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Chapter 39 Part 6 – The depth of my father’s love for my mother makes me cringe. Then Seraphy joins the fray and the Ruby of Destiny guides us

 

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Aquilegia

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But inside this murky stream where I have no control over the movements of my body, there was no way I could be saved if I was captured by the demon dog Gallam in this state when I have been separated from my family and have no assistance.

The fear passed quickly.
After being killed so many times in my past「108 times」, death is an undesirable old friend of mine.
I just felt lonely and sorry for everyone in my heart.

I’m sorry, everyone. Although you guys have tried so hard to protect me this far.
I think this is my end.

Mother, Mary, in this life, for the first time, I have learned about the love of a mother.
Moreover, I have received it from two people.
It was so warm, so embarrassing, and such a blessing.
That alone made my life worth living.
Thank you very much.

I’m glad to see that mother was able to reunite with father.
I hope you will always get along.
Although, judging from father’s passionate love, I don’t think I have to worry about that.
If I have a younger brother or sister someday, I’d be happy if they could tell them that they have an older sister.
And I pray that my family can live together in harmony forever.

Mary, please take care of my precious family.
Of course, Mary has to be happy as well.
Goodbye, my other mother.

And Bradd, I know I’ve said a lot of mean things about you, but I’m really grateful to you.
Fufu, you looked like you were about to cry when I fell in the water.
If you’re too good-natured, your life will be miserable.
But this time, the person responsible for setting the Lawless Crew’s village on fire, namely me, will be gone.
I hope that you’ll have a happy life. I pray so.
I’m sorry for taking away your village in the past. I’m so sorry……..

And my consciousness fell into the darkness.

「……No, your life won’t end here. There’s still Seraphy here. Remember about Seraphy. And call out to him, the real him. As long as there is water, wind, and a ship, Seraphy will surely save you. Because that’s how it’s always been.」

Someone gently spoke to my heart.
I could feel the love and trust the voice has for Seraphy.

But, why would it be Seraphy out of all people…. Why him!?
Far from being saved by him, I have been killed by him so many times!?

As soon as I was about to protest vehemently, a dazzling scene popped into my head.
The wind was blowing. A breeze that smelled like the tide.
The blue waves shimmered and the horizon rounded out.
A beautiful, pure white sailing ship sailed across the sea, leaving even the clouds behind.
The way it glided across the surface of the sea was a heart-stopping sight.

I was on the last deck at the stern of the ship.
The white sails made a racket above my head as I tended to my hair in the wind.
I thought it looked like brand-new sheets being hung out to dry.
The glow of the sun on the unobstructed sea reminded me of a laundry day.
The ship, with all its sails in full sail, looked as beautiful as a lady wearing a pure white dress.
And all the sailors were truly proud of and loved the ship.
They were cheerful and friendly. The way they looked at me was full of platonic love toward me, their friend.
I always felt comfortable in that circle.

…..Wait a minute!! Why do I have this kind of memory!? Isn’t this strange!?

Because I think I’ve seen this ship somewhere before……
Isn’t this the Blanche, that abominable ship that hunted me down when I was a queen!!
Moreover, the people surrounding me and smiling at me in a friendly manner are my old enemies, the Orange Privateers!!

Could this be the memory of that unidentified girl, the me that is also not me in the past「108 times」!?
In addition, the one who is reaching out his hand toward me and is talking gently to me is……

「……Scarlet. If you are in trouble, remember this. The Blanche is your home and everyone in the Orange Privateers are your family. I will never abandon my family. So even if the whole world is against you, we will… always be on your side.」

Seraphy Orange is smiling tenderly in the sunlight.
He is an extraordinary sailor and the leader of a large group of privateers.
A sailing genius nicknamed the Grand Admiral of the Sea.
And yet, the boy’s earnestness and kindness sometimes peek through.
I loved his carefree smile.

My heart aches with nostalgia. I don’t understand why, but I feel like I’m about to burst into tears.
Even though I couldn’t have experienced such an event.
He was supposed to be a hateful enemy who had killed me many times.
But Seraphy’s green eyes are gently gazing at me.
The color of his green eyes under the sun was so dazzling.
Everyone in the Orange Privateers had a cheerful smile as they looked at me.

「……Miss Scarlet, we are a big family. If you share the sad things, they’ll become small. Let’s enjoy the small fun things together and have fun even more. All our troubles are small compared to this sea.」

The chief navigator laughed wildly with a tanned face.
Seraphy nodded.

「……The world is wide. Even if all the countries on this continent become your enemies, there are endless new places to explore. There is no ship that can catch up with the Blanche. There are no better sailors than the Orange Privateers. No one in the world can hold us back.」

Then Seraphy knelt down, took my hand and kissed the back of my hand reverently.

「….So, if you really have nowhere else to go, please let me take you. Feel free to ask for help. As long as there is water, wind, and ship, I will run to wherever you are to protect you. And I’ll get you wherever you want to be.」

「…..That’s quite a roundabout way of proposing.」

「As expected of the leader. We can make fun of this clumsy pick-up line while drinking for quite a while.」

「You idiot. That’s what I call the leader’s style of elegant courting.」

「Well, with Sir Bradd at the top of the list, there are a lot of strong rivals. It’s not going to happen overnight.」

The members of Orange Privateers, who were holding their breath to listen to our conversation, simultaneously started to make fun of Seraphy.
They’ll never miss a chance to make fun of their beloved leader.

「W-what are you guys talking about.…..!!」

Seraphy, who was always calm, became flustered and even his ears were flushed.
Seeing him being flustered, which is something so unlike him, I ended up laughing as well.
It was funny and happy, and tears came to my eyes for its kindness.
I felt so amused and happy by his kindness that it made my eyes teary.
Seraphy was even more flustered by my tears, but when I told him that it was because I was happy with his thoughtfulness, he smiled with relief and embarrassment.
Everyone in the Orange Privateers was in a frenzy.
Being with these cheerful people makes me feel at ease.
With us on board, the shining white Blanche sailed on.
Happy and warm memories.
And yet……

Causing a heartbreaking sorrow in my chest, the memory of the cruel ending rushed in.

Seraphy’s body slowly sinked into the sea.
His vivid outfit fluttered gently.
His death was as peaceful as if he simply fell asleep.
There was a satisfied smile on his face.
I loved that smile, but it would never be directed at me again.
His deep, gentle green eyes no longer reflected me.
The fleet that had filled the straits was emitting flames, and one by one, they sank into the sea.
The color of the flames illuminated Seraphy just like light coming through the clouds.
In order to protect me, the peerless genius achieved a miraculous victory that will remain in the history of naval battles, and lost his life.
Before I could give an answer to Seraphy’s feelings, he had departed to the edge of the sea, out of my reach.
The Blanche, which was hailed as the fastest ship in the world, and all of its crew shared the same fate as Seraphy.

And it’s not just Seraphy and the Orange Privateers. Everyone else……!!
In order to protect me every one of them has……!!
None of the people who loved me survived.
What I really wanted was not victory.
All I wanted was a future where I could laugh with everyone.

I can’t stop crying.

「That girl’s」sorrow, regret, and despair burned my heart.
This is the pain in the heart of the other me,「that girl」.
The pain of losing the people who loved me one after another.
I wailed over and over again, wishing I had died instead.
These people who I consider more important than myself and whom I want to protect, conversely, are the ones that smiled as they passed away in order to protect me.
I didn’t even notice that I was being drenched in the rain as I continued to stand still and cry……

Hence….she lost all the people she loved.

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