The Villain's Sister - Chapter 33

“In the Principality of Chemelhofen, assisted death is permitted under certain conditions.”

His great-aunt responded just as expected.

“Heinrich. Don’t say such things. I don’t want to send you off before me, like your parents.”

He faintly lifted the corners of his lips.

In the past, he had crossed the line between life and death several times a day on the front lines.

Through the stench of rotting corpses in summer, through the deathly chill of winter, he had gone to sleep thinking about what choice he would make if such a situation arose.

“What I want is an honorable death, not this kind of life.”

“What kind of life are you talking about? Not being able to walk? Not being able to see? If you call that despair, then you’re mocking countless others in this world. I won’t tell you to overcome it. But you can adapt.”

“……”

“Don’t give your heart over to suffering. You have to be strong, Heinrich.”

The dry, aged hand of the old woman gently stroked the back of his hand, where the IV needle was inserted.

Heinrich felt his throat tighten.

He was thankful that someone affirmed his life, but it saddened him that it didn’t reach deep within.

Having experienced countless deaths on the battlefield, he had endlessly contemplated the meaning of his own life.

What kind of life he wanted to live, what value there was in the war he fought in.

“Please help me bring my life to a conclusion.”

Lacking the confidence to be happy, he had enlisted. He volunteered for the front line in search of death.

He believed that if he gave his life for his country and comrades, his pitiful life would gain meaning.

If he died that way, at least in his final moment, he wouldn’t detest himself.

Sensing what he was thinking through the heavy silence, his great-aunt quickly found an excuse to cry alone and left the hospital room.

Then, ten minutes later, the door opened with a clatter, accompanied by an unfamiliar presence.

***

The child carried the chill of a winter wind.

The cold, empty scent of winter brought back memories of when he had shivered, trying not to freeze to death on the battlefield.

He had survived all those moments, only to end up like this.

“I’m sorry. Someone was chasing me…”

“It’s fine. There should be a blanket around here somewhere. Feel free to use it. You should keep yourself warm.”

“Thank you.”

Judging by the voice, the child seemed to be in middle school.

There was the sound of rustling as the child searched for a blanket.

The rustling went on longer than expected, then something dropped to the floor.

“S-sorry. I dropped the water bottle. At least it’s not glass, so I don’t think it broke… Just a moment. I need to clean this up, but I need a towel…”

“Is your vision impaired?”

“What? How did you…”

“You just said you don’t think it broke.”

“Oh.”

The child fell silent. Heinrich spoke instead, “Forget the water bottle. Just sit down. There are plenty of people to clean that up.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Were you born with your eyes like that?”

“If you saw my face, you wouldn’t ask that.”

Assault, then.

The Duchy of Valkenstein bordered the sea and had a mountain range at its boundary, so it had suffered less from war damage.

When a great war broke out during his great-great-grandfather’s time, people from all over the country had flooded in.

For safety, for jobs… Before long, the duchy had become a pit of sin.

Where sin festers, tears and screams are born.

Years passed, and even when his great-grandfather handed most of the land back to the state and it was renamed Mist Island, things didn’t change.

In such a city, violence had become so common that sometimes one forgot it was even wrong.

“I can see things that are far away, but anything close has to be right in front of my face for me to make it out. But it’s slowly getting better.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Were you a soldier? You looked like one when I came in earlier.”

“Yes. I returned in this state after serving. I’ve lost my vision. Physically, there’s no hope.”

“…Does it hurt a lot? I mean, it must be really hard. Adjusting to a changed body isn’t easy…”

Heinrich didn’t answer. He could hear the child’s quiet breathing from across the room.

Was the child pitying him?

Or just wearing a curious expression?

With his eyes having lost their light, he could know none of it.

Heinrich simply thought: how exhausting this was.

His condition. The fact that his body was in tatters. His life, still only nineteen years old.

“I’m sorry. That was a rude question.”

“It was a miracle I survived. But personally, well… I don’t know if I’d call it a miracle.”

Maybe it was a curse, not a miracle.

It would have been better to just die.

It was already miserable to need help from others for the rest of his life, but what he hated even more was that such misery could be dressed up as noble sacrifice.

Reality is reality.

No matter how lofty the words like love were attached to it, his wretched situation wouldn’t change.

That was why he wanted to wrap everything in death. To assign meaning, to make sense of it all.

Just then—

Gurgle.

The sound came from the girl’s stomach.

Gasp.

She inhaled sharply, embarrassed.

How different was her life, unprotected, from a battlefield where bullets flew?

“You can eat the food on the nightstand. I haven’t touched it, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, no. It’s fine.”

“I went to war for people like you. Because I wanted children to grow up in a proper environment, not ruins.”

“…Just hearing your voice, you don’t sound that much older. How old are you?”

“At least older than you.”

“Must be nice, being older.”

The girl, speaking curtly, began to eat the food placed on the nightstand.

Clatter. Clatter.

Screech—

Perhaps because she couldn’t see well, she scraped the dish with the fork and poked the wrong spots, making quite a racket while eating.

Still, not a single breath escaped her lips as she gobbled down the food, so she must have been starving.

What kind of misfortune had happened elsewhere in this world that left her beaten, barely able to see, and hungry?

He felt like sighing.

Because he had gone through a miserable childhood himself, it pained him to watch children suffer.

After finishing the meal, the girl carefully asked, “Why did you enlist?”

“……”

“My brother ran away. Into the army.”

“…He ran off alone, I assume.”

“That’s right.”

“Did you resent him?”

“A little. But I understand. I would’ve run too. So I hoped he’d live well there. That he’d survive, get promoted, and be happy. But now it feels like everything’s over.”

Hearing her voice sink, he felt a pang.

Among his dead comrades, quite a few had younger sisters.

Their sisters must have reacted just like this girl.

Heinrich groped around the bed and found his great-aunt’s bag.

His great-aunt always kept some chocolate in one side of her bag.

It wasn’t right to open it without permission, but he wanted to give the girl something.

“At least eat this.”

When he held out the chocolate toward the girl, he heard what sounded like a faint chuckle.

Neither of them could see well, so after a few failed attempts in the air, he finally managed to hand it to her.

Even in the brief touch, the cold air clung to the girl’s fingertips.

Rustle. Rustle.

The sound of the wrapper being peeled was satisfying. He hoped she’d get a bit of strength from the chocolate.

“It’s good. There’s almond inside.”

“If you want more, take it from the bag.”

“I’m already thankful you shared your meal. And for letting me stay here…”

“Who are you running from? Your parents?”

“…I’m going far away. Somewhere no one knows me. Where no one can stop me. I don’t want to hurt anymore. I don’t want to go to some crappy facility. I don’t even want to cry. Yes, I’m running away.”

“I wasn’t blaming you.”

A moment later, the girl sighed.

The trembling had subsided, but her hoarse voice and exhaustion remained.

“Don’t you regret it?”

“Regret what?”

“Going to war.”

“I don’t know why I have to answer a question like that.”

“Please tell me. Do you regret it?”

What a strange one. From her voice, she sounded like a much younger girl. What could she possibly understand to ask such a thing?

Still, it was a question anyone might wonder.

He replied with a faint smile, “I don’t regret my choice.”

“No matter the cost?”

“Yes. I lost my sight and my legs, but whatever the outcome, it was the best choice I could make. I trust the past me.”

“Wait a moment.”

A stranger’s hand touched Heinrich’s face.

The groping hand slowly moved up and covered his eyes.

Just as Heinrich flinched and tried to push the hand away, something warm flowed into him.