Chapter 29: And Again, We Meet
And then, I continued to be reborn and die, and before I knew it, 200 years had passed.
I wonder if it’s because of my wish to see Erica-san again that the stone granted me.
However, I had long realized that it was impossible to meet her again. Besides, even if I was reborn, most people don’t have memories of their past lives.
Still, I believed that people with beautiful hearts like her would be reborn somewhere in this world and surely find happiness. Or perhaps, I wanted to believe that.
I was afraid of forgetting her even a little, so in every life, I continued to paint her a portrait. Becoming an adventurer or a knight to defeat monsters, that didn’t change in any of my lives.
In this current life, born as the Viscount’s son, I had become a knight. With the talent I was born with, combined with my past experiences and knowledge, there was no one who could surpass me in battles against monsters.
And eventually, I rose to become the captain of the monster extermination squad, and one evening when I turned 26, something happened.
“I’ll go for a little patrol.”
“Understood.”
While heading towards the monster extermination site with my team, I couldn’t fall asleep while camping in the forest along the way, so I decided to take a walk.
Perhaps it was because this forest resembled the one I spent time with Erica-san. I felt an intense desire to walk alone.
As I walked, I suddenly noticed something crouching in the shadow of a tree. For a moment, I was cautious, thinking it might be an animal or a monster, but as I approached, I realized it was a human woman.
“. . .Are you okay?”
As I approached with my hand on the sword, her slender body trembled visibly, and she looked up at me with fear.
The woman, who seemed like a commoner, had a face full of fear, as if the world was about to collapse. Why would she be here at such a time and place?
“What are you doing here? If you’d like, I can escort you home.”
“P-Please stay away from me!”
“. . .?”
She had an expression that seemed like she was about to burst into tears and took a step back.
“Soon, monsters might appear near me.”
“Soon?”
“So I came here to avoid involving anyone. . .”
I don’t understand this talk about monsters appearing from now on.
But she seemed genuinely frightened of something, and she didn’t seem like she was lying.
“Even if monsters appear, it’ll be okay.”
When I revealed my identity and told her that I was confident in defeating monsters, she seemed slightly relieved. When I suggested going to the camp where other knights were for safety, she eventually nodded slightly.
As we walked side by side, I asked about her. Her name seemed to be Monique, and when I asked about her age, she told me she would turn 20 when the date changed. I don’t know the exact time now, but it must be soon.
It was a pity to see her so frightened all alone in such a place on her birthday, even though we had just met.
“But how do you know that monsters will appear?”
“. . .I–I have memories from my past life.”
Her sudden words made my heart skip a beat.
I knew that there were others who had memories from their past lives, but it was my first time meeting someone other than myself. Even though we had just met, I couldn’t help but find it hard to believe that she was lying.
“Well, actually, in my past life, on my 20th birthday, I was eaten by a monster. Maybe the first time was just a coincidence.”
“. . .On your 20th birthday?”
“Yes. So in this life too, I was scared that they might appear 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.
Although I thought it couldn’t possibly be true, there was a part of me that was hoping for it. Before I knew it, I found myself speaking.
“. . .Can I ask you something strange?”
“Yes?”
“In your first life, what was your name?”
The sound of my heartbeat grew louder and louder. Eventually, after she looked slightly puzzled, she smiled softly.
“It’s Erica.”
She said it clearly and confidently.
──Why didn’t I realize it immediately? The troubled way of laughing, the gesture of pushing the hair behind the ear, they were all the same as Erica-san’s.
I’ve wanted to meet her for so long. I’ve wanted to apologize for so long.
Erica-san was reborn with her memories intact, and she’s right in front of me. I was on the verge of crying at such a miracle, and she was looking at me with a puzzled expression.
“I. . .”
I opened my mouth again, feeling the need to say something. At that moment, a creepy sensation ran through me, and at the same time I turned around, my left hand disappeared.
Nevertheless, I quickly drew my sword with my right hand, positioning myself to protect her. And when I caught sight of it, I held my breath.
“You. . .”
There was no doubt that it was the monster that devoured Erica-san back then.
I could hear a trembling voice saying, “I knew it,” from behind. From what I heard earlier, it seemed that this monster had devoured her not just once, but twice.
And now, it’s trying to devour her again. Anger and hatred welled up from the depths of my body. Why on earth does this monster have such an obsession with her?
But now, it didn’t seem like there was time or room to think about such things. The bleeding from my severed left hand was severe. The moment I tried to launch an attack, it felt as if time had stopped.
“Knight-sama!”
I felt like I heard a voice that resembled her scream from a distance.
Before I knew it, I had collapsed to the ground, and I also noticed that my own body was being torn apart. I had no idea what had happened, what had been done to me.
The only thing I knew was that I couldn’t save her again. The last thing I saw in the hazy world was the sight of my beloved being devoured and dying once more.
❂❂❂❂❂❂
It had been 300 years since that day when I couldn’t save her. It was like an endless hell, filled with self-hatred and despair. I could feel something wearing away inside me.
I had thought of disappearing, even wanting to die multiple times. But I knew it wouldn’t solve anything. Even if I died, I would just be reborn as another person in the next moment.
And above all, when I thought about her, who might still be destined to be devoured by that monster even if she were to be reborn, I couldn’t possibly take my own life.
I didn’t know if I, weak and foolish as I was, could save her. Nevertheless, I continued to search relentlessly for her, whose name and appearance I didn’t even know. I kept striving to become stronger so that I could protect her.
What had driven me for these 500 years was surely only my feelings for her. I knew that the emotions in my heart couldn’t be simply described as love anymore.
But it seems that in this current life, I can’t save even one little sister.
No matter how much knowledge and experience I had from my past life, I couldn’t change my birth or environment. It was even more so when it came to being a child. Even if I desperately reached out my hand, no one would come to help.
I think I was already tired of everything. My vision blurred as tears, which I thought had long dried up, filled my eyes.
──I loved her. That was all. Why did it end up like this?
And it was at that moment when I was being overwhelmed by bottomless despair and helplessness, while gently holding Nadia’s small, bony hand.
“It’s okay now.”
She appeared before me again, like an angel.
