Kaze no Kishihime v1c9
Chapter 9 — Confrontation at Deauville
Deauville was a small town with a population of only around two hundred people.
Originally, this lonely settlement by the sea survived only through gathering shellfish and fishing. But every summer, because of the ocean currents, the sea would begin shining with rainbow colors. Tourists wishing to witness the beautiful sight gathered there each year, bringing the town a modest amount of profit.
Now, with summer only just beginning, the townspeople were busy preparing the inns that operated exclusively during the warm season.
And during such a peaceful time, a man and woman suddenly appeared.
One was a tall, powerfully built nobleman.
The other was a young woman with dazzling golden hair dressed in nun’s robes.
The unusual pair drew curious stares from the townspeople as they walked.
An old man approached them kindly and greeted the noble.
“Welcome, travelers. Um… it’ll still be a few more days before the sea turns rainbow-colored—”
A wand suddenly thrust forward and pierced straight through his chest.
Slowly, still smiling faintly, the old man collapsed onto the ground.
Moments later, a woman who had witnessed the scene screamed.
Then red blossomed across her chest as well, a magical blade fired by the nobleman pierced her.
As panic spread and the people of Deauville fled in terror, the nobleman continued slaughtering them one after another without the slightest change in expression.
The massacre unfolded beneath dazzling sunlight with such unreality that it almost resembled some grotesque stage play.
It did not take long for terror to consume the entire town.
Those attempting to flee discovered nobles armed with wands blocking every exit and desperately begged for help.
“Sir Knight! There’s a murderer in town! Please save us!”
The only reply was magic.
Every route out of Deauville was already sealed off.
And so the townspeople were slaughtered one by one by the gathered nobles.
By the time every resident of the town had been killed, roughly two hours had passed.
“Oh.”
Having discovered a man hiding in the grass behind a house and impaled him with a lance of compressed air, Angelo turned toward Novelle, who had silently observed the slaughter from behind.
“So this is enough, then? Sister.”
A bitter expression twisted Angelo’s face, while Novelle merely smiled gently.
“Yes.”
“You really are a terrifying woman. I’ve been a soldier for many years, but even this is new to me. Ordering the massacre of an entire town…”
“You dislike killing?”
Asked that question, Angelo nodded immediately.
“Obviously. Who the hell actually likes killing people?”
“And yet you still did it.”
“Because you told me to! You said if I did this, I’d definitely be able to defeat those bastards…”
Angelo spoke through a distorted expression, his eyes filled with rage and regret.
“So your resentment runs even deeper than your revulsion toward murder?”
“That’s right. That Cendrillon and that arrogant little knight apprentice… If it means killing them, I’d sell my soul to the devil itself.”
At those words, Novelle smiled with almost saintly warmth.
“But I am not a ‘devil.’”
“Oh, come on. Anyone who says ‘let’s slaughter an entire town’ and means it—if that’s not a devil, then what is?”
“Because these people have been granted eternal life now. They’ve left behind this cruel world and reached a place free of suffering.”
“Hah. Pretty words. Seriously, I’ll never understand the nonsense nuns say.”
“Come now. Let me free you from this hell as well.”
As she spoke, Novelle gently placed both hands against Angelo’s cheeks.
“What? I don’t need some blessing fro—”
The instant he spoke, something like an electric current surged through Angelo’s body.
“GAAAH!”
His body convulsed as though struck by multiple bolts of lightning. Sparks burst violently from him while the smell of burning hair spread through the air.
Then, gradually, his skin began taking on a pale pink hue…
His eyes rolled back, and Angelo collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
“Honestly… this world truly is hell, don’t you think? I find myself thinking that so often.”
Novelle placed a hand upon Angelo’s corpse.
And then—
To any ordinary observer, the sight would have been impossible to believe.
Angelo’s body slowly rose back to its feet.
Then, wand in hand, he turned toward Novelle.
“Welcome to our ‘Kingdom,’ Sir Angelo.”
With Princess Marianna surrounded at the center of their group, Karin and the others departed from Tristainia. As usual, Marianna dressed in an inconspicuous manner, resembling nothing more than the daughter of some provincial noble family. Meanwhile, Karin and the rest of the Royal Mage Guard also refrained from wearing the cloaks that would reveal their identities as guardsmen, making them appear to be nothing more than ordinary knights.
Bacchus and Narcis chatted noisily and cheerfully, while Marianna repeatedly dismounted every so often simply to admire the scenery. Yet amidst that lively atmosphere, almost festive in mood, only Karin and Cendrillon followed behind with tense expressions upon their faces.
“You two look awfully gloomy.”
Even when Bacchus teased her like that, Cendrillon’s confession from the previous night still echoed in Karin’s mind, leaving her unable to join the merriment.
Marianna, meanwhile, grew slightly dissatisfied with Karin’s behavior and constantly tried to draw her attention.
“What’s wrong, Karin? You look bored.”
“That is not the case.”
“Yes it is. You look terribly bored. Aren’t you happy to be traveling with me?”
“Of course I am.”
Even though she was still only thirteen years old, Marianna was already surprisingly skilled at attracting the attention of men. Like some flirtatious beauty, she would cast alluring glances or flash charming smiles. Any ordinary man would probably have surrendered instantly.
But unfortunately for her, Karin happened to be a woman.
And because none of her charms seemed to have any effect, Marianna became even more desperate to make this knight apprentice look at her more attentively.
In the small town they had arrived at earlier that day, Princess Marianna reached her hand beneath the table during lunch and took hold of Karin’s hand beside her. Karin, having no real way to refuse, could only helplessly squeeze the princess’s hand back in return, but… Apparently that alone encouraged Marianna too much.
That night, at the inn where they stayed, Marianna summoned Karin to her room and ordered her to read aloud to her, Karin could only comply with resignation. When she arrived, Marianna first warned her that absolutely nobody could learn she had called a young knight to her room late at night. If such a thing became known at court, both she and Karin would surely be punished severely.
After sitting down upon the chair placed in the center of Marianna’s room, Karin began reading from a collection of poems, while Marianna listened in complete fascination to Karin’s beautiful voice. Karin was exceptionally skilled at controlling her voice; if she truly concentrated, she could produce a tone very much like that of a young man. Without that ability, disguising someone with such overwhelming beauty as male would have been impossible to begin with…
After a while, Marianna gazed at Karin with an intoxicated expression and said:
“You’re so beautiful it almost feels as though you stepped straight out of those poems.”
“I am honored.”
The reply carried not even the slightest trace of actual pleasure, making Marianna even more dissatisfied.
“That town we’re heading to next, the one called Deauville, has a truly beautiful sea, you know. The colors are not vivid yet at this time of year… but under the sunlight it shines in rainbow colors.”
Marianna clearly expected some response like “But Your Highness is even lovelier.”, instead, Karin merely replied:
“That sounds wonderful. I look forward to seeing it.”
Such a cold response.
Faced with such complete inability to read the atmosphere, Marianna finally became sulky. No matter how socially unaware someone might be, in a situation like this they would at least offer some sort of flattery. Yet Karin remained perfectly upright and vigilant, seated lightly in the chair as though she would immediately draw her wand the moment something happened, her eyes constantly observing the surroundings.
“I originally hoped that this trip would be just the two of us.”
For thirteen-year-old Marianna, saying something like that required tremendous courage.
Yet Karin simply answered in a regretful tone:
“If only I alone were present, it would not be possible for me to properly protect Your Highness.”
“You could. Aren’t you very strong?”
“I am merely an inexperienced young fool, however…”
“However?”
“I believe that someday I will improve enough that I alone will be able to carry out the duty of protecting Your Highness.”
Because Karin looked directly into Marianna’s eyes and said such words with absolute sincerity, Marianna felt her heart bloom with joy. Slowly, she extended her hand, and Karin rose gracefully to place a kiss upon it. Gathering even more courage after that, Marianna pretended to stumble and threw herself against Karin’s chest. Karin supported her with her slender arms. Only because Marianna was still small like a kitten was she able to hold her up so easily; if the princess grew even a little more, perhaps they would both end up toppling over together instead.
Looking down at Marianna as the girl stared dreamily up at her, Karin inwardly broke into a cold sweat wondering:
What am I supposed to do here…?
Marianna was incredibly cute. Even through Karin’s eyes, the mixture of youthful adorableness and the first budding traces of mature feminine charm made it feel as though something truly dangerous was happening.
And on top of that, the princess clearly seemed to harbor feelings for her. Even Karin, who was terribly slow when it came to romance, could understand at least a little of what Marianna felt after the girl pretended to trip just to throw herself into her arms like this.
But…
I’m a woman…
There was no way she could accept those feelings.
Yet neither could she reveal the truth about her gender, Karin could only remain there in complete confusion.
And yet she could not reveal the truth about her gender either, leaving Karin utterly lost and troubled.
“Do you have a lover?”
Asked such a question directly, Karin had no idea how she should answer.
If she answered “no,” then Marianna would probably pursue her even more aggressively afterward. But if she answered “yes,” then she would simply be lying.
Troubled, Karin could only put on the attitude of a young warrior and answer:
“It is because I am still training.”
“Even though you’re this beautiful?”
Marianna said so with a genuinely astonished expression, causing Karin to smile faintly.
“I simply do not have the leisure to lose my head over romance.”
“Then… does that mean I still have a chance?”
Marianna closed her eyes and puckered her lips slightly. The princess’s lips were red and glossy like delicate flower petals, but Karin felt absolutely no interest whatsoever.
So after placing a kiss upon her forehead instead—
“It is about time for Your Highness to sleep.”
Karin said so in a troubled voice.
At last, Marianna properly began sulking.
“Then you may leave.”
Turning her face away, she crawled into the blankets.
After bowing and leaving the room, Karin found Narcis standing there with an openly suggestive grin on his face.
“Well now, handsome prince. So? What did Her Highness taste like?”
“Don’t joke around.”
Karin answered with obvious displeasure.
“Still, our princess really has reached that romantic age… If you manage to firmly capture Her Highness’s heart, your rise to glory will happen quickly enough, young man.”
Even after being told that by Narcis, Karin merely shook her head.
“If one does not possess the strength to match such status, then rising to glory has no meaning.”
Nearby, Bacchus was rolling around on the floor crying dramatically.
“Ahhh! Ahhh! I’m so jealous! Ahhh! Ahhh! Why didn’t Her Highness choose me?! AAAAAHHH!”
“Where’s Cendrillon?”
Karin asked, only to receive the answer:
“Downstairs.”
Was he drinking again?
At first Karin worried that was the case, but she quickly realized she was mistaken. Cendrillon was simply sitting in a chair, silently watching the entrance in case anyone suspicious tried to come inside.
After Karin sat down beside him—
“And the princess?”
He asked that immediately.
“She’s already resting.”
“I see.”
After answering briefly, he once again turned his gaze back toward the doorway.
“This is honestly troublesome. Her Highness seems extremely fixated on me.”
“That sounds like the highest possible honor.”
Cendrillon said so with a smile.
“I’m not joking.”
Karin answered in an irritated voice.
“What’s the problem? Just humor her a little. Think of yourself as her play-romance partner.”
“You make it sound very simple.”
“I’m not joking either. Someday, Her Highness will have to marry royalty from another country… Before that day comes, wouldn’t she naturally want to experience romance at least once during that brief period of freedom?”
“And what about you?”
Cendrillon slowly shook his head.
“I can no longer fall in love with anyone.”
“...I see.”
Looking at him like that, Karin tried offering to take over the watch duty instead.
“You probably want to drink by now, don’t you?”
“That’s honestly surprising. You’re the first person who’s ever told me ‘go ahead and drink.’”
Even so, Cendrillon still made no attempt to stand up, continuing to stare toward the entrance.
“You really think something bad is coming?”
Karin asked worriedly.
“I don’t know. If this is merely paranoia on my part, then that would be best. But there are definitely people who consider the Royal Mage Guard an obstacle. To people like that, this journey is the perfect opportunity.”
“If something really does happen… then I’ll become everyone’s shield. While you escape with the princess, I’ll hold them back. Understood?”
Because she had selfishly insisted on accompanying them, Karin at least wanted to accomplish that much.
Though if such a situation truly occurred… she would probably tremble so badly she could not move at all.
No, it’ll be fine. As long as I lick my left palm.
The only reason she lost to Cendrillon and Angelo before was because she became careless.
Karin desperately tried convincing herself of that, causing Cendrillon to smile.
“Don’t laugh. You were right when you said I’m still immature. That’s probably the only thing I’m capable of doing.”
“It’s too difficult for you.”
“What?! Stop treating me like a child! It’ll be fine! As long as I have courage, I can definitely do it!”
“Courage…”
The moment he heard that word, Cendrillon smiled faintly.
“Licking your left palm? What kind of spell is that supposed to be?”
Karin’s face immediately reddened.
Still, she had no intention of hiding it anyway…
“...There’s magic placed upon my left hand. If I perform that action, I can summon courage and stop feeling fear entirely. That’s why I can do anything. Before, I only lost because I got scared, so…”
“That,” Cendrillon interrupted in a serious voice, “is exactly the problem.”
Cendrillon spoke in a serious voice.
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s nothing more than your own wishful thinking. Convincing yourself that you ‘can do it’ and then attempting things beyond your own abilities—it’s nothing but that sort of foolish self-delusion.”
Karin’s expression immediately changed.
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous! For a knight, courage is more important than anything else!”
“What exactly is necessary for a knight, I don’t know… But in missions like this, where someone must be protected, the thing that matters more than anything else is probably cowardice.”
Cendrillon continued calmly.
“When you don’t know what may happen, don’t know where an attack may come from, or who might strike at you, then you should shrink your head in like a frightened turtle and carefully observe your surroundings. Otherwise, irreversible mistakes happen. Courage that’s merely forced out of yourself only gets in the way.”
Unable to understand what Cendrillon was trying to say, Karin answered roughly:
“My courage is real! It was given to me by that knight! Real ‘courage magic’!”
Cendrillon suddenly grabbed Karin’s hand. Closing his eyes, he remained silent for a few moments before eventually shaking his head.
“There is no magic placed upon your left hand at all. It’s merely a suggestion.”
“W-What did you say?”
“I’m a water mage, so I can immediately tell what parts of a body have magic placed upon them. Your left hand is completely clean. There are absolutely no traces of magic there. I don’t know who told you that story, but they probably only said it because they wanted to help a frightened child gather courage.”
Karin stared blankly at her own left hand.
The “courage” that knight had supposedly given her… had been fake all along…
“How can that be…”
Looking at the stunned Karin as she continued staring down at her hand, Cendrillon spoke again.
“I’ll say it clearly. You merely convinced yourself that you possessed ‘courage,’ became intoxicated by that belief, and therefore acted recklessly. And because you lacked the corresponding strength, you lost to both me and Angelo.”
“…………”
Faced with Karin’s silence, Cendrillon continued:
“Don’t look away from the fear inside yourself. Face it properly. Otherwise, you’ll make irreversible mistakes just like I did.”
Looking at the troubled Karin, Cendrillon smiled softly.
“You’re a good person. I’m sure you’ll become an excellent knight someday. That’s exactly why I don’t want you to end up becoming like me.”
The group arrived at Deauville the following day… precisely the afternoon of the third day since their departure.
The first person to react upon seeing the town was Bacchus, who let out a cheerful shout.
“Ohh! For a countryside town, this place is actually pretty beautiful!”
After lightly kicking her horse onward, Princess Marianna quickly rode ahead.
“Your Highness! Wait! Please wait!”
Narcis hurried after her.
However, something about the town felt strangely wrong.
Even though it was broad daylight, there was not a single person visible in the streets.
“What’s going on?”
Marianna tilted her head in confusion.
“What, is there some kind of festival happening somewhere?”
Bacchus joked awkwardly, after which Marianna said:
“Let’s check the inn we always stay at.”
The inn Marianna had chosen was a beautiful building standing atop a hill overlooking the surrounding scenery. After arriving at the small riding area before the entrance and dismounting, the group tied their horses to the wooden posts there.
Without even waiting for the horses to be secured properly, Marianna released her reins and immediately tried running into the inn.
“Your Highness, please wait. Allow me to investigate first.”
After stopping her, Cendrillon opened the door and stepped inside.
The interior was silent like a cathedral at dawn.
“Hello—? Is anyone here?”
Even after raising his voice, no answer came.
Cendrillon crossed through the entrance hall and checked the kitchen as well, but that place too was completely deserted.
Feeling a terrible premonition, he returned outside and reported to the others.
“Something is wrong. There’s nobody here.”
The tension in Cendrillon’s voice caused unease to appear upon Marianna’s face.
“What exactly is happening…?”
At that moment, Karin’s voice suddenly called out from behind the inn.
“Hey—! Come over here!”
“What happened?!”
It was the stable area.
Looking toward the direction Karin pointed, they saw something smeared across the stable wall.
Something that looked very much like blood.
“KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
The moment Princess Marianna saw it, she fainted on the spot, causing Cendrillon to hurriedly catch her collapsing body.
“For now, we should retreat. This town feels dangerous.”
Karin proposed that immediately, but after looking into the distance, Cendrillon quietly said:
“...Looks like we’re already too late.”
From below the hill, a large crowd could be seen slowly approaching them.
It was not the atmosphere of people coming to welcome visitors. Some carried spears, others pistols or swords. There were even people holding hoes and clubs… each of them gripping some sort of weapon as they slowly advanced toward the inn.
When they checked the opposite side as well, they discovered another massive crowd climbing up the hill from there too. And they were likewise armed with all kinds of weapons.
The building atop the hill already seemed to be surrounded from all directions by a crowd of well over a hundred people.
“What the hell is wrong with these people…”
Bacchus muttered before stepping forward and shouting loudly:
“HEY! What exactly are you people trying to do?! There’s a person of extremely high status here! I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but don’t you dare do anything stupid!”
Completely unmoved by Bacchus’s warning, the armed townspeople continued advancing silently.
“Those people aren’t soldiers or thugs… They’re the residents of this town.”
Sure enough, there were men and women of all ages mixed among them, all dressed in completely ordinary clothing. The only strange thing was that every single face lacked vitality, while their wandering, unfocused eyes remained fixed in this direction.
“If you keep coming any closer, we’re not going to hold back!”
The instant Bacchus roared that warning, the people at the front raised their pistols.
“Bacchus! Get down!”
At the exact same moment Cendrillon shouted, gunshots rang out.
“WHOA!”
Bacchus instinctively crouched down while clutching his head as several bullets whistled past above him.
“You bastards!”
Enraged, Narcis began chanting a spell. The earth and stones nearby immediately hardened into fist-sized projectiles before flying toward the men holding pistols.
The “Earth Bullets” struck their targets perfectly in the chest, blasting open enormous holes with sickening sounds.
“W-What?!”
Narcis stared at the men in shock.
Despite having massive holes blown clean through their chests, not a single one of them fell over. They simply continued walking forward.
“What the hell is this…”
Cendrillon immediately turned toward the others.
“For now, get inside the building.”
After the group rushed into the inn, they locked the front doors shut.
“What the hell is going on?! Who are those people?! Why are they attacking us?!”
“They’re not normal humans.”
Narcis answered in a strained voice.
“They’re exactly like my opponent during that duel earlier. Even after having a hole blasted through his chest, he kept moving.”
Cendrillon spoke calmly.
“What kind of magic could possibly create monsters like that?!”
Bacchus shouted furiously, causing Cendrillon to shake his head.
“Right now isn’t the time to think about that. We need to escape this town.”
“Can’t we use Flight and escape through the air?”
Karin proposed.
Cendrillon glanced toward Narcis.
“I’m counting on you to scout ahead.”
Narcis nodded before chanting a spell and floating upward through the window.
And then—
Gunshots rang out simultaneously.
“GH—!”
Narcis immediately dropped lower.
At that same instant, magical arrows came flying out from the forest. Hastily, Narcis slipped back through the window.
“So there are mages out there too.”
“In that case, escaping through the air is impossible.”
Cendrillon said grimly.
A mage floating slowly through the sky would obviously become a perfect target for long-range attacks. While maintaining Flight, they could not cast other spells, meaning they would quickly be riddled full of bullets and magic.
“What do we do, Cendrillon?”
Karin asked anxiously.
The moment Cendrillon noticed one of the approaching townspeople carrying a brightly burning torch, he made his decision immediately.
“Narcis, use a golem to delay them for ten seconds. During that opening, everyone will mount up and break out of the town, Bacchus will take the lead. Once the golem is deployed, Narcis will carry Her Highness and follow directly behind him. Karin, you’ll support Narcis, and I’ll stay behind to cover the rear.”
The three of them immediately began moving.
After Narcis finished chanting his spell, a golden-glowing golem appeared and began running off in the opposite direction from where the horses were tied. Gunshots immediately rang out from that direction, several bullets striking the brass golem with heavy metallic thuds.
The residents of Deauville climbing up the hill had their attention drawn toward it.
“Now!”
With Bacchus leading the way, Narcis carrying the unconscious Princess Marianna followed behind him, with Karin immediately after that. Cendrillon brought up the rear, sprinting forward while keeping his wand raised without relaxing his guard for even a moment.
While Narcis’s golem distracted the townspeople, the four of them quickly mounted their horses.
The instant a gap opened in the road leading toward the town streets, Bacchus struck his horse forward, and the four riders burst out in a straight line.
Several people noticed their movement and immediately changed direction toward them.
Swinging his wand, Bacchus released flames from its tip, surrounding the approaching townspeople within a sea of fire.
From the shadows of the forest, men resembling hunters carrying bows appeared.
“Karin! Wind magic!”
Narcis shouted loudly, causing Karin to immediately chant a wind spell. Violent gusts wrapped themselves around the group, causing the incoming arrows to veer off course.
Then gunshots rang out once more. It seemed armed townspeople were hiding somewhere nearby. Unlike arrows, the lead bullets could not be deflected by the wind, and shots began striking around Karin’s group one after another. Blood suddenly sprayed from Bacchus’s shoulder.
“Bacchus!”
“It’s nothing! Just a graze! We’re escaping exactly like this!”
It seemed he intended to use his massive body as a shield while forcing their way out of town in one charge.
The four horses burst onto the main street running through the town. Most of the townspeople appeared to have gathered around the inn, leaving only a handful of figures visible here.
“We’re escaping straight through!”
But unfortunately, things were not going to proceed that easily.
From behind them, a horse approached at terrifying speed.
“They’re catching up!”
Karin shouted.
As Narcis was carrying the unconscious Marianna, they could not increase their speed any further.
At this rate, they would be overtaken. And at that moment…
Cendrillon suddenly pulled on his reins, turning his horse around.
“Cendrillon!”
Karin cried out, instinctively trying to turn her horse around as well. But Cendrillon shouted sharply:
“Don’t come back!”
“B-But!”
In the instant Karin hesitated, Cendrillon cast a spell. An arrow of ice lightly struck the rear of Karin’s horse.
Startled, the horse abandoned its attempt to turn around and instead continued sprinting straight ahead.
“Cendrillon!”
Karin shouted once more, only for Narcis to roar back at her:
“That’s enough! Leave him to handle it! Our mission is protecting the princess! Have you forgotten that?!”
Karin gritted her teeth tightly and clenched the reins.
“Damn it!”
Watching the three riders safely disappear down the street, Cendrillon turned back toward the approaching knight and faced him directly.
The knight wore a hat…
But the instant Cendrillon saw the face beneath it, he felt himself drawing one step closer to understanding the truth behind everything happening here.
“...Angelo.”
The rider was none other than Angelo of the Unicorn Guard.
However…
Something about him felt different from before. There was no life in his expression whatsoever. He looked exactly like the townspeople from earlier… and exactly like Pedro, the knight whose chest had already been pierced through before.
Cendrillon raised his wand and cast Water Whip.
Curved whips formed from water surrounded Angelo from all directions before piercing directly through his body.
And yet Angelo did not stop.
Without the slightest change in expression, he continued charging directly toward Cendrillon.
Wind blades wrapped themselves around Angelo’s enormous lance-like wand as he swung it toward him.
Cendrillon immediately leapt down from his horse to evade the attack. The momentum of Angelo’s Blade instantly sliced Cendrillon’s horse clean in half.
What terrifying power.
Ordinary magic would not work against that thing.
If he could blast Angelo full of holes, perhaps it would stop moving. But before that happened, his own mental strength would likely run out first.
Cendrillon likewise began chanting Blade.
After turning his horse around once more, Angelo lowered his wand again and charged forward.
And through the sensation transmitted by the Water Whip still piercing Angelo’s body, Cendrillon realized something abnormal about the water circulating inside him.
That sensation was one only a corpse could possess.
That man was already dead.
Then why was he still moving?
It had to be the work of some kind of magic.
And yet, Cendrillon had never seen nor even heard of such magic before.
“So you really are dead already, aren’t you?”
Back when he was alive, Angelo had been an irritating man who constantly picked fights with him… and yet, seeing him continue attacking even after death filled Cendrillon with a strange sense of loneliness.
Angelo swung down the wand enhanced by Blade, while Cendrillon leapt backward to evade it. Then, in one motion, he closed the distance and drove his own attack deeply into Angelo’s chest.
From there, he slashed upward through the armpit.
And yet Angelo still continued moving.
The upper half of his body, already nearly severed in two, twisted violently toward Cendrillon as he continued attacking. At this point, it seemed he could probably continue moving even if only fragments of his body remained.
Burning him away with flames would probably be the fastest solution, but unfortunately Cendrillon was poor at fire magic.
Once more, Cendrillon cast Water Whip.
However, this time the whips were different from before.
Each strand was as thin as paper itself, sharp enough to resemble razors.
While avoiding Angelo’s attacks, Cendrillon wrapped the water whips around his body.
“Don’t resent me for this, Angelo.”
The razor-like water whips wrapped around Angelo instantly carved his body into pieces. His wrists, legs, and torso fell apart with wet sounds as they struck the ground, finally ceasing movement.
But the danger had not disappeared.
At some point, the townspeople surrounding the inn had already arrived nearby. From both the front and rear of the street, they slowly closed in around Cendrillon.
It seemed he had been completely surrounded.
His battle against Angelo had already exhausted nearly all of his mental strength. Facing an undead mob armed with weapons, there was no possibility of breaking through.
And yet…
He did not feel afraid.
Instead, as the townspeople slowly approached him, Cendrillon felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward them.
Thinking about it carefully, wasn’t he himself much the same?
Even though he was technically still alive, he had long felt as though he were already dead.
No hopes.
No dreams.
No reason to live, nor anyone who truly needed him.
Only at the very end had he managed to be of some use to those children.
That being said… who exactly had transformed Angelo and these townspeople into living corpses like this?
Being unable to learn the answer to that question was his only regret.
“At last… I can finally go to your side, Karina…”
Just as Cendrillon murmured those words, the townspeople suddenly parted to form a path.
And from within that opening, a woman slowly appeared.
Dazzling golden hair.
A gentle smile, and the robes of a nun…
At that moment, Cendrillon felt as though his mind had finally broken.
There was no way this could be possible.
“She” could not possibly be standing here.
And yet at the same time, another thought surfaced in his mind:
Perhaps it is merely someone who resembles her…
No.
There was no way he could mistake that face.
It was unquestionably her.
Novelle gazed directly at Cendrillon, a smile slowly appearing upon her face.
That smile connected violently with the memories buried inside him.
Three years ago.
A beauty so overwhelming that merely looking at her had felt like dreaming.
That smiling expression…
The one he would have never forgotten, not even for a single moment…
“It has been quite a long time, Pierre.”
There were very few people left in this world who knew his real name.
And among them, there had only ever been one—
“Karina…? Is that really you?”
Cendrillon spoke in a dazed voice, utterly unable to believe the scene before his eyes.
“Yes. It has been three years since we last met, hasn’t it? You look much more like an adult now.”
Joy and shock mixed together inside him, and Cendrillon nearly gave in to the impulse to rush forward and embrace her.
And yet, the feet that tried to move suddenly stopped.
He himself… He has personally buried Karina with his own hands. There was no mistake about it. He carried her corpse into that forest himself and erected a small gravestone beside the spring.
“What is wrong? It has been so long since we last saw one another…”
“...Who are you?”
“I’m Karina, of course. Goodness, why are you making such a frightening face?”
Novelle laughed cheerfully.
“She should already be dead.”
“But I came back to life… Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say I was reborn. Though truly, I have not changed at all. Just as before, I still love you deeply.”
“You’re the same as Angelo and the people of this town. A walking corpse animated by some twisted magic.”
Novelle slowly approached Cendrillon. His body trembled slightly, and yet he could not move. This is impossible, his reason screamed that conclusion at him, but his emotions refused to listen.
Novelle reached out toward him and gently touched his cheek.
“Does this feel like the hand of a corpse to you?”
Her hand was warm, a living human hand, filled with flowing blood. The moment that warmth touched him, Cendrillon became unable to think at all.
Heat surged upward from deep within his stomach.
“No… impossible… this can’t…”
“Accept the reality before your eyes. This is the truth.”
Reality. Yes. This was reality. She was standing here before him now. He could even hold her like this… The instant he wrapped his arms tightly around her, overwhelming joy flooded through his entire body.
“I wanted to see you so badly.”
“I felt the same way.”
“I-I wanted to apologize to you…”
“There is no need.”
“I’m sorry… I made a mistake… Please forgive me…”
“It’s all right. It’s all in the past now.”
Novelle gently embraced Cendrillon’s head.
A deeply familiar scent reached his nose.
It was her scent.
A gentle, nostalgic fragrance, as though the warmth of sunlight itself had been turned into perfume…
“I wanted to see you so badly. Truly… truly, I wanted to see you again.”
She pressed her face close against his cheek, her long golden hair brushing softly across his skin.
“It tickles… so much it almost makes me cry.”
“I’m doing it on purpose.”
“Yes… that does sound like you.”
Novelle smiled with overflowing tenderness before softly whispering:
“So that you would never forget that I am here.”
After escaping from the town, Karin suddenly pulled on her reins, bringing her horse to a stop.
Bacchus and Narcis stopped as well.
“What are you doing, Karin?!”
“We should be safe once we’ve made it this far, right? I’m leaving Princess Marianna to you two.”
The instant they heard those words, both men realized what Karin intended to do and shouted at once.
“Wait! Even if you go back now, it’s already too late!”
“You’ll die too!”
“I still haven’t seen that idiot make his frustrated face yet!”
The moment she shouted those words, Karin turned her horse back toward Deauville and spurred it into a full sprint.
As she rode, she shouted at the top of her lungs:
“What the hell… acting all cool like that! Don’t tell me you think sacrificing your own life so everyone else can escape somehow counts as redemption?! That’s nothing but your own selfish wishful thinking!”
Novelle gently stroked Cendrillon’s head and softly whispered:
“Pierre… would you like to come with us?”
“...Go where?”
“To our kingdom.”
“Kingdom?”
“Yes. Right now, I’m working very hard to create one.”
A kingdom?
At those words, Cendrillon suddenly remembered the residents of Deauville writhing around them. Every one of them had lost the vitality in their expressions and merely stood there blankly.
“Will I… become like them as well?”
“Of course not. You are not some ‘puppet’ like these people…”
Slowly, Cendrillon pushed Novelle away.
“Pierre?”
“...Who are you?”
Cendrillon spoke in a voice that sounded close to tears, because at that moment, he remembered another “truth” standing before him. The woman before his eyes truly was Karina. There was no mistake about that. But then… What exactly was she doing?
Creating living corpses.
An act so monstrously evil that even demons themselves would fear it. The Karina he had known was not someone capable of such things.
Could it be… That Karina, whose life had been taken by the magic he himself unleashed, had somehow been revived through some grotesque and forbidden spell? He had never even heard of such magic before…
And yet somehow, that explanation felt closest to the truth.
Tears overflowed from his eyes.
If that really was the case… Then just how great a sin had he committed?
Not only did he killed the woman he loved most, he turned her into a demon.
Cendrillon slowly fell to his knees.
“...Forgive me, Karina.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Because of me… you became…”
Then Novelle stepped closer and reached out toward his cheek once more.
“You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you? Let me take you away. To a world without pain. A world without sorrow. A place ruled only by kindness and love…”
The spot touched by Novelle burned with a pain like electric current.
“I’m going to die.”
He had no way of knowing what had happened to her, nor what sort of conspiracy was unfolding here. He would never see his companions again.
And now, without understanding anything at all, he was about to be killed by the hands of the lover he once believed dead.
And yet… if he could go to the same place as her, perhaps that too could be called a kind of happiness.
“Karina…”
Tears streamed down his face as he prepared to accept the final moment—
At that instant, Cendrillon’s body was violently blasted away by a fierce gust of wind, sending him tumbling across the ground.
“Don’t just casually say that name. It’s irritating.”
Together with the sound of an annoyed click of the tongue came a sharp voice overflowing with anger.
Cendrillon’s eyes widened.
The first thing he saw was long peach-colored hair dancing wildly in the wind, shining with vivid color. The figure standing straight-backed before him looked almost exactly like the saintesses from the religious paintings he had seen as a child.
“Karin…”
Cendrillon spoke in a dazed voice, causing Karin to immediately shout back at him.
“Who exactly was the immature one here?! Who was it that confused courage with recklessness, huh?!”
Cendrillon tried to force himself back to his feet, but… a sensation of numbness still wrapped around his entire body. It had to be because of Novelle’s magic from earlier. If she continued using it on him like that, then he would already—
“If I didn’t come back, you would’ve died!”
“My, Pierre, is this a friend of yours? You should introduce her to me.”
Novelle spoke as though they were attending some refined social gathering. Karin immediately raised her wand.
“Who’s Pierre?”
“My lover, of course. Though nowadays he seems to be using a very strange name. ‘Cendrillon’—is it? Is that hair dyed too? To match the name? You always did love little jokes like that.”
Novelle spoke with a voice full of affection.
“You…”
Those words made Karin realize the true identity of the nun standing before them.
Could this woman… really be Cendrillon’s former lover?
But didn’t he say she was dead?
Novelle, meanwhile, seemed to have realized Karin’s true identity as well.
“You… could it be that you’re his lover? Did you come running back because you didn’t want me stealing him away from you?”
Karin stared directly at the golden-haired woman controlling the people of Deauville. Dressed in black nun’s robes, she looked exactly like a devout sister of the church, and there was even a gentle atmosphere of compassion surrounding her.
And yet, hidden beneath that compassion, this woman transformed an entire town into an army of the dead.
And more than that, she herself should already have been dead as well.
And yet now she stood there smiling before them.
Hidden beneath that gentle smile was something that could only be described as evil…
“What… is this woman…?”
She was terrifying.
A fear that felt as though it were clutching at her heart made Karin’s entire body tremble.
There was nothing more frightening than an opponent whose true nature remained unknown. The bottomless abyss of the “Dragon’s Footprints” she saw as a child overlapped with the woman standing before her now.
The fear was so overwhelming that Karin felt herself close to breaking down. Instinctively, she almost moved to write “courage” upon her left hand.
Her index finger began moving toward her palm—
“...Ngh.”
But at that exact moment, Cendrillon’s words flashed through her mind.
“Don’t avert your eyes from the ‘fear’ inside your own heart.”
Karin slowly lowered her left hand.
Against this woman, mere courage alone would never be enough to win…
With her entire body trembling, Karin glared directly at Novelle.
She was so frightened she could hardly bear it, and tears began spilling uncontrollably from her eyes. A choking sound escaped Karin’s throat.
“Uu… uuwaa… ugh…”
Even while sobbing miserably, Karin still gripped her wand tightly.
And continued facing Novelle.
“My, my, you’ve started crying. Am I really that frightening? There’s nothing to be afraid of, you silly little thing.”
“Of course you’re frightening! How could someone like you not be terrifying?! I can’t even understand what you are!”
Karin shouted through tears, having already lost any composure necessary to maintain her masculine tone.
“Run away! Karin!”
Cendrillon shouted desperately toward the panicking Karin.
“Shut up already! Just shut up and watch! It’s not like I came back to save you or anything! It’s just that if I left you behind like this, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night! Seriously… acting all high and mighty! You have no idea how hard things have been for me! Calling me reckless… What’s wrong with relying on magical courage anyway?! I can’t help it! Because… because I…”
Karin began chanting a spell.
It was merely simple wind magic, and yet its power was extraordinary.
The violently rising gale caused Novelle’s nun robes to flutter wildly.
“My, what a frightening expression. Don’t be so angry. Such a beautiful face would go to waste.”
Novelle smiled with genuine delight before quietly retreating backward. The residents of Deauville surrounding her immediately began closing in.
There were over a hundred of them.
Seeing them raise pistols and bows—
“They’re terrifying… There’s no way we can fight that many.”
The moment she finished chanting, Karin leapt upward at incredible speed. In one motion she flew to Cendrillon’s side, grabbed his body, and launched herself into the air.
Karin retreated behind a nearby building.
“H-Hey… Karin, run away already… Leave me behind.”
“Shut up! Be quiet for a second! I’m trying to think!”
Suppressing the panic caused by her fear, Karin desperately forced herself to think.
Escaping while carrying a completely paralyzed Cendrillon was impossible.
Which meant…
She had to find some way to deal with those things.
“Those people… are they being controlled?”
Cendrillon slowly shook his head.
“No… I can’t sense any sign of life from them. Perhaps some sort of evil magic is animating their corpses.”
Karin bit her lip tightly.
Those people…
They did nothing wrong. They had merely been living ordinary lives.
And then those ordinary lives were cruelly stolen away from them, leaving them manipulated by that woman and forced to attack others…
Sorrow mixed together with frustration, and tears once more flowed from Karin’s eyes.
Those tears washed the fear away from inside her.
She could not continue trembling like this, nor did she have time to lose herself in confusion.
She had to dedicate victory to the souls of those people.
Karin tightened her grip on her wand and slowly raised her head. By then, tears no longer flowed from her eyes.
“Karina… why…? What in the world happened to you…?”
Hearing Cendrillon mutter those words, Karin glared fiercely at him.
“Cendrillon, listen carefully. That woman is not your former lover anymore. She’s something else now. You understand that too, don’t you?”
“...I know.”
“If you understand that, then start by healing your injuries. You can at least manage that much, can’t you?”
That enormous horde of corpses.
They had already died once, which meant they would not stop unless their bodies were completely torn apart with magic. But against numbers like that, tearing every single one of them apart with magic was impossible. Their mental strength would run dry first.
“Wouldn’t the magic animating them be purified by ‘Healing’?”
The instant Cendrillon heard those words, realization flashed across his face.
“I see… It’s definitely worth trying.”
“There’s no time for you to keep hesitating. Listen carefully—I’m going to pull up the seawater, and you’ll cast ‘Healing’ onto that water. Water magic resides within water itself, right? Just like Wind resides within the wind. That’s how it works, isn’t it?”
Cendrillon nodded.
“But there are over a hundred of them. Can we really scatter water over every single one?”
“Don’t underestimate my wind.”
The moment Karin said that, she began chanting a short incantation.
Il Wind.
Then she spun her wand in a sweeping motion.
“Tempest.”
It was merely a simple spell meant to create a tornado.
And yet its power was utterly overwhelming.
A colossal vortex of air nearly two hundred feet tall erupted from the tip of her wand, while violent winds lashed against Cendrillon’s face. Had they not been standing at the very center of the vortex, they would already have been blown away.
Effortlessly controlling that monstrous “wind,” Karin looked almost like a child of the wind itself.
Commanding the gale while standing above it all…
At that moment, she resembled the legendary “Wind King” from myth.
Cendrillon became so captivated by the sight that he nearly forgot to continue chanting.
“Hurry up and cast ‘Healing’ already!”
Startled back to his senses, Cendrillon hurriedly began chanting the spell for “Healing,” aided by the immense quantities of seawater surrounding them. The sea, said to be the birthplace of life itself, was naturally an exceptional catalyst for water magic. The spiritual energy he consumed was replenished by the abundant seawater.
The child of the wind fearlessly drove that gigantic tornado directly into the sea itself. Enormous masses of seawater were swept high into the sky, scattering seven-colored light beneath the rays of the sun.
Spray from the sea splashed across Cendrillon’s cheeks.
And every time he felt the touch of water, Cendrillon always found himself thinking the same thing.
I love water.
Water could heal him.
But only that much.
It could not save him.
The one capable of truly saving him…
The one who could sweep away the “dust” covering his heart…
“Now! Cast ‘Healing’ onto all of this water!”
Seeing the residents of Deauville gathered along the shore, Karin shouted loudly.
Cendrillon released “Healing” into the enormous masses of seawater being drawn upward by the tornado. Filled with the power of life, the seawater began shining even more brilliantly.
Then Karin unleashed the tornado containing that immense quantity of seawater imbued with “Healing” toward the gathered residents of Deauville, or more accurately, toward the entire town itself.
From behind the residents of Deauville who had become “puppets,” Novelle looked toward the shore, where a gigantic tornado had appeared within her sight.
“My… what is that? A tornado? Goodness, it’s enormous.”
Before her eyes, the tornado continued growing larger and larger until it completely engulfed the residents of Deauville. And then… The transformed townspeople began collapsing one after another.
“What is happening?”
The tornado reached the skies above the town and scattered seawater downward like rain. The moment the water touched her skin, Novelle understood.
It was “Healing.”
The two of them had infused the seawater itself with “Healing,” then used that gigantic tornado to shower it down over all of them.
“I see. That was quite clever. It seems today’s victory belongs to you.”
Smiling gently, Novelle turned around. Around her, several magicians appeared from seemingly nowhere and followed behind her like shadows.
Humming happily as though she were about to break into song, Novelle walked away in the direction opposite the shore…
Watching the residents of Deauville collapse like puppets with their strings cut, Cendrillon let out a relieved breath. Beside him, meanwhile, Karin collapsed onto the sand while gasping heavily for air.
Cendrillon hurriedly rushed over to her side.
“H-Hey! Karin! Are you all right?!”
He lifted Karin into his arms and prepared to cast “Healing.”
But in the very next moment, the sound of snoring escaped from Karin’s mouth.
She had probably exhausted every last bit of her mental strength.
That sleeping face looked so innocent and beautiful that it was difficult to believe she was the very person who had created such a colossal tornado moments earlier.
As he stared at that sleeping face…
Something resembling a premonition quietly appeared within Cendrillon’s heart.
And as he thought that, the young wind-user with such an immature-looking face suddenly seemed—
Cendrillon’s cheeks flushed red.
After watching her quietly for a while, Karin slowly opened her eyes.
“Mm…”
“Are you okay?”
“What about the townspeople?”
“...None of them are moving anymore.”
“I see…”
Karin closed her eyes sorrowfully. Cendrillon likewise lowered his gaze and offered a prayer for the innocent victims.
Simply because they happened to live in this town, they transformed into walking corpses.
Compared to the fate those people suffered, his own misery suddenly felt no more significant than childish playacting.
“What happened to that woman?”
“...Judging from the fact that nothing else has happened since then, I think she probably disappeared.”
The moment Cendrillon answered, Karin slapped him across the face.
“W-What was that for?!”
“Idiot! Stop worrying about me and go after her already!”
“T-That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m worried about you.”
Hearing him answer so seriously caused Karin’s face to flush bright red.
And at that exact moment, she realized something.
Ah… did I just use a feminine tone?
This is bad. Did I let something slip?
Trying to cover it up, Karin quickly said:
“You’re not planning to let her go just because she was your former lover, are you?”
“...That’s not it.”
Cendrillon shook his head as he answered.
Fortunately, he did not seem to have noticed.
Perhaps he simply lacked the composure to notice right now.
Quietly pressing a hand against her chest in relief, Karin continued:
“Let’s regroup with Bacchus and the others. This still isn’t over yet. We still have to safely escort Princess Marianna back to Tristania.”
Cendrillon nodded before turning his gaze toward the sea.
Watching the ocean continue its tides as though nothing had happened at all, the emotions he suppressed until now suddenly surged violently within his chest.
His former lover.
Why? How could she still be alive?
And yet the truth remained, Karina had truly appeared before his eyes.
As a cruel demon…
He did not know what happened to her, but surely what he himself did was part of the reason.
With these very hands, he would have to defeat her himself.
Only by doing that—
Only by doing that could he offer some measure of consolation to the dead of this town.
Cendrillon made that vow within his heart.
And yet... even after making up his mind, tears still streamed from his eyes. Never, even in his dreams, had he imagined that their “reunion” would happen like this. He could no longer imagine anything more tragic than this.
The woman he loved most became the worst kind of monster...
The tears would not stop falling.
Like a helpless child, Cendrillon clenched his fists tightly. He grieved for the people she killed, and he grieved for Karina, who became a demon.
Watching Cendrillon continue to cry, Karin felt an indescribable emotion rise within her. Until not long ago, she thought of him as nothing more than a thick-headed drunkard… But that was wrong.
He’s just... a weak person too.
Despite being so weak that he looked ready to collapse at any moment, he refused to lean on anyone. Instead, he drank alone, called himself “Cendrillon,” the man covered in ashes, and abandoned everything.
But now, something was different.
Though tears still streamed from his eyes, there was now a light of determination within them. Surely what happened today did change something inside him as well.
Just like it changed her.
Someday, perhaps, Cendrillon would fight that woman. At the end, he was a master with the wand, a specialist in battle.
But there was no way he could face her alone. Someone would need to stand beside him.
Karin grasped Cendrillon’s wrist and helped pull him to his feet.
“Get up. We’re leaving.”