Chapter 17

The door, closed from the outside, rattled against the frame. Mia, Moritz, and the guards formed a line and left the room, leaving only one girl behind. The room was enveloped in silence, so profound that even the sound of breathing could be heard.

"I'm really glad you're alive."

The words seemed to have been wrung out. Before heading to the front lines, Worm had promised Ayane that he would return after having his gouged-out eye transplanted. Though they had finally been reunited, it had taken nearly two years, a kind of fraud in itself.

"…I'm sorry for being late. By the time I realized, I was inside the Tyrant Worm's mouth, and no one was left in Dandueg. Honestly, I thought everyone had perished without me."

Worm recounted his journey in brief. He spoke of escaping from Dandueg, through the fallen imperial capital, and to the archipelago nations, where he had indulged in evasion. He spoke of overcoming the danger of blindness, weaning himself off alcohol, and finally setting out on the long-overdue journey home. The girl listened to everything. After hearing his words, Ayane took a moment to digest them before speaking.

"If it's about evasion, I'm no different. After the great rampage, the scenes were terrible. What happened in Dandueg Castle was nothing compared to the greater atrocities that occurred throughout Myard."

The damage to the two countries, Ferris and Myard, which were directly connected to the Great Demon Territory, was so severe that even the term "massive" seemed lukewarm. Countless bodies were exposed on the ground. Even the great rampage that reached Haiselk itself had diminished in scale. Although they had taken different paths for a time, Worm could easily imagine the scenes Ayane had witnessed.

"At first, it was to avoid facing reality. If I focused on treatment, I wouldn't have to think about other things. In fact, there were so many injured people that I didn't have a moment to rest."

Following Ayane's gaze, one could see a row of empty beds. Had the people who filled the beds left the clinic after receiving treatment? Or—.

"People call me a legendary healer or a healer, but I'm not that noble. I just treated people to blur the past in a safe place. I didn't shed blood or sacrifice myself to protect people like Worm and others. I could only be of use after people were hurt."

Her bitter smile was painful to watch. Worm waited until the girl had steadied her breathing before slowly shaking his head in denial.

"Don't belittle yourself. There's no such thing as a completely pure person. Besides, at the treatment field, Ayane, you refused to be intimidated by the sword and stayed with a firm belief."

According to the pre-battle strategy, Worm had planned to leave the refugees behind and withdraw with the remaining forces. It was a decision that relied too much on external forces and lacked autonomy. Without the voice of the girl in front of him, he would have used the command structure and the military organization as an excuse to carry it out.

"When the command center disappeared, I was about to abandon many people. It might sound like a cheap line, but Ayane, you changed me then. Otherwise, we might not be talking like this, and many people might have died."

With clouded eyes, Worm looked at Ayane. The girl raised her head, which had been lowered, and smiled awkwardly.

"Even though we just met, you've encouraged me. Thank you… But Worm, you're also being too hard on yourself."

"Are you the one saying that?"

Confused, Worm responded, and Ayane let out a laugh. It was the first smile since their reunion. The tension eased, and the breath that had been held in a tight chest was released. The stiffness in his shoulders relaxed as he leaned back in the chair.

"Can I ask you something that's been on my mind?"

"What is it, so formal all of a sudden?"

Despite the stiff tone, there was no tension in his voice. Tilted his head and met her gaze, Worm urged her to continue.

"Was your first life in Japan?"

"I see, that makes sense." Worm nodded in understanding. The topic of their origins had been on his mind as well. After all, the world before the shift might not have been the same. Whether it was the multiverse theory, parallel worlds, or whatever it was called, different realms with different principles existed. The possibility that they were similar worlds could not be ruled out.

"Do you have something to write with?"

"Wait a moment."

Ayane hurried to the desk, found paper and a pen, and hurriedly handed them over.

"Japan?"

"I know it well."

As Worm wrote, he deepened their shared understanding. It had been a while since he had written kanji and a map of Japan. The writing was so distorted that it looked like a child's scribble. Even such a scribble evoked a sense of nostalgia in Ayane. The reaction to the crude imitation of a national character, which he drew while cursing his lack of artistic talent, was not bad. The sight of them laughing around the bizarre drawing would seem like madness to an outsider.

It was a rash act for a frugal Haiselk person, but he couldn't stop drawing familiar things. It was a waste of paper and ink, which were not mass-produced, but he couldn't stop. Drawing an awkward character and a distorted map of Japan, Worm asked, pointing to a circle in one corner.

"I was born in Hachishirizuka City. Do you know it?"

"Hachishirizuka City!? I know it, I'm from there too."

"Are you kidding me?"

Worm, doubting his ears, immediately responded in surprise.

"Then do you know the old lady at the candy store in front of the station?"

"The one near Hachishirizuka Station? She's been the same old lady since my childhood."

The surprise turned into certainty. They were undoubtedly from the same world. Distant memories, the past as Takakura Yorizou, were being awakened. The carbonated drinks in bottles, the candies in bags, the spinning tops and masks hanging as if time had frozen. The old wooden candy store, filled with things that attracted people regardless of the era, was like a toy box.

"That lady has been an old lady since my childhood."

Her unchanged appearance for thirty years brought a sense of reassurance to those who returned home. Even as the city's appearance changed due to redevelopment in front of the station, the store and the old lady remained the same. In retrospect, it might have been a marketing strategy. After all, he had seen grown adults revert to their childhood and spend money in that store more than once. She must have been a great businesswoman.

"Hehe, maybe she's a yokai."

"She was even part of the seven mysteries of my school."

Covering her mouth with her hand, Ayane laughed mischievously.

"That's right. I didn't expect we went to the same school."

"The world is small, they say, but it's true."

Paper airplanes disappearing into the clouds, stairs that never seemed to end at dusk, dark corridors that couldn't be seen to the end, and cute things like a black cat that appeared and disappeared. Just thinking about it, there were many to list. Though called the seven mysteries, there might have been ten or twenty.

The conversation with someone from the same hometown never seemed to end. For a while, they even forgot their original purpose. Ironically, it was the mask of a demon that served as the timekeeper. On one hand, he wished he had entrusted it to Moritz, but on the other, the image of soldiers trembling in fear of the cursed mask filled his mind. It was truly an unsightly mask, but the fact that time was limited was undeniable. Even if it wasn't urgent, there were other patients to attend to.

Leaning back on the bed, Worm closed his eyes. Despite closing his eyes, he could sense the swirling magic from the palm that must have been covering his face. A warm light illuminated the dim room.

"Relax and make yourself comfortable."

"Okay."

Just as Worm had experienced various things over the past year and a half, the girl had also grown as a person. The eye treatment began. The warm light made Worm feel drowsy. At this moment, the grim reality surrounding his homeland seemed to fade away.

---

Thank you for reading. I'm Tortonen. I always appreciate your reviews and support.

The manga adaptation of "Nigemiru Hitomi de Nani o Negau Haiselk Senki" by Saito Hachinomi, serialized in Shonen Magazine Edge, has also started on Nico Nico Seiga. The beginning is posted in the activity report, so please check it out. Here are the links:

Nico Nico Seiga

https://seiga.nicovideo.jp/comic/58990?track=top_push

Activity Report

https://syosetu.com/userblogmanage/view/blogkey/3011540/