Chapter 157

Ch . 157 Nina

I grab a cactus and return to the beach .

I laid Nina down on the seashore to rest and make the ball rabbit stand guard .

The sand in the desert is hot and not suited for an ill person to lie on .

I have to keep her hydrated for now .

Just standing up takes strength away in the heat of the desert .

Without water, the condition will only deteriorate further .

The ball rabbit receives the cactus from me, squeezes it, skims the contents, and pours the liquid between Nina’s lips skillfully .

The color in Nina’s face seems to have worsened since I got the cactus .

But if that’s the case, it’s progressing too fast, so it may just be in my head .

There isn’t any time to worry, but I’m not sure what to do now .

Would it be better to hope for a miracle and stumble upon a city or to head back to Harenae?

I understand that I need to act quickly, but I can’t bring myself to choose .

Is it better to let her die quietly like she wanted? I shouldn’t even consider this .

I shake my head dismissing the thought from my head .

I glared at the ball rabbit .

If I had gone to Harenae, Nina wouldn’t be dying now .

Even though I knew that the ball rabbit was acting on Nina’s feelings, I still couldn’t stop these feelings .

The ball rabbit notices my look and looks up quietly .

“PEFUU……”

he ball rabbit lets out a sad cry .

〖 Telepathy 〗 doesn’t have to be used .

The ball rabbit probably heard Nina’s story beforehand .

The ball rabbit is a monster, but it is quite wise .

It wouldn’t let Nina die without a reason .

Was Nina’s past so dreadful that she had lost all faith in others?

She must have known a kind person wherever she was before, and surely one exists in Harenae .

Wasn’t it possible to have hoped for that?

Nina’s eyelid opens weakly .

She lifts her neck and moves her eyes a little .

They stop on my form and she moves her stiffened lips to speak .

“Nina’s sorry Nya …Mr . Dragon”

She says in a low murmur .

“Nina has never known such kindness till now… . So if possible… if even a little… she would like to stay with Mr . Dragon as long as possible… It is Nina’s own selfishness .  It was Nina who wanted to stay… so please, don’t blame ball rabbit . ”

Nina closes her lips and coughs again .

After the cough stops she speaks again .

“Nina’s sorry… she’s betrayed the trust of Mr . Dragon… but please don’t think it was a waste . ”

I hear you and I understand .

The ball rabbit probably wondered, if I knew Nina was going to die, would I even help her at all .

〖 Telepathy 〗 Is a skill that allows one to communicate your thoughts to others and to read strong ones .

Sometimes, thoughts can slip out and be picked up by the ball rabbit unintentionally .

And surely, the ball rabbit had told Nina about this one .

And so they decided to keep it from me .

“Traveling with Mr . Dragon… Nina got to ride on him and see the scenery… she was taught fishing… at first, Nina was a little scared… but Mr . Dragon was always taking care of her even though they had just met… Nina realized he was just a gentle person… Nina wondered why he would do this and wondered why he would teach her these things, then she realized it was for her benefit… . She felt bad for this… but more than that, Nina felt happy”

I found tears rolling down my face .

I was happy she felt this way, even though she was put in this situation .

It was the first time since I had become a dragon that I could think this .

“To separate like this… . Nina is sorry nya . She wants to truly thank you, she’s been able to smile since she met you…even now she wants to smile as she says goodbye”

…… What should I do?

When I check Nina’s status again, I confirm that 〖curse (small) 〗has changed into〖 curse〗 .

Once it reflects in the status, then the onset will only get worse .

I had tried to put some distance between us when I was searching for a cactus earlier but, it seems it wasn’t enough .

I think soon, it would be better for me to leave .

Isn’t it quite painful to die of a disease?

To be left in the desert to die while being surrounded by monsters .

Rather than suffering, with my claw… .

“GWOOOOO……”

I look at the ball rabbit and growl in a low voice . I want the ball rabbit to ask Nina what I should do .

Nina began to talk simultaneously with the ball rabbit who had turned to face Nina .

〖 Telepathy 〗 wasn’t used, but somehow it understood what I had wanted to say .

“there are many things Nina wanted to say while she was still healthy…but, would Mr . Dragon stay with Nina till the end?”

All I could do was nod slowly .

I gently stroked Nina’s back with my tail .

“Thank you very much, Mr…… . dragon”

Nina says so and laughs weakly .

I, Nina and the ball rabbit .

Alone, with the two, we only gazed at each other .

Although Nina was in pain, her eyes weren’t completely shut .

I don’t know what to talk about, isn’t there anything I could do? Such thoughts raced through my head, but I couldn’t come up with anything .

Suddenly some signs appeared from afar .

〖Presence Sense〗 is strongly responding .

Shortly after my sense picks it up, I can hear the sound of a horse’s footsteps .