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Chapter 4
The Person Waiting for the Two Girls
Part 3/7
“And then… That’s why at that time, she reached out to me?”
“That’s right. Well, only Ulysses knew the reason why she wanted to get along well with you. By all rights, Ulysses and I shouldn’t have had a good friendship like this, too.”
Kaya was the chief of Lake Metropolis, with whom her country had a hostile relationship. Even so, Ulysses reached out to her. Even Kaya and Fie didn’t understand why. Still, it was all thanks to Ulysses that they were able to be together like this.
“Besides,” Kaya continued.
“In exchange of her own eyes, Ulysses seemed to want to hear about the various sceneries that Fie-chan saw.”
“But she has her maids and butlers, right?”
“…Certainly, she has adults who can help her. But everyone felt sympathy towards Ulysses, so they couldn’t seem to tell all the truth to her. …In short, they only told her what they deemed as convenient.”
Since she was the daughter of their employer, they had to be tactful, so they couldn’t tell the truth–. Knowing that, Ulysses made Fie–who wasn’t an adult–live with her.
“That’s why, don’t tell her lies just like the adults, Fie-chan, just tell Ulysses about the scenery you see as it is.”
“That is… yes.”
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Fie didn’t only see the beautiful scenery. Sometimes, there was also some cruel scenery. However, if Ulysses wished for it, she’d tell her all the truth. After all, it was her form of repayment towards the girl who had saved herself.
As she was thinking about it, Kaya heaved a sigh.
“Haa, I also want to live together with you.”
“…That is impossible. Kaya is the chief of Lake Metropolis, after all.”
“That’s right. Still… Hmm, right.”
Kaya swallowed back the words she seemed to want to say. It was most likely that she didn’t wish for her position as the chief of Lake Metropolis. But she couldn’t run away from it. Only Kaya understood that feeling.
“But, we can play together just like this. We can continue this forever.”
Fie approached her and brushed Kaya’s shoulder. Then, Kaya showed a smile and hugged her.
“…Kaya, it’s hot.”
“Geez, Fie-chan isn’t honest, aren’t you? Even though you like being hugged like this.”
“That is not–”
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
As her facade was seen though, Fie could only nod.
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“Kaya! Fie!”
At that time, Ulysses arrived while taking the pets with her.
“What were you two talking about?”
“Hm, it’s nothing. I was just hugging Fie-chan.”
“Forcibly, though.”
“Ah-, how nice-, I’d like to do it, too!”
Then, she was hugged by two people from both sides. Fie liked this kind of warmth. She felt safe being hugged by someone and feeling their body temperature.
–Even if there was a hostile relationship between their two countries, it’d be nice if she could spend her days just like this, forever, with Kaya and Ulysses.
Such was Fie’s thought at that time. Fie told the blind Ulysses about all the scenery that caught her attention, and they played together with Kaya who sneaked out of Lake Metropolis and came to the secret base that only the three of them knew of.
Every day was so fun that she didn’t care about her own background.
–But even so. Despite that. Nevertheless.
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That happiness was suddenly snatched away. On their way back from playing in a place that was slightly distant, the Country of Demise’s castle town that could be seen from the hill was engulfed in an ominous flame.
“W…hy…”
“Fie, Kaya… What’s wrong? What? Did something happen…?”
The Country of Demise’s castle town that was dyed in red in the giant flame entered their eyes.
“Why are you two not saying anything…?”
Even if Ulysses couldn’t tell what was happening, she could feel that the current situation was different from the usual. The two’s condition was different from usual. The hands that were grasping Ulysses’ were slowly filled with strength.
The one who moved first among the three of them was Kaya.
“–Fie-chan, I’ll go and tell them to stop.”
Kaya could tell in an instant that the people of Lake Metropolis were invading. She hurriedly rushed over to the castletown.
“Fie-chan… Let’s go home.”
“…”
Still grasping Ulysses’ hand, Fie ran as fast as she could to the blazing castle town. Without stopping at the countless crying and shouting voices, without looking at the people who were running about trying to escape, the two headed towards the residence.
However, when they arrived, the residence in which the two spent their time together was already engulfed in the dark red flames. The window glasses were broken in very small pieces, the burning flames burned the pillars, and the residence was no longer in its original state. The burnt smell, the ashes, and the smoke were carried away by the wind as it reached them.
The dining room where Ulysses rebuked her to eat without being picky, the nursery where they talked a lot about the scenery and their dreams until they fell asleep, the long corridor where they ran and fell down at, the garden in which the blooming flowers that the three of them talked about were in, and even the plaza where they played together with their pets.
All of them. Everything everything everything everything everything everything everything–
They were all wrapped in flames, disappearing.
There was nothing left over there. They had all been reduced to ashes. Fie was at a loss of words in front of such a scenery.
“–Fie, tell me. What happened to our home?”
Ulysses who was standing next to her looked straight at her with a face full of anxiety.
“That is…”
Fie gasped. She didn’t want to explain this situation.
Ulysses’ house was burned down. Without any single trace, all of them had disappeared. She definitely couldn’t say such a thing. It would only make Ulysses that she loved to be sad.
“…We took the wrong path home.”
With a trembling voice, Fie lied. Although it was such an obvious lie.
Fie pulled Ulysses’ hand tightly. But without moving an inch from that place, Ulysses said in a chilly and sad voice.
“…Fie, you lied to me like everyone else.”
“…?!”
Those words pierced through Fie’s chest sharply. It was painful and distressing. But she didn’t want to see Ulysses’ sad face even more. That was why she remained silent. At that time, four pets ran towards them.
Elizabeth the white rabbit, Fenrir the black cat, Phoenix the small bird, and Golfas the hamster.
Ulysses was the one to name them, but Kaya made fun of the weird names that Fie was too embarrassed to call them with such names. The four pets rushed over to Ulysses.
Then, Ulysses hugged the four of them, as she distanced herself from Fie with her unsteady steps.
“Ulysses?”
“Fie, you’re such a liar. Even when I thought only you would always tell me the truth.”
“That is…”
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“–Oi! There are people over here!”
As if interrupting Fie’s words, several people approached them and surrounded them immediately. Looking at their figures that were pointing a blade at them, she immediately could tell that the person was from Lake Metropolis.
“–Stop!”
Kaya’s voice resounded from behind the adults who were slowly drawing near.
She had been running, as her breath was rough and her clean white cheeks were stained black with dirt.
“Those girls are… my friends. Do not harm them.”
The people of Lake Metropolis that had been approaching Fie and Ulysses then slowly left that place.
–However, Kaya’s authority as the chief at that time wasn’t as big as it was now.
One fire arrow pierced into Ulysses’ feet. Looking at that, Kaya raised her voice.
“Stop! Those two are my friends!”
However, Kaya’s words were in vain, as the fire arrow went for Ulysses once more.
“Ulysses, come here!”
Fie hurriedly grasped Ulysses’ hand and left the place.
The battle between the Country of Demise and Lake Metropolis wasn’t something new. They were attacking the enemies without distinguishing between them. Even if they were the elderly, even if they were children. Due to the prolonged strife, their reasoning had grown numb.
Kaya’s voice that was trying to stop the adults from chasing the two girls could be heard from behind. In this cruel world, Kaya had to shoulder the heavy cross of a chief ever since she was very young. Considering her position, she shouldn’t have supported Fie and Ulysses who were people of the Country of Demise. Even so, she wanted them to live, so she tried to buy them some time to escape. If that was the case, the only thing FIe could do was to not cause any more trouble for Kaya, and to run to a safe place with Ulysses.
Far away, to somewhere far away, where they wouldn’t be discovered by anyone.
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The two arrived at the beach. The sea that extended to a far distance, the place where the three of them often played at.
Fie found a small boat over there.
“Let’s ride on that and run away!”
Ulysses didn’t say anything. However, she had no spare time to be worried. The people of Lake Metropolis were just around the corner.
She pushed the small boat to the water.
–Hurry… We have to hurry and move to a place where they couldn’t chase us by their feet.
The figure of Lake Metropolis’ people could be seen from behind. It was impossible to delay any longer. At this rate, the two of them would be caught.
However, if one of them became a sacrifice to stop those guys, the other one could escape.
Fie was prepared to die.
“Ulysses, hurry and ride the boat!”
Fie extended her hand to put Ulysses in the boat.
“–No, I won’t get on it.”
Ulysses shook Fie’s hand away as she pushed on Fie’s back instead, making Fie ride on the small boat. Then, she put the four pets that tagged along them into the boat.
“Ulysses, why?”
Then, she pushed the small boat in which Fie was on, with all the strength that she could muster up in her thin arms.
On top of the small boat that began to move with magic as its source of power, Fie desperately extended her hand towards Ulysses.
“Ulysses, you should hurry too! Here!”
But Ulysses didn’t take Fie’s hand.
“…Even if you say here, I can’t see anything, so I don’t understand where.”
Ulysses said with a laugh. Tears spilled from her closed eyes. Fie tapped the boat to make a sound that could tell Ulysses the location. The four pets were also making noises full of concern over their owner.
“It’s here! Hey, it’s over here! Elizabeth too, Fenrir too, Golfas too, Phoenix too, everyone is waiting for you, Ulysses! That’s why… C-could it be that you’re mad that I lied to you earlier?! If that is the case, I apologize! I apologize, so quickly come over here, Ulysses!”
“…I can’t.”
Ulysses shook her head.
“If somebody doesn’t stay here, we’re all going to be caught.”
Then, Ulysses turned her back on Fie and said,
“I know that you lied to me because you didn’t want to make me sad, Fie! That’s why, forget about it, and live! You’re my beloved–”
–family, after all.
Ulysses’ last words were drowned out by the wind that Fie couldn’t hear them.
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Ulysses ran alone, even if she couldn’t tell which direction she was going.
Even so, she ran in order to stop the enemy’s movements by using herself as a sacrifice–so that they wouldn’t be able to chase after Fie.
She clung to the body of the adults that approached, and even if she was sent flying, Ulysses clung to anyone again. Even with her unsteady steps, she desperately fought in order to let Fie go.
In front of the figure of their master doing that, the four pets made some noises. Then, Fie let out her voice as she tried to operate the engine that was moving with magic as its source of power, trying to stop it.
“Stop… Stop, stop, stop! If not, Ulysses will… Ulysses!”
Fie desperately called out to Ulysses as her figure gradually grew small, but her voice didn’t reach Ulysses, and the last thing that she could vaguely see was Ulysses’ figure as she fell down without any power.
As she lamented over how she hadn’t learned how to operate the small boat’s engine, Fie broke down crying on top of the small boat that cruelly continued to slowly move across the ocean.
The four pets didn’t leave Fie’s side even for a moment, as if trying to console her.
“Ulysses…”
From there onwards, Fie crossed over the continent together with the four pets who lost their master together.
Her life was saved. However, Fie couldn’t laugh just like how she used to before. The only thing that she had always carried within her heart was her remorse towards Ulysses.
Even if she paid it with her death, she wouldn’t be able to apologize to Ulysses who rescued her. She could only be alive. Even so, she felt like she wasn’t allowed to be happy.
She only surrendered her body to the flowing time, as if she was a doll.
Forever, until the time when she could receive forgivance from Ulysses–.
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“…I’m sorry for talking about such a thing.”
Fie finished talking about her own painful past with her throat choked up, then she hugged her knees together.
“No, it’s alright.”
What would be good to say? Egil couldn’t spin any word.
The two of them were side-by-side at the edge of the lake.
Fie’s past was even harsher, gloomier, and sadder than what he had guessed. Since she had that kind of a past, she was indifferent to anything and seemed like a doll somehow when they first met.
“…After that, I only returned here once, all alone. However, Ulysses had already passed away… And I didn’t meet with Kaya. I thought that I shouldn’t meet with her, even if I wanted to meet her.”
“Is… that so… Do you not resent Kaya?”
The strife between the two countries often occurred. However, the cause of this specific one was Lake Metropolis which was Kaya’s country. No matter how friendly they were, it wouldn’t change the fact that they were the cause of Ulysses’ death.
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However, Fie shook her head.
“That kind of thing happened a lot on this continent, after all… Besides, even if the the cause is Lake Metropolis, Kaya is my benefactor who took care of me as if I was her own family.”
“I see…”
“I think that Kaya is also hurt by Ulysses’ death.”
“That’s right. I don’t know what I should say. But, I think that Ulysses wished for Fie to be happy.”
“…Yeah.”
“Thinking of how she sacrificed herself in order to save her friend, I think that she was a kind child. …That’s why, let’s visit her grave together. I will be with you.”
Being told that, Fie lifted her face from her knees. Although it was faint, there were tears in her eyes.
“Yes. Thanks, Egil. I will properly express my gratitude this time.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“–Egil-san, Fie-chan, the preparation’s been done!”
Then, Kaya called out.
“Shall we go, Fie?”
“Yeah.”
Egil stood up and returned together with Fie to the palace.
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