Chapter 41 Part 9 – A deadly battle in the maelstrom. Mary tries to take the demon dog Gallam with her, while Bradd and Seraphy put everything on the line for the last hidden card. And then I learn the sad truth about the vengeful spirits that possess the Ruby

The girl cried and sobbed for a long time, clinging to the bodies of her dead friends, eventually she began to trudge down the hill, unable to stop crying.
The sorrowful cries made by her small, lonely body was heartbreaking.
But her back grew quickly and she transformed into a dignified woman holding a bow.
Night and day spun around.
It meant the passage of time.
I gasped.
The girl’s face looked just like my mother.

「….. This girl who survived grew up and eventually became the founder of the Melville family. That’s right. You have the blood of …. our Light Bat Tribe in you ….. From our descendants, a princess was born that looks just like the True Emperor ….. and was recognized by the Ruby of God’s Eye …..!! And then …. she was sent to us …..! Can there be such a wonderful miracle …….!!」

The ancestral spirits of the Light Bat Tribe smiled at me as I was overwhelmed by the unexpected secret story of my roots.

「….. We are more than happy to help you. You are worthy to become the possessor of the Ruby of God’s Eye. Our hearts shall be with you ……」

Freed from their deeply held resentments, their gallant figures as when they were alive appeared for a moment in the light.
It was not just them.
This space itself was dyed in dazzling light.
The light was the brilliance of the Ruby of God’s Eye.
The bats’ wings seemed to flap proudly in the light.

「….. You did a great job getting through the trials. Well done. Now the Ruby of God’s Eye will lend you its strength. Now, let’s go back to the real world. Don’t worry, all of this actually only took a few seconds in the real world. Just as you wished …. Go and save the people precious to you.」

In the light, 「his」 voice whispered happily.
For some reason, he seemed a little embarrassed.
The vengeful spirits showed their appearance when they were human, but 「he」 continued to remain as a voice.

But still, I feel a pang of conscience at the thought of passing the trial with such a windfall.
It was mostly thanks to 「him」, not me.
The road was open. In that case, all I have to do is to keep running forward.
I’m coming. Wait for me. Mary, Bradd, Seraphy ….!!

「Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’d like to thank you, so can you show your appearance?」

「….. No …. Well …. I didn’t do much ….」

I asked the question casually, but 「he」 became evasive, as if he were a different person from his previous vivaciousness. He seemed to be on the verge of saying something, then dropped it, then hesitated again.

「I don’t want to startle you, so I won’t do it now ….. When you regain your memory of the 「True History」, I’ll show up then …….. Umm, instead of saying thank you, can I ask you a question …. The people that you went to such lengths to help are Bradd ….. And Seraphy ….. But they killed you multiple times in the previous 「108 times」 ….. Not only are you not thinking of taking revenge …. You even did the opposite … Why? ….. It wouldn’t be strange for you to resent and hate them …」

He asked the question with a very somber tone.
Somehow, it doesn’t seem like something 「he」 would do.
I tilted my head. Why does he sound so guilty and depressed?
Is he regretting his past actions that hurt someone in the past?
Okay then, this sister that has experienced life 「108 times」 shall put his mind at ease.

「….. I was almost killed by my mother right after I was born this time. But there is no one who loves me as much as my mother does now. She is beautiful, kind, reliable, and the best mother. I love her much, much more than I did in my previous 「108 times」 …..」

That’s right. My first encounter with my mother was unfortunate, but holding resentments about it would not have allowed me to build the relationship that my mother and I have today.
People don’t meet each other the way they want to.
Life is like a flow of different forms of hearts passing each other in the winds of fate.
It is only natural that the corners will collide a little bit.
That is why God made it possible for people to think of each other.
God gave us kindness and the joy of understanding each other.
He gave us the pride to extend a hand to those in need without expecting any compensation.
And this time, it was Bradd who, ironically, killed me in my previous 「108 times」 that made me feel it the most.

「…. That idiot Bradd has been fighting against the terrifying demon dog Gallam for me, a near total stranger. On top of that, he even promised that he will take on the large kingdoms of the continent ….. Since we are unrelated, he could just leave me alone and run away, but he didn’t do so, isn’t he so foolish. He even dressed up as a maid to stay close to me and protect me. I can’t always hold a grudge against that cool idiot for killing me.」

I really have nothing but words of gratitude for Bradd.
Although I’m shy and badmouthed him a lot, if he died because of me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.
I’ll never say it out loud, though, because he’ll probably get carried away.
Even Seraphy risked his life to jump into the small boat.
Everyone is desperately fighting for my sake.
Then, I have no choice but to forget my grudges and be desperate as well.

「…. I see …. You’re that kind of person …. Thank you ….」

「He」 seemed to be moved to tears.
I felt like I could see him clenching his fists, looking up, and standing there sobbing.
Well, I hope my words helped ease 「his」 burden.

「….. Thanks to you, I feel much better …. It must be because you have a personality like this that the vengeful spirits of the Light Bat Tribe were shaken even before they knew your true identity …. Finally, I’ll tell you about your hidden power ….. You have the power to connect to various thoughts and feelings. And the Ruby of God’s Eye breaks the boundary wall of the world. You, more than anyone else, deserve this jewel of protection. I remember that there was one that used to say something fancy like 「Resonance of Destiny」 …..」

The power to connect …. Is that like breadcrumbs, wheat or eggs ….?

「….. Why is it all food? At least describe it as ribbons, strings, or a cupid that connects lovers. After all, you’re a girl.」

As I tilted my head, 「he」 gave a strained laugh. Somehow the way he spoke sounded familiar.
Then 「his」 voice faded away.
But he did not stop talking to me gently until the moment 「his」 voice disappeared.

「….. you know, even if a person died, the feelings of those who tried to protect something are certainly there. It may be invisible to the eye, but it is not gone. Your power is a gentle power that can give form to those feelings. ….. So please recognize it. The feelings left behind in things and the feelings that continue to be close with those who were important to them. ….Please connect them. The affections left behind by those who have passed away. ….. I leave it to you ….. Good luck. And also …. I think that outfit looks good on you …」

I didn’t know if my heart was filled with sadness because of 「his」 gentle encouragement or because of the compliment he added at the end. It must have been my imagination that this had happened before.

The scene around me turned and I came back to reality.

The wind, bringing with it a strong smell of water, was blowing against my cheeks.
The sound of water splashing and the roar of the raging currents jumped into my ears.
The small boat had plunged into the middle of the whirlpool.
But the fact that the small boat had barely moved forward made me realize that in the real world, just as 「he」 said, only a few seconds had passed.
This was no time for me to be sentimental.
I pulled myself together.
In response to my feelings, the ruby swaying on my chest glowed red.
The ruby was completely different from how it was before. I could feel the power surging out of it.
The shining eyes inside the ruby, which had been half-opened, has now opened wide.
A dazzling light illuminated the area around me.
The demon dog Gallam that was trying to throw off Mary was hit in its remaining eye by a ray of light like a laser, losing its sight for a moment and became stiff.

Seraphy was astonished and looked at me with a blank expression as his hands became still.
Bradd looked back at me with a surprised expression.
He was speechless with surprise, his mouth flapping like a goldfish.
Both of them were so taken aback that they forgot that we were in the middle of a whirlpool.
Everyone on shore was also frozen in shock.
Everyone was surprised not just because of the shining ruby. The reason was much more profound.

…… It was natural for them to be surprised.
Because I had returned to reality in the form of a grown-up me, with the appearance of 「that girl」 just as I had been when I faced the vengeful spirits in their inner spiritual world.

Of course, it is not real, but rather a phantom body created by the power of the flame of the Ruby of God’s Eye.
I held up one hand. The vivid red-rimmed sleeve fluttered in the wind. I held my slender white hand up to the morning sunlight. The rays didn’t go through. It even casted a shadow. In addition, it moves as if it were my own body.
The only thing that made it different from a normal body was the familiar flame clinging to its surroundings.
I wonder how this works.
….. If there were no phantom body, would there be a ruby pendant hovering around my floating newborn baby body? Hmmm, it’s so surreal.

And I understood. I know what I can do now …..!
I can hear it. The voice of the spirits that I couldn’t hear before ….!
I can see it. The thoughts of people became a light …..!

As if the door to a sealed room had been opened, various sensations came rushing in and the sheer volume of information seemed to make me dizzy.
I focused my attention on the three brightest lights and waved my hands.
The flames grew and swirled, slowly taking the form of three old warriors.
「He」told me before he left.
That the feelings of those who tried to protect something are still there, even if we can no longer see them.
And that I can give them strength.
「He」also told me to notice the feelings left behind in objects.

「He’s」right. Our ally was unexpectedly close at hand.
In the tip of the spear left deep inside the body of the demon dog Gallam.

「….. Thank you for fighting for the sake of my mother and me …. brave warriors ….. and please, just once more, lend us your strength ….」

In response to my gratitude and plea, the three bearded warriors who appeared in the flame broke into a smile and nodded.
They bowed their heads in delight and spoke to me.

「….. We are pleased to finally meet Lady Scarlet. We are ….」

The current me can figure out their identity without having to ask them.
They are a group of veteran warriors referred to as the Hydrangea Three Warriors.
They were entrusted by father to take care of mother while he was away, fought against the demon dog Gallam, and heroically passed away without anyone knowing about it.
However, the tenacity of the old warriors still resided in the tips of their broken spears.
The reason we miraculously survived this grueling battle was surely because the thoughts of these three men protected us even after their death.
I can feel how much they had been looking forward to my birth, how much they had dreamed of holding me in their arms, and their feelings made my heart warm.

「….. I know. Brian with the white beard. Bobby with the black beard. Bill with the brown beard. The brave warriors who fought for the sake of my mother and me ….. How can I thank you …. I’m sorry …. you gave up your lives to protect us ……」

The three old warriors smiled as they looked at my teary eyes.

「….. There’s no need to apologize. Just smile. Praise us for doing a great job.」
「That mysterious ruby ​​has enhanced young lady’s power. Thanks to that, my dream of talking to the young lady came true. That alone makes us happy.」

「Even so, the young lady has grown up beautifully. We are proud of you.」

The three of them laughed and nodded at each other.
Their kindness touched me so deeply that my tears overflowed.

At any rate, I’m glad that this phantom body of mine could speak the proper language.
I was wondering what to do if I had to speak with a newborn baby’s auau language.