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Chapter 56 Part 5 – Mr. Queer Witch and I are reading each other, causing sparks to fly around. And what are the seven phantoms!? And then, the third person from the five heroes!! Enter the fray, the melee, the great chaotic battle!

「…… Plants do not have muscles like animals. You are using the water inside the plants to manipulate it. Once I understood that logic, that would mean that the people of the〈Lawless Crew〉who can freely manipulate the blood flow would also be able to manipulate the plants …… Get out of the way!!」

Following Bradd’s order, the wall of thorns separated into two.
It was as if a double door had opened on its own.

Uwah, what a ridiculous theory …… As expected from a cheat creature.

By the way, with the exception of Bradd, it is impossible for the people of the〈Lawless Crew〉to do such a thing.
I’ve realized that the impossible becomes possible just by this idiotic assumption.

I felt like an idiot for worrying about it.
There was no escape for the exposed Mr. Queer Witch.

「…… Eeeehhhhhh!? That doesn’t make any sense!! That theory!!」

Uh huh, I totally agree with Mr. Queer Witch’s exclamation.

A dry sound coming from a blow rang through the air.
Mr. Queer Witch stiffened and collapsed as if hit by an electric shock.
Bradd withdrew his outstretched fist and smiled.
The color of his eyes returned from red to black.

「…… Sorry about this. …… Now it is Scarlet’s victory. …… I won’t kill you. You could have done something much worse, but you didn’t. You persisted in having a fair play. To show my respect, I only tampered with your bloodstream and paralyzed your body.」

Bradd’s attack was so fast that there was no time for Mr. Queer Witch to escape or defend himself.

「…… I’m here, sorry for the delay.」

Bradd brandished the folding fan and cut off the vines that had been twined around me and mother.

I let out a gasp of air.
By now, cold sweat was pouring out of my forehead.
It was a close victory, even though it somehow worked out as planned.
I felt a strong wave of emotions as I started to speak to Mr. Queer Witch.

「You are strong. Perhaps if you had concentrated on defense, we probably would not have been able to break through, and we would have been exhausted and annihilated. So from the very beginning, the plan was to use me as bait to lure you out and then strike with Bradd’s surprise attack.」

Except for Bradd, everyone else was a diversion.

From Mr. Queer Witch’s words and actions, I judged that he was confident in his fighting style of taking on multiple enemies at the same time. That meant that he would not be easily defeated by a normal brute force approach.
I also had a hunch that he was the type of fighter who excelled at waiting for his enemies and drawing them into his own territory.
This came from my experience of observing a number of generals during my time as queen in the previous 「108 times」.
Therefore, I needed to be in a situation where I’m all alone to let him lower his guard and pull him out of his own territory.

Since we did not know the details of Mr. Queer Witch’s abilities, we had to respond in a flexible manner, but that plan was the only thing we had decided from the beginning. While giving Bradd a kiss of blessing on his cheek, I had secretly whispered in Bradd’s ear. So, Bradd understood my intentions and moved quickly.

「…… I see …… I must have fallen into the trap …… the moment when I underestimated the ruby princess …… as a helpless young child.」

「Yes, but if you were someone who didn’t hesitate to take a person’s life, I wouldn’t have been able to use this kind of move in the first place. I would have been killed before Bradd could step in to help.」

This is not lip service. It’s the truth.
He probably could have produced a poison that would have killed us all instantly, not just paralyze.
As I’m just a helpless child, he could have instantly strangled me to death with the vines.
But I was certain that he would not do so.
I took advantage of his good-naturedness, so to speak.
I clenched my fists. It was hard to believe that we had won.

「…… Don’t look so grim …… Reading the enemy’s mind …… is a common practice …… on the battlefield …… Puff out your chest …… and be proud …… You are …… a worthy …… winner.」

While moving his mouth with difficulty, Mr. Queer Witch smiled to comfort me.

「…… You’re a good person. I don’t want to be rough with you if I can help it. Will you tell us what you’re up to and who you are?」

Bradd’s tone and gaze were calm.

The paralyzing effect of Mr. Queer Witch’s poisonous pollen seemed to wear off quickly, and the〈Lawless Crew〉and the imperial guards all stood up with a grunt. They bypassed the wall of thorns and staggered toward us. Fortunately, there were no injured people or horses. It was proof that Mr. Queer Witch had taken great care to minimize the number of injuries.

「…… I don’t deserve to be called …… a good person. …… I couldn’t help …… those children who adored me so much. …… They were calling my name …… until the very end …… If only …… from the beginning …… I had taken them and ran away ……」

Mr. Queer Witch was choking back his sobs halfway through the sentence.
I don’t know if it was due to the paralysis or his tears that caused his words to be in pauses.

But my eyes saw, for a brief moment, a vision of a large man laughing surrounded by many children. It must have been the power of the Ruby of God’s Eye. This burly but kind man must have been Mr. Queer Witch when he was alive. The children all had happy smiles on their faces. I could tell that they adored him with all their hearts. Their excited voices burst like bubbles and disappeared. A nostalgic and heartrending memory ……

I can feel the sorrow of Mr. Queer Witch.
The children all died an untimely death because of the Blue Diamond and Mr. Queer Witch was also killed ……

Even though he was left with only his soul, he kept regretting that it was all his fault. It’s too sorrowful. Even though this person did nothing wrong, he continued to blame himself so much for not being able to protect them …… That’s how he passed countless years with his soul bound to this Blue Diamond ……

This doesn’t mean that I understood everything.

The information that has flowed to me is just a fragment. However, with just knowing Mr. Queer Witch’s sorrowfully strong convictions and feelings, it was enough to convey it to me.

「…… The reason for you to fight that you mentioned earlier was to free the children’s souls from the diamond.」

「…… How did you …… know that ……!!」

I crouched down in front of the gasping Mr. Queer Witch, took his hands, and helped him stand up.
He is a kind, strong, and sorrowful person. His feelings should be rewarded.

「Listen. I don’t have any powers, but this Ruby of God’s Eye has a mysterious power.『He』once told me that it can break the boundary between this world and the other world. The spirits of the Light Bat Tribe who are attached to the ruby may know of a way. Will you let me help you?」

「Are you insane ……!! You want to help me …… even after I tried to do such a terrible thing ……!? …… Why!? I’m your enemy!?」

I gripped Mr. Queer Witch’s hand tightly and shook my head.

In the previous 「108 times」, I’ve seen many people who put on a friendly face, but behind the scenes, they try to bring me down. I don’t blame them now, but even so, as a sensitive girl at that time, I was terribly hurt and cried in hiding many times. Compared to that, I can sympathize much more with Mr. Queer Witch, who has called himself an enemy from the beginning and challenged us to a fair fight. An enemy is an enemy, but he is a good enemy. Besides ……

「Besides, I saw it. The scene of the children smiling while surrounding you. All of them looked really happy. …… They are the children who you want to release, aren’t they? I also wish I could see those smiles again with my own eyes. …… For the sake of the children. That’s more than enough reason for a good woman to lend a hand.」

I winked at him.
Well, I didn’t do it right though. A child’s facial muscles are too weak.
It took me the fifth try to get it right.

「What’s wrong, munchkin? You keep making funny faces. Did an insect fly into your eye?」

Shut up. Idiot Bradd.