Ch 127.1
Translator: Jiro Editor: Ryunakama
「Soara!!」
I raised my voice towards Soara who was half-buried under the rubble of the now destroyed Volganon.
Soara’s lower part was buried under the wreckage.
「… We’ll remove the rubble.」
「O-Okay!!」
We carefully began removing each piece of the piled up rubbish.
After a bit Soara’s figure finally began to appear.
Her maid outfit was in tatters and her body was covered in wounds from head to toe.
She had lost both of her hands and her left leg was missing as well.
Tubes and something that looked just like entrails were protruding from the huge hole in her chest.
Even though automatons didn’t shed blood, the sight was still painful to look at.
「Zeph… sama…」
「You came to?」
Soara slowly began opening her eyes.
However, her pupils were blank and no sight of light could be seen within them.
「A-Are you all… o-okay…?」
「Yea. Thanks to you that is!」
「W-Was I… u-useful…?」
「Of course! You saved us.」
I wrapped my arm around Soara’s body and stroked her head.
She still had that blank expression on her face, so me thinking that she felt good must have been just my imagination.
And just like that Soara quietly closed her eyes.
「I-I’m glad…」
And then Soara stopped moving.
「Soara? Hey, Soara!」
「Don’t go!! Wake up!! Answer me!! Soara!!」 yelled out Milly as tears were running down her face and she clung on to Soara as she tried to shake her awake.
「Soara-san!!」
「Soara!」
Everyone called out to her, but she didn’t respond.
「… Damn it. That’s why I told you not to bring her with us.」 said Silverie with a frustrated expression.
No matter what we did, Soara didn’t move at all.
「It’s futile. Soara won’t move anymore.」
We turned towards the mysterious voice and what we saw was Gepard crawling his way out from underneath the rubble.
「Soara’s motor functions were completely destroyed in her fight against me. Even though it pains me as a researcher to have to use this word, her opening her eyes just now can be considered a miracle…」
Volganon’s had enormous power. To a degree that I hadn’t been able to do anything against it.
Nonetheless, Soara fought against it… But the damage she suffered was severe…
Damn it!!
「Y-You…」 said Milly as she stood up, in a tone completely different from her usual one.
「It’s your fault…!!」
Milly wiped her tears and glared at Gepard.
Her eyes burned. From within that small frame of hers an enormous amount of magic power began rising up.
Did her magic power rise due to her anger? Things like this can sometimes occur in magicians who have a weak mentality. But even so, what a tremendous increase in magic power…
I, as well as Silverie, were completely shocked.
But Gepard didn’t seem to be flustered at all.
That was because his body was already in the process of disappearing.
「Kuku… How unfortunate, isn’t it, little one? It doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to avenge Soara.」
「… Blue…」
「Stop it Milly.」
I stopped Milly as she was about to cast her spell.
「But Zeph!! H-He killed Soara…!!」
「He’s already at death’s door. We don’t have the time to waste on a guy like him. The ceiling is already beginning to collapse.」
Due to Volganon’s impact against the wall a huge crack had appeared on the ceiling.
And from within the crack, pieces of rubble were falling down.
This floor was about to collapse at any moment.
「B-But… this way too cruel…」
「Milly.」
「?!!」
I hugged Milly as she had yet to give up on her rampage.
Milly tried to push me off, but my grip on her just became stronger. In the end she gave up.
And instead, she began to quiver and I could feel my chest area getting wet.
「… Waa… WAAH…」
「… We’re getting out. Soara probably wouldn’t wish for us to get buried alive here.」
Milly nodded weakly.
Phew, it seems like she calmed down. Her magic power that was raging just now seems to have returned to normal as well. She really did scare me for a second there. If she had gone wild just now we would have probably gotten caught in the aftermath as well.
「Zeph-kun!! Over there there’s a hole that leads outside!」 said Claude as she pointed towards a place behind the collapsed wall, in which place a passage could be seen.
That special geometric pattern on the ground… That’s a passage from the lower part of Tiros. We might be able to escape from there.
「Everyone! Run!」
I picked up Milly and ran towards the hole in the wall alongside everyone.
From behind me I could hear Gepard’s voice.
「Kuku… How unfortunate… To think that I’d get stopped by my own automaton, when I was just a step away from fulfilling my dream…」
It seemed like he was talking to himself.
And of course, even though I did hear him I had no plans on stopping.
「But still Soara’s growth was certainly splendid! I wonder what happened… In any case… I’ll just restore her… and continue my research…」
Gepard’s monologue was getting harder to hear as it was drowned out by the sound of the falling rubble.
…He’s thinking about research even at death’s door. What tenacity he has. I have no choice but to admire that. Maybe the reason I stopped Milly was because I unconsciously saw Gepard as someone similar to myself. … No. This isn’t the time to be thinking about such things.
I cast a speed enhancement spell and dashed past the falling rubble.
「Haa… Haa.. Phew… We somehow made it out alive.」
「Good grief… I was scared to death you know…」 said Silverie.
「If I hadn’t stayed behind everyone, then I couldn’t have helped if someone happened to trip, now could I?」 I replied in a joking way.
「That’s just like you Zeph-kun.」
「…」
「…」
However, everyone didn’t seem to like it that much.
I guess we won’t be able to continue hunting with this atmosphere.
Milly as well just stood quietly while clinging to my back.
「How about we go back?」 I asked.
「We probably should.」
「… I’ll stay here for.」 said Silverie as she headed in the opposite direction to us. Her face looked grim.
「I need to let off some steam.」 she continued
「I see… Well then, take care.」 I said as I looked at Silverie’s back disappearing in the distance.
After a while, loud sounds of battle could be heard.
Those sounds were ones that I wouldn’t normally expect to hear from a person who used a smart fighting method such as Silverie…
It appears that she’s quite angry. I might just have a bit of sympathy for the monsters this time.
「…… Zeph.」 On the way back Milly murmured while still lying on my back.
「What is it?」
「I was the one who asked Soara to go and help you…」
「Is that so? Well she really did help me.」
「No, that’s not what I want to say. I should have been the one to come and help you. …. If I had done that then Soara might have…」
「Milly.」
I stopped her just as she was about to cry.
Milly ran her hands around my neck and tensed herself as she desperately tried to hold back her tears.
「Don’t fool yourself into believing that you can do everything by yourself.」
「B-But…!!」
It was something that regularly occurred amongst adventurers.
Especially in the case of Milly, since she was still young. It was probably hard for her to bear the fact that a companion died because of something she said.
Something similar happened to me in the past as well.
It was a situation in which I could only help one of my two companions.
In the end I ended up leaving one of them behind, and saving the other. At the time I felt really down because of it.
…I guess I’ll borrow the words of the person I saved back then.
「Milly, it is true that Soara might have died because of what you said.」
「…Y-yes…」 nodded Milly weakly.
「However, because of that I was saved.」
Milly tried to say something but I interrupted her.
「I was saved because of you. If you hadn’t done anything then I would have died. … You have my gratitude for that.」
「… B-…」
「I don’t want to hear you say but anymore. You haven’t done anything wrong. You should puff out your chest with pride for what you did… If there’s anything to puff out that is. Kuku.」
「Wh…!! Y-You! You idiot! Idiot Zeph!!」
「Kukuku.」
Milly’s face turned bright red as she hit my back.
Good grief, it seems like she cheered up a bit.
With a sigh I continued behind everyone else.
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Milly was lost in thought while swaying on top of Zeph’s back.
It’s just like Zeph said. There’s not much that I can do alone. I can wrap my head around that. However, I don’t want to ever experience this feeling of loss again.
Those were Milly’s thoughts right after she had lost her first companion in the form of Soara.
I never want to see any of my companions get hurt ever again…!
She had wholeheartedly wanted to save Zeph, that is why she sent Soara.
There was no doubt that she was the right person for the job. But even so, she still thought that she should have been the one to go instead.
This time… I alone…!
Milly resolutely determined herself and she gripped Zeph’s clothes tightly.
◆ ◆ ◆
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