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Chapter 51 Part 3 – Erica flowers and …… the Witch of Doom.

「…… This is ……?」

Erica’s eyes twinkled and Solomon nodded.

「… Erica of the Ericaceae family. It is the flower that your name originated from, a flower that blooms on the rocks during the winter. It was an ordinary flower, but now this is an amulet that I have applied my devilishly genius secret magic to. If you bring it with you, beasts and scoundrels will not be able to approach you. This will protect you during your journey. Experience the miracle of learning.」

After saying that, Solomon quickly waved the hem of his black robe.

「Well then, I’ll be off now. I’m still busy with various things. I doubt we’ll see each other again.」

「…… Wait!! Please wait!!」

Erica instinctively sensed that once he left, she would never see him again, and so she yelled out and grabbed Solomon’s hem as he was about to leave. She was overcome by emotions stronger than anything she had ever experienced in her life. The atmosphere around Solomon was ruthless and his words and actions were perverse. But what he did was filled with sincerity. Holding on to Solomon’s clothes, Erica burst into tears.

「I don’t want to say goodbye to you without knowing anything!! Why did you ……!! Have we met somewhere ……? I …… I ……!! …… Why am I crying ……」

She didn’t know what to say to him after holding him back, but her feelings felt as if it were about to explode, and the tears just wouldn’t stop. Solomon looked a little troubled, put his hand gently on Erica’s hand, and pulled her fingers away.

「…… Erica is a common plant found in the wild. But it is strong enough to withstand the harshness of winter. And it blooms with small flowers in the wasteland and heals people’s hearts with its gentle fragrance. I once promised a woman that I would …… see this flower again with her the next season. That I would protect her. …… And yet I …… my promise.」

Solomon stared at Erica. His expression hardly changed. It was an expression that showed that he had stifled his emotions.
Erica blinked. For some reason, she thought the tall Solomon in front of her looked like a boy much younger than her. She couldn’t remember anything, but she was filled with nostalgia and pain.

「…… That ……!! ……You are ……!!」

Solomon gently put his index finger on Erica’s lips and did not let her speak any further.

「…… I spoke a little too much. This time I did it for my own trivial self-gratification, don’t worry about it …… Now, go home and live a life that is worthwhile, even if it is ordinary, as the name of the flower means. I swear in the name of Solomon that neither sickness nor poverty that has afflicted you will ever come near you again.」

Solomon turned away. The way his jet-black academic gown fluttered in the night breeze looked sad and lonely to Erica’s eyes. The young man’s backside looked as if he was holding something back.

「…… Forget about tonight. The darkness I dwell in is not necessary in the happy life you will have.」

Solomon leapt silently and disappeared into the night.

Erica stood on top of the hill, staring in the direction that he disappeared into for a long time. She clutched a cluster of Erica flowers that was given to her by Solomon to her chest as if it were a bond between her and him.

「…… I will never forget what happened tonight until the day I die …… Solomon, such a mysterious man ……」

Erica finally knew how she should have put into words the feelings that filled her heart as Solomon helped her and held her in his arms as he soared through the night sky. A mysterious young man whom she will probably never see again, She was sure that someday when she was old and her youth had faded into the passage of time, she would occasionally remember this night and return to the sadness she had felt as a young woman.

Erica was now the only one on the hill tonight.
Erica believed that god had given her the opportunity to speak her mind, without being disturbed by anyone.

「…… My …… prince ……」

Erica uttered those words that were so common, so embarrassing, and so important to a woman with her small lips. She repeated it over and over again in her heart. As if trying to engrave it permanently in her heart as a precious memory.

◇

Solomon ran through the darkness of the forest.

The darkness did not hinder him. Nothing in the forest at night, not even the flying creatures, can move faster than him. His academic gown left a trail like a black comet. The trees on both sides of the path were being left behind at a tremendous pace. Only the crescent moon in the sky can keep up with Solomon.
Solomon’s brow furrowed as he pulled out his spare pince-nez glasses and put them on.
He pondered as he ran along at high speed.

「…… Hmm, that Alisa would never have told me where Erica was just out of the kindness of her heart. What are you up to, Alisa …… hm?」

An unnaturally dense fog began to form, obstructing Solomon’s path. The surrounding area looked as if it was submerged in a white soup and the visibility was close to zero. Solomon did not even try to slow down in the fog, which would have prevented a normal person from moving even a single step. With a fearless expression that he never showed when he was with Erica, he plunged into the fog and tore it apart.

「This is not like what Alisa would do. How can I be stopped by such childish pranks? Her methods have become sweeter after she became a little girl. However, she had gone too far for a prank. No matter how much I love her, I can’t let her get away with this. I’ll have to spank her on the butt.」

Solomon’s mouth curved into a smile. His eyes accurately found the golden beetles that were hiding in the treetops behind the mist. The fog was a hallucination caused by Alisa’s golden beetles. The beetles realized that Solomon has spotted them and began to stir in a panic to intercept him. Solomon snickered.

「…… Are you going to come attack me? How foolish. Even if you are Alisa’s pets, I will not go easy on you. Just as well. I’ll wipe out these little bugs with various troublesome tricks for the sake of my future plans.」

Solomon was about to bend down in order to explode with power, but then he suddenly looked up.
It was because Solomon was the only one who sensed the killing intent, which was silent and coercive.

「…… Tch ……!!」

He clicked his tongue and leapt sideways.

The wind whirled up in a gust of wind and the snout of a huge beast leapt out of the mist in pursuit of Solomon, who jumped back in an L-shaped trajectory. The beast’s fangs made a strange sound as it gnashed together. Its tremendous power and weight reminded one of a man-eating shark in the sea. Solomon just barely dodged the direct hit, but its fangs grazed the edge of his clothing and his body spun around. Sparks flew at the point of contact.

Solomon was not perturbed and flipped himself around like a spinning top, regained his stability, and landed brilliantly.

Four shadows, each larger than a buffalo, appeared out of the fog. It was as if an iceberg was approaching. And yet there was no sound at all. Before he knew it, these unbelievably large dogs were surrounding Solomon. They stopped walking and looked down at him with their cold green eyes.

「…… The offspring of the demon dog Gallam!! As expected from Alisa, I take back what I said before. She is truly merciless.」

Shaking off the sleeve of his academic gown that had been ripped off, Solomon turned to the beasts and laughed happily.

「I see, so these dogs are my real opponents, not the golden beetles. This will be a challenge even for me, too. I am surprised that they were able to surround me without letting me sense their killing intent. But if it were so, why didn’t all five of them come at me? …… I don’t see Margarum, where did it go?」

As if to answer Solomon’s question, a white dog moved forward and dropped the thing it was holding in its mouth to show it to Solomon. Solomon’s composed smile disappeared from his face.