Even as I watched the two aim their swords, I still held onto some hope.
They may only threaten each other and not rush in rashly....
I believed that Kishian and Rodrik, who had been comrades in the subjugation campaign together, wouId not try to kill each other out of the blue.
And as if to mock my naive thinking, they quickly closed the distance between them and swung their swords.
"...!"
While I was frozen, unable to even scream properly, Rodrick's sword, full of murderous intent, swept past Kishian's neck.
Kishian dodged it by stepping back slightly and sharpened the tip of his sword, stabbing it into Rodrick's abdomen.
There was no hesitation, even though he knew for sure that the blade would pierce through the man's stomach, leaving a fatal hole.
Fortunately, Rodrick also managed to turn his body and avoid it, but my back was instantly covered in a cold sweat.
"Stop it! What are you doing!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, but they still didn't seem to hear me.
There wasn't even the slightest hesitation.
They were completely immersed in their own world and were only focused on killing their opponents.
I wanted to block it with my body, but I was in a situation where I couldn't approach it.
Even in the blink of an eye, attacks and defenses occurred several times.
If I were to get involved in a situation like that, I would just lose my form and turn into a clump of blood in an instant.
'People. We need to bring people!'
After making that decision, I started walking towards where the mercenaries were.
They might be a little confused when they see Kishian and Rodrick, but that can be explained later. For now, it was important to stop them.
Fortunately, I didn't have to run first.
Just as I was about to go there, I heard the sound of people's footsteps.
"Sister! I think I heard a scream..."
At Hertha's words, who was leading the way, I hurriedly guided them to where the sword fight was taking place.
As expected, panicked voices came out here and there.
"But, Captain!?"
"What is this situation?"
"Who is that black haired person!?"
Everyone was unable to come to their senses in the face of the situation unfolding before their eyes.
Moreover, the back and forth between Rodrick and Kishian was so fierce that I couldn't find any room to interfere.
Some people approached him clumsily, but they could not bring themselves to grab him and stopped shouting.
"Can't you see that the Captain is being attacked? Someone shoot an arrow and stop it!"
"You don't even know who your opponent is! And how can you hit him when he moves like that? What if you hit the captain by mistake?"
I believed that if I brought people, something would work out, but even they seemed to be hopeless.
At that moment, Kishian swung his sword vertically in a large stroke, which Rodrick blocked.
The force of the blow must have been considerable, as a loud noise was heard and Rodrick's upper body tensed up.
The crossed swords were gradually pushed towards Rodrick's neck.
If Kishian continued to apply force like this, Rodrick would not be able to avoid a fatal wound.
Rodrick, who had been holding on with his teeth clenched, opened his mouth at that moment.
"How dare you come all the way here! What are you going to do with her here? When you couldn't even protect her properly from the start!"
Kishian's eyes, which had been sparkling with murderous intent to kill his opponent, wavered for a moment.
Rodrick didn't miss that opportunity.
The sword of Kishian, which had been blocking him, naturally slipped away and pierced his abdomen.
“Kishian!!”
My mind went blank.
Before I could even think, my body was already running in his direction.
Meanwhile, Rodrick stepped back, letting go of the sword he had stuck into Kishian's abdomen.
He seemed a little embarrassed.
He really didn't intend to kill him, but did he end up doing it anyway?
I didn't have the presence of mind to think deeply.
All of this situation I was seeing before my eyes didn't feel real.
Everything felt slow, like I was having an absurd, horrible nightmare.
But the moment I ran to Kishian, who was lying down with his sword stuck in his neck, and examined his wound, I realized that it was not a dream.
The sight of Rodrick's sword embedded in Kishian's abdomen was so vivid that it was impossible to ignore.
Should I pull it out? Will it be possible to save it if I pull it out?
It was at that moment that I was trying to pull out the blade of the sword with my trembling hands in shock.
"I..."
As he muttered, Kishian grabbed my hand and stopped me.
I thought he meant that he would choose me, but that wasn't it.
He continued his speech, which had been halting in the middle of nowhere.
"I know I'm unworthy."
His hands, which had always felt so firm, were shaking slightly.
But he didn't let go of the hand he was holding.
Those trembling hands began to gain strength little by little.
"I know I shouldn't have been chasing you like this, even though I know it, because I have no shame and am not qualified to do so..."
He was recalling, in a shaky voice, what Rodrick had said.
That must be why Rodrick pointed out exactly the sins of his past that he wanted to deny.
Kishian misunderstood me and was unable to protect me, which eventually led to me running away.
When that indelible past was pointed out, he would have collapsed helplessly and fallen into a state of self-loathing.
His voice sounded dangerously shaky, as if he might collapse at any moment.
But the words that followed were clearer than ever.
"Even though I know everything, I can't give up."
"..."
"It's okay if you resent and hate me for the rest of your life, I'll know it's my sin and repent. But still... I can't let you go."
It was more of a plain notification than a plea or a threat.
He wasn't crying or angry.
He was just saying that he couldn't give up on me. As if he were saying something that even he couldn't do anything about.
I also grabbed his hand, which he desperately held onto as if he didn't want to let go.
"Stop talking. I'll listen to everything, but for now, you need to heal your wounds."
He raised his head, which had been bowed, and looked at me once.
My face, stained with fear and worry, appeared small in his eyes.
After locking eyes with me, Kishian grabbed the blade stuck in his abdomen with his hand.
He didn't even mind the sharp blade digging into his palm.
He grabbed the sword and pulled it out with force.
The blade that cut into the flesh came out covered in blood.
I was worried whether I could just pull it out like this, but my worries didn't last long.
The blood that flowed out seeped into the wound.
As if time had been turned back, the blood that flowed backwards was absorbed into the wound, and then the split skin slowly healed from the edges.
There was no scabbing whatsoever.
When I looked closely again, the fatal wound had already disappeared without a trace.
'That's right, that's the kind of constitution I had.'
I was so shocked when I saw him being stabbed right before my eyes that I forgot about it for a moment.
He is the type of person who doesn't die from even minor injuries.
Just then, a rustling sound was heard from behind.
When I looked back, I saw Rodrick's face standing there with an embarrassed look on his face.
"I am..."
He tried to say something, but I shook my head because I had no intention of listening to excuses.
Of course, I know in my head that it wasn't Rodrick's fault.
It was Kishian who first drew his sword, and it must have been inevitable that Rodrick would say something shocking to Kishian during the fight.
Because it was a situation where he could have lost his life if he hadn't shaken Kishian up with psychological warfare.
I know it all in my head, but...
"Once this expedition is over, I will leave the mercenary group."
I was so angry.
Even with my eyes closed, I could still see Rodrick swinging his sword and stabbing Kishian.
So, hearing those words spoken with such anger, Rodrick muttered with a blank expression.
"You're leaving..."
"I owe you too much. I'm sure the members are very confused about the current situation."
I looked around.
We saw faces trying to figure out the situation without being able to approach us.
"You're leaving all of a sudden? What are you talking about now..."
"Let's talk about this later. First, let me explain the situation to the people."
"..."
"I can't just sit there and do nothing when I don't know where or when the monster will appear."
Only then did Rodrick seem to remember that he was the leader of a band of mercenaries and that it was his responsibility to lead them.
He stared at me with his trembling eyes and spoke to the mercenaries around me.
"First, everyone, come over here. I'll explain the situation."
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