Volume 16 Chapter 3 Disaster
The return ship was as quiet as before a storm.
Juju and the twins were taking a nap, and the Inquisitors were too exhausted from battle to say a word.
And, above all...no monsters appeared.
It might be due to the influence of destroying the monster's source, but it was an eerie silence, as if they had given up on attacking Ravuri.
It was as if... they had stopped attacking Ravuri altogether.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a flute coming from somewhere.
It was a sorrowful, heart-wrenching melody that made my chest tighten.
I thought one of the crew members was playing it to kill time, but that wasn't the case.
When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw a single girl sitting on the ship's railing, playing the flute.
Her face, filled with sorrow, was unlike any I had seen before.
For a moment, I didn't realize it was Ravuri.
"...Ah!"
As I approached her carelessly, the deck creaked.
Ravuri quickly turned around at the sound.
"N-Noo, you scared me!"
She hastily hid the flute.
"Don't scare me like that. I thought you were going to cut off my pinky finger!"
"Sorry about that..."
I felt bad for interrupting her performance.
"By the way, you played the flute during the live performance too, didn't you? But it wasn't as sorrowful as this..."
"...Wasn't that a bit out of character for Rav? It didn't feel like Rav at all..."
"No, I don't think so. Rather, it's become more refined..."
"...So, is that so?"
Ravuri's face turned slightly red as she smiled.
"...I learned how to sing and play the flute from Cil a long time ago..."
"From Cirrul?"
"Yeah. Cil taught me all sorts of things when I was locked up in my room, feeling down. Although Cil was just saying 'huh-huh' and everyone was bad at it..."
"You were a total mess back then, weren't you?"
"Do you know? Cil used to be a troublemaker..."
"Really? I can't imagine that..."
"Now she's become more mature, especially in front of Noo, she's trying to be a good girl..."
Ravuri laughed cheerfully, her eyes sparkling.
However, that smile was soon replaced with a worried expression.
"...Lately, I've been really happy."
"Huh?"
"I think this is the happiest I've ever been in my life. I can sing freely, and I've made a lot of friends."
Ravuri leaned in close to my chest.
And then, she gently placed her hands ―― on my throat, as if to strangle me....
"Hey, Noo. To live a life as happy as this...how much of a price do you think I need to pay?"
"......Huh."
The emotions in Ravuri's eyes started to fade away.
Little by little, the strength of her hands around my neck increased.
"I think it would be great if this happy day could last forever. But to live a happy life, we need to sacrifice something, right? Like the things we love, or someone else's happiness...all those things..."
Suddenly, a shadow fell on the side.
Clouds appeared, and it seemed like it was going to rain. The black clouds looked like they were carrying rain.
The wind grew heavy with moisture, and the air grew colder.
Ravuri's body shivered for a moment, maybe because of the cold air.
"......Just kidding♪."
Ravuri suddenly burst out laughing.
And then, she quickly moved away from me.
"Ah, that was all just a lovely joke, okay♪."
"...Did you add a lovely element to it?"
"It was packed with it!"
"...I'm starting to wonder what your definition of 'lovely' is."
"There's no meaning to 'lovely' It's just a magical word that comes out naturally when my heart is full of love... that's what 'lovely' is♪."
"Yeah, I'm just getting more and more confused."
I shrugged my shoulders.
I think it's better not to touch on what Ravuri said earlier...she seems to be troubled, but I don't think I can help her with her emotional struggles.
I'll leave that to Cirrul.
After that, I spent some time listening to Ravuri's flute performance, killing time. Contrary to Miss Miimo's predictions, the ship didn't sink in the end.
The ship sailed smoothly, and we were able to return to the holy city before it started raining.
"――Thank you for your hard work, Chief Milnas!"
As we entered the dock, Mr. Sein and the other Inquisitors greeted us with a salute.
We, with Miss Miimo at the lead, disembarked from the ship as if we were returning in triumph.
"You all must be tired. How's the situation caused by Mars?"
"There's no disturbance in the barrier. It's likely that nothing's moving."
"I see. So, you're saying that even with this rare opportunity, he didn't move at all?"
Miss Miimo laughed.
"Then... it's settled, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Miss Miimo pointed her arm at Ravuri.
A gun barrel emerged from the loose sleeve, and...
"...What?"
Then, a gunshot echoed.
...
The dock was enveloped in silence.
The sound of Ravuri collapsing to the ground resonated loudly.
"...What are you doing, Noroa?"
Eventually, Miss Miimo opened her mouth.
I... or rather, I looked at the shield I was holding.
"...Why did you protect her?"
And asked again.
"...I'm Ravuri's bodyguard."
I glanced back, and Ravuri was still sitting on the ground, staring at me with a dazed expression....
'It's okay, the princess is safe. You should face forward, Noroa.'
"...Got it."
Once again, I faced Miss Miimo.
I realized that the Inquisitors surrounding us were pointing their weapons at us.
"That was a movement that seemed to anticipate an attack, wasn't it?"
"......"
"You knew, didn't you, Noroa? You knew all along."
Miss Miimo's gaze sharpened.
"I mean. That's a wonderful guardian spirit, isn't it? You knew Ravuri-kun's 'true identity' and... 'kept protecting her all along'."
"...Huh?"
I could tell that Ravuri's voice was trembling.
Indeed, I had known Ravuri's true identity all along.
There were suspicious parts from the beginning, but I was convinced when we fell into the waterway on Mars.
Back then, I was attacked by a monster... but when I suddenly heard a mysterious flute sound coming from the water's surface, the monster stopped attacking me. That was the turning point.
It's also true that Ravuri was the only one present at the scene.
'If the power of the 'cursed equipment' lies in controlling monsters with the flute's sound, then it's only natural to think that Ravuri was paying the cost of using the 'cursed equipment' by being attacked by the monster.' I instinctively realized that.
With that in mind, back then I...
――I made up my mind to protect Ravuri from the Inquisitor.
"After all, the location of Mars that you were telling me was also a lie. And suddenly, you started saying things like 'there's a powerful person behind the scenes'... I guess you were just trying to kill time."
After all, was Miss Miimo suspicious?
Anyway, even if I had bought some time, there was nothing I could do...
If things had turned out like this, I should have pressed Ravuri for answers and taken the "cursed equipment" by force earlier. I was too cautious and didn't want to provoke her.
"But I don't get it. If you know Ravuri's true identity, why go so far to protect her?"
"......"
"She is the source of this cursed disaster, one of the 'Cursed Users'. In other words, she is――."
Miss Miimo spat out the words with a look of disgust.
"――She is a disaster."
"...!"
I could sense Ravuri, who was behind me, holding her breath.
"That's also the 'cost' of her 'cursed equipment', which attracts monsters. Just by existing, she brings misfortune to many people."
"...So, was the demon wolf from earlier your doing too?"
I guess Ravuri was attacked to confirm her true identity.
If someone is controlling a monster to attack Ravuri, then the "uncontrolled monsters" prepared by the Inquisitors shouldn't only attack Ravuri.
"But, really... is Ravuri a person who deserves to die?"
'Yes! This princess isn't a bad person! I guarantee it!'
"Do you think... we're doing this because we want to?"
Mr. Sein points his lightning spear at us, gritting his teeth.
"We don't want to kill her either But it's unavoidable! Her death is... the cost to be paid for world peace!"
"...That's true, Inquisitor Sein."
Miss Miimo continues quietly.
"After all, 'Cursed Users' are dead no matter what (Dead or Dead)... that's the original rule of the Holy Kingdom (our country)."
"......"
I can't say anything back.
I'm probably the one who's fatally wrong.
But that doesn't mean I want to abandon Ravuri to die.
'Hmph, if you want to kill my princess, come and try! Noroa will take care of all of you!'
"...You're stubborn, aren't you?"
Miss Miimo shrugs.
Has she given up on persuading me? Now she turns her gaze to Ravuri.
"Princess Ravuri, what about you?"
"...Eh?"
"If this continues, it'll become a bloody battle between Noroa and the Inquisitors. Do you... want that?"
"...That's, no good."
"Is that so? Then, won't you just surrender and get beheaded without resisting?"
"...Without resisting?"
"Yeah, that's the best way to avoid hurting anyone... a happy ending."
"Is that so... maybe..."
Ravuri gets up unsteadily and walks towards Miss Miimo.
"Ravuri!"
"Even if I resist, I won't be able to escape in this holy city... it's unavoidable, isn't it?"
"...Yeah... everything is unavoidable."
"...But sorry..."
And then, Ravuri looked up, as if she had made up her mind.
"...That's impossible."
"What's wrong, princess?"
"Because..."
She muttered, her voice barely audible.
"――'I can't...resist...anymore...'"
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