Chapter 19

Chapter 19. "The Difference Between a Child Who Does Not Cry and a Child Who Does." (3)

"...Pervert wolf."

That was what Luna said to Exel as he chased the guards around with a crazed smile aimed at their terrified faces.

I looked at Irisa, who was standing quietly beside me and watching them. She had both hands clasped before her chest and was observing Exel's rampage with a slightly sorrowful expression.

Whenever she saw men kicked up into the air by his steel-like legs, struck by the flat of the gun blade, and sent flying into the wall, she would let out a regretful sigh.

I watched her face quietly, then merely gave her a small smile and lowered my gaze to the front.

Luna was standing there with her arms folded. Every now and then, whenever soldiers tried to exploit an opening in Exel's defenses and strike at him with spear or sword....

"One Time Hold."

Clank!

Clank!

Clank!

"Huh?! I cannot move!!"

"Urgh! Magic! That little brat over there...."

"Waaaaaagh!!"

"Ha~ hahaha!! O humans who have fallen to your knees before the power of mana, the great child born of nature itself! I pity you!!"

Shouting that, Exel picked up a round table rolling across the floor and swung it like a flyswatter into three soldiers whose movements had been sealed by Luna's spell.

The men flew helplessly through the air, crashing into the chests of their comrades or hurtling into the walls to share a passionate kiss with them before collapsing in a heap.

I stood there with my arms folded, watching them.

There were only around ten men left now. Of those, at most five still had any will to fight. The rest had collapsed onto the floor in a daze, staring blankly at their fallen comrades with hollow expressions.

Then, as the remaining men hesitated and circled Exel, one of the soldiers suddenly turned his head toward us and shouted sharply,

"Grab that little black brat! Do not let her use magic!"

Little black brat....

At once, two men came charging toward us with longswords raised in their hands, screaming as they ran. Behind them, the rest moved to keep Exel from pursuing them, but—

"So that is what those little heads of yours have come up with?! A hostage play! It is filthy and cowardly, but it is the best possible method. You seize the comrades of a stronger opponent, stir the weakest part of his heart—his affection—and thus bring him down! Clever! To the one who thought of it, I shall present a small gift!"

The two men were struck by the flat of Exel's gun blade and launched straight upward. They slammed into the ceiling with a horrible sound, then fell back down under the pull of gravity and crashed onto one of the few tables that had still remained intact.

BOOM!! Craaack~~!!

"...Guuuuuh~"

So he really was keeping his promise not to kill them....

Though it probably hurt enough to make them wish otherwise.

The two men before us kept rushing in. I unfolded my arms and looked at them, then noticed Luna still standing in front of me.

She had turned her head and was staring at the man who had just called her a little black brat.

Slowly, Luna raised both hands and aimed them at him. Even as the soldiers closed to within arm's reach, not a flicker crossed her face as she quietly said,

"What is wrong with being dark? Since when did you people ever care about skin color? Is it not enough as long as someone is beautiful? That is what the man who bought me once said. He died, though."

"...Gress."

Vwoooong~

"Gah!"

Flop! Sliiiiiide~~~

"Huh? Wh—? Uwahahahah!!"

"Wha—?! Jex?! W-what is this?!"

One of the charging men slipped and went sprawling, sliding all the way toward us. The other stabbed his longsword into the floor and only just managed to keep from slipping, his legs trembling as he stared at the floor in shock before lifting his eyes toward us and glaring.

"What in the world do you people want?! Why are you doing this to us?!"

I walked forward, looked at the man shouting at us for a moment, then quietly pointed to Luna beside me and Irisa standing behind me.

"For them, freedom."

Then I raised a hand and pointed at the man clinging desperately to his longsword to keep from sliding.

"And for you, regret and reflection."

At that, the man scowled, spat curses, and began grinding his teeth furiously. I kicked a broken chair fragment lying on the floor and sent it skittering toward his longsword.

Skrrr~

"Huh? Huh? Aagh!"

Thud! Clang!

Flop!

When the chair fragment I had kicked struck the sword he was leaning on and knocked it away, the man lost his balance at once and fell flat to the ground, flailing and cursing.

I gave him a small smile, then turned my head.

There was Luna, crouching on the floor beside the man who had slid over to us. Apparently, she had done something to keep him from moving.

Now she had picked up a thick piece of wood lying nearby and was lightly tapping it against the man's forehead.

Tap tap tap~

"Did you say your name was Jex? Well then, say it again. What was it you said just now? What was wrong with a little black brat?"

The man, baring his teeth as he lay on the floor, answered through clenched teeth,

"You dark elf! Once I can move again, I will split your skull open!"

Hearing that, Luna raised a hand and lightly touched her own head, then lifted the wooden stick again and tapped it against the man's forehead as she said,

Tap tap tap~

"Split my skull open? Then I would die."

"How should I know?! I only do what I am paid to do!"

"Money? Is money really that important? Is that metal really worth so much? Is it worth staking your life on?"

For a while, the man merely stared up at Luna with wide eyes. Then his expression changed, and he smiled with a look of utter disgust.

"Have you ever dug through a trash heap?"

"What?"

"I am asking whether you have ever dug through a trash heap while trying to calm a little sister crying from hunger."

Luna kept the stick resting against his forehead as she silently looked into his eyes.

They were the eyes of someone who had seen the very bottom of the world.

Luna rose to her feet, tossed aside the stick she had been holding, then held out her small palm toward the man lying on the floor and said,

"Spell Cancel."

The man's body seemed to twitch slightly. Then he immediately grabbed his sword and sprang to his feet. I turned and stepped in front of Luna to shield her.

But the man did not look as though he meant to fight.

He simply stood there in silence with his sword lowered. Then Luna's voice came from behind my back.

"This place is going to be smashed to pieces so thoroughly by that pervert wolf that it will never recover again. So... go. Go gather up the money you love so much, and return to the people waiting for you."

The man looked at me with a face that had suddenly grown weary.

I smiled and pointed toward the door through which the auctioneers and employees had disappeared when Exel had first started his rampage.

The man let out a deep sigh, then began walking forward. Partway there, he turned his head and glanced once at me, at Irisa, and at Luna. Just as I felt that his head dipped ever so slightly, he was already running toward the door.

I fell into brief thought over the man's actions, then idly looked around.

It was complete chaos.

One soldier was embedded in the wall, breathing raggedly. Another had a broken spear slung over his shoulder and was leaning against a shattered table, clutching a broken arm through gritted teeth. Another lay atop a table, baring his teeth and hurling curses at Exel....

The men scattered around in every possible posture had all broken something, but not a single one was dead.

So he was keeping his word.

Thinking that, I looked for Exel.

He was wandering around, admiring his handiwork with a satisfied expression, and whenever someone managed to stagger to his feet in terror as he approached, Exel kindly laid him back down again.

Luna folded her arms and spoke to Exel as he lightly pushed a tottering man with one finger and dropped him back onto the floor.

"Hey, pervert wolf."

"Pervert? To whom are you speaking?"

"Who else here besides you? Come on, say it already. What are we doing now?"

Exel had been looking at Luna while making a pushing motion with his finger, but at her question he relaxed the gesture and slowly walked over toward us as he said,

"We are going home."