Volume 4 Chapter 9 Part 2 (2/2)

Juri started running while pulling at the boy’s hand. The boy ran while being pulled with one hand and keeping the hood from falling off with the other. I was overcome with emotion at the sight of the boys, who looked like siblings who got along well. If only that man had someone like Juri by his side when he was truly the boy’s age… I couldn’t help thinking that the world might have been a kinder place to that man then. I knew it was too late now and that if that man knew I was having such thoughts he’d laugh scornfully and send me flying.

My feet stopped unconsciously and I laughed at my own thoughts. Juri turned around and shouted towards me.

「Big sister! We’ll leave you behind!」

「I’m going!」

I fixed the hood I had pulled on my head and jogged after the boys. Juri looked up at me in astonishment.

「You’ll get lost if you stand around in a daze, so get a grip.」

「I’m sorry. It seems I’m a bit tired.」

「Eh? Already? Pathetic.」

「Haha. It’s good that you and Edi are in high spirits.」

「We’re both still young. Right?」

Juri asked seeking his agreement. The boy looked troubled as he compared mine and Juri’s faces. If he had just nodded here he might have hurt me, so in the end he didn’t nod. Not minding us, Juri laughed proudly.

「If you’re tired, then the coconut juice will be perfect! It’s great for tiredness.」

「Sounds great.」

I ate and drank a bit too much, but these past few days we were cooped up at the ruins and there wasn’t time to snack. Besides, since we were finally here I wanted to let the boy eat different things. While thinking that it was a good decision to bring the wallet, I started chasing after Juri and the boy who had suddenly started walking ahead.

Under Juri’s guidance we made it to the stall selling coconut juice. The stall was in the street somewhat away from the main street and the yellowish green fruits were neatly lined up in front of it. Juri ordered energetically 「Three please!」The shop owner took a knife and in a practised manner cut off the top part of the fruits, made a hole, put a straw inside and handed them to us. I quickly took a sip and a characteristic sweet flavour spread inside my mouth. It seemed that they were cooled down using magic stones with a water attribute and the juice was pleasantly cold. I felt my accumulated fatigue fade away. As expected of Juri, it was a great choice. I looked down at the boy, wondering whether it was to his liking. He was holding the fruit with both hands and sucking on the straw in silence. This was the best answer.

The wind blew right at the moment when I was about to smile at the heart-warming sight of the boy looking like a small animal.

「Ah!」

Because it was a narrow side road, the wind was unnecessarily strong. The hood I was wearing flapped in the wind and slipped off. However, it wasn’t me who was the problem.

The knife fell out of the stall owner’s hand and rolled on the stone pavement with a clank.

「Black hair…?」

I got startled by that stunned voice. When I looked over at the boy, I saw that his hood had also slipped off. The boy dropped the fruit and immediately pulled the hood back on but it was too late. Everyone’s gaze turned to us all at once. I thought there were less people than at the main street where we’d been just before, but attracted by the owner’s shout 「 Elizabel’s cursed child!」a great amount of fear and panic, and an overwhelming malice resulting from both was directed at the boy.

「Stay away cursed child!」

「Edi!」

At the moment I threw myself in front of the boy reflexively, I felt and impact on my head. A heartbeat later I felt something warm and wet on my forehead.

「Big sister!」

Juri’s scream and the coconut fell from my hands to the ground together with a bloody stone. It was good that the boy hadn’t been hit, I thought. As I tried to wipe the blood off my forehead I felt wind spring up from the back. I heard somebody gasp. I turned around and saw violent wind with the boy in it’s center. Violet light was spilling out of the boy’s body and the wind’s roar was growing stronger by the minute.

The boy’s cloak was billowing in the wind. On his beautiful face a great anger was visible.

「How dare you.」

His soprano voice was devoid of warmth but one could feel the violent emotions it contained. His lips were trembling.

「How dare you do that to Filmina…!」

「Edi, stop!」

Before he could finish saying the rest I lifted his small frame into my arms. His sunrise coloured eyes open wide, but I didn’t have time to care.

「Let go!」

「Be quiet or I’ll bite your tongue!」

I yelled at the boy who was struggling to get out of my arms. The boy gasped at my angry voice. Taking profit of his silence I violently pulled his hood back on and started running. I heard Juri shouting to stop the islanders who wanted to run after us, but I didn’t have time to thank him and just continued running.