Ch.96 Honey-san's Story. Bottle 4

"...Haa...haa...haa..."

The sweat pouring out as my body tried to lower my elevated temperature seemed to stop.

Sweat that flows from my forehead runs down the sides on my cheeks. Once it reaches below my chin, it continues down to the neck and chest, or are flown into the air.

I left them to flow naturally. There's no time for me to do anything extra.

I only use my sleeves to wipe any that might get in my eyes. This will prevent any temporary obstruction of vision.

"Gigigigigigig!"

My bangs stuck to my forehead, and my clothes clung to my body. It sounds good to say that they fit more snugly and allow for easier movement than usual, but sweat-soaked clothes feel disgusting and uncomfortable.

This is what happens when you play tag outside in the middle of summer.

There are dozens of bees, and there's only one girl on the run, me. If I get caught, it's a death game for me.

With my hair disheveled and a considerable amount of sweat scattering around me. I stomped my feet, pushing my way through the trees.

I ran and ran and ran and ran, until I finally spotted an open area in the distance where the sun is shining in.

It's easily visible and stands out in the dim light of a forest.

With a sliver of hope that that area is the fairy town, I muster my remaining strength and run straight ahead.

I'm almost running out of stamina. But If I stop here, my legs will give way and I won't be able to move.

So, even without any certainty, I'll bet on it. It's the same kind of gamble I took when I left Canadil.

"...U-?!"

As I get closer to that place, the amount of light I can see increases.

I thought I was almost out of the forest. Just a little further and I'd be in safety. But then my legs suddenly started to tremble.

The reason was that as I was getting closer to my destination, the feeling of relief arrived too fast and my legs started to relax.

My legs tremble as if the signals from my brain aren't being transmitted properly, and the weight of fatigue slows me down.

The reason I was able to run normally even when I was close to my limit was because my determination and willpower gave me strength.

However, its effectiveness has now become meaningless.

The only way to reach the sunny spot ahead is to use the last drop of stamina I have to move my body, which is only enough for stumbling around.

"...Haa...haa...haa...just...haa...a little...more..."

The buzzing of the bees, which has changed from a gentle buzz to a loud hum, is quite loud, indicating that they are very close by.

If things continue like this, they'll catch up to me and stab me to death.

Shaking my head in protest, I take one step forward, then another, ny legs becoming difficult to move, steadily advancing at a pace that could hardly be called running.

I noticed a tree in my line of sight ahead, and something perched on its branches. But I didn't have the energy or strength left to scare it away.

I can think of ways to scare it away, like picking up a branch from the ground and throwing it, but attacking an opponent that hasn't been definitively identified as an enemy would mean risking trouble later on, and more importantly, if you ask me if I can even throw a branch high into the air with my heavy arms, the answer is pretty much impossible.

I wish I could use offensive magic, but I've only learned a single basic life magic, "A Sip of Water".

For me, who plans to take over the inn in the future, learning magic and sorcery is something I'm not particularly interested in; it's more of a casual thing to learn if I have the aptitude, as it might be useful later on. I'm not learning it to fight.

Either way, this magic only generates enough water from your palms to fill your mouth, so it's not suitable for attack.

Those bees are too numerous and too big for this magic to be effective, and the sparrow is too small and fast to even imagine hitting it.

Even if I can throw the water, the accuracy of someone who has never practiced is bound to be low. It's not very practical to use it casually, and it would only create useless situations.

So it's usable, but I won't use it.

Right now , all I can do is take refuge in the safe zone that 's right in front of me, which is probably a fairy town. I'll focus all my energy on that.

Its existence becomes clearer with each step forward.

It perched on a tree branch directly above its direction of travel, its body mostly hidden by leaves, yet peeking out from under the leaves, revealing a small body with the same fur coloration as a sparrow.

It tilted its head with its baby doll eyes. Upon seeing the angelically cute creature that appeared in the hellish situation, I said one word.

"...Cute."

Those words were uttered as I desperately tried to escape the bees. As if that was a signal, the sparrow flapped its wings and swooped down towards me the moment I spoke.

"Juiiii! Juiiii!"

"Hiii...!"

The sparrow, chirping as it approached, had clear hostility in its eyes. Inside its open mouth were a single protruding sharp tooth.

It was designed to take down its prey in a single stab, and once it had its prey in its grasp, it wouldn't let go—a truly vicious design.

"...Not cute at all...Not cute at all!"

I instinctively crouched down and luckily managed to avoid it. The sparrow made a loud buzzing sound above my head and flew away behind me.

A few seconds after it flies away, a breeze is generated. My hair flies around, and a cool sensation is felt on my skin.

Crouching down and being blown by the wind quickly brought my hair back to its original place along my head, but I distinctly felt a sparrow hit a few strands of it as it flew by.

That was a close call. A truly last-minute avoidance.

Seeing a few strands of hair fall, my body trembled with fear and the blood drained from my face.

It was heading where my head was. If I hadn't crouched, it would have gone right through me. I would have died instantly.

Behind me, in addition to the stalker bees, is the speedster sparrow from earlier.

I knew instinctively that I'd be killed if I didn't escape, so I jumped up in a panic and ran towards my destination.

My body was already near its limit. I struggled to stand up again; my legs felt heavy, and every movement was difficult.

Even so, the destination is right in front of me, only about five steps away.

My legs are barely lifting, and I'm running with a wobbly gait, looking like I might drag my feet at any moment.

"...Ha...ha...ha...fairy...ha...ha...toown..."

With great effort, I finally made it into the sunny spot, and limped along on my victory lap, bathed in sunlight.

Beautiful flower fields, clusters of leaves, and a lovely lake welcomed me.

However, I can't see anything resembling a town within sight.

"Juiiii!"

"Hiiiiiiii!"

A cry comes from behind, and pursuers are closing in.

Startled by a deafening noise coming from very close range, I let out a loud histeric scream despite being out of breath.

"Why... Why isn't it here?!"

My legs finally reached their limit and I could no longer run. After walking a few steps, I tripped over a pebble and stumbled into the grass.

This wouldn't normally happen. It's a phenomenon that occurs only when you've reached your limit.

Hope has vanished, but all that remains is punishment for a crime I didn't commit.

"Juiiiiiiiiiiiii!!"

The second attack is coming.

Unable to escape, I covered my head with my hands and curled my body to protect myself, but for some reason, the bird who had been closing in, the voice that had been approaching, left a buzzing sound in my ears and receded into the distance.

"Nooooo! ...Huh..."

There was no time to tilt my head in confusion. A second later, as the wind blew from behind to the front, a sharp pain shot through me.

This wasn't another miracle that allowed me to dodge the attack. The attack clearly hit my head and the hands protecting it.

My face, which had been facing downwards, bounced off the ground from the impact and turned to face forward.

When the delayed pain made me open my eyes, I saw dozens of strands of hair and fingers that had been thrown off by the impact, a piece of the back of my head that had been scraped, and blood flying from the injuries.

Those things that flew away were mine. I don't want to understand, I don't want to admit it, but the pain won't allow it.

"Juiiiiiiiaa!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah..."

The sparrow repeatedly attacked my immobile body. The pain intensified, and the blood flowing from my skin increased.

It's tearing me apart with force, scattering blood and flesh, transforming me into something inhuman.

"...Cough...cough...ha...ha...aaah..."

Blood oozes , and instead of speaking, clots of blood spill out.

The warm, slimy red liquid is unpleasant. There is nothing else to feel. Any pain that I had felt has vanished somewhere.

In front of me, flowers and grass sway in the wind. A little further away, the surface of what appears to be a lake forms a small, refreshing ripple.

The sunlight shines warmly, creating a beautiful, heavenly scene.

Oh, I should have brought a weapon. Oh, I should have learned some magic. Oh, I shouldn't have come alone. Oh, I shouldn't have gone through there. Oh, I shouldn't have come to the fairy mountain.

The fear of being attacked and killed, the despair of certain death.

The worst possible outcome brought about by my own actions was the fate of never being able to see my family again.

Ultimately, sadness and regret overwhelm me.

"......Uh...Uh..."

I hate the pain. I don't want to feel any more pain. I don't want to die. Death is inevitable. I don't want to be separated from my family. There's no escaping it.

Tears well up and mix with blood. I cry quietly with a whistling, hoarse sound that is similar yet different.

"..."

Hmm, that's strange. I can't see anything even though I'm not closing my eyes. It must be nighttime now.

Now that I think about it, I don't feel so breathless anymore...

That's when everything stopped.

◇◆◇

"Pyoh pyoh... Pyoh pyoh pyoh" "Pyoppyururu... Chu chu chu" "Kyokkyok... Kyokkyokkyok" "Kii... Tsitsi."

The warmth I feel on my skin and the breeze blowing through, I can sense the light even with my eyes closed, and I can hear the birds chirping.

"Huh... what...? Am I... alive...?"

I felt something was off and opened my eyes to find myself in a forest. And it's a forest I know, a forest I'd seen before.

Before I knew it, I was standing in a fairy forest.

"Why am I in the fairy forest...? And besides, I'm dead... right?"

That's right, I died. I definitely died back then. I'm sure of it as I'm saying it out loud.

It's true that I was attacked relentlessly by the sparrow and died, reduced to nothing more than a lump of flesh. But for some reason, i'm still alive.

Is this a dream? Or is this heaven? I pinch my cheek.

"It...doesn't hurt...? Wait, I've become invisible!?"

The results of the check will confirm it. Since the pain that one would normally feel if they were alive is not coming, it must be a dream or heaven, just as expected.

Furthermore, the fact that the hand I brought close to my face was transparent, and that my entire body was transparent when I looked down, provided further evidence.

It seems that the same places exist in dreams and heaven as in reality.

Do I get a halo like an angel when I die? I wondered, reaching my hand above my head to check, when I felt a gaze from behind.

Having just died, I'm sensitive to being watched. This is unquestionable hostility.

I turn around and look up, and there I see that sparrow.

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〘Magic: A Sip of Water〙

One of the convenient life magic.

You can dispense about 20ml of water from your palm, enough to fill your mouth.

The water created is fresh water. Whether it's cold or hot water, the temperature of the water changes depending on the user's imagination.

This magic is incredibly useful for things like holding water in your palms, washing your hair and body outdoors, and cleaning cooking utensils.

Convenient for camping outdoors, and recommended for explorers.

Required magic power: 5

〘Angel race〙

A race that has a halo floating above their head, and pure white wings on their back.

They have a high aptitude for holy and light magic/sorcery, but a low aptitude for dark magic/sorcery and martial arts.

They have a longer lifespan than the Dragonkin, with some reportedly living for over 2,000 years. They are also known for having difficulty having children.

They live in a country above the clouds, but they have active interactions with countries on the ground, and there are a fair number of people living on the ground as well, making them only moderately rare to encounter.

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