| Author: Shizuku | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 3172 characters |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1521 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
I’d never let go. I vowed that as I fastened that hand, but then Natalia let go of her own will.
“No! Natalia! Nataliaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Gravity has already started pulling me back to the ground, and I can’t reach her hand anymore. I watch her figure become smaller in the distance as I land on Clarissa’s back.
On the ground, she lowers her body to make it easier for me to get down.
I look for Natalia frantically, but I see she’s already being carried away from the Academy grounds. Then the entire flock of Rufus follow the black one, leaving Ingralowe behind.
“Natalia…”
I have to go rescue her. It’s like a repeat of last year, she sacrificed herself to save me again. If Natalia hadn’t let go of my hand, I would’ve been carried away by the black Rufu as well. So she released me to stop that from happening.
I know that much. I understand what she was trying to do… But…
“This isn’t what I wanted!” I try to run after the flock of Rufus, but Otis quickly gets in my way.
“Calm down, Olivia.”
“Out of the way! I have to go after Natalia!”
Otis tries to get me to calm down, but I really don’t feel like it right now.
I can beat a Rufu on my own, but they can be dangerous for other people. Natalia is in an entire flock of them now though, so she has to be in danger. I don’t have any time to spare before I go rescue her.
“That’s even more reason to calm down. Just look at what those monsters can do, you can’t just charge in there blindly without any preparations.”
Look at what those monsters can do? I look around for a bit, but quickly feel like looking away in horror. The exhibitions have been trampled down, and there’s people strewn about bleeding profusely and not moving.
“That’s a flock of rank C monsters, and the black one is definitely B or higher. You might be strong, but going alone to chase them is asking to be killed. I’m sure they’ll organize a group to hunt them down soon enough, so it’ll be better if you go along with them.”
Otis is right. Even if I catch up, there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to rescue Natalia alone. Not to mention that Natalia let go of me so I’d be safe. I’d just be wasting her efforts if I chase after her so recklessly.
“Don’t forget Natalia is strong too, I’m sure she’ll be alright. Let’s focus on the people we can save here.”
“Okay…”
I get it. I get what Natalia was trying to do, and I get that we’re not the only ones suffering here, there’s still a lot of people injured nearby. But then…exactly what am I supposed to do with these emotions that’s driving me crazy!
I get that Natalia thinks of me as someone really important, but why won’t Natalia understand that she’s very important to me as well!
I know I haven’t told her properly yet, and Natalia still thinks of herself as nothing more than a magic automaton or a tool, and maybe there’s other reasons too. I know all of that, but I still haven’t had a chance to do something about it.
It feels so frustrating and miserable, but I can’t even shout about it. The emotions just keep circling endlessly in my chest, weighing down on me.
“Boss?”
Clarissa returns to her werewolf form and looks at me worried. Somehow I had just stopped moving while looking down without even realizing. I have to compose myself, I can’t be brooding about this now.
I’m Natalia’s master, and Clarissa’s boss, I don’t have time to spaz out like that.
“I’m fine. Let’s go help everyone we can.”
I wipe the tears that were about to form in my eyes and raise my face. I’ll go rescue Natalia, but I’ll help however I can here before that. Otherwise I won’t be able to stand proudly in front of Natalia.
After the sun vanished under the horizon, and a few more hours passed late into the night, the commotion from the Rufu attack finally winded down. Thanks to the quick reaction to fighting back, it could be said that there had not been much damage compared to the large number of Rufus, but there had been many casualties and people still unaccounted for. The gates with few guards had taken the biggest hits as well.
Many of the people at the Magic Academy had the means of fighting back, which made sense considering the kind of people attending and working there, so that was the area with the least damage.
But that did not mean it was left unscathed, and Charlotte was listening to the latest report with an unamused face.
“There were no students who passed away or were severely injured, correct?”
“Yes. But many teachers and guests were injured, though thankfully nothing life-threatening.”
“But there’s deaths and missing people in the city. I guess it’s safe to assume that the missing people were abducted by the Rufus.”
“Likely yes, from what I’ve gathered Rufus have the habit of carrying live prey to the offspring in their nests. Those abducted are likely alive, at least for now.”
Charlotte was not in the mood to go into more detail. Anyone could understand what would happen with people who were carried to the nests of monsters. By that point their chances of survival went down to zero.
Neither Charlotte nor the current student council members felt like being explicit about that. There was a gloomy silence for a bit, which was eventually broken by the sound of the door opening.
“Charlotte!”
Olivia’s loud voice did not seem to care about the current state in the room, and she approached Charlotte.
“What do you mean the hunting group is only leaving after three days?!”
“Ah, that.”
Olivia’s angry voice did not seem to affect Charlotte in the slightest, who just stared coldly at the uninvited guest.
“I believe I already explained that earlier. All the people taken by the Rufus have likely been carried to their nests, and I’m sure you understand what that makes them, right?”
After saying that, Charlotte took a deep breath for emphasis.
“They’re just food for them.”
The words she had omitted earlier came out without hesitation now. Hearing that, Olivia and everyone else in the room gasped audibly.
“In other words, there’s hardly anything to gain from attempting a rescue. All we’d accomplish doing that would be to thin our forces here, hampering more valuable rescue and reconstruction efforts. But identifying the bodies of those taken is also important, and sending troops to hunt down the monsters would help with avoiding further attacks. That’s not something Ingralowe alone can do, however. We need to contact the governors of other regions and hire experienced adventurers to form such a group, and that’s not something that can be done in a short timeframe.”
They were not sending a rescue team, but one to identify bodies. That meant they were acting under the assumption that there were no survivors, and even if some managed to last a bit longer, they were not worth the risk.
While logical, that was not something Olivia could accept herself.
“Natalia is definitely safe! I’m sure she’s waiting for help this very moment!”
“Natalia? Ahh, right, your magic automaton. What about that though?”
“What about… that?!”
“There’s absolutely no need to incur needless risks just for a magic automaton.”
“Natalia isn’t just a magic automaton! She can think for herself, and she’s part of my family!”
“While I won’t deny there’s a high likelihood your magic automaton has developed awareness, that just means she went from being a tool to being a monster. That’s still no reason to put actual humans in jeopardy for her sake.”
As hard as Olivia tried to make an argument, Charlotte easily threw it away. But as far as Seperion’s law and common sense went, she was right.
“…I’ve had it here!”
Olivia took a step back in disgust, then left Charlotte and the room behind. That also eased some of the tense atmosphere that had formed there.
“Alright, time to get back to work everyone. Go back to gathering food and medical supplies, and keep trying to get in touch with the other regions!”
“””Yes!”””
After that last order, everyone in the room dispersed to focus on their own task. Eventually only Millea remained there reclined against Charlotte, who slowly closed her eyes.
Charlotte had already rescinded her position as the student council president, choosing to focus on her final year enrolled at the Academy, but the sudden calamity that struck had forced her to come back and take control of the council. And then her opinion clashed heavily with that of Olivia1, someone she had once wished to make one of her allies2.
“I really can’t seem to control her.”
Charlotte muttered into the air, knowing it was safe for Millea to hear that as well.
