220: The Battle Maiden is at the Crossroads of Marriage (36)
Like a falling leaf, a single piece of paper fluttered down before Natalie’s eyes.
Rufus wasted no time in brandishing his spear. Even Natalie, who had next to no magical power, could feel that a tremendous amount of magic had gathered around it.
He intended to pierce his spear through the paper and Natalie.
Before she knew it, all the clamor from before had subsided, and the dark room was absolutely still. Somehow, Natalie could think calmly.
Time seemed to be passing slowly. Was it because she was about to die? Nevertheless, she couldn’t afford to pry her eyes from the sheet of paper falling in front of her.
When she saw the shape of the family tree drawn on the paper, something struck her as odd.
Normally, a family tree would expand as it went down. However, that wasn’t what she saw on the paper that descended in front of her eyes.
Instead, it was a strange genealogy resembling a series of hourglasses.
Did she see it wrong because it was falling?
However, there were something that could be clearly identified. She saw some familiar names.
First, she spotted Geraldo’s name. Faelis was next to it. Above them, Rufus’ name could be seen. Although there were some differences in pronunciation and spelling depending on the region, Kratos and Rave essentially shared a language.
Therefore, she couldn’t have read it wrong.
Next to Rufus should have been the name of his wife—Isabella, the mother of Geraldo and Faelis.
…And yet, what was written there was the name of the king’s sister.
—That has to be a lie.
As Natalie’s eyes went wide in shock, the tip of the spear dug into the paper. With a spark of magic, the family tree burnt away from the middle.
Regardless of how predictable the spear’s movement was, there was no way Natalie, an amateur, could dodge it.
It was a strike imbued with the magical power of the King of Kratos—the Guardian of the Goddess.
From the shadows at her side, a white great sword swung out, deflecting the spear.
Due to the repulsion of magical power, the white veil woren as a disguise came off. Her previously tied-back long hair now fell loosely around her.
“Sister Elynsia!”
“—And here I was wondering who’d come to save her. It turns out to be none other than the Dragon Emperor’s older sister!”
Rufus laughed and deflected the great sword that descended from above. His grip strength rivaled his enormous magical power.
“I have to applaud your decision-making, but now the Dragon Emperor won’t lose one but two of his sisters! It’s his defeat!”
“Rosa!”
Elynsia called out her beloved dragon’s name.
Every window in the room shattered as flames poured in. The dragon’s breath burned away magical power. Part of the wall was also blown away. Rufus immediately withdrew and frowned.
“What is a dragon doing here… I see, the Dragon King has hatched!”
“Natalie, we’re escaping!”
“Wai—…”
Natalie, whisked away by Elynsia without a second of hesitation, suddenly recalled something. She grabbed Queen Isabella’s diary that had been left on the writing desk.
Coincidentally, her eyes met Rufus, as if it had been fate. His thin lips, showing a ghost of a smile, moved.
—Your win.
Because of her older sister, Natalie had to learn lip-reading. Despite only having beginner-level knowledge, that was what she thought he was saying.
Elynsia climbed into the saddle while holding Natalie. Roza spewed out flames again and flapped her wings, keeping the perimeter safe. Overlooking a section of the burning palace, they rose to the surface.
“Let’s run away. The Southern King won’t be harmed by an attack of this level.”
“…Sister Elynsia, you were in disguise, after all.”
Elynsia was clad in a white vestment similar to those belonging to shrine maidens of the temple. Natalie had spotted her many times in the Southern King’s palace.
“The servant who first came to report was also Sister Elynsia, right?”
“You saw through my disguise? I thought I had disguised myself pretty well.”
“I was actually surprised. I didn’t expect my sister to assume the role of a spy.”
“I promised, after all. No matter what happens, I’ll come to your aid.”
Elynsia spoke matter-of-factly, and Natalie couldn’t help but rest her forehead against her sister’s back, her tears threatening to fall.
“They’re coming for up. While Hades and the others are luring the Saber Family to the North, we’ve been told to flee by boat from the South.”
“..Rosa, you did a great job of flying over Kratos, not even getting a moment to drink or eat.”
“A red dragon can last for a day or two. Now that the Dragon God, Dragon Emperor, and Dragon King have assembled, the divine protection over the dragons has become a little stronger. However, she can’t maintain this for long.”
Rosa, who had ascended to the sky to avoid being discovered, was already about to depart from the city.
“—Right, what about Jill!? She was fighting.”
“Indeed, until just a moment ago—but her presence disappeared, along with the Sacred Relic of the Dragon Princess.”
Color drained from Natalie’s face.
“It can’t be, did Jill really lose!?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t find her. Prince Geraldo used a teleportation device to move with the Saber Family. They probably went after Hades.”
“I believe that the Southern King is also pursuing Brother Hades.”
‘For my son.’
She remembered Rufus’ expression as he spoke those words. It was the expression of someone who had embraced death. She shook her head and dismissed the thought.
“The Southern King? If the Southern King were to enter the battlefield, a war would start right away. Prince Geraldo has acquired Jill already, so why is he still so persistent?”
“…Sister, do you regard Jill as our enemy?”
“I don’t know. If she were an ally, she’d have headed North with Hades. Surely, Hades and Vissel told you the same?”
Indeed. If Jill had chosen Hades over her home, she wouldn’t have been here in the first place. At least, her brothers thought so.
“—But, Jill may have come here as an ally of Brother Hades.”
“Natalie, we are in Kratos. Rosa is also unaccustomed to this environment. I can’t let you do anything reckless.”
Elynsia’s tone and her profile were both stern, akin to that of a soldier’s. Natalie spoke to such a sister:
“If Jill is still an ally, the Rave Empire will lose the Dragon Princess. Even if she is an enemy, the least we can do is see what happened. Prince Geraldo, Southern King, and every member of the Saber family should be away from the city right now.”
After Elynsia stared into the distance for a while, she asked quietly.
“Rosa, can you go?”
Gyuru! Rosa answered shortly. She could tell by the sound that the dragon was saying “yes.”
Sighing, Elynsia pulled her reins.
“If Rosa is surrounded by anti-aircraft magic and is defeated, it’ll be over for us. We’ll only stay briefly.”
“Really!?”
“Something unexpected is currently happening. Besides, you and I are indebted to Jill. If something goes wrong, our brothers are smart enough to resolve it.”
Following Elynsia’s guidance, Rosa spun around and changed direction, drawing an impeccable semicircle in the sky. Seeing that her speed was faster than before, Elynsia must be worried about Jill as well.
What Natalie and Elynsia saw from above the smoke was the unconscious figure of Jill near the fountain in the courtyard of the palace.
***T/N: OHHH NOOO, THEN WHAT JILL SAW BEFORE SHE DIED……
Please also consider donating to my ko-fi! It’ll greatly support me in action, no matter the amount!
https://ko-fi.com/antoinettevanessa
Have a Japanese story or the likes (Drama CD, etc.) you’d like to read? Want it to be translated? I’m open for commission!
https://www.fiverr.com/s2/aaab08c14d
Did you like what you read? Was it the worst thing ever? Tell us, please. Let the world know how you feel~