2
It had been five days since the incident in Pristella had been settled.
It was a terrible battle that could arguably be called an all-out assault by the Witch Cult, and it had left terrible scars on the city.
Not just physical damage, but also all the psychological trauma inflicted by the cultists.
At the very least, it wasn’t the sort of damage that could be healed in only five days.
Everyone in the city had been hurt in some way, big or small.
And Garfiel, despite not even being a resident of the town, was no exception.
“Boss probably saw right through what I’m thinkin’ about.”
Two days earlier, Subaru and the rest had set off on their journey to the east in search of a remedy for the scars that had been left on the city.
The legendary Sage, one of the three great heroes, was said to reside in the Pleiades Watchtower in the Auguria Dunes to the east. They were hoping the Sage might know something or have an idea that could help them resolve their deadlocked situation. That was the goal of their journey.
But it was a dangerous road that lay ahead of them. Garfiel should have been accompanying them on it as protection.
But—
“Keep an eye on Otto and make sure he doesn’t try anything too rash. Also, there’s no guarantee the cultists won’t come back to take another shot. If that happens, we’ll be counting on you.”
That was the job Subaru gave Garfiel before leaving.
It makes sense. He is the one of us who values himself the least, and we can’t let our guard down against the Witch Cult and their cruelty.
Fortunately, the group going with Subaru was in high spirits—Garfiel had to pay respect to Emilia’s endurance. For some reason, she was even more motivated than normal despite everything she had gone through. And he couldn’t remember that knight Julius, but he was clearly strong, and Anastasia, who was going to be their guide, was a tough lady.
I don’t need to worry about them.
Of course, Garfiel also understood that all of that was just him making excuses for himself.
—Subaru was a guy who struggled against fate with every fiber of his being.
If he thought it was necessary, then he would have dragged Garfiel along even if Garfiel was completely busted up still. And if Subaru had said it was necessary, Garfiel would have followed him, even if he was on death’s door. But—
“Just means I’m no use to him right now— There’s no foolin’ his eyes.”
He’s a veteran when it comes to reading a person’s state of mind, and he could see right through me.
Garfiel could understand how his cheap bravado and the weakness that lay behind it had been compromised. He knew why he had been left behind.
“…But what do I do then? How do I…?”
He could tell that he was stuck treading water. And he even had an idea as to why he couldn’t seem to move on. But he didn’t know how to move on—or if he even should.
“…The hell’s so marvelous about me…?”
There was a deep confusion in his listless murmur, a confusion at the final words that hero had left him.
Garfiel couldn’t bear to look at how pathetic he was, so he tried to escape it by helping out with the restoration efforts around the city. His wounds from the fighting had not fully healed yet, but he had still done more than tenfold the work of a normal person.
Clearing rubble, checking inside buildings that were in danger of collapsing, he had exerted himself helping people and the restoration efforts.
When he was moving his body, when he was working to help someone else, he could forget his worries, even if only momentarily. He could avoid dwelling on the fact that he was just treading water for a little while; he could avoid anyone around him noticing his weakness.
Garfiel knew that sort of avoidance wasn’t something to be praised. But there were people saved by it, and the number of people who looked up to him increased, even it was just for how much he was working.
And Garfiel had not noticed it himself—
“Oh, Garf! Super energetic, aren’tcha?! You’re always someplace high!”
But if he was not so aloof and wanting to be left alone with his worries, it wasn’t as if he was unloved.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login