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Chapter 41 Part 1 – A deadly battle in the maelstrom. Mary tries to take the demon dog Gallam with her, while Bradd and Seraphy put everything on the line for the last hidden card. And then I learn the sad truth about the vengeful spirits that possess the Ruby

 

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Aquilegia

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「….It’s trying to attack again…..! Damn it…..!!」

「It’s okay !! I’ve found a narrow path here!! Everyone, hold on tight!!」

Seraphy quickly interrupted Bradd as he tried to jump up to intercept the demon dog.
Just as Seraphy said, the boat accelerated rapidly and narrowly slipped through the attack of the demon dog Gallam. It was an unpleasant attraction that made my heart jump.
Seraphy continued to stare into the eyes of the demon dog Gallam, which had re-submerged in the water with a splash.

「That dog, it’s sneering at us. It’s looking down on this small boat with only one paddle that is filled with kids… it was observing us until now….! Just you wait and see! As long as I’m here, this little boat is no longer just a small boat…..!!」

As the muddy stream rose, countless pieces of driftwood shot out like missiles.
The driftwoods drew an arc aiming at the small boat and headed toward us.

It’s the demon dog Gallam’s signature throwing attack again!!
Why is it a beast that’s using projectile weapons to attack humans! It’s usually the other way around!!

Objects flying through the air are clearly faster than our boat which has water resistance to go forward.

Not good!! It’s going to be a direct hit!! We can’t escape!!

「Everyone bend down!!」

At the same time with Seraphy’s shout, the boat made a half-turn.
For a moment, I wondered if Seraphy had mistakenly operated the paddle.
This shallow boat that does not have fins became unstable.
It turned quickly in just a few moments. But it turns out that

「So this is the capability of Seraphy Orange. I might have gotten a great guy as a friend….」

Bradd grunted. The boat changes direction rapidly as if in a drift.
The direction of the boat and even the angle of the hull change at a dizzying pace, dodging the driftwoods as it comes in rapid succession.
Unlike moving the body, there is always a time lag when operating a boat.
It would be impossible to do this without predicting the water current and the movement of the boat in advance.
It was all calculated in advance.
In addition, there is no boatman at the bow or stern.
It was just Seraphy at the stern, with one paddle.
Moreover, Seraphy isn’t even looking back.
It was not a human feat.

「…..I’m not great. It’s just that I can see the flow of wind and water a little better than most people. I’m just a clever little kid with no power.」

He’s not trying to be humble. He had a serious look in his eyes that expressed that he really meant what he said.
And right now, as a newborn, I knew exactly how he felt.

「But I don’t feel ashamed of my powerlessness. If I can’t do it by myself, then I will ask for help from others. Individuals are stronger when together. I will try my best to be helpful!! That’s my way of life!! Just like this!!」

The surface of the water in front of us rose up like a sea monster.
From beyond the rushing water, the one-eyed demon dog looked down at us mockingly.
The timing made it seem as if the demon dog Gallam was scoffing at Seraphy’s efforts.

The demon dog Gallam had dived down to overtake the boat and ambush us!!

However, Seraphy was unfazed and kept looking straight ahead.
The headwind blew his bangs away, revealing his shining emerald-colored eyes.

A headwind!? The wind was supposed to be blowing from the pond to the shore….!

「…..Do you think that your trap succeeded? Then you should have at least paid attention to the wind blowing in the opposite direction in the morning.」

There was another gust of wind that ruffled my hair.

But the wind is not enough to stop the demon dog Gallam from moving……!!
Look!! The fangs of the demon dog Gallam are approaching rapidly…..!!

But before I could scream, lightning bolts flashed in rapid succession.
The pale blue lightning bolts pierced the demon dog Gallam one after another.

This is….. Mother’s Thunder Crawl!!

「We’re not the ones who are trapped. Rather you’re the one that got caught in a trap….!!」

Seraphy muttered with a cold gleam in his emerald-colored eyes.
While the demon dog Gallam was taken aback, it made a water column rise and submerged back into the muddy stream.
The arrow feathers that have penetrated halfway through the demon dog Gallam’s body emitted remnants of lightning.
On the shore, mother was holding her bow. She was a bit breathless.

「…..Scarlet! Don’t you dare touch my daughter….!」

Mother looked so beautiful in spite of her seething anger. Looking at her, I became emotional.
The Thunder Crawl is a technique that uses the suction power of the wind to rapidly accelerate the arrow.
As the speed increases, the flight distance naturally increases.
Mother has been waiting for an opportunity to provide support with her long-range Thunder Crawl.
She kept her eye on me this whole time….!!
And without any signs or communication, Seraphy had predicted mother’s behavior and while running away, had guided the demon dog Gallam to a tailwind position where she could use the Thunder Crawl.

「…..I told you. I’m not ashamed to ask for help from others.」

Seraphy laughed at us who were stunned.
We could see the members of the Orange Privateers handing arrows to mother.

Just how far did this guy read ahead…..!!

「….The Duke had told me how good his wife is with a bow. He also told me about the material, length, and weight of the arrows she uses. Thanks to that, I was able to prepare arrows that were compatible with her bow in advance. Then the only thing left to do is to lure the demon dog Gallam here into her line of fire and adjust the timing to the headwind.」

Seraphy said it without any hesitation, but how many miraculous timing coordination and readings does it take to get it right on a small boat? If he can do this with just a small boat, it’s no wonder that with the fastest sailing ship in the world, the Blanche, and a little manpower, he could easily break through the naval blockade of my queen’s army.
Seraphy is extremely troublesome as the enemy, but when he’s on our side, he’s very reliable

「We’ll utilize the water current to shake him off. Even the demon dog Gallam has no chance of winning against the lineup on the shore!! We don’t have to defeat him!! We just have to get to shore and we’ll win!!」

Seraphy was completely right.
Mother gallantly fixed the arrow to the bowstring.
The Imperial Guards lined up in the shape of a trident and raised their spears.
The Orange Privateers swung a jar with a rope over their heads. The contents must be the specially brewed alcohol that can ward off the demon dogs.
And father and Matzo are prepared to attack.

That’s right!! We have so many reliable adults!!
And!! It’s not just the adults who we can rely on. There is also….!!

「The demon dog Gallam also realized that it won’t be able to win if we get on the shore. So it’ll definitely try to finish the battle while we’re still on the water. This is the important part of the battle. I’ll leave it to you, Seraphy.」

「You don’t have to tell me that!! Are you planning to make me work all by myself!! It’s going to throw up obstacles at close range. So you’ll have to shoot down the ones I miss. I’m counting on you…. Bradd.」

「You finally called my name. Leave that to me!! I’m not going to let you get the better of me.」

Bradd laughed fearlessly. While Seraphy had a wry smile.

「…..That kind of line does not suit the maid’s uniform that you’re wearing though.」

「That’s true!! But a battle isn’t about appearance or outfits. It’s what’s inside that counts.」

「…. Well, you’re right. It seems that we’re on the same page.」

Bradd and Seraphy laughed at each other.

Ahh, this is nice.

Perhaps it is the glare of the morning sun, but the two figures looked hazy.
It seemed to overlap with the silhouette of a reliable adult, instead of a child.

「Scarlet, don’t worry. When Seraphy and I are together, we won’t let a single hair of yours be harmed.」
「We are going to have to face the great powers of the continent. We don’t have time to stand still against an opponent of this caliber.」

Somehow, it seemed that something like this happened a long time ago……

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