Chapter 296: 296
Rika was on a bed faking her unconscious state . When she lost consciousness after losing to Lyner, it took her only a few seconds to wake up . Though her consciousness was wide awake her body wasn"t . The battle with Lyner was more taxing than she ever antic.i.p.ated, without being able to move a muscle, she heard what Lyner requested his wife to do .
"He actually said that they should give me a second chance, and that I"m like him . . . Even though I was there enemy, even though I was the cause of his death . It would seem that even in the end he never resented me . . . Why?"
Rika was confused as to why she was shown mercy, since that was the first time an enemy showed her any mercy . Actually most of the time the enemies she fought would only look at her in fear or anger . Lyner on the other hand simply smiled at her joyfully, even in the end when he was dying . Well to be fair Lyner was the very first opponent that was an actual threat to her . Not only was he a threat that could match her, but the longer the fight went on the stronger he got . He was in the end the de facto winner of that battle, but he was the one who died .
Rika couldn"t forget that smiling face of his as he fought . Why was he smiling? What kind of person could smile so joyfully in front of an enemy . Rika felt it that that person with that vicious smile of his was different from her . They were both SS rank, they were both people that went beyond what it means to be a normal human, but he was different .
He was different from her, he was not bound by anything . It felt like he was more free than anyone else . The way he fought told Rika a lot about him . He felt like those clouds in the sky, unhindered and free . While Rika was thinking about Lyner she heard the sound of the door opening . She continued to close her eyes and pretended to be asleep .
The person who entered was none other than Anita Resteti the wife of the man she killed . Rika found her confusing as well . Even though she didn"t need to do it, Anita stayed true to her word and saved her from her wounds . It was Anita who nursed her back to health as Rika wasn"t able to move at the moment .
It was a surreal thing that the wife of the enemy you killed, was the one who worried about you the most . It has been a week and it would seem that the Granado Empire has given up on her . Her own country hasn"t bothered to do anything to save her, as she already served her purpose . On the other hand, the wife of her enemy was more caring .
"Oh Rika, still pretending to sleep I see . You do know that closing your eyes doesn"t make you look like your asleep . . . Still not willing to talk to me? It"s been a week now . I thought by now you"re bored with this sleeping act . "
While she was talking Anita started to check on Rika"s body . Even as a woman Anita was a little bit captivated on how beautiful Rika was, no matter how many times she looked . Her looks, her abilities, everything about her makes it seem like she was no longer human . No it felt like she was the next step of what a human was suppose to be .
"No matter how many times I see it, I am always amazed . If it was anyone else, even my husband who is said to be a monster, if he was the one or anyone else who sustained your injuries they would still be in a comatose state and their bodies would still look injured . Yet look at this, you remained conscious even after that fight, not only that your body"s healing itself four times faster than normal . Some of the injuries in your body is already healed and gone . If everybody had a body like yours it would be amazing"
Anita started happily talking to Rika . After saving Rika from her wounds, Anita had continued to talk to her like this . Aside from her parents this was the first time anyone has talked to Rika like a human being . Everyone else would look at her as if she was some higher life form or a monster . So listening to Anita talking to her made her quite happy, and at the same time extremely guilty .
She couldn"t simply talk to Anita since she felt extremely guilty and confused . She was the one who had killed her husband, his blood stains her hands . Yet even with this fact in mind, she was the one who treated her the best aside from her parents . Anita treated Rika not only as human being but as a friend .
She the murderer of Anita"s husband was being treated as a friend .
. . .
After talking for a bit Anita left the room . Once she was alone again, Rika opened her eyes and felt a pain in her chest .
"What should I do? . . . "
. . .
The following day Anita once again started a conversation with Rika . Anita thought her talk with Rika would end up the same but something different happened today, Rika actually spoke to her .
Rika"s beautiful ruby red eyes looked at Anita .
"Why do you do this? Don"t you hate me? I was the one who killed your beloved husband . I know he told you to save me, but do you need to be so kind?" The pain in Rika"s voice was easily heard and felt . In response to that Anita smiled .
"Why would I hate you? You are the person who granted my husband"s final wish . You might not have understood my husband, but I did . I knew at some point he was going to die, that"s why we treated everyday like it was the last day and had fun . Though the war limited our options of having fun, but we still had fun nonetheless . He even left me someone to be with, so that I won"t be lonely . " Anita caressed her tummy, smiling at her unborn baby .
"So please don"t think I"m doing this because my husband told me so . No, I"m doing this because I"m thankful to you . "
Rika who heard what Anita said was confused, Lyner"s final wish was death? She couldn"t understand why Lyner was like that, nor could she understand Anita"s reasoning .
"Aren"t you going to ask me, to help you in fighting your enemies?" Rika couldn"t help but ask, since that was the only thing anyone has ever asked of her . She was nothing more than a weapon . Anita hearing Rika"s question tilted her head confused .
"Why should I ask someone else to do that?" Rika was even more confused when she heard Anita"s answer .
"Then what do you plan to do with me?"
"I don"t really plan to do anything with you . You may leave anytime you want, you"re free to do what you want . I just hope you tell me when you"re leaving so I can prepare a farewell feast . "
"I . . . I"m free?"
"Of course you are . "
Hearing Anita"s answer made Rika stop talking and suddenly suddenly started to look like she was contemplating something . Seeing her like this made Anita smile, as she silently left the room .