It was a close call.
Fortunately, I arrived right after she hung herself.
I grabbed Lia's legs, preventing her from being choked.
Meanwhile, Chris drew a longsword from nearby and cut the rope in one swift motion.
"Cough…, gasp…, haa, haa…."
As I untied the rope, Lia clutched her neck and caught her breath.
I know exactly how Lia is feeling right now.
After all, I've attempted suicide five times.
'Because she just realized how close death was…'
I've never survived a suicide attempt, but I remember the dizzying sensation right after returning from death.
Lia trembled, as if recalling the moment she died.
On top of that.
Drip, drip….
My shirt and hands, which had been holding Lia's legs, were soaked with her urine, dripping from my fingertips.
Similarly, between Lia's legs was also thoroughly wet.
"E-Emil…"
And a moment later.
Only then, after steadying her breathing, did Lia look at me and open her mouth.
"Lia…, are you okay…?"
I carefully knelt on one knee before her and gently placed a hand on Lia's shoulder.
And in that moment, Lia looked at my hand, her eyes trembling, and opened her mouth.
"I-I'm sorry…! I'm sorry…! Because of m-me, Emil's clothes and hands got so dirty…!"
"What…?"
"I'll wipe it…! Just a moment! I'll even take off my shirt…!"
"Lia!"
"Gasp…!"
Startled by Lia's attempt to remove her clothes, I urgently called her name.
Lia, startled by my call, closed her mouth.
Seeing her quiet down, I spoke with difficulty.
"Lia…, you just almost died…."
"..."
"But what does my dirty clothes have to do with anything right now…!"
"Sorry…."
Lia had nothing to apologize for.
It was the same as with Mari and Chris.
Lia had started acting irrationally.
To worry about merely dirtying my clothes, ignoring the fact that she almost died.
'I wouldn't mind if she had at least said thank you…'
Something was definitely off.
If left like this, there's no telling when she might hang herself again.
…Although she recalled memories from the previous timeline due to my intentions.
Still, I don't wish for her to die.
I just want her to understand the pain I've endured.
"Lia."
"...Yes."
"Why did you try to die…?"
At my question, Lia subtly avoided my gaze, as if terrified.
And after a moment, she cautiously opened her mouth.
"But…"
"..."
"But there's no meaning in living any longer…, *hic*, there's no meaning…."
"Why is there no meaning? You're not in debt, and you have family. Your sick younger sister."
"Still…!"
Lia then shed tears, one after another.
"Because now I know Emil will never like me, *hic*…."
"..."
"A life without Emil, *gasp*, *sob*, a life where Emil hates me…! *Hic*, I don't have the confidence to live it…!"
"..."
In Mari's case, she denied it and clung to me.
In Chris's case, she accepted it and became a tool.
'Did Lia choose death because she couldn't endure it…?'
I clenched my fist tightly.
Honestly, I didn't expect her to value me this much.
Although I approached her myself, she sold me off in the previous timeline to clear her debts.
I thought even if she came to like me in this timeline, it would only be to that extent.
'But I can't let her die like this.'
I composed myself and looked at Lia.
She hung her head, weeping bitterly, constantly wiping away tears.
"Lia."
"Gasp, *hic*, *wail*…."
"I'm very disappointed in you right now."
"…Huh, huh?"
At my words, Lia looked up at me with her tear-stained face, startled.
This was a method I used recently.
When Mari entered my bedroom in the middle of the night to assault me.
"If you've recalled your memories…, then you remember everything you did to me, right?"
"…Yes, …I'm sorry, *hic*, I should have apologized first, *sob*, right…?"
"No. I'm not disappointed because you didn't apologize."
"..."
"If you had died here today, I would have felt guilty."
"Why, why…? No…! You don't have to…! My death is purely because I'm struggling…! *Hic*, that's why I intentionally tried to die here…!"
"Even so, I would have suffered again because of you."
"*Hic*…."
"I probably would have lived with guilt for the rest of my life. …Isn't that too much? Lia."
"..."
At my words, Lia closed her mouth and lowered her head.
"If you truly feel sorry for me, then you shouldn't torment me anymore."
"Sorry, *hic*, I'm sorry…."
"Last time, I cut off my finger for you. I would have risked my life if I had to. …And you toyed with my feelings like that."
"*Hic*, *gasp*…. I'm sorry…."
"This time too, I played a game with Bran for you… because I didn't want you to suffer at Bran's hands. But how can you try to crush all my efforts again…?"
"No…! Emil…! *Hic*, I wasn't trying to…!"
Lia shed endless tears, clutching my arm and making excuses.
'Lia might be a little tormented, but I have to do this…'
So that she won't do anything foolish again later.
I must firmly establish myself in Lia's mind with this opportunity.
"Lia, don't cowardly try to escape your guilt."
I continued to utter cruel words to the weeping Lia.
"I'm not telling you to suffer for life; eventually, a good person will appear besides me."
Yet, I also offered words of hope.
And as a result.
"I'm sorry…, *hic*, Emil…, I've hurt you again, *hic*…, again…."
Lia, perhaps consumed by extreme guilt, continued to apologize and sob.
This should be enough to ensure she won't do anything rash again.
"Chris."
"Uh, y-yes!"
"Keep an eye on Lia."
"Understood…."
After that, I left Lia to Chris and stood up.
And I looked around the surroundings.
'This unpleasant smell that's been stinging my nose since earlier…'
There was something I'd been sensing ever since entering this warehouse.
I searched the interior of the warehouse to find its source.
And soon, I found the source.
"This is…"
What I found were three corpses.
As if in a progression, the degree of decay differed for each.
The first corpse, most heavily decomposed.
Its face was too badly decayed to recognize.
But I immediately recognized the corpse's identity.
"Malcolm…."
It was the missing Malcolm.
And next to it.
A corpse that had been bitten and torn in various places.
Even its face was torn, making it difficult to identify.
But I immediately recognized it as Edric's corpse.
And finally.
"Even Bran…."
Bran was the only one of the three corpses whose facial features were intact.
However, his eyes had been gouged out, and his fingers were severed at each joint, strewn nearby.
Furthermore, given that the nails on his fingertips were missing, it seemed his fingernails had been pulled out first.
There were various other injuries as well.
Clearly.
It was evidence of torture.
"Chris…."
"Yes…."
I carefully asked Chris.
"This…, did you all do this?"
In truth, the answer was clear even without asking.
Because Chris knew the location of this warehouse.
I simply wanted to hear the answer from her own mouth.
And then.
"Each of us took one."
The answer came from elsewhere.
Pitter-patter!
Soft thump!
"…Mari."
"Haa…, Emil…, Emil's warm scent…. It's so nice."
Mari, who had arrived at the warehouse unnoticed, ran from the entrance and threw herself into my arms.
Her eyes were still hollow.
Perhaps because of that gaze, she looked up at me with a smile that was both innocent and chilling.
"I killed Malcolm by *stab-stab* with a knife."
"..."
"Chris abandoned that guy named Edric in the dungeon. Hehe, it seems he was even raped by goblins."
"Mari…."
"That new guy, Lia did him. How about it? Isn't it amazing? I think Lia killed him the most painfully among us. Ah…, if I had a warehouse like this, I wouldn't have killed him so easily."
Mari began explaining what they had done, as if boasting.
And then, she soon smiled shyly and asked me.
"Emil, we did well, right? Huh?"
"..."
"Praise us, we all got revenge on those who made Emil suffer. Of course, we know we did something terribly wrong. But…, but can't you just praise us just this once? Please, just pat my head once…. Huh? Please."
Saying that, Mari pressed her large chest against me.
At her actions, I pushed Mari away from me and spoke.
"Mari."
"Gasp…, u-uh…."
"I told you before, didn't I? …Don't make me hate you any more."
"I-I'm sorry…, for clinging to you suddenly…, but! Doesn't it still feel good? Those guys who made Emil suffer so much! All the things Emil wanted to do but couldn't! We…! I did it!"
"I didn't particularly wish for such things, Mari."
"…That's too much. I'm not even asking for love, …I just wanted praise."
"..."
I tried to maintain a straight face, organizing the complex thoughts in my mind.
'Should I praise them…? Would that improve the situation…?'
Honestly, I was bewildered.
More than Mari hugging me or throwing a tantrum for praise.
The sight of them so nonchalant after killing people was what confused me the most.
'Even if I understand Chris, as she was a mercenary…, but Mari and Lia…'
I had somewhat expected it when the men went missing.
Still, I never imagined it would be to this extent.
"..."
While I pondered for a moment.
I asked the one thing I was most curious about.
"Mari…."
"Huh? Whyyy?"
Mari answered, smiling as if delighted by my call.
And she gently approached, closing the distance.
"...Will you do something like this again?"
"..."
The thing I was most curious about.
I couldn't help but ask this.
Because.
"The next person…, is your brother."
"..."
The male protagonist of this current target was.
The one Mari cherished so much.
Her older brother.