How to Cross the Desert (8)
Loner.
The girl always thought she belonged in that category.
She hadn't received any love in her life, wandering a lonely path, her fate adrift.
Perhaps she was merely a vessel for sorrow.
"Don't call me mother."
"It's disgusting."
"You ruined my life!"
"Get out! Don't get in my way!"
Her mother abused her every time, tears streaming down her face.
Cornered and kicked, Regia slowly began to understand her world.
There was never a home for her to begin with.
"I-I'm sorry... Mother."
"I did wrong. Please, don't cry..."
Perhaps it was due to her inherently pure nature.
The girl couldn't hate anyone.
Even as she watched her mother sobbing, she could only repeat apologies, as if she were the sinner.
The protagonist of this world grew up in such a miserable environment.
As time passed, Regia shrank.
She lost her original innocence and became a mute, struggling even with basic communication.
She was the product of vile adults.
"Why...?"
When she was old enough, the girl's mother died in an accident.
She was drunk and got hit by a carriage.
It was a meaningless death.
Since there was no such thing as a father from the beginning, the girl instantly became an orphan.
Regia had to escape the slums to survive.
"W-Where should I go...?"
She walked aimlessly.
Perhaps it was due to the trauma of her childhood.
The girl became afraid of people.
As a result, even while traveling across the continent, she lived a nomadic life, avoiding populated areas as much as possible.
She ran and ran, afraid to break out of her shell.
Loneliness was an unbreakable truth for the girl.
Tears would flow as she walked under the cold night sky.
It felt as if she was living as an eternal outsider.
Every time, she thought to herself.
Maybe what her mother said was right.
"A useless girl like you... should never have been born in the first place."
Those words still squeezed her heart.
Her very existence had been denied by the one who brought her into this world.
The protagonist's melancholy deepened.
Recurring sorrow, doubt, loneliness.
Just as she was about to close her heart to the world, the umbrella someone had held over her caught her sleeve.
A gentle voice resonated.
"There you are, Miss Regia."
Half-closed eyes with deep blonde hair.
Someone had finally stepped into her lonely world.
From then on, the Snake consistently stayed by the girl's side.
He patted her back when she was sad, clapped with her when she was happy, and stroked her hair when she was tired.
It was an endlessly warm comfort.
"Because we are friends."
The boy didn't want anything from Regia.
He simply helped her time and time again.
It was truly blind devotion.
Gradually, the girl's winter began to melt away.
"I'm sure you can do it."
"Miss Regia, you will become a star that shines brighter than anyone else."
What was the reason?
Why would someone as amazing as you cherish someone as insignificant as her?
Why did you always smile at her with such affectionate eyes?
"It's a secret."
When she asked, all she got was a mischievous smile.
Her heart felt constricted by that response, but at the same time, she thought, 'That's just like you.'
'...I want to be helpful too.'
She wanted to protect you.
She wanted to repay your unconditional devotion, trust, and expectations.
She didn't want to lose the light she had found for the first time.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-.
Her heart raced.
The youthful throbbing gently stained the girl.
She opened her closed eyes.
"...."
The quiet dawn.
In front of her, tens of thousands of scorpions bared their teeth.
It was a horrifying sight.
Screech-!
Crackle!
Kwaaak!!
The monsters seemed close enough to touch.
Normally, Regia would have burst into tears, but this time, she calmly held her gaze.
The morning star twinkled beyond her clear pupils.
'This feels strange.'
The world seemed to slow down.
As if time itself had stopped.
At the same time, she felt a tingling sensation.
A faint light swirled around her fingertips.
A warm heat rose from her chest.
What melted the fear that had frozen her inner self was none other than the emotion called 'courage.'
For the first time, her body didn't tremble.
"If you're scared, hold my hand."
"No matter what happens, I won't let go of Miss Regia."
A gentle voice whispered in her ear.
She looked down and saw the boy's hand, truly holding hers.
An intense feeling of fulfillment washed over her.
'I think I can do it.'
The girl focused her mind.
The enormous wall in her heart.
The obstacle that had brought her down countless times, she felt like she could overcome it now.
Regia squeezed the hand she was holding.
'I'm not scared.'
She muttered as if casting a spell on herself.
The warmth of his hand on her back.
The girl savored it quietly.
If she could safely get through this pitch-black dawn, she wanted to have her head stroked by this hand once more.
With that silly wish in mind, she parted her lips.
"Lend me your strength."
She called out.
To the familiar who had always been waiting for the protagonist's awakening, anticipating its appearance.
Regia calmly uttered its name.
"Ephri."
Immediately.
A blinding white flash engulfed the area.
Flames illuminating the pitch-black night sky.
The silhouette that brilliantly illuminated the surroundings was none other than a pair of magnificently flapping wings.
A loud roar echoed.
Kwoooh-!
Ephri soared majestically through the sky.
Only after seeing that scene could Regia finally release the tears she had been holding back.
Tears gushed out.
"Miss Regia."
Someone caught her collapsing body.
As she blinked her eyes with difficulty, the blonde-haired boy came into view.
Relief washed over her.
The girl caught her breath and muttered.
"I-I finally... did it."
She had finally overcome the wall.
***
The protagonist's unexpected awakening.
After the wyvern's appearance, the tide of the battle turned in an instant.
Kwaaah-!
A single breath annihilated the surroundings.
The scorpions, which had covered the golden desert in black, were swept away by the raging flames.
It was a truly overwhelming sight.
The dawn, once shrouded in darkness.
The white flash completely dispelled the darkness that had covered the world.
As if to leave not a trace of despair, flames erupted from its massive maw again and again.
The waves of monsters crumbled into mere ashes.
Even amidst all this, not a single spark flew towards our side.
It demonstrated not only overwhelming offensive power that could cover the earth, but also the ability for fine control.
It was truly worthy of being called the strongest familiar without a doubt.
"Amazing."
A quiet exclamation escaped my lips.
I stared blankly at the brilliantly colored light.
So this is how powerful a familiar can be.
I had a vague idea, but seeing it with my own eyes made me gasp in admiration.
It had only been about 10 minutes.
While we took a moment to catch our breath, it had slaughtered all the scorpions crawling in the desert.
It felt like an excavator digging up an anthill.
Well.
Every living creature has its own 'class.'
Among them, Regia's familiar, [Ephri], was a creature that far surpassed the ordinary level.
Even Judas in the original story had described its flames as dangerous.
'Of course, he made it disappear with a snap of his fingers.'
I shook off the random thoughts that came to mind.
As I remained silent, Regia, who was nestled in my arms, stirred.
"Y-Young Master... how are things going?"
"It's almost over."
Her green eyes were unfocused.
Only her consciousness barely remained.
The girl leaned her head against my chest, clinging to me as if entrusting her body.
Her ragged breathing had now calmed down.
"I, I did it... I was scared, but I overcame it."
"You did a great job, Miss Regia."
"I wanted to be of help to you, Young Master, even just once."
"Thanks to you, we all survived."
"He, hehe... Please stroke my head a little more."
Pat, pat.
Regia melted under the gentle touch.
As if this moment was blissful, a pure smile spread across her lips.
It seemed her hazy consciousness had loosened her up.
"Hehe."
As I enjoyed the protagonist's rare state, someone with weary steps approached us.
It was the old man, holding a broken crossbow.
"Youngsters."
"Elder."
"Chuckle... I never thought I'd see your faces alive again."
"It truly is a miracle."
"I thought it was really the end this time."
The old man smiled faintly.
His aged eyes fell silent for a moment, then gazed towards the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise.
Dawn was breaking over the desert.
"I thought I wouldn't see the sun today... Life is truly unpredictable."
The desert gradually brightened.
The fierce final assault seemed to be coming to an end.
Ephri trampled the last remaining scorpions and leisurely approached us.
It seemed to be coming to check on its master's condition.
Just as everything seemed to be wrapping up.
"Cough, cough...!"
Suddenly, the old man standing next to us coughed.
He clutched his chest as if in pain, and soon, dark red blood splattered onto the ground.
I had witnessed this sight several times before.
But this time, his condition seemed particularly bad.
"Are you alright?"
"Gasp, gasp... Don't worry about me."
The old man waved his hand dismissively.
He wiped the blood from his lips and then smiled brightly.
His voice was devoid of any tremor.
"We're finally close to our destination."
"..."
"Let's take a short rest and move as soon as we've recovered somewhat."
The old man seemed calmer than ever.
***
The battle concluded at dawn.
It wasn't until half a day later that we were able to resume our journey.
It was because of the final wave that had lasted throughout the night.
We walked on, our backs to the reddening sunset.
Step, step.
Footprints etched behind us as we trod on the sand.
The Snake, the pilot, and the old man... The three of them walked the final path towards their destination.
Even then, the coughing didn't stop.
"Cough, cough...!"
"E-Elder!"
The old man's condition worsened.
He coughed up bright red blood every time.
But there was nothing we could do.
We could only support his staggering legs and keep moving.
Despite looking almost like a corpse, the old man was grinning cheerfully for some reason.
He seemed to be anticipating the reunion that was about to come.
"When I was young, Rosalyn and I used to play on the hills..."
The old man occasionally told us stories from his past.
Most of them were about the girl.
Even though he had lived for 65 years.
All he talked about were the 15 years he spent with her in his hometown.
We listened quietly.
"When we cooked together, the kitchen would always be a mess."
Innocent stories.
We sometimes read books with the two of them in our memories, learned clumsy magic, and watched them run around in the forest.
Lying side by side on the highest hill in the village.
They would spend the night counting the stars in the night sky one by one.
That was all there was to the life the old man loved.
"My parents always... whenever they saw us..."
Thanks to that, there was no time to be bored.
The desert gradually deepened.
The closer we got to our destination, the stranger the surrounding scenery became.
We only noticed it after some time had passed.
"This is...?"
"Hmm."
At first, it was just strange fragments scattered on the ground.
Like Regia had mentioned before, we could see remnants of buildings buried in the sand.
But such scenes became increasingly blatant.
A church cross protruding from the ground.
Windmills standing half-destroyed.
Buildings that looked as if people had once lived there.
""...""
We were no longer in a desert.
We were simply walking through the middle of a tragically ruined city.
As we traversed the ruins swallowed by the sand, Regia, who had been cautiously observing the surroundings, suddenly asked a question.
"Y-Young Master... Are we on the right track?"
"The Elder knows the way."
"No matter how I look at it, this isn't a normal desert. It's like a city where people used to live."
"It's certainly strange. I wonder how it ended up in such a terrible state."
"...It's a little scary."
We exchanged hushed words.
The old man hadn't spoken for a while.
He was just silently leading the way.
He would occasionally glance around and flinch, but even that was only for a fleeting moment.
We followed him with questions in our minds.
It was nighttime now.
The starlight faded as dawn approached.
As we rubbed our tired eyes and took one step at a time through the dark streets.
The old man finally stopped.
"..."
It seemed we had arrived.
We stood on a sand-covered hill, some distance away from the village.
Regia, who was beside me, asked.
"Elder?"
"..."
"Are you feeling unwell again? I-If so, it might be good to take a short rest."
"..."
"E-Elder...?"
No response.
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
After a moment of meaningful silence, the old man finally spoke.
"...We've arrived."
"Y-Yes?"
Regia was puzzled by his sudden words.
However, even with that reaction, the old man simply pointed to something in front of him with a calm gesture.
There stood a lone, humble tombstone.
An old tombstone bearing the marks of time.
Part of it was covered in sand, but fortunately, it didn't seem to be broken.
We stared blankly at the words engraved on the tombstone.
And then.
[Rosalyn Meriar, sleeps here.]
We discovered the shocking sentence.
Stunned into silence, we soon turned our gaze back to the old man.
"You all look surprised."
The old man was wearing a bitter smile.
As if he had known all along, he simply gently caressed the tombstone in front of him.
His aged voice spoke.
"I'll explain. What happened in this desert."
His clear pupils shone calmly.
**(To be continued)**
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