Chapter 30
* * *
As Lipia lay on the bed, there was a knock at the door.
Judging by the magical presence, it seemed to be Yuurai.
"Lipia, are you awake? I have a favor to ask."
Lipia didn't want to respond.
Yuurai is her lifesaver and someone who helped her precious comrades. She feels gratitude. However, the shock of becoming an Undead hasn't fully faded. She can no longer return to her village, and it's hard to face her family. She can't even meet the person she secretly cared for anymore.
Moreover, her body won't grow, and she can't have children. All the various futures she could have had if she hadn't become an Undead are now out of reach.
Little by little, her heart is changing, and she's starting to come to terms with it. But she still wanted to be left alone.
As Lipia remained silent, Yuurai continued.
"Lipia, I heard you can use healing magic. I'd like to borrow that power. Just now, some adventurers came to defeat me, but Claire, Gilka, and I fought them off. One of them is badly injured, so could you heal them?"
(They came to defeat her, and yet... she wants to heal them...? What's going on...?)
If she had fought off and killed the adventurers who came to defeat her, that would make sense. But to deliberately keep them alive and even go as far as to heal them—what kind of mindset is that?
"I'm not forcing you. If you can't heal them with magic, we'll use a potion. But potions aren't infinite, and there's no one here who can make them. If magic can heal them, I'd prefer that."
(Why help an enemy? Aren't you a cruel Monster who turns humans into beasts?)
Lipia recalled the eerie creature she had witnessed the other day. Transforming a human like that isn't something someone with a normal mindset could do.
(What exactly is Yuurai? She commits brutal acts, yet she's kind to her comrades. She's killed over twenty thousand people, but now she tries to avoid killing as much as possible.)
She heard when they first met that the destruction of the town was just an accident. She doesn't know the details, but it's certain that Yuurai isn't inherently evil.
However, it's also clear that she isn't inherently good either. There's no doubt she has a cruel side.
(I should probably learn more about Yuurai... After all, I have no choice but to live with her now...)
There are very few places that would accept an Undead. As a demi-human, she was already destined to live in hiding, but now her options are even more limited.
She can't think of anywhere to live other than by Yuurai's side.
"...Sorry, Lipia. Rest for now. I'll come back later."
"Wait."
Lipia surprised herself by instinctively calling out.
"Wait, Yuurai. You need my help, right?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"...Before I help, I have one question."
"Hm? What is it?"
"...Why are you healing them? They came to kill you, didn't they?"
"Well... to be honest, I don't really care if they live or die..."
(You don't care!? What does that mean!?)
"Their life has no value to me. But if I easily discard lives that don't matter to me, I'm afraid I'll just become more and more of a brutal Monster."
"...Afraid?"
"I've killed a lot of people. But I don't particularly feel guilty about it. Even now, I don't feel much resistance to killing humans who don't matter to me. But if I keep killing just because they don't matter, I feel like everything in the world will start to seem meaningless, and even the things I'm supposed to care about will feel worthless. That scares me. So, to stay where I am now, I don't want to kill someone unless I have a deep grudge against them."
"...That's a very selfish reason."
"Yeah. It is. But that's fine, right? I'm not a philanthropist or a champion of justice. I choose not to kill for my own sake. I don't expect praise or gratitude."
"...I see."
A terrifying Monster with both good and evil sides.
However, Lipia sensed that Yuurai was trying to lean more toward good.
Being by Yuurai's side might not be entirely bad after all.
"...I understand your reasoning, Yuurai. I'm willing to help."
"Really? Thanks. That helps a lot."
Thinking about the future she lost was painful.
She couldn't imagine her own future at all, always thinking negatively and letting anxiety build up.
She had no choice but to live with Yuurai, yet she wasn't sure if she could trust her, and that scared her.
Now, just a little, she could imagine a good future.
She felt like she could hold onto hope.
(...Staying shut in won't make the invisible future any clearer. I should step outside now.)
With that decision, Lipia took her beloved staff and left the room. Yuurai welcomed her with a smile.
"I'm glad. Lipia, you don't seem to be in bad shape."
"...I'm fine physically. So, where's the injured person?"
"Over here."
Guided by Yuurai, Lipia moved forward.
"By the way, how bad are the injuries?"
"Cuts all over the body, two large stab wounds, and both arms and legs amputated."
"...What?"
Just imagining it made her feel faint. Such severe injuries were beyond the scope of any healing magic she could use.
"D-Did you do that, Yuurai...?"
"No, it wasn't me. Gilka and Claire did it."
"...It wasn't just Yuurai."
(It's not just Yuurai who's terrifying... Will my future be okay...?)
"Huh? What's that?"
"...Nothing."
Though anxiety crept in again, Lipia gripped her staff tightly and endured.