I wonder if everyone is already aware of the new threat, the monkeypox. Please stay safe, everyone. We don't want a Pandemic 2.0. *sighs*
Also, I want to sympathize and offer my condolences to the family and friends of those who fell victim to the Texas school shooting. :((
VOLUME 4: Chapter 6 - In the End, It Became Like This
[part 2]
I slowly opened my eyes and saw the engagement bracelet on my left wrist emitting a faint light.
……I wonder what this is . . . It’s warm?
Not only was the bracelet shining, but it seemed to be warm.
Mystified, I turned my eyes away from the bracelet and looked around.
Something like a band of light enveloped me.
……No, when I looked at it closely, it was not a band but shining letters. The letters are lined up like in a band, surrounding me.
Beyond the band of light, I saw Noir holding her hand with all her five nails broken.
The curved red pieces that fell on her feet were her nails . . . weren’t they?
“What’s the meaning of this!?”
Azul asked with an indignant expression, but I was also surprised, you know?
……But no matter what this is, the source was undeniable.
I slowly lifted my left hand and stared at the shining bracelet.
It’s the engagement bracelet that Greed-sama slipped into my wrist. This is a magical tool, and it contained the magical powers of Greed-sama and Renas-sama.
Uhm, what did they say that time again?
“……Defense mode?”
I’m pretty sure that’s what they said……. It was a long time ago so I completely forgot. However, he said that it was meant to protect me in a place where Greed-sama and his comrades could not reach me.
Since it was activated, the shining letters . . . are protecting me, right? I would like to believe so. Because Noir’s attack did not reach me.
I gently touched the bracelet. For some reason, its faint warmth made me remember the time when I was hugged by Greed-sama.
……Greed-sama. You helped me again this time.
I suppose Greed-sama and his friends have expected this to happen someday. Greed-sama’s skill [Divine Revelation] showed him that. That's why he forcibly put it on me.
I stared at the golden letters surrounding me. Perhaps this is a sacred text used by priests like Renas-sama.
Unless one is a magician or a priest, one will rarely see the letters, but in my case, there’s only one word I know.
That is──Lux. A word that means light.
That word was in the band of light in front of me.
“Whether it’s the work of the Hero and the priest . . . I despise it anyway.”
Azul muttered with a grim expression, then he turned towards me and cast some magic.
At the next moment, the band made of shining letters began to swell as if it was a living thing.
“……!?”
Something passed by my side that made me jump in surprise.
──Crumbleee!
Azul’s magic passed me and hit the wall behind me.
The walls roared and crumbled.
I did not know what magic Azul cast, but I knew that the shining letters protected me.
The magic created a hole in the wall and I could see the next room.
If I wasn’t protected by the band of light, I would have died instantly, right?
……Damn, they won’t show me mercy. Well, I was the one who provoked them, what else!
“Youuu……!”
Noir gritted her teeth and fired something at me.
Now I know what it is. Several pieces of ice with sharp points──that is, icicles. She launched dozens of pieces of icicles at me like arrows.
However, the band of light swelled again, and the icicles that hit it disappeared without a trace.
And this time, an icicle that passed by me crashed into another wall and made a big hole there.
Of course, I was unscathed.
“You, you!”
They launched some magic at me in quick succession.
Azul threw black spheres at me.
However, those were also blocked by the band of light and never reached me.
Whoa, defense mode is amazing……!
──I wanted to be in awe of it but it can’t protect me all the time. Because I don’t know how long this protection will last.
Once the magical powers of Greed-sama and Renas-sama will be exhausted, it will surely become just a mere bracelet.
That’s why I have to escape while this defense is ongoing.
As expected, the band surrounding me moved with me. This is natural because the source of it is the bracelet.
“Stop!”
Azul cast attack magic from behind. But it still didn’t reach me, and some passed by me and shattered the door in front of me.
When I saw the torn-down door, I snorted with laughter.
──Good job. You saved me the trouble of opening the door!
I used the rubble as a foothold and jumped over it, slipped through the hole, went out into the corridor, and started running immediately.
Like the corridor of the main residential building, the corridor of the main tower lit up when people passed by.
I was grateful for it this time around. Because I can’t run in the dimly lit corridor of this main tower, in which I have set foot for the first time.
Even though my feet were brightly illuminated, I didn't know the direction I’m heading. Still, I was going to find an escape route.
However, after a while, I felt something was chasing me from behind.
Looking back, what I saw was not a dog . . . but a wolf-shaped demon beast, Wolf.
My eyes widened in horror. There shouldn’t be a demon beast in this castle……!
Perhaps they summoned it from somewhere.
As high-ranking demons, they won’t run and chase after me. By their standards, they will send something from the lower ranks to do the dirty job.
I sped up. I repeatedly turned around the corner, trying to shake off Wolf, who kept chasing after me.
I don’t even know if I’m already away from the room I was in earlier or if I’m back on the path where I came from. It was dark outside the window and it was difficult to see what floor I was on.
All I can do is just move forward and look for something that looked like an exit.
Just when I was out of breath and my legs were getting heavier, I arrived in front of a large door made of black wood.
Given its size, I assume this is the front door? Or the front door of the hall……
──I didn’t have time to think about it. Wolf is approaching.
I thought I could rest for a while, so I put my hands on the heavy door and pressed on it with my body.
The door opened with a creaking noise.
Opening it enough just for one person to pass through, what appeared when I looked inside was a dim but fairly large space.
It has a high dome-shaped ceiling supported by columns. The floor is lined with carpets. The small candlesticks installed on the walls and pillars illuminated the dim space.
──Indeed, it is a hall.
As soon as I realized that, I wanted to scratch my hair.
Aaargh, I was mistaken……!
However, the demon beast was pursuing me so I couldn't go back.
I had no choice but to set foot in the hall.
The entrance to the hall is not limited to the front door. There should be doors for servants to enter and exit, and doors for exclusive passages used by the king and the other royals.
The passage used by the royal family will likely lead to the outside, so I went deeper into the hall to find it.
Only my footsteps and the sound of my breath echoed in the quiet hall. But soon, I heard other sounds.
Those were the beast’s sounds of breathing and approaching footsteps…… Wolf must have followed me into the hall.
I sped up.
And then I reached the middle of the hall. I noticed something standing out at the back of the hall.
It is one step higher than the ground and is lit up by torches on all sides.
When I got close to it, I realized it was a big black chair.
“A throne?”
“That’s right.”
A voice answered my mutter, so I stopped abruptly.
The next moment, people appeared on both sides of the throne. No, people is not a suitable word.
It was Azul and Noir who appeared.
“The chase is over.”
Noir said with a brush of her hand. Then, the footsteps of the demon beast I heard from behind me disappeared. Did he leave this place because he had finished his role?
Cold sweats trickled on my back.
Maybe . . . I was driven here because they knew that I was trying to escape……?
“This is the throne of the Demon King. Young lady, did you know? It was in this hall where the Demon King and the Hero fought.”
“……Isn’t it at the hall of the former Demon King’s castle and not at this exact hall?”
“Here, the Demon King faced the Hero.”
……Ignored!
Azul smiled, completely ignoring my jab.
“Be honored. I’ll let you have this place, which is closely associated with the Hero, as the place of your demise.”
As I’ve said, it was the hall of the original Demon King’s castle…… Damn, it’s not the time for me to keep on retorting!
I felt an unpleasant premonition and slowly retreated.
As I was being protected by the power of the bracelet, I will not be easily hurt. But even if they are aware of it, why are they gloating?
They got off the platform and walked toward me, saying.
“I was surprised by the bracelet. I did not think it had such a mechanism. I didn't feel any power from it, so I thought it was an ordinary ornament that humans often wear.”
“Hmm, it’s because of For, you know? I’m sure he knew about this bracelet and concealed it . . . Tsk, what was he thinking?”
Noir clucked her tongue.
“Was it just the Hero’s usual taste, or was he truly enamored by this girl……”
“Whatever his reasons, he still hasn't shown up at all. Is it really okay for this girl to die?”
“……Nah, I don’t think he likes her in the first place.”
Even Verde has completely forgotten me.
Now that he had heard from me all he wanted to know, he won’t help me unless he wants them to become his enemies.
“I don’t care about his opinions anymore.
Azul said, smiling menacingly.
“I noticed something while you were being chased by the demon beast. You touched the vase near Ludi’s room, didn’t you?”
“Gulp.”
He saw that?!
It was when I turned around the corridor to make several turns.
There was a vase on the table just around the corner, and I hit my arm against it and knocked it down.
No way, must I compensate for the broken vase……?
With my maid instinct, I was scared that I might have destroyed a castle furnishing, but it turns out that Azul was thinking something completely different.
“At that time, the bracelet’s protection magic was not activated. It might have prevented all physical attacks from Ludi’s claws, and by that principle, the vase should have been shattered without directly hitting you.”
“S-So……”
This defense, which prevented Noir’s claw and icicle attacks, did not react to the vase at all.
“That vase wasn’t made by For’s magic, but it was from a noble’s mansion where Ludi took it . . . In other words, it doesn’t protect you from anything that doesn’t have magical powers.”
Hearing Azul's words, I felt the blood drain from my face.
That means I am not protected from physical attacks by human-made weapons……?
“Y-You’re lying, riiiight!?”
I screamed instinctively.
Renas-sama, Greed-sama, I’ve lost the last turn!
Hey, this is supposed to be an anti-demon!
Did you not expect the demons to use human weapons!?
But I could be attacked by humans, so they should also have protected me from physical attacks……
──At that time, a dagger appeared in Azul’s hand.
“This was in the arsenal of the abandoned castle that was the foundation of this castle. I left it alone since demons don’t need human weapons, but I did not think that it would be useful at this moment……”
With that said, he took a chance and threw the dagger. With a humming noise, the dagger headed toward me.
The dagger passed by right next to me, who couldn’t react to his movement. However, the band of light that surrounds me was totally unresponsive.
Hiiii!
“As I’ve expected.”
Azul grinned.
A sword appeared in his hand this time. The sword was much larger than the dagger and looked like something a castle soldier once used.
This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!
Warning bells rang in my head. With quivering feet, I took a step back or two.
Or better yet, I want to turn my back and run away, but I can’t take my eyes off them when I know that I’ll be stabbed from behind as soon as I turn my back.
Far from cold sweats, greasy sweats surfaced on my skin!
“It’s better if you let us chop you down obediently.”
Noir said with a charming yet cruel smile.
Before I knew it, she was also holding a sword in her hand. The sword was thinner than what was in Azul’s hand and resembled Farah-sama’s rapier.
At that time, I suddenly felt something and instinctively twisted my body and jumped to the side.
Immediately after, Azul’s sword, which he swung down to where I was standing, hit the floor and made a clattering noise.
“Oh, you’re more agile than I think.”
Noir said, raising her eyebrows.
I hurriedly kept a sufficient distance from Azul and squeezed my hands on my chest.
Oh, that was dangerous……! I miraculously avoided it, but it was really dangerous!
This time, I had cold sweats.
What should I do……? If they attack me at the same time, I may not be able to avoid it, right?
I thought of how I was able to avoid it just now……
I’m very frustrated.
──If they keep on going like this, I will be killed!
Thinking of the possibilities, I felt like crying.
Call the Hero.
Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head.
……Verde?
Now that the power of the bracelet is released, the Hero might hear outside the barrier, right?
At first, I could not fathom what he was saying. But as it dawned on me, hopes and expectations slowly rose in my heart.
Bracelets are paired, aren’t they? The pair have the property of responding to each other. It’s a magical tool filled with the magical power of the Hero and a priest. If you call him, your voice will transcend beyond space.
I lifted my hand away from my chest and looked at the faintly shining bracelet.
……If I call him, he will come. Greed-sama.
At that time, I felt something again and raised my face, and my eyes widened with horror when I saw the approaching Azul.
He took a big swing of the sword.
Without so much hesitation and doubt about Verde’s advice, I immediately shouted at the bracelet.
──The name of my beloved.
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