Chapter 35 – If I Have Any Regrets
“Be quiet for a while.”
Rick’s voice was sharp and impatient when he said that to me after I kept asking questions.
Well…
That was strange.
His tone had suddenly changed.
Normally, he spoke politely and kindly, but now he sounded rough—almost aggressive.
What’s gotten into him?
“Ah, we’re here. This is the place.”
“?”
He finally stopped the horse—in front of a cave deep inside the forest.
“This doesn’t look like the lord’s mansion at all.”
Could it be that Leo-san and the others were meeting the lord here in the forest?
“Hah? Are you still saying that? You’ve realized by now, haven’t you? I never intended to go to them.”
“Eh…?”
Before I could even process what he said, Rick suddenly picked me up from the horse with ease.
His arms were strong and steady, but… it didn’t make my heart flutter like when Leo-san carried me.
“Hey, Sibel-chan, are you the Saint?”
“What?”
As soon as he set me down, he asked me that—completely out of nowhere.
“No, I’m not. My sister is the Saint.”
“Yeah, but that sister of yours never uses her powers, and she’s even refused her royal training. Marx is losing his mind over it.”
“Oh my…”
“And on top of that, monsters have started appearing in the capital. But meanwhile, not a single attack has been reported here in Tory. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“I… wouldn’t know anything about that…”
Monsters in the capital!?
Are Annika and everyone in town all right!?
“So, Marx got worried that maybe you are the real Saint. That’s why he sent me here. He and I grew up together, but you don’t know my face.”
“Oh my… I see.”
So that’s what this was about.
Well, thank you for your trouble, but really—I’m not the Saint.
Still, why bring me all the way out here for this conversation?
Maybe he didn’t want anyone else to overhear.
“I’ve been watching you for a few days now… It’s hard to tell. Some people say that eating your cooking makes them feel stronger—but you haven’t done anything particularly Saint-like.”
“I see…”
“So I figured, let’s just find out the easy way.”
“Find out…?”
Before I could ask what he meant, Rick suddenly turned toward the cave and shot a fireball inside.
Wow… magic!
For a moment, I was amazed—until a horrible feeling washed over me.
Wait. There’s something inside.
There are monsters.
“Now, let’s see your Saint’s power.”
“Rick-san, I told you—I’m not the Saint!”
A deep growl echoed, and from the darkness emerged a massive black wolf.
It was definitely angry.
Of course it was! He’d just set fire to its den!
“Rick-san, let’s run away!”
“No, you’re the Saint—use your powers!”
“Please don’t say impossible things! I don’t have any powers!”
“What!?”
More wolves poured out of the cave—one after another.
They were all furious—
fur bristling, teeth bared, claws extended, growling low and deep.
“GRAAAHHH!!”
The roar shook my chest.
“Damn it, so you are a fake Saint!”
“I told you I was!”
Rick raised his hand and fired another fireball at one of the wolves that lunged at us.
But there were still so many—too many!
They just kept coming.
“If I’d known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have bothered with this stupid plan!”
“I told you not to do this in the first place!”
Rick moved in front of me, fighting off the wolves with both fire and sword.
He was protecting me—but there were too many of them!
“Achoo!”
“What, seriously? You’re sneezing right now? You’re awfully calm for a fake Saint!”
“N-no! I think I caught a little cold…”
“What!? Don’t tell me your power’s weakened because of that!”
“I told you, I don’t have any powers!!”
I really didn’t understand any of this.
I didn’t know if I was a Saint, or if I even had any power at all.
But one thing was clear—this situation was bad.
Rick was barely holding them off.
If they attacked from multiple sides, we’d be done for!
“Damn it—there are more than I thought!”
“Rick-san! To your right!!”
“—Tch!”
He blasted one with fire in his left hand and swung his sword with his right.
It was an impressive sight—but I didn’t have time to admire him.
“—Sibel!!”
“!!”
The moment I’d gotten a little too far from Rick, one of the wolves noticed—and pounced straight at me.
…Is this how I die?
Well… I guess it was a good life.
A bit of a mess in the middle, sure,
but at least it ended with me living in the knights’ dorm, surrounded by wonderful people.
I could die peacefully now—
Ah… though if I could ask for one last thing,
I wish I could’ve pressed my cheek against Leo-san’s chest muscles just once…
That’s my only regret…
Even as that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, I felt strangely calm.
And then—something flew past me, striking the wolf that was about to attack.
“…Eh?”
“Sibel-chan!!”
“Leo…san?”
A knife had pierced the wolf’s stomach—
and behind it, I saw Leo-san and Mirko-san.
The moment I realized it was them—
my vision went black, and I lost consciousness.
