Chapter 35 - Sin (3)
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—Shwak!!!
"Kkkuaak! My arm, my aaarm!!"
As the well-maintained, sharp blade swung, the ruffian's right arm was severed in an instant; blood spurted out like a fountain from the severed section, and witnessing the blood, my heart pounded intensely, pumping adrenaline throughout my body.
I had killed a ratman and a goblin before, but I was still not completely accustomed to the act of taking a life; not to mention against a human.
When it came to a person, the discomfort was even more pronounced.
While the situation demanded drawing the sword, I still didn't want to kill anyone. If I had aimed for the heart or throat when I approached earlier, I could have completely subdued him, but I didn't. No, it would be more accurate to say I couldn't.
"Ugh! Kuk!"
"Aaah...! My leg! You bastard!"
"It hurts...! It hurts..."
The ruffians were flustered and unable to properly deal with the sudden enemy, and I approached them one by one, swinging the sword as they helplessly suffered, their arms being severed, thighs stabbed, chests slashed, and screams echoing through the narrow alley.
It was not a very pleasant sight to see them change their attitude so quickly when they're being hurt when they were enjoying themselves with an air of superiority when they were bullying others with a group of people.
As I almost finished subduing them, a sudden thought crossed my mind. There were six ruffians approaching earlier, and I had taken down only five. So, where was the remaining one?
As I was thinking about that, I suddenly felt a presence approaching me rapidly from behind. And without even having time to judge, I turned around and swung my sword.
The person approaching from behind was the one the thugs called "big brother," their leader. He had been sneaking up on me from the blind spot of my vision, and when he got close, he swung a club with nails in it at me.
I didn't sustain a fatal wound, but I didn't completely avoid it, and the nails of the club grazed my arm, leaving a scratch.
But that wasn't important now.
The tension of facing a human for the first time in a real battle, the intense red of the blood spurting out from all directions, and my heart pounding wildly, sending blood throughout my body, fueled my excitement even more, forcing me to swing my sword without being able to make a cool-headed assessment of the situation.
"Gu...Gu...Gu...Ugh...Gukk..."
"Wh...What...?"
The first thing I realized when I turned around was the sight of a man with half his neck cut off and unable to speak properly, choking.
The man, who had been standing like that for several seconds, spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, and the hand holding the sword trembled at the shocking bloodshed I had committed for the first time in my life.
This was the first killing I had committed across both this life and the previous one.
"Hi... Hik...!"
"S-save... save me... Please, just my life..."
Seeing their captain fall, the remaining ruffians completely lost their composure; each clutched their injured body parts and earnestly begged me for mercy.
I was still grappling with the shock of my first murder, but fortunately, I could decide that staying idle wasn't an option. The evening was getting darker, and there was one more person besides me who needed to be taken out of here.
And if more humans like them or their group come rushing in after hearing the ruffians' noise, I can't guarantee victory in this situation.
I came to a conclusion and approached the woman who was leaning against the wall. She watched idly as I subdued the ruffians, but when I got closer, she came back to her senses and tried to straighten herself up and sit down.
"We should probably leave now. Can you move?"
"Yes, yes? Uhm...wait...ugh..."
After hearing my words, the woman tried to stand up, but her limbs had no strength and she could only twitch on the spot.
This won't do. What can I do?
I slid my hands under her armpits and behind her calves, gently lifting her. "I apologize for the intrusion. It's impolite."
"What...what are you...?! Ugh!"
Perhaps it was an unexpected situation; the woman let out a light scream and squirmed briefly, but she soon realized I meant no harm, stopped resisting, and entrusted herself to me.
"Do you know how to get out of this alley? I'm sorry to say this, but the reason I came here is because I got lost..."
"Ah...if that's the case, I know the way out. It's right there, to the right..."
Following the woman's guidance, as I moved along the path, I could see several men still lying strewn across the entrance of the alley she had sprinted from; all of them had disheveled hair or beards, or frozen parts of their bodies, or other signs of being struck unconscious.
Apparently, the six people I dealt with were part of a group that this woman dealt with alone.
To face a group of over ten alone and still escape that scene—it seems the woman in my arms is much stronger than I initially thought...
* * * * *
After running through the alley for about thirty minutes and finally exiting the alley, we finally managed to escape the slum.
The back alley of Drakton, as the local had pointed out, was indeed this place. Various facilities, such as inns, taverns, and what seemed to be a park, were visible in the surroundings.
I headed towards an empty bench in the park, gently placing the woman down and taking a seat beside her. And only then did I get a closer look at her appearance.
She had light brown hair, a petite face, and prominent features that would easily qualify her as quite beautiful. Surprisingly, she looked like she might be around my age. How did someone like her end up going into a slum like that?
As our eyes met, our gazes naturally drifted downward. That's when I noticed the buttons on the shirt she was wearing had been torn. No wonder people passing by kept giving us glances...
I took off the robe I was wearing and draped it over her.
And when I did that, the woman, as if recognizing what she was wearing, blushed and tightened her robe tightly.
"...Uh...thank you..."
It's...nothing. I'm sorry for not paying attention to it sooner."
I replied to the woman's thanks by lightly shaking my left hand. As if I couldn't escape the shock from earlier, the trembling in my hands and whole body was still continuing without stopping.
The woman kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, and then she spoke up cautiously, "A... Are you okay...? You don't look very good…"
"It's just that I'm not feeling well, so don't worry about it. I'll be fine after a rest."
"How can I not worry? You're shaking so much...Oh my goodness, there's blood on your arm..."
Blood? Hearing her mention it, I glanced down at my left arm, and indeed, crimson blood was flowing from it.
The blood had soaked the bench and was now dripping onto the ground, leaving its mark there. I guess it was the wound from the nail I scratched earlier, and it must have hit a blood vessel. The bleeding was quite severe.
As I acknowledged the wound, the throbbing pain began to register.
'I see, I wasn't unconscious after all...'
I retrieved a healing potion from my pouch and applied it to the injured area. Hissing sounds accompanied the mist that sprouted, and the sensation resembled the pain of salt being sprinkled on a wound.
As I gritted my teeth and endured the pain, the woman who saw it burst into tears.
"Oh, what should I do... I caused you such a wound... ugh..."
"It's just a small wound, so don't worry about it. Come on, wipe your tears. If you keep crying like that, your face will be a mess. Hurry..." I said as I handed the woman a handkerchief with soothing words, as she suddenly burst into tears.
Because of her behavior, people passing by kept glancing in this direction, and quite a few of them looked at me with suspicious eyes. And this kind of attention was not what I wanted.
I continued to soothe the woman gently, on the other hand desperately, and finally the woman began to calm down her emotions little by little as she stopped crying.
* * * * *
"Come to think of it, I couldn't even say thank you properly. Dear benefactor, I'm truly grateful. If it weren't for your help, I can't even imagine the dreadful fate those guys would have subjected me to. It's truly terrifying..."
"Anyone in that situation would have offered help as long as they had the ability. It's not something to be overly thankful for."
"Acts of kindness require courage. And courage is not something everyone can easily display. Dear benefactor, my name is Ellie. It might be a bit late, but could you let me know your name? I really want to repay your kindness..."
"I am...
I did help her, but I didn't want to receive anything in return. Besides, I don't know if I can do anything right in my half-gone mind...
While I was thinking for a moment, Ellie suddenly stood up and started waving her hand at the other side of the park.
A bright smile that I had never seen before bloomed on Ellie's face at that moment.
"Eda! Anze! Lara! This way! I'm here!"
When I turned my gaze to the direction Ellie was waving, I saw three figures standing there.
When they heard Ellie's voice, the figures turned their heads, and soon they all started running towards me at full speed.
Since they were all girls' names, they must be friends. It seems that Ellie came to play with her friends and got separated from them, and then she got into trouble like that.
"It seems that your friends have come to look for you, Ellie. I'll be leaving now. Please don't ever go to such a dangerous place again. If you do go, please bring people with you."
"Wait a minute, benefactor! I need to know your name..."
"It was not something I did expecting a reward, so you don't need to worry too much about it. Well then..."
I was thinking about what to do next, but if her friends came to look for her, it would be a relief. I lightly greeted Ellie and quickly turned around and left the park.
When I looked back for a moment, I saw her friends, drawing their swords and trying to chase me, and Ellie was desperately trying to stop them with her hand. Did they mistake me for someone who kidnapped Ellie?
I decided not to pay attention to them anymore, and I decided to find a decent inn to stay in before it gets too late.
Right now, I need a proper rest too much.
If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02
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