveying my surroundings, I discovered that it was already night and that Keith was sleeping on a tree.

I stood up from where I slept and walked towards him.

Brushing his bangs aside, I saw him blissfully sleeping.

“Now that I think about it… how did we end up outside? The last thing I remember was that Keith was gonna die… then… what? Did he overpower the people who held him down and escape?”

Concluding that that was what had happened, I began to focus my thoughts on assessing my body.

Hiding behind a tree, I took off my clothes and started examining myself.

“There are no wounds on my arms and legs. Even the stab wound I had was healed… am I really a monster?”

Thinking about what the Lord said, I started getting suspicious about my own identity.

“(I remember how I lived in my previous life… no matter how bad my injuries are… they would heal by themselves…) It does seem that I truly am a monster… hehe, I don’t even know if I should be happy learning about this.”

I raised my head and looked at the moon that hung in the night sky.

On my right, there was a faint glow of orange that shone brightly.

“It seems like the siege hasn’t ended yet… I wonder if they can hold it.”

Rustle* Rustle*

I heard the sound of rustling leaves behind me, so I turned my gaze towards it and found Keith stepping out through the bushes.

“... Eulalia are you oka-- wahhh! Why are you naked!?”

Keith covered his eyes and turned his back to me.

I looked down on my body and discovered that I still hadn’t dressed myself.

“(I had the memories of a man in my previous life, so I wasn’t that embarrassed when saw me naked… but it’s not like not I can tell him that.) Sorry! I’ll put on some clothes!”

I started putting on the clothes I hanged on the branches.

“I’m done, you can look again.”

With sluggish movements, he turned his body and faced me.

“Are you really okay? You’re not in pain anymore? Are there any problems with your body?”

He rapidly started asking me lots of questions with a panicked expression.

It looked like he really worried about me, making me smile inwardly.

“I’m okay… I’m not in pain and I’m not having any immediate problems.”

I showed him my arm which was wounded by Lord Stuart’s sword while I had been caught.

While I was talking, I also decided to tell him some of my thoughts.

“It was your fault that I was caught, we would’ve escaped more smoothly if you didn’t let the blood rush to your head.”

“... I’m sorry.”

Now that we were safe, my anger towards his rash behavior was the first thing I could think of.

But the moment I saw his sad expression, all that anger was blown away.

“It’s good that you're reflecting on it. (I’m really soft to him, huh.)”

I thought that maybe it would be for the better if we went our separate ways.

Even though he said that he’d be my ally even if the world becomes my enemy, I’m pretty sure he’d feel uncomfortable if he had to stay close to a monster like me.

Thinking about the prospect of never seeing him again made me want to cry, so I turned my back to him.

“... Keith.”

“Yes?”

“I think it’s better if we split up… you don’t like staying with a monster like me, right?”

Thud*

The instant I spoke those words, a loud sound was heard behind me.

“What!? Who told you that!?”

“No one did… I just feel that that’d be the case if you continued to stay with me.”

“Didn’t I tell you that even if the world becomes my enemy, I’d still be your ally!? You don’t believe me!?”

I hugged my shoulders and shook my head.

“I believe you… I was actually happy when you said that to me.”

The moment I said those words, silence ruled the atmosphere between us.

A breeze swept through the grass creating a rustling sound around us.

The moment it died down, Keith broke the silence.

“Then are you saying you don’t like me?”

“Of course I do!”

Feeling angry at his conclusion, I turned my face to him.

When my eyes met his, a shocked expression could be seen on his face.

“(Ah, I let him see my crying face.)”

Because I was a bullied child in my previous life, I disliked being seen by others when I cry, as it felt like showing weakness.

Even though I had painful experiences in the past, he was the first person, besides my family in my previous life, who saw me while crying.

I felt awkward so I started walking away from him.

After walking for maybe five steps, a hand suddenly grasped my right arm.

I didn’t need to look to know who grabbed me, so I didn’t face the culprit when I sternly told him to let go.

“No, do you think I’d let you go alone and live the rest of my life in comfort while you're miserable somewhere?”

“It’s for the better! We’re still young, so it’s natural that you think impulsively like that, but would you think the same 5 years later? 10 years later?”

He strengthened his grip and shouted, “I’m not being impulsive! I’d still stand by my promise, no matter how many years will pass!”

“You’re just saying that!”

“Then how can I prove to you that I’m not lying!?”

As he said that, I stopped struggling against his grip and started thinking.

The image of a story I once read in my previous life went through my mind and without thinking it through, I told him to copy it.

“... then kneel down before me and kiss the back of my hand. Then make an everlasting oath with the moon and the stars as the witness.”

Without missing a beat, he quickly walked in front of me and did what I told him to.

“I swear upon the moonlight that I will forever stay besides you and the moment you die will also be the moment I die.”

As if it was prearranged, the moonlight shone only on us while darkness covered our surroundings.

His appearance became clear and I saw him make a serious expression as he stood in front of me. When I saw him make such a face it felt a bit unfair, because I felt really embarrassed by what he just did.

I also felt really awkward and confused as to why I asked him to do that.

But because he was so serious when he made that exaggerated oath, I didn’t move my face away from him and smiled awkwardly.

“We won’t know if that’d truly happen though.”

“No, it will. I’ll make what I swore a reality”

Part 3

The castle walls were crumbling outside and fire burnt everything they protected.

Shouts and screams of men reverberated in the atmosphere around me

I sat in front of the room where the dead body of my life’s benefactor lay.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but I didn’t stop staring at it.

This man was the person who saved me from the slums.

He accepted me into his castle and made me into a servant who worked for him.

There were also others like me when we arrived.

Ever since I became his servant, my life had become really happy.

I was told by the other servants that he was a very noble person.

He was kind to those under his rule and helped those who were in need.

I also believed that what they said was true because I was one of those whom he helped.

My days passed blissfully like this and I sincerely hoped that it would continue.

But life isn’t always that easy.

One day when I was told to call our Lord to the front lines of the castle to defend it, a horrific scene lay before my eyes.

I became paralyzed, I swam my eyes around the room and saw a boy with blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes hugging an unconscious silver-haired girl.

Seeing that silver-hair, I quickly realize who the murderer was.

That girl was the one who was frequently talked about by my co-workers.

Like how she embarrassed the Lord at the time when she was hired.

She was even seen staring at him with hostility.

I wanted to scream for help but my voice wouldn’t come out from my mouth.

I only sat in front of the room and saw the boy carry the girl in his arms.

He quickly sprinted out of the room and through the hallways.

A few seconds later, his silhouette disappeared from my view.

Since then, I only sat here, staring at my Lord’s dead body.

Our sSoldiers ignored my existence and continued to run behind me.

Even the enemy soldiers were the same.

A day has passed and the castle has fallen to the enemies’ hand.

I was led around by a stranger and along with the other maids, we were gathered in the courtyard.

A bit further from us, I saw a burning mountain of dead bodies that were piled on top of one another.

“These are all the civilians that remained?”

“Yes sir!”

A man with pink hair, who was riding a horse stopped in front of us.

He wore expensive clothing and had several medals dangling on his chest.

I thought that this person surely was the leader of this army.

He got off his horse and circled around us, inspecting us.

The moment I met his eyes, he started shouting to a nearby soldier.

“Set them free! We’re not like those barbaric nobles of Celestine who’d plunder our women the moment they capture our city!”

“As you command.”

By his words, the soldiers that rounded us up reluctantly let us go.

The others bewilderedly started walking towards the gate but I only stood in place.

I didn’t avert my eyes from him and neither did he.

“Kid, you have the eyes that seemed to have lost the meaning of their existence.”

As he continued to stare at me, his eyes suddenly widened.

Even though he made such a reaction, I was still unmoved and just silently stared at him.

“...”

“I don’t know what this place meant to you, but because I was the one who took this place from you, feel free to exact your revenge on me. I’ll always be ready anytime. Just be sure that you're also ready to die by then”

The man then presented me with a sword when he finished talking.

“(Revenge? That’s right… that girl took the life of my benefactor, so it should be alright to also do that to her… this person in front of me didn’t take away this place, it was her. She deserves to die for what she did!) … no.”

Though I said no, I accepted the presented sword and followed the other servants who were walking towards the gate.

“Sir… is it alright to just give her that sword?”

“Because of today, she has become an avenger. I was sure that the target of her revenge was me, so I presented her with a sword to fight me, but it seems that I’m wrong.”

“What do you mean, sir.”

“Her target is someone else… that’s why she only took the sword and walked away.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m afraid that the person who’s become her target won’t experience a peaceful death… I just hope that her target isn’t one of us.”

****

Sorry, no sudden plot twists~

Yawn~ Good night