Disaster... That was how Grey would describe the scene before him. It was like a small-scale apocalypse which came down to an innocent village. Something no one in the right mind would wish to happen.
If one could look at the vicinity from the sky, the burnt down village will seem like a large scar on the verdant and lush forest. A scar that will take a very long time to heal and recover.
Even when he was still tired from the previous fight, Grey searched each and every house and appraised each body he found in the small glimmer of hope that he would find even a single survivor.
Seven... Nineteen... Thirty-two...
Slowly but surely, the bodies that Grey found increased in number. The more dead bodies he found, the more crestfallen and heartbroken he became. The very least he could do was gather them and give them a proper burial.
Somewhere inside Grey's heart, a thought that he could have saved those unfortunate people if only he had arrived earlier brewed up as time passed. If only he had woken up earlier, they could have continued living.
"If only", those two words kept creeping back inside his mind and heart, as if a curse of guilt squeezing his heart and conscience dry to the point where it made it hard for him to breathe.
While he knows he is not to blame, his conscience as a person just wouldn't stop reminding him of the "what ifs" that could have happened instead of the devastating scene he had taken apart.
As Grey appraised the corpses and observed the ruined village, he had learned more about the village. It seemed that the village was once a small but thriving elven village living quietly in the forest. It was a village where elves regardless of sex, age, and occupation once lived in harmony.
Who would have thought that in just a few moments, such a peaceful village would turn into a wasteland ravaged by flames. Who would have thought that a village flowing with happiness would become a ruin filled with the scent of death.
The cause of the destruction had already passed away, but that alone wouldn't serve justice to the lives lost, the futures stolen, and peace shattered. Especially when it was clearly an unnatural phenomenon.
Only one thing was clear, no matter who the perpetrator of this disaster was, Grey could never forgive them. If one day, Grey ever crosses paths with them, he swore deep inside his heart and in honor to everyone that had lost their lives on this day, that he will serve justice no matter how much it costs him.
Grey didn't swear an oath because of his heroic ideals nor because of a strong sense of justice. It may be because he felt a sense of responsibility to do so, or maybe to appease his guilt even a little, or it may be because he just wanted to do so, or maybe a mixture of many reasons. Not even Grey truly knows the reason why. All he knew was that it was a necessary thing to do.
The sun had already started to set and Grey had gathered more than a hundred bodies in a single area for a burial. But despite finding so many bodies, none showed signs of life, making Grey more hopeless than ever.
"Alright. This should be the last one" ［Grey］
Unlike the other houses which were completely razed to the ground, for some reason, the last one still had some of its pillars standing. While it may have received the least amount of damage, it was still in a state that wouldn't be different from a pile of rubble and burnt wood.
During his reclamation of bodies, Grey had inspected the houses farthest away from the center as they had received the least amount of damage in general. He was hoping there would be a higher chance of people alive in there. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case in all of the houses he visited.
The only conclusion Grey reached as to why the last house received the least damage even though it was the closest to the source of flames was that it may had been the village chief's house and was more sturdy than others,
As Grey removed the rubble and debris, he saw the burnt corpses of two elves hunched towards the ground, as if shielding themselves from the falling debris in the collapsing house.
From Grey's appraisal, the two seemed to have been an elven couple in their mid-thirties. Dying together while in each other's embrace, Grey couldn't help but feel even heartbroken.
Slowly, Grey retrieved their bodies to place them into the village center which was soon to become a burial site. But the moment he carried the second body, a surprise was unveiled in front of his eyes.
Under the couple was an elven girl who seemed to be in her early teenage years. Unlike the other bodies, she wasn't completely burnt and only received high-degree burns all over her body.
《Appraisal!》 ［Grey］
Not wasting any time, Grey quickly but gently put down the body he was carrying and hastily appraised the elven girl in front of him.
-----------------------------------
【Salferine】
【Name】Yuna
【Race】Elf
【Sex】Female
【Age】13
【Status】Severely Critical, Unconscious
【Mana Capacity】378 【Mana Quality】H
【Combat Power】7 【Threat Level】H
【Attribute】Ice 【Magic Proficiency】None
【Class】None
【Physical Enhancement】7%
【Ability】『Nihility (5☆)』
-----------------------------------
"A survivor!" ［Grey］
Grey exclaimed happily as he saw the girl's status, but that happiness didn't last long when he noticed the words "Severely Critical".
During Grey's time in the forest, he had taken note of the monsters' and beasts' statuses and vaguely knew what each of them meant. And the status "Severely Critical" meant the person in question only has less than 5 minutes to live.
Grey had learnt the other attributes and arts in his spare time to broaden his knowledge. Of course, brawling and wind spells are still his specialty. He had learnt a little of healing spells, but only the most basic ones as he really didn't need to use them in the dungeon.
《Heal!》 ［Grey］
Grey tried to use a healing spell hastily, but it was no use to the degree of severity the girl was in. In addition to that, he poured all the mana he had in that single spell.
'Dammit! It's not working!' ［Grey］
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In panic, Grey searched up both his inventory and knowledge for immediate solutions he could use, but it was fruitless. He neither had the mana nor ability to perform any of the solutions he found.
Grey had a handful of "Divine Potion", but potions were something that had to be taken in directly by the user. Something the unconscious elven girl was incapable of doing.
Of course, Grey could force the potion using a mouth to mouth method, but if he moves too hastily or makes even a slight mistake, it could endanger the girl even more. In other words, it was too risky, especially since he is somewhat dizzy from mana exhaustion.
'Goddamnit! Am I really incapable of saving even one person?!' ［Grey］
In frustration, Grey punched the ruined floor with all the strength he had left. The punch was so powerful that it made Grey's fist bleed from the impact despite the defense boost of the "Divine Amulet".
'If only I have a revival potion, I could have saved everyoー !!!' ［Grey］
As a sudden realization hit him, Grey hastily unhooked the "Divine Amulet" and removed it from his neck. And without touching the girl's body, he gently placed the item on the palm of the girl's hand.
Grey didn't know what were the requirements for an item to be considered as "equipped", but in desperation, he bet everything on the fact that the girl was "holding" the "Divine Amulet". It was his one and only hope.
A few seconds after Grey placed the amulet on top of the girl's palm, the girl's breathing decreased at an alarming rate, until finally, she drew her last breath and silence filled the surroundings.
One second... Four seconds... Twelve seconds...
With every passing second, Grey fell further and further into despair. He didn't know how long it took for the amulet to activate as he had never experienced death before. Even if he did, he wouldn't have still known that a dead person couldn't count time.
A few minutes had passed and no matter how many times Grey checked the girl's status, it always showed "Deceased". There were no signs of life nor even any changes in the status screen. The only thing moving about was the wind as it witnessed the heartbreaking scene.
Grey was about to lose hope, when suddenly, a golden beam of light came down from the sky like a lightning bolt falling from the heavens. It was such an eye-catching scene that one could spot even if they were a couple of kilometers away. A phenomenon which could easily be mistaken by anyone as a descent of a heavenly being.
《Appraisal!》 ［Grey］
As the light faded away and the amulet lost its shine, Grey immediately appraised the girl without wasting any time. In that moment, the words "Deceased" was removed from the girl's status and was replaced with "Healthy".
The moment Grey saw those words, 2 streaks of tears flowed down from both of his eyes. It was a moment where he felt such a grand feeling of relief and happiness that he had never felt. And the reason he was so happy was simple. It was because he was able to save someone, even if it was only one person.
Of course, he wasn't the only reason the girl survived. If it hadn't been for her parents, she would have joined the other side too. Grey could only imagine how much the girl's parents had loved her for them to sacrifice themselves for the slight chance of their child's survival.
After wiping his tears away, Grey retrieved a bunch of clothes from his "Inventory" and changed the girl's tattered and burnt clothes with it. While seeing the girl's body couldn't be avoided, no one in their right mind would think of something indecent during that moment.
Grey then grabbed a futon from his "Inventory" and laid down the unconscious girl on it for her to rest. Seeing her sleeping peacefully, Grey left the girl there and continued to carry the body of her parents to the village center.
With the help of earth magic, the burial which would have normally taken a long amount of time was completed in less than an hour. Similarly, Grey was able to sculpt gravestones and carved the elves' names into it in a short amount of time.
"May you all rest in peace." ［Grey］
The sun had long gone from the sky and not even the stars nor the moon were showing. The only thing that could be noticed are the dark clouds blocking the light from the stars. It could be said that even the sky was weeping from the tragedy the elven village had suffered.
Time had passed but the elven girl was yet to awake from her slumber. Taking things upon himself to decide, Grey carried the girl in his arms and took her to his home for her to rest properly.
The sun had risen and the girl continued to sleep. As for Grey, he stood by her side when she wakes up and didn't sleep. Well, even if tried to, the scenes he witnessed yesterday kept haunting him, preventing him from sleeping.
"Hm.... I wonder if it's too bland? Should I add more salt?" ［Grey］
Wasting his time away, Grey cooked breakfast for himself and for the girl whenever she wakes up. Of course, while he was cooking, he was still listening closely
"Huh...? Where... am I? ［Yuna］
As Grey was taste testing the stew he made, a voice was picked up by his ears coming from his bedroom just a few steps away. It was undoubtedly the voice of the elven girl who was unconscious just a few moments ago.
"Wasn't I in our house? And it was collapsiー Right! The house was collapsing after a beasts attacked the village! The beast! Where's the beastー" ［Yuna］
"I defeated it." ［Grey］
Just as the girl was starting to panic, Grey gently opened the door and answered the bewildered girl's question before she had the chance to finish her words.
Seeing Grey enter, the girl immediately backed away to the corner with eyes full of wariness, fear, and confusion. Of course, it was only a normal reaction when one is in a situation she is currently in. Despite that, Grey felt troubled by her actions, as if he was a bad guy keeping her hostage.
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy. Also, this is my home." ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's introduction, the girl relaxed a bit and slowly lowered her guard. The only thing left in her eyes were worry and confusion.
"Umm... Is it true that you defeated that beast?" ［Yuna］
"The Magma Crawler? Yeah, I defeated it yesterday." ［Grey］
"Then! Everyone in the village, are they all safe?!" ［Yuna］
The moment the girl asked that question, silence quickly enveloped the whole room. It was as if the whole world stopped. To that question, Grey didn't know how to respond to it without hurting the girl's feelings. He can only say two words.
"I'm sorry..." ［Grey］
"No... No... You must be joking... You're joking, right...?"［Yuna］
"The village was already devastated by flames when I arrived. You were the only survivor. No, actually, if it weren't for this amulet, you wouldn't be here too. I'm really sorry" ［Grey］
Grey explained as he showed the amulet to the girl. It was the very same amulet which had saved the girl's life. Afterwards, Grey explained everything that happened to the village up until the moment where they currently are.
Once again, silence fell in the room. But unlike before, the silence this time was one filled with dread, despair, and disbelief.
"No, that can't be..." ［Yuna］
At that moment, tears overflowed from the girl's watery eyes. And Grey who was the only other person in the room wasn't able to do anything but watch quietly as she bawled out her eyes.
Although Grey had his fair share of experiences from both his current and past lives, he had never experienced anything like the current one. While he could cheer the girl up, he had no way to know what was the best way to go about it. One wrong word and it might worsen the situation even more.
It took almost an hour before the girl calmed down, but the moment she did, all the life in her eyes was gone. In her eyes, everything became colorless.
Grey tried to cheer the girl up with a meal, but she didn't even notice the meal, no, it would be better to say that she was out of her senses. Like her eyes, her mind was blank as well.
In the afternoon, Grey took the girl to the visit graveyard where her parents and the villagers lied peacefully, taking a quick route as Grey carried the girl on his back.
The girl wanted to deny the things Grey said, but seeing the ruin which was once her home village and the graveyard before her, she had no other choice but to believe him, even if it meant that her heart must shatter a million pieces.
Like before, the girl once again bawled her eyes up until she was satisfied. By the end of the day, her eyes became more lifeless than before. She just kneeled down motionless as she silently stared at the gravestones of her parents.
As nightfall came, Grey took the girl back to the house. He became even more worried as when he carried her, there wasn't even a sign of resistance. She may be alive, but at that moment, she was nothing but an empty shell of what she once was.
A few days have passed since the day the two visited the graveyard and the girl became more lifeless as the days passed. Grey tried to invite her to a meal multiple times but there was no response from her. It was as if he was talking to a wall.
"Haah... I wonder what I could do for herー !!!" ［Grey］
Grey walked into the kitchen with the goal to cook up another set of dishes, but what he saw was something he couldn't have imagined even in his wildest imagination. It was the scene of the girl attempting to stab her heart with a kitchen knife.
Without any second thought, Grey dashed towards the girl and flocked away the knife from her hands. The girl, who didn't even sense Grey's presence, widened her eyes in shock as she saw the knife being flung towards the corner.
"What were you thinking?!" ［Grey］
"I... I don't want to live anymore... hic... I already lost everything I had... My parents... My friends... hic... They're all gone... hic... I have no more reason to live..." ［Yuna］
Once again, the girl cried heavily as she fell helplessly into the floor. And once again, Grey didn't know how to handle the situation.
Grey understands where the girl was coming from, but in the end, she was just running away from the pain. After all, no one commits suicide for no apparent reason. Suicide is only done when one wants to escape suffering, no matter what kind of suffering it was.
Grey doesn't know what she has experienced nor what will happen to her in the future, but all he knows is that while she's under his care, he's responsible for her.
With everything he's got, Grey braced himself for the worst possible outcome. He then kneeled before the girl, grabbed her shoulders, and gave her quite a bit of scolding to get back her grip from life.
"Snap out of it! Why do you think you're still alive!? It's not just a coincidence! Your parents sacrificed their lives just so you could live! Do you think they sacrificed their lives just for the heck of it!? They did it because they wanted you to live! So don't go around saying you've lost everything because you still have the memories you've spent with them. If you're gone then who will remember them? That's why, if you can't live for yourself, then live... even if it's only for their sake." ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's piece of mind, the girl was taken aback as she silently stared at him. She was puzzled as to why Grey suddenly said those words to her.
"Also, I saved your lives with my items! That means until you've repaid me, your life belongs to me! So don't you dare go dying without my permission!" ［Grey］
At first, the girl was taken aback from Grey's words, but now, she was taken aback by a totally different thing. She was so shocked by Grey's quick change of attitude that she stopped crying all together.
"Well, if you want to repay me, then live your life long and happily. That's the only thing I wish for and the only payment I'll accept. Understand?" ［Grey］
Grey continued with a mellowed out voice different from his previous approaches. Of course, this was only to convince the girl in case the first words he said to her weren't enough.
Actually, Grey really didn't have a plan on how to approach the crying girl, he just copied what he saw and read in dramas and mangas. But while it was all copied, he was sincere in everything he had said.
"Ah, sorry!" ［Grey］
As soon as he realized that he was actually grabbing the girl's shoulders, Grey immediately pulled back his arms and apologized with a flustered face.
"Look, I know I have no right to meddle with your life choices. After all, I'm just a stranger who happened to meet you by chance. But... if you ever need a crying shoulder, I'll be right here for you." ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's words before, the girl's eyes started to trickle with tears. Grey didn't know but it will only take one more push and she'll be able to get a tight grip on reality once again.
"You can take this as just a word of advice from a stranger but maybe... just maybe... there's a reason why God let you live. Don't you want to find out what that reason is?" ［Grey］
"Uhhh... Uhh... Uhwahhhh.... Wahhhhh..." ［Yuna］
Like a surging river, the girl cried her eyes out once again. The only difference from the previous times and the current ones was that her eyes had regained their colors.
As the girl bawled her eyes out, Grey sat beside her, listening quietly and waiting patiently in case she ever needed someone to talk to.
No matter how one lives their lives, people will inevitably encounter storms which will contain hardships one cannot easily pass through. And like real storms, there will come a time that the storm will perish, paving way for light to shine once again.
Like a disaster which suddenly showed up, these dark days came to an end with the two sitting by the kitchen counters. It was quite an odd sight, but it was a scene which will hold a deep meaning for the two in the far future, but that's a story for another day.
CHAPTER 5 END