Flowers for You, Magic for the Sky | Chapter 18

[healingbonds]

​​Chapter 17 << | index | >> Chapter 19


Heathcliff: ....Pant, pant...... .....Shino......

Riquet: .....Heathcliff! Isn’t that thing shining over there Shino’s scythe!?

Heathcliff: You’re right.... It’s stuck in a tree trunk.....
.....Shino.....! Where is Shino......!?

(Roar)

Mitile: The bull-headed monster......! ......Ah......!

Riquet: No way.....! Is the bright red thing in the monster’s arm.....!?

Heathcliff: Shino.....!!
You bastard! How dare you......

(Roar)

Heathcliff: << Repsevaivulp Sonus >> !

Mitile: Woah......! The garden hedges are stretching and clinging to the bull monster!

Riquet: Let’s help him out!
<< Sunrotea.... >>

Viridian: Don’t get in my way.

Mitile: .....You’re......

Viridian: Ah.... It’s you from earlier......

Mitile: Mister Heathcliff! Riquet! Leave this girl to me and go help Mister Shino!

Heathcliff: Thanks, Mitile!

Riquet: Be careful! Mitile!

Viridian: Ah......

Mitile: I won’t let you through! Are you a witch? Why are you doing such terrible things!?
Bad wizards like you are the reason everyone has the wrong idea about all wizards!

Viridian: I’m not doing anything bad. I just want to meet Mother.

Mitile: .....Mother.....

Viridian: And if you get in my way, I’ll turn you to stone.
<< Volo Habere >>

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: (...My whole body hurts..... What’s this smell....? It’s the metallic scent of blood — and greenery....)
(The scent of Sherwood Forest, protecting Blanchett Castle.... ....My dwelling.....)

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: (....No. What’s with these leaves and branches growing from the monster’s body....?)

(Roar)

Shino: .......!!
Cough, cough..... Dammit! Hurling me around like that......

Heathcliff: Shino......!

Shino: ...........
.....Heath!? Why did you come back!? .....Stay away.....!

Heathcliff: ......What!?

Shino: Hurry, run awa..... Agh......

Heathcliff: Look at you! You’ve lost too much blood! I’ll lend you my shoulder......

Riquet: Heathcliff! I managed to bind the monster with branches from the courtyard, but it’s going to rip through any moment now.....

Shino: .....Let me go. Where’s my hunt?

Riquet: Hunt? Your scythe is in that tree.....

Shino: << Matztzāh Sudipas >> ! Return to my hands!

Heathcliff: Stop using magic! You were on the brink of death!

(Swish)

Shino: But I’m not dead. ....All right. I’m gonna finish it off. You guys should run.

Heathcliff: ......... I will really get mad.

Shino: And that’s fine. I was so fortunate to meet you, Heath.

Heathcliff: Wh......

Shino: Run — and survive. I’m begging you.

Heathcliff: How could you say that!? I promised to protect you too! If I break my promise.....

Shino: You’ll no longer be able to use magic. You can be a normal human.

Heathcliff: ...........

Shino: ....Unlike me, you always wanted to be normal, right, Heath?

Heathcliff: ...........

Shino: ....Uu.....gh.....

Riquet: Are you all right, Shino!? You can barely stand on your own......

Shino: ....Cough..... I’m fine. Riquet, it’s probably that monster that even Oz had trouble defeating.....

Riquet: ....The Minotaur?

Shino: That’s right. ....Cough. It won’t fall, no matter how many times I strike.....

Heathcliff: .....We can beat it together!

Shino: You’re so stubborn! I’m telling you to run! Riquet, take Heath and go!

Riquet: ........ But......

Shino: I’m begging you!

(Roar)

Heathcliff: ......! It broke through the binding....!

Mitile: .....Aaah.....!

Riquet: ....! Mitile! I can hear Mitile.....!

Shino: Go! Heath.....!

Heathcliff: ............

✦✧☾✧✦

Owen: ............
.......Tsk! My memory went black again......
Where’s Sir Knight......?

(Growling) (Spurting)

Owen: What’s with you guys? What’s that you’re devouring—....
............

Cain: ......hh......

Owen: ......Cain......!
Move......! Open your mouths, you stupid dogs!
<< Cuare Morito >>!
......Hah...... Hah....... .......Cain......
......Are you dead......?

Cain: ......Owen......

Owen: ............ Ahaha...... Hey, how do you feel?
I did this. I set Cerberus on you. Every last misfortune that befalls you is my doing....

Cain: ......It’s not your fault......

Owen: ............

Cain: It was me...... I made you angry...... I said thoughtless things....... To the little you......

Owen: ......The little me?

Cain: .......I’m cold...... ......This is bad....... I can’t even see you now......

Owen: ......You can see me. Even without touching me.

Cain: .......hh, Please take care of......... Prince Arthur.........

Owen: ......Cain?

Cain: ............

Owen: Can you see me if I touch you? ......Here, I’m holding your hand, Sir Knight. Hey, are you listening?
....... Aren’t you going to reply?
.......Huh, how stupid.
............
.......Open your eyes! You can see me, right!? Cain! Cain......!

Rustica: Owen!

Owen: ............

Chloe: ............! Cain, but why......!

Owen: Why, you say? Haha....... My Cerberus bit him and chewed him up. I set him loose on him.

Chloe: B-but why would you do such a thing......

Owen: Who knows. Why should it matter?
Shouldn’t you hurry up and heal him? If you don’t, he really might die. Not like I care anyway.

Chloe: Die.......!? ....... Rustica! Can you save Cain.........

Owen: Haha. Bye then.

Rustica: Unfortunately, I can’t save him. The most I can do is stop the bleeding.

Owen: ............

Rustica: The wounds on his abdomen are too severe. I think Sir Figaro is the only one who can heal him.

Owen: So you can’t heal him?

Rustica: And you?

Owen: I can only fix my own body. I can die countless times, you see.

Rustica: Cain only has this one time.

Owen: I know that! What about magical sugar? Should we make him eat some?

Rustica: Let’s stop the bleeding first. Else it might spill out from his stomach.

Owen: Hurry and do it.

Chloe: Is Figaro inside the castle? Owen, can you sense Figaro at all?

Owen: I don’t know. .......I really don’t know. I don’t think he is. What if he isn’t?

Rustica: Then we have no choice but to trust in Cain’s fate.

Owen: ............
........What’s with that. It sounds stupid.

Scarlet: Ohoho! Oh my, looks like our party has grown! But no matter how many of you there are, it makes no difference!

Rustica: Oh, you’re the lady from before......

Scarlet: << Volo Habere >>

Rustica: << Amorest Viesse >>

Scarlet: Dear me...... You’re a formidable one. I’ve taken a liking to you.

Rustica: Looks like I’ll need to entertain our guest for a short while. Chloe, can you take care of Cain?

Chloe: T... Take care of him? Can I....?

Rustica: I know you can, Chloe. Remember how you protected our Sage in the Lunar Eclipse Palace?
You just need to do the same here. Right now, Cain’s body is so tattered that it has weakened his soul as well.
So stay by his side; if possible, touch his body as you pray.....

Scarlet: Ohohoho! Here I come!

Rustica: Pardon me. Would you mind waiting a moment?

Scarlet: Oh dear. I apologize for being so hasty. Do take your time.

Rustica: I apologize for making you wait. Thank you for your kindness.

Scarlet: You're very welcome.

Rustica: Chloe. Pray for Cain. Your feelings will take shape and give rise to wonderful magic.

Chloe: ...All right. I’ll do my best.

Rustica: Yes. Owen, please take care of Chloe.

Owen: ....Ridiculous. Praying never helps.
It won’t reach him. He’ll just die.
I’ve never seen anyone survive after Cerberus tore them apart this badly.

Chloe: Then Cain will be the first.

Owen: ....What?

Chloe: It’s my prayer. That’s what it means to pray, right? I was always praying.

Owen: Haha. I bet it never reached anyone.

Chloe: It did.

Owen: .............

Chloe: Rustica, watch out. D... Don’t die, okay.

Rustica: I won’t. I promise you, Chloe.

Chloe: .....Yeah....!

Rustica: Now then, young lady. Let me be your opponent.

Scarlet: All right; the pleasure is mine.

Rustica: << Amorest Viesse >>

Chloe: Don’t die, Rustica..... .....Cain..... Cain, you can do it.....
<< Suispicibo Voitengok >>

Owen: ....Are you an idiot? Why are you crying? What are you doing?
If you’re worried about that gentleman, then you should say this: "Owen, go kill that girl."
I’m a Northern wizard. I’m stronger than him. Why are you holding back and sobbing?

Chloe: ............

Owen: Or do you actually want that gentleman to die?

Chloe: ....Owen. If you decided that you wanted to go fight her, that would be fine. But I won’t tell you to.

Owen: You coward.

Chloe: I’m worried about Rustica, but that doesn’t mean I can just cast you away, Owen. .....You shouldn’t think like that.

Owen: To top it off, you’re a phony.

Chloe: That was my role in the family. It was fine if I got hurt. It was fine if I cried. It was fine if everyone laughed at me.
Even if I died, nobody would mourn for me. Nobody would cry for me. I knew that, but I still tried to be loved.
Because I knew what they would say to me if I wasn’t loved.
"Hey, can you do this? Huh, you might get hurt? So what?"

Owen: ...............

Chloe: .....Nobody in the world deserves that — being the person who’s allowed to get hurt..... You don’t want anyone to see you like that, right?
Rustica was the one who taught me that nobody should be treated like that.
That’s why I won’t tell you to go.... .....I’m worried about Rustica and Cain, but.....
But I’m Rustica’s apprentice.... Even if my magic is weak, I don’t want my heart to fall to weakness too......

Owen: ....... Tch......

Chloe: Owen, where are you going!?

Owen: You wouldn’t stop sobbing my ears off, so I’m gonna kill that woman for.....
....Huh. He doesn’t even need my help.

Chloe: Huh.....?

Owen: You might not be able to see him, but Rustica is winning. Your master is plenty powerful.

Chloe: .....Rustica.....

Owen: ....Hey, let’s do that thing. That stupid thing he was talking about, the thing that can protect Cain.

Chloe: Pray....?

Owen: ....Yeah. But I’ve never prayed before.

Chloe: I’ll show you how. Let’s do it together!

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: .....Talia, the witch who became a living castle..... Are you saying that’s her, the castle?

Murr: Isn’t it fascinating? I don’t think many of us could come up with such an idea — "I want to become a castle."

Akira: Then.... Is your friend Miss Talia attacking everyone, Murr.....?

Murr: She’s currently in a state of transfiguration, you see. Something very shocking happened to her, and she turned herself into a cursed, ancient castle.

Obsius: .....Stop spewing nonsense.....

Murr: It’s the truth. And you should know better than anyone — for you are the one who killed Talia.

Akira: He killed Miss Talia....?

​​Chapter 17 << | index | >> Chapter 19