Lightning Empress didn’t tolerate failure.
Leshya certainly knew that more than anyone else.
Because she was the hands and feet of Lightning Empress and was going to be eliminated for those who failed the mission.
(I’m the elimination target this time. This is some kind of retribution, isn’t it?)
Leshya thought so with irony as she left behind the apartment where she lived for a while.
She didn’t intend to return.
She went out to the courtyard, the sky began to whiten and the air of the cold morning strained the feelings of Leshya.
(Who will be chosen as the assassin, I wonder?)
She thought as she departed.
She had an idea of who it might be.
There were several strong people at the Russian Division with rare Ancestral Artsthat weren’t either a Shirogane or a Kuroma like Kondrat.
In other words, they were natural enemies of Leshya.
No――in this moment where her <cursed sword> Leprazan was smashed by Moroha and where it was impossible to replace it with a substitute ID Tag, repelling an attack as an ordinary Savior seemed a hard task.
Unless she had the cursed sword of “man-eater”, she was no more than your everyday C-Rank Shirogane.
She had no choice but to hide herself somewhere, and survive stealthily.
Since she had no relatives she could rely on, she didn’t have the slightest idea about how to get decent food in the first place.
At any rate, she had to leave this city.
Otherwise, the Russian assassins would get here and the city would end up becoming a battlefield.
Even if that resulted in getting caught by her pursuers somewhere or even if that resulted in her dying by the roadside, starving, it was many thousands of times better than having Moroha and the others getting involved in the battle.
(Where should I go first? I don’t want to spend money if possible, but if I don’t go far by train or something quickly, then I’ll end up being tracked in no time, won’t I?)
She thought so and turned her feet towards the station.
It was early morning, the time when the city was still asleep.
It was quiet. She could hear the sound of a newspaper delivery bike.
And her own footsteps as they hit the cold asphalt.
The air she exhaled was white, it felt incredibly chilly.
Maybe this one-way-trip scenery was appropriate for her who was fleeing in misery and in solitude.
(But “man-eater” and I were able to say goodbye. I’ll go puffing up with pride, at least)
She raised against her will her face that was looking at the ground for who knew how long.
She took a straight look at something in her path in the distance with the same grim look in her eyes.
And then, she was taken aback.
He was standing in her way.
A boy clad in a whistling air that she couldn’t get what it was and yet he stood still in a straight posture as if a wick of steel passed through his core.
He was Moroha.
– Why…?
Leshya asked involuntarily to him who was still far.
Moroha answered without hesitation while heading towards her.
– I heard that Lightning Empress doesn’t tolerate failure. So I thought that Leshya would do something like this.
He showed an invigorating and gentle smile on his face just like the morning sun that accompanied him on his back.
– What are you thinking?
– You won’t get it unless I say it again? It’s embarrassing, you know…. I told you that I would be your family, didn’t I?
– I’ll be a nuisance to you.
– If I don’t think about it, then I wouldn’t say it’s a problem.
– I’m being targeted by Russian assassins. If you stay with me, you will get dragged into it.
– So what?
Moroha shrugged his shoulders like it was really nothing.
Leshya fought back the tears.
The grim look in her eyes softened with that.
Warm feelings began to overflow. But Leshya, who tried to conceal them, shook her head slowly.
– I can’t. I don’t want to drag you into this. I can’t give up on this feeling.
– Leshya is so obstinate.
– I think I lose to you in that regard.
Leshya unconsciously smiled and told him.
– I’m sorry. And thank you for everything.
I won’t forget you.
With that thought in her chest, Leshya started walking again.
She passed by the side of Moroha by herself.
And rejected with utmost effort the thought directed to the hair on the back of her head.
– Leshya!
Even when he called her name, she never looked back.
However, she didn’t notice.
Moroha had completed a spelling of three lines behind Leshya.
A strong sleepiness approached her unnoticed from behind.
The surprise attack and the difference between Leshya’s prana and Moroha’s mana was incomparable.
In addition to that, since she specialized in a way of fighting based on the power of the cursed sword, her Defense System Light Techniques weren’t trained.
It was a 3rd Rank Dark Art without chanting, Leshya was caught by it without performing a technique.
She became a prisoner of sleep that Moroha’s Giga Drowse brought to her.
– I won’t let you be at the mercy of the Lightning Empress or anyone else.
Moroha held tightly the crumbling body from behind and supported her.
– Satsuki and Shizuno promised to protect you, you know? You don’t need to worry anymore. Good night, Leshya.
Leshya heard a strong determination in the warm voice that whispered in her ear.
She was enveloped by a peaceful slumber, something she experienced for the first time in her life.
『Good evening, <Moroha> Jack. Getting a call from you is so unusual that it makes me happy, you know?』
Edward was delighted while watching a football broadcast at his favorite pub.
Since the customers around him were noisy, he kept talking while he headed outside.
The match was going great, the score was 3-3, but since the other person was Moroha, he couldn’t say no to him.
『I have a favor to ask you, Edward』
『Wow, from you? This is genuinely rare! “It’s going to rain tomorrow”! Isn’t that what they say in Japan? Though it’s normal to rain here in London』
『Come on, don’t poke fun at me』
『Haha, sorryyyy. Alright, I’ll listen. Now please tell me』
Edward straightened up as Moroha’s voice became serious.
Though he was in casual clothes, these clothes let him wear a dignified majesty as to not disgrace the name of the Head of the British Division.
It didn’t matter what he asked for, he intended to go all out.
Without letting an enthusiasm to be revealed like the enthusiasm Edward had, Moroha said.
『I want to go to war with the Russian Division. Alone』
Edward opened his eyes wide.
『Eh? … What? … Huh? Are those kinds of jokes popular in Japan?』
『I asked you to not poke fun at me, didn’t I?』
Moroha was indignant on the other end of the phone call.
He couldn’t see his face, but he was told once again to say things seriously.
Edward made a sound with his throat.
『Can I ask something? Did something happen all of a sudden again?』
『I’ can’t stomach Lightning Empress’s way of doing things. Is that reason enough?』
As expected of “jack-in-the-box”. To think you even have the talent to make jokes.
Edward barely held back from saying something frivolous.
The strength that was in Moroha’s voice made him hold back from saying it.
『Got it. I understand your intention. So, what do I have to do? I would like to do anything for you, but unfortunately I have a position as well』
『I know. I don’t plan to involve the British Division. Or anyone else. This is my war』
Moroha once again emphasized that this was going to be done at his own risk.
This boy was completely weary of politics, but he kept in mind the virtually detestable key points.
『I see. So you’re not getting the consent of the Japanese Division, am I right?』
『No, I don’t have their consent. That’s why I can only rely on Edward. All I need is a guide to Russia and a pilot. Since there’s no way I can get to use school principal’s Erratic Portal because I say so』
The subject appeared to Edward at last.
And together with that, he got worried.
『… are you really sure that only a guide is fine? If it’s a little of support, then arranging some manufacturing is――』
『I won’t be satisfied unless I do it with my hands』
Please understand me, Moroha just said so.
Edward felt the depth of his anger hidden in his calm voice.
As he got excited by the amount of rage lying dormant inside Moroha.
『Alright! Then I shall dispatch the agent I trust the most. Do you think you can get to Narita so I can arrange for them to join you there? There are all sorts of problems to get a visa and vouchers for Russia, so it’s way more convenient to have a few preparatory meetings in Japan first. OK? Well, then I’ll prepare a detailed schedule within an hour and I notify you, alright?』
Edward quickly decided to plan something and Moroha finally took a breath.
『You saved me. I owe you one』
『Hahahaha, that’s how our relationship is, isn’t it!? Let’s be frank!』
*TN: “Let’s be frank!” was written in English.
Even after the call ended, Edward’s excitement didn’t die down.
He had talked about it with his confidant Angela before.
The opposition and stalemate within the White Knight Organization crumbled when the seventh S-Rank appeared.
Moroha was that seventh person.
He was expecting that the balance would eventually decline and Edward was making preparations for that.
Moroha started moving on his own simply because「It takes too long」.
(Man, you truly are a provoking guy! Always, always moving and exceeding my expectations!)
Though this should be an inconvenience, Edward couldn’t suppress his thrilling thoughts.
And he couldn’t help but feel envy.
(It’s so vexing that I can’t fight by his side. A life that shines like a momentary spark and saying ideals like that――I’m so sure he will be able to fight feeling as if his soul were to consume and burn to nothing! But why am I the only one who has to look on enviously while doing nothing? Why is there such a boring thing for me?)
Edward made the sign of the cross while facing the sky as he laughed and lamented.
He wished for the day he was talking on that more-than-harassing phone call with him to come safely――and he couldn’t help but pray for Moroha’s fortunes of war.
Lightning Empress didn’t tolerate failure.
Leshya certainly knew that more than anyone else.
Because she was the hands and feet of Lightning Empress and was going to be eliminated for those who failed the mission.
(I’m the elimination target this time. This is some kind of retribution, isn’t it?)
Leshya thought so with irony as she left behind the apartment where she lived for a while.
She didn’t intend to return.
She went out to the courtyard, the sky began to whiten and the air of the cold morning strained the feelings of Leshya.
(Who will be chosen as the assassin, I wonder?)
She thought as she departed.
She had an idea of who it might be.
There were several strong people at the Russian Division with rare Ancestral Artsthat weren’t either a Shirogane or a Kuroma like Kondrat.
In other words, they were natural enemies of Leshya.
No――in this moment where her <cursed sword> Leprazan was smashed by Moroha and where it was impossible to replace it with a substitute ID Tag, repelling an attack as an ordinary Savior seemed a hard task.
Unless she had the cursed sword of “man-eater”, she was no more than your everyday C-Rank Shirogane.
She had no choice but to hide herself somewhere, and survive stealthily.
Since she had no relatives she could rely on, she didn’t have the slightest idea about how to get decent food in the first place.
At any rate, she had to leave this city.
Otherwise, the Russian assassins would get here and the city would end up becoming a battlefield.
Even if that resulted in getting caught by her pursuers somewhere or even if that resulted in her dying by the roadside, starving, it was many thousands of times better than having Moroha and the others getting involved in the battle.
(Where should I go first? I don’t want to spend money if possible, but if I don’t go far by train or something quickly, then I’ll end up being tracked in no time, won’t I?)
She thought so and turned her feet towards the station.
It was early morning, the time when the city was still asleep.
It was quiet. She could hear the sound of a newspaper delivery bike.
And her own footsteps as they hit the cold asphalt.
The air she exhaled was white, it felt incredibly chilly.
Maybe this one-way-trip scenery was appropriate for her who was fleeing in misery and in solitude.
(But “man-eater” and I were able to say goodbye. I’ll go puffing up with pride, at least)
She raised against her will her face that was looking at the ground for who knew how long.
She took a straight look at something in her path in the distance with the same grim look in her eyes.
And then, she was taken aback.
He was standing in her way.
A boy clad in a whistling air that she couldn’t get what it was and yet he stood still in a straight posture as if a wick of steel passed through his core.
He was Moroha.
– Why…?
Leshya asked involuntarily to him who was still far.
Moroha answered without hesitation while heading towards her.
– I heard that Lightning Empress doesn’t tolerate failure. So I thought that Leshya would do something like this.
He showed an invigorating and gentle smile on his face just like the morning sun that accompanied him on his back.
– What are you thinking?
– You won’t get it unless I say it again? It’s embarrassing, you know…. I told you that I would be your family, didn’t I?
– I’ll be a nuisance to you.
– If I don’t think about it, then I wouldn’t say it’s a problem.
– I’m being targeted by Russian assassins. If you stay with me, you will get dragged into it.
– So what?
Moroha shrugged his shoulders like it was really nothing.
Leshya fought back the tears.
The grim look in her eyes softened with that.
Warm feelings began to overflow. But Leshya, who tried to conceal them, shook her head slowly.
– I can’t. I don’t want to drag you into this. I can’t give up on this feeling.
– Leshya is so obstinate.
– I think I lose to you in that regard.
Leshya unconsciously smiled and told him.
– I’m sorry. And thank you for everything.
I won’t forget you.
With that thought in her chest, Leshya started walking again.
She passed by the side of Moroha by herself.
And rejected with utmost effort the thought directed to the hair on the back of her head.
– Leshya!
Even when he called her name, she never looked back.
However, she didn’t notice.
Moroha had completed a spelling of three lines behind Leshya.
A strong sleepiness approached her unnoticed from behind.
The surprise attack and the difference between Leshya’s prana and Moroha’s mana was incomparable.
In addition to that, since she specialized in a way of fighting based on the power of the cursed sword, her Defense System Light Techniques weren’t trained.
It was a 3rd Rank Dark Art without chanting, Leshya was caught by it without performing a technique.
She became a prisoner of sleep that Moroha’s Giga Drowse brought to her.
– I won’t let you be at the mercy of the Lightning Empress or anyone else.
Moroha held tightly the crumbling body from behind and supported her.
– Satsuki and Shizuno promised to protect you, you know? You don’t need to worry anymore. Good night, Leshya.
Leshya heard a strong determination in the warm voice that whispered in her ear.
She was enveloped by a peaceful slumber, something she experienced for the first time in her life.
『Good evening, <Moroha> Jack. Getting a call from you is so unusual that it makes me happy, you know?』
Edward was delighted while watching a football broadcast at his favorite pub.
Since the customers around him were noisy, he kept talking while he headed outside.
The match was going great, the score was 3-3, but since the other person was Moroha, he couldn’t say no to him.
『I have a favor to ask you, Edward』
『Wow, from you? This is genuinely rare! “It’s going to rain tomorrow”! Isn’t that what they say in Japan? Though it’s normal to rain here in London』
『Come on, don’t poke fun at me』
『Haha, sorryyyy. Alright, I’ll listen. Now please tell me』
Edward straightened up as Moroha’s voice became serious.
Though he was in casual clothes, these clothes let him wear a dignified majesty as to not disgrace the name of the Head of the British Division.
It didn’t matter what he asked for, he intended to go all out.
Without letting an enthusiasm to be revealed like the enthusiasm Edward had, Moroha said.
『I want to go to war with the Russian Division. Alone』
Edward opened his eyes wide.
『Eh? … What? … Huh? Are those kinds of jokes popular in Japan?』
『I asked you to not poke fun at me, didn’t I?』
Moroha was indignant on the other end of the phone call.
He couldn’t see his face, but he was told once again to say things seriously.
Edward made a sound with his throat.
『Can I ask something? Did something happen all of a sudden again?』
『I’ can’t stomach Lightning Empress’s way of doing things. Is that reason enough?』
As expected of “jack-in-the-box”. To think you even have the talent to make jokes.
Edward barely held back from saying something frivolous.
The strength that was in Moroha’s voice made him hold back from saying it.
『Got it. I understand your intention. So, what do I have to do? I would like to do anything for you, but unfortunately I have a position as well』
『I know. I don’t plan to involve the British Division. Or anyone else. This is my war』
Moroha once again emphasized that this was going to be done at his own risk.
This boy was completely weary of politics, but he kept in mind the virtually detestable key points.
『I see. So you’re not getting the consent of the Japanese Division, am I right?』
『No, I don’t have their consent. That’s why I can only rely on Edward. All I need is a guide to Russia and a pilot. Since there’s no way I can get to use school principal’s Erratic Portal because I say so』
The subject appeared to Edward at last.
And together with that, he got worried.
『… are you really sure that only a guide is fine? If it’s a little of support, then arranging some manufacturing is――』
『I won’t be satisfied unless I do it with my hands』
Please understand me, Moroha just said so.
Edward felt the depth of his anger hidden in his calm voice.
As he got excited by the amount of rage lying dormant inside Moroha.
『Alright! Then I shall dispatch the agent I trust the most. Do you think you can get to Narita so I can arrange for them to join you there? There are all sorts of problems to get a visa and vouchers for Russia, so it’s way more convenient to have a few preparatory meetings in Japan first. OK? Well, then I’ll prepare a detailed schedule within an hour and I notify you, alright?』
Edward quickly decided to plan something and Moroha finally took a breath.
『You saved me. I owe you one』
『Hahahaha, that’s how our relationship is, isn’t it!? Let’s be frank!』
*TN: “Let’s be frank!” was written in English.
Even after the call ended, Edward’s excitement didn’t die down.
He had talked about it with his confidant Angela before.
The opposition and stalemate within the White Knight Organization crumbled when the seventh S-Rank appeared.
Moroha was that seventh person.
He was expecting that the balance would eventually decline and Edward was making preparations for that.
Moroha started moving on his own simply because「It takes too long」.
(Man, you truly are a provoking guy! Always, always moving and exceeding my expectations!)
Though this should be an inconvenience, Edward couldn’t suppress his thrilling thoughts.
And he couldn’t help but feel envy.
(It’s so vexing that I can’t fight by his side. A life that shines like a momentary spark and saying ideals like that――I’m so sure he will be able to fight feeling as if his soul were to consume and burn to nothing! But why am I the only one who has to look on enviously while doing nothing? Why is there such a boring thing for me?)
Edward made the sign of the cross while facing the sky as he laughed and lamented.
He wished for the day he was talking on that more-than-harassing phone call with him to come safely――and he couldn’t help but pray for Moroha’s fortunes of war.
