They were close to the outskirts of the village.
Enri heard the sound of clanking metal from behind her as she ran. It was a rhythmic sound.
She looked behind with a prayer in her heart — as expected, it was the worst-case scenario. A knight was chasing the Emmot sisters.
Just a little further.
Enri took a deep breath and forced herself to soldier on. She had no energy to waste on anything else.
Her breathing was rapid, her heart beating hard enough that she felt it would burst, and her legs were shaking mightily. Soon enough, she would be completely exhausted, and she would collapse and not get up.
If she were alone, perhaps she might have lost the strength to run and given up.
However, she was holding her little sister's hand. It gave her the energy to run away.
The truth was that the powerful desire to save her sister had kept Enri going until now.
As she ran, she glanced behind again.
The distance between herself and her pursuer had not changed. Even in armor, the man's speed had not decreased. This was the difference between a trained warrior and a village girl.
Sweat ran down Enri's back as her body went cold. If this kept up… she would not be able to escape with her sister.
—Let her go.
Those words echoed through her head.
—Perhaps you could escape by yourself.
—Do you want to die here?
—It might be safer if you split up.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
Enri shouted at herself for those thoughts through her clenched teeth.
She was the worst sister imaginable.
Why was her little sister holding her tears back?
It was because she believed in her big sister. She believed her big sister would save her.
As she gripped the hand of her little sister — that hand which gave her the strength to flee and fight on — Enri steeled herself and hardened her resolve.
She would never abandon her sister.
"Ah!"
Enri's younger sister was as tired as Enri herself. Therefore, she suddenly stumbled, yelped, and almost fell.
The reason why the two of them had not fallen was because they were holding tightly onto each other's hands. However, Nemu's near-fall caused Enri to falter herself.
"Faster!"
"Ah, yes!"
Although she wanted to run on, her little sister was starting to cramp up, and she could not move fast. Enri wanted to pick up Nemu and run, but the sounds of metal drawing up beside her filled Enri with fear.
The knight beside her held a bloodstained sword. In addition, his armor and helm were covered in traces of spattered blood.
Enri pushed Nemu behind herself and glared angrily at the knight.
"It's pointless to struggle."
There was no compassion in those words. Instead, there was only mockery. Those words implied that running would only end in death anyway.
The anger in Enri's heart boiled over, and she thought, What was he saying?
The knight raised his sword to Enri, who had stopped moving. However, just before he could swing it down on them—
"Don't look down on me!"
"Guwaargh!"
—Enri forcefully punched the knight's metal helmet. That strike carried the anger that filled her and the desire to protect her little sister. She did not care that she was striking metal with her bare hand. She hit him with every ounce of her strength.
There was the sound of something like bones cracking, and soon pain spread throughout Enri's body. The knight wobbled under the force of the mighty blow.
"Hurry!"
"Yes!"
Enri bit back the pain and made to flee again — and suddenly a line of scorching heat bloomed on her back.
"—Ggk!"
"Damn you!"
The village girl punching the knight in the face had shamed him, hence his anger.
He was swinging his sword wildly, having lost his cool. As a result, his first blow did not cause a mortal wound. However, that was the end of her luck. Enri was hurt, and the knight was filled with rage. The next blow would certainly take her life.
Enri looked at the longsword raised high before her.
Panic was written all over her face as she watched the malevolent gleaming of the terrible swift sword, and she realized two things.
The first was that her life would be over in a few seconds. The second was that an ordinary village girl like herself had no way of fighting that fate.
The tip of the sword was stained with some of her blood. As her heart beat faster, the pain spread through her body, along with the scorching heat of her wound.
The pain she had never felt before filled her with fear and made her want to throw up.
Perhaps vomiting would clear the feeling of nausea that filled her.
However, Enri was looking for a way to live, so she had no time to throw up.
Although she wanted to abandon her struggle, there was a reason why Enri had not given up until now. That was the warmth pressed against her chest — her younger sister.
She had to let her sister live.
That sole thought kept Enri from giving in.
In contrast, the armored knight in front of her seemed to be mocking Enri's resolve.
The raised sword swung down.
Perhaps it was because all her energies were concentrated here, or because her brain was working overtime because she was on the verge of life and death, but Enri felt that time was passing very slowly, and she desperately tried to think of some way to save her little sister.
However, she could not think of anything. All she could do was use her own body as a shield, letting the blade cleave deeply into herself, in the hope of buying time for her little sister to escape.
As long as she had the strength, she would hang on tightly to the knight or the sword he stuck in her, holding on tight and not letting go until the flame of her life guttered out.
If she could do that. she would gladly accept her fate.
Enri smiled, as though she were a martyr.
As a big sister, this was all she could do for Nemu. The thought made Enri smile.
Could Nemu escape the hell that was Carne Village by herself?
Even if she fled into the forest, she might run into patrols of soldiers. However, as long as she could survive, there was a possibility of escape. In order to give her little sister the chance to survive, Enri would bet her life — no, she would bet everything.
That said, the idea of being hurt again frightened her, so she closed her eyes. In this world of darkness, she prepared herself for the pain that would come—