Chapter 6: I Can't Save Anyone

The battle was over.

The originally indestructible fortress had also been reduced to ruins.

Bray's figure wandered within it.

Bray did not shed a single tear, nor did he feel any fear.

At this moment, Bray's heart was only filled with confusion.

Bray did not feel much sadness for Barossa's death.

Nor did he feel much about this seemingly tragic battle.

Or rather, whether it was the chuunibyou-like words that Barossa inadvertently said... or Garuda's arrogant speech that was like a nobleman looking down on a beggar——

Bray had never cared.

What really made Bray care was the so-called 「Black Iron Species」 and 「Bronze Species」.

It seemed that the world was not as simple as he had imagined.

And Bray wanted to understand all of this.

“The food is all covered in blood… really…” Bray looked at the bread he had picked up with a disgusted expression.

Then Bray stuffed this bread into his mouth.

The bread, mixed with the taste of blood, swirled in his mouth.

“What a disgusting taste.”

Bray did not have a hobby of drinking blood, and it was impossible for him to find this delicious.

Why was there bread?

How could a fortress not have food?

Not to mention the prison guards, even the prisoners had to have soup to drink.

Bray, who had already been hungry for a day and a night, soon began to forage for food in the ruins.

However, most of the food had been ruined.

Bray could only turn over stones to look for something edible.

And at the same time, look for important tools.

“It's dry rations again… the military really needs to improve its food…”

Bray grabbed a handful of jerky covered in dust and ash and stuffed it into his pocket.

The prison uniform he was wearing before had also been changed into other casual clothes.

Items stripped from prisoners would be thrown into one place, except for valuable things, of course.

After a lot of effort, Bray found the place where the items were stored, found a set of casual clothes, and put them on just like that.

Bray sniffed the clothes.

——"It should be fine, right…"

He could only pray that the original owner didn't have any hidden diseases, if there were hidden diseases…

Bray shivered.

“Then I'm really unlucky.”

When the search for supplies was almost done, Bray also planned to leave this ruin.

But not now, the sun had already set.

This was the time when monsters and beasts roamed.

Bray didn't think that he could become stronger just by watching a big battle…

A small F-rank mercenary, couldn't even defeat a slime.

After eating enough, Bray still found that he didn't have many tools on him.

At least there wasn't even a single rope.

“What a hassle.”

Scratching his head, Bray had a listless look on his face.

But he still had to continue looking.

And just as Bray was about to take a step to look for tools, his ankle suddenly felt cold, as if it was grabbed by something.

Bray widened his right eye and found a hand grabbing his foot.

“Save me…”

A hoarse voice sounded, making Bray stunned for a moment.

A man wearing an iron helmet, whose face could not be seen clearly, was lying on the ground.

This person was still alive.

However, Bray sighed and broke free from the man's hand.

“Save me…”

Straining his hoarse throat, he repeated his plea for help.

That bloodless hand kept slapping the ground, trying to hold me back.

At the beginning, when Bray was searching for supplies, he had actually looked for survivors as well.

But later, Bray gave up on doing so.

Because there were many people who were still breathing, but none of them could possibly be saved.

Everyone's body was strangely incomplete.

Only Bray was very lucky, having only lost one eye.

But the others were not so lucky, or perhaps there were others as lucky as Bray, but Bray didn't find them.

How were their bodies strangely incomplete?

For example, the one asking for help right now, his lower body was detached, several meters away.

Blood was still gushing out, but the person could still move.

And, it looked like he had held on for several hours.

To be in such a state, holding on to one's last breath for several hours, was simply——

A curse.

Only by thinking of this did Bray feel that he was lucky.

Bray also understood that it was because of this curse that he was still alive even after bleeding so much.

But Bray was very clear that this state would definitely not last forever.

Because in his eye socket, the blood was still flowing.

Perhaps he wouldn't live for too long.

“Sorry, I can't save you.”

“Save!!!! Save me!!!”

Ignoring the mournful cry, Bray staggered away.

Bray wanted to save this person, but, it was just that he wanted to save him.

Bray was not a clergyman, not a doctor, and did not have any first aid items.

Even if he bandaged this person, it would be of no use.

He couldn't be saved, this was the cruel fact.

And not a few seconds later, the person who was calling for help stopped moving.

Bray heard the sound of the person falling to the ground behind him, and his whole body stiffened.

Then he continued to walk.

Behind him were countless incomplete corpses lying on the ground, buried by the rubble.

The sky gradually darkened.

The ruins, which were originally filled with groans, had now fallen into silence.

A frightening silence.

“Compared to being full of groans, it's much better now.” Bray smiled bitterly.

The absence of groans, what it meant, was self-evident.

But he was not dead yet.

Bray crawled into the previous prison and found some stones to block the opening.

“…” Bray touched a cold corpse.

“Good night, big brother guard.”

Bray closed his right eye, and the left side, which had lost its eyeball, stared at this pitch-black prison.

He thought of the countless people who had died in the fortress at this moment.

Garuda's words echoed in Bray's mind.

——"Ants of the Black Iron Species."

Looking at it now, they really were like ants.

So fragile, in just an instant, they were destroyed.

And it was only because of the appearance of the so-called 「Bronze Species」.

The casualties were not caused by the aftermath of the battle.

The people who truly died because of that battle were very few.

An ant crawled onto Bray's arm.

Bray, who was originally going to pinch the ant to death, stopped his movement.

“Go to sleep.”

What a disastrous day.

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