68 – Agilrem (3)
“……”
The one who opened the door stood there, gazing this way while standing at the door.
Due to the dim light, everything wasn’t clearly visible, but judging by the figure, it seemed to be a woman.
Normally, I could have seen through this level of darkness, but my eyes hadn’t fully recovered, and I couldn’t use magic, so I could hardly recognize the face.
“You’re awake.”
However, she seemed to notice that I had opened my eyes.
“Who are you?”
It was a voice I hadn’t heard before.
The physique was unfamiliar as well.
Considering the situation, it seemed clear that she had helped me, but no matter how I looked at it, she wasn’t someone I knew.
Then why did she help me?
Such questions arose in my mind.
But with so much still unknown, it was too early to voice such questions.
I was still in a state where I hadn’t properly grasped the situation.
From Noble mtl dot com
As I was organizing my thoughts, the woman entered the room.
Then she came to the bedside and looked down at me.
Only then could I clearly see the woman’s face.
What can I say about her expression?
“…It’s ordinary.”
Yes, it was ordinary.
To the extent that there was nothing more to say beyond that, it wasn’t particularly outstanding or lacking in any way.
However.
“Too… ordinary.”
I felt a sense of unease from that face.
Even though it was ordinary, it was too ordinary.
The eyes, the nose, the mouth, every part that made up the face was ordinary.
At first glance, it may seem like an ordinary thing, but it was by no means ordinary.
A person’s impression is determined by quite complex elements.
Even for beautiful or handsome people, if you dissect each feature, hardly anyone is truly perfect.
Conversely, the same goes for ordinary people.
It is rare to find a case where all facial features are not excessively ordinary.
Generally, an impression of ordinariness is created because there is some flaw somewhere.
Yet, the woman in front of me was entirely ordinary.
Her eyes, nose, mouth, all of them.
Hence, her impression was both ordinary and exceedingly faint.
At least from the first encounter, a faint impression that seemed unlikely to leave a lasting memory.
In that strange ordinariness, I felt a peculiar sense of unease.
However, there was something more important at hand.
“Did you… save me?”
Regardless of the woman’s impression, resolving my question was paramount.
It was evident from the circumstances that she had helped me, but confirmation was still necessary.
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Gazing at me silently in response to my question, she then lightly nodded.
“…As expected.”
Indeed, she seemed to have saved me.
Having resolved the first question, many more questions arose subsequently.
Where exactly was this place, how much time had passed, and how did she save me.
However, there was clearly something that needed to take precedence.
“I don’t know what happened, but… thank you.”
I owed her a great debt.
Had she not helped me, I would have undoubtedly perished.
She was the savior of my life.
Yet, bombarding her with questions without a word of gratitude was an improper act.
Of course, a simple word of thanks couldn’t repay that debt, nor did I have any intention of doing so.
“……”
The woman, who gazed at me with eyes that wavered slightly at my words of gratitude, let out a sigh and sat on the chair beside the bed.
“…How are you feeling?”
And then she asked.
The tone and atmosphere felt noticeably lighter than when she entered the room.
Was there a change in her state of mind, or was this her original self?
I couldn’t tell.
“…Thanks to you, I’m fine.”
I decided to continue the conversation for now.
“Lies.”
I didn’t expect such a response right away, but there it was.
“…Pardon?”
“You still think I’d believe you’re fine when it’s obvious your health isn’t good? It’s not a joke. Even now, you’re in a condition that would scare others if they saw.”
“……”
Indeed, my body was not normal.
It would be difficult to say I’m fine even as an empty phrase.
Compared to when I passed out, I had improved significantly, but my current state was still serious.
I was well aware of that fact.
Perhaps it was just a customary remark…
We weren’t acquaintances, and she was a stranger who had helped me. It wouldn’t be right to brazenly reply, “I’m still not well.”
However, the words had already been spoken, and trying to explain now seemed futile. I found myself at a loss for words, hesitating.
“…hahahaha.”
At that moment, a small laughter was heard.
Looking at her, I saw a faint smile on her face.
“Oh, sorry. I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… your expression of not knowing what to do was a bit amusing.”
“…Um. It’s fine.”
It wasn’t an empty phrase; I didn’t actually feel that bad.
Her expression clearly seemed distant from mocking.
I even felt relieved that she didn’t find me awkward.
After smiling for a while, she suppressed her smile and spoke to me.
“Well, you must have a lot of questions, right? Go ahead, ask.”
“……”
I had been thinking of asking anyway, but being in this position, I was gauging the timing. With her prompting me like this, it became much easier to open up.
Feeling a sense of gratitude, I voiced my second question.
“…Why did you save me?”
Among the doubts that had been swirling in my mind, this was the most intense.
Why did she help me?
Why did she rescue me?
Deep down, I suspected she was one of those who had come for my bounty.
It was a place of chaos.
There couldn’t possibly be ordinary people there, and even if there were, they should have sensed something suspicious and fled long ago.
If by chance she was truly unrelated to the incident, just happened to be there, and genuinely helped me out of goodwill, there was still something off.
Among the dozens who might have had their eyes on me nearby, setting aside her ability to protect and rescue me, I couldn’t see any reason why she would go to such lengths.
As I mentioned earlier, we are not even acquaintances.
That’s why I looked at her with questioning eyes.
In response, the woman said, “Well… I’m not sure.”
With an expression that revealed nothing, she casually lowered her gaze to the floor.
After a while in that state, she spoke again.
“To be honest, I’m not sure either.”
“…What?”
What is she talking about?
Whether it was the bewilderment showing on my face or not, she continued speaking immediately.
“I’m not sure either. It just happened somehow…”
At first, I thought it was just a joke.
However, there was no hint of amusement in her expression, no flicker in her eyes, so it didn’t seem like a joke at all.
‘Wait, did she help me for a reason even she doesn’t know?’
In that situation?
When she herself could be in danger?
Feeling quite puzzled by the unexpected help, I stared at her incredulously.
“Oh, and it seems like there’s a misunderstanding. We’re not meeting for the first time.”
“…What?”
And once again, I was taken aback by her words.
What is she talking about? Not meeting for the first time?
Startled by this sudden statement, I hurriedly looked at her face again.
However, no matter how hard I tried to remember, I had no recollection of meeting her.
Perhaps her plain appearance made her forgettable, but the unease coming from those overly ordinary features was not easily forgotten.
If I had met her somewhere before, I would probably remember.
But…
“You don’t remember…?”
Was she disappointed that I didn’t remember her, the woman’s eyes showed a hint of frustration.
Her watery eyes seemed like they could shed tears at any moment.
“Well, that… um…”
I felt like I should say something, but I couldn’t think of what to say, so I hesitated.
“Ha-ha!”
Suddenly, she burst into laughter.
That’s when I realized.
It was all an act by her.
“…”
“Don’t give me that look. I was just playing a little prank.”
She said with a faint smile.
…It seems like this person might be more mischievous than I thought.
Being a bright person, it might be easier to talk to her than to someone stern and heavy, but honestly, I felt a subtle sense of being manipulated consistently.
Nevertheless, as I gazed at her with eyes filled with such subtle emotions.
“But it’s not a lie that we’ve met before.”
“….”
I almost thought it might be a joke again this time, but her expression was serious this time.
Considering her acting skills from a while ago, it seemed possible to fake an expression… But, how should I put it, the atmosphere was different.
“…We really met before?”
No matter how much I think, I don’t recall it.
There might be a possibility that I don’t remember if we met in a distant past… but…
“Well, I didn’t look like this back then.”
“…Pardon? What do you mean─”
Again, before I could react to her sudden words,
She raised her hand first and wiped her face with her palm.
Then.
Her face transformed into a completely different person.
It was too natural to simply call it a disguise.
Moreover, that face.
“…Huh?”
It was a familiar yet unsettling face.
I distinctly remembered it from somewhere.
Definitely… Yes, during last summer vacation, on the way to Lakeinwood, in the city I visited, we crossed paths.
The woman I met on the night street after escaping the inn because I couldn’t bear the company’s mood.
The woman who showed a difficult reaction entangled with ruffians.
And even the woman who exuded a sharp aura that surprised even me.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure, but it seems to ring a bell.”
I couldn’t confirm if the aura I felt was truly hers, but the fact that I had such a misconception was rare, so it remained in my memory.
But, could it be that I would reunite with that woman like this?
That she would save my life.
Even I couldn’t help but be surprised.
Receiving my trembling gaze,
“It’s been a while.”
The woman smiled.