A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 18.2
“…If you really feel sorry, just keep my secret well.”
“Of course!”
At my words, Eston nodded vigorously.
“Don’t worry. I’m tight-lipped. I’ll be careful, I promise!”
“You’re the only one who knows, so if the secret gets out, you’re the culprit.”
I added indifferently.
“And it’s not like you were totally mistaken. It’s true that I don’t easily trust others.”
“……”
“So there’s no need for you to feel so guilty toward me. Just don’t forget that I still hold your weakness in my hand.”
Worried that she might mistake me for a good person and let down her guard, I quickly drew a line. And not just with words, I’d already instructed Nancy not to throw away the clothes Eston had worn yesterday. The clothes, soaked with miasma-tainted black blood, were more than enough evidence of her rampage.
‘If it comes to it, I’ll run straight to the Security Bureau.’
News of an actual rampage by an Awakener would make a far bigger splash than rumors of my own awakening.
Just as I finished calculating this in my head, I suddenly noticed how quiet it was around us.
When I glanced up carelessly, I saw Eston glaring at me in disbelief.
“…Do you really feel better talking like that?”
“What?”
“If you keep pushing everyone away like this, even the people still by your side will eventually get fed up and leave.”
Eston threw words at me that could only be called a curse.
Maybe she meant it as advice…
I let out a short laugh at her words.
“Does it still look like there’s anyone left by my side? Maybe I should thank you for evaluating my situation so generously.”
“……!”
At that, Eston’s eyes grew wide, then she bit her lip.
I passed her and muttered indifferently,
“You’ll understand when you’re older. Relationships? They’re all pointless. Life was meant to be lived alone, you brat.”
“Hah! Like you’re so much older than me…”
“What was that?”
When I spun around at her mumbling, she suddenly shouted,
“N-No, not that way! This way, please…!”
* * *
Tollen, ground zero of the Gate, was a complete wasteland.
‘It looks like it was a fairly prosperous place before the Gate erupted…’
I glanced around the ruined square, thinking bitterly. It was broad daylight, but there were hardly any people around, only a few workers repairing the remaining intact buildings and facilities.
Most people must have evacuated to other regions or were staying in shelters.
The only good news was that the Gate had been relatively small and occurred on the outskirts, so there weren’t many casualties.
‘Because of that, even the neighboring Ezenia was affected, though…’
After walking for a while, I finally saw a huge, crater-like circular cliff formation.
This was the Gate’s point of origin.
‘Where did Edith… No, let’s at least look for traces from the time I transmigrated.’
A little excited, I quickly scanned the area.
But aside from the gruesome sight of giant monster corpses rotting away, nothing really stood out.
This was where Edith had died, so I’d thought for sure I’d find some clue about the transmigration if I came here…
‘What about the monster that was said to have found Edith? The book? Did it not come over? Maybe there was some kind of special village ritual or dimension transfer ceremony only held here…’
I asked Eston about village festivals, just in case, but there was no such thing.
The monster corpses were already rotted and unrecognizable, so there was no way to check.
Nor was the <How to Save a Forsaken World> I’d been clutching before I died anywhere to be seen.
It looked just like any other Gate site I’d seen in modern times, nothing special.
‘Well, I guess it makes sense the book wouldn’t exist here if I got sucked into it.’
Even as I tried to console myself, I couldn’t stop the disappointment and frustration from creeping in.
“Your L— No, Nancy. Are you looking for something?”
Maybe my attitude was strange, but Eston hesitantly spoke to me.
“No, nothing…”
I was replying weakly when I suddenly spotted something unusual in the field, a little ways from the cliff.
“…What’s that?”
It was winter, but there hadn’t been any snow or rain lately, and today the sun was shining and the weather was quite mild.
‘So why are there blocks of ice everywhere…? Glaciers?’
Staring curiously at the dozens of huge blocks of ice jutting out from the dry ground, I heard Eston’s flat reply.
“…Those are people exposed to miasma.”
“Don’t tell me that’s Ethan’s handiwork?”
There was no answer, which meant yes.
“When asked whether to cut their throats and burn them, or freeze them for now and wait for a Purifier, everyone chose the latter.”
“……”
“I didn’t think the Purifier would ever come back, so I took my brother and ran away.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
