Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Iris
Two days had passed since we found the Sirius cub.
When I woke up in the morning, the discomfort in my stomach had finally disappeared, and I was completely back to my normal health.
I quickly confirmed that I could use magic without any problems. After waking up and getting dressed, I immediately went to see the Sirius cub, who was being taken care of by Gantz-san.
As the people who had taken turns nursing the Sirius cub, namely Reiji-san, Nii-sama and Lenny-san, watched with bated breath… the light of my Ares Heal gently settled down.
“…How are you feeling? Does it still hurt anywhere?”
Outwardly, the deformation on her wing caused by the fracture had been completely healed. However, since this was the first time I tried to heal a Phantasmal Beast, I was still worried.
When I asked her, the Sirius cub moved her body around in a puzzled manner, licked her wing to check its condition, then let out a loud, healthy cry.
Looks like she’s fully recovered, I thought.
As everyone took a sigh of relief, the Sirius cub jumped off the table and started pulling on my skirt with her mouth. She looked desperate, as if wanting me to come somewhere.
“Hmm? What’s the matter?”
Sirius’ desperate expression made me kneel down and stroke her head as I listened, then…
When I came to, I was looking at a landscape I didn’t remember. It was inside a cave somewhere.
There were two wolves… one was so huge that I had to raise my head to look up, and the other was about the size of a medium-sized dog… the Sirius cub that we found.
If so, was that big Sirius her mother?
The two wolves were leisurely snuggling up close together.
Techniques for the hunt. Stories of the past.
The mother wolf passed onto her child all sorts of things.
But eventually, she began to show signs of trouble.
The mother Sirius’ waking hours decreased day by day, until she would only wake up once every few days.
The Sirius cub continued to watch this scene from the side… and then, as if she had found something, she looked up at the sky… at the direction of the human settlement that she had been taught not to approach from her mother, and she walked out of the cave as if she’d made a decision.
While looking back at her unwaking mother with concern, many times…
“…s-sama? Is something wrong, Iris-sama?”
I was started back to my senses by the feeling of my shoulder being shaken. When I looked to the side, I saw Lenny-san looking at me with concern. Everyone else’s gaze was also focused on me.
“So… you came all this way, looking for someone to help your mother…”
That’s why she came looking for me.
She probably sensed my existence, and the power of that person that I inherited.
“But…”
My shoulders trembled.
My nose stung.
A drop that ran down my cheek fell on the tip of the Sirius cub’s nose.
She came down all the way here without regard for her own life… but I could do nothing for her.
“…I’m really sorry… I don’t think I can fulfill your request…”
Hearing those words, the Sirius cub, who must have understood exactly what I was saying, slowly released my skirt from her mouth and dropped her head.
I really wanted to do something about it.
But no matter who are, or how hard you try, this is truly impossible.
The reason for the symptoms plaguing the mother Sirius that I saw in the memories… was old age.
That, was the destiny of all beings.
If there’s only one thing I could do…
Gently, I picked up the Sirius cub and hugged her in my chest.
“How about… we return you to your mother so that you can stay by her side and see her off one last time?”
The Sirius cub let out a single, lonely wail.
Judging from the mother Sirius’ condition, she should have very little time left.
Therefore, I wanted to return her child to her as soon as possible, if only so that they could stay together for even a day… no, for even an hour longer.
With haste, I went to explain the situation to Leonhardt-sama…
“…Captain Walter?”
When I knocked and entered his office, there was another person inside… Captain Walter, who should have been away with his mercenary company on a joint exercise with some of the soldiers from the capital.
“I’ve only just returned. You look serious for some reason. Should I leave for now?”
“No, if possible, I would like you to come with me as well. I have somewhere to go.”
And so, I explained the gist of the matter to the Count and Captain Walter, who were both looking at me with puzzled expressions.
“…Please pardon my sudden request, but Leonhardt-sama and Captain Walter, I really want you both to come with me…”
If the mother Sirius wanted to see me before she passed away, then we should respect and fulfill her last request.
Besides… before we part, we might be able to hear her stories. She was, after all, the companion of that person in my dreams.
And so, I waited patiently for the Count’s reply, who had been listening quietly until I’d finished telling him everything.
“That… doesn’t sound like something I can refuse. Are you planning on leaving right away?”
“Yes… Nii-sama, Reiji-san and me. If both Nii-sama and I fly with our wings, we should be able to take Reiji-san with us, and it would cut the journey down by a lot, I think.”
The Count seemed troubled by what I just said.
“Is it no good?”
“…I’ll allow it. However, I will have to catch up with you three by land. My apologies, Captain Walter, but you have to accompany me. I don’t want to let anyone who doesn’t know about the circumstances into these mountains.”
“Sure thing. Though, if you ask me, something about this kind of bothers me.”
“Something bothers you…?”
I tilted my head at the Captain’s somewhat slurred words.
“Ah, I don’t really know how to say it… but I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Yes?”
“It might just be my imagination… but don’t get too ahead of yourselves, okay?”
I nodded in understanding. Even though his words were vague and based on his instincts, if they came from a veteran soldier like him, they were enough to make me feel uneasy.
And so, Nii-sama and I brought along Reiji-san and flew straight to the highlands.
The three of us, along with the Sirius cub fluttering around my shoulders, were floating over the picturesque grasslands. Leisurely, we made our way towards the cave where the mother Sirius awaited us.
“I have to ask… Since when were you able to fly, Iris?”
“I’ve been practicing hard since that day in the tunnels, you know?”
I still clearly remembered jumping after the falling Reiji-san when the tunnel collapsed.
Even thinking back now, it still sent chills down my spine… But thanks to that, I felt like I grasped the knack of flying in the sky.
Since then, I resolved to practice flying… I’d actually become able to fly like this just before the thing that tormented me for days happened.
“Ah… I did owe you my life for that, thanks.”
“Hehe, it’s I who should say that.”
Reiji-san and I chuckled, slightly embarrassed.
The story of what happened after we fell into that underground lake that day until we reunited with Nii-sama… remained a secret shared only between the two of us, never spoken of to anyone else.
Watching us like that, Nii-sama tilted his head.
“Well… that’s some smooth progress… I suppose?”
He murmured something I didn’t quite understand again.
The highlands here didn’t have many tall trees; instead, it featured a vast expanse of blue sky and grassland stretching as far as the eye can see, adorned with various highland plants covering the ground.
If I had to describe, the scenery here resembled the view of foreign mountains I once saw on TV, an immensely refreshing vista.
However, because this was an area untouched by humans, the footing was quite challenging, making walking a real struggle.
“Be careful around here, Iris. There’s a stream hidden on the ground.”
Leading the way, Reiji-san checked his steps as he spoke, easily leaping over the stream hidden in the grass… “easily” as in for his physique. For me, the distance was a bit too much.
“Oh dear, may I lend you a helping hand, o Princess?”
“Nii-sama, come on!”
With a playful gesture, Nii-sama reached out his hand. Reiji-san, smiling wryly, did the same.
Taking both their hands, I was about to be pulled up and over the stream when suddenly…
“I was wondering why I barely stirred anything up when I summoned that ‘Wound’. It must be because of you.”
An unfamiliar voice reached our ears, causing our movements to freeze.
Out of thin air, the figure of a young man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties appeared, walking toward us from the direction we were heading.
Since when had he been there?
I didn’t know. I had absolutely no idea.
This was a highland with a clear view, where one wouldn’t miss an approach.
Yet, just a moment ago, there hadn’t been anyone like this here.
If this were a film, then his image was abruptly inserted into a frame without any kind of transition.
Though I hadn’t been aware of his presence until this very moment, the instant I recognized his figure, my body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Like stepping into a den of a famished beast.
Like standing bare in front of a dragon’s nostril.
The cold sweat wouldn’t stop.
Just from facing him, the pressure was suffocating, causing an unbearable tightness in my chest.
My instincts were sounding alarms at full blast… compared to this… all the opponents I had faced until now were nothing but insignificant!
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Since when…?!”
Instinctively shielding me, Nii-sama and Reiji-san stepped forward and drew their weapons. Even they, with their weapons drawn, were trembling, their faces looking extremely pale.
But for me…
“No way… you’re…”
Some kind of cognitive block seemed to affect the two of them, as they seemed unaware of who he was.
I gazed in astonishment at the black things extending from the man’s back… tattered, jet-black wings that had completely frayed.
He’s a demonic-looking guy who controls a horrific serpentine monster
Captain Walter’s words came back to my mind.
The face of the man who was always by her side in my dream, it’s completely identical to the man in front of me.
He was… the black-winged Lightwing.
“…The Death Serpent…!”
His named escaped my lips in a daze.
The absolute worst disaster that Captain Walter spoke of.
A lone being that destroyed numerous towns and villages, annihilating the expeditionary force led by the previous King of Nordglacier and decimating the previous mercenary company of Captain Walter.
He’s now right in front of us…!
“…What did you just call him?!”
“What?! Why is he here of all places?!”
The two of them finally noticed the wings on his back, and cried out in panic.
“Run!”
I shouted to the Sirius cub growling at my feet.
At this moment, I instantly recall the nearest person who could be of help in this situation.
“Please escape… you know, there was a big person with me just a while ago, right? Get to him and ask for his help, please…!”
Desperately pleading, it seemed my plea got through, as Sirius cub hesitated a few times but eventually flew off.
Just knowing that this child wouldn’t be involved in the battle now slightly eased my heart.
But…
Could the three of us hold out until the Count and Captain Walter arrive?
The thought of that sent a shiver down my spine.
“…We must somehow endure here and retreat! Prioritize meeting up with Captain Walter and the others!”
My trembling voice issued instructions, and the two of them nodded without taking their eyes off the enemy.
However, their expressions remained tense.
The “Death Serpent” looking down on us with arrogance… his eyes, filled with sadistic pleasure, eloquently conveyed his intention not to let his prey escape.
Even if we escaped… what would happen afterward?
Even if we managed to rendezvous with Captain Walter, the Count, or Rolandia’s army, would we stand a chance?
Above all, if we escaped to the city, was there any assurance that a place where many powerless people resided… wouldn’t become a battlefield?
My thoughts spiraled, envisioning nothing but doom.
A sense of despair began to loom.
The man, as if relishing our panic, stood there leisurely, his face filled with delight.
Unbeknownst to us, beside him, a giant shadowy snake, as if condensed from darkness itself, had manifested…
APM - Translation 