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Chapter 45 Part 5 – This is one of my memories from my previous 「108 times」 about the fall of the castle. In a castle surrounded by flames, I heard an unexpected spell of happiness.

They had reached a tall room with pillars.
The discolored pillars and the color of the walls tell the history of the room.
The floor was covered with a thin layer of dust.
Because this room is usually closed and no one cleans it.
Few people even know of the existence of this room.
Footprints dotted the floor because Matzo has been down here every once in a while to inspect it.

Matzo gently puts Scarlet down from his shoulders so that she does not notice his trembling body.
Scarlet is sharp. If he didn’t do it quickly, she would realize his fatal wound.

「….. Excuse me, Your Majesty. Can you please hold this torch for a while? I will open the door that leads to the way out. Please be careful to not drop it. The way out is completely dark. Without a light, we would be at a standstill. My body is so big that I will end up hitting my head all over the place and get all kinds of bumps and bruises.」

Matzo laughed at Scarlet, who nodded seriously as she accepted the torch, then he pulled open a door disguised as a stone wall. The muscles in Matzo’s shoulders rose. The floor shook with a thump. A slight dent on the door is the only handle. The door with a stone surface is incredibly heavy. A man with ordinary strength could only move it a fraction of an inch. The door to the escape path can only be pried open with sheer strength and it is the final cornerstone of the royal family’s protection. For generations, only those who can move the door have been chosen as the captains of the Imperial Guards.

Sweat broke out on Matzo’s forehead.
What he could normally do with ease was currently unbelievably hard.
His life force was rapidly draining away along with his blood.
The door narrowly opened, but Matzo could barely stand and inadvertently staggered.

「….. Matzo!? Are you okay!?」

Scarlet rushed over to support Matzo, only then did she notice something black and wet around his feet and she let out a small scream. The blood from Matzo’s back was running down his leg, creating a pool of blood.

「….. Matzo!! You’re seriously injured!! Why didn’t you tell me about your injury!?」

「….. Ah, you’ve noticed it. It’s fine, it’s not a serious wound. I’ll catch up with you after a short break, so please, go ahead …..」

Matzo smiled wryly as he restrained his desire to hug Scarlet and put his hand on her back with all his heart. He had put his hand around Scarlet’s back many times since she was a little girl and picked her up in his arms. He has always loved her as if she were his own daughter. He had been saved by her small warmth and smile.

「Don’t be silly!! There is no way I can go alone!? I command you as the queen!! Let go!!」

「…. Ahh, it is rare that you give an order in the name of the queen. But I can’t listen to that order. …. Vtorichnaya Vstryecha … I pray that Scarlet-sama will be happy. ….. I will take my leave now.」

With a prayer to cut off his feelings, he forced the resisting Scarlet into the escape path.
Without a pause, he pushed the door with his back and closed it at once.
A heavy thud sounded, and a thick door separated the two of them.
Matzo let out a deep breath and collapsed with his back against the door.

「…. Matzo!! Open the door!! Please!! You’re about to die, aren’t you!! Open the door!! Please!! …. Let me die with you …..!!」

Scarlet was crying as she shouted, pounding frantically on the door.
Feeling the reverberations of the door with his back, Matzo smiled and spoke.

「…. May I ask you to join me for a moment for a silly old tale? Vtorichnaya Vstryecha …. Do you remember it? That was the spell of happiness that the young lady casted to comfort me a long time ago. It is the name of the wet nurse whom you adored. To be honest, I have known that name for a long time. Because she was the only woman I ever loved in my life …. I was really surprised when I heard the young lady saying her name.」

「…. Vtorichnaya Vstryecha …. was Matzo’s lover ……」

Scarlet was at a loss for words, but Matzo continued to talk calmly.

「That’s right. Her common name is Mary. Even I have one romantic story to tell. She was cheerful, lovely, and kind. She was a great woman who was too good for me. She has always been concerned about Scarlet-sama, like a mother concerned about her daughter. I can still clearly remember the look of joy on her face as she looked forward to meeting the young lady again.」

Even as he spoke, smoke was drifting into the hidden room.
The fire must have spread to the entire castle.
The old soldiers were no longer alive.
They have probably sacrificed themselves for their mission, passing away without being commended by anyone.
Matzo closed his eyes.
He considered himself as happy since he was about to die while having a last conversation with his beloved Scarlet.

「…. Although you may consider this insolent, I have watched over young lady Scarlet as if you were my daughter. Like you were my true child that came from Mary and me …..」

「Me too, I have always ….. considered Matzo as my father …..!! So, please!! Open the door ….!! Please …. Matzo …. Father …..!!」

Matzo’s eyes widened and then he smiled broadly.

「Hahaha ….. this is the best farewell gift I could have ever received. But then, even more so, I will not open this door. Parents give up their lives for their children. Thanks to you, I will finally be able to meet Mary in the afterlife. Please consider it a mercy and let me pass away with this great feeling.」

Realizing that Matzo’s resolve could not be broken, Scarlet broke down crying across the wall.

「….. Please don’t cry. I am smiling now. In the past, I once let my loved one die all by herself. But this time, I was able to do my best for the person I love. How happy I am! Even if I’m dying, right now I don’t feel like I would lose against an army of 10,000 soldiers …..!!」

Matzo laughed heartily as he struggled to hold on to his fading consciousness.

「Please live. Do not let everyone’s wishes go to waste. For now, as the last queen, please look forward and walk resolutely. You remember Ethelreed, right? From the riverside at the end of the escape path, someone related to Ethelreed will guide you out of the kingdom. It is something he prepared for you before he died. ….. Then …. After that, I hope that, you can walk on the path of happiness that you have wished for ….」

Matzo’s words were cut off and his head hung down.

「….. Matzo!? …..Matzo!! Answer me!! Matzo!!」

Matzo slowly opened his eyelids at the sound of Scarlet’s crying and made a bitter smile

「…. Ahh, I almost fell asleep by accident. Come on, hurry. …. Please reassure me.」

Scarlet pressed her tear-stained cheeks against the cold door at the sound of Matzo’s strained voice.
She closed her eyes and shivered, as if trying to feel the warmth of Matzo’s back through the door.

Stopping here any longer would mean wasting Matzo’s favor that he risked his life for.
It’s not just Matzo.
Ethelreed and the old soldiers, all of them, had died for me.
She couldn’t just cry and ignore their feelings.
Scarlet is aware of a queen’s responsibilities to the point of sadness.

「….. Matzo, as the queen, I will never forget your loyalty. ….. Farewell.」

Recalling the memories of times they spent together, she wanted to throw up blood as she uttered those parting words, then she lifted her cheek from the door.

「….. Goodbye, father …..」

At the small murmur, Matzo laughed happily across the door.

「….. Goodbye, Your Majesty. Goodbye, my dear daughter.」

Scarlet turned her back to the door, desperately choked back her sobbing, and started walking at a quick pace.

「….. I’m not going to cry …. All of them risked their lives for me, the queen ….. and their lives are not so light that I can get away with just crying ….! ….. I am the queen ….!」

Clenching his lips and clenching his teeth, Scarlet alone follows a dark loophole.
Biting her lip and clenching her teeth, Scarlet continued to walk alone down the dark passageway.
But despite her words, her tears flowed unceasingly and continued to spill out mournfully illuminated by the flame of the torch.

When he heard Scarlet’s footsteps moving away, Matzo staggered to his feet and was about to begin working on the final move that would allow Scarlet to escape more safely. He fell to his knees several times, but with incredible fortitude, he picked himself up. Even though it would have been far better to die, Matzo did not let out a single grunt of pain. His feelings for Scarlet drove his dying body.

When he finally finished all the preparations, he was surrounded by smoke so thick that he could hardly see.
Relieved that he had managed to do something before the light of his life was extinguished, Matzo took a deep breath and tightened his grasp on the chains in his hands.
A sharp, familiar killing intent pierced Matzo.

「….. I finally found you!! I’m so glad to see you!! Old man Matzo!! This time for sure, I’m going to settle the battle with you!!」

The heat in the room caused a current of air to flow into it and a plume of smoke escaped.
Behind the fading smoke, a wild, brown-skinned young man with slitted golden eyes and a toothy grin appeared. His wolf-cut hair at the back of his neck fluttered like a mane.
He was holding a huge iron bow and aiming it at Matzo.
Normally, it would be difficult to even draw a bow made of iron.
And yet the tip of the young man’s arrow did not move an inch. His physical strength was unbelievable.

Matzo realized that he had encountered the worst kind of opponent.
All he could do was smile bitterly.
It seems that the god of fate is very mean to put this man against his dying self.

「… On my way here, I saw Rudy, his partner wolf, and even Solomon passed out!! That must be your work, right old man! Only you would have beaten them and let them go without finishing them off! As expected of you!! That’s why I really want to beat you!!」

The brown-skinned young man shouted excitedly and happily.
「This Arnold shall duel you!! Of course, a fair and square match, one on one!!」
The Hunter of Darkness Arnold, one of the five heroes, had a fearless smile and challenged Matzo to a fight.