Chapter 29

After that, I repeatedly reincarnated and died, and before I knew it, 200 years had passed.

Perhaps the reason I continued to reincarnate was because the stone had granted my wish to meet Erika again.

But I had long realized that meeting her again was impossible. After all, even if one reincarnated, they usually wouldn't remember their past life.

Still, I came to believe that someone as beautiful-hearted as her must have been reborn somewhere in this world and was surely happy. Or perhaps, I just wanted to believe that.

I was afraid of forgetting her even a little, so in every life, I continued to draw her image. Becoming an adventurer or a knight to slay monsters was also something that never changed in any of my lives.

In this life, I was born into a viscount's family and became a knight. Thanks to my innate talent and the knowledge and experience from my past lives, no one could surpass me in battle against monsters.

Eventually, I rose to become the captain of the monster extermination unit. One evening, when I was 26, something happened.

"I'm going to do a quick patrol."

"Understood."

While heading out to slay monsters with my comrades, we had set up camp in a forest along the way, but I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk.

Perhaps it was because this forest reminded me of the one where I had spent time with Erika. I suddenly felt the urge to walk alone.

As I walked, I noticed something crouching in the shadows of a tree. For a moment, I thought it might be an animal or a monster, but as I approached, I realized it was a human woman.

"Are you alright?"

As I approached and called out to her, keeping my hand on my sword, her slender body trembled violently, and she looked up at me fearfully.

The woman, who seemed to be a commoner, had a look on her face as if the world was ending. I wondered why she was here at this hour.

"What are you doing here? If you'd like, I can escort you home."

"Stay away from me...!"

"......?"

She looked as if she was about to cry and took a step back.

"It's going to happen soon, a monster might appear near me."

"......Soon?"

"That's why I came here to avoid involving anyone else..."

I didn't understand how she knew a monster was going to appear, but she didn't seem to be lying. She genuinely looked terrified.

"Even if a monster does appear, it'll be fine."

When I revealed my identity and told her I was confident in slaying monsters, she seemed to relax a little. For her safety, I suggested we go to the camp where the other knights were, and she eventually nodded.

As we walked side by side, I asked her about herself. Her name was Monique, and she told me she would be 20 years old when the date changed. I wasn't sure of the exact time, but it must have been close.

It was pitiful to see her, a stranger, so terrified on her birthday in such a place.

"Still, how do you know a monster will appear?"

"......I remember my past lives."

At her sudden words, my heart skipped a beat.

I knew that there were others who remembered their past lives, but this was the first time I had met someone other than myself. Even though it was our first meeting, I didn't find it strange that she was telling the truth.

"In fact, in my first life and the one before that, I was eaten by a monster on my 20th birthday. The first time was probably a coincidence, but..."

"......On your 20th birthday?"

"Yes. So in this life, I was afraid it might happen again... I tried various things, but in the end, I didn't want to involve my family, so I came to this forest alone."

As I listened to her story, distant memories from the past resurfaced.

I didn't think it was possible, but deep down, I was hoping. Before I knew it, I had opened my mouth.

"......Can I ask you a strange question?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me your name in your first life?"

My heart was pounding loudly. After a moment, she looked a bit puzzled and then smiled softly.

"Erika."

She said it clearly.

– Why didn't I realize it immediately? Even her way of laughing and the gesture of tucking her hair behind her ear were exactly the same as Erika's.

I had always wanted to see her again. I had always wanted to apologize.

Erika was standing right in front of me, remembering her past life. The miracle of it made me want to cry, and she looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"......I..."

Just as I was about to say something, a strange feeling washed over me. I turned around, and my left hand was gone.

Despite this, I quickly drew my sword with my right hand, positioning myself to protect her. When I finally saw the creature, I gasped.

"......You......"

It was undoubtedly the same monster that had eaten Erika.

I heard a trembling voice behind me, "I knew it..."

From what she had told me, this monster had eaten her not once but twice.

And now, it was about to eat her again. Anger and hatred welled up from deep within me. Why did this monster have such an obsession with her?

But there was no time to think about that. The bleeding from my severed left hand was severe. As I tried to launch an attack, I felt as if time had stopped.

"Knight...!"

I heard her voice, which sounded like a scream, from far away.

I realized I had collapsed on the ground, and my body was being torn apart. I didn't know what had happened or what had been done to me.

The only thing I knew was that I had failed to save her again. The last thing I saw in the fading world was the sight of the person I loved being eaten and dying once more.

◇◇◇

It had been 300 years since the day I failed to save her. It was a never-ending hell of hatred and despair. I could feel something within me wearing down.

I had thought about disappearing, about dying, many times. But I knew it wouldn't solve anything. I would just be reborn as someone else in the next moment.

And most importantly, I couldn't commit suicide because I was worried about her. Even if I reincarnated again, she might still be fated to be eaten by that monster.

I didn't know if I, who was weak and foolish, could save her. But I continued to search for her, whose name and appearance I didn't know. I kept striving to become stronger to protect her.

For 500 years, the only thing that had driven me was my feelings for her. I knew that the emotions in my heart couldn't be described as mere love anymore.

"......Nee...chan...I'm...here..."

But in this life, I couldn't even save a little sister.

No matter how much knowledge and experience I had from my past lives, I couldn't change my birth or environment. It was even more difficult with a child. No matter how hard I tried, no one could help.

I think I was just tired of everything. Tears, which I thought had long dried up, blurred my vision.

– I had loved her. That was all. Why did it end up like this?

As I gently held Nadia's small, bony hand, overwhelmed by bottomless despair and helplessness, she appeared before me again, like an angel.

"It's okay now."