Maydare Volume 3 Chapter 2 - The Man Who Once Killed Me (Part 2)

 I feel like a lot of isekais don't take advantage of the whole "there's another world besides ours which we can potentially travel to" thing. The isekai people always seem to take it for granted?? Like I'm sure there are works out there that talk about the people of the other world wanting to go to Earth, but they don't seem to be that common.

Also, sorry for not being able to update that often because my workload is pretty heavy and these chapters get longer as the series goes on. I hope the length can make up for it though

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Perhaps it was because I was dancing with Professor Ulysses, but the guests of the evening party began to talk to me for one reason or another. 

Only those who were present at the alliance conference were informed that I was one of the Guardians, but since I was a student, it hadn’t been widely publicized. Even so, the nobles who attended this evening party had incredible noses, and they must have sensed that there was something about me.

No, no, no. I was just the daughter of a countryside nobleman and a wallflower…

While obliterating my presence, I fled upstairs to the terrace.

I bathed in the wind and took deep breaths.

I’ll spend some quiet time here alone, thinking about various things.

A lot had happened. I needed to sort out the situation and figure out what I should do.

“Miss Makia O’Drielle.”

However, the cold voice that interrupted my thoughts to stay positive made me stop breathing.

A voice that seemed to stop even my heartbeat.

“A lady such as you who is one of the Guardians should not be standing in such a place, such a dark place. Someone might pierce you with a blade and push you off. Anything can happen at this party tonight.”

“...”

At those words, I steeled myself and turned around slowly.

“You…are…”

The golden-haired General Kanon Pachelbel.

From the glittering world of light, a foreign soldier stepped into the shadows of the balcony. His Excellency the General, dressed in formal attire, was looking directly at me, his familiar garnet eyes peeking out from between his bangs.

“Let me formally greet you, Miss Makia O’Drielle. I am Kanon Pachelbel. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

General Kanon tried to take my hand in the usual greeting fashion, but I drew my trembling hand to my chest, so he placed his hand on his own chest and bowed his head.

I was petrified, cornered at the edge of the balcony.

Through my hand, I could feel my heart beating as if it was about to jump out of my chest.

The general raised his head. There was an artificial-looking smile on his face.

“It seems that you have been awfully terrified of me since the first time we met.”

“...First time?”

I felt the air around General Kanon suddenly change.

“Yes. I am talking about the time I killed you.”

He didn’t hide a single thing.

He simply whispered that truth to me, thrusting it before me.

“You really are…the man who killed me in my past life.”

The man who killed us.

I didn’t understand the logic. How did a general of this world, looking much the same as he did now, kill Oda Kazuha and Saitou Tooru on earth? And why.

That was sixteen years ago.

Was this man not a human…?

I put all the strength I had into my trembling body and stepped firmly on the floor with my thin heels.

And then, I glared at the face of the “blond man,” who I had never forgotten.

Ever since I recalled my past life’s memories on that night the stars fell, I knew that I would definitely meet this man someday, somewhere.

When that time comes, there was one thing I had to ask.

“Why. Why did you kill me…us…?!”

He wasn’t just some random slasher.

There was some kind of reason why this man killed us.

And I’m sure he purposely made us reincarnate here in Maydare.

To the extent that it would be strange if it were otherwise, we were encountering each other as though it was in accordance with some kind of fate or law.

“I told you, didn’t I? No matter how many times you’re reborn, I will kill you without fail.”

General Kanon’s tone changed completely.

I have heard those words before.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to kill me again? That you made me reincarnate in order to kill me again?”

The general narrowed his eyes.

“...In this world, the moment I kill you will surely come again.”

“I don’t understand.”

I didn’t understand. Why did I have to be killed by this man?

“But I’m not the same person I was back then. I’m not going to be killed so easily!”

My heart was pounding violently as I pointed my hand with the ring at General Kanon. Rather than letting this man kill me, I would—―

General Kanon grabbed my wrist and looked down into my face, covering me.

“Quit it. What’s the use of making a scene here? As you are right now, you can’t kill me.”

“...!”

My wrist hurt from his tight grip. I felt suffocated, as though my neck was being constricted.

And it was strange. He was touching my skin, but he didn’t seem to be feeling the heat from my blessing’s constitution.

“In the first place, is it really just one time? You being killed by me.”

“Huh?”

“Why do you think that your story began with your death on Earth?”

What was he talking about?

I couldn’t even blink, I just tensed up.

“You might have forgotten everything, but I remember everything. Even in this world, you can’t escape from me. No, it’s because you’re in this world. …I can’t escape from you either.”

Those words made me see an emotional glimpse of this emotionless man.

He was making some kind of appeal to me, but I had no idea what he wanted to say.

“Are you going to kill me…? Here, right now.”

Just like that time, pushing me down from here. His eyes, which looked like they were painted in blood, glittered red and bewitchingly, yet somehow sad.

“...No. I’m not going to kill you right now. You have a role to play. There’s a great work ahead of you that only you can do.”

“My role?”

Great work…?

“Go to the Holy Land. The ‘truth’ you seek is sleeping there.”

“...”

There were so many things I didn’t understand.

But there was one thing I did know. My soul felt fear towards this man.

With tears welling up in my eyes, I gritted my teeth and tried to shake off the hand that was grabbing me, but it didn’t even budge.

However, General Kanon’s arm, which was gripping my wrist tightly, was grabbed by another hand.

“Your Excellency. Please take your hands off of Miss Makia.”

It was Thor, glaring intensely at General Kanon.

Thor was standing there regally as my knight, not hiding his hostility at all.

General Kanon gave Thor a sideways look. They were silent as they glared at each other for a while.

“I beg your pardon. I’m afraid I got a little carried away.”

He let out a strained laugh with his face downcast and let go of my wrist. 

And then,

“...Miss Makia. I apologize for scaring you.”

After those surprising words, he immediately left.

Despite his words, the enigmatic foreign general continued to radiate some sort of murderous hatred towards me and Thor until the very end.

That was all I understood. Even if I didn’t know anything else.

“Thor…”

“Milady, are you unhurt?”

“Y-yes.”

I pulled my hand to my chest and covered the wrist that General Kanon had grabbed earlier with my other hand.

The place that was grabbed was tingling with warmth.

In contrast to his cold impression, his hand was very warm.

Will I be killed by that man again? What exactly was his goal?

I had recalled my memories a long time ago. Because I had a fear of that man that I couldn’t hide.

But that man had spoken a heated string of words, as if he still wanted me to recall something.

There was an oozing pain in my chest.

I could still remember that fierce pain of my body being pierced with a sharp blade.

I’m scared. It hurts. I’m scared. It hurts——

“Milady! Milady!!”

My death in my past life.

The fear and pain of that moment came back to me keenly, and my stress level reached its limit.

I lost consciousness.

I was about to collapse, but Thor caught me.

That was the only thing I felt until the moment my thread of consciousness was cut.

〇

The roof of the school.

A crimson sunset.

The deafening caw of a crow.

A boy and girl lying in a pool of blood, seared into my eyes.

A man with blond hair and garnet eyes, approaching me from behind.

I was also stabbed to death by this man.

I was dropped from the rooftop and there was a sound, like my body and life were shattered.

——I used to think that was a dream.

But on the night the stars fell, I was made to understand that it was my “past life.”

My soul accepted that without even hesitating.

With the appearance of that blond man, my past death was being recalled again and again as a vivid record of horror.

Save me. Save me. Save me.

I was stabbed and fell while asking for help from someone, somewhere.

The smell of blood, the pain, it all came back to me completely.

…Click.

As well as the sound of the beginning that rang inside me at that time.

  〇

“...”

I could see the underside of an unfamiliar canopy.

“Milady, are you awake?”

It was Thor’s voice. I looked for him with just my eyes.

He peered right into my face and reassured me.

“This is a room in the palace that His Highness Ulysses has prepared for us. Please rest assured.”

“Thor…”

He was dressed casually with his jacket off. I was sleeping in a loose negligee.

Mmm…I wonder who changed my clothes for me?

“I passed out, didn’t I. I’m so spineless, really…”

Truly, I was pathetic earlier.

Thor put his hand on his back and helped me get up.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself. Your enemy from your past life appeared in front of you, after all.”

“Thor…you believe my story?”

“Of course. It’s something you said.”

I was a little surprised when Thor said that as if it was obvious.

He made me a cup of warm milk coffee and handed it to me.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. I don’t know how long it has been since you made me milk coffee.”

When I took a sip, the taste permeated deeply into my tongue.

At a time like this, it was sweeter than usual, and with more milk.

It was so nostalgic that I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

“Milady?”

“I-I’m sorry. My tear glands have been weak again lately.”

I handed the cup to Thor and wiped my eyes.

When I was in front of Thor, my weak self tended to appear.

“So, that General Kanon really was the person who killed you in your past life, yes?”

Thor spoke that man’s name in a low whisper.

“...Yes. I didn’t want to believe it, but it seems so. General Kanon actually said so.”

I replied in a monotonous tone as well.

This wasn’t something that had nothing to do with Thor either.

Thor didn’t seem to remember that man, but he had his hand on his chin and seemed to be thinking about something.

“General Kanon is an important figure in Frezier. He is a hero who has saved Frezier from the clutches of the Heavenly Empire many times. Why would such a person need to kill you in your world? How did he get to that other world in the first place…”

Thor’s concerns were understandable. I didn’t understand it either.

In the first place, it was more than sixteen years ago. No, I didn’t even know if this concept of time even applied to the events of another dimension, another world.

“Other countries have developed transference magic at a remarkable rate, haven’t they? Maybe they even know how to transfer to another world.”

“...That may be possible. The Savior comes from another world, so I suppose another world does indeed exist.”

Then, Thor suddenly said this.

“Maybe Frezier is investigating the other world.”

“What…is there something in the other world?”

The Earth where we lived.

“I don’t know about that. I think it might have something to do with the war with the Heavenly Empire. I don’t know anything about the world where you and Lady Airi came from, after all.”

“...Yes. Yes, that’s right.”

It seems that Thor didn’t remember anything even if I talked to him about this.

The fact that he also lived there. The time when he was Saitou Tooru. Anything.

“Milady, your face is still pale. Also, you’re trembling slightly.” 

Thor placed the back of his hand on my cheek.

I really was trembling slightly, without even realizing it.

“Your body temperature also seems to be quite low for you. It is similar to the times when you are drowning.”

“...Are you saying that you can even remember my body temperature through skin sensation?”

I retorted despite myself, but I probably had the expression of a maiden who couldn’t help but be conscious of a boy touching her.

But Thor wasn’t conscious of me. That was why he was touching me so casually like this.

When I was little, it wasn’t a big deal for me to be touched by Thor in this way. I took it for granted, and even felt proud of it, like it was my special privilege.

But now, my chest hurt. Because I was aware of my love.

I was just like the me of my past life…

Perhaps it was because I realized this emotion, but I flashbacked to the tragedy of my previous life in my head once again.

The dead body of my first love, lying on the roof of the school, flickered in the back of my eyes.

If anything happened to Thor again, I…

“Ah…”

I was struck by a severe headache and held my head in my hands. The memories of that time, rushing in like a muddy river, hurt me more than ever.

Thor noticed something was wrong with me immediately and stood up.

“Milady, where does it hurt!? I’ll get the palace doctor…”

“Wait, Thor.”

Thor was about to leave the room when I stopped him.

At a certain moment, my headache subsided, and while feeling a strange calmness in my heart, I made my request without blinking, my gaze on the white sheets.

“Please. Stay here today…”

“Milady?”

“I remember the moment I was stabbed like it happened yesterday.”

I slowly covered my face with a trembling hand.

“It was a stab to my heart, right in the back...”

Under the sunset sky.

The sight of the blood puddle was still stuck in my memory.

So, Thor, please stay away from that man——

“That man. General Kanon Pachelbel killed you like that, Milady?”

Before I could say those words of warning, Thor quietly turned his attention to the enemy.

I raised my head at the quiet, angry voice that sent shivers down my spine.

My eyes widened slightly as I saw the expression on Thor’s face. It was the face of a ruthless man, something I’d never seen before on him.

Oh, it was no good.

What a weak figure I exposed to him.

Thor had been so calm and accepting about the story of my past life that I had somehow misunderstood. That he still didn’t know anything about that dangerous man.

No. Thor was furious. He was just forcing himself to hold it in so he wouldn’t explode, which was why he looked so calm.

But now that he heard the story of my previous life’s death and superimposed it on the current me, he definitely recognized the enemy.

If I didn’t want Thor to get involved with that man, I shouldn’t have told him the truth. And yet——

Realizing that I was staring, Thor knitted his brows together and smiled softly.

And then, he slowly laid me down.

“...”

Thor stilled, his body hanging over mine, and looked into my eyes closely.

Silence and stillness.

We were so close that I could see my own reflection in his violet eyes.

“No need to worry. I’m on your side.”

His whispering voice, where I could hear his exhales clearly, was completely unfair.

“You gave me my name and made me alive. If I can’t protect you, then I don’t deserve to live.”

But at the same time, I was afraid. I was afraid that the knight who cared for me and was wary of General Kanon would go in a horrifying direction. 

“I’m sorry, Milady. Are you afraid…?”

“Huh…”

I wondered what face I was making. Thor quickly pulled away from me and pulled the covers back on.

“Let’s talk about the past for a little bit, Milady.”

And then, Thor sat down on the chair next to the bed again.

“It was about a year after I was found by you. The pirates who had enslaved me had come to the port of Kartedt again, selling slaves on the black market. The slaves have been treated so badly that they had lost the will to live.”

Yes, I remembered that well. It was one of those incidents, back when Thor and I were still children who didn’t know anything and were purely a lady and her knight.

“I couldn’t let that happen, but a kid like me couldn’t do anything about it…that was when you told me, ‘Thor’s enemies are my enemies.’”

Thor chuckled, looking like he was remembering something nostalgic.

“With cunning, nerves, and magic beyond a baron’s daughter at that age, you beat those pirates to a pulp. When I saw you laughing as you took over the pirate ship, I thought to myself, ‘this person is definitely not ordinary.’”

“T-That’s what you…?”

No, it was true that I wasn’t afraid of anything back then.

I remembered my loud laughing on the pirate ship we had taken over. I recalled that Father was taking pictures of us.

“I knew then that I was truly freed from slavery. And I swore to myself that I would follow you for the rest of my life.”

“...Thor.”

“That’s why, now it’s my turn to repay you.”

Thor looked up and stared at me. His eyes were too direct.

“Leave General Kanon to me. I’ll try to get as much information as I can. What exactly is that man’s goal?”

“N-No, Thor. I told you, don’t go near him. If anything happens to you, I…”

I shook my head repeatedly on the bed, reached for him, and gripped his sleeve. 

I was happy to hear Thor’s feelings, but I didn’t care about the fate of my previous life or anything at this point. I was curious about General Kanon’s goals, but I cared more about Thor, who was by my side.

We cared about each other too much, so we couldn’t let those feelings cause our destruction——

“Please be at ease, Milady. I won’t do anything rash either. I am a knight of the Kingdom of Ruschia, after all. Don’t worry, Milady, you should concentrate on your classes at magic school. You have your final assignment and final exams coming up soon, don’t you?”

“Huh…?”

Thor grinned, took my hand that wouldn’t let go of his sleeve, and tucked it under the covers.

I felt like Thor had successfully diverted the conversation.

“One year goes by so fast, doesn’t it? His Highness Ulysses said that you are an outstanding student and have a bright future ahead of you. I’m sure you will continue to produce results with your teammates and deepen your trust with each other.”

“...But I can’t start my second year right away. I think I’ll have to take a leave of absence from school if I have to go to the Holy Land as a Guardian.”

Besides, that man had told me.

He told me that the truth I sought was in the Holy Land.

“What’s going to happen…if Lady Airi doesn’t change her mind about quitting being the Savior, then we would no longer be needed. I don’t know what the future holds.”

Unlike me, Thor had a very severe view of this situation.

Certainly, with the way Airi was acting, there was no way of telling which way the future of us Guardians would turn.

Did Airi truly want to quit being the Savior and return to her old world?

But there was a way to return to that world.

General Kanon proved that by killing us in that world. 

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