Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 4 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 4===

「Uu…… nn」

After the appearance of the Orthrus, a confusion occurred due to a cave-in at a part of the seventh floor.

And then, Airi was separated from the group because of the melee against the spilling out multiple Abyss, she was now walking alone in a corridor of the Ark.

Her current position was most likely the latter half of the eighth floor.

She couldn’t even see clearly for a few mel ahead because several lighting went out due to impact.

For the time being, it was a small mercy that she wasn’t injured at least, but she wondered if everyone was safe.

Besides,

「Nii-san──is he safe right now?」

The gloomy atmosphere and the coldness filled her with unease.

As always, when she was alone her weakness like when she was still sickly came out.

Her sickness and frailness led her to depend on someone else.

That was something that came from the instinct of a living being of wanting to receive the protection from the people close to her, but because of that, she caused her only big brother to worry very much after her mother died.

Perhaps because she was at the age of entering puberty, she was usually really shy to say it out, but she was really grateful towards her brother.

After the Old Empire was reborn as the New Kingdom because of the coup d’etat that Lux caused, she thought that she too had to change.

As his only beloved family, this time she wanted to support her brother with her own strength.

Thinking that, she endeavored to study harder than anyone in the academy and obtained various knowledge as a civil official.

She obtained the knowledge about Drag-Rides and the Abyss,  she was also more skilled than any student in deciphering the Ruin’s ancient texts, Relie had also entrusted her with the position as the exclusive aide of Syvalles the other day.

She got along well with the girls in the academy, and she could also more or less accommodate her big brother.

She believed that, although imperfect, she had managed to grow up splendidly.

Despite so.

「Please quickly come here if you’re safe. It’s really cold here you know?」

A wide space enclosed within darkness.

A situation where she didn’t even understand where she was walking to and the strange sounds that she could faintly hear became fear that encroached into her heart.

Suddenly, a cold wind caressed her cheek and Airi spontaneously shivered.

「……Nii-san too has become really cold-hearted. Because of that my body got really cold. Because he didn’t quickly come here to get me──」

Airi was whispering while slowly reaching out her hand to empty air. Then she suddenly returned to her senses and lifted up her face.

「Just what am I saying.」

If someone heard her talking to herself like this, it would feel really embarrassing for her.

Airi looked around herself restlessly with a slightly red face.

Even so it was fine if she could be distracted.

The dangerous time was exactly the time when she had to be calm.

If she got scared and panicked, then acted rashly because of that, death would be waiting for her.

When he looked at the direction where there was no loud sound, it didn’t seem like there was any Abyss nearby, but depending on the species there was also the possibility of them camouflaging or hiding themselves.

It was still too soon for her to loudly call out to her comrades.

Thinking so, Airi continued to walk cautiously.

If the direct passage that connected the eighth floor and the deck that La Cruche told them was at least nearby, she would be able to escape by herself, but that was only an overly convenient imagination.

As a protection charm, she was carrying the horn flute that could manipulate the Abyss.

Regarding its mechanism and the way to play it, she was taught how to by La Cruche not long ago through Krulcifer, and she somehow managed to learn just the basics, but using it was accompanied with risks.

「I don’t really want to use this though……」

Shelving its use as her last resort, Airi walked while avoiding massive rubble and followed along the wall that divided the area.

「……-」

After she walked for a few minutes, she could hear a small sound.

Airi immediately hid herself and her hand reached towards the horn in her breast pocket.

Should she blow it or not? A hasty decision would be fatal.

Inside the extreme tension that made her hesitate to even breath──

「……that, something like this」

The clearly human voice entered Airi’s ears.

「…………!?」

Airi almost reflexively ran towards that way, but she held herself back with an effort.

It seemed that there was a group in the neighboring area with a thick wall interposing her from them.

However, that voice didn’t come from girls, it was the rough voice of men.

The private force that Marquis Dobar brought here with him.

Even so if she told them her story and asked for help, surely they wouldn’t ignore her.

But more importantly than that, she felt discomfort from the atmosphere of their conversation. Airi stayed quiet, she killed her presence and approached stealthily.

「It turned into something bad. Like this the Abyss might get out and even the people of Ries Island will get harmed. If it became known that we caused this incident because we forcefully broke through the manufacture area──」

It was the voice of the elderly group leader.

Airi who heard that sentence instantly understood.

As expected, that alarm sound and the release of the Abyss was the doing of Marquis Dobar’s group.

According to the international agreement, it was everyone’s responsibility to avoid the Abyss’s appearance as much as possible so that unnecessary damage wouldn’t be caused by the Ruin investigation.

If it was reported that this disaster was because of their blunder, than that group’s leader and Dobar himself would be judged in a trial.

「You really don’t get it. How many years have you been wielding your sword under me?」

A bit after that, Airi could hear Marquis Dobar’s voice.

There wasn’t any tone of panic or regret in his voice. Instead his voice oozed out composure and joy.

「You still haven’t noticed my intention. Just why do you think I made the Empire’s Assassin Dagger break the door of the manufacture area?」

「Do, don’t tell me──」

「Are you listening? Currently the Ragnarok protecting this Ark has died, there is the possibility that the door at the Ruin’s deepest floor is open. Treasure that no one has ever seen and information on the ancient era. This is the perfect chance to make all of those mine. Therefore, we have to prioritize becoming the first one to reach the deepest floor the most. Those officer cadets bunch getting dragged into this would actually be ideal.」

「Ho, however……. If those girls, the officer cadets──the Syvalles unit is annihilated, it will become a great loss for the New Kingdom too……」

「……Right. In other words, in order to make up for that lost strength, the New Kingdom will have to rely on the treasures that we bring back from the Ruin. That’s all.」

Dobar laughed smugly with a crooked smile.

「That Syvalles bunch is an eyesore anyway. If those girls enter the military later on and raise their position, it will shame the male Drag-Knights even more. If they die or even just get hurt, then they become obedient because of that, then that would be best, don’t you think?」

「……As you will.」

The group leader fell silent with those words as his last.

He listened attentively to his master’s words and accepted it.

「It’s a, horrible talk……」

Airi unconsciously whispered in a low voice that no one could hear.

She never expected that the other side wasn’t running out of control simply because they were impatient to get meritorious deeds, but that they also wanted to harm Syvalles.

She really wanted to denunciate them right away, but it would be dangerous if she did that.

The possibility that they would give Airi protection was already very low.

No, far from that, if they became aware that she just heard about their talk──

(Besides, the Empire’s Assassin Dagger, where did I hear it before──)

Airi was trembling while trying to search back her memory, it was then,

「──My apologies to interrupt your talk. But there is one thing that I noticed though?」

A high and charming voice of a girl resounded in the eighth floor’s corridor.

Airi split her attention towards that voice of a girl that shouldn’t be among Dobar’s private force, it was then,

*kashun*

After such quiet Drag-Ride’s mechanical sound, the resistance on Airi’s back vanished.

「Eh──?」

*DON!* What collapsed and raised that sound was the partitioning wall behind Airi.

When she turned around, she saw the private force of Dobar wearing Drag-Rides and the figure of a girl that she saw for the first time.

The special shape of the Drag-Ride the girl was wearing made it highly probable that it was a Divine Drag-Ride.

That girl smiled the moment Airi’s gaze met hers.

「Wha──?」

The private troops that saw Airi’s figure leaked out surprised voices and stiffened.

The flustered Airi immediately tried to hide but,

「Hou. Look who is here──isn’t this the criminal former imperial princess who came along with everyone of the academy? I wonder, what happened that you are in that kind of place?」

Dobar’s gentle voice and gesture felt terrifying instead.

But, she would meet her end here if she imprudently showed a scared attitude.

「……Syvalles is in battle with the Abyss, so I took some distance to avoid the danger. The battle will end soon and they should come here then.」

Airi pretended to be calm as much as possible and told them that.

She didn’t tell them that she was separated from the others because of the melee but lied that the others planned to meet up with her in order to protect herself.

If they knew that Airi was overhearing their talk by herself then she would be silenced without a doubt.

She made a lie that her comrades would come soon and prayed that Dobar’s group would let her go.

「I see. However, that’s really dangerous. In this situation we don’t know where the Abyss are hiding──. Kirihime, if my memory serves me right, your Divine Drag-Ride is a Drake type right? Can you search for the group that was with her?」

「It’s possible. Please wait for a second.」

The girl called Kirihime consented calmly.

Even Airi had never seen a Drake type Divine Drag-Ride but──, the ability that normal Drakes possessed──enemy search, camouflage, support, assist, repair, this Divine Drag-Ride should possess all of those too.

If they found Syvalles was nearby, they might take her to them.

When Airi was desperately harboring such wish inside her chest.

「It’s unfortunate, but there is no one else nearby. It seems they are a bit farther from here.」

「I see, then kill the criminal lady.」

Airi’s thought came to a halt hearing Dobar’s unhesitating words.

「Eh……?」

「Is that okay? She is one of the only two survivors of the Old Empire isn’t she?」

The girl called Kirihime tilted her head with her smile staying unchanged.

「Fuh……. Are you hesitating to sever the bloodline of the empire that you once swore your loyalty to?」

「Yes perhaps, now that you mentioned it, that’s how it is.」

The girl called Kirihime said with a bright and refreshing face that didn’t look like she was worried at all.

「But, the Arcadia Empire has perished. Your new lord is I who took you in. Am I wrong?」

「Of course, I acknowledge that.」

「Hmm……. It’s fine as long as you understand that. If you are reluctant then I’ll let another person do it. Oi.」

Dobar lightly raised his hand and gave his instruction. Then three Drag-Knights including the group leader came forward and surrounded Airi. They lifted their swords.

「Don’t think bad of us okay……」

To say nothing about escaping, she couldn’t even beg for her life anymore.

Airi who grasped the situation that she was already beyond help no matter what she did accepted her own fate.

「Nii-san……!」

Airi squeezed out that word while closing her eyes. At that moment,

「Guah……!」

Immediately following that short moan, *DON*, there was a loud sound.

When Airi opened her eyes, the three Drag-Knights who were going to kill her were collapsing.

「Wha-……!?」

The private force of Dobar that was at the back opened their eyes wide in shock.

The girl called Kirihime was standing in front of Airi with a large blade pulled out.

It was a peculiar weapon called a 『katana』 that possessed a smooth curve.

The girl handled that blade easily and cut down the troops easily.

「Dear me. I was thinking to go along with you all for at least a bit more, but being fickle is my weak point.」

The girl who was the culprit who carried out this violence was continuing to speak matter-of-factly with a tone as though she was making small talk.

「Wha, what are you doing……!? Yo, you……you want to betray me!?」

The panicked Dobar hid behind the group of Drag-Knights standing by at the back. He yelled fearfully.

「Please cease with the false accusation. From the start this body had sworn loyalty to the Arcadia Empire. I was merely pretending to cooperate with all of you in order to get out off of the island and come here.」

「-……!」

Airi realized her reason when she heard the name of the Arcadia Empire.

This girl exposed her true nature when the order to kill Airi, who was an imperial family member of the Old Empire, was given out.

「I, I was the one who rescued you who were imprisoned on the island’s prison and welcomed you as my subordinate. That debt──」

「We were only using each other based on convenience. In this kind of relationship, the side that is abandoned first is the one who loses, that’s how this works don’t you know?」

The eyes of the girl who was smiling cheerfully was suddenly tinged with sharpness.

「Do it! Kill that woman at once! Kill the two of them altoge──」

「Besides, I’m not pleased with you. You are in contradiction with my aesthetics. You pretend to swear loyalty to the Old Empire and also to the New Kingdom, you change your master as easily as flipping your hand depending on the situation, that low-life personality without even a shred of pride in it is──」

Right after that, *kin-!*, the ringing metallic voice could be heard.

At the same time, the seven Drag-Knights that attacked simultaneously stopped still──

 

「Wha, what happened……!? The Drag-Ride’s movement was……!」

「What’s going on!? Has your Drag-Ride broke down!? Wait, stop──!」

 

The private troops raised their screams. Right after that, everyone began to attack each other with the weapons in their hands.

Someone pierced the chest of the man beside him, someone stabbed a neck with a dagger, someone turned another into a beehive with their gun.

The spurting out fresh blood dyed the surroundings red, the Drag-Rides were desummoned one after another.

「Hi, HIiIiiH!?」

Dobar screamed after witnessing his troops being turned into corpses by friendly fire and he backed away.

Both his stubby and short legs were entangled with each other and he tumbled on the floor unsightly.

「Wha, what are you doing-……!? Why, did my troops──」

「My my, you still have the calm to ask that kind of pointless question? You’re mistaking the order of your priority. What do you want me to do so you will overlook me? Right now that’s the question that you should be asking me.」

The girl who instantly murdered seven Drag-Knights spoke with a kind smile.

That awfully bright voice was obviously mixed with scorn.

「Ple, please. Save me!? I, I’ll give you all the money and land that you want! I’ll make you into an officer of the New Kingdom……! You can rise in the world if you work under me, this country is──gebah!?」

「Haa……dear me. You are not listening to my words at all, not even the tiniest bit aren’t you?」

Dobar’s throat was cut along with that exasperated voice.

「That is troubling for me. If something like the New Kingdom exists, then the Arcadia Empire cannot be restored by my hands.」

Dobar fell behind. He then choked on blood and writhed for a while before he soon became unmoving.

「Now then.」

The girl in black clothes turned around and stared at Airi.

She faced Airi who was speechless from great shock and bowed with a friendly smile.

「Thank you for waiting. You are the imperial princess of the Old Empire, her highness Airi Arcadia, correct?」

「That’s, right……」

Airi mustered her courage and managed to answer somehow.

There was no meaning in lying seeing how her hair and eye color was all the proof needed.

「I am called Kirihime Yoruka. A Drag-Knight who was once called as the Empire’s Assassin Dagger. The loyal servant of his majesty the Emperor of the Arcadia Empire.」

「…………」

Even Airi had heard at least once regarding the existence of the Empire’s Assassin Blade.

She was a Drag-Knight from an island country to the east that was destroyed by the Old Empire in the past, she couldn’t be killed no matter how large the army that was invested, she was a devilish girl.

She exchanged a certain pact with the Emperor and entered under his banner, after that the people of authority who witnessed her true strength feared to even make use of that strength and she was sealed into a solitary island as a secret weapon.

But, in the end all of those were only baseless rumors, Airi didn’t know anything about this girl.

Therefore, Airi didn’t say anything unnecessary.

Based on what she heard from Dobar’s conversation, this girl was faithful to the Old Empire even now when it had perished.

If she said something imprudent, she would be dealt with similarly like them in this place.

「Now then, we have finished the greeting so let’s enter the main topic.」

The girl showed an alluring smile and narrowed her eyes.

「Your elder brother──the last male survivor of the Old Empire. His highness Lux Arcadia, where could he be?」

「……-!?」

Airi’s breathing stopped hearing that question that she feared the most.

「Although you are also a member of the imperial family, but men and women exist in completely different dimensions. I more or less have the duty to save you, but that’s only after I can meet your elder brother. I have heard from Dobar that he is attached to the academy of Cross Field. He is coming to this island in participation of this training camp thing isn’t he?」

Yoruka was talking while peering onto Airi’s face with her two differently colored eyes.

Ominous devotion was filling the inside of that friendly smile.

This person……cannot be allowed to meet Nii-san.

With her arms and legs trembling from fear, Airi resolved herself.

「──No, he isn’t here.」

And then, she answered so clearly.

「Is that true? If you are lying──」

「It’s true that Nii-san belongs to the academy, but right now he is in the middle of doing another special mission. ……I’m thankful for the help you gave me, but I still cannot tell you the location of my brother.」

「Is that so, that’s unfortunate.」

Hearing that, Yoruka calmly smiled.

Airi who saw Yoruka accept her answer was about to sigh in relieve, it was then,

「You don’t intend to say the truth even if I kill you, is that right?」

The smile of Yoruka whose eyes were wide open was right before Airi.

「…………」

Her lie was seen through.

Including her resolve to not speak of Lux’s whereabouts even if she was killed.

「Well, that’s fine. Let’s stop here for now. Actually I wish to meet him immediately even for a second faster, but for now he seems to be safe. The first impression is important for something like this, so……. I will come visit again after I make a little more preparations. Excuse me……」

Yoruka said only that while bowing with her body still clad in a Drag-Ride. She then turned around her Drag-Ride and it was only her head that looked back towards Airi.

「Aa, I recall one thing. I killed that strange two-headed dog, but the distance from here until the surface is still far. I won’t mind escorting you until there you know?」

「……No thank you. I don’t need it.」

「I understand. Please be careful.」

Yoruka smiled in satisfaction and vanished inside the darkness.

Ten seconds later after her presence completely disappeared, Airi’s legs lost strength and she fell on her knees.

「Haa, haa……! Haah……」

There was only the sound of rough breathing resounding in the out of shape eighth floor’s area.

「That person…… just who is she──」

At this point of time Airi shivered and her teeth were clattering.

The acting and lie that she desperately put up were completely seen through, and on top of that she was let go.

That strange mentality and bottomless strength was beyond the imagination even for Airi who had seen various Drag-Knights until now.

「Could it be, that person is stronger than Nii-san……」

Airi shook her head and denied that imagination.

But, opposite to Airi’s will, the trembling of her body didn’t disappear.

「She, cannot be allowed, to meet with Nii-san……」

And then a few minutes later.

She met up with the group of Celis and the others who came searching for her and Airi returned back to the surface.