30: Bridget
“Master… I’m glad you’re alive.”
Liz murmured, having heard my story so far.
I was here, now. In my assigned mansion, in a canopied bed with soft, clean sheets and blankets, illuminated by a luxurious lamp. Able to recount this as a mere memory, with my adorable vice-commander by my side.
“Yeah, I was pretty lucky.”
No, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t just luck.
“—Someone was watching over me.”
Even now, I didn’t think the demons were paragons of virtue. They, too, were waging war.
I didn’t know if they realized what we were. But they’d indiscriminately bombarded the ramparts with offensive magic. I was the only survivor.
And yet, they found me, alive. They had seen what I’d done.
“Someone saved me…”
“Someone…?” Liz, who had been listening with a somber expression, tilted her head in confusion.
“…What did you just say?”
“Bringit Finis. Liz’s older sister.”
“…My sister never mentioned this.”
“Maybe His Majesty told her not to. Or maybe she just hates me.”
I’d assumed she knew.
“When I told my sister I was going to work for the Lord Of Disease, she was… very displeased.”
I probably didn’t want to know that…
Liz stared at me intently.
“…I don’t know if I should ask this, but why are you and Bridget-neesama on bad terms?”
“On bad terms… isn’t quite right. She saved my life. But the Lord of Disease is disliked, or rather, she angered Bridget… I’ll tell you what happened when I was rescued.”
A supreme commander of the Demon King’s army.
Commander of the Second Army, the dark knights.
Bringit Finis, the Blood Knight.
And Liz’s older sister.
Officially, I’d been given the name Lord of Disease, Lord of Disease, and the position of supreme commander by His Majesty for my accomplishments during the siege of Fort Garnalk. And that wasn’t wrong.
But it was her dark knights and the demons who had actually captured the fortress.
“How are you feeling? Are you waking up?”
A clear voice reached me through the soft darkness.
“Yes, the wounds have closed… She’s still weak, but her mana capacity is quite high. She should recover soon—ah.”
“Are you awake?”
I opened my eyes, wanting to see the owner of that pleasant voice.
It was a dark elf. That was my first impression. Brown skin, long, pointed ears. Her long silver hair, tied back in a ponytail, contrasted beautifully with her skin.
Her face, as she looked down at me, was filled with concern.
“I’ll take over.”
“Ah, excuse me.”
She stepped aside, and another dark elf came into view. A young man in a navy uniform and a white coat. His silver hair, typical of dark elves, was cropped short. He wore gold-rimmed glasses with a chain.
“Can you hear me? If you can, blink twice.”
Blink, blink.
“Do you understand what I’m saying? If you do, blink twice again.”
Blink, blink.
“…I…”
My throat was parched. My tongue felt stuck to the roof of my mouth. My vision was blurry, heavy. I felt feverish.
“Can you speak?”
“A little… but let’s get her some fluids first. Help me sit her up.”
A gentle hand supported my back as I was helped into a sitting position. I leaned against the supporting arm, relaxing.
I was offered a cup filled with a pale green, transparent liquid—odorless, but the color was strikingly similar to strong green tea.
“I’m Alex, the medic. This is mainly for rehydration. It’s harmless. Can you drink it?”
I nodded. I took the cup and sipped the liquid. Despite its resemblance to green tea, it had a thick, slimy texture… a strange sensation.
I later learned it was diluted natural ooze. Apparently, it had digestive benefits and was somewhat nutritious.
No wonder it was slimy.
But it soothed my parched throat, and I felt much better.
After I finished drinking, I was gently laid back down, my head resting on a pillow. The rumpled blanket was pulled up to my shoulders.
“May I speak with her for a moment?”
“Yes.”
“—I am Bringit. I saw you… push those mages off the ramparts. First, allow me to thank you. You created an opening for us.”
The dark elf woman who introduced herself, sitting on the chair beside my bed, was the one who’d helped me. She had a dignified air about her. I remembered thinking, even in my feverish state, that her navy uniform and silver ponytail were cute.
Being thanked felt… complicated. I hadn’t intended to help them.
“…The others…?”
She looked at me, then shook her head.
“Why did you do that?”
“…I couldn’t forgive them.”
I couldn’t forgive them.
“Treating me… treating the others… like objects…”
“Were you… being used as mana batteries? You’re human, aren’t you?”
Fellow humans. Fellow humans had done that to other humans.
“Yes… I… don’t really understand.”
Mana. The word sounded fantastical, but I nodded anyway. Yeah, when you have a fever, you don’t really question things.
Besides, I wasn’t sure if those people were truly human. At least, not to them.
“How were you chosen?”
“…I think… we were gathered from different worlds.”
“Different… worlds?”
“This… isn’t Earth… is it?”
My Narnia was a hardcore version. Well, there was a war there too.
“Bringit-sama, her fever seems to be rising. Perhaps we should—”
“…Ah, right. Understood.”
They’re blaming it on the fever.
“I almost forgot to ask. —What’s your name?”
I smiled weakly.
“I’ve forgotten…”
It had been taken from me in this world. Or perhaps I’d left it behind, somewhere between my world and this one.
I remembered Bringit smiling sadly. She was kind, back then.
“Are you… truly from another world?”
“Yes, it seems so.” I nodded.
I was still in a private room, now a sickbay.
This was a room in Fort Garnalk. A fortress that belonged to the enemy, as far as they were concerned, one already slated for abandonment. This was just a temporary accommodation.
But it was far more comfortable than where I’d been kept before the battle. That place had a roof and straw bedding, but thinking back, it was basically a livestock pen.
Thanks to everyday magic, the sheets, the blankets, and I were clean. The food was the same as what the officers ate. Looking back, I’d been treated incredibly well.
Even though I was human.
I’d heard that this was a world at war between humans and demons. There were three major human nations and thirteen smaller states. And then there was her nation, the Listrea Demon Kingdom.
Dark elves, beastmen, demons, undead, and dragons were collectively known as demons.
…It’s strange that the non-humans are being kinder to me.
Of course, this was also an interrogation.
They’d used mind magic on me, though they’d asked for my permission first. A mild spell, just enough to make it difficult to lie. A ‘weak mind magic’ that required a skilled mage to interpret my reactions to their questions.
Far too gentle for an interrogation of a ‘hostile species.’
I was too ignorant to be a spy… and deemed harmless.
They even answered many of my curious questions.
The fair-skinned elves were likely extinct. They’d never heard of dwarves. There was a race called doppelgangers with the ability to shapeshift. Touching a beastman’s ears or tail wasn’t considered an insult or a marriage proposal. Demons were born mages and physically strong. There were actually many different types of undead. Dragons were few in number, but there were winged lizards in the desert.
I gradually learned these common facts.
And after a while…
“Bringit-san… I have a request.”
“What is it? Tell me. I’ll get you anything within my power.”
Kind words. But I shook my head.
“It’s not a thing.”
…She looked at me intently.
“Your name… Can I… call you Bridget??”
“…Yes. I don’t mind.”
Bringit, now Bridget, smiled.
She was busy with her duties as a knight commander, but she visited me often, and we chatted about trivial things.
If it weren’t for her, I would have died.
If it weren’t for her…
The Lord of Disease would never have been born.
T/N:
From now on, I’ll only use ‘Lord of Disease’ instead of ‘King of Virus, Lord of Disease’
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