TL/Editor: Butter Cat

    Status: 4/week mon-thurs

    Illustrations: none

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    〈 Chapter 73 〉 Chapter 73. Adult Child.

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    Clatter, clatter, the clatter of wheels echoed on the unpaved road as the carriage approached.

    The street was filled with the deafening screams of onlookers and the shouts of the coachman.

    Everyone waved their hands and shouted for her to get out of the way, to move, but not a single one actually stepped forward to help.

    When Alice stopped in front of the heavy carriage that was charging towards her, as if welcoming death, my legs moved faster than they ever had.

    What pushed me forward wasn''t my legs.

    It wasn''t my legs, strengthened from constant training, nor was it the absurd and unbelievable reality that Alice might die.

    It was Alice''s smile, sad and pained, as if she was saying:

    It’s okay to be at ease now.

    It’s okay to let go of everything now.

    I''m sorry, for everything.

    "...Hee, hee."

    "AAHHHHHHHHHH──!!!"

    I screamed.

    My body creaked from the exertion, muscles and joints screaming in protest as I pushed myself beyond my limits.

    But what did those aches and pain even matter.

    When Alice was making that kind of expression.

    When Alice must be enduring even greater pain than this.

    The pain of my bones breaking and my blood vessels bursting was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the pain in my heart right now.

    I ran, and I ran, and I ran.

    In that moment, the birds flying in the air stopped.

    A wallet someone had dropped froze in midair.

    A time of warmth and connection that felt like breastfeeding(??), a time of cold and harsh reality of endless time like ice(?).

    (TL Note: Literally translates to breastfeeding, what the f)

    It felt like I was swimming alone underwater.

    And within that, I reached out to the bluebird before me—

    "—SAAAAFE!!"

    "...!!"

    I barely managed to grab hold of Alice.

    **

    "…Thank goodness."

    "........"

    Really, really, thank goodness.

    I carefully embraced Alice in my arms, her body limp as if she had fainted from the shock.

    The bandages that Saelli had wrapped around her wounds had come undone.

    And her delicate, pretty fingernails were broken and missing in places, as if she had been desperately scratching something, with the surrounding area covered in bleeding wounds.

    Falling down, bumping into things.

    And still, the child who tried with all her might to escape from that place.

    The child who had endured everything with a smile, no matter how difficult.

    The child, who was unusually mature and composed for her age, had shown a vulnerability so heavy that

    It almost led to a terrible ending.

    We always wished that the child would be a little more selfish.

    That if there was something she wanted to do, we hoped she wouldn''t hesitate to do it.

    We were prepared to fulfill any wish Alice wanted, whether it was throwing a tantrum, acting like a spoiled brat, or even making some absurd demand.

    So that she could live brightly as a child should, without any worries.

    That was the role of us adults, that''s what Saelli and I thought, to ensure such a natural thing.

    But.

    I swear to the heavens, we never wished for Alice to make this kind of choice.

    "...."

    In a way, it was only natural.

    There''s no one in the world who doesn''t feel anger or rage.

    There are only those who can keep it bottled up for a long time.

    Just because someone is always composed and calm doesn''t mean they can bear a lot of burdens.

    Just because someone doesn''t say anything doesn''t mean they are truly okay.

    They were just enduring it all.

    And we had been judging them based on our own subjective standards.

    And that was true for Alice as well.

    Swish.

    I gently stroked Alice''s soft hair.

    "...."

    "..?..??..."

    Twitch, twitch.

    Seeing Alice’s body tremble slightly with every stroke of my hand through her hair, my heart was consumed by an indescribable sadness.

    I wonder what she''s so afraid of, even in her dreams.

    Her body was covered in blue bruises visible through the tears in her clothes, and the raw wounds where skin had been scraped away were so numerous I could barely touch her.

    Why, won''t the world leave this child alone?

    It was at this moment that I understood Saelli''s feelings, how she had desperately cried out to Remi Akaia and this unfair world.

    I let out a small sigh.

    "...Now then, what should we do now?"

    Thud, an innocent pine cone lying on the road flew far away after being hit by my foot.

    We had somehow managed to extinguish the massive wildfire that had been threatening to devour the forest, but there were still many problems that remained.

    And those remaining problems were like a towering mountain.

    First of all, what to do now was a problem.

    Considering Alice''s condition and her mental health, the right choice would be to forget everything else and rush straight to the hospital while carrying her like this.

    If not that, at the very least, I should take her to Remi Akaia''s dormitory and leave her there, since there''s no one there right now.

    But I couldn''t just do that.

    Because I had to get back to that street where they were confronting each other as soon as possible.

    ".....Nngh."

    The last thing I saw before I chased after the fleeing Alice.

    It was Remi Akaia drawing her sword and charging forward while spewing all sorts of curses, and.

    Saelli, who had given me a smile that contained to the brim with murderous intent, while holding back two men who looked like guards.

    Of course, considering Saelli''s true nature, it was safe to say that neither Remi Akaia nor she would die or get seriously injured.

    But this was the middle of a busy street where many people were walking around.

    Saelli, unable to recklessly reveal her true nature, was essentially handicapped and unable to use her abilities.

    And for her in such a state to quickly defeat those highly skilled warriors who seemed far stronger than someone like me, and the additional guards who were appearing one after another… Honestly, While I couldn''t imagine a scenario where she would lose, I was still worried.

    And I was also worried about Remi Akaia, who had given in to her anger.

    Considering who her opponent was.

    Yes.

    If that fight continued, whether it was the opponent or the two people I knew—

    —Someone might actually die.

    And if that happened, Alice would blame herself again.

    Meaning something like this could happen again.

    "—...─,─."

    "....Meaning something like this could happen again."

    A difficult dilemma where I had to choose between two options.

    But both of them were traps.

    If I left Alice, who had been so distraught that she had thrown herself in front of a moving carriage, alone in the hospital or the dormitory without a guardian, there was no telling what she might do once she regained consciousness and panicked.

    The reason I was able to save Alice just now was purely because of luck.

    If I had been even one second late.

    If the distance between me and Alice had been just a little bit longer.

    ''…Ah… Aaaah…!!!''

    ''............''

    By now, I would be on my knees with a hopeless expression on my face.

    "…Haa."

    When I saw the child, my most precious friend, my family, the person I cared about more than anyone else, throwing herself towards death.

    When I realized that I had failed to noticed Alice''s mental state, how she had been pushed to the edge, to the point where she would impulsively think about giving up on the rest of her life.

    The despair and misery I had felt then,

    I never wanted to feel them again.

    Even if it meant that I, and everyone else, had to die.

    I can''t let that happen. Sёar?h the N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    —Never.

    So in the end, this was the only option left.

    "..I''m sorry, Alice."

    ".....?,?."

    This time, I promise I won''t let you get hurt.

    I swear on everything I have.

    So, Alice.

    Will you trust me and let me care for you?

    First, I quickly treated her wounds.

    "Hey! You, you there! Don''t look away! You, with the red hair! If that''s you, come here!"

    "Y-Yes!? M-Me!?"

    I grabbed a passerby and had them get fetch me medicine and bandages. I quickly disinfected Alice''s wounds and covered them.

    My entire fortune was spent on the expensive medicine, but who the hell cares.

    I couldn''t help but wince as I applied the medicine to her torn skin and the countless bruises, but at least none of her bones were broken or fractured. That was a small comfort to me.

    Because if there were, I would have to completely change my plan.

    —Whisk!

    "...This was it, right?"

    I spread out a large piece of cloth and wrapped Alice''s body in it as if I were swaddling a baby.

    I had to go through a few trials and errors due to the urgency of the situation and my limited knowledge, but I was eventually able to secure Alice''s body firmly to my back.

    I draped the remaining cloth over my shoulders like a cloak to hide the child so that no one from the outside could see her.

    And so that she couldn''t see the outside, either.

    They say that when whales fight, the shrimp''s back gets broken.

    If it only gets broken, then I’ll be grateful.

    (TL Note: Another Korean proverb, “?? ??? ?? ? ???.” means that when powerful people fight, it''s the weak who suffer the consequences.)

    "The shrimp is going to get crushed, completely pulverized."

    ".....?,?."

    One step at a time.

    Feeling Alice''s small trembling breaths against my back.

    I moved forward with heavier steps than ever before toward the middle of the street, where they must be fighting.

    Having made the biggest gamble of my life.

    **

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