Antagonist Protection Service

Forcing myself to my feet, I clambered back inside the cave, crawling some distance whenever my leg faltered and I fell, gathering the strength to rise again, repeating the cycle until I made it to the cavern that had been assigned for I, the Protagonist, and his harem to all sleep in.

It took longer than I would like to admit, the exhaustion from all the stacked-up wounds piling up and finally catching up to me, but I eventually reached it, and once there, I rummaged through all the bags of luggage we had brought with us.

Everything was stored in smaller, magical bags enchanted with some kind of spatial magic that allowed for an expansion of physical space within, allowing you to carry a large amount of goods in a little container.

They were expensive as hell, but I recalled having bought them with the Protagonist's funds I borrowed to prepare for the trip a while back.

I don't know how he got all that money, but I didn't care. Maybe it was a gift from the city mayor to ensure that he had enough resources to make the trip. Either way, it wasn't relevant to me.

Taking everything and dumping it absentmindedly into Storage such as food, water, sleeping bags and even cheap blankets, there was one main thing I was searching for.

I couldn't remember which bag they were in, but I knew for a fact we had them. The Protagonist himself even mentioned it just before.

"...Here."

At the pace I was looting, it took practically no time at all, and before long I found them―a small collection of crystal vials filled all with a bright red liquid.

They weren't going to be as effective as that Standard Health Potion from the Store that was used on the first day here, but they were certainly better than nothing. Grabbing the three vials, I wasted no time in popping them open and downing the contents in a single gulp each, not even bothering to spend a moment registering the taste.

I could experience the effects almost immediately.

It was only slight, but as I glanced down, I could see gradual changes in the wounds all over my body, a subtle glow emanating from wherever the inner layers or blood was exposed.

At the rate it was proceeding, it would still probably take an hour or two to fully restore my body to normal.

"Good enough..."

Using a scrap of cloth to wrap around my leg as a makeshift bandage in hopes of speeding up the recovery, even if it was just by a minor amount, I straightened my back and continued further into the cave.

Thinking about it, there was one more thing I might as well grab while I have the chance.

I felt a little bad about it, but the mayor had given the Protagonist a gift to offer the Dragon Tribe when we first arrived. From what I was told when I asked about it, it was a high-quality mana stone obtained from one of the mines in the south of the kingdom.

I had no idea what its value was, or if it was ever something that would be useful for me, but I had previously seen mana stones available for purchase in the Store's Miscellaneous section, so there must be some sort of use.

A Flawless Mana Stone was what... 1,100 Units? If that's what this thing was, then I'd be saving a good chunk of World Stability in case I ever needed one in the future.

In any case, after a long while of finding my way through the twisting caverns of the Dragon Tribe's currently empty home, I finally found it, stored within a chest hidden behind one of the Elder's beds.

Immediately putting it away in the safety of Storage, I made my way back outside.

By now, probably around an hour-and-a-half had passed since the Protagonist ran away.

"My leg's still fucked, I can't run..."

'All I can do is wait, huh... As fucking always...'

I sighed and plopped down atop the terrace, casting just a single, absentminded glance at the harpy's cold body to the side.

[It's okay, Enki! Fret not! The Protagonist cannot escape forever! The doggy is also far away! She doesn't think you're the enemy, so there is nothing to worry about!]

I was more than just a little irritated, particularly at the thought of Cassie reappearing, but really, the Librarian was right.

There was nowhere he could run in this wilderness, especially at this time of night.

Eventually, he would have no choice but to either wait it out somewhere in the forest, return to this cave, or... run all the way back to the city, where the dragons would be waiting.

"..."

No matter which of the three he picked, the Protagonist would be taking an incredible risk, with the latter option being the most likely to save him. After all, if he could reach the city, the dragons, or even just get close enough to call for help, there would be nothing I could do to stop them.

But I was already prepared for that.

[Oh, um! Actually, there might be a small concern if she sees the harpy corpse next to you! Maybe you should hide it like you did with the cat!]

"Fuuu... Don't worry, Librarian."

Summoning the White Death into my hands, I lay down in a prone position once again.

Peering through the scope that pointed towards the vast grasslands, an almost empty void in this early morning darkness, I felt my lips curl ever-so-slightly upwards.

"...He's already dead on my screen."

❖─────★★☆☆☆─────❖

Itou Touya ran.

"―Haah... haah... haah...!"

He ran like his life depended on it. Well, wasn't that exactly the case?

"Haah, haah...!"

Down the mountain he ran, out of breath he ran, stumbling over roots and burrows, he ran until he couldn't feel his legs, or at least not anything more than the aching, spasming muscles within them, screaming for any kind of respite at all.

"Woah-- gh...!"

Tripping over a particularly large impression in the ground, something that might as well have been a tripwire placed by the world itself, he fell and slammed his face into the dirt and rolling some distance down the hill, gravity embracing him.

Still, clenching his fists, he pushed against the ground and continued.

Biting his lip, he wanted to curse but couldn't. He wanted to remain there, lying on the ground and crying like a baby, but he couldn't.

"...No... I have to..."

Recalling Feanya, her tattered body, her leaking blood, her weakened expression as she used the last of her breath for him to flee...

He couldn't imagine why that man would have possibly done something like that.

That... demon.

"I have to... keep going...!"

Tears threatened to break the barrier of his eyes as he went, blurring and muddying his already obscured, darkened vision, practically blinding him.

The harrowing sound of his beloved party member's death throes echoed endlessly in his ears, forcing him to move.

He didn't want to run.

He really didn't.

But, if it was her final request... if he was really so weak like she said, then that was all he could do.

"CASSIEEE...! C-Cassie, please... help me..."

Screaming, whispering, calling for his most precious friend, the first person he had grown close to since waking up in this mysterious, crazy world, he fell again.

But this time, rather than falling into motion and rolling down even further, he simply stopped.

"...?"

Raising his torso, confused, he hurriedly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, opening them to see...

"Ah..."

No trees.

Instead, the big, pale moon, in all its reflective glory, surrounded by a ceaseless expanse of stars all above him.

Somehow, he had made it to the grassland, the empty field that was just one long stretch away from the walled city. From safety.

'Ryoko...!'

With that thought filling his heart like a bead of hope, he forced his legs to move once more, heading as fast as he could muster towards that light, his saviour.

Eventually, however, his weak body simply could not take it any longer.

"Gh! N-no, come on... keep going... You have to.. keep going...!"

Collapsing to the grassy bed beneath him, he could no longer move his legs in any sense, and dread quickly filled his heart.

"No! Don't let this be enough... to stop you...!"

Warding it away with the reminder of what happened, and with the terrifying thought of disappointing those he loved, he continued nevertheless.

Crawling on his hands and knees, dragging himself along the field like a pathetic worm, he forces himself to move forward in any way possible, even if it was just an inch, even if he could feel the irreparable damage being wrought upon him through struggle.

He crawled, he slithered, he squirmed, he writhed, he went on and on.

Suddenly, during a time where he found himself desperate for air like never before, he heard something.

A cry in the distance behind him.

"Master...!"

"Ah... Cassie...?"

Recognising the voice immediately, he spun his head around and saw her―bounding towards him at a pace incomparable to his own, and with an expression of clear distress on her cute face.

Seeing her unharmed, a natural smile floated onto his face.

His disturbed, tear-stained, dirt-ridden, sweat-submerged and snot-covered face.

"Ca--"

But just before he could call her name, he caught something in the periphery of his vision.

Ever-so-slight, a glint up in the mountains.

"..."

From there, it was as if everything moved in slow motion.

Slowly, he cast his gaze down, towards the dog girl sprinting towards him.

She seemed so close, and yet so far, and at that moment, Itou Touya knew.

No matter how long he waited, she would never reach him.

'Ca...ssie...'

A single tear rolled down the Protagonist's face, and just like that―

――His head exploded; the Reincarnator's life came to an end for the final time.