The Witch (3)
The sky was such a beautiful blue. The snow had piled up so prettily that it really felt like winter. Boom! Boom! Explosions erupted all around me. Nearby snow and clumps of dirt shot high into the air. Wow. It looked just like a scene from one of those war movies I’d seen once. How delightful. Goddess of Sexual Love, why am I always so unlucky? Is this also part of your divine plan? This is too much. Really.
Aria felt like she was losing her mind. Why had things gone so wrong? She hadn’t provoked anyone, hadn’t insulted anyone. As she was busy lamenting her misfortune, Ain spoke up.
“I think we hurt that girl’s pride by running away from her.”
What kind of twisted personality does she have? Aria wanted to grumble, but having seen every kind of human eccentricity through the military, she could understand it.
“……Did you know she was like that?”
“To some extent?”
“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“How could I refuse when you made such a charming offer, Aria?”
When he whispered in her ear with that sweet voice, it felt like her eardrums would turn into lumps of sugar. Aria shivered and took a deep breath.
She had urged them to flee because she thought that if the thorn in the girl’s side disappeared from her sight, her rage might subside a little. Wasn’t that reasonable? Two people who looked like mortal enemies sharing the same space? It was obvious they would start fighting. But as the saying goes, it takes two hands to clap. If you completely block the opportunity for them to face each other, they wouldn’t fight, right? Even wild beasts were sometimes separated when their fights got too intense. So Aria had thought leaving the area was the best option.
In a way, perhaps the avoidant thinking deeply rooted in her psyche had come into play. Yes. Aria had to admit her judgment had been naive. She never imagined the girl would chase them this far.
“Fight me! Stop running away!”
That was all well and good, but how could anyone not run when faced with someone that furious? Six flaming orbs were spinning in a circle around the witch’s body. They looked like satellites orbiting a planet. Didn’t it feel hot being inside that?
Aria, still nestled in Ain’s arms, stopped her idle thoughts and hung her head.
“I didn’t think she would chase us while that angry.”
What could possibly have made her so furious that she was still pursuing them? Aria couldn’t understand it. Ain, who was running, nodded as if he agreed.
“I think so too. Could it be that time of the month?”
“……Ain.”
“Sorry for speaking without thinking.”
Ain quickly apologized.
“No, I’m fine, but I think she would get really angry if she heard that.”
Look. The witch’s complexion was changing by the second after hearing Ain’s words. It turned red, then blue, then pure white. The sight reminded Aria of a person dying from oxygen deprivation, and it gave her goosebumps.
“That bastard insulted you. Aren’t you angry?”
Angry? Aria shook her head.
“As long as you don’t hate me, Ain, I don’t really care.”
What did other people’s opinions matter? The most important thing was you.
“Ugh.”
Ain rubbed his cheek against hers as if she were utterly adorable. Even though this kind of physical contact had happened many times and she should have been used to it, she always reacted like it was brand new.
“Eek! S-sudden skinship like this!”
“We’ve done way more sticky stuff than this. Why are you acting so shy now?”
“B-back then I was aware we were doing something lewd, so it wasn’t embarrassing, but d-doing this kind of skinship normally feels a bit… I don’t know!”
Ain thought Aria’s standards for embarrassment were incredibly difficult to understand. Women really were complicated creatures.
“Yeah, I’ll do it even if you say you hate it.”
“I-I didn’t say I hated it!”
“Sure, sure.”
“……B-by the way, Ain. Can you escape?”
As they talked, the scenery was whipping past them. It was proof of just how fast they were moving. Ain, displaying unbelievable speed, answered without even breathing hard.
“It’ll be tough. Should we just fight?”
Aria’s face stiffened.
“Y-you can’t do that. Why do you think I granted you two wish rights……”
“Then I’ll use one of them here. Let me subdue Azazel, Aria.”
This man really had a good head on his shoulders. She hadn’t expected him to use a wish right in this situation. Before Aria could respond, Ain grinned.
“You’re giving permission, right?”
It was coercive, but in the current situation, there was no other way. After all, Aria hadn’t anticipated that the girl would chase after them.
Suddenly, an enormous wave of heat surged from behind Ain and Aria. Ain kicked off the ground and leaped. Aria was purely impressed. So high. Just how many meters had he jumped?
Boom! A fireball exploded right below them, sending a blast of hot wind and shockwave. Their clothes fluttered wildly. Aria felt like her heart had jumped into her throat.
“Hiiiik!”
Hearing Aria’s adorable scream of terror, Ain sensed the crisis. He didn’t look back. But he could tell. This thick, skin-crawling malice. That Azazel girl was serious.
Ain shifted Aria, whom he had been carrying in both arms, onto his back.
“Hold on to my neck.”
There was no time for long explanations while airborne. So he spoke briefly. Aria obediently followed his words. Her slender arms wrapped tightly around his neck like a scarf. Ain drew the Holy Sword and spun his body, swinging it.
The two fireballs closing in from behind were sliced apart by the Holy Sword, triggering an explosion.
Boooooooom!
Ain’s arms went numb. The aftershock of meeting the fireballs head-on meant he could no longer stay in the air. So they fell. Toward the ground.
“Whoaaa!”
The terrible falling sensation made Aria scream as she clung even tighter to Ain’s neck. If they fell like this, his sturdy body might be fine, but Aria could be in danger. Judging that, Ain said shortly,
“Aria, let go.”
Let go? Did he mean let go of the hands around his neck? The words had come in such a brief moment that she didn’t fully understand. But Aria trusted Ain completely. He was the one who had reached out to her in that hell. If she couldn’t believe his words, whose could she believe?
While screaming out loud, Aria answered in her heart. I believe in you.
Aria released her grip on his neck. Confirming it, Ain spun in midair and threw her upward. The force and speed were considerable.
“Hwaaaaaaaaah!”
Aria, who had been falling, was now flying upward through the air. In contrast, Ain plummeted toward the ground like a rocket jettisoning its fuel. There was no need to say who would hit first. Ain collided with the approaching ground, bent his knees to absorb the impact, then leaped again. Any normal human’s leg muscles, bones, and ligaments would have been completely shattered, but the Hero was, by nature, a superhuman.
Catching Aria out of the air once more, Ain landed with far more composure than before. It was like a circus acrobatic feat.
“Ugh……”
Aria’s condition was bad. After all, her insides were already a mess from the carriage ride. It wouldn’t have been strange if she threw up. ‘Still, it looks like she isn’t hurt anywhere, so that’s a relief?’
Ain looked up at the sky. There, the girl with whom he shared a bitter fate was floating arrogantly.
“Your jokes have gone too far.”
He had no intention of holding back. You’ve already crossed the line.
Ain concentrated mana into the Holy Sword. That familiar black energy condensed upon the blade. The same technique he had shown before. The witch, Azazel Anaide, glared at him with bloodshot eyes. What a bothersome woman.
“I’ll beat you until you learn your lesson.”
A black flash shot toward the witch. It was a surprise attack carrying incredible speed and explosive destructive power. Azazel seemed to try responding with the fireballs orbiting her. But it was futile. The strike pierced through the fireballs and flew straight at the witch. She created a barrier at the last moment, but it shattered like glass and the attack struck her directly.
Because he had lowered the output, her body didn’t disintegrate like Ronin’s had. However, the impact seemed to have knocked her unconscious, as she plummeted straight to the ground.
“Ain.”
Hearing the voice, he turned his head. Ain looked at Aria. She wore an expression that said it would be dangerous if the girl fell like that. Are you asking me to save her? He didn’t bother asking. Yes, if that’s what you want, I’ll do it as much as you like.
The Hero sighed and moved toward the falling witch.
She opened her eyelids. A ceiling came into view. It appeared to be the ceiling of an inn. Why had she ended up like this?
She retraced her recent memories. That’s right. She had been hit by Ashtain.
“Ugh……”
Her body felt as heavy as cotton soaked with water. There was a ringing in her ears too. Her physical condition was terrible. What kind of swordsman shoots beams like that? Wasn’t that unfair?
She tried to move her arm, but it wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t that she had become disabled. Someone was simply holding her hand tightly.
“Are you awake?”
It was a graceful tone. The kind that could calm even the most tangled human heart. Perhaps because of that, she asked in a relatively calm voice.
“Who are you?”
“I’m late with my greeting. I am Aria Lameld. I am the Saintess of the Church of Sexual Love.”
The Saintess. That woman who had been sticking to Ashtain’s side? Had she received help from this woman? An unpleasant feeling rose within her. It was both the pride of someone who didn’t want help from others and envy and jealousy toward the Saintess. Who asked you to help? How dare you monopolize Ashtain’s attention? It was ridiculous. Her insides boiled.
“What is the witch’s name?”
“Do you need to know?”
The words that came out were razor-sharp. There was no way anything good would come out. To her, this woman was nothing but a whore who had snatched Ashtain away.
Yet the woman spoke calmly, as if not angered at all.
“Knowing someone’s name is the first step toward building a positive relationship with them.”
“I have no intention of building any bland relationship like that with you, you whore.”
“……I do not sell my body for money.”
“Hah, so you’re saying you gave it away for free? You like being next to Ashtain that much? You filthy bitch?”
Even after hearing such vulgar insults, the woman’s expression showed no sign of twisting greatly. Was she surprisingly used to hearing such abuse? A Saintess? If so, that was quite amusing in its own way.
“Azazel, it seems you still haven’t come to your senses.”
The voice was so cold it wouldn’t have been strange if all the blood in her veins had frozen. Azazel Anaide’s body stiffened. As if scolding such Ashtain, a chiding voice rang out.
“Ain.”
Ain? That guy’s name was Ashtain. Then she heard something she couldn’t believe.
“……Sorry. She’s originally like this.”
Sorry? You’re sorry? Ashtain, did you just apologize? You, who always acted so arrogantly like you were better than everyone? You, who never once apologized when you were with me?
“If you come at her so threateningly, who would like that?”
“If we’re talking about who started off threatening, it was her.”
“Ain.”
“Ugh, fine. I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t believe it. Wasn’t he a man with no flexibility? Wasn’t he a man who couldn’t even properly notice small acts of kindness? She had thought he was like a block of wood. That he had no interest in women. But what was this? What the hell was this? Are you discriminating against people? Why is only this woman getting special treatment? You were clearly different when you were with me.
Her emotions surged, but she skillfully suppressed them. And she replied bluntly.
“Hah, so now I see the pet wasn’t that woman, but you, Ashtain?”
His pitch-black eyes looked at her. Eyes filled with anger and irritation. Yes, at least curse at me. Look at me.
“That’s not entirely wrong.”
What? Her insides rotted away. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She had wanted him to deny it. To say that he wasn’t that woman’s pet or anything like that.
“Your words are too harsh. He is not a pet or anything like that.”
The denial came from the other side. From the woman named Aria Lameld. From the Saintess. It was fine to insult her, but she couldn’t tolerate insults toward someone precious to her? Hah, what kind of spectacle was this? It was a ridiculous comedy. They were so in love it was sickening. Her stomach twisted. Her face contorted.
“Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
She swatted away the Saintess’s hand and glared with fierce eyes.
“I never asked for…….”
“I know you didn’t. I just wanted to do it from my heart.”
She felt displeased that her words had been cut off midway. How hypocritical. Did she want to act so sanctimonious? Aha, she understood. It was because acting like a good person let her draw Ashtain’s attention, right? What a cunning bitch.
She got up from the bed and grabbed the gnarled wooden staff leaning against the wall. Her body was trembling, but she didn’t show it.
“It would be better if you didn’t stand up right now. It would be best to rest and…….”
“Get lost before I burn you.”
Ain moved as if to act. Yes, come at me. Just beat me senseless. So I can vent this miserable feeling. But he didn’t come at her. Because the woman named Aria Lameld had given him a look. Really, he had become a complete dog.
Aria Lameld looked at her.
“……Could we possibly resolve this through conversation if possible?”
Conversation? There was nothing she wanted to talk about with her. Don’t make me feel even more pathetic. Without replying, she walked away. Even until she opened the door and left, Ashtain didn’t say a single word or give her a single glance. What the hell? It wouldn’t have hurt to say something to me at least once. ……Do you hate me that much?