Chapter 42 Part 8 – Reinforcements. When the souls of the living and the dead intersect. Farewell …… and ……

‘….. All’s well that ends well. Now I have nothing left to regret ….. Young lord, please take good care of your new family. Farewell.’

The white-bearded Brian, the brown-bearded Bill, and the black-bearded Bobby are enveloped in light and soared to the sky with a satisfied look on their faces.

「I won’t say goodbye. A warrior needs no words. That’s right. The memories of that snowy day with the three of you will always be lit as a flame in my heart ……」

Father looked up at them with teary eyes and pulled out his sword with one hand while holding me with the other.
The sword is held up in front of his eyes. It’s a gesture of courtesy to see off the warriors.
The knights of the Imperial Guards follow in unison.
Only Matzo is not using a sword, but his fists ….
Well, after all he doesn’t use a sword …..
I waved my hand and joined in the farewell salutation.
For some reason, tears ran down mother’s cheeks when she saw off the three old warriors and she herself was flustered at her unexpected reaction.

「T-This should be the first time I saw the three of you but why am I tearing up?」

The gaze of the three old warriors watching over my mother was filled with affection, as if they were looking at their beloved daughter.
I suddenly remembered that while mother was sleeping, she had whispered someone’s name.

Come to think of it, the name she called out at that time was ……

I looked up and saw the black-bearded Bobby pressing a finger to his smiling lips and the brown-bearded Bill closing one eye mischievously.

「….. Cornelia, I’ll tell you about the three of them next time. About these brave old warriors who left me with memories of the back view of the ideal father ……」

Father spoke softly to mother.
The imperial guards on horseback formed a circle around the white horse on which my father was holding me and my mother’s horse.
Seen from the sky, the formation must have looked like a magnificent rose.
The old warriors that had spent half their lives training the imperial guards grinned widely at the amazing leadership, which was unwavering even on the water.

‘….. Now then, we have to go. It is a warrior’s honor to be seen off by so many great people. Thanks to the power of the young lady, I can once again meet everyone and say farewell to them. I have no regrets. I can leave with a cheerful heart.’

The white-bearded Brian smiled at our family.

‘Stay in good health everyone. If you come to this side halfway through, we will train you until you vomit blood in the afterlife. …… So don’t die until you’re even older than we are. You lovable idiots.’

The brown-bearded Bill’s voice was blurred by tears as he scolded them.
There were sobs among the imperial guards.

‘Thank you young lady. Miss Mary and the two of you young lions, please take care of the young lady.’

At the black-bearded Bobby’s request, Bradd and Seraphy, who had regained consciousness, nodded vigorously, and Mary bowed.

Then the three old warriors looked up to the sky at the same time. The morning light and the wind crossed.

‘How wonderful it is for these old men to have young people that we can entrust the rest to.’

With a happy murmur, the three disappeared into the wind.
The clouds were blown away, leaving an endless blue sky.
A faint rainbow colored the blue sky.
The water also started to recede little by little.
We looked up at the sky for a long time, thinking of the departed souls.
Even if the morning rainbow was a result of the rain, our hearts were full of sweetness as we gazed at it.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The elegant lace curtains sway in the moonlight.
There were few signs of people in the vast mansion.
The master of the demon dogs was kneeling in the hall, shaking with fear.
The furnishings in the room are luxurious, but there are only a few candlesticks, which is unnatural.
This may be because the few inhabitants here do not need fire during the night.
The atmosphere of the room was so overpoweringly dreadful that even he, someone who has done innumerable heinous deeds, couldn’t help but kneel down.
Solomon was standing in the back of the room, lifting his mouth in a triangle and giving a chuckle.
The lenses of his glasses gave a glint like the eyes of a monster.
The master of the demon dogs’ spine tingled as if his way out had been cut off.

A woman gracefully sat with one of her legs crossed on a wisteria chair at the back of the room, which is one step higher than the rest of the room.
Her beautifully coiffed hair and her body, which was revealed through her loose, sheer garment, were so beautiful that one felt like sighing. Her slender neck and fingertips are as attractive as white porcelain.
She was so beautiful that one could not help but have their gaze drawn to her.
And the woman knew very well how to behave in a way that showed off her beauty.
The man could not help but swallow with bated breath.
However, the master of the demon dogs sensed the dreadful devilishness that lurked within her.
A wicked scent that can’t be imagined from her smiling smile.

「….. Solomon. Your selfish behavior is irritating, but since you brought back an interesting toy, I’ll let you go this time ….. Since you’ve raised a bunch of demon dogs that should mean that you’ve got a good nose. I don’t hate people who know their place. There’s nothing more ridiculous than those who wish for more than they have to offer.」

Although she was in a good mood, her smile showed an unfathomable abyss.
The master of the demon dogs couldn’t even afford to respond.
His throat was parched.
Before he was brought here, frankly he had underestimated her since she was a woman.
He had guessed from Solomon’s every word that she was no ordinary person.
Even so, he thought that Solomon, who wielded a number of exceptional skills, would be a more difficult opponent.
The chill that ran through his body made him learn that this assumption was wrong.
It’s so cold. As if he’s about to freeze to death.

「…. Alisa. Please reduce the pressure a little. Your real nature seems to be a little harsh on him.」

Solomon advised, and the master of the demon dogs looked at him.
Alisa …. that’s right.
In the first place, he should have been brought to a woman named Alisa …..!!
And yet, this woman in front of him is …..!

「…. You thought this woman should be the famous fortune teller 「Mother」, didn’t you.」

The woman smiled pleasantly, her mouth twisted into a smile, and she extended her fingertips.

「Don’t pry too much into my affairs. I know exactly what you are thinking. You must have heard about the 「Lawless Crew」 right. I can use their techniques at will.」

The master of the demon dogs felt a sharp pain in his throat, as if someone had shoved a pair of tongs down his throat, and he thrashed around, clawing with both hands.
He couldn’t raise his voice due to the pain.

「….. This is the true use of the Blood Sakura Butterfly. What your Demon Dog Gallam uses was a mere fake. Originally, it should not be poison, but rather it seals the opponent with pain and muscle outbursts. Just like this.」

The master of the demon dogs screamed in pain as his shoulder felt as if it had been shattered.
Next, his legs arbitrarily jumped on their own and he fell over.
He could not go against the power and had trouble breathing.
But then, his body rebounded.
The pain was felt on the opposite side of the spot where he had hit the ground.
The master of the demon dogs rolled around just like a spinning top and screamed as his eyes rolled back and turned white.

「….. Ahahaha!! What a wonderful dance. Fufu, now jump even higher.」

The master of the demon dogs’ back was bent over like a bow and he screamed.

「….. Oh my, even a hunchback can be stretched if you bend it as far as you can. The strength of the human back muscles is quite amazing. You should experience it for yourself. There you go.」

When the woman rang her finger, the master of the demon dogs jumped nearly up to the ceiling with only the strength of his back muscles.
The outburst of muscle strength had already snapped his bones before he crashed into the floor.
The woman clapped her hands in joy like an innocent child.
The moment his shoulder crashed on the floor, a sound rang.
His shoulder blades must have been shattered.
The damage was more serious than the one done to the arm that Bradd destroyed earlier.
However, even while experiencing severe pain, the random dance did not stop.

「…. H-Help …..!!」

The master of the demon dogs flailed about in anguish that only those exposed to the poisonous gas could experience.

「That was a great leap. But it was so close. You almost reached the ceiling. Let’s try a little harder next time. Everyone else did their best to get there.」

The woman thoughtfully looked up at the ceiling.
In the midst of the scorching pain, the master of the demon dogs glanced at the ceiling and his heart was gripped by a fear that made him forget even the pain.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the ceiling was covered with human-shaped stains in several places.
Those are old bloodstains. In other words, that’s …..!!

「Stop!! Please stop ……!!」

He intended to scream desperately, his face messy with tears, snot, and drool, but he could only make a pitiful faint whimper.

「….. Fufufu, don’t worry, you’ll be able to reach the ceiling. You are an elderly person, so I’ll do it a little stronger this time …..」

The muscle twisted and turned with a creaking sound.

「….. Hiiiiiiiiii ……!!!」

「….. You’re getting too excited, Alisa ….. Excuse me.」

Right before he jumped, Solomon suddenly interrupted.
When his academic gown fluttered, the master of the demon dogs was released from the pain and muscle outbursts and tumbled on the floor. He desperately struggled to get to Solomon’s feet. Solomon, who seemed so eerie, looked like a god of salvation to him. Although Solomon is eccentric, he can still communicate with him.

On the other hand, the beautiful woman doesn’t care about his intentions and is unpredictable.
She is fickle and the very personification of evil.

「You’re right. I admit to being a little carried away. After all …. that Scarlet is going to be a boy. How should I woo her? We can even waltz together. ….. Ahh, I’m so excited that I won’t be able to sleep …..」

The beautiful woman squinted happily, not seeming to be offended by the interruption.

「….. On top of that, boys and girls have different figures. Fufu, will she change her facial expressions as well? What about her hairstyle? What about her underwear? This is a development that has never happened in the previous 「108 times」. …..I’ve decided. I’m going to live with Scarlet in the Duke’s residence. Because I can’t take my eyes off her, not for a second.」

After saying something so crazy, the beautiful woman closed her eyelids as if dreaming of a happy love.

「…… I’ll leave it to you to take care of the arrangements, Solomon ….」

「…… Understood.」

Nodding satisfactorily, the beauty’s figure flickered like a shimmering flame and vanished. On the wisteria chair, a newborn baby wrapped in a swaddle was sleeping peacefully. A giggle echoed in the darkness, as if the baby was having a happy dream.

The mansion was dead silent, as if afraid of disturbing the master’s peaceful sleep.
It was as if even the evil spirits of the mountains and rivers were holding their breath.
Not a sound of an owl could be heard.
The bright moon was like a white metal, clinging to the night.
Only the sound of a baby’s happy giggle crossed the night.