chapter 25

At the bottom of Zaigan Valley…

The doll girl and I had fallen down.

I was supposed to have fallen safely, but I guess I had not landed correctly, resulting in me passing out.

And so, after some time, I regained consciousness.

When I woke up, the girl was looking right at my face.

“…Existence confirmed. Are you alright?”

Seeing that I was unharmed, she tilted her small neck.

“…ah, the part you cut me at hurts, but other than that, I’m fine.”

I got up and looked around at my surroundings.

The wall around us was steep, and it surrounded us completely.

Furthermore, the walls were rather smooth, so we couldn’t climb them either.

…as expected, I couldn’t use skills either…

How were we supposed to climb this wall?

While I was in thought, the girl spoke.

“Hey…”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Why did you save me? I tried to kill you. I should be your enemy…”

“I don’t know,” I answered while scratching my head.

“It was for a special reason.”

“Eh?”

The girl couldn’t comprehend my answer.

“It’s true that we’re enemies. However, that isn’t a good reason to abandon you. If I did… I would have regretted that for the rest of my life.”

Remembering a particular incident in my past life, I clenched my fists.

“I cannot understand. I am not human, but rather a Sally Doll, a tool with a master.”

“Tool”…

Saying this, the girl had a sad expression on her face.

“A tool, huh… It’s true that you were created by humans. But, you were worried about me. You, an enemy, worried about me.”

The girl opened her eyes at this.

“Negative… I’m not worried at all.”

“Someone who wasn’t worried wouldn’t ask ‘are you okay?’”

Though she denied worrying about me, I refuted her claims, and she shut up.

“Besides, you’re a kind person.”

“Why do you think so?”

“As I said before, I’m your enemy too. And yet, you didn’t even try to kill me when I was unconscious, but rather took care of me.”

The girl once again fell silent.

Looking at her now, she really looked like a real girl.

“What’s your name?”

“Sally Doll Armed System, number 16. My name is A16.”

A16…

She didn’t even get a real name…

“Then, I guess I’ll call you Sixteen.”

Sixteen turned away after being called a name and pointed her finger.

“There’s a wall there that’s climbable. You can climb up from there.”

I looked in the direction she was pointing, and when I looked back at her, she was walking opposite to where she pointed.

“Sixteen!”

“The next time we meet, we’ll be enemies.”

As I called her, she stopped without turning around.

“Right. See ya, Sixteen!”

See ya…

Hearing those words, Sixteen clenched her fists lightly, and her body shook… and she walked away, fading into the darkness.

From behind, she seemed lonely.

After seeing her off for a while, I set off. My condition brace rang.

When I answered, I could hear Meryl’s voice.

“It got through! Aruto-san, are you fine?!”

“Meryl? Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Meryl was overcome with relief when she learned I was safe.

“I was worried that you fell together with that doll… so, what now?”

“I’ll get back up there somehow. You guys go on ahead to Aquarth.”

“Understood. Then, let’s meet up at Aquarth.”

The line cut off, and as I walked forward, I encountered several goblins.

Well, this was pretty simple.

“It’s a shame you crossed paths with me… I’ve got friends waiting!”

Unsheathing Enzetta, I dashed forward…