3 bar menu

Chapter 41 Part 2 – 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

 

---

Aquilegia

---

Light surrounded me.
Then a gentle memory filled my heart.

「….. Also, I think that you look great in that outfit….」

The adult Bradd complimented me with an embarrassed look on his face.
A sense of joy gradually spread through my chest.
The bright folk costume swayed in the corner of my eye.
The Ruby of God’s Eye shines even more against the costume.

The material is soft and comfortable to wear. Yes, this is….

「….. I agree with you about that. However, I don’t understand why she’s wearing the special outfit of the 「Lawless Crew」. That’s supposed to be a gift for a fiancée, isn’t it? You’re getting way ahead of yourself.」

Seraphy looked dissatisfied, but his tone was gentle.
Bradd put his hand on Seraphy’s shoulder and smiled.

「….. I know that. We’ll settle this after the battle is over. So, don’t die. My best friend.」

「….. I won’t allow you to go to the other side and quit while you’re ahead. Let’s survive and meet again. Best friend.」

They shake each other’s hands firmly.
I reached out my hand as well.
Three overlapping hands.
We laughed at each other.
At the nostalgic secret place where we had played since we were little, we vowed to meet again.

Make sure to survive and come back here…..!!

But that promise was never fulfilled.
A heartbreaking sorrow ripped through me. I couldn’t breathe.
Neither of them kept their promise and left me alone.
I can’t even blame them.
Because both of them left in order to protect me.
I am to blame for everything.
But I no longer have anyone to be angry with or to comfort me.
What is the point of living in a world where there is no one to share joy with?
As soon as I relax, I’ll have a breakdown and die.
My heart is constantly tormented by such sorrow that my body refuses to live.
But I cannot die.
If I die, I’d be betraying the feelings of those who died for me.
Even if it would be easier to be torn to pieces and killed, I will continue to live and walk.
…. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face everyone not only in this world, but also in the other world.
… But it’s hard …. It’s really hard ….! …. I want to meet everyone soon …. !!

「…… Not good!! A whirlpool is generating!!」

Seraphy’s cry brought me back to my senses.

I felt like I had a very sad dream.
Even though now was not the time to be distracted.

When I looked up, I saw the currents of water converging, as if standing between the shore and our little boat. Everyone on the shore had noticed the anomaly on the water surface and was worried. The current quickly grew into a huge whirlpool and started sucking in all the floating debris around it.

It’s big …. !! It could easily swallow this small boat.
Why is there a vortex in such a place !?
Why is there a whirlpool here?
No way, is the demon dog Gallam spinning around in the water to create this!?

「….. The water in the pond, which has risen too high due to flash floods, has started to flow back towards the river!! The difference in water levels must have created the whirlpool …..!!」

Seraphy grits his teeth.

「We were so close to getting away ….. but now…. !!」

The water currents changed under the influence of the whirlpool and the small boat shook.
The boat was slowly being sucked toward the whirlpool.

W-what is this!? What with these perfectly timed consecutive unfortunate events!?
This really isn’t the curse of the ruby, is it!?

「… Can’t you dodge that whirlpool?」

Bradd asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

「….. Of course it can be avoided. Don’t underestimate me. However, if the demon dog Gallam rushed in with the resolution to fight against us, it would surely try to bring us down along with it and make us get sucked into that whirlpool ……」

The water surface exploded faster than Seraphy could finish his words.
The demon dog Gallam charged in at a spine-chilling speed.
It is clearly ready to self-destruct. It no longer concealed its killing intent and displayed it through its expression. Gallam did not have any fear of being sucked into the whirlpool, but rather used the whirlpool to increase its speed, and our small boat which is struggling to avoid getting sucked into the whirlpool could not possibly be a match for Gallam.
In the blink of an eye, Gallam was already close to our boat.
So close that I can clearly see Gallam’s viciously bared fangs.

「… Don’t underestimate me. Since it has come to this, I’ll dodge it just in time and smash it into the whirlpool …!!」

After Seraphy made up his mind, his eyes began to shine with extraordinary concentration.
Seraphy pulled the paddle out of the water..

「Bradd!! Please help me out!!」

「Y-You’re going to smash it with that paddle?」

Bradd’s eyes went wide
It’s too reckless to do that against Gallam, a demon dog that can deflect arrows.

「That’s not it!! We’re going to use Gallam as a fulcrum while dodging the attack and use the recoil to push it into the whirlpool. So help me out!!」

「Point made!!」

Almost as soon as they finished talking, the demon dog Gallam attacked.
If it jumped high, it would be a prey to mother’s Thunder Crawl, so it rushed just like a torpedo on the surface of the water.

「….. Here we go!!」

Seraphy shouted and thrusted the paddle at the demon dog Gallam.
The paddle bent heavily.
The small boat spinned around.
Just like Aikido, the small boat went beside the giant body of the demon dog Gallam and avoided the attack.

「…. Stop being so persistent!!」

Bradd moved diagonally to the back of Gallam’s neck simultaneously with Seraphy and kicked the demon dog Gallam toward the whirlpool. It was a flawless cooperation that it could not escape from. But Gallam did something they had not expected. Its whole body rotated sideways at high speed like a crocodile’s death roll.

「….. Tck!!」

「….. Damn it!!」

Because the direction of force had suddenly shifted, Bradd’s and Seraphy’s bodies were suddenly repelled.

This guy read through their intentions in an instant and switched its response ….. !!

The demon dog Gallam turned around faster than the two of them could adjust themselves.
It bared its fangs and the remaining right foreleg flashed. Swinging down at the small boat.
However, an unexpected person stopped it.

「….. I won’t let you do that!!」

After she placed me at the bottom of the boat, Mary ran toward the stern and leapt off the side of the boat.
The cunning demon dog Gallam did not think of the powerless Mary as a force to be reckoned with. So it was completely caught off guard since it was concentrating all its attention on Bradd and Seraphy, causing it to react too late to Mary who jumped at Gallam through the blind spot of its collapsed vision. The demon dog Gallam could neither avoid or get rid of her. Hanging onto the arrow shaft on Gallam’s eye, which had been pierced by mother’s bow technique, the Thunder Crawl, Mary put all her weight on it. Although the demon dog Gallam tried to fight back, it had one leg missing and was at a disadvantage, so it was unable to resist and lost its balance. Caught in the whirlpool, the attack was deflected wide and went airborne. On the other hand, the little boat escaped from the whirlpool.

「Miss Mary!?」

「Owaahh!!」

Mary smiled at us as we screamed.

「….. Come on, young lady, please run away now.」

What are you talking about!! There’s no way we’d do that!!

「Quickly jump on the boat now!! If you get caught in the whirlpool, you’ll die!! It’s not too late!!」

「Miss Mary!! Don’t be stupid!! Quickly take my hand!!」

Seraphy yelled, while Bradd desperately leaned forward and reached out toward her.
Mary quietly shook her head and refused.

「….. I couldn’t protect my son, but now I can protect my daughter. I’m happy. Please allow me to call you my daughter at my last moments. Young lady …..」

---

Can’t wait to see more? Want to show your support? CLICK HERE to be a patron and get additional chapters ahead of time!

---

 

---