988: Parting

After witnessing Matsuyukis pa.s.sing, Fran continued staring at the two sisters for a while.

Then, after the situation finally started to move, she wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes and dropped her gaze.

Now her stare was pointed at Berserk, still sheathed and placed at Ajisais side.

Fran noticed how Berserk seemed to have lost its power.

The pitch-blackness of the scabbard made it hard to believe it was emitting such a powerful white mana a few moments ago. The blade contained within remained silent, as if it had fallen asleep along with its wielder.

Ajisai, perhaps noticing Frans gaze, lightly touched the scabbard.

The two stared at each other for a while, but Fran did not mention anything about Berserk or the scabbard.

She turned her attention to s.h.i.+kimi, and asked about Haganes future plan of action.

s.h.i.+kimi, what will you guys do now?

We have performed our duty. Our forces are no longer at full strength, so we will only become a liability if we continue. Therefore, we shall turn back here.

I see.

Fran nodded. She seemed a little relieved, and I dont think thats my imagination.

No doubt she was afraid of the possibility that Ajisai might use Berserk too.

Frans eyes turned to Berserk again. However, she quickly averted her gaze.

Ajisai must have found this strange, and she turned to look up Fran.

Black Lightning Princess.

What?

Why arent you asking the question?

I dont need to ask.

Why? Everyone usually asks us.

A strange conversation took place between Ajisai and Fran. One almost too quiet to hear, and incredibly vague.

I dont know.

I see, but I suppose thats a possible outcome too.

Nn? Really?

Yeah.

Thank you.

Dont worry about it.

Both the tempo and the contents were strange. To be honest, I cant tell if theyre actually talking about the same thing, and neither I nor s.h.i.+kimi probably fully understood either.

Nevertheless, Fran and Ajisai clearly connected with each other.

Whats going on? Maybe these two people with unusual sensibilities somehow understood each other? That said, theres one part I certainly got.

Fran decided not to ask about Berserks scabbard.

Well, its definitely a national secret, so they wouldnt tell us anyways. In that case, her decision to avoid the subject would give them a better impression of herself.

Though I dont think Fran thought that far ahead. It seems like she didnt even know why she avoided the question.

Perhaps it was a combination of her grief for Matsuyuki and her concern for Ajisai.

Meanwhile, Izario and the others returned.

He must have understood the situation immediately, because he patted Fran on the head and bowed his head toward Matsuyukis body.

Matsuyuki, you really saved us from a pinch. Thank you.

The adventurers behind him did the same, perhaps having heard the situation from Izario.

s.h.i.+kimi-san, I take it that Hagane will be heading back now?

Yes, I believe we will. Lets take a short rest and discuss the issue.

Roger that.

Ajisai, you go back to the carriage. Take care of Matsuyuki for me.

Okay. Fran, bye-bye.

Nn. Bye-bye.

Fran continued waving until Ajisai disappeared into the carriage carrying Matsuyuki.

Behind them, Izario began discussing with s.h.i.+kimi.

Can you make it back to town by yourselves?

Of course.

s.h.i.+kimi immediately nodded at Izarios words. However, her forces were decimated and Berserk might not be in a usable state.

How could she be so confident? Was this just a facade so as not to worry us?

Izario stared at s.h.i.+kimi for a few seconds, then relaxed his shoulders and shook his head lightly.

Though I cant accept the way you guys think, I can respect it.

All is for the Queens of the Night.

If possible, Id prefer those surviving old soldiers make it back to town in one piece too. We dont need any more people dying in vain.

For us, nothing is more important than the safety of Ajisai and Berserk. Any sacrifices we make for them cannot be considered in vain.

Izario exhaled in a big sigh. For s.h.i.+kimi, the only thing that mattered was whether or not Ajisai and Berserk could reach safety. It seems she would sacrifice her soldiers or even herself without so much as a second thought.

Izario knew exactly the logic behind this, which was why his feelings were so complicated.

He expressed his concern for the old soldiers, but these veterans had already accepted whatever fate had in store for them. There was no room for him, an outsider, to interfere.

In the end, we decided to split up our forces. Haganes army was to evacuate alongside the adventurers and knights who were no longer capable of combat.

Our enemies might show up at any time, so their retreat commenced without delay. Within ten minutes of the decision being made, they had already begun marching off.

Fran raised her hand as she sent off the tail end of the retreating group. Her eyes were on Ajisai, who stared back at us through the skylight of the carriage.

Though Ajisai remained expressionless, she seemed somewhat apologetic. Perhaps she was concerned about ditching us to escape on her own.

On the other hand, Frans worry for Ajisai was evident in her eyes. Ajisai had lost Matsuyuki, who was like a sister to her, as well several fellow soldiers from her nation.

There were no words, but the two girls continued staring at each other as if communicating something.

Bye bye.