The Strongest In The World Doesn’t Have Any Abilities? - Volume 2 Chapter 90 After Battle Withdrawal

With Argus’ life ending with an unexpected bang, Miss Lerish and I felt like everything that happened was all for naught, that we only wasted out energy in the end. While still covered in blood and bits of flesh and stuff, she said: “Even though we wanted to defeat Argus, I never thought our struggle will end this way…”

“Nn. In the end, we never fulfilled his last wish as well,” I replied, feeling a bit regretful.

Well to be exact, I’m not feeling regret because of that reason. Rather, I regretted not being able to deal the killing blow, that he had to delegate it to others. That guy–he really hated me to the end, huh?

“Since it’s impossible for us to fulfill his wishes, we should at least do this.”

Saying that, Miss Lerish kneeled on the grass pooled with blood and closed her eyes as she started to solemnly pray.

“Miss Lerish…”

“We people of Narashel believe that we have a moral obligation to respect the dead, regardless of who they are or what they did when they were still alive. Argus might’ve done unforgivable things in the past which hurt so many of us, but even then we can’t deny him that right. It’s pointless if we detest him even further,” she explained.

She beckoned me to do the same. Though hesitant, I kneeled beside her and did the sign of the Cross.

“Hm? It’s my first time seeing someone perform a ritual like that,” Miss Lerish said with a confused look on her face.

Startled, I replied, “T-This? Ah, in our place we always do it whenever we pray. Only a few people do it nowadays here, I think.”

“I-Is that so…”

Because we touched quite a sensitive subject, we decided not to talk about it any further and instead continued giving respect for Argus’ soul, if he had any in the first place.

While helping her stand up, she asked me: “The last thing he said before he died…’the Stars’…what did he mean by that?”

“Kuh–” I instantly flinched by her question.

The ‘Stars’…

When Abeiroz first warned me about them, I felt unsettled but only for a while, then I threw it to the back halls of my mind and continued to live like usual. However, now that I finally saw what they can do, I can’t just go on and ignore their threat like this.

But what really are those ‘Stars’ they’re warning me about? Are they a collective of powerful entities, or a single, omnipotent being? Up until now, I still gave no idea what really is all about.

“Ren…” Miss Lerish, seeing the anxious expression on my face, lightly smiled as she said, “it’s alright. You can think about it later. For now, we have to remove the blood covering our bodies first.”

“Ah? Y-Yeah, you’re right,” I replied.

It’s been only less than five minutes since our battle with Argus ended, and the sticky blood on our skin and clothes still hasn’t dried up. What’s more, we are also covered with a stench that is worse than raw meat exposed under the sun.

No matter how hard she try to act tough in front of me, I’m sure Miss Lerish is already on her limits.

“Miss Lerish, please stay put. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt,” I said while extending my left hand towards her.

“A-Are you sure that will work, Ren?” she asked frantically.

“I don’t know, but I have to try.”

When I activated my newly acquired ability, the blood and bits of flesh that covered her skin and clothes magically peeled itself off and got sucked into the palm of my hand. I also used it to myself, leaving not even the faintest trace of stench behind.

“What a superb ability, Ren!” Miss Lerish exclaimed in high spirits.

“H-Heh. I’m glad it worked well.”

Hm? For some reason my vision became blurry and started to tilt all of a sudden…

“Ren!!!” Miss Lerish’s expression instantly turned into despair as she rushed towards my side.

Before I know it, my body has already collapsed to the ground with a thud. My left hand also feel like it’s being sawed off, as the glow on my hand blinked intermittently.

“W-What’s going on?! You…”

“Sorry, Miss Lerish,” I smiled lightly at her. “I think I used up too much of my energy while using this new ability of mine, that my whole body felt like giving up. Don’t worry, things like this happen naturally.”

“Saying that doesn’t make me feel relieved at all!” she retorted angrily. “This is a very dire situation. We have to seek help immediately.”

Though she also feel weak to some extent, Miss Lerish tried helping me get up and carried me on her shoulder as we started to walk along the main road.

“M-Miss Lerish, I…”

“Please hang on for a little more, Ren.” she said, enduring the weight of a young man’s arm on her shoulders. “I can see the guards over there coming our way. You’re going to be safe.”

A few moments later, I heard a fleet of footsteps getting louder and louder to my ears, and I realized that there are guards surrounding us. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but it seems that Miss Lerish is telling them what to do.

Even with my vision going hazy, I can still see a clear impression of this young lady by my side: though full of worries and doubts, she strive to look in any direction but forward. Even in the face of danger, she tries not to abandon the things she fight for. A tenacious and headstrong girl, so to say, and I think she’s more beautiful that way.

“I’m…feeling cold…”

“Don’t say that Ren, we’ll being you to the medic right away.”

“Medic…” I muttered as I try to catch my breath, “I feel nervous when there are doctors nearby…”

“I can assure you that the ones we have are among the best in Narashel. They will take good care of you.”

“F-For real…?”

“Yes,” she said firmly.

Like an obedient child, I slowly nodded as I said, “Okay. I’ll be in your care then, Your Highness.”

Shortly after that I felt like my consciousness is starting to waver even more, my eyelids feeling heavy by the second. With no strength left in me to fight back, I slowly closed my eyes and let my body give way to the limits imposed to it.

“Please rest easy, Ren…everything…will be alright…”

—–

After everything turned black for quite some time, when I woke up I found myself being surrounded by two colors which I am deeply familiar with. Like–really, really familiar.

“…Stupid, stupid, stupid! Who gave you permission to lose consciousness that easily, huh?!”

“Aoi, you shouldn’t scold Brother Ren like that! He’s still recovering, you know?”

My little sister Aoi, as well as Saki–two little girls that grew very attached to me–gathered beside me at the very moment I opened my eyes. It’s visible from their swollen eyes that they were weeping for quite some time now, which made me feel sorry for myself even more.

“Sorry girls, I must’ve acted too careless…”

“…No, big brother, don’t apologize to us,” Aoi wiped the tears from her eyes. “You only did what you thought was right, that’s why you shouldn’t feel bad about it.”

Saki nodded. “More than that, we’re glad you’re fine now, Brother Ren.”

“Yeah. Thank you very much…” I said as I touch their cheeks with my hands.

“Hey, you seem to be forgetting about someone,” Saku said as he stood from the other side of the room where I currently am.

“Ah, how can I forget a great man like you, Saku? You’re my friend after all. Thank you.”

“Tch, stop that! You’re giving me the shivers!” he said as he took a step further from us.

“By the way, where are we? It doesn’t seem like we’re in a hospital or something…”

When I asked them that…

“S-Should we tell it to him now, Aoi?” Saki looked at her with unease.

“…Nn. It’s not that we’re hiding anything from big brother, after all.”

The two girls then took deep breaths, and then–

“Brother Ren, right now we are in…”

“…The royal palace.”

W…W-What?!

“The hospital is currently overloaded with the injured guards and residents that needed urgent attention, that’s why Her Highness decided to take you here inside the palace,” Saku explained.

“A-And how long I was unconscious?”

“A day and a half, I guess.”

“Ugh…” my head started to ache because of the things they said to me. Even though I appreciate Miss Lerish’s efforts to help me, I think this is too much.

At that moment, a person came knocking on the door a couple of times. Saki hurriedly opened it, and–

“”Y-Your Highness?!”” the siblings exclaimed.

To everyone’s surprise, Miss Lerish came to visit us. Dressed in a simple white long dress, her bashful smile exuded warm feelings to all of us.

“M-My apologies for disturbing you. It seems that I came at an inopportune time.”

“N-No. It’s alright, Miss Lerish!” I said.

Realizing the atmosphere around him, Saku beckoned the girls to come to him and told them: “I think we should get outside for a moment and let them have some time to talk in private, what do you think?”

“…Eh?! But, Sa–”

“Aoi?” Saki glared at her with a dagger stare.

Feeling powerless against an angry Saki, she grumbled in disappointment as she walked out of the room with heavy steps. As soon as she passed over Miss Lerish, she let out a loud ‘Hmph’ and continued on her way.

“Sorry for our little Aoi’s actions, Your Highness. We shall get going then,” Saku said to Miss Lerish.

“Nn. Thank you very much.”

Before they left, Saku glanced behind and gave me a thumbs up, while keeping it hidden from Miss Lerish.

That bas–

With only the two of us let inside the room, Miss Lerish’s face grew calmer as she spoke: “Because of the situation, we were unable to bring you to a better facility in order to treat your injuries. I hope you understand my decision to bring you here instead.”

“Even though it’s alright with me even if you brought me to recover inside an old building, you still went overboard and let me use this exquisite looking room for myself. It feels like I’m abusing your kindness to me…”

“You’re my savior Ren. How can I let you recover in such a dreary place? My ancestors would frown at me if I did that.”

I noticed that she’s been holding something behind her ever since she came here. I asked her what it is, and she revealed to me a small bucket of water, and a piece of cloth.

“Miss Lerish, that’s…”

“I-I know this is quite sudden and embarrassing, but I want to make up for the inconveniences I’ve given to you these past few days. That’s why, Ren–allow me to wash your body!”

W-Woah, woah, woah, woahh, wait?! What is she saying?!!

“Please…” she pleaded while looking at me like a small puppy.

No good–that’s cheating, I’m telling you!

“O-Okay. Just the upper body then.”

After taking a moment to take off the upper part of the pajamas I’m wearing, Miss Lerish began by wiping my face and neck with a damp cloth. The cold water, made even colder by the wind coming through the window, made my face tighten a bit.

“Pardon me, was the water too cold for you? I can ask for hot water if you want to,” she said in a fl.u.s.tered way.

I shook my head and said, “I-It’s fine, Miss Lerish. I was just startled, that’s why.”

Though nervous, she continued washing my head. As she ran the cloth across my neck area, I realized that both of her hands are placed on my nape, and her face is a couple of handbreadths away from me. It seems that she’s also aware of what’s going on, as she tried not to look into my eyes.

After my head and neck, she continued by wiping my shoulders, arms, and hands while taking extreme attention to my left side, which still hurts a bit.

“I-I will start washing your chest now, Ren,” she informed me after a few minutes.

“O-Okay.”

After preparing myself for the embarrassing part, I decided to close my eyes as she began wiping my upper torso. As always, her hands are soft and delicate, making my skin tingle even at the slightest contact.

“Your heartbeat…I can feel it through the cloth. It’s so fast, as if it wants to burst out of your chest.”

“A-Ah, does it bother you?”

“Not really. After all, I’m also as nervous as you are,” she let out a short giggle.

She then left my back for last. While facing away from her, I asked: “By the way Miss Lerish, how are your parents now? I haven’t seen them ever since you left the grand hall.”

“They are both safe now, but because of the damage caused to the city it seems that they won’t be able to rest for some time.”

“That’s…sad,” I sighed.

“But, I will do what I can to relieve some of the burden they’re carrying, so please rest easy, Ren…”

“–?!”

Wrapping her arms around me from behind, she rested her forehead against my bare back, while sobbing all of a sudden. Startled, my body tensed as I asked her: “M-Miss Lerish?! W-What are you–”

“Please, let me stay like this even for a moment, Ren…” she said in a soft voice.

“Y-You…”

She didn’t say anything else after that. Though feeling embarrassed, I didn’t do anything to stop her from crying. After all, it’s one of our natural ways to vent out our innermost feelings, so I’ll just let her use my back to cry on for as long as she needed.

“F-Forgive me for acting so rashly, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable…” she said after she finally calmed down.

“Never mind that. Are you feeling better now?”

“Nn,” she nodded happily.

Ah, I’m relieved.

Grabbing the bucket with her, she turned back and asked: “Say, if what happened just now were to become a regular occurrence, would you come and let me cry on your back again?”

“Hmm…” Though surprised with her question, I still tried to give her a decent response. “While I can do it willingly for a few times more, I don’t think I’ll be able to put up with your request if you’re going to cry everyday.”

“U-Um, is that so…”

“Instead–I’ll identify the reason why you’re crying always, and solve it with everything I can. That way, you won’t need to cry on other people’s backs.”

When I said that, she stopped on her feet as she locked back at me. At first she looked serious, but her face quickly brightened up as she said:

“I’ll look forward to it, then.”

“Eh?”

Without waiting for my response, Miss Lerish continued walking out of the room, holding the bucket as if carrying a basket of flowers. I can’t see her face so I can’t tell for sure if she’s satisfied with my answer or not, but it doesn’t seem like she’s mad at me.

“Hm, ‘looking forward’, she said. I wonder what does she mean by that,” I let out a sigh as I dress myself up again.