4-7 - The Price Of A Wish

Alice and Regis stood silently facing each other, their swords at the ready. The tension was so thick that merely watching them made it difficult to breathe. Regis was the first to move.

“—!?”

The instant Regis’s outline seemed to blur, he lunged at Alice.

He must have been holding back when he fought me. Drawing his sword, he swept it sideways, then reversed the blade and slashed diagonally upward. He unleashed a relentless series of attacks without giving her a moment to breathe.

Alice continued to fend them off, either dodging by a hair’s breadth or deflecting them with her sword.

“You’re certainly… fast!”

“You’re using some rather peculiar magic!”

Watching their exchange, I noticed something. Every time Alice deflected an attack, a tiny amount of magical power swirled around her. Was she… using Spirit Magic to redirect his attacks?

“To withstand my full strength this well—magnificent! However, merely defending yourself won’t be enough to win!”

Regis brought his sword down diagonally, swiftly turned his body, and followed with a horizontal slash. Unlike before, his consecutive attacks flowed seamlessly into one another.

“Come now, what’s wrong!? Is defending yourself all you can—!?”

“—Are you… sure about that!?”

Alice slipped through Regis’s barrage and darted into his reach. At that instant, Regis launched his left fist toward her from her blind spot.

The moment I saw it, I realized that was the counterattack he’d used against me.

“—Alice!”

I instinctively shouted, even though I knew my warning wouldn’t reach her in time. Almost simultaneously, Regis’s fist slammed into Alice’s side.

And then—

“Guh! What the—!?”

The one who groaned and staggered backward was Regis. Looking closely, I saw blood dripping from his fist and a shallow cut running along his arm.

“I can barely manage to deflect your sword, but against an unprotected fist, I can at least land a counterattack, you know?”

“Are you saying you anticipated my attack?”

“I saw you use it against Leon. I figured you’d try it again if I recreated the same situation.”

“It seems you’ve outwitted me. However, wasn’t it a mistake to fail to finish me off just now? I assure you, I won’t make the same mistake again.”

With those words, Regis raised his sword. He showed no signs of being seriously injured, and his left arm appeared to be functioning normally.

—Despite that, a faint smile appeared on Alice’s face.

“No, it’s already over.”

“What are you—!?”

Regis stared at Alice, speechless. Naturally. Even I, who had received instruction in Spirit Magic from Alice herself, couldn’t find my voice.

—Alice’s entire body was surrounded by faintly glowing particles of light. The sheer amount of magical power was unimaginable under normal circumstances—at least, it was beyond anything I could comprehend.

“I wasn’t just humoring you for no reason, you know?”

“Y-you monster!?”

Regis faltered, retreating one step, then another. Alice paid him no mind and slowly raised her right arm.

And then—

“…Spirits.”

Several spirits answered Alice’s whisper. A dazzling light blinded Regis, while blades of wind wreathed in flames sliced into him, burning the wounds they inflicted.

It was an overwhelming display of power that made resistance seem utterly pointless. Nevertheless, Regis desperately tried to evade the attacks or block them with his sword. But faced with such overwhelming force, he could do nothing to prevent his injuries from mounting.

And just as the battle seemed decided—

“—That’s enough!”

A woman’s voice suddenly rang out. Turning toward it, I saw Carlos’s wife, Elise, standing in the doorway. She was holding a young girl captive.

“Claire-nee!”

At the sight of Claire-nee, whom I’d been desperately searching for, I summoned what little strength remained and struggled to my feet.

“…Little brother? Why are you here!? No, more importantly, are you hurt!?”

“It’s not as bad as it looks. More importantly, are you okay, Claire-nee?”

“I’m… yes. They kept me locked up, but they didn’t mistreat me.”

“I see. Thank goodness…”

“That’s quite enough of your touching reunion. If you don’t want your precious sister killed, you will obey us without resistance.”

As though deliberately interrupting our reunion, Elise pressed a knife against Claire-nee.

“Little brother, don’t listen to her!”

“Be quiet! Unless you want that pretty face of yours ruined, keep your mouth shut!”

Elise moved the knife closer to Claire-nee’s face. The moment I saw it, both Alice and I froze.

“Regis, you can still move, can’t you?”

“—Yes, madam. Without issue.”

Perhaps that was what made him a truly loyal retainer. Despite being covered in wounds and barely able to stand, Regis straightened himself resolutely. Elise addressed him in an indifferent tone.

“Then beat that elf into submission while you have the chance.”

“But, Lady Elise—”

“Regis, did you not hear me?”

“…As you command.”

Regis initially hesitated, but then turned toward Alice as though steeling his resolve. Closing the distance in a single breath, he drove his fist into the stomach of the defenseless Alice.

He must have struck with his full strength, without holding back. Alice let out a muffled groan and was sent flying toward me.

“—Alice! Are you okay!?”

Ignoring the pain still coursing through my body, I lifted Alice from where she’d fallen.

“Cough… Guh… Sorry… I can’t… exactly say… I’m okay…”

He must have struck her diaphragm. Alice was struggling to breathe and probably wouldn’t be able to move properly for a while. Realizing how dangerous our situation had become, I turned my attention toward Claire-nee.

Claire-nee’s hands were bound, and Elise stood behind her with a knife pressed against her.

Although Elise was a relatively weak woman herself, she still had the advantage in size. Claire-nee had no means of fighting back, so escaping on her own would be difficult. That meant I had to do something, but…

What should I do? Could I defeat Elise with magic and free Claire-nee?

No, that wouldn’t work. With my current abilities, there was a chance I’d accidentally hit Claire-nee. And if I failed to defeat Elise with a single attack, Claire-nee might be killed.

Even if I managed to bring her down in one blow, Regis was still standing right in front of me. Injured or not, if he moved to protect Elise, there’d be nothing I could do.

“Well then, are you finally ready to admit defeat?”

“Guh…”

“Little brother, you don’t have to worry about me!”

“I told you to be quiet!”

Elise pressed the knife harder against Claire-nee, making a shallow cut across her cheek. Seeing that, I felt a terror so intense it was as though someone had seized my heart.

But—

“—Little brother, take Alice and run!”

“You! You’re still going to say that!?”

Elise shrieked hysterically and raised her knife—

“STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!”

The descending knife stopped just short of Claire-nee’s nose.

Th-that was close! She’d definitely been about to stab her! Elise was reckless enough to attack without considering the consequences, but Claire-nee was pushing things far too much herself.

“Claire-nee, please, I’m begging you! Just stay still!”

“But, little brother! You want to be happy, don’t you!? Then you can’t let these people control you!”

“—Claire-nee!”

I raised my voice, cutting her off.

To live freely and find happiness. That had been Saya’s final wish for me, but by now, it had become my own wish as well.

However…

Being misunderstood by someone precious to me, causing them grief, and then being separated by death without even being given the chance to explain myself. I never wanted to experience anything like that again.

“The worst thing that could happen to me isn’t losing my freedom. It’s losing someone precious to me. So please, just stay still.”

“But!”

“…It’s okay, Claire-nee. As long as we’re all together, things won’t be so bad.”

As long as Claire-nee and Alice remained useful hostages against me, they probably wouldn’t be treated too harshly. And if I produced results, our treatment shouldn’t be all that bad.

I hated these people for murdering those precious to me, but if I could overlook that one fact, I should be able to secure a reasonably happy life for us.

“Little brother… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all because of me. Ugh… Uuu…”

Tears streamed down Claire-nee’s face as she collapsed to the floor.

“If you’ve finished discussing things, then perhaps you could start by laying down your weapons and surrendering.”

Carlos was evidently convinced of his victory. An unpleasant smile spread across his face.

“You’ll guarantee Claire-nee’s and Alice’s safety, won’t you?”

“As long as you obey us.”

“…………All right.”

It was frustrating, but for now, I had no choice but to submit to Carlos and wait for another opportunity… Just as I was about to resign myself to that fate—

She awoke.