16. Before the end – 11
“Sarah-!”
Ignoring the call to herself, Sarah inserts a branch into her body without hesitation.
There was no sound. No matter what the actual material was, from the outside it appeared to be nothing more than an infinitely dull twig, but the twig gently penetrated her chest. As if it had been like that from the beginning, the branch was so naturally sucked into the mouth of her heart. I watched the scene from beginning to end, but in the end I couldn’t do anything other than shout at her.
and-
“…what?”
There were no shrill screams or anything. Nor was there a groan full of pain resounding in all directions from a shock that pierced the heart. It was even less likely that a tree branch would pierce her chest and splatter the spot full of blood. The only thing that exists here is Sarah’s questioning voice, saying she doesn’t know what the hell happened.
…that’s right. No wonder she was so embarrassed. Because even those of us who were watching her from the side couldn’t quite understand this situation. Perhaps Sarah, the person in charge, would not be worse than us.
“…..”
In conclusion, nothing happened. Apparently, a tree branch was stuck near her chest, but Sara, who could be said to be the one with the heart pierced, was fine. So, except for the trivial point of a tree branch stuck in the middle of her chest, she was no different than usual.
Her appearance was very natural, and that was why it was absurd. Those of us who watched this situation from beginning to end couldn’t help but stare blankly at her face, confused and at a loss for what to do.
“…This isn’t it…”
Sarah plucked the branches from the mouth of her chest with her own face in tears. Strangely enough, there was not even a trace of something piercing her chest, let alone a wound. If I had seen such a scene elsewhere, I might have applauded, saying that it was a fun spectacle.
…To be honest, I was a little shy. Until just a moment ago, a spleen atmosphere had filled the place, but now it was embarrassing that they were bickering with each other over her death.
suddenly realized Just as the mourners are embarrassed if the dead person rises again at a funeral, if a person who commits suicide with a heroic attitude fails for an absurd reason, that is also embarrassing to each other.
“…a skit. really.”
It was then. Iris, who was the first of us to come to her senses, sighed and sped around behind Sarah at imperceptible speed, then gave her a light blow to the scruff of the neck. Sarah, who was staring blankly at the tree branch that hadn’t harmed her, naturally didn’t even notice her movement.
Took-
“…ah.”
And that was it. There is no way that Sara, who is just an ordinary person in the first place, will be able to withstand the attack of Iris, an unmanned person who knows how to handle auras. The legs supporting her body gave out strength, and she collapsed to the floor with a slither. The damn branch in question also escaped her hands and tumbled helplessly to the floor.
“…..”
“…..”
At that pointless conclusion, I couldn’t bear to say anything and stared at Sarah who had lost her mind, but Bianca, with her face unchanged, walked towards Sarah and soon saw a branch lying on the floor. I picked it up and looked at it carefully.
“…This seems to be the toy Kyrie gave her. It’s weak, but there are traces of her in the branches. Come to think of it, it was Kyrie who told this woman what had happened before returning. Perhaps, while explaining the past, he gave me this branch as well.”
Bianca looked around at the branches with a hint of interest, but unfortunately the explanation she gave didn’t really resonate with me at the moment.
“…Why did Kyrie give that to Sarah? Are you trying to embarrass her? If that was the case, I’d like to tell Kyrie that it was a perfect success. If I were in Sarah’s shoes, I’d be embarrassed to open my eyes again.”
Despite my grumbling, Bianca doesn’t care and stabs a branch into her palm. And just like before, the branch easily penetrated Bianca’s palm, but there was no blood coming out of her hand, and no wounds anywhere.
“…No, after looking closely, I think I can understand why they handed me something like this. Kirie, I can even vaguely guess what that mentally ill woman is thinking.
Saying that, Bianca pulled out the twig from her palm and this time stuck it on a nearby table.
Fuuk-
“…uh?”
This time, of course, I thought that branch would pierce the table as if nothing had happened, but the result was not. This time the twig did pierce the table. No matter how you look at it, it only looks like a thin branch that looks like it will break at any moment, and Bianca doesn’t seem to have given much strength, so how on earth can a table made of hard wood be pierced so easily?
“As expected, it is as expected. Sarah, that woman must have been mistaken from the start.”
“…mistaken?”
When I muttered in a voice that I couldn’t understand, Bianca answered me with a wry smile that wasn’t suitable for her.
“This, no matter how you look at it, doesn’t look like something made to stab people?”
****
It was a tree that seemed to contain the world itself.
A gigantic tree that seems to bridge the gap between heaven and earth. The World Tree, a tree that has a legend that reveals magical spirits just by existing in its place, and has its own roots in as many as nine worlds, seems to embrace the world itself. It was in the process of extending its branches and capturing the star itself in the sky.
…However, the current World Tree was by no means normal.
There was not even a trace of the usual warm warmth, and what remained in this place was a chill that seemed to freeze everything.
It is said that it connects the sky and the earth, but the sky is placed on the ground side, and the energy that can be felt is not embracing all things, but rather a morale that seems to take a step back.
The wind had stopped a long time ago, it was filled with a foreign atmosphere that did not exist in the present world, and all directions were already floating with vivid magic enough to be visualized.
No matter how you look at it, this place was not a place for humans to visit, much less a place to seek salvation from God.
And in front of a huge tree with an endless height, three figures were present. No, calling them ‘three people’ might be a bit of a misnomer. For one of them was a non-human elf, and the other was lying on an altar, as if destined to be offered as a burnt offering to a god.
“…the weather is quite chilly.”
Ariel muttered as she touched the small snowflakes falling from the sky with her hands. As she remembered, the weather outside was only the beginning of summer, when spring had just passed away, but this place was filled with such a chill and snow was falling from the sky. No matter how you look at it, the current Great Forest surrounding the World Tree could never be said to be normal.
“Yeah, that’s unavoidable. She is currently in the process of regressing from her human form toward her own essence. In addition, since she is currently unconscious, she is unable to control her own power in the process. As a result, the inner part of the Great Forest, where the World Tree is influencing, ended up looking like this. Well, still, compared to the winter we had to go through a few years later, I think this is a nobleman?”
“…winter, I mean.”
When Kyrie shrugged and explained that, Ariel’s expression darkened slightly. winter. endless winter. A woman named Ariel Thiers doesn’t like the season of winter, nor does she like the word winter. Because, in her memory, ‘winter’ only had a bad meaning.
“what. Are you even worried? So what the hell is making Ariel care so much about you? Where, shall I try to guess?”
On the other hand, Kyrie’s voice is bright and cheerful, in contrast to Ariel’s. At least, on the outside, it just feels that way.
…but Ariel knew. A woman named Kyrie, contrary to what she appears on the outside, is not a very emotional woman. A worn-out woman who has worn out all of her emotions through countless lifetimes and long lives must be a woman named Kyrie El Denaris.
Even so, the reason why she looks cheerful and laughs a lot is because she is conscious of herself. A smiling face is a much easier face to mix with and blend in with than a desolate expression without emotion.
In Ariel’s eyes, the woman named Kyrie was no different from a wolf in sheep’s skin. No, it’s even fortunate if her true identity is a simple wolf. Wolves wore skins for the sole purpose of killing and eating sheep, but Kirie was a person who did not move with values such as good and evil at most.
In other words, she is a mirror. It is like a shadow reflected on the surface of the water. It is neither good nor evil, and it is an existence that moves only for the person it reflects. She must be the same existence as the monkey’s hand that will make any wish come true for the target.
…okay. Considering the fact that the target grants the wish in a direction they did not want, it was a really accurate analogy.
“Why are you making such a serious face? Worried that he might turn his back on Cain and not be properly paid for following me? Or, the resentment of not being able to lay a finger on her even when the child’s enemy is right in front of her? If that isn’t-“
Kyrie’s eyes shone sharply. As if to say that from the beginning, I knew everything about you.
“…When and at what moment should I stab myself in the back of the head to hurt me the most? I think it’s because of this kind of question. What do you think? Ariel?”
“…..”
Ariel doesn’t respond to Kyrie’s words. It wasn’t because the question wasn’t even worth answering. Even if there was no answer, it was only silence that came from the conviction that each other already knew the answer to the question.
“You know that, but why are you leaving me by your side right now? Is it the arrogance of not being obtrusive to someone like me?”
To Ariel’s question, Kirie answered in a casual tone.
“I said I left some insurance in case of emergencies, but it wasn’t very reliable. Wouldn’t it be better to have at least one person by my side to stop me? Oh, and this is the crucial reason-”
“I still think that our mutual interests are aligned. Isn’t that right, Ariel?”
“…..”
No answer came from Ariel from Kyrie’s question. Certainly, it was as she said. Because the two of them matched well enough to be ideal for a relationship in which they used and were used by each other.
As soon as she turned her back on Ariel, who was so silent, Kirie made an expression she could never have seen in front of Ariel.
In her eyes, Aria’s figure was reflected as if she was in a sleep she couldn’t get out of easily. Looking at the sleeping goddess, Kirie closed her own eyes very slightly as if she was really tired.
Soon, the goddess will be resurrected. One of the goddesses who disappeared from the earth by Devhart a thousand years ago will reappear on earth.
A thousand years have passed since the Age of Gods ended and the Age of People began. If the goddess appeared again in this world, there would inevitably be some kind of aftermath on the ground, but Kirie didn’t know about that fact and didn’t think it was anything to do with it. Because she is only faithful to what she can do now.
But is it really going to be like this, or is she really confident in accepting any kind of ending?
A little more, just a little longer, and the goal she had been longing for all these years would be fulfilled.
In fact, Kyrie’s expression was just that of a criminal facing the punishment of death.