Moment of Farewell – Part 01

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Translator: Kell


“You can put me down now, Mercenary. I can walk on my own.”

A while after we fled into the woods, Zero, who had been frozen like a corpse or a doll, tapped me on the shoulder.

“Snow has piled up,” I said. “I doubt you can walk properly.”

“I can. I am, after all, a witch.”

Letting out a sigh, I set Zero down on the ground. Normally, she would be buried knee-deep in snow, but she somehow managed to stand gracefully on the powdery, fresh snow.

I gave a dry laugh. “Like a witch, all right.”

Zero was serious, however. We had already covered quite some distance. Our destination was the sea, but I had no idea where we were exactly. The lights of the town had long since disappeared, and there was no point in marching any further through the forest at night with zero visibility.

I was now completely sober. I could feel the chilly air piercing my skin.

“I’m sure that bastard Orlux won’t follow us all the way here. Let’s get some rest and then head for the Altar in the morning. Shame we had to leave the Director behind, though.”

“I am furious, Mercenary.”

“So am I.”

I grabbed the branch of a dead tree and snapped it. After building a fire pit on the hard-packed snow, I piled up some dry wood, making sure the air could circulate through.

Suddenly Zero grabbed my cheek and pulled me close. “I am furious at you.”

“So am I.”

Zero looked hurt. I pushed her away and resumed starting the fire. Damn it. It doesn’t light up.

“You want to ask why I chose to run away when we didn’t do anything wrong? I know what you’re trying to say, and you’re right. You’re absolutely correct. You make a sound argument. But sound arguments don’t mean shit. Even our earnest Captain, a devout Church follower, had a hard time making them understand. What do you think will happen if we tell them, ‘The knights attacked us, so we killed them all’? No one would believe us.”

“You have a point, but…”

“I didn’t want you to be branded an evil witch who slaughtered knights. That’s why I chose to leave. I’m ashamed and angry that I couldn’t think of any other option.”

“Then why do you not resist? Why do you resign yourself to your situation?! If they condemn us for retaliating despite having justifiable reasons, let them. I am not afraid of anyone.”

I exhaled sharply, expressing how fed up I was with the whole matter. “Can we not talk about this anymore? When I was a teenager, I asked myself countless times. Why? I told myself that I wasn’t to blame, others were. But I can’t change society. My only choice is to change myself. That means you give up, grin and bear it, and shrug things off.”

“I do not wish to save such a world!”

“So change it.” I thrust my claw at Zero’s chest. Dumbfounded, her eyes, burning with rage, softened. “You’re going to save the world and be a hero, right? And I’ll be by your side. It’s the perfect heroic tale. We make a triumphant return to Knox Cathedral and rag on that bastard Orlux. After that, we escort the guys from Knox Cathedral to Wenias, all the while reminding them that they owe us big time. Well? How’s that for a perfect plan?”

Zero’s mouth gaped open and shut a couple of times, then she hung her head down bitterly. She still wouldn’t buy it. “The Church will simply lie again anyway,” she said.

“What?”

“They will say that it was the Church who killed the witch. My existence will be buried in darkness. They might even attack me in my sleep and imprison me like the prophet.”

Sounds likely, all right. After learning of the Church’s beginnings, I couldn’t deny the possibility.

“So what do you propose we do? Return to Knox Cathedral and beat them up?”

Zero shook her head.

“Then what the hell do you want to do?”

“Come run away with me.”

I was at a loss for words for a moment. “What? Run away? Where to?”

“You said you would fight for me, not the world. In that case, I do not care if the world falls to ruins, as long as you are by my side. The world will eventually change. Slowly. We can simply live in hiding and watch it happen.”

“Are you for real?”

Zero grabbed my clothes. I peered at her face. Her expression was hard and stiff as she tried desperately to convince me.

“Mercenary. Tell me your name, now. Then I can give you a life as long as mine. We shall live together, we shall grow old together, and we shall die together. We will return to the cellar, you and I.”

It was an extremely tempting proposition. I wouldn’t have to fight anymore. I wouldn’t have to face any danger. I wouldn’t have to live in fear of being seen. I wouldn’t need to be afraid of bandits attacking. If I stayed with Zero, she could protect me when the world collapsed.

“I had a pretty good time traveling with you,” I said.

“Me too.”

“It’s only been about a year, but a lot has happened.” I paused for a bit. “And I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve even worked with people that I would have just passed by if I were alone.”

Zero’s eyes widened in surprise. She was as perceptive as ever. She seemed to have figured out what I was going to say.

“I hate the priest, but I’d be quite depressed if he died. If the squirt dies, I’ll blame myself for not being able to protect her. I’ll be worried nonstop. The kid in Wenias might try her best to save the world even if she has to do it alone. That klutzy saint might screw up again. The princess of Black Dragon Island might do something stupid. I’ll look up at the sky, waiting for the Dragon Slayer King to find us as he rides his dragon.” I could see myself spending my days in misery.

I was the kind of guy who would choose myself over the fate of the world. An asshole, in short. But that didn’t mean I was the most important person in the world.

“What are you saying?”

“That I’m just a little guy who can’t even become a villain. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at pretending, but I just can’t take that one, final step.”

Zero let out a sigh, perhaps one of dismay or resignation. Her grip on my clothes loosened, and she pulled away.

“Oh, but if you’re going to retreat to the cellar and watch the world go to ruins, then I’m coming with you,” I quickly added. “It’s not like I can do anything against the witch at the Altar on my own. And if you leave me here, demons will kill me.”

Zero burst into laughter. “You are one peculiar man,” she said. “You seem awfully relaxed. You never fail to make light of a serious matter and treat it like you are deciding what to cook for dinner.”

“Hey, food is important.”

“More important than the world?”

“If you don’t eat, you die. What happens to the world is irrelevant.”

“You are absolutely right,” she said, laughing as she used Magic to ignite the branches I gathered. I was once again reminded of how handy Magic was.

Now that we had a fire, the next step was to tramp through the snow to harden it. After piling up some snow to create a shelter from the wind, we used our luggage as pillows, completing our bed for the night.

I lay down first, and then Zero crawled into my cloak.

“You sure are warm, Mercenary.”

“I’m a ball of fur that can generate heat on my own.”

Zero chuckled, then began squirming inside my cloak.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Taking off my clothes.”

“Are you trying to kill yourself?”

“It will not be a problem. You are warm.”

Zero tossed her cloak out onto the snow, followed by her shirt and boots, which meant she was only wearing socks and shorts.

No, no, no, no. Why am I pretending to be calm?

I had seen Zero naked countless times before. Besides, we were glued together at the moment. I couldn’t see her body underneath the cloak.

So it’s no problem, then? Of course, it is! It’s a fucking big one!

“One question. Why did you take your clothes off?”

“Because they are in the way.”

“In the way of what?”

“What we are about to do.”

My back flat on the snow, I looked up at the sky. The stars sure are beautiful. My escape from reality did not last long. Zero began removing my gear.

“W-W-Wait! Man, you’re relentless. I didn’t realize the whole vibe was leading to that!”

“I was planning to lead it that way, but you ruined it with your jokes. I will no longer accept any spineless remarks.”

“We don’t even have that kind of relationship!”

“Will you toss me out in the snow, then?”

Zero poked her head out of the cloak and mounted me. A naked Zero.

The forest was dark, but the fire provided enough light. What’s more, Beastfallen could see well at night.

I instinctively closed my eyes. I had seen her naked countless times. But the circumstances were different. The atmosphere was different. The mood was different. It was not the same as taking off your clothes for a bath.

My whole body was burning hot. My heart was pounding, my throat dry.

“You may touch me, Mercenary. Only you may touch me. You have my permission.”

On top of all that, she was egging me.

Oh, God.

Or should I be praying to a demon?

I reached out to touch her body. It was soft, and cold.

“You idiot! You’re gonna freeze to death!” I quickly lifted my body up and held her inside my cloak.

Zero chuckled. “Then you keep me warm. Hold me tight so I do not freeze.”


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