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Chapter 48 Part 2

Wielding that sword with both of his hands, Russell rushed toward the Gigante.

 

「Emmy-chan, let’s deal with the one in the front first!」

 

「Y-Yes!」

 

I held up my shield and readied my sword in anger at the Gigante that had appeared in front of me after getting caught in their pincer attack.

As expected, I had already gotten used to its attack pattern by now. I deflected the large club it held in one hand and swung my sword down at its arm.

This sword made of dragon fangs is also really strong. Although it can’t instantly cut a giant monster like this in half, it’s strong enough to cut deeply into its arm in a single sweep.

The monster howls at the massive damage caused by my sword, and Sybilla-san doesn’t miss this opening.

 

『OOoooooo—!!』

 

「It seems you can’t use your right hand anymore. Then let’s finish it with this, 《Flare Sword》!」

 

Sybilla-san unleashes her powerful magic, piercing Gigante right in the chest. This should defeat the monster in front of us.

But I don’t have the liberty to stay still and watch it fall to the ground.

 

「Russell!」

 

「No problem here.」

 

When I turned around…… I saw that Russell had overpowered the Gigante.

The monster had already lost its arms and its body was full of holes.

 

「This is the end.」

 

Russell said this quietly and sank his sword into the center of the Gigante’s chest.

The monster, losing its strength, falls on its back.

 

Wow… Russell can really fight now.

Russell who overwhelms the monsters with his sword even though he’s a mage is so cool……

 

While I was thinking that nonchalantly——I began to regret not rushing to his side right away.

 

「Gh!?」

 

Just as the monster fell, it was just for a moment, but Russell let out a sound like he was in pain, and then I could feel my face drained of blood in an instant and I hurried over to Russell’s side.

 

「Are you okay!? Where did it hurt!?」

 

「It was nothing, don’t worry. The broken pieces of the club injured me, but I already used chantless healing magic to heal myself.」

 

「I’m sorry… I let my guard down and got Russell injured again…」

 

「No, rather, none of us had gotten seriously injured so far because of you. Thanks, Emmy.」

 

Russell’s words and his smile saved me from my worries and I could feel my cheeks heat up instantly from his kindness, but even so, the feeling of guilt remained, and I couldn’t wash it away.

Even though I’m a Holy Knight… Even though I’ve sworn I will protect Russell from any harm…

 

——And while I was worrying about all this, Sybilla-san was watching me.

 

There was no floor boss on the fifth floor, probably because it was still the upper layer. It was just a big empty space, so we decided to rest there for a while.

 

Russell said he was going to take a little rest in this wide space while practicing his magic.

And Sybilla-san said wanted to look around outside a little more. She invited me to go with her, so I accompanied her to investigate the fifth floor again.

 

「Emmy-chan… you’re really innocent and cute, huh?」

 

「Eh? Um, Thank you?」

 

I just got complimented… right?

 

「You care so much for Russell, I know that. But…」

 

Sybilla-san crossed her arms as she stared at me with a sharp gaze.

 

「It’s not good to get too worked up about it. I understand that Emmy-chan wants to protect Russell from anything that would cause him to be in pain, and I understand that you still feel responsible for what happened to him, to the point that you’re torn with guilt and regret. But you see, you need to understand that Russell doesn’t want to see you get hurt more than anything else.」

 

——For a moment, I couldn’t understand what she meant.

 

Slowly, her words began to make sense in my head…… and when I finally grasped what she meant, our eyes met as I gasped in surprise.

Even though we haven’t known each other as long as Jannet knew me, Sybilla-san is… she’s easily seen through my feelings and frustration…!

 

「You know, when Emmy-chan didn’t wake up back then, Russell used the highest level Healing magic twice with double chanting, for a total of four times on you. That’s how distraught he was.」

 

「….Eh? Russell did…?」

 

「Is it that surprising? The magic that Russell used, Resurrection, is the miracle among miracles in the Legend of the Saintess. It’s similar to Emmy-chan’s skill to blow off the enemies with your shield which can only be activated when you’re aware of the feelings you have toward that person. If he hadn’t been able to activate it, it would’ve been impossible to bring you back to life.」

 

That’s… right. At that time, I seriously thought that I was okay with losing my life as long as I could save Russell.

 

As I was remembering how I felt at that moment, both of my cheeks made a noise. Sybilla-san slapped my cheeks lightly.

It wasn’t a slap because she was angry or anything, but more like a slap to encourage me.

 

「You are as precious to Russell as Russell is to you, Emmy-chan. You must remember, your life is no longer yours alone now.」

 

「Sybilla-san……」

 

「Besides…… I’ve also already taken a liking to you, Emmy-chan, so I don’t want you to act recklessly just because you decided on your own that you have to sacrifice yourself. It’s always hard for those who are left behind, you know? I know this because I’ve seen so many of those 『people who are left behind』……」

 

That’s right…… Sibylla-san is a goddess after all.

It’s clear that she had seen a lot of people separated from their loved ones like that, and some of them might’ve begun to turn to Dark Magic as a result.

 

「That’s why…」

 

Sybilla-san patted my head and continued.

 

「Please believe in Russell. And Emmy-chan should believe in the Emmy-chan whom Russell believed in. You are a very strong, kind, and hardworking girl. You may not be perfect, but to Russell, you’re already the best… got it?」

 

——Even if I’m not perfect, to Russell, I’m still the best.

Those words struck my heart.

 

……Ahh, what should I do?

I already knew that she was a nice person, but… it turns out that she’s a really really super duper nice person.

It’s no wonder Russell opens up to her… even for me too, it doesn’t take that long for my heart to open up to her.

 

「…Uu, hueeee, I’m sowwyyyy Sybilla-sann….」

 

「Yep yep, as I thought you’re so cute, aren’t you, Emmy-chan~ since you can still cry like that. As expected of Russell’s childhood friend.」

 

Enveloped in the warmth of her words, tears began to well in my eyes as I realized what a good party I had been allowed to be a part of.

To think that she could accept me with such kindness despite my messed up thoughts.

So this is the Goddess who changed Russell…… I don’t feel like I can compete with her at all.

 

Russell is there, and he’s looking at me properly.

I’m really fortunate… to have these two people who treated me so well.

 

I’m so happy that I can’t help but regret what I did that day.

 

Jannet… I have to apologize to her if I ever see her again one day.

Though I’ve sent her some letters, as expected she must be worried about me still.

 

I wonder how she’s doing…