The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"……"
"……"
Elfin and Finia are treating Iris.
I watch over the scene from a slight distance.
I wish I could help somehow…
But there’s nothing I can do.
All I can do is watch.
It’s frustrating.
I hate how powerless I am.
By the way, Sora and Luna were carried to another room by Tina.
It seems they were both at their limits and fell asleep almost immediately.
Tina is watching over them.
I truly… have nothing but gratitude.
For all the help they’ve given.
For how hard they’ve worked.
Once this is all over, I want to do something to show my appreciation.
But…
"M-Mother…"
"I know… This is…"
The expressions on their faces aren’t good.
It’s not that they’re feeling unwell.
It’s more like… they’re frustrated that things aren’t going as planned.
"Um… can I ask about the situation?"
I didn’t want to get in the way, so I stayed quiet until now…
But I’ve reached my limit, so I finally ask.
"Could it be… that you can’t heal her?"
"No, that’s not the case. If it’s me, I could bring someone back to life, even if they were dead. If too much time has passed after death, then even I would struggle, but… thanks to the spiritfolk’s efforts, there’s no issue in healing her at all. However…"
"T-This child… she… um… she seems to have lost the will to live…"
Finia says hesitantly.
"The will… to live?"
"How do I put it… It’s like… she’s thinking ‘It’s okay if I die now’ or something along those lines."
"Once someone starts thinking that way, they’re no different from the dead. Even if we heal them, if they have no will to live… it would be pointless."
"That can’t be…"
Not wanting to interfere with them, I move next to Iris and take her hand.
"Why…? You promised we’d talk again!"
I call out to her strongly…
But there is no response.
Her hand in mine only continues to grow colder.
――――――――――
"…Where… is this place?"
Before I knew it, I was standing in complete darkness.
No matter where I looked—right, left, up, down—everything was black.
It was as if I had sunk into the depths of a dark ocean, and I felt like my sense of balance was slipping away.
There I stood, absentmindedly, in that void.
"Um… No good. My memories are hazy, and I can’t remember anything."
Why am I here?
Even when I try to recall, my memories are fogged, and nothing comes to mind.
For now, I decide to walk forward in search of an exit.
Careful not to trip, I take slow steps forward.
However, the surrounding darkness remains unchanged.
Where am I walking?
Where am I trying to go?
I quickly lose track and start to feel slightly disoriented.
"…What’s the point of doing this?"
I stop in my tracks.
I thought about escaping—finding an exit from here.
But then…
What would I even do after escaping?
What is waiting for me beyond this place?
"There’s nothing waiting for me, is there…?"
My family… they’re all dead.
All my friends… gone.
My companions… killed.
I am alone.
Alone in this darkness…
"I lived with revenge as my only purpose… but now that I've given that up… what am I living for?"
A sudden question forms in my heart.
It grows larger and larger, gnawing at my soul.
Meeting Rain-sama made me abandon my revenge.
But… up until now, revenge was all I had.
I never thought about anything else.
So now… I’m empty.
There’s nothing left.
My hands hold nothing.
What am I supposed to do with this kind of existence?
Nothing… there’s nothing I can do.
Even when I reunited with Rain-sama and the others, I acted as if nothing had changed…
But the void inside me remained, clinging to my heart, binding my soul…
And even now, that hasn’t changed.
"What do I want to do? What… do I even want…?"
Saying it out loud only makes it feel more hollow.
It’s like a cold wind is blowing through the emptiness in my chest.
So cold…
"Maybe… it’s okay to end it now."
I lived only for revenge…
But now that purpose is gone…
And I’m left empty…
"Why am I even alive?"
As I question my own existence…
My consciousness begins to fade.
My thoughts scatter like fragments dissolving into the surrounding darkness.
"Yes… maybe it’s time to end it."
Someone like me continuing to live… serves no purpose.
There’s no meaning in it.
So, I’ll end it here.
With that decision, I gently close my eyes…
"IRIS!!!"
A sudden, loud voice rang out.
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