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Chapter 41 Part 4 – 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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Both of them casually took care not to let me feel inferior.

My heart felt tight.
Near the center of the whirlpool, the demon dog Gallam is flailing about, trying to shake Mary off, but Gallam is barely able to resist the whirlpool with his remaining foreleg. And because of the pawing of the demon dog Gallam, Mary was not sucked into the whirlpool. Ironically, the whirlpool and the demon dog Gallam that are threatening Mary’s life are now in a delicate state of balance that saved Mary’s life. Still, every now and then a claw would graze Mary and cause her untied hair to fly about. Unaware of our approach, Mary clung to the arrow with a determined look on her face.

「….. We’re heading there now. Miss Mary…. !!」

Bradd quickly pulled back his right foot.
He widely swung his right fist and thrusted his left hand forward and got into a stance.
The index and middle fingers are aligned together, then his thumb is placed on top of the clenched little finger and ring finger. He made the so-called sword finger with his left hand, placed it on his forehead, and focused his attention.

「……. Fuuu …… !!」

He maintained the sword finger gesture of his left hand and swung it down forward, while his body twisted in a large clockwise direction to create a pool. The mist of blood splits into two like wings and starts to flutter on his back.
He has entered the preparatory phase of the technique.

Seraphy did not blink due to extreme mental concentration.
Perhaps if he takes his eyes off the whirlpool current for even a second, the boat will capsize.
Both the paddle and his hectic eye movements miraculously kept the boat from capsizing in the whirlpool.
His face was pale, but his green eyes burned just like how the radiance of a lighthouse pierce through the storm.

Mary jumped on the demon dog Gallam single-handedly to save me.
Bradd and Seraphy are risking their lives to save Mary.

While I, I’m the only one who is helpless and can’t do anything to help them ….. !!
It’s so frustrating ….!! So mortifying …..!!

I tightly grasped the Ruby ​​of God’s Eye, pressed it to my forehead, and prayed.
Earlier, this ruby ​​showed a phantom flame to repel Bradd.
Certainly this ruby ​​is more than just a jewel.
It is hiding a mysterious power.

If that’s the case!! Now is the time to help everyone with that power …. !!

That flame alone should be useful enough to blind the demon dog Gallam.

If you have the power. Please ….!! Lend me your power ….!!
I don’t want to be the only one protected.
Even if it’s just a little bit, I wish to be able to help them …..!!

But no matter how desperately I wished, the ruby didn’t show a single reaction.
It’s no wonder. As a newborn baby, I don’t even have the resources to make a deal with it.
There is nothing that can conveniently help me if I can’t afford it.
At my own inadequacy, my tears spilled and soaked the ruby.
My tears that spilled down the ruby ​​shone brilliantly. Particles of light burst out over and over again.
No, it’s not the tears. Nor are they reflecting light.
This is the ruby itself emitting light …..!?

The light flickers in the depths of the ruby, as if it was a pounding heart.
It was as if it was trying to speak gently to me.
Then, a gentle male voice actually spoke to me in my mind.

「….. Don’t cry anymore …. These tears are enough for the price …. I’m going to wake up「everyone」who is sleeping in the ruby now … In order to borrow the power of the Ruby of God’s Eye, you need to go through the vengeful spirits’ trial …. Do you understand …..?」

His voice sounded familiar and nostalgic.
I suddenly had an intuition that I could believe in this voice, even though I had no evidence to back it up.
When I nodded my head in agreement, ‘he’ seemed to laugh.

「….. Good girl. The flames of trial will begin now …… and your mind will be pulled into the inner spiritual world of the vengeful spirits inside the ruby ….. but don’t be afraid …. you’ll be okay …. and I’ll be with you …..」

Despite him saying 「vengeful spirits」 multiple times, I felt strangely calmed down when I heard ‘his’ voice speaking gently to me to reassure me.
It felt like my head was gently patted and encouraged.
So when a flame erupted from the Ruby of God’s Eye and enveloped my whole body, I didn’t feel afraid.
The flame was similar to the one that had repelled Bradd earlier.
But Seraphy did not notice the flame. Although it was impossible for him not to see it from where he’s standing.
Even though Bradd was focused and had his back on us, it is unlikely for him, with his keen intuition, not to be able to detect the anomaly.
So it was clear to me.
Right now the flame is a phenomenon that only I can see …..!!

Then the scene surrounding me suddenly became dark.
The scene of Bradd’s back and Mary who was biting the demon dog Gallam, all went away into the distance and disappeared in an instant as a dot.

I was thrown into the middle of the void.
The sound of the wind whirring screamed in my ears as I fell.
It was the resentment of the vengeful spirits.
This is the inner spiritual world of the vengeful spirits that 「he」 referred to …..!!
The distance is obscured by thunderclouds swirling with grief and curses.
The clouds are eerily dyed red.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by flickering flames.
The flame took on the shape of countless distorted human beings.
The terrible anger and resentment dwelling in the flame tried to burn me.

「… Another one came again. A conceited fool who desires the seat of the True Emperor ….!! Why did the Ruby of God’s Eye pull her in….!! I will never forgive those who trample and defile the bond between the True Emperor and our Light Bat Tribe!!」

「…. Only resentments remain in our hearts!! We were robbed of our lives, our wives and children, and even our honor after death. You have wronged our warriors, falsely accused us of treason, and then you brazenly covet the seat of the True Emperor’s successor …..!! What nobility, what royalty!! We will never allow you bastards to have that seat!」

「….. Remember our grief …..!! All of you people who cannot understand the heart of the True Emperor …. I will never forgive you! …. May the one who possesses this ruby be cursed for eternity ….!! ….How dare you hurt even women and children …..!! All of you who sing praises for the false history!! May you all perish!!」

The sound of the wind became a myriad of curses and tried to cut through me.

Light Bat Tribe!?
These vengeful spirits are from the Light Bat Tribe and that was the cause of the ruby’s curse!?

I was stunned by the unexpected words that suddenly popped out.
The Light Bat Tribe was a vicious tribe that once went on a rampage across the continent and was subdued by the True Emperor.
It’s a villain among the villains of old tales that even children know.
When the children play war, it is always the Light Bat Tribe that is made the villain.
Even in good versus evil plays, it is a standard plot for the wisdom and courage of the knights and kings to defeat the savage Light Bat Tribe and cause them to have to flee for their lives.
The Light Bat Tribe must have continued to resent the great True Emperor and did not surrender to the True Emperor and the knights of the Alliance of Nine Kingdoms until the very end, and continued to stay hostile until they perished.

And yet, this only sounds as if they respect the True Emperor!?

「…. That’s not it!! Our Light Bat Tribe …… respected and loved the True Emperor more than anyone else. We fought together. We dreamt of uniting the nine warring kingdoms and bringing peace to the continent …. The Ruby of God’s Eye was originally the symbol of our tribe. We gave it to the True Emperor as a proof of our bond ….!!」

And then the cries of resentments turned into a storm.
Is it because this place is their inner spiritual world? I could understand that they were not lying.

「We, the Light Bat Tribe, were the greatest contributors to the Great War. The True Emperor also trusted us from the bottom of his heart ….. That’s why he once again made us manage the Ruby of God’s Eye that would be proof of the next True Emperor. ….He could trust the decision of the Light Bat Tribe. He asked us to determine whether a candidate is suitable or not to become the True Emperor first, even before the Ruby ….. and the ancestors of the Nine Kingdoms were jealous of this great responsibility …..!!」

The flames twisted in anger and stirred the sky.
The sky was distorted by the regrets of the Light Bat Tribe.

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