Gomen ne, Onii-sama 3-4

Gomen ne, Oniisama Chapter 3 part 4

And so the Villain Descends From the Stage

Staring at Atlas who had fallen, I felt as though time had stopped.
Now, what the hell, is this?

“…..Atlas?”

Blood flows from his chest.
He inhales shallowly, and blood overflows from his mouth along with the exhalation.
His hand painfully stretched towards and touched my boots, and scratched feebly.

“Impossible”

An excited voice reaches my ears.
I realized it was a surprise attack, as the man’s excited voice echoed strangely through the dark forest.

“Hey, they’re here!”

The man who called for support loudly, the one who killed him, perhaps recognized the girl kneeling in front of the fallen man as having surrendered, as she sat there with her eyes wide open and muttered to herself.
The murderous intentions and hatred can be seen clearly in his faraway eyes, as he prepares one more arrow, this time for me.

At this rate, I’ll be killed-!

I created pillars of flame to surround myself, and with a cracking sound, my【vessel】was further damaged.

“Ii- ah….”

My heart pounds, and I stagger a few steps unsteadily before falling to my knees.
Mana leaks uncontrollably, feeling as though it’s burning my whole body.
It hurts.
The pain brings tears to my eyes, and I find it difficult to breathe.
If you continue to use magic in a state of mana deficiency, your mana source takes the strain as damage, and if it’s severe instant death is likely.
It’s only by chance that I’m not already dead.

“Ah, shit! -backup, come – kill-“

I can hear a voice intermittently on the other side of the flame shouting to kill me.
The flame roars. The heat won’t hurt me, but having made this large barrier of flame, the enemy is definitely aware of our position.
Surrounded by enemies, although this will serve as a temporary barrier, it’s not even close to preventing death.
I’m not sure of the exact position, but if enemy soldiers are around, it’s likely that there is some distance to the fort, and that I shouldn’t expect help.

My magical power is exhausted, Atlas has fallen, what can I do in this situation to escape- my thoughts are interrupted by the creaking of my aching【vessel】.

“…..O.. w…”

The hot air I inhale stimulates me to move, and my copper hair shines in the light of the flames as I gauge the reality behind them.
The appearance of the bloody Atlas was blurred and hazy, like a nightmare.

Without the support of Marquis Harvester, Gil-sama would be instantly eaten in noble society.
Now old man Harvester has passed away, Atlas is the only one of Gil-sama’s friends who has enough power to secure his safety.
Even if… even if this Atlas has deviated from the story, that fact won’t change.
If here and now, Atlas dies- it’s impossible for Gilford Ivaris to become the hero and savior of the nation.

“….Atlas! Please, show me your wound!”

Something like that, isn’t “Gilford”.
Something like that, isn’t the story I loved.
There is no meaning in me dying for an outcome like that.

Although my imagination scares me, I have a more immediate problem.
I can’t afford to be distracted by pain.
Rolling over Atlas’s fallen body, the arrow wound catches my eye.
It’s stuck deep in his chest, but it may be okay if I stop the bleeding quickly.
Forcefully tearing off the military uniform that became stiff with blood, I look into Atlas’s face that is losing color.

“To stop bleeding…”
“Like I said, I’m fine… Don’t… try to help me.”

Lying on his back, Atlas smiled as blood flowed from the side of his mouth― I tried to conceal that the wound was too deep.

“Don’t make that face.”

At long last I’ve come close, but all I can do is stare silently as Atlas bleeds with a wry smile.
It seems like I’m watching a nightmare I’ve experienced many times.
But with the smell of blood, the sight before my eyes, the pain coming from the【vessel】deep in my body, it reminds me that this is reality- yes, not a novel.

As I held his body painted by his crimson blood, with choppy voices we discussed landmarks and directions briefly.
It seems as though Atlas will die.
But although I understand it, part of me refuses to acknowledge it.

“This is no good. This is no good, Atlas.”

When Atlas dies, Gil-sama, what will happen to the hero― even though the hero may not become a hero.
Should I just give up here?

Ah, why am I so powerless even when I’m the Princess of the Inferno?
The magic power that seemed endless is gone, there is no help, and without the ability to save a single life, I’m just an ordinary woman, a human who can only be ashamed at my uselessness.

Don’t die, I won’t let you die, I won’t forgive you for dying here.
Atlas smiled bitterly at me as I connected meaningless words, looking at the flames surrounding us, with clouded brown eyes, quietly spoke.

“I’ll heal myself, so. Before this flame pillar disappears, go. I’ll catch up with you.”

So run away quickly before backup comes, is it?
Such a lie.
There’s no way he can use magic in this state.
To use magic that requires the utmost concentration while in a state of intense pain, is completely impossible.

“N, no. I disagree. Let’s go together? I’ll carry you…”
“…I’ll catch up later. You should go.”

While knowing that it’s impossible, I continue to make meaningless suggestions.
If I wished to live, I should have escaped promptly as Atlas told me to.
But.
As Atlas took a package out of his pocket with his trembling hands, it fell on the ground, and he murmured that there was something he wanted to apologize for.
The hand he placed on my head is losing warmth far too rapidly.

“Escape safely, then… next time… I’ll… invite.. You…”

The blood, doesn’t stop.
His breath becomes shallow.
His body temperature is falling.
The light is fading from his eyes.
A voice, whispering possibilities of the future, stops.

―Ah, this too, is useless.
Even if, I see it happen, I can’t help.

When I released Atlas’s hand that I was holding, it fell to the ground powerlessly.
He seems to have already lost consciousness, and there is no voice to angrily tell me to run already.
Looking up at the sky, perhaps to seek salvation, or simply avert my eyes from reality, the night sky, shimmering in the heat, causes the moon to appear as though it is wavering like a mirage.
Beautiful like a dream.

“…aah, I’ve failed.”

So.
This life feels as though it’s all a dream.
I was sick and unable to get out of bed, just looking outside the window, waiting for a visit, nothing created, nothing destroyed, unneeded by anyone, living as if I were already dead.
I was reborn in the world I dreamed of.
I got a healthy body, and could stay near my favorite character.
Although it was certainly painful, the freedom of life outweighed that, and I felt joy that would be necessary in the future.

But, it’s certain now that it’s impossible for Gil-sama to complete his life as a hero.
In the future, those who should have rebuilt the country, will vanish from the front stage in the middle of their path.
What is justice without destroying evil?
What is a hero if he falls before reaching the villain?
If the hero is unable to fulfill justice, what am【I】?

“I am… Origa. Origa Emelda Ruzil.”

But, the contents are, while born as a villain, a woman who smeared her favorite story with mud.

“Ha… haha.. aha, ha…”

Dry laughter spills from my mouth.
The future of the magicians, the future of this country, my sins, the anger towards the king, greed, obsession, it’s all pointless.
Since I got into this situation, it’s sure that I will die here.
It’s the result of the sin of my greed.
Because I couldn’t hold myself back and held my hand out to someone I shouldn’t have, I changed the story into such a thing.
As a result, the villain Origa won’t leave anything, won’t be remembered by anyone, will die without any meaning- she fell to such a low existence.
The me who is just a magician, has no value.
The me who is just a girl, has no meaning.
A me like this, isn’t what【I】wanted to be.

….I don’t care anymore.
It’s too tiring. In front of me, I can see Atlas’s body.
If he didn’t get involved with me, if I didn’t move around so much, I guess he probably would have continued walking forward with Gil-sama to knock me down.
That his life will be lost, I don’t care anymore.
When I closed my eyes and sighed, suddenly I recalled Atlas’s voice from a time long past now.

“Can we… become friends?”

That’s right… Atlas is my【friend】, Gil-sama’s best friend.
Dying while rescuing a friend, even if it means nothing as a villain, it still means something as a person.
Regardless of whether it actually makes a difference, if rescue doesn’t come, I’ll die soon anyways.
Whether I live for one more minute or one more second, it doesn’t matter if it’s just prolonging suffering.
But.

“….But, because you’re a friend.”
I’m sure you’ll forgive me.

Atlas’s cheeks are painted by warm blood, as his shallow breath gradually weakens.
I have never used healing magic.
That is, because it was sealed away since it’s water magic.
【Origa】never used healing magic in her life― but it doesn’t mean it’s unusable.
The method, Atlas showed me a while ago.
Surely, I can.
Not as Origa, I realized a smile from【my】emotions was forming on my mouth.

I removed the vial from Atlas’s pack, and pouring the contents onto my hand, several pale colored pills rolled out.
Given the magic power that will be lost trying to use an unfamiliar magic, with just one or two pills, it won’t be enough.
One by one, I placed them in my mouth, but I got impatient and poured them all into my mouth at once.
The chewed pills rapidly melt in the moisture of my mouth, and magical power rushes through my body, through this cracked【vessel】.
My body screams with pain as my magical power is recovered far too quickly- this is definitely a lethal dose.
Even so, there was no discomfort like before.
Because my death will not be in vain.

My heart beats erratically, and I find breathing difficult.
The eyes of Atlas lying on my knees are already beginning to lose the last traces of life.
I’m sure he didn’t see anything, didn’t hear anything.
As I wipe at the blood sticking to his cheeks, I smile slightly, to give myself some peace of mind.

“Atlas, I will help you.”

I was surprised momentarily by the words that exited my mouth, but when I realize what I’ve said, I feel happy.
To be able to act for the sake of a friend without having to consciously think about it, just for a little while, I wanted to feel this happiness.

―If this makes my death meaningful, then I’m satisfied with this conclusion.

As I applied the magic, along with a sound like glass breaking, my consciousness flew away as intense pain rushed through my body.