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Translated by mranon
Edited by OnionRings27
2nd Volume, 15th Chapter 【The Echo】
Somehow, I held onto the consciousness that had almost dispersed. I tried to lift my body that had crumbled down onto the floor.
However, not only was my brain dominated by an all too familiar floating sensation, it was overwhelmed by nausea as if I was being pulled by gravity from every direction. Even so, I wouldn’t let it have its way.
Is Logins-san a.s.sociated with these suspicious guys?
…That’s absurd…
I rethought with a little sanity that was left in me. My eyes hadn’t gone that bad. Logins-san’s affection toward Marita; Marita’s trust in Logins-san. That relations.h.i.+p could by no means be a sham.
Even I, who hadn’t been acquainted with them for long, could see that. It was such a warm and cozy relations.h.i.+p.
I couldn’t imagine it being entirely an act… I couldn’t imagine it at all…
「…How are these guys still not asleep? Even though I took great pains to arrange that medicine.」
The man of big stature, the one who entered the room last, spat these words from behind the mask.
「…Irregularities exist everywhere…」
「For someone like you, it was an unusually bad performance.」
「You’re the same as ever… Serdio..」.
「After putting this matter to rest, I planned on returning to my former life. However, it seems to be impossible given the situation.」
The man called Serdio spread both of his arms and exhaled.
「It’s an unnecessary thought. In any case, since I had the qualifications to serve here… I had no such thought to begin with…」
Logins-san…?
「Lo-Logins, what’s the meaning of this? Explain!」
「Marita-sama… I apologize…」
「What… What do you mean ‘I apologize’? I don’t want to hear that!」
Shaking her head in denial of the reality unfurling before her eyes, Marita cried.
Although we couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation either, the shock that Marita, who had been under his care from back when she was a child, received would indeed be a big one. Her tiny slender legs, that could be peeked through the hem of her dress, were trembling.
「Marita! Run!」
The one who raised her voice in the midst of all that――was Lim.
She pulled Marita’s hand and bolted to somehow escape to outside the room.
The woman, whom I injured, had yet to heal. Her partner, the man, was left with just one of his swords. If she had to pa.s.s through, it would be through there. Is that what she judged――?
Making full use of her flexible body, she lightly floated into the air and launched a roundhouse kick. Immediately, the woman took evasive action. The kick, however, grazed her temporal region and broke her stance.
「You…」
Enraged, the man next to her thrust the remaining sword out. Letting it slide over the back of her glove’s padding, Lim diverted the trajectory. She drove the heel of her palm into the chin of enemy.
「Ouch… Captain!」
As she dashed through the cut open s.p.a.ce, the man of big stature――Serdio, sneaked around to the front of the door.
「Get out… of my way!」
Leveraging the physical abilities of a beastkin, Lim reeled her front kick. However, the enemy dodged it by a hair’s breadth.
She swung the kicked up heel down, but he guarded even that with crossed arms.
The next instant――the enemy mowed Lim’s left leg, that had become her pivot leg, in order to trip her. Without having been afforded an opportunity to perform ukemi, she was knocked down onto the floor.
「Conceited la.s.s…!」
「――Igu…u…a」
――He mercilessly slammed his fist into the collapsed Lim’s abdomen.
Blood vomited out of her mouth and dyed the carpet crimson.
「What were you doing? Showing such a disgraceful sight in front of a beast.」
「M-Marita… run――」
Lim, who was extending her trembling hand to her friend, was punted in the head. She lost consciousness… Never to move again…
Don’t… be kidding me…
「…Lend me your sword for a bit…」
「…Eh? What for?」
The woman, who bawled so, s.n.a.t.c.hed the sword from the man and walked up to the unconscious Lim.
Stop… it… What do you plan on doing?
Amidst a sense of unease, I somehow stretched my hand to the tumbled over sword.
――The woman set the sword up right above Lim.
「This girl, how dare she…」
「Sto――」
The plea of someone like me, who could only crawl and scream, wouldn’t accomplish anything. However, the woman’s sword ceased; it never swung down.
「Don’t kill people meaninglessly… Didn’t you learn that…?」
「…I learnt from the captain to kill only if needed, but I have to kill her for my peace of mind…」
The eyes of the woman crossed with Logins-san’s who was holding her arm back.
「――Stop.」
「……」
Upon Serdio’s voice, the woman obediently lowered the raised sword.
Is this Serdio guy… their leader?
Logins-san… seems to hold a slightly different position from the other three. Going by his action just now, is he trying to keep us from getting killed…?
I didn’t get it at all…
「――Withdraw.」
What resounded inside――was Marita’s voice.
Holding the White Magic Crystal that was embedded in the pendant hanging on her neck out, she shouted at the intruders.
Approaching slowly toward Marita, who had a frozen expression about her face, was Logins-san.
「Marita-sama, please hand it over to me.」
「N-No! Withdraw, Logins… I-I’m serious…」
「…I don’t mind getting killed by you…」
「No… Stop…」
――While Marita’s face was *kushakusha* crumpled with tears, the White Magic Crystal was s.n.a.t.c.hed away from her before she could invoke it. The hesitation the young girl felt toward the butler, whom she had trust in until now, could be understood.
What I didn’t understand was――
「Alright… Get her.」
「N-No! …I’m scared… Help――Seiji, Lim… Logins… Why… Why are you doing this…」
「Wait…」
Marita was wailing.
Lim was. .h.i.t hard; she had lost consciousness.
Dammit… Don’t you be kidding me…
Stabbing the sword into the floor, I forcibly got my body up.
「Get away from Marita…!」
「Quite a strong guy. You guys don’t have to be concerned. Quick, take her away. Put her to sleep, so she doesn’t make noise.」
Nodding, the pair of subordinates dragged Marita.
When I tried to give them chase, Serdio and Logins-san intercepted me.
「Logins-san… Why are you doing this?」
――The one I couldn’t comprehend was Logins-san.
「Seiji-san is truly honest――and kind. Even though you’re in such a state, you’re pointing your sword at me and asking me for the reason.」
After hesitating for a while, Logins-san was about to say something, but――
「Quickly shut this guy up. It’s a waste of time.」
「…I guess…」
Serdio’s words interrupted and broke the conversation down.
There was no room to hesitate for the current me. If I intended to kill an enemy of their level, I couldn’t be halfhearted. I would have to go with all my power――
I grasped the sword tightly and howled at the enemy reflecting in my eyes that had yet to gain focus.
「U…oooooooo!」
「――…When Marita-sama has returned safely, this will be turned over from Seiji-san…」
On the verge of losing consciousness, I heard such words. In the corner of my extremely dark oblong vision, I caught something――sparkling like a rainbow. It was a White Magic Crystal processed into a pendant. Marita’s pendant.
