Bandit Arc ⑤ -Kou-okaasan-

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Tensei Shoujo no Rirekisho was written by Karasawa Kazuki and this chapter was translated by yAmi on www.yamitranslations.com

I was hit by something from above. However, there wasn’t pain as one would expect after being struck by claws.
I opened up my eyes and saw red. It was blood.
Somebody’s back was drenched in blood. That somebody got in between the bear and I, and carried me away to protect me.  Next, this person tried to run through the river.

It was crimson red from shoulder to back. The person who carried me was likely cut by that monster earlier.

This person was injured but continued to bring me across the river. I was laid down on the river before the person herself and fell to her knees with all her strength drained from her. She gave an intense gaze to the stunned me.
It was the first time I had received such a stare.

“You went all the way across the river to that extent!”

A dreadful trembling voice straight from the depths of hell; Kou-san shouted violently.
This was the first time I heard that kind of voice from Kou-san.

“S-sorr……!”

Just as I was about to squeeze out an apology, Kou-san fell flat.
Copious amount of blood was oozing from her back.

If I don’t stop the blood……!

I looked around for something to stop the blood loss, and noticed an unwashed dry rag that could be used. There might be germs on it but it is far more dangerous for her continue losing blood like that. I grabbed the laundry and pressed it strongly on her wound.

“Bossss! Kuwamaru-sann! Hey! Someone! Help—! Kou-san is…! Kou-san is…!”

I called for help relentlessly. This place isn’t really that far off from the camp. Given that they all have good hearing, they should be able to hear me. If they couldn’t, this would really be a big problem.

As I screamed out loud, I took a glance at the opposite bank of the river. The nine-eyed bear was gone. No image of mother was left behind.


Surely that must have been a demonic beast.

Until boss and the rest get here, I continued to scream for help while trying to stop the bleeding.

It was because of me that she gotten slashed, if she died on me……there’s no way I could accept it!

*

Not long later, boss and gang came, and carried Kou-san back to the camp while trying to stop the bleeding.

Boss looked at the greatly shocked me and said, “Now you are the only who knows how to treat her injuries! Do it fast!” I took another look at the pale-faced Kou-san and finally regained some composure.

It’s true. Only I could do it. In order to help Kou-san, I have to do it.

I removed the rag that was pressed on her wound, washed off Kou-okaasan’s blood-stained back with water, and smeared a special ointment to stop bleeding. It was a green ointment made from the paste of Yomogi.

In the past, when Kuwamaru’s arm had been scraped by a twig and there was a rather long cut on his arm, wasn’t there a need to stitch the wound? As far as I remember, it was a gaping wound though. I probably won’t need to do that since this ointment could stop bleeding and close wounds too.
I have a feeling that the bodies of the people in this world were more sturdy than the people from my previous world. Or maybe it could be that the Kou-san’s medicine is really effective.

I applied the ointment on the wound generously, and on top of that, I fastened a cloth around her wound that had been sterilised by boiling.

Most likely she will be alright. The wound was big but, it wasn’t as deep as the one Kuwamaru had before.


From then on, I kept night watches on Kou-san to nurse her.
Or it could be that I couldn’t sleep.

A short time later, Kou-san started having nightmares from her fever and pains.

I made her drink a medicated soup that relieves pain and alleviates fever, wiped off her sweat, changed the dressing and placed a wet towel over her head to cool her down……I tried all I could to reduce her pain and to help her.

Occasionally, Kou-san would shout my name in her nightmares, and to check if she was alright, I would take her hand and tell her that I was alright. Rather than me, Kou-san was the one that wasn’t alright!

The other bandits were worried sick too and didn’t want to leave Kou-san’s side. Boss told them, “With a bunch of dirty dudes gathering around, the one getting treated obviously wouldn’t be able to recover comfortably!” And then, he chased them out.

I apologised to the boss about being lured by the demonic beast to the opposite side of the river and it ending up with Kou-san protecting me. I had resigned myself to the possibility of boss becoming enraged at my foolish act. He might have killed me for my mistake but the boss simply muttered, “I see…”

And then, Kou-san who was still in her nightmare, started to shout Alek, the boss’s name.

“Alek, don’t live dangerously,” “defying them…….” “Alek, it’s impossible……”

Alek replied, “It’s fine,” to all her incoherent mumblings.

That was how things went for the entire night when we were caring for her. Boss told me to get some rest but I had stubbornly declined. Boss face was entirely impregnable but more fascinating was that he never once left Kou-okaasan’s side.


At the crack of dawn, Kou-okaasan’s breathing had stabilised. She stopped having nightmares, and her fever went down. Perhaps she managed to calm down.

As I looked at Kou-okaasan, I, who had been fatigued by looking after her through the night and being anxious, slowly lay down to rest near her. I was reflecting on how all this had happened.

There was no way mother would come all the way here yet I had been successfully tricked into crossing the river. That was a demonic beast wasn’t it. It had deceived me and tried to get me over the river. I was under the impression that demonic beasts would be something like a dragon or a slime. I was really that stupid. My hands shiver just thinking about it.


In the first place, why had I been lured by “mother”? Hadn’t I given up on that already? I told myself that I couldn’t give a damn, and will forget them forever! Even though I resolved myself to forget!



I could feel somebody gently caressing my forehead, causing me to wake up. I had drifted to sleep while thinking about all those things.
It was Kou-san who was gently stroking my forehead.

One way or another, we have made it past the most difficult phase. I was relieved that Kou-san was now safe and that nobody died because of my carelessness. The warmth emitted from Kou-okaasan’s hand was comforting.

“S-sorry. It was because of me, sorry.”

“It’s okay. ……I’m glad you are fine. These bandages and medicines are done by Ryou-chan?”
I nodded.

I don’t really know how but, it feels as though the inside of my throat had stopped working and I lost my voice.

“I see, well done. Thanks. This was due to Ryou-chan’s efforts. You are really good at this.”

“But……why did you stick out your body to shield someone like me……”

“Wrong. Not ‘someone like me’. It’s because you are Ryou-chan. ……. You are just like how Alek was back in the past. Tinged with hatred for the world and the eyes of a defeated. I couldn’t just leave you alone.”

Boss who was seated nearby was fidgeting restlessly and grumbled, “What the heck man”. It might have been a brusque remark from him but from his voice, I knew that he was relieved that Kou-san had regained consciousness.

I forcefully eked out a hoarse voice from my throat. “Kou-san,” I uttered.

“Didn’t I say this when we first met? I would take care of you. And please call me Kou-okaasan.”

Kou-okaasan smiled tenderly as she said.
And then, I endured the pain in my throat to gather whatever voice I had, “Yes……Kou-okaasan. Thank you.”


I was overjoyed. So much so that I gradually could see the world glittering.

Somehow, layered inside my fluffy emotions, another level-headed me whispered: You will be sold anyways. It has been decided. You would be betrayed.

I know that, I can grasp that. Even then.

No matter what, a me that hopes for something remains.

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