Episode 13: After the Rescue

The woman was still unconscious and asleep where I had left her. Perhaps it was for the best that she didn’t have to see the gruesome battle with the Hobgoblin. Or maybe, if she had seen me defeat him, she might have felt a small sense of vengeance. I lifted the woman into my arms and started walking.

My flank with broken ribs ached, but I was so happy to encounter another human besides myself that I didn’t mind much. The woman’s weight and warmth made me feel a tangible presence. Escaping from absolute solitude healed my heart more than anything.

I arrived at the lakeshore, away from the Goblin dwelling. The sound of gently lapping waves echoed, and a cool breeze blew softly. The moon had already hidden below the horizon. With the moonlight gone, the Milky Way, which was only faintly visible earlier, was now clearly visible.

So far, there are no signs of beasts around. The visibility is good here, so I should be able to spot them immediately if they approach. Probably, the current me should be able to sense disturbances in the Field.

I laid the fur I was wearing on the sand and laid the woman’s body on it. The woman was still unconscious, but occasionally groaned in pain and shifted.

I brought a faintly glowing phosphorescent stone from the lake’s edge. This was the same thing found in the Goblin dwelling; several were scattered around the lake. The Goblins probably collected these to use as lighting in their nest. I noticed their existence while fleeing from the Hobgoblin.

Just one of these is bright enough to identify a human face from about 10 meters away with night vision. At that time, I simply washed off the dirt from her body. I thought the woman would hate being covered in Goblin excrement and filth. Of course, I hated it too.

I thought it was rude to look at a naked woman, but I took the opportunity to observe. Even if she looks like a human, she isn’t an Earth human. There might be differences somewhere. I thought that when mixing into human society later, such differences might lead to discrimination or exclusion.

Well, looking at my current body, I don’t think there are differences, but maybe there are traces of wings on my back that I can’t see. I examined the woman’s body thoroughly, but basically, she seems no different from Earth women. The skeletal structure visible through the skin feels the same, and the musculature seems the same too. Knowing she really is the same human, my joy grew.

However, at the same time, the question arose: how can humans on a planet different from Earth look exactly like Earthlings? Is there a connection to Earth after all? Or did we end up with similar structures through the process of evolution? The questions are endless.

Racially, the woman looks Caucasian, but somehow gives off an atmosphere like a white woman living in South America. She’s probably around 20 years old; she still feels a bit young. Maybe I feel that way because she is skinny to the bone.

Her hair is stiff and overgrown, chestnut-colored. This also suggests she was held captive for quite a long time. Anyway, there are cuts, scrapes, and bruises all over her body, so there is no doubt she received terrible treatment.

Also, I hadn’t noticed until now, but the woman seems to be pregnant. Her belly is slightly swollen, and occasionally it seems to move. No matter how I look at it, it’s not muscle movement; something is inside.

I don’t want to think about what is inside, but at the same time, I thought conception through interspecies breeding shouldn’t be possible. That’s common sense, but since this is like a fantasy world, I felt it might be possible. The existence of Goblins already suggests that. Though, Goblins might be a proper biological species, unlike what I think…

Anyway, if it’s a pregnancy by Goblins, it must be nothing but hell for the woman, let alone a nightmare. Thinking of her circumstances, I feel nothing but pity. The woman’s pain must have increased; she woke up. It must be quite painful; she is groaning with her hand on her stomach.

“Ugh… ugugu… uuh…” “Hey, are you okay?”

I can only ask. When I shook her shoulder, the woman flinched and looked at me. At first, she looked at me with fear, but gradually recognizing me as human, her expression changed to surprise.

“Ah… a… ah… aaah!” “That’s right, I’m a human. I came to save you!”

I don’t think words will get through, but I looked straight at the woman’s face and smiled.

“Aah!”

Life returned to the woman’s eyes, and tears overflowed.

“%&”()0=!”#$%!!!”

The woman shouted something, hugged me, and started crying loudly.

“Uwaaaaaahhh!!!”

It was a cry from the soul. Sadness, pain, regret, hatred, anger, anxiety, envy, despair, desperation, emptiness—she exploded all the negative emotions that had piled up. I hugged her strongly and just kept stroking her head.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay now…”

I kept whispering that over and over. Of course, I continued saying it to her, but it also carried meaning for myself.

It’s truly hard to believe, but I was able to rescue this woman. Seeing her human reaction, a sense of accomplishment finally welled up.

A human! A human!! A human!!!

A human other than me is in my arms as a certain existence. Joy and emotion spread gradually with reality.

Perhaps tired from crying for a long time, she regained much of her composure. She stared at my face intently and started touching me with both hands. She must be checking if a human like me really exists. It’s a very understandable action. I’m the same; I still can’t quite believe if her existence is real. That’s how much we both sought a human other than ourselves.

Judging by her reaction, I feel there are no other humans in the Goblin dwelling. I’ll check when the situation settles, but either she was alone from the start or the humans with her died.

“0)&%&#%” “Unfortunately, I have no idea what you’re saying…”

I answered so, but from the atmosphere, I think she’s saying something like, “You really came to save me.” I nodded greatly and smiled. She smiled faintly too.

I handed her the canteen and encouraged her to drink water. At first, she didn’t seem to understand the canteen made of bamboo-pseudo, but when I showed her how to pull the plug and drink, she nodded and started drinking water.

She must have been very thirsty; she drank it all at once and exhaled deeply. Seeming relieved, she said something like thanks and returned the canteen. However, her stomach still seemed to hurt, and she looked a little pained.

Watching her actions, I can understand she possesses high intelligence and rich emotions. It suggests there is a proper language and a human society with civilization. Even if words don’t connect, I understand we have similar mentalities and can communicate. Hope has appeared.

Once she settles down a bit more, let’s find a place for her to rest. I handed her the fur poncho I was using as a sheet and encouraged her to wear it. I hesitated because it was dirty with my sweat and her leaked urine, but I thought it was better than being naked.

She showed hesitation, but perhaps because I made her conscious of it, she became ashamed of being naked. She started putting on the poncho while hiding her chest and lower abdomen. I felt a strange sense of relief knowing that women in this world also feel shame about the same parts.

I was only wearing a fur loincloth, but seeing her gesture just now, Junior reacted. The sexual desire that had been high from the fight with the Hobgoblin earlier overflowed. I thought how imprudent it was at a time like this, but I couldn’t control it. Reality is cruel. The old man is embarrassed.

If I attacked her here, I would be finished as a human being. If possible, I want to go away and jerk off, but she sits snuggled up to me and doesn’t take her eyes off me, so that’s difficult too.

When I stood up, she clung to my leg. I understand her anxiety, so I motioned with my hand for her to stay seated and picked up small twigs lying nearby, mimicking starting a fire. It was a bit of a struggle, but she seemed to understand and nodded.

I walked around within her sight and gathered dry branches. I desperately rubbed wood together to start a fire. Doing some work like this distracts me. She watched curiously, and when the fire lit, she expressed surprise and joy. She probably knows easier ways to start a fire without doing this. It suggests a decent civilization.

Ideally, I should care for her more and let her rest, but having just wandered in the forest, I have nothing. All I can do is stay by her side and try not to make her anxious.

But that just makes my libido soar, and I feel like I’m about to turn into a wolf any moment. I’m disgusted by my lack of restraint, but suppressing the desire is becoming difficult. Seriously, can’t something be done about this abnormal sexual desire…

The bonfire illuminated the area with me and her. Two long shadows stretched on the lakeshore. The faint light of the phosphorescent stone was no longer useful. It wasn’t that cold, but the fire warmed us, and the light healed our hearts. There was still some time until dawn. Let’s rest until then. I think this is still within Goblin territory, so beasts probably won’t come near.

There was a portion of meat in my knapsack, so I made a meal. I whittled branches to make skewers, cut the meat into pieces, and roasted them. She stared at that. She still looked somewhat pained, but now she seemed interested in what I was doing. Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet, so I pointed to myself and said, “Takanashi.”

“Ta-ka-na-shi?”

She asked awkwardly, struggling with the pronunciation. When I nodded vigorously, she smiled brightly and pointed to herself.

“Lusine.” “Lusine?”

The sound felt somewhat French, making pronunciation difficult, but it seemed to get through, and she laughed happily. We called each other’s names many times, correcting pronunciation and laughing together. Just knowing her name made her feel much closer. I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that not being alone is a genuinely happy thing.

The meat was roasted, so I handed a skewer to Lusine. I took a skewer too, pointed, and called it “Niku” (Meat). Lusine also said “Niku,” then pointed and called it “Viande.” I called it “Viande” the same way. In that manner, we deepened our communication while introducing words from our respective countries.

We ate the hot meat together, blowing on it and laughing. Ideally, something easy on the stomach like porridge would be good, but unfortunately, there is nothing like that. It’s just roasted meat with no seasoning, but Lusine ate it deliciously.

“C’est bon, c’est bon!”

She said it many times while smiling, so she’s probably saying “It’s delicious.” Thinking about what kind of treatment she received and what she was forced to eat until now, I couldn’t help but pity her.

We finished the meal after two skewers of meat, and I handed her the canteen. She seemed to want to eat more, but I gestured that it wasn’t good for her stomach. Though looking disappointed, she nodded and drank water.

I had prepared water and food thinking about after the battle. I retrieved it from where I left it when carrying Lusine, and it seems that was the right move. With hunger satisfied and hydration replenished, I think life has returned considerably to Lusine’s face.

I encouraged Lusine to lie down. The luminous nebula was starting to appear in the eastern sky, but there was still a little time until dawn. It would be better to sleep a little and try to recover strength.

Lusine lay down obediently, but then, perhaps on a thought, she moved and placed her head on my lap as I sat cross-legged. As if to say she would absolutely not let go, she wrapped both arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. She stared at me anxiously. My broken ribs complained of pain, but I didn’t push Lusine away.

I understand Lusine’s feelings well. She doesn’t want to think her release from the Goblins is a dream. She doesn’t want to let go of the hope that finally arrived. I feel those feelings strongly from her gaze and attitude. I placed my hand on Lusine’s head and stroked it gently. Since she smiled with a relieved expression, I smiled too and continued stroking her head.

I stole a glance at her swollen belly. It might not be something to think about now, but I will take her to the human world no matter what. I don’t know what kind of world it is, but it won’t be a utopia.

There will be some degree of mercy and compassion, but fundamentally, humans are cruel creatures. Especially if they lead social lives, they try to exclude heresy and foreign objects. I feel that is a survival instinct that doesn’t change even in this world.

If it was a pregnancy by Goblins, would human society accept her?

The ideal is finding her family and them accepting her, but this is something I won’t know until the time actually comes. Anyway, I want to do everything I can for her.

Lusine is my hope.

How much hope and courage her existence has given me, wiping away my despair. I can’t thank her enough.

Stroking her head while feeling her warmth, my heart, which was frozen with loneliness, warms up. The strength of her arms wrapped around my waist and the softness unique to a woman are incredibly comfortable.

Actually, both of us are dirty with Goblin filth and fluids, terribly unclean and smelly, but we feel healed by each other’s human warmth to the point where that doesn’t matter. When I stroke her head, Lusine hugs me tighter.

Her head on my thigh moves seeking more comfort. Each time, her breath and hair tickle and stimulate my thigh. Thinking this is bad but unable to do anything, I endure patiently while continuing to stroke her head. But finally, exceeding the limit of endurance, Junior reacts.

What the hell, at a time like this!

Naturally, Lusine, facing my stomach, notices. She stares at me with a confused expression. Talk about ruining the mood; reality is harsh and cruel. “I want to crawl into a hole” describes this perfectly. I cursed the strength of my sexual desire with all my might.

“I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry!”

Since I couldn’t hide it, I apologized desperately. My Japanese habit came out involuntarily, and I put my hands together and bowed my head. I feel like I caused unpleasantness to Lusine, who has been raped repeatedly by Goblins, just by this.

Lusine stared at me apologizing with a look like she was about to cry. But then, smiling softly, she grabbed my hand and placed it on top of her head. It seems she wants me to keep stroking her head. Since she doesn’t move away from me, Lusine doesn’t seem angry. Relieved, I continued stroking Lusine’s head.

After stroking her head for a while, Lusine’s hand slowly moved into my fur loincloth. Touching Junior, she grasped it.

“Eh, whoa, w-what! S-stop!”

Surprised, I grabbed Lusine’s hand and indicated with gestures and words to stop. However, Lusine didn’t let go of Junior and grabbed my hand again with her other hand, placing it on her head. She wants me to keep stroking her head. Lusine is blushing but looking at me and smiling.

Perhaps intending it as thanks for saving her, she started stimulating the gripped Junior. I think I shouldn’t let her do this or this isn’t the time for this, but it’s hard to resist the intense pleasure. Lusine’s caress couldn’t be called skillful even as flattery, but maybe because this body ending its boyhood lacks experience, it showed a hypersensitive reaction.

Junior exploded easily, dirtying Lusine’s hand. I feel sorry, but I feel saved because Lusine said something while smiling gently at me. She probably said something like “Is this okay?” or “Feel better?”

Well, if it ended here, maybe it would have been somewhat okay. A boy, due to his youth, got aroused by the woman he rescued from evil Goblins, and she comforted him. It could have ended as such a heartwarming (?) episode…

But, the young body overflowing with libido didn’t settle down with just one explosion. Gripping the still-excited Junior, Lusine directs a troubled smile at me while remaining red. I wanted to cry from shame and patheticness.

“Umm… well, how do I say this… sorry…”

With a “can’t be helped” attitude, Lusine resumes the caress. I take Lusine’s hand saying that’s enough, but Lusine doesn’t let go of Junior and urges me to keep stroking her head. Thinking what is this, I continue stroking Lusine’s head.

Under the night sky of another world, only the sound of waves quietly echoes by the lake. Amidst the flickering bonfire flames, the surreal or rather mysterious communication between me and Lusine continued for a while.

By the time I exploded about three times, Lusine fell asleep, perhaps tired. Junior is still excited, but it’s certain I feel much more refreshed, and my mind and body feel much lighter.

Even though she was in a terrible state, I feel sorry for making her do this, but I was grateful. As expected, doing it myself and having a woman do it are completely different; there was an indescribable satisfaction.

Was Lusine satisfied just by having her head stroked? Looking at her sleeping face, she seems satisfied.

Come to think of it, I remembered that in the past, when I had lovers or my wife service me with their mouth or hands, they looked happy when I stroked their heads. Perhaps that’s how women are. I was relieved that women’s mentality doesn’t change even in another world.

Looking at the sky, the luminous nebula spreads over about 20% of the night sky. As usual, it draws complex patterns in various colors and is beautiful. I think about our future actions.

First priority is to heal our injuries and restore Lusine’s strength. I think resting for a while in the cave that was the Goblin dwelling is safest, but Lusine would probably hate it. It would be good if there were a substitute cave nearby, but anyway, let’s look for a place to rest.

Also, it would be grateful if we could go to the Spirit of the Spring and get healed, but would she accept us? After that, let’s look for a town or village where people live together. It would be good if Lusine knew the way, but even if she doesn’t, we’ll manage somehow.

While looking vacantly at the luminous nebula thinking about such things, I occasionally saw light flowing across the night sky. At first, I thought I saw shooting stars, but light generated from within the luminous nebula runs as if encircling the night sky. Light generated from a single point disperses in all directions and spreads to surround the night sky. It looked almost like it was running to cover and enclose the planet.

What is that?

Straining my eyes and looking closely, it seems light sparks at a point in the night sky rather than inside the luminous nebula, spreading from there. Moreover, looking at the trail where the light ran, background stars lost their light for a fraction of a second before reappearing. It looked as if there was something encircling the night sky in front of the stars.

Observing carefully, a phenomenon is occurring where stars disappear for a brief moment and then reappear everywhere. That means there is something in the sky moving almost in sync with this planet. Moreover, since similar phenomena occur simultaneously everywhere in the night sky, it seems there is something covering the entire planet.

To use an analogy, it’s like the planet is inside a round birdcage. Naturally, I don’t think something gigantic enough to cover a planet appeared in a few days, so it must have been there for a long time. Since the shafts forming the cage are thin, looking at the moon or the luminous nebula, they were probably drowned out by the brightness, so I hadn’t noticed until now. It’s the same during the day.

Surely not an artificial object. I don’t think they could build such a super-gigantic structure, but the idea itself has existed on Earth for quite a while.

It’s what is called a “Dyson Sphere.”

Proposed by physicist Freeman Dyson, it was originally intended to surround a star like an eggshell to efficiently use its energy. Well, it’s like an imaginary structure or a concept from the world of fiction.

Since I think that’s impossible, maybe meteoroids or comet debris covering the planet form a dense belt. But on the other hand, thinking about things like the laboratory where I woke up, I end up thinking there might be a super-civilization far beyond imagination.

Looking at Lusine, it doesn’t seem like there is such a thing, but the truth is I don’t know anything from the current state. That applies to me too; seeing me wearing only a fur loincloth, no one would think I came from a place with a civilization that flies rockets.

Or… and this is a big “or,” was it made by a god?

If this is a fantasy world, maybe something like that is possible. For a god, this planet might really be the same as inside a birdcage. Whether it’s to protect the planet or to prevent the planet’s inhabitants from going outside (to space), I don’t know.

No, before that, the land I think is a planet might be a flat world instead of a sphere… Damn it! This is why I hate fantasy!

Sigh… If possible, I wouldn’t want a being like a god to exist. I absolutely refuse a world with such a supernatural absolute being. That said, the “Spirit of the Spring” existed…

Well, whatever. For now, I don’t know anything. What kind of world waits ahead with Lusine? Although I have anxiety, it is certainly a world beyond my imagination. I was driven by the temptation to see a world no Earthling has ever experienced.

“Ugh…”

Lusine rolled over painfully. Perhaps the pain in her stomach intensified; the blood drained from her face, and her whole body started trembling. Is it the effect of pregnancy…? I don’t think it’s because of the meat we ate earlier. If only I had painkillers, but I can only stroke her head.

“Guaaaaaahhh!!!”

Lusine opened her eyes wide and jumped up. Holding her stomach, she rolled around on the ground. Writhing in agony.

“Lusine! Lusine, are you okay?!” “Aaaahhh!!! Guuuuhhh!!!”

Lusine only gasped and writhed in pain, not reacting to my words. At Lusine’s terrible suffering, I panicked and couldn’t do anything. Lusine coughed and vomited blood. A few moments later, I hugged Lusine’s body to hold her down.

“Lusine, stay with me! Lusine!” “Gaaaaaaahhh!!!”

Letting out a scream like a beast, her body shuddered violently. After shaking greatly once as if bouncing, strength drained from her entire body with a thud.

“Lusine, Lusine!”

Perhaps the suffering eased somewhat; light dwelled in Lusine’s eyes. Lusine stared at me for a moment.

“Takanashi… Takanashi…” “It’s okay! You’ll get better, you’ll definitely get better, it’s okay Lusine…”

Lusine weakly lifted her arm and stroked my face. Lusine’s expression softened for just a moment.

“………Rawenji………”

Murmuring one word, strength left the arm stroking my face. Showing a smile for just a fleeting moment, the light vanished from Lusine’s eyes.

“Lusine… hey, you’re kidding… you’re kidding, Lusine!”

No matter how much I called, Lusine didn’t answer, and her body didn’t move. There was no pulse, and her relaxed body felt even heavier. Cyanosis set in, and her lips turned purple before my eyes. I repeated heart massage while giving artificial respiration. I don’t know the correct resuscitation method, but I desperately repeated it over and over.

However, Lusine’s heart didn’t move. Lusine’s breathing remained stopped; she didn’t come back to life.

Lusine died.

She died. That is an undeniable fact.

Lusine in my arms will never move again, nor will she speak to me. She has become like a doll that just stays still and doesn’t move. The body that made me feel warmth has become cold too.

An overwhelming sense of loss assaulted me. With overflowing tears, I hugged Lusine’s body tightly.

Suddenly, something moving in the corner of my vision caught my eye. Something wriggling in the pool of blood that overflowed from Lusine’s lower abdomen.

It was five Goblin babies.