Swamp Girl! Chapter 53

Before dinner, Leon called all three of us to the dining hall.
Although she was wearing the maid uniform, Aira sat with us all the same. She had probably been busy with dinner like the other maids before being pulled out.

Well, if it had been just Palmira and me, I would’ve gotten mad.
Though the maid training was Aira’s own proposal, if Palmira was going to be at the same table, then so should she.
However, I was a bit taken aback that this talk wasn’t for me alone, but all three of us. So far, Leon had rarely gathered the three of us together to begin with.
The last time matters indisputably concerned all three of us was that meeting on the day we became slaves again.
Aside from that, he spoke to me alone almost every time something came up.
And yet he purposely called the three of us together. We must be deeply connected somehow this time.
That was the theory I decided to run with.

Although that was how it seemed to me, Allie was with us too, for some reason. And just her.
Did Leon summon her? Or was this normal?
She stood behind Leon’s seat, slightly off to the side. It was no more than that, but I felt strangely distant from Leon.
How should I put it — like I was talking with some big-shot.
That’s what it felt like. It was different from how I’d felt until now; there was a sense of distance, just like the first time we met.

“……”

Despite being the one to summon us here, Leon seemed to be fairly close-mouthed, as if he had to choose his words somehow. Aira was fidgeting, but because of that sense of distance, I also chose to keep my mouth shut.
It seemed like he was hesitant to reveal something he’d been hiding from us, but I made no move to press him.
To tell you the truth, I was a little p.i.s.sed off by the fact. I wasn’t happy with the feeling of alienation right now, either. And my earlier uneasiness robbed me of the friendliness that would have encouraged me to address him as familiarly as before.

“…Chris encountered a man earlier. Did either of you see him?”

There was a long silence after Leon spoke to the other two. Aira and Palmira ultimately shook their heads at the same time. Come to think of it, the two weren’t aware of the earlier quarrel, much less why they were here.
Setting aside the almost-always calm Palmira, Aira was nervous too. No doubt her mind was filled with anxiety.

“As a matter of fact, a visitor came by earlier… As Chris already knows, that was my older brother.”

I nodded.
Actually, Leon had mentioned before that he had two older brothers. So Lucien is one of them, I suppose.
Considering the connection, their looks, at least, didn’t resemble each other at all.
Leon had blonde hair and blue eyes. But Lucien had black hair and black eyes. So I guess there are siblings who differ that way?

“His name is Lucien — Lucien Clay Stroidel.”

A clatter echoed through the dining hall, which had been silent save for Leon’s voice.
It wasn’t much of anything. Just the sound of my chair. Upon hearing that name, I’d shot up from my seat.

It wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t like he was joking around.
I looked to my side. Aira was looking at me in surprise. She probably didn’t understand.
On the other hand, there was at least a crack in Palmira’s usual mask. As I expected — she made the connection.

— As to who the person in front of us was.
As to just who Leon — who had been traveling with us all this time, who had been so unrestrained in keeping us company — was.

“He is the Second Prince of the Greya Stroidel Empire.”

And so, Leon sealed it.
Lucien’s ident.i.ty as the Second Prince of this renowned empire, as he said, was enough of a shock on its own.
But what was really important was the conclusion that could easily be drawn from that fact.

“…Why — didn’t you say…”

I thought almost nothing would knock me off-balance, but unsurprisingly, this was too great a shock.
At a loss for words, I somehow managed to squeeze something out.

It went without saying.
Leon, the man before me, was the Third Prince of this colossal nation.
I’d had him pegged as n.o.bility, but this was just absurd. How could I imagine that he was a prince? It was just too improbable.
As those thoughts ran through my head, I felt — sitting in the seat of honor with Allie waiting on him, even in a mere dining hall, Leon seemed to grow even more distant.

If I might say something presumptuous, I was able to hang out with him normally because I thought he was about the level of a n.o.ble.
Sure, I was an adventurer, and so a cla.s.s below than your average citizen, but the n.o.bility was still an existence I could rub elbows with.
But a prince? Not a chance. What’s more, we’re not talking a small to medium country here, but the world’s foremost mega-empire!
Even how I ought to address him had completely flown from my head.

“~~~~~–!”

While my brain was overloading, Palmira suddenly and forcefully jumped to her feet beside me.
Her two hands balled into fists, shaking. Her eyes fixed on Leon — glaring at the Imperial Prince.
Unable to keep up with her bloodcurdling abnormality, my stupefied mind froze. And before my eyes, Palmira’s hand reached down to her waist —

“Palmira! Don’t — !”

It was Aira in the seat next to her who stopped her as she clearly went for her sword.
As Palmira attempted an act of national treason with a desperate look on her face, Aira hurled herself at the smaller girl and pulled her to the floor.

” — ! Aira! Move!”

“You can’t do this! You definitely can’t!”

Dumbly, I watched the two of them struggling in a tangle on the floor. ‘I have to stop them,’ I said to myself, but for some reason, my body wouldn’t move.
Instead, for reasons I couldn’t explain myself, I turned to Leon.

He was looking at me, his expression sorrowful. And Allie had a knife at the ready, standing protectively in front of him.
What I saw when my eyes met hers was pure, unadulterated hostility. Only a few hours earlier, she had treated me kindly, if strictly. Now, without a shred of that gentleness left, she was watching us without the slightest pang of conscience.

The sight of the two of them was an unspeakable punch to the gut. Suddenly, I felt like they’d gone so far away.

The person I thought of as my friend was an illusion.
We were former slaves, after all, and Leon was a high and mighty prince.
We’d never stood on equal ground with each other. Not once since the very beginning.

And our presence here, that was because of a necessary pretense.
That ‘special person’ business, that was just pretend too.

I’ve lost track of where the truth ends and the act begins.

Maybe everything —

Suddenly, I noticed the tears spilling from my eyes.
In my distorted vision, Leon rose from his chair and came toward me. I couldn’t see his expression.
Though I thought to myself, ‘It’s no good’, I knew that my feelings inside were the opposite. I couldn’t stop.

The rational part of me turned channeled my shrieking disbelief through that emotional inversion.1
That’s impossible. It’s not a big deal. All Leon did was keep quiet about his own rank, didn’t he? And Allie, I mean, look at the current situation. It can’t be helped. Isn’t that obvious?

On the other hand, my emotions were boiling up, smas.h.i.+ng those thoughts to pieces.
Betrayed.
Betrayed again.

I was betrayed again.

A grief sliced through me, engulfing my heart.
The tears overflowed without end. I hate it. I hate it —

“Chris!”

” — Don’t touch me — !”

As he drew closer, Leon reached his hand out to me. The motion completely unconscious, my hands batted it aside.

“?!”

He was close to me, so I could tell, even through my blurry eyes. Leon’s face was steeped in shock.
I did that. Personally. Intense guilt a.s.saulted my heart. Why? Why am I doing something like this?

There’s something inside me.
Something that definitely isn’t me.
I flashed back to Lucien’s face. But that wasn’t the face I saw earlier.
Leon’s face surfaced in my mind.
And it wasn’t the one I saw before me now.

Betrayed! Betrayed! Betrayed betrayed betrayed I was betrayed.

“THAT’S WRONG!!!!!!”

Like a hammer blow, I screamed back at the thing screaming inside me.

I — !
— haven’t been betrayed!

Frantic, I shook off the unfamiliar memories slowly but steadily encroaching upon my mind.
Don’t you enter my memories.
Don’t you interfere with my mind, my will.

“Chris!? What on earth is the matter!?”

Again, Leon reached his hands out to me.
He grabbed me by the shoulders. Startled, I trembled. Right in front of me was Leon’s serious face. I ground my teeth. An ugliness close to hatred rattled my body.

Help me. Leon. Help. I’m losing myself.
My voice wouldn’t come out. My body trembling, the tears tumbled down.

I hate hate hate hate — .

What the h.e.l.l? [Chris], what the h.e.l.l are you? How did you end up like this?

“AAHH–!”

At the edge of my vision, a blue flame burst into life. Quaking in fear, I screamed from the depths of my soul.
The blue flame burning against my will. I couldn’t control it myself at all. The thought repulsed me, but for the first time, I was genuinely afraid of my own body.

The powerful force that had even crushed Maddox.

It was trying to move of its own volition. In front of me, Leon still hadn’t noticed the danger. His expression desperate, he continued to call my name. I don’t want it. I fear it.
At this rate, Leon will — . I’ll — Leon — .

Against my will, the blue flames began to trace a circle before my eyes. Once, twice.
Standing my ground in the depths of despair, I grit my teeth, praying desperately, ‘Stop’ — a third time. It won’t stop!

“Ugghhh–!”

Mustering all my strength, I thrust Leon away.
I was supposed to have given it everything I had, but Leon and I only staggered a bit. Even so, I broke free of his hold. Stumbling a few steps back, I tripped over my feet and fell on my backside on the floor.

s.h.i.+t, Leon was coming over to me again. The fourth! I’m out of time. The circle’s starting to turn. Once it gets going, it’ll all be over.
So.

“Lord Leon!”

As I pulled it from my waist, Allie s.h.i.+elded Leon as I’d predicted, forcing him to fall back.
In my hands, I kept a tight grip on the black knife I received from Irene, holding it out in front of my chest. That’s right, if I do this, Allie will s.h.i.+eld Leon. Just like she did when Palmira tried to draw her sword.

But in that bit of time I bought myself, I didn’t even have time to catch my breath before the circle grew even further, to five rings.
I shook, my eyes widening. Last time, and the time before that, it had stopped at three, then four. I knew it instinctively — an even greater destructive force was on the verge of manifesting.

The protective Allie, not to mention Leon, and the two immediately to my side, Aira and Palmira — all of them were already in danger. It wouldn’t be strange if the damage inflicted ended up greater than before. The sixth! The circle grew larger and larger.

“Ugh–…UUU–!”

The scene before me completely crushed my heart. All I could do was tremble.
I had a premonition that once this was released, I would only feel a deep regret.
I didn’t have the leeway to look after Palmira. Aira. I wanted to protect Leon at least, even if it were just him alone. But what should I do? How can I —

“Chris!”

Leon pushed Allie aside. Dropping to one knee, he approached me again. In the dead center of the circle, which had finally reached its seventh ring. His expression was frantic. Worrying like that for me —

“Ugh–, Le–o–nn—-!!”

My tongue all tangled up, I fought to call out his name. My eyes dropped to the knife. I had no time to hesitate.
I’m — an idiot. But, Leon. Aira. Palmira.
For the sake of protecting everything I wanted to protect, I couldn’t think of anything else.

I turned the point of the knife toward myself and plunged it into my chest.
At that moment, with a conspicuously loud crack, I felt something burst open. I sensed something from my entire body gathering at the point where the knife penetrated me, buried up to its hilt. And at the same time, all my strength rapidly bled out of me, withering away.

“Chris — !”

Leon’s eyes widened in shock.
Ah, so he can make that kind of expression too.

The hatred in my heart vanished, as did the circular pattern. A sense of relief enfolded me. In exchange, my vision began to fade to black. Leon’s face, which should have been in front of me, disappeared from sight.

It was frightening. And suffocating. But even so, I was satisfied that I could protect myself, and Leon too.
Smiling, I let my hands fall away from the hilt of the knife. I mustered my failing strength to reach out in front of me. In my last moments, I wanted to touch Leon.

“Chris!!!”

Before my hand could make contact, my consciousness flickered out.

Footnotes
1. 自分の中の冷静な部分が、その感情の反転に悲鳴のような懐疑を向ける ↵