Volume 1 Chapter 10 (2/2)
As if it wasn't tended at all, the knee-high grass was noisily being crushed as I walked
Coether, this hut looked old, and walls so thin that it would probably make a hole if you hit it
Rather than a house for living, it instead looked like a storage room for items one doesn't usually use
I was told Abel-san was isolated here
Abel-san suddenly fell to an illness on day It was unknown for the villagers whether that illness was infectious or not That's why, in order to decrease the possibility of infection as much as possible, they confined him in this hut
It appeared it was Mina-san and her father ere helping hi his lover, had nursed hiht, however, as his condition worsened, she rushed out of the village
Could it be that she just ran away, it seeht so
Whether that was true or not is not known
After taking a deep breath in front of the hut, I opened the door Itsound
””
Entering inside, I closed the door from behind
Aman with black hair Without a doubt, he had looked very handsome when he was still healthy──but there was not a trace of it now And now, the ht in his eyes and his cheeks were all loosened
”Mina?”
His weaklylips have uttered the name of his loved one
”Yes It's me Have you been well?”
I told a lie
As I walked while ive out creaks, I sat down on the chair next to the bed He faintly laughed
”So you returned I thought you'd never coain”
”I'iven that I would return at all costs?”
”That's right, huh”
He directed his gaze outside of the
There wasn't anything there But only thick weeds and the primeval forest seen afar
Not just the outward appearance, but as if it really was coot in from somewhere had shook his hair
”I found the panacea”
Then I said so
Just like reading a prepared manuscript
”I will bring panacea together with today's dinner, so please take one pill after filling your stoet well”
Of course, that was a lie
This was the proposal from Mina-san's father If Mina-san returned, it would look strange if she didn't bring the panacea with her That's why pretending as if she had obtained the ive him a peace of mind
The contents of thepills
What the villagers planned to do with hi hiuess I should say that it didn't even require asking
”Hey, Mina” The man looked in my eyes ”Can you holdmy hand?”
With difficult movements, he pulled his hand out of the futon It by noof a youth, but instead it was a hand that ithered to the bones
I rasped his hand with both ofin it at all
”It's warm”
It's proof thatcold──He said so
And then,
”Hey, Mina” He, once again, called out the name of his beloved ”Won't you kiss me?”
”Eh, kiss you say?”
I unintentionally returned the question back And, I iretted it
”That's right, a kiss You don't want do?” I felt like there was a grain of suspicion floating in his eyes
And I thought Thought and thought
What should I do? Of course, if it's a lover, then kiss is only natural thing to do, but I' What to do, what to do
As I was locked up in maze with no answer, he looked at me with a smile
And giggled
”My bad I was just joking Please don't worry about it”
Soained his vitality even if only a bit
Then, he said,
”I'irl who's not my lover to kiss me,” and showed a wide smile
Didso, I denied it many times in fluster, but his belief was firm ”You aren't real Mina You don't have to force yourself,” he said
Still, towardsin spite of it, he uttered words filled with confidence
”In the first place, there's no way Mina would ever return to me What a fool”
I did not knoards ere those words directed at
It appears there were different circu about me
That I was a traveler That I was a Witch And that I was requested to act as Mina-san since I looked like here I told hi
He said while pondering:
”You certainly do look exactly like Mina”
”Is it really that much?”
”Yeah You could say you are like two peas in a pod”
That said, he continued ”What's a Witch?”
”So the villagers here don't know about Witches huh”
”That's right First ti it”
Well, it certainly is a reuess it's not too unnatural for them to not know about Witches
I politely explained, while taking out ic to make it simpler
”A! Hahaa, so there are such people in the world!”
Albel-san laughed with all his her that forcibly hs
”Are you okay?”
”Yeah, sorry I became a little too excited──And so, about me and Mina”
”Yes What is theback”
And so he said, looking up at the ceiling:
”I' like that doesn't exist”
”Doesn't exist?”
He gave a nod
”Mina, you see──”
Then, he quietly began to talk
She was a girl so kind, so lovely that she was too good for me She was my only support
Even after I fell to the illness, she nursedtroubled Every day she cahtnext to my side until I fell asleep
I was saved by her who nursed me with all her power
HoweverI kept taking the , I couldn't even eat properly And even when looking at the food that she brought todelicious had also disappeared But instead, I only felt nausea
Probably, I didn’t have much time left
I somehow understood that fact
However, she encouraged ht That appearance of hers was just lovely I wished that she would live in happiness
Then, one day, I told her, ”The village ainst my illness It won't e country to the north two days walk froit?”
Mina was bewildered
Does such medicine really exist, she said Besides, you will definitely get better if you do your best, she said
But I ignored her words And on top of ignoring the up for going on a trip with her in future, along with one letter
”This h to buy it Take it And until you obtain the panacea, never return──and if you can't obtain the panacea no matter what and be at loss, open that letter”
And said that
Mina was truly a good girl
After a lot and lot of worry, she finally agreed to my proposal
”I will definitely, absolutely find it and come back,” she said
Even though such medicine doesn't exist
My environed from the next day Because Mina went to obtain the panacea, the fact about e The villagers ondered whether my disease was infectious appeared, and you can see the result
I was isolated And only Mina's father started to take care of ht it was fine nonetheless
──You see I, love Mina with all my heart So much that it's unbearable
Being separated fro her to be sad was even rieve over
For that reason, I decided to drive her away froe
”It's better if you don't coain” If I rejected her with such words, there's no way she would obediently agree to it That much, I understood But even if I still rejected her and made sure she wouldn't return to me, she would surely be sad nevertheless On the contrary, there was also the possibility of other villagers butting in our problem
Above all
I didn't think that she would truly be happy in a village whereconceited, but I thought sheht
She would surely arrive at that country after two days And would start searching for panacea there But no hout the country, she would naturally still not find it
Then, she would open the letter
That letter is filled with all ht that when Mira finally read that letter, I would already be dead I hope that you would find happiness in that country I wrote that in it
After all, in that big country where she headed to, there reat man somewhere ill heal her wounds There should be soain
Isn't it pretty selfish talk? However, since the start I had thought that this crae didn't suit her, and that she had to see a world much more vast
By the way
Sincelike Mina, that h it should already be about teeks since she left
In that case, it must be like that
──She surely found happiness there
At the end of his story, he looked outside the ith worn-out eyes Just absentmindedly
The wind blew, the tree leaves danced, and before long disappeared from view
”And you are really fine with that?”
Those were some common words But I couldn't find any other words to offer him
”Of course I'”
””
In that case – I started, but stopped
For both Mina-san and Abel-san, the parting would be just as sad But shewhat to do for that
An outsider shouldn't butt in the problem of these two and two alone
”I'lad that I met you, miss traveler Albeit not real, I was able to meet with her once more”
”I also think thatwith you was nice”
Glad to hear it──Afterso, he said:
”Miss traveler, miss traveler Witch If you are a Witch, that means you can use ht?”
”Hm? Eh Well, that's correct”
I was a little surprised from the sudden question, but affirmed it
Magic, after all, is not so available to anyone
The Magic you showedIt was as if I was in a dream world”
”Why thank you I'lad that you enjoyed it”
”Hey, can you do soic? Like for example──”
Part 4
I the hut, I returned to the house for changing clothes and had the corset rehtly fastened around my back, so I couldn't remove it by myself
”Did it go smoothly?”
The granny asked tothat didn't happen
”Yes He was under the impression that I was Mina-san to the end”
”That's a relief Meeting with Mina at his final ht him happiness as well”
””
His final moments you say?
”So, how is Abel-san now?”
”He toldtiht”
”I see Understood I will convey that to the village head as well”
The village head should be the old man hite moustache ”If you would”
Attachingon a tricorne, I finished changing I returned back to my usual self
”What are you going to do froe, we have space”
It was a pleasant proposal However, I shook my head
”No I'e soon I have to hurry ahead”
Besides, I want to see that large country for myself
”That's a shame”
”Sorry for that”
”Will you go without e head as well?”
”I ht? That's why I'll vanish like this Give e head and Mina-san's father when you see them”
So you are going already It's a shaain sometime
The woe said those words at the same time
And I,
”Yes, I'll surely visit again”
Said so I didn't plan to do
And so, I left the village
Within the priht ahead, without once turning back
It felt that the sensation of Abel-san's cold hand was still re the broom
He──
Part 5
”Are you seriously saying that?”
Hearing his proposal, I was greatly perplexed
”That's right, I' to die soon I'll surely die very soon And that is scary and unbearable Every day, I think that if I sleep today, ain I am afraid, scared, I can not help it”
He continued as he lied on bed
”Besides, I know That Mina's father and villagers think of me as nuisance Deep down, they wish forthat if I die faster, the need to take care of me would disappear That's why I'm done It's my limit That's on't you answer my request? Won't you kill me?”
He wasn't joking
He said that with full seriousness
So he was already at a limit huh
However
”I refuse”
There is no way I would accept such request I did not become a Witch in order to kill people
Even if that was his final request──for me, it would be impossible
”It's a shame”
He became quiet
As if he didn't expect it fro
”I'm sorry”
”No, you don't have to apologize──at any rate, even if I don't die by your hand, I will still be killed by the villagers so poison in , and pretend that I passed on peacefully”
”Such a thing”
”No, I get it I won't be able to stand up any on bed is worthless to this village There's nothing left at this point but waiting for death”
””
”Even so, the reason I lived to this day was because the villagers hoped that Mina would return They see feelings for her──but that is no more”
So that means,
”Is it because I came here?”
”It's not like I' up like this someday was my fate”
””
And then, he smiled
”Well, if I had to speak of irl that looks like Mina──but I don't want to insist on it Sorry for asking such a strange thing of you”
”No, please don't mind it──”
I said so