第４２掘：狐と答え (Part2)

第４２掘：狐と答え (Part2)

I had expected her to either beg desperately for forgiveness or act arrogant, but that wasn't the case.

In a way, she had likely been doing what she believed was right.

I had also heard about the relationship between her and Mauve and his group.

Apparently, she had bowed her head and apologized to the very people who had enslaved her, assaulted her, and tried to use her as a plaything.

...What an incredibly naive, fairy-tale mindset.

"…I'm sweating. A bath."

After finishing my water, I realized my body was damp with sweat.

It wouldn't do to go to sleep like this, so I decided to head to the bath to clear my head.

Thinking that, I grabbed a spare yukata and slipped out of my room.

"Ah."

"…Ah."

When I entered the changing room, someone was already there, taking off their yukata.

When I looked to see who it was, it turned out to be...

"Kaya... san, right?"

Rurua, the woman who should be considered my enemy, was standing there.

She spoke to me, seemingly trying to gauge my mood.

"..."

"……I apologize. It seems I am in your way. I will take my leave..."

"…It doesn't matter."

I said only that, then took off my yukata beside her and headed straight into the bathing area.

"…Are you not coming in?"

"No, I will intrude."

"…You don't need my permission."

An awkward atmosphere hung between us, but since I hadn't told her to leave, I didn't try to put unnecessary distance between us. I washed my body and stepped into the tub with her.

Above us, a beautiful night sky—though a fake one—spread out.

The silence continued.

"…Why are you taking a bath at this hour?"

For some reason, I found myself asking Rurua.

"I was just thinking. ...About what I should do from here on out."

Ah, I see.

I had been so wrapped up in my own affairs and those of this dungeon, but Rurua was struggling too.

Unlike Elju, she wasn't being protected at the request of the Roschur Kingdom.

She had been discarded because she was a nuisance, nearly assassinated, and had ended up here.

In a sense, she was just like me. She had lost everything and ended up here.

As I pondered this in silence, Rurua seemed to feel the awkwardness...

"…Do you hate me?"

"Yes, enough that I'd like to kill you right here."

I answered her question honestly. There was no falsehood in those feelings.

"…But, someday, Rurua-sama, I hope I can reach a day where I can forgive Elju-sama as well."

"What do you mean by that?"

"…The person who was precious to me would surely not smile if I killed you."

"……"

Saying that, I realized something.

Ah, it wasn't all gone, was it?

"…I want to live a life that would make him—my precious person—smile. …It was still there. I thought I had lost... everything."

Tears spilled from my eyes.

"……Are you alright?"

Seeing me cry, Rurua spoke up.

That's right, she herself hadn't done anything wrong.

Well, as a leader of a nation, she might have been incompetent, but...

"…I'm fine. Thank you, Rurua-sama. Thanks to you, I remembered. …I thought I had lost my village, everyone, and my precious person—my everything—but I was wrong."

I closed my eyes as I said that.

I easily recalled the smiles of the villagers and my precious person, which I hadn't been able to bring to mind until now.

"…It's true that I lost them. But their memories are still here, truly. If I were to seek revenge, the people of the village would surely have complicated expressions on their faces."

That's right. Even if I stained these hands with the blood of vengeance, they—and he—wouldn't deny me, but they would surely look troubled.

Because they were kind.

If that's the case, I will live a life that makes them smile. That will surely make me happy, too.

Ah, I will probably continue to have nightmares of the village and him being burned.

But it's not enough to consume myself in revenge.

Was this how Mauve and the others felt, too?

No, they had rampaged to their heart's content, so they must feel awkward.

"…I'm going to head out first."

"Ah, yes."

I left the tub, leaving Rurua behind.

I feel like I'll be able to sleep soundly tonight.

"…Rurua-sama. Even for someone like me who lost everything, there was something left."

"……"

"So, there must be something left for you, too. If you find it, I think your troubles will be resolved."

I don't understand her troubles.

But surely, something remains.

Something that will allow her to decide her future with true conviction from the bottom of her heart.

"……My... something that remains..."