Fiancée of the Wizard Volume 8 Chapter 3 Part 6
「I did not, know」
「……What? 」
I distinctly heard my silly voice say. In the direction of my dumbfounded gaze, Noct drastically changed his face from the expressionless face he had been having to a crunched up one.
「I did not know. That a meal eaten with somebody else would be so delicious. That a patting hand would be so warm. That a voice that says, welcome back, would be so kind. That I would be so happy when someone smiled at me just for being alive」
Noct said so as if an infant was counting them one by one with its fingers. Each one of them struck my heart.
Noct must be referring to the life we spent together in the capital. It was an ordinary life. I did not have much to say about it. Yet, were such minor things important for him?
「I, I, did not know. I should not have known. If I had not known this, it would not be so painful. That is why, that is why I……! 」
「———That, is it」
In contrast to Noct who was almost about to cry, the demon smiled kindly. Her expression was gentler than all her past expressions. Relief colored Noct’s expressions upon seeing her smile. But this was only temporary.
「I guess an unwanted child can be nothing other than an unwanted child after all. Really, how useless do you want to be? I hate useless children. Where have I gone wrong in nurturing you? 」
「Mo, ther」
The demon’s expressions changed from a merciful smile to a cold-blooded mocking smile. Noct’s expression changed to convey despair. Looking at this in a satisfied manner, the demon deepened her smile and reached out her hand. She then pointed her long sharp claws toward Noct.
「I shall have no choice but to finally guide you to the right path. 『It is time to wake up, Noct』」
「—————! 」
The precious gemstone on Noct’s neck’s choker started gleaming with a dark light. Somehow, I felt like the black gemstone resembled something. Now I remember. It is a demon’s core. The dark light shone from the demon’s core wrapped around Noct’s neck.
From Noct’s mouth came a scream that was almost like a growl. However, even this was swallowed by the dark light. My call for Noct was also swallowed by the dark light, and did not make a noise.
……Roaaaaaaaaarrrr!!
It was a roar that almost ripped the world apart. Noct was not in the place he had been; the place where the dark light gathered. Actually, he was there. It was just that he transformed into something that was not himself.
A humongous pitch-black wolf was there. The huge body was twice the size of an adult human male, while its limbs were thick. It had sharp nails and sharp fangs in its large mouth. Droplets of drool heavily spilt on the floor. Its yellow crystal-like eyes that had been so beautiful were now bloodshot and gleaming. There was no human conscience in those eyes. It only had the bloodthirsty madness of a beast. The choker wrapped around his neck ceased to be a tool that was worn, but simply a collar that bound him. Only the collar’s black gemstone——the demon’s core gleamed in my eyes.
Noct had told me that he was a child that was born between a werewolf and a human. However, my gut feeling told me, no. The gigantic wolf in front of me was incomparable to a werewolf. It was much stronger, larger, and terrible.
My body cowered in fright. I could not move and sat down in a daze. Its yellow eyes captured me. Whilst I gulped, it waved its thick tail. Gazing at the large wolf, the demon smiled.
「Now, my adorable and foolish unwanted child. Fulfill the role you are to play」
I came to my senses upon her speaking. I was not as senile to forget what she referred to as 『the role the large wolf was to play』. I sensed that the color of my face had changed. No. No. I must not let him do so.
「Noct! No, you have a contract……! 」
No matter what sort of form he was in, Noct was Noct. The man had made him promise. There was a contract between Noct and the man to never hurt humans ever again. The man had said that Noct would face some consequences if he broke his own promise. Then if Noct attacked me now, the Noct would face the 『consequences』 the man had talked about.
It must be the promise. Some magical powers were buzzing in the air like lightning. Each of the magical power circled the large wolf’s neck and limbs. It must be the man’s magical powers who is not here. If Noct attacked me right now, all the magical power would attack Noct in one go.
「It is useless. No matter what sort of promise he has made, by my magic, this unwanted child would no longer stop until it dies」
The demon told this to me with apparent ridicule, as if she was singing. I felt my temper rage in my heart.
What had the demon said just now? Until it dies. Hadn’t she said so? I tried to compose myself by repeating this in my mind, but I only got more annoyed. Impulsively, I forgot what kind of situation I was in and shouted at her with all my might.
「Even if there is no blood connection, if you are his mother. Doesn’t your responsibility include keeping your child alive! 」
My body trembled in anger. What had she said? Until it dies. She must not be forgiven. While I had impulsively shouted at her, the demon pretended to blink her eyes, and tilted her head.
「What strange things are you saying? I had picked Noct up, so it is my right to do as I please with Noct’s life」
「No, Noct’s life is his own. Even a mother cannot force him to live or die. What a mother can do is to support him at times, and be close by at other times while he lives」
The child has to make his own life decisions. Not only the mother. No matter who it was, they did not have any right to change the life of the child as they pleased. The right solely belongs to the child itself. Yet, what did this 『mother 』 say? 「Do as she pleases」? What a joke. I wished she would stop joking around.
「A person who does not understand this principle like you does not have the right to name herself mother」
「Argh, how noisy. Why are you talking to me as if you know it all, girl? 」
The demon scrunched her face as if disturbed. Then she ostentatiously sighed, and ordered the large wolf with a cold voice that I could sense no love from.
「Now, unwanted child. Dirty your claws and fangs in red, and fill your stomach with the soft meat. Then, before you die, I shall give you, a fool, praise once again」
In accordance with her words, the large wolf kicked the floor. Helplessly, I was pinned onto the floor. I fell on the floor without being able to break my fall. I was pinned from above. I heard rough breathing near me. I could not open my eyes as I was scared.
I readied myself for the pain that was to come. However, like earlier on, such pain did not come no matter how long I waited. Instead, something warm wet my face. Fearfully, I opened my eyes. Then, I widened my eyes.
「Noct……?」
Several streams of large tear droplets were flowing from the pitch-black large wolf’s gleaming yellow eyes. Was this because of the man’s purple magical powers that tightened around his neck and pierced his limbs? I could easily imagine that the large wolf was enduring an unbearable pain, deducing from the red blood that was spilt.
I wondered how painful it was. I wondered how stressful it was. It was a matter of course that he cried due to the pain. However, I wondered why. I felt like the large wolf’s tears were not solely due to the pain.
While exposing its sharp fangs, pinning my body down with its long claws, trying to slice me, the large wolf……. Noct seemingly tried to resist himself. Without thinking, I reached out my right hand which was the only hand that was free. My hand was buried in his surprisingly soft fur. I patted the large wolf which was breathing in a raspy manner and dripping some saliva. Then the large wolf jolted in a way which was apparently from afar. Another large tear droplet fell from its widened yellow eyes.
「Gr, rrrr……!」
I felt like I could clearly hear a cry behind his sharp fangs. 「Help me」
「What are you doing? What a useless child you are, that you can’t even properly fulfill your task before you die. Just rip that stomach and get done with it quickly」
The demon stood up impatiently. She raised her hand and pointed it to Noct. The core in Noct’s collar gleamed even brighter. The last remaining tear fell from Noct’s yellow eyes, as he growled.
Noct exposed his fangs to finally devour me. It was at that moment. The magical sphere of the bracelet I had been holding onto gleamed with a morning glow colored light. Its striking light tore apart the dark light that filled the hall.
「What hap, penn」
While I dumbfoundedly muttered, the magical sphere gleamed even brighter. Its morning glow colored shine did not cease, but only got brighter. The large wolf that had been on me suddenly jumped away as if afraid of something. Then, the striking morning glow colored light swallowed the entire large hall. I could not continue opening my eyes.
The bracelet’s magical sphere broke. I definitely heard this slight sound in this situation. Then, my legs floated in the air, and I was wrapped in a warm sensation. It took quite some time for me to notice that I had been carried up by somebody.
「Sorry for the wait, Filmina」
「———Edi? 」
I opened my eyes timidly. Then I saw. The eyes which had the color of the morning glow that chased the darkness away, that was more beautiful than anything else. The person I adored, the owner of the eyes.
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