Chapter 232: Death, and…

Aeris and her friends were waiting for Tauro to come back.

However, Ankh said it was getting a little late, so they all decided to head for the village.

After a steep road, the village came into view.

The peddler’s information seemed to be correct.

“I wonder if Tauro went into the village?”

Aeris turned to Ankh and Ragune, and just as they were about to speak.

A black haze erupted from the center of the village, covering it in the blink of an eye.

It happened so fast that Aeris and the others were frozen in place, unable to move.

“…This is a range instant death spell!”

Ragune said ominously.

Aeris, startled by these words, looked toward the village and, perhaps worried about Tauro’s safety, tried to jump into the village.

Ankh hurriedly grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Wait, Aeris! Don’t jump in!”

“Tauro could be inside!”

“Still!”

As Ankh held Aeris back, the black haze that had spread over the entire village quickly cleared and faded away.

“Ragune, is it safe to go now!?”

Ankh asked Ragune, who seemed to know the cause of the haze.

Aeris also looked at her as if she was hanging on.

“…it should be fine now. But those who were inside…”

Ankh, who was more than a little shocked by Ragune’s words, loosened his grip on Aeris’s wrist.

Aeris jumped into the village without hesitation as Ankh let go.

Ankh also came to his senses and followed after Aeris.

Ragune also followed after them helplessly.

Her steps were heavy, probably because she imagined the village would be hopeless.

“Where are you, Tauro!? Is there anyone in this village!?”

When Aeris went to the center of the village while calling out in the deserted village, she saw Tauro lying on the ground.

“Tauro!”

Aeris rushed to Tauro and turned him on his back.

Ankh also responded to Aeris’s voice and came running.

“Tauro! … Ankh, Tauro is not breathing! His heart has stopped!”

Aeris was distraught that Tauro was not moving, but she began to chant healing magic

Ankh, too, put his ear to Tauro’s chest and confirmed that his heart had stopped.

“Damn! Leader, don’t go!”

and began to perform cardiac massage, something he had learned when he was a mercenary.

Then Ragune came in.

“…Ankh, it’s impossible. That instant death spell is a forbidden spell that brings ‘death’ itself to a certain area in place of the caster’s life. It takes away the life itself, you can’t  be brought back to life, it’s impossible.”

While Ragune despaired over Tauro’s death, she calmly shared what she knew.

For a while, Ankh ignored those words and continued to massage his heart, but he finally stopped.

Aeris understood that Tauro was completely dead there and stopped casting healing magic.

And then, tears overflowed from her eyes, running down her cheeks.

Aeris was silent and just broke down in tears.

“…I’m going to look inside the house”

Ankh, unable to stay there any longer, got up and went into the house where he thought Tauro had come from.

There, he saw a child lying inside.

Upon closer inspection, he was still breathing.

“…Tauro-kun…is dead, isn’t he? Now I can finally die too…”

As he said this, an unintentionally deafening high pitched sound  rang out from the boy.

Ankh covered his ears but did not take his eyes off the boy.

The boy drew his last breath when the sound stopped.

It might have been his last sign of something.

Ankh calls out when he returns to Aeris and the others.

“The sound you just heard, could be a call to someone outside. I’ll carry Tauro on my back, let’s hurry and leave this village.”

Ragune nodded at Ankh’s suggestion and pulled Aeris up.

As Ankh left the village with Tauro’s cold body on his back, the houses in the village were set on fire.

He does not know if someone had started the fire or if it had been set after his death, but the flames spread as fast as they could see it.

“I don’t see any sign of the others, but we should hurry to the bridge just in case.”

Ankh said while carrying Tauro on his back, and Ragune pulled Aeris’s stunned hand and quickened their pace.

The group was heading down a steep road towards the bridge.

Ankh, who was carrying Tauro on his back, immediately recognized the moment.

He could feel Tauro’s heartbeat, body temperature, and breathing on his back.

“Aeris! Tauro’s heart has started beating!”

Ankh hurriedly called out to Aeris.

Aeris’s eyes, which had been out of her mind as Ragune pulled her by the hand, quickly came back into focus.

“Are you sure Ankh!?”

Aeris shook off Ragune’s hand and rushed to Ankh.

She immediately put her hand over Tauro’s mouth and saw that he was breathing.

“He’s alive! Tauro is alive!”

Ragune was surprised by Aeris’s words and rushed over.

Ankh lowered Tauro down and laid him on his side.

“Aeris, use magic to increase his strength! I’ll make him drink the advanced potion Tauro gave you!”

Ragune made Tauro open his mouth and poured in the potion little by little.

Aeris and the others, who took no time to immerse themselves in the miracle that had occurred before their eyes, began to heal Tauro.

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