The first thing that I saw was the purplish-black sky as I laid flat on my back. The hard and cold ground pricked the back of my head, reminding me of that one time I had to sleep on a basketball court during a fire drill at school. My body felt restrained, perhaps because of the heavy metal armour. Contrary to the cold air, I felt something warm on the tip of my fingers. The air is humid with a hint of pungent smell mixed in with it, making an unpleasant combination. But then again,
*…..pretty sure I was shitting just a moment ago?!.*
"Dame Catherine!" A voice startled me. "Thank god you're alive!" Exclaimed a man in a full metal armour.
I can't see the face nor the eyes, just heard the voice. What did he call me again?
"Dame Catherine? I'm not—"
My sentence was cut short due to the excruciating pain from my stomach. A beast's fang was stuck there, piercing my body. Though not so deep, the pain is tremendous!
"It's a poisonous fang from the Serpento Mortus, we barely managed to slay it," he said in a shaky tone.
"Damn it...hurts like hell!" I grunted as cold sweat breaks on my forehead.
The poison was slowly spreading when I suddenly heard a voice of an entity in my head, saying,'Congratulations! You are now the protagonist, though I don't like the sound of it on you, but that's the only way to make it believable. Anyway, activating plot armour for the so-called protagonist.'
The poison immediately stopped circulating as the pain seemed to be lifted. What was once felt like a parasite, gnawing on my living flesh, had turned numb and still.
'Plot armour left:4."
*….I'm not sure what happened but..…heck yeah! I had a bad view on plot armours before, who could ever thought that I would be in this situation where I got to use it?*
I remained silent for a while as I let my eyes wandered around, assessing the situation. This setting is familiar…very familiar. Perhaps—
"Are we in the Kingdom of Edesia?" I asked the man.
"Huh? Yeah..." The knight answered in confusion, shock even, that I seem to be fine suddenly.
*Damn it, I'm right!!* I gritted my teeth.
"What were we doing again?" I inquired, making him even more confused.
"The Scourge of Demon is happening… don't you remember?"
"Ah…must have been the effect of the poison," I lied with a pained expression.
This somehow worries him more.
"The healers are all tending to the injured, please hang on for a bit."
"Sure," I nodded as a response.
*Not like I'll die from this.*
Once he confirmed my stable condition, he gave a slight pat on the shoulder before standing up, fixing the sword by his hip and excusing himself, "I'll go first then, Dame Catherine."
"Ah, yes, alright, sir…" I paused abruptly when I was reminded of the crucial thing about socialising.
*Shit, what's his name?*
"William."
"Yes! Sir William. Be careful!" I let out a sigh of relief as he doesn't show any hint of being offended.
After he went away and disappeared from my sight though, I got back to staring at the oh-so-beautiful sky of apocalypse, still sprawled on the ground, with my puddle of blood.
"Haha…AHHAHH- ughh.."
I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this situation is but the blood gushed out from my stomach like a freaking Niagara Fall, stopping myself from doing so.
*Oopp…*
*Darned fate of mine, at least put me in the earlier scenario. How come I came directly to the last scene? I didn't even manage to finish the last chapters yet, damnit….*
"F—- this freakin' bullshit of a plot twist!" I cursed, hoping the one responsible will hear it as well.
I'm sure of it now. This is the world of 'Blade of the Unwanted'
"Arghh....so pissed! And what? Catherine?! I barely read a bit about her in the cancelled version. I also know nothing pass the earlier chapters of Volume 9. Didn't isekaid people usually know the progress of the stories and change the plot or something?! I don't even have the freaking chance, even got stabbed by a poisonous fang from the start! Damnit!"
As I continued to curse, a healer approached me cautiously, fiddling his fingers in worry. Petite stature covered in white robe, brown short hair with a pair of golden eyes. He stopped a few feet away, seeming terrified from my outburst.
*Aha, I know this one!*
I calmed down and gestured for him to come closer. Once he reached my side, he immediately kneeled next to my injured body and began the healing. He slowly pulled out the fang and the poison started to dissipate as he chanted the purification spell.
*This boy is a side character in 'Blade of the Unwanted', Louie. So far, he didn't have much presence but his golden eyes sure made him easy to remember.*
His gentle voice filled my ears as his mana slowly flowed through my wounds. I believe that he had used too much of the healing magic, seeing how tired he looks. Sunken eyes with dark circles, he looked like me after a hellish overtime at that parasitic company. I should really quit—oh, wait, I won't have to go there anymore, right? At least for as long as I'm here?
While I was considering whether this situation is good or bad, the purification completed and little Louie staggered a bit.
"There..."
He said with a sweet smile. He's very adorable, a little brother type. Still young yet so talented. Maybe around 11 to 12 years old? All the healers in the kingdom had been called, even support from the empire was sent. Louie is not an exception.
I stared at him intently, causing him to be very flustered.
"You're so cute," I blurted, patting his head while shifting myself up.
His eyes widened in surprise while his mouth moved to utter something, but failed miserably. He quietly faced downwards, allowing me to pat him more.
"Thank you, Louie! Don't push yourself too hard." I ruffled on his hair.
"I-…uh...W-welcome," he finally managed to get the words out, albeit stuttering .
His character has always been a timid one, making him one of my favourite side characters in the story. Nevertheless, his ability is by no doubt one of the best, considering his young age. I then stretched up and grabbed the sword next to me.
"Oh, well, they called her dame, guess I'll need to fight, too!"
I stepped away from the safe zone, throwing a final glance at Louie, who was still sitting there, holding onto his hair that I had ruffled from before. That somehow put a smile on my face as I unconsciously let out a small sigh of contentment.
Walking through the barren ground, a sudden reminder hit me. "Catherine doesn't exist in this story, did she? At least in the latest version. Maybe both versions had similar scenarios? Huh, how confusing!"