" —A Total annihilation ending"
With the right half of my vision obscured, even the ceiling of an ordinary church looks like something from another world.
I must have been careless.
I thought it would be a typical fantasy world of swords and magic, like you often see in light novels and manga.
However, the reality was a huge mistake—this was apparently a dark fantasy world where I was somewhat known in my previous life.
In short, it's a manga that pretends to be a trendy fantasy adventure story, but is actually a deceptive cover art that shows how ruthlessly people lose their lives.
I was captivated by the intricate illustrations, and it all started when I casually tapped on it on a manga website.
As a result, my emotional state collapsed.
The reason is, well,
The author's fetishes are, well...
Dark fantasy sounds good, but—for men, dying with all their limbs intact is practically impossible, and for women, being raped is commonplace. There's no distinction between men and women, main characters and mob characters alike; the story seems to be solely focused on inflicting pain on the characters, which came as a tremendous shock to me, a staunch believer in happy endings.TortureNabu
It made sense that the protagonist was a corrupted berserker.
The sheer absurdity of it all made me throw my phone for the first time in my life. I doubted the author's sanity countless times. I thought he was a monster. But I really loved the artwork, so I couldn't stop reading. Every time it was updated, I would tremble with fear as I checked, and I was caught in a nonsensical loop of enjoying the artistic skill while simultaneously having my emotions destroyed.
For me, it was the kind of manga where you don't get too deeply involved in the story, but simply enjoy the pictures like an illustration collection.
I only liked the art style; I don't remember the story or setting in much detail. I never imagined I'd be reincarnated into the world of a work that was in such a ambiguous position, which is why it took me so long to realize what was happening.
I was apparently reincarnated as one of the mob members who perished in the early part of the original story—in the dungeon that the protagonist first enters— serving as a foil for that certain < >.ExterminatorGrim Reaper
I don't remember this character's face or name. But the scene depicting the party's end is burned into my retina. 'I' was torn to pieces while still alive, and the girls who were with me were stripped of their dignity as women before meeting a gruesome end—
I was furious when I remembered one of the most disgusting scenes in the story. I don't mind the guy. But the girl deserves to be happy, doesn't she?
It's nothing short of a miracle that I survived.
I myself never thought I would survive. I don't remember exactly, but I must have been absolutely desperate at the time.
Of course, even though he survived, he wasn't completely unharmed; as a consequence, he lost his right eye and left leg. His left leg was completely gone from just below the knee, and his right eye was left with a dramatic scar running from his forehead to his cheek, the kind you only see in comics.
But I wasn't grieving. I had managed to protect all my comrades from that situation, and even saved my own life, so considering the ending of the original story, I felt I had done pretty well, and even a sense of accomplishment.
So, if only we could have avoided a bad ending and lived happily ever after—that would have been great.
I'm in a lot of trouble right now. There are some drawbacks from losing an eye and a leg, but it's even worse than that.
Since I woke up, the party has been acting strangely.
"Hmm, this bed is terribly hard... Wolka, are you sleeping uncomfortable? Well, I'll have a better bed prepared for you tomorrow. Don't worry, as your master, I won't let my apprentice suffer any hardship. Leave everything to me."
"...Master"
"Huh? What is it?"
"I understand the need for protection, but there's no need to sleep together."
"Am I getting in the way?"
"picture?"
"Am I... getting in the way...? Ah, haha, I suppose so. Someone who's putting his disciple through such hardship must be an eyesore, right...? Acting like a master at this point must be a nuisance... I don't deserve to be with you..."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"But, but I'll do my best!! I won't let that happen again, I'll definitely protect you this time!! So please, don't abandon me...!!"
"Whoa, wait, wait, what are you saying, wait, don't cry, I'm telling you the story."
My legally loli master—Rizelarte,
"So, senior, please let me know if there's anything I can do to help!"
"No, you don't have to go to such lengths..."
"No, you need to rest, senpai. You don't need to do anything, so just leave everything to me!"
"Everything, you know."
"Everything is everything."
"...yeah?"
"Is there anything you need? Just tell me anything and I'll bring it to you. Even the smallest thing is fine, because your safety is the most important thing. I'll cook your meals every day, so let me know if there's anything you'd like to eat. Also, if there's anywhere you want to go, be sure to call one of us. You can't use the wheelchair by yourself. The sisters said it's dangerous if there isn't someone pushing you from behind. From now on, someone will always be by your side, no matter what. We all talked about it and decided to do that. So that we can support you. So that no matter what happens, we can protect you this time. So please don't hesitate to rely on us a lot. We're always worried about you because you try to do everything on your own. We will absolutely never let you suffer again. We will never let you do anything so reckless again. You don't have to do anything, you can just rest. Leave everything, absolutely everything, to us. From now on, we'll always be there for you."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait"
The youngest swordsman of the party, the adorable Nadeshiko—Yuritia,
"Wolka, we've pretty much hunted down all the monsters around here."
"...Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly. What did you just say?"
"Huh? I've hunted down almost all the monsters around here. It should be safe for a while now."
"..."
"I feel a little relieved too."
"Isn't that going too far...?"
"...I couldn't protect you. I was protected by you, and I ended up getting terribly injured. Grandma taught me many times that that's the sin our gods hate more than anything. A comrade's wound is the tribe's wound, and the debt of having your life saved must be repaid with one's own life—that's the law. So I will dedicate everything to you, every single strand of hair, every single bone, every single drop of blood, every single part of my soul. I've decided...I'll die for you."
".........
Atori, the dark-skinned, tomboyish heavy warrior, also seems to be noticing that everyone's words and actions are becoming subtly, or rather, clearly, heavier.
Come to think of it, that's true. If a comrade teetered on the brink of death and was left with severe after-effects, what kind of feelings would the surviving members have? Especially in a different world teeming with dangerous monsters, it's not surprising that a comrade would feel a strong sense of guilt for not being able to protect their friend, and a heavy regret of "if only I had done this."
If I had been the one who was protected, I'm sure I would have deeply regretted my own powerlessness.
In other words, it's the same for my companions. Apparently, while I was wandering around the other side, they had completely tidied up that area.child・character・and others・height・hand・
Naturally, my stomach was rumbling and twisting under the mental weight of it all.
To reiterate, I am a die-hard happy-ending purist, a belief that has persisted since my past life. I absolutely refuse to accept any plot development where the life drains from a girl's eyes. Even seeing it in anime or manga was unbearable, so if I were to be directly involved, the life would drain from my own eyes as well.
I was happy to be recognized as an important friend. But things can't continue like this.
This is a dark fantasy world. Written by a rotten scoundrel. I've come to realize that. However, the "me" in this world is undeniably me, the one who has lived for seventeen years, and everyone here remains an irreplaceable and precious friend.
A party ending where everyone falls into despair is no joke.
No matter what, I have to get everyone back on their feet. Now that I've managed to overturn the situation, a future where they can find happiness in the near future might be waiting for them. They have to quickly overcome the fact that their friends' eyes and legs were blown off, or I'll be in trouble.original workstoryhappinessHappy ending
Considering that, what needed to be done from here on was clear.
I absolutely will not accept this kind of dark and depressing turn of events...!
/
—Up to that point, he had made a firm decision, which was all well and good.
"...I'm bored."
A severely injured person who had lost an eye and a leg was not in a position to take immediate action, and was forced to endure a boring hospital stay confined to his bed.
To be honest, I don't even remember how I defeated < >.ExterminatorGrim Reaper
I woke up in a church bed, and it had been well over ten days. Because I had fought so desperately, literally to the death, my body seemed to have abandoned even my memories. I'm truly amazed I survived.
It turns out that the one who came to my rescue after I defeated < > and was exhausted was none other than the protagonist of the original story. Not only did he quickly administer first aid on the spot, but he also broke a precious teleportation gem and carried me to this church.ExterminatorGrim Reaper
Come to think of it, the main character is basically a berserker with no emotions, but he has a backstory where he would never abandon a person when it comes to monsters, based on his past experiences. The berserker, who has no interest in anything other than destroying monsters, has already left town in search of his next prey.
I wonder if the day will ever come when I can thank them.
Now, let me tell you about myself in this world—that is, the adventurer 'Wolka'.
I don't remember a single detail from the original work. I'm not sure if his name was ever revealed, and it's even possible he was a complete background character who exited without a single line of dialogue. He was probably a character created with the intention of being killed off from the start, in order to highlight the dark fantasy setting.
Her face isn't bad. In fact, it's good. Her eyes are sharp and she's rather unfriendly, but if I had to choose between good or bad, I'd say she's good.
To begin with, this world is full of handsome men and beautiful women everywhere you look. Before, I only thought, "Wow, other worlds are amazing," but now that I realize this is the world of a manga, it makes perfect sense. In that manga, even the fat, wicked nobleman who looked like a pig could be considered handsome depending on how you looked at him, and the background characters were also meticulously crafted. It seems that 'Wolka' was the same.
Despite being only seventeen, he has almost completely shed his boyish innocence and is developing the features of a fine, rugged young man. He's also fairly tall; I don't recall meeting many people my age who are taller than me. He grows his hair down to his back, with noticeable frizz, and ties it in a thin ponytail at the nape of his neck. In this other world, there are quite a few men who grow their hair long and tie it up like this.dark grayAsh Gray
As for my personality... well, it's like this. I'm just so grateful that the concept of "socially awkward" doesn't exist in this world.
He is a member of the A-rank party < > and serves as a swordsman. Being A-rank means he has succeeded in acquiring a certain level of skill—though that's all in the past now that he has lost an eye and a leg.Silver-gray journeySilvery Gray
And then there's the fact that, except for me, all the other party members are girls, which puts me in a position that's surprisingly like a harem protagonist.
Of course, it wasn't actually a harem in the original story. The author, a wicked individual, probably deliberately chose to destroy a party heavily skewed towards girls in order to create a gruesome and dark atmosphere. A party of only girls seemed a little unnatural, so he probably just threw in a guy and tore him to pieces.
"Wolka" really was just that kind of character.
However, the question remains: so what?
It doesn't matter what kind of character "Wolka" was in the original story. No matter what kind of character he was, it doesn't change the fact that I'm the one who has lived in this world for seventeen years. The one who is here is "me," not "Wolka."
I was supposed to die back then , but I managed to change that.destinystory
"--Ah,"
Even so—I'm really bored.
Although it couldn't be helped since I was injured, being confined to bed ever since waking up was certainly depressing. In this fantasy world, there were no entertainment items like televisions or smartphones, so being bedridden in a hospital room was incredibly boring.
Currently, I'm being treated as a critically injured patient in a church in a town not far from the dungeon.
< > -- It's quite a stern-sounding name, but essentially, you can think of it as a facility that combines a church and a hospital. As is common in fantasy works, medicine in this world is established primarily through magic. This place is responsible for the birth, aging, sickness, and death of the people, using their devout faith in God as its power.Holy ChurchKriscles
For adventurers, it's like a second home, a place they can turn to whenever they're wounded in battle. In this country, when people simply say "church," they're referring to the < >.Holy ChurchKriscles
...Okay, I think I'll go for a walk.
The wound has already healed, and I haven't been told not to leave my hospital room. Being bedridden would cause my body to stiffen, so this is necessary exercise.
Ideally, I'd like to do some weight training too, but my mentor is the problem...
As I was thinking about that, I started to get out of bed.
"Guhhoah"
I fell. It wasn't like I lost my balance or felt dizzy; I tumbled hard on my side, like I'd knocked over a pole.
I was greatly surprised for a moment, thinking, "What's going on?"
"...Oh, right. My left foot..."
Oh yeah, it's gone. I completely forgot.
I want to make an excuse. Strangely enough, I hardly feel like I've lost my left leg. I'm not being sentimental, nor am I avoiding reality; the fact is, I still have the feeling that my left leg is firmly attached.
Therefore, when I'm lost in thought, I instinctively try to move my body the way I always have—and this is the result.
It's a good thing no one's in the room. It would be so embarrassing if my friends saw me, and they'd probably be terrified. As a staunch believer in happy endings, I can't put any more unnecessary burden on their minds.
"--Wolkaaa!!"
The silver-haired girl burst into the hospital room, looking furious as if her beloved family had been taken hostage.
In short, she is a "witch."
She wore a ridiculously large witch's tricorn hat, a robe that seemed to contain the night, and a skirt shorter than her knees—a lively and energetic appearance. At just over 130 cm tall, she looked like a child in costume, but her pristine silver hair and the sparkle of her golden eyes gave her an otherworldly quality, making it hard to believe she was a background character who was quickly eliminated in the original story.
"--"
"...Ah, wait a moment. This is, well, I just tripped a little,"
for now.
As my master's face turned pale, I lay sprawled on the floor, lost in thought, wondering what excuse I should give him.