Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Having teamed up with the mercenary group and joined the expedition, we’d been deep in the forest for a while now, steadily racking up victories. Naturally, this was to be expected—on their own, they were never a match for either Rage-san or Sol-niisama, and these weren’t the kind of opponents we’d normally struggle against. However, Sol-niisama’s complexion still looked poor, and he’d slowed his pace.

“Are you okay, Rage-san?”

Since Nii-sama would only reply that everything was fine whenever I spoke to him, I couldn’t say anything more to him right now. I jogged to catch up with Rage-san, who was leading the way, and gently tugged at his sleeve to ask.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I did get a little scared the other day, though.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, patting me gently on the head. Even from watching the battle just a moment ago, it was clear that Rage-san had almost fully regained his composure. However, I was worried he might be pushing himself too hard, which was why I spoke up—but it seemed my worries were unfounded.

……Come to think of it, no matter what, it was always Rage-san who led me… “me 僕.” The size of his hand, resting on my head as if by habit, eased the tension I felt standing on this unfamiliar battlefield.

“I steeled my resolve. I’m putting what’s important to me first. Anyone who stands in my way, I’ll take care of them… just like always, right?”

Rage-san’s gaze, fixed straight ahead, was unwavering… For some reason, I felt my heart start to race, and I couldn’t meet his eyes, so I quickly looked away.

“I’ve…decided to protect you. That won’t change.”
“…Huh? Did you say something?”

…Because he said that last part in a faint, trailing whisper, I missed it.

“…Nah, it’s nothing important, so don’t worry about it. Anyway, don’t worry about me—make sure to rely on your elders, okay?”
“……Hehe, what’s that supposed to mean? We’re the same age, aren’t we?”
“No way. I was born in May, so I’m five whole months older than you, who was born in October. Plus, it’s around July now, so I’m a year older, and above all, ‘Iris’ is definitely younger than me!”

Seeing Rage-san so dead serious and adamant about emphasizing that he was the older one, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well then, I’m counting on you, Rage-niichan?”
“S-sure… Leave it to me.”

I tried calling him that a little playfully, but instead of the exasperated banter I’d expected, he turned his head away and gave me a brusque response… Apparently, he didn’t like it. I’d have to do better next time.

.

We continued our search, maintaining a formation where Sol-niisama positioned himself between Rage-san and me—in a spot where either of them could cover me immediately—but…

“Sol, you idiot! You’re pushing too hard—fall back! You’re too close to Iris!”
“W-what? Damn it…”

It was just a tiny opening. With a swish, several goblins slipped between me and Sol-niisama, who had been slightly separated from me as my feet got caught in the forest undergrowth. And, at the worst possible moment… no, they must have calculated this all along—Rage-san, who had moved slightly ahead to keep the archers at bay, was far away. The timing displayed such astonishing skill that it left me in awe, seeming to confirm my suspicion that these goblins must have a “leader.” Just as I instinctively stepped back to put some distance between myself and the enemy…

“Kya!? …Guh!”

A sharp, thudding impact hit my head. My vision flickered, and my head spun. Staggering, I leaned my back against a tree that happened to be growing right where I’d fallen. I felt a viscous liquid trickle down my head in a thin stream. In my daze, I touched it and felt the sticky substance on my hand. That hand was stained red with blood.

“Iris! Damn it, get out of the way!”

Sol-niisama’s voice sounded distant as he cast a magical chain at the goblins blocking his path to stop them and tried to break through.

Although Protection prevented direct damage, the impact that was transmitted… the so-called “penetrating damage” from the game—had slightly torn the thin skin on my head, I realized belatedly. My head was spinning, and through my flickering vision, I saw a goblin, even smaller than the others, who had been sneaking up behind me. As I staggered to a halt, it reached out toward me with a smug grin, as if celebrating its success.

—From there, it was a split-second reaction.

I instinctively reached out. Due to the difference in our sizes, I was just a fraction faster in grabbing the front of its shirt, and with its body even smaller than mine,

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!”

—I slammed it into the ground with all my might.

Frail and small I might be, this…child? Young? Goblin was still no match for me. Startled by the unexpected counterattack, the tiny goblin hit the ground before it could even put up a fight. Without hesitation, I stomped down on its chest with the thick sole of my boot, pinning it down and preventing it from getting back up. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of not only the goblins—who had likely underestimated me, thinking I’d be an easy target on my own—but even Rage-san and Sol-niisama freezing in place at my sudden action. Even to myself, it felt as though I were watching my own actions from a dreamlike distance.

—What I do know is that “this thing” was targeting me, trying to snatch me away from the two of them. I didn’t even want to think about what its purpose might be. Therefore, “this thing” was undeniably an enemy—an enemy with whom mutual understanding was impossible.

“……‘Vice Field’”

……Even to me, my voice sounded surprisingly flat and cold. It’s just a basic spell—one meant to ward off monsters, the undead, and so-called “demons” born from absorbing “magicules”—a spell designed solely to cause them discomfort and repel them. But.

“――――――!!? GY, AAAHHHHHH!!!”

The effect was immediate on “this thing” at my feet, which couldn’t move or escape. Right now, at this very moment, this tiny creature beneath my feet must surely be tormented by intense discomfort and suffering terribly. To us, they are nothing more than plunderers; their goals are incompatible with ours, and their very existence clearly makes them “enemies.” However, that offered little comfort; a sense of guilt pricked at my chest, and something rose in my throat at the sheer repugnance of my own actions. But even so.

“――‘Vice Weapon’……!!”

A faint glow flickered on my staff—specifically, on its sharp stone tip.

.

……It must have finally understood what I was about to do. Fear filled the eyes of “this thing” at my feet, and the goblins—who had been stunned by my sudden charge straight at my enemy—began to scramble in a panic. Glancing at them out of the corner of my eye, I gripped the staff firmly once more with my hands, which were still trembling uncontrollably…

I threw my full weight into the mouth of the young goblin, who was about to scream in terror, and thrust the sharp stone tip deep inside.

“GYAAAAAAAYYYY!!”

The grating scream pierced my ears. With a sickening “crack”—leaving a nasty sensation of something shattering in my hand—the jaw of “this thing” at my feet snapped. It let out a scream that wasn’t quite a scream, vomited blood, and thrashed about wildly. But, determined not to let it escape, I threw my full weight down to pin it in place.

“……!”

At the violent reaction of “this thing”—which had suffered a serious injury at my own hands—my whole body began to tremble as if seized by a fever.

……No, no, I can’t—I just can’t bring myself to think of it as a “thing”!

I don’t want to do this!
It’s just so pitiful.
It’s in so much pain.
I’m scared. I’m so scared.
I want to lift the curse right now and forgive it.
I want to heal that wound, tell it I won’t do this again, and send it back to the forest.

—But still, even so, but!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

Screaming as if to shake off my hesitation, I brought the staff down once more. Even for someone as weak as me, the “Vice Weapon” delivers a shock to the target every time it makes contact. With every swing of the staff, accompanied by a wet, squelching sound, something new shattered with a *crack, crack*, and a disgusting sensation of tissue tearing and crushing itself transmitted through my hands. And with every swing, the resistance at my feet gradually weakened. The screams gradually faded away.

――It’s vanishing. It’s fading away. A life, right at my feet, by my very own hands.

“……! —……!?”

My vision was almost completely blurred by tears, and my throat was parched with fear.

―But. This is the path the other two have walked. The only reason I’ve been spared is that my abilities are “unsuitable,” that’s all. I’ve forced this agony onto the other two and managed to keep my hands clean until now!

A single goblin, unable to stand it any longer, lunged at me. With tears streaming from its eyes, this goblin attacked me in a half-crazed frenzy—was it perhaps a family member of the young goblin at my feet?

…There was still plenty of durability left in the Protection spell. I’d willingly take the first blow. Just as I thought that and exposed myself, right before the blade could reach me, the goblin that had lunged at me was severed in midair—its upper and lower halves flying apart as it was blown away and rolled across the ground.

“…I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared enough. I’m sorry I let that happen…!”

Sol-niisama, gripping his sword tightly once more, and Rage-san, following a split second behind, launched a furious assault on the surrounding enemies. As the two began to unleash their full power, the small attackers’ numbers dwindled before our eyes—as if our previous struggle had been nothing but a lie.

By the time a corner of the forest was stained with their blood, “the one” at my feet had, before I knew it, gone completely limp and lost all body heat.

“…Ugh… Guh!?”

Finally, unable to hold back what was rising in my throat, I dropped to my knees, barely preventing my body from collapsing with the help of my staff, and let it spill onto the ground. A bitter, sour liquid burned my throat as I coughed violently. I was grateful that I hadn’t felt hungry that morning.

――I killed him. I killed him.

……But I couldn’t just walk away from this. This is the kind of world we live in. I staggered to my feet, roughly wiped my tears with my sleeve, and glared fiercely at the surrounding chaos where the battle was still raging. I had to do my job. Leaving my tears to flow freely, I began chanting a new spell to help the two fighting a short distance ahead.

—But I must not forget. Being a healer on the battlefield is a far more cruel role than I ever imagined. For me to fight means sending the wounded back into the line of fire and forcing others to take lives… I must never forget that.

.

.

.

“Iris… Are you okay?”

As I marched along, tears still streaming down my face, Sol-niisama’s concerned voice reached me.

“Sniff… I’m fine. This is the path the two of you have overcome—it’s just me who…!”

As I declared this through my sobs, my shoulder was suddenly grabbed, and Nii-sama, with a serious expression, looked intently at me.

“…Listen. I’m sure I will continue to kill enemies from now on. I don’t want to see you look like that, Iris, so as much as possible, I’ll take out the ‘enemies’ for you too. I won’t hesitate anymore.”

No, that’s not what I want you to do. Still unable to speak through my sobs, I could only try to convey that through my gaze and by shaking my head in refusal. But Nii-sama smiled gently and placed his hand lightly on my head. He stroked it kindly, as if to calm me.

“Listen until the end, please. …But I know that you will find it sad, Iris, just like you did now. I’m sure you wouldn’t approve of me getting my hands dirty like that. I’m sure that will keep me from abandoning others. I’m sure that you will help me remember the weight of that responsibility. So… please, Iris, I want you to stay just as you are—someone who feels sad when a life is taken, even if it’s an enemy’s… Because that will surely be for my own good, too.”

He gently pulled me into his arms. In that tender embrace—the complete opposite of last night’s—I could no longer hold back my tears…