Chapter 20 (2/2)

Aileen said nothing She wriggled her hands like souely as Kei started to dig his own grave

Then, suddenly

“—hm” He felt a sharp sensation on the back of his neck and reflexively snapped around

“What’s wrong, Kei?”

“Nothing…”

Was itat me

He stuck his head out theand looked around, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary But, there was a crow on the opposite roof that cawed once and fleay

“It just felt like ere being watched”

“You’re probably i it Wait a sec, Kei! What’s with this arrow! Just what do you plan to do with it?”

She ignored his suspicious looks and pulled out the next arrow, the overly large mechanical one In place of a normal arrowhead, there looked to be some sort of metal case attached

“Oh, that one! That’s one that Montand-shi+[2] said he has confidence in You can suppress a large group of enemies with only one arrow”

“How…?”

“Right Actually, there are a bunch of tiny darts packed in that cartridge The darts are released and scatter by a wire and spring e that you could activate it was between five and fifteen meters, there’s a knob here to adjust it,” Kei looked triumphant as he explained

“O-ooh,” said Aileen in an overawed voice

“But… There are limits to what they can pierce If they have a shi+eld or armor that’s harder than leather then the effectiveness is pretty …”

“Then what’s the daain “So this is just useless junk, let’s just toss it out!”

“N-no, we bought so many of them…”

Aileen was having fun and Kei wouldn’t look at her, so she went on the offensive

“Does it really matter? Just toss them out!”

“But wouldn’t you feel bad for Montand-shi+…?”

“Not at all! It’s his business!”

“Y-yeah”

“If you can’t use them don’t feel bad Calht?”

“W-well, that’s…”

Whether they had a use or not, they argued loudly about returning them

While they talked about one thing or another, they totally forgot about the feeling of being watched

†††

The sun began to set

Kei and Aileen talked while they ate and decided to return a few of the arrows that clearly had no use Once they finished eating they left for Montand’s workshop

“Hm… I still feel bad…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it~”

As they got closer to the workshop Kei’s uneasy steps grew heavier, but Aileen didn’t feel bothered at all Rather than a sense of sympathy or hesitation, it was a difference in Kei’s japanese culture and Aileen’s Russian culture They took the main street, and as they walked, Kei took notice of a produce stall just closing up

“That’s right, we should bring so for them…”

“You’re worrying too much…”

Aileen smiled wryly at how tih the stall and purchased a large aift

They arrived at the workshop

The sun was setting and it was getting dark out, yet Montand’s ho it a quiet atmosphere

“Excuse me, it’s Kei” He knocked on the door and received no answer

“Are they out…?”

“Maybe”

He thought hard and reached for the door knob, it was unlocked “Montand…? Are you here?”

Kei hesitantly entered the workshop A clattering sound came from the back room and Montand tottered out

“Kei-san Sorry, I didn’t realize…”

“Welcome, both of you…”

Kiska followed Montand out of the back room Their faces looked worn, or exhausted maybe

“Uh… Sorry, were you in thethe strange atmosphere

“No! It’s… It’s nothing Please don’ttone He wouldn’t permit any further questions and followed up with a business tone, “What can I do for you…?”

“U to the inn and thinking about it…” Kei took the large quiver frorew gri the aardness of it

“U and spoke to Kiska

“What is it, Aileen?”

“These I got so to Kiska, still worried about her

Kiska took them, but she was in a daze and moved slowly

“They looked good, so I bought the you could all enjoy theht?”

Kiska, as staring at the bag in her hands, suddenly looked up

“Speaking of which… Is Lily here?” she asked as if it had just crossed her mind It was dark out, so she inquired nonchalantly

However, Kiska’s pale lips began to tremble and she collapsed on the spot, unable to stand anymore

“Hu…ngu…”

“Eh? Wha-?” Aileen stiffened in surprise

Kiska held the bag to her chest and began to cry

“Kiska!”

Montand rushed over, concerned, when he noticed his wife begin to cry He stroked her back and she cried harder with the bag still in her arms

“Did so…happen?” Aileen shook out of concern as she asked

However, Montand hung his head and remained silent

“L…Lily…Lily’s…” Kiska sobbed as she spoke, “Lily’s…been kidnapped…”

Aileen gasped in shock and Kei’s expression turned grim Montand pressed his temples and shook his head

“What do you mean?”

Montand stood up and went to the back roos and before long returned with two envelopes in hand “It hen Lily would usually come back… There was a knock on the door, but when I went outside no one was there, only these letters”

He held one out for them as he spoke Aileen took it and Kei looked from behind her It was extremely difficult to read the letter in the dark, but Kei could read it clearly

The characters ritten sloppily; it looked intentional There were threatening lines that said things like, we have your daughter, or don’t tell the guards, and give us one gold as ransom

“One gold…?” Kei was duh ransom

“The guards, did you tell the guards?!” Unable to wait longer, Aileen asked Montand

“We… tried But…” Montand explained with an unpleasant look on his face

Of course, they were extreuard that happened to by passing by their house

However, just as they were about to open the door and call out to the guard, they noticed the second letter

“That would be this one”

He opened the letter and showed theuards There won’t be another chance Try it again and your daughter will be dead As ritten

“That’s… This…”

With tre hands, Montand reached into the envelope and pulled out a lock of hair The saht brown—Lily’s hair

“We’re being watched We can’t do anything If I try to talk to a guard, they’ll know…” His whole body tre around the entrance to the slums toed around, trying to get what old…” He snapped his head up His eyes held nothing but despair “Kei-san Please,” he was on his knees, powerless, ”Money Please lend me some money!”

Montand clung to Kei’s feet

“Just a little Just a little bit is fine Even if we can’t get one gold, if we can put ive Lily back So, so-!” He begged as he cried “Please, lend us some money…”

Kei was dumbfounded

This was oods

The only sounds in the workshop were that of Montand’s and Kiska’s sobbing

“Sorry… This is all I have on ht now” Kei took out five silvers and placed them in Montand’s hand

Montand’s eyes opened wide “T-this much! Thank you, so- Thank you so much!” He bowed over and over with his disheveled, and even snotty, face

—But really, he still had more silvers

This is… I probably shouldn’t

Kei wasn’t as optimistic that an abducted child would be left alive—particularly in this world Even if she was still alive and they paid the ransoive her back

The thought of siined the possible endings and endured his current position Montand and Kiska thanked him over and over, but his cold heart was unaffected

However, he glanced to his side and saw Aileen staring at the letter on the workshop table like it was eating at her He realized she was actually staring at the blonde-ish lock of hair

She quickly grabbed a few hairs when Montand and Kiska wouldn’t notice Her blue eyes looked to Kei for just aback first”

“Ah, hey! Aileen!”

Without even checking with Kei, she ran out of the workshop

“Hey, Aileen!”

By the tiing into her black clothes and had her saber at her back

“Aileen, what are you doing?!”

“Isn’t it obvious!? I’ to save her!” she responded i?

“Tch…”

He’d expected as much He pressed his hands to his tenored him and continued to steadily prepare for battle She put on her belt of throwing knives, slipped on her gloves, and put on her greaves

“Alright, calame world”

“I already know that”

“No, you don’t know that! You said you’ll save her, but you don’t knohat that even h with her unconcerned attitude “I knohat you’re thinking! If you use 『Trace』with her hair then you’ll easily find out where she is But Aileen, it doesn’t seeht have to fight them, you know!?” He scowled at her “When it comes to it, could you kill someone?”

She hesitated for a split second, but then firive them any mercy”

Kei noticed the hesitation “You seem well prepared, but Aileen, it’s a different matter whether or not you can actually do it when the time comes”

“I can I’old for ransoo”

Her blue eyes stared back at hi to falter However, before that could happen she turned away curtly

“Of course… This isyou up in this I’ll do this alone”

“What…?” Kei’s eyebrows shot up A slight irritation ran through him

—That’s wrong That’s not it

—That’s not what I’

“Urban combat is difficult for you But for ood time noay, even alone—“

“Aileen” Kei interrupted herinto her eyes She had a bewildered expression as he stared at her and thought of how to say it “Aileen… This isn’t a ga your guard down once, just et hurt…even die Do you truly understand that…?” he said quietly

However, Aileen’s expression hardened and earnestly said, “You saved et it But even so, I…can’t just abandon Lily Even aoing to save her”

“Why Why? They didn’t even ask us… It has nothing to do with us, right?”

“Nothing to do with us!?” She couldn’t believe it She shook off Kei’s ar to do with us’! We already know the to do with them, Kei!” She shook her head impatiently and continued, “I… I can help I can find her, and I can save her! I know that it’ll be dangerous I know I ht have to kill…but still!” Aileen thought it over “As long as I can do it, as long as I can save her, I should do what I can I can only do sohappened, that’s—“ her voice struggled to escape as she hung her head, “—so a monster would do”

It hit Kei hard, like so crashed into him Her innocent and pure words

However, her pure sense of justice was too keen

Aileen clenched her teeth with her head hung, unable to see Kei’s astonishment

Thud, Aileen looked up, Kei sat on the bed heavily and held a hand over his face

“Do what you want…” he said in a depressed and curt voice

Aileen knew that she hurt hiht that if she tried to cheer hiap between them

“Sorry…” she apologized

Kei stayed silent but ru to Aileen

Panicked, she caught it, a glass bottle It contained a blue viscous liquid

—A hi-potion

“Take it with you…” he quietly said without looking at her

She simply answered, “Thanks…”

There was a sone

The sound of people drifted up from below

A girl in black clothes stepped onto the roof

The cold wind blew as

Her black scarf fluttered behind her

She looked out over the grassy plains west of the city

The sun continued to set

The moon rose overhead

A Goddess, shi+ning in the silver ht

The sky changed from red to deep blue

She looked again to the horizon

The sun had fully set

“Now… It’s our time,” she muttered

She pulled a crystal fragment out of her clothes

As if praying; as if asking, she closed her eyes 『Mi dedicas al vi tiun katalizilo』

She dropped the fragment

Gravity pulled the clear crystal down

Plop, her shadoed it

It flickered and wavered in a devilish manner

『Maiden krepusko, Kerstin』

She adjusted her breathing

She summoned, 『Vi aperos (manifest)』

It was the time for disasters

—The shadow responded