ragginovel Chapter 117: If I Embrace You Now (1)
Chapter 117: If I Embrace You Now (1)
Chapter 117: If I Embrace You Now (1)
Breaking the silence of the festival, I addressed the members.
Everyone, get ready. We have an urgent request.
Realizing the seriousness in my unsmiling face, everyone understood this was no joke.
After a brief silence, all the members nodded and began to prepare quickly. It didnt take them long.
They were all elite members, each with exceptional expertise.
Only Baran came rushing to me to ask about the situation.
Vice-captain, whats happening?
...
In a moment of hesitation, Gale spoke up from beside me.
We need to help the hero party. Theyre in trouble. Just need to go to the Jackson familys territory nearby... the sooner, the better.
Hearing the mention of the hero party, some members slowed their movements.
They looked back and forth between me and Gale.
Baran, representing the members confusion, then asked,
The hero party?
...
I nodded briefly.
You mean were going to assist such high-profile figures?
I nodded again.
Yes. But no one knows what the enemy is or what well be up against. So, everyone must be prepared.
Vice-captain, didnt you discuss this with the Captain-
-I already got a similar message from Hyung. Hes vaguely aware of the issue too.
Hearing this, Baran finally nodded.
Well, your word is as good as the Captains.
Baran then turned to start his preparations.
A moment passed.
The members finish their preparations for departure.
Gale, after sending a few letters, borrows a horse from the village chief and approaches us.
Also, Arwin brought Ner, who had been staying somewhere in the village.
Confusion filled Ners expression.
Berg...how is this possible...
Ner, dressed as finely as Arwin, revealed her anticipation for the festival.
This only intensifies my feelings of guilt and a similar sense of remorse.
...Perhaps even more so because of the uncertain future that lies ahead.
...We have to go, Ner.
I said,
If I had a choice, I wouldnt go.
If the hero party was in a situation where they could receive help from others... I probably wouldnt have gone.
At this moment, when the seemingly strong relationships with my wives were starting to creak and groan from within...
...the intrusion of someone else could be fatal.
The feelings I intended to give might not be given at all.
There couldnt be a more inappropriate time than now.
But there was no real choice.
Arwins acquaintance, Sylphrien, had sent an urgent letter, which Gale had received.
If we didnt go, the outcome was uncertain.
Ill explain on the way. Lets mount the horses.
I briefly considered leaving my wives here... but that just didnt seem right.
The first problem was their safety, and the second was the issue of waiting.
We couldnt know how long it would take for us to return.
In that case, it was better for the two to wait within the Jackson familys territory.
Besides, after the matter was resolved, Adam Hyung would also come to Jackson village.
It was out of the question to leave my wives in this village in such circumstances.
...Yet, undoubtedly, while heading to help the hero party, the two would start to fall behind.
Then, it would be clear that we had to move ahead, leaving behind Burns or another Head Hunter unit member for escort.
...
Ner looked at me and then nodded.
In the midst of confusion, she still followed me.
I felt both sorry and grateful for her response.
I then mounted my horse as well.
The dwarf villagers who came out to watch us murmured at the sight.
But I had no time to pay attention to them.
Having made the decision, the matter was urgent.
Lets go.
At those words, Baran shouted,
Depart!
And with explosive speed, we began heading towards the Jackson familys territory.
I could see Arwin and Ner struggling to keep up with our pace by my side.
Though their struggle made me uneasy, I couldnt afford to slow down.
This was a moment I had vaguely anticipated would come someday.
For some reason, I was certain that a day like this would arrive, even without any solid basis.
But I never imagined it would be today, or unfold in this way.
I thought there might come a time when I would only see her from afar.
Wasnt she the one who said she would live well as a saint?
I thought I would reminisce about distant memories while watching her, now a hero, amidst cheering crowds.
But things turned out this way.
Here I was, rushing to her again.
My heart was beating faster than ever before.
A mix of anxiety and indescribable feelings was stirring in my chest.
What would I see?
What would we talk about? Or, would we even be able to have a conversation?
How much had she changed? What would she say upon seeing me, now a mercenary?
Endless questions swirled inside me.
-Rumble...
To make matters worse, the sky started to darken.
-Drip... Drip-drip...
Soon, it even began to rain.
...It was a day where nothing seemed right.
****
The battle had stretched on for two days since yesterday.
Not a single moment of rest was available.
The relentless rain, starting at some point, kept chilling everyones bodies.
...I dont... want this...
She whispered.
It was too unfair not to experience such happiness with Berg.
She had lived this way, dreaming of such a future.
She had sacrificed herself to live worry-free with him.
I dont want this... I dont want it...!
As if complaining to the absent Berg, she continued to speak.
Then, she took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
Whispering to the sky amidst the rain,
...Hea... I resent you, Hea...!
She said, holding back her tears.
Just once... it would have been okay to give me happiness...
Her hands werent clasped in prayer, but rather gathered as if begging for mercy.
Rubbing her hands together, she wished,
...I tried... Just once... Please...
But the sky remained silent, offering no answer.
Cough!!
Acran!
Sylphrien shot an arrow at a monster pushing Acran back.
Hearing the sounds of her comrades dying, the saintess roughly wiped her tears.
-Swish, swish.
Gathering strength in her hands, she poured all her might.
Drawing out all the remaining strength in her body, she performed a miracle.
The light brightened again.
Prin, who had fallen, staggered to his feet, energized by her power.
...Hic... Everyone... gather your strength...!
The saintess, who had lost all hope for herself, called out.
Soldiers thought to be dead rose like corpses at her words.
Acran shook off the monster, and Felix pushed them back again.
Just when a glimmer of hope seemed to return, another monster lunged through the widened gap in the encirclement.
This time, even Sylphrien had no time to react.
-Thump!
A large dog-like monster struck the saintess.
Ah...!
-Splash!
Saintess-nim!
Having exhausted all her strength performing the miracle, the saintess collapsed into a mud puddle.
Sylphrien hunted down the monster too late... the saintess had no more strength left.
She tried to move her arms, but they wouldnt respond.
She tried to lift her head out of the mud puddle, but couldnt.
The miracle she had been performing again lost its light.
The soldiers, who had regained strength, were pushed back once more.
The end felt real.
Lying down like this was more comfortable than standing up.
At the same time, the saintess ears began to dull.
Her head throbbed.
The sounds of the fierce battle gradually left her.
Her vision narrowed.
Only the sound of her breathing grew louder.
Losing consciousness... she tried to utter her last words.
And the words she wanted to say were just one.
The name she could never forget.
...
...But her lips wouldnt open.
She couldnt whisper that name.
She lacked even the strength to do that.
-.....Woo-woo-woo......Woooooo...
In her fading consciousness, a sound akin to a trumpets call resonated.
With that sound, her body, which had been growing cold, began to regain warmth.
Blinking her eyes open once again, she saw the encircling monsters had been pushed back, opening up the space around them.
But no monster poured through the gap.
Instead... someone approached with a confident stride, slowly walking towards them.
In the dim, rainy world, a man shone like a solitary light.
...Ah.
Was this a dream?
Or was she seeing illusions?
Or had she met death?
Could the trumpet sound she heard earlier have been a celestial instrument?
A man who should not be there was walking towards her.
The man she had longed to see was approaching with a smile.
He had always appeared in moments of danger.
He opened his arms, inviting her to embrace him as he always did.
...Bell.
She whispered that sweet and bitter name to herself...
With a smile on her lips, and tears in her eyes.
At the same time, her consciousness began to fade.
Perhaps it was a blessing.
That she couldnt move.
If she could, she would have run to that illusion and embraced it.
And that would surely have been problematic.
...I.
There was only one reason.
The Demon King was still alive, but she had become far too weak.
...If I embrace you now...
Sien closed her eyes.
She couldnt keep them open.
His image fades away.
...I dont think I can go on.
The End of The Chapter
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