The sword princess' tale

Volume Two Chapter 6 - Family

-Leon's POV-

Is there even a word that could describe it? When I finished preparing the stage and the swords, the human abruptly emerged from the bushes with wounds.

They were small in sizes and numbers, but she was so frantic that she shouted at me.

"What are you doing here!? Hurry and leave this place!"

What...? What the hell was she talking about? I really wanted to yell back at her but the presence approaching this Hideout which consisted of simple clearing and a hidden cave inside rocks was rapidly quickening.

Before I could say anything, my shoulders were gripped and the girl looked at me in the eyes.

"Leon, please hide yourself and don't make a sound."

"What-wait, are you... are you crazy!? That monster isn't any ordinary monster!! It's a-"

"Please... go, Leon. I don't want you to be hurt."

The moment she said that, a very unpleasant memory resurfaced inside me. My chest tightened. I went into spasms, and I felt... feeble.

She was similar. Why did she say that? Why did she say such thing with the same expression? I couldn't understand. How could she do this? Why is she doing this?

I averted my eyes, and when I gazed at the pair of emerald eyes...... I was overwhelmed by them. For I knew and I could recognize her intention as clear as daylight.

"...please hide, Leon. You still have something to do, right? You can't die here."

"............"

"Besides, rather than having two corpses left here, it would be better if one were to survive. I don't know if I can defeat it but I want you to stay safe. Okay?"

......how selfish. She's saying it as if she would die regardless of the circumstances. Had she given up, then she wouldn't have showed me such resolute desire inside her eyes. It pained me to know what kind of resolve she had. It hurt me for knowing and yet choosing the same option again.

Even so-it's odd. Why? For what reason does she have to help me? Why is she allowing me to have a chance when she had the right to live too? It was the only doubt that I have that I hesitated to go. It was the questions that I had that budged me to stay rooted there. Therefore-

"......why? Why do you wish not harm for me? Why are you protecting me?"

......it was something simple. She, a human who would live for a far shorter time than me. A human who was supposed to live their life and vanishing like a flower... why would she discard her precious life? Just like my mother....?

The moment silence filled the air, I received a knock at my head. The girl hit me twice, saying "Idiot" as if she found the most stupid thing in the world. I wanted to yell back at her for insulting me but suddenly-I felt her soft hand rubbing my head.

"-Who wouldn't want to protect their family? You're my little brother ever since we're stranded here. We lived under the same roof, having fun together, arguing over trivial things, working together to survive, and even talked at dinner. So why should I, your family, abandon you?"

......with a dazzling smile, she said the thing I hated the most.

With a bright smile and warm gaze, she declared the thing I did not possess ever since the one who was supposed to be my father... killed my mother in front of me.

The girl then pushed me. There was no force in it but my body instinctively responded by turning around shortly after. I turned my back against her who had welcomed me as a family. I turned my back at the one who treated me as one for all this time.