Horizon:Volume 1B Chapter 21
Chapter 21: The Worriers Before the Dawn
It's times like these.
That I'm not too sure.
What do I say?
Point Allocation (Protagonist)
A white bedroom.
Thin beds, all surrounded by white curtains, were lined up under the white light of holy-technique illumination. This was a hospital room.
A young man was sleeping on one of the beds, a girl sat by the bedside.
The girl was tending to one of the young man's legs with her two prosthetic arms.
His right leg.
The skin of the leg was covered by parchments of holy-technique contracts to such an extent that it looked like papier-mâché, and the girl continued to plaster charms onto it. However, the charms were gradually falling away from where they had been applied, crumbling with a glow of light and revealing the skin beneath.
Beneath the charms was deep purple skin, swollen and bloated, like it had absorbed a large amount of water. The thickness of the right leg was almost several times that of the left one.
"...Muneshige-sama, why do you not think of an easier way to win? You always fight the enemy head-on."
The girl whispered to herself. She took a new holy-technique charm from the box labeled, "Medical Officers' Property," and applied it to his leg while saying:
"If this continues, I will never cease to worry. It is already dawn, but you..."
She took a breath, her head bowing slightly.
"...Please. Please wake up soon."
The moment the words left her lips.
"Well, I'm awake since you said 'please', Gin-san."
Surprised at this sudden voice, the girl, Gin, turned back, and Muneshige's eyes were open.
His eyes were wet and slightly bloodshot, but they were focused on her.
"Have your worries ceased?"
Muneshige said with a weak smile. Hearing this, Gin's face flushed a deep pink, and she dipped her head.
"......"
She took Muneshige's swollen right leg and squeezed it.
"Ahh..."
A hoarse cry spilled from Muneshige's throat.
"Ahhhh...!"
Muneshige flailed about like a fish out of water, but Gin's left arm and the leg in its grip budged not an inch.
"Ah, that hur- wai- ahhhhhhhhhh, ple- it huuuurts! Huh? You're healing me? Huoooaahhh!?"
Muneshige tapped out on the bed, but Gin remained standing there, taking deep breaths and forcing down the heat rising to her cheeks. She looked at him from the side.
"I suppose you have something to say...? Alright, principio."
"I-I'm sorry for worrying you, so sorry!"
"Tes. Anything else?"
"T-Thank you very much f-for treating me!"
"...Anything else?"
"S-Sorry for embarrassing you with my playfulness!"
Gin nodded, expressionless.
"Tes. Anything else?" She added.
"Ah- ahhhhhh, I-I'm just about at my limit, wai- I'm sweating weirdly!"
As Muneshige squirmed, noise started to spill in from the curtain behind Gin. It was the sound of many voices.
"Vice-Squad leader! Have you woken up!?"
"Ahhhhhhhh! N-No, GIn-san! I-I can't take anymoooreee!"
The door closed.
After a few seconds, the sound of footsteps walking away from the door and men and women muttering drifted into the room.
"The hell was that about, even though we were worrying so much the vice-squad leader's having the time of his life."
"Jeez, the vice-squad leader's always making Gin-san do things like that...Thinking about Muneshige being a pitcher gives me shivers..."
"Well, they say that all humans have a weakness..."
Adding on her right hand, Gin nodded twice, then thrice.
"So basically, this is what is commonly referred to as 'the time of one's life'."
"No, y-you're mistaken, the time of one's life actually refers t- huh? what...huuuhhh? Wai- everything's going white...!"
"Tes Shall I increase my strength output?"
Hearing this, Muneshige sat up.
Holding his breath, he suddenly pushed himself up and leaned against the sitting Gin, hugging her close to him.
"U-Um, I forgot to say something."
"Tes. What might that be?"
Muneshige answered her.
"...I'm back...Oh, and forgive me."
"Tes. Welcome back. I was waiting for you to say that."
Gin smiled and hugged Muneshige back, wrapping his right arm around him. She brought her left arm away from his leg, saying:
"I have no complaints if you go to the no-man's land, but if you did not come back then I would be...troubled. Replacing Muneshige-sama may be a simple task for others, but it is not the same for me."
Gin embraced Muneshige again, a breath of relief spilling into his shoulder.
"I have concentrated healing on your legs instead of your chest. I have gathered all the medical holy-technique equipment on this ship that could not be used on other wounded. I can have you running until nine o'clock today."
"...What's going on outside?"
"Tes." Gin said, before she continued on with a cold voice.
"Mikawa is destroyed, and the Tres Espana Mikawa recon squad has teamed up with the K.P.A. Italia Mikawa recon squad. It has been decided that, as representatives of the Testament Union, we will be taking over control of the area. The King of Musashi has considered raising an insurrection, and most of the authority held by the Chancellor's Board and Student Council now belongs to him. The provisional parliament, which leans towards the Testament Union, plans to yield Musashi to the Testament Union as a substitute for the town of Mikawa, which is now rubble."
"Wait a second."
Muneshige looked up before starting to speak:
"Um...you just said that they planned to yield Musashi as 'a substitute for the town of Mikawa,' right?"
Muneshige continued: "Then...who is taking the blame for the destruction of Mikawa, close correspondent of P.A. ODA and developer of armaments with New Nagoya Castle."
"Tes. 6PM today, the princess of Ariadust, Horizon, will be disassembled in the Andamio de la Ejecución on this ship. Earlier, the Shinto head priest who K.P.A. Italia brought with them confirmed her succession in an abbreviated ceremony and announced that she was a legitimate child. Horizon herself has also permitted this."
Gin paused for a breath.
"The princess Horizon is an automaton, but her soul component has been assimilated into a Logismoi Oplo. The Logismoi Oplo is a weapon of mass-destruction, and for the disarmed Far East, its possession is illegal. As such, to assume responsibility for the destruction of Mikawa and simultaneously yield the Logismoi Oplo to the Testament Union, princess Horizon will take her own life.
