「Ah, aah-ahhhhhhh!!!」
The man cried out in despair in the scorched, barren wilderness.
There was a sea of blood for as far as the eyes can see.
Hundreds upon thousands of men had stained these lands with blood。
In the middle of this sea of blood, that man was down on his knees, and holding onto the dead body of a woman.
「Irene……I’m sorry! I, I failed to protect you」
The man has killed dozens, even hundreds of men on this battlefield to get to her, but it was too late.
「I, I even swore, swore to protect you! To not lose, this time…」
She was a beautiful woman.
Her waist-length hair hung down on the bright red ground.
In contrast to that jet-black hair, her clear white skin had made the blood stains even more prominent.
The eyes that was closed——would no longer open again.
「Irene…! Irene…!」
The man held the still-warm body in his arms, buried his head into her and continued to tearfully cry out her name.
I’m so sorry, please forgive me.
He kept calling out her name as if to plead.
This went on for several minutes, even hours, as the man continued his screams.
As his tears dried up and stopped flowing, the man just stared blankly at her face.
I’ve lost, everything.
The man’s heart was haunted by these words, these memories.
When he was a child, he lost both parents when the village was destroyed, even his childhood friend whom he had looked up to like his big sister.
After that, he had a good friend who supported him when he was deep in despair.
But that friend too, perished due to the man’s own error of judgement.
If he had made a different choice at that time, that good friend would still be alive.
And then there left only one reason for him to live on——the woman, Irene.
She has always been supporting and comforting himself who has lost both parents, his childhood friend, and even his one good friend.
He loved her, and she loved him too.
But, she’s dead now.
Right in front of his eyes.
This is enough.
I’ve lost everything, there’s no point in living in this world anymore.
The man reverse gripped his dagger.
I’m sorry, Irene… Even though we vowed to live on together…
I’ll go to you now, please wait for me…
And then the man slit his own throat.
He fell on his back as he felt his blood rapidly drain from his body.
With taste of blood in his mouth, he coughed out liquid that was gushing out of his throat.
The already bright red ground was dyed with a more vivid red.
The man looked up above, at the blue sky, and the beautiful white clouds that were flowing by.
Compared to this sea of blood, the blue and clear sky was simply beautiful.
Irene… the sky had the same blue that day we first met…
Glimpses of the man’s life flashed before him as he approached his death.
All the unpleasant memories, all the happy memories, they passed through his mind, and then disappeared in an instant.
The man looked at his beloved that he was holding onto just now.
Even though you were not the one to see me off to the afterlife, but I’m satisfied as long as I’m by your side…
As he was thinking that, the pain and sensation gradually became blurred.
As his consciousness slowly faded away, it felt like everything is too.
And then the man——Eric, died.
Alternate Translation: Chapter 1 by Solitude Translation
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