| Author: Tensei Mikami | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2269 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 986 |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
Seletina struggled to stand up even though her knees had by now given up and she was coughing up blood.
I won’t let you. I won’t let you steal my brother from me.
Seletina glared at Gil with her eyes burning with a strong purpose. When Gil and Seletina locked eyes, the tip of Gil’s katana momentarily trembled.
Gil was familiar with this gaze. Although it had been buried in a memory he’d long forgotten. In his mind, Seletina’s current gaze and the legendary hero’s gaze from more than a decade prior were overlapping.
The gaze was filled with the strong desire to protect something. It was also the desire that the current Gil detested seeing most in other people’s eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Gil said. Only he himself knew the reason behind that apology.
Gil held his katana up. He was unable to bear to gaze into Seletina’s eyes any longer. And without a shred of hesitation, he prepared to swing it down when a deafening scream filled his ears.
“SELETINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”
Just like a gale, the unknown figure swooped into the gap between Gil and Seletina and mercilessly buried its foot in Gil’s side.
The force of the hit was unfathomable.
Gil, despite being relatively tall and muscular, was easily launched into the air in a similar manner to how Seletina had been earlier.
Gil was unable to regain his balance and kept rolling and slamming into the ground like a rubber ball.
“W-Who…?”
Seletina asked in a pained tone.
She managed to support herself with her elbows after coughing up another mouthful of blood and slowly looked up.
What she saw was a silvery war maiden.
Her silver armor, together with the crimson cloak attached to it, gleamed brighter than the sun.
Her greatsword, almost as tall as the maiden, exuded a sense of justice, and her golden hair, which gently tumbled down to her waist, aroused men’s desires.
Her deep blue eyes were boiling with fury as they stared at Gil.
Seletina was well aware of the identity of this beautiful war maiden.
“Mo-Mo-Mother…”
A single tear escaped Seletina’s eyes as she muttered.
The silver war maiden was none other than Melia ul Gold Aldelight. The sight of her mother shedding her ladylike character to transform into a warrior was the most heroic image of her mother Seletina had ever seen1.
Melia the Gale.
She’d earned that nickname during her mercenary days because she was the first on the battlefield.
Despite her brutish manner of speech and behavior, Melia was stunningly beautiful, and her skill with the sword was undeniable. As such there was no mercenary at the time who did not know Melia.
Above all, as a female mercenary, Melia was a well-known figure not only among mercenaries but also among many others.
After sweeping the battlefields and slaughtering demons, she would drown in the day’s profits. A wild and brazen woman. That was Melia in her truest form.
The number of roughnecks who’d looked up to her was endless. However, while living her wild and carefree life, one day Melia met a certain man. The man that would later become her husband. Balged ul Gold Aldelight.
“Marry me.”
“Huh? What s̲h̲i̲t̲ are you spewing, you s̲h̲i̲t̲t̲y noble? Go back and feast on those golden s̲h̲i̲t̲s̲ of yours!”
To put it bluntly, their encounter had been a disaster. After falling for Melia at first glance Balged had decided to immediately propose. Melia, in turn, had shown him the middle finger.
The rough exchange between the two had then led to a huge and terrible brawl between Balged’s guards and Melia’s henchmen.
The folks of Aldelight who had been familiar with the two at the time still told the tale today.
Melia, who’d been born an orphan, despised the privileged nobility with all her heart. But despite this Balged hadn’t been discouraged in the least and firmly refused to give up.
He would hire Melia as a mercenary whenever possible and keep her at his side at all times. As for Melia, although she disliked Balged, she served by his side, albeit reluctantly, as he paid well.
And as such their strange relationship lasted for quite some time.
Balged’s love had shown to be true, contrary to popular belief that it was just a simple fling or a simple whim of a lord that would soon pass.
Balged had turned away all of the countless noble ladies who had come to claim his wealth. Day after day he would continue to pursue his love for Melia without fail.
“Melia.”
“What?”
“Will you marry me?”
“Why, of all times, are you bringing this up now?”
“It’s because it’s now that I’m bringing it up.”
The two’s voices filled the sick room.
Balged was lying on the bed that day, a gaping wound in his chest from acting as a general on the battlefield. Anyone could tell that his wound was nothing to sneeze at.
“Balged, don’t die,” Melia said, her eyes filled with tears as big as pebbles. She bit her lower lip while stroking Balged’s cheek.
“I wish I could do that, but since it’s my death I know… I know that I’m going to die.” Balged said with a calm expression on his face. He had a warm smile on his face. A smile of peace that could only come from someone who had accepted their own death.
Melia wiped away her tears. She then tightly grasped Balged’s hand and gave him the deepest look she had ever given.
“Balged! Don’t die! Live! I’ll do anything as long as you live! Hell, I’ll even marry you! So… So don’t die, Balged!”
“WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! Are you serious?!?!?!?!?!”
“Dead serious2.”
Balged had shown an unbelievable drive to live, even leading the doctors to wonder if he was a cockroach, and had dragged himself back from the brink of death after hearing Melia’s consent to marry him3.
