Chapter 134

Chapter 134 \nI was happy just to have my mother in my life.\n

　Ever since I can remember, there was no one I could call a father.

　But I never felt lonely because I had my mother.

 

“You can’t be like me. ……”

 

　That was the memory of that day two years ago.

　It was the last conversation we had when Mother met me a few days before she fell asleep.

　With tears streaming down her face, Mother hugged me tenderly, as if this was the last goodbye.

 

“Mo-ther?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry …… I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

 

　She slowly put her hands on my shoulders and let go of my body. She wiped away her tears and looked at me with eyes that showed extraordinary determination.

 

“Amako, you shouldn’t be here. You can’t stay here, you can’t live a normal life, you can’t be happy. ……”

“Yes, ……”

“Don’t say anything right now, just listen. This is the only time I can tell you this, when no one is looking.”

 

　I didn’t know what that meant.

　There was no inconvenience in my life now, no reason to leave.

　I didn’t understand why I had to leave.

 

“There is no future for you here. But there is one out there. So you’re going to live in a new place.”

“…… And you’re following as well right, mother?”

 

　Mom smiled sadly at my words.

 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you. I have some things I have to do here.”

“What ……?”

“It’s important. It’s okay, you’re a strong girl. You’ll find someone you can truly believe in.”

 

　Mother’s words sounded like she was sure of something.

　That was the last conversation my mother and I had two years ago.

　At that time, Mother’s face was sad, but her concern for my safety was filled with the same kindness as always. ……

 

 

 

“Amako, I’m home.”

“……”

 

　I was woken up by Nea’s cerebral voice coming in through the window provided in the high place.\n　It wasn’t a prediction, it was a dream about what happened two years ago.

　Rubbing my eyes, I got up from the futon and turned my attention to Nea, who had moved to a perch prepared by her caretaker.

 

“How was it?”

“Usato and Arc both knew exactly what to do.”

“Okay. Good.”

 

　I was hardly worried, though.

　I was confident that Usato would definitely notice my lie.

 

“Nea, you really gave me a rough time, but it turned out to be a good experience.”

“It’s kind of thorny the way you say it, ……. Are you still upset about me?”

“I don’t care about it now.”

 

　She doesn’t say it out loud, but she really doesn’t care because she’s quite remorseful.

　In fact, I’m rather glad that Nea is here in this situation.

　Because without Nea, I wouldn’t have been able to act so freely either.

 

“And you know what! I was there to help and that monster used brute force to get rid of the shackles, and he said that he was able to escape on his own. …… He doesn’t even know what I’m going through.”

“Well, it’s not surprising that Usato could escape, let alone Arc-san. ……”

“Yes I know, but…!”

 

　And he’s even more polished after his fight with Karon in Mia Rak.

　Jinya didn’t know too much about Usato in the first place, which was kind of the whole point of this mission.

　No, it’s impossible to expect a human whose physical abilities are usually inferior to that of a beastman to move in an unorthodox manner.

 

“He seemed to have noticed your lie right away. He was also very perceptive, which I can’t imagine is normal.”

“That’s true. I said it in a way that only Usato and Arc-san, who have traveled together, could understand.”

 

　From an outsider’s perspective, it would have sounded like I was telling Usato and the others to go home in despair over my prediction. In fact, Jinya, who heard my false prediction, was fooled by it and managed to bring me and Usato together.

　However, my true intention was to tell Usato and the others that I would fight Jinya head on.

 

“Jinya said our relationship was fragile. But words like that won’t shake what we’ve been through.”

 

　Do you know how many hardships we’ve gone through?

　Nea conjured a wicked dragon.

　In Samaria, we worked to break the curse.

　In Mia Rak, we fought to stop Karon, a dragon man gone mad.

　They were all tough cases, but we worked together and helped each other through the process.

 

“How can I say this, you two trust each other. ……”

“What are you talking about? Nea is the same.”

 \n　Nea mumbled as if it was someone’s problem, and I replied in a dumbfounded way.

　Nea, whose beak was stunned by my words, immediately smiled in a funny way.

 

“That’s right. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Are you finally a bird head as well as in the eyes?”

“That’s rude! I’ll peck you!”

 

　I smiled a little at Nea, who spread her wings in anger and started gesturing with her beak.

　However, this was not the time for a friendly conversation, so I quickly changed the subject.　　

 

“Speaking of which, did you get permission from Usato?”

“Yes, I did. I’ve already sucked the blood from the guards and maids. No one will hear or notice you and I talking until it’s time for their shift to change.”

“…… Nea is pretty much what Usato says she is. In terms of danger, Nea is better than most villains.”

 

　It’s really tremendous to be able to increase the number of people you can manipulate in the blink of an eye, even if you’re bound to make sure no one notices.

　Nea’s lips twitched slightly, as if she wasn’t satisfied with my words.

 

“It’s not that all-powerful. It takes a lot of magic to control them, and more importantly, I have to suck their blood and suggest them to myself, so it’s a lot of work. So it’s not like I can control a lot of them.”

“…… I see.”

“Yeah, so you have to think about when to use it. It’s more like Usato’s nature is worse. He seems like a harmless person when he’s acting normal, but once he shows his true colors, he’ll hit you with healing magic. He’s also inhumanly fast and powerful, and compared to such a monster, I’m still pretty cute.”

 

　I don’t think either one of them would be able to do that.

　But Nea wasn’t just implying things without thinking, either. ……

　Not that I could say it either, when I have a horrible ability.

 

“Well, leave it to me to work behind the scenes. I’ll remind Jinya who he’s pissed off and who he’s made enemies with.”

“…… Yeah, please.”

 

　This time, Nea might be pissed off.

　There was no reason for Nea to take it easy on this Jinya guy, who was unreasonably trapped and also refused to keep even the most minimal of promises.

　Besides, I think that Nea herself likes Usato.

　I’m sure she’ll never tell him about it. I’m not sure I can speak for anyone else. ……

 

“Oh, and by the way, I’ve seen your mother’s condition.”

“!!! How did it go?”

“I checked again, but I still couldn’t feel the magic. It was unnatural, too.”

 

　She can’t feel the magic.

　It’s safe to say that magic doesn’t exist in my mother right now.

 

“There are two possibilities. Either the magic power itself has disappeared from her body, or the magic power has moved to another place as it is. I’m thinking it’s the latter.”

 

　The magic power has been transferred.\n\n　I’m done being carried away by an unreasonable fate.

　It’s over being scared of an uncertain future.

 

“I, no, we, …… all will grab the best outcome.”

 

　If hn wants to play games, we can play games.

　We’ll destroy all that stuff.

 

“Usato will definitely come to my rescue. So let’s do what we can until then.”

“What if Usato doesn’t come?”

 

　You don’t have to ask me that, you know what I mean.

　Nea’s tone was mischievous, as if she knew what she was talking about.

 

“He’ll come. It’s Usato.”

“Hmmm… That’s right. The reply to your message was ‘I’ll definitely help you’.”

 

　I’m sure Jinya, who looks down on humans, won’t even notice this Usato person.

　No matter how difficult the situation, he has never given up on someone he wished to help.

　As I was looking up at the night sky through the high window with the moonlight streaming in, Nea suddenly remembered something and called out to me again.

 

“I’ve been wondering…”

“What?”

“Did you see the future? The future where Usato and Arc die was all a lie, wasn’t it?”

 

　The unexpected question made me upset.

　I shake my head, trying not to let her know how upset I am.

 

“I didn’t see ……. But it gave me an idea of the extent of Jinya’s precognition.”

“Hmm, I guess it’s convenient, but inconvenient in some ways.”

“……”

 

　I apologize inwardly to Nea for lying to her, who quickly ended the conversation, as if she wasn’t that interested. I had seen the prediction. It wasn’t a false prediction that Usato and Arc-san would die, but a genuine prediction.

　I didn’t want Nea to be disturbed, so I decided to keep quiet. Because the future I saw was ominous in a way.

　In the midst of the battle, Usato and an unidentified—-

 

“Black, masked warrior.”

 

　I stood behind Usato, watching the battle intently.

　I saw the eerie warrior with flickering shadows and a black mask covering his face, fighting more than evenly with Usato.

　The masked black man shouted in delight, and Usato gritted his teeth and raised his right fist wrapped in gauntlet. My prediction ends with the light, as the fight unfolds in a way that my eyes cannot follow.

　That’s all my prediction is.

　However, I was worried that there was another enemy that threatened Usato apart from Jinya.