ELIZA CHAPTER 131 – FINDING REFUGE

I grinded my teeth, and grabbed the spear sticking out of my left hand with my right hand. It was difficult to catch my breath because of all the impacts my body had just received. I could hear unpleasant sounds as the fingers in my left hand began cramping terribly.

It seems that at least the spear’s blade avoided piercing any of my bones. This is fortunate. If my bones had been broken as well, I would be even more sluggish and nauseous.

I tried to pull the spear out of me. My palm was slippery with sweat, and it was difficult to get a good grip. Because of the fire’s close proximity to me, impatience and anxiety spread all through my body. If I don’t hurry, I’ll be burned to death…… There’s also several people fallen around me.

I could still see signs of life in the priest on the ground close to me. Viscount Rogshia is probably still alive as well. It’s too late for the others. Someone seems to have stuck a blade through the judge priest’s heart just to make extra sure he was dead, and both guards are dead as well.

At the very least, I have to make sure this priest lives. If he makes it out of this alive, he can send Viscount Ogren to be executed. ……Well, before all that, I have to solve my own urgent situation first.

But, I don’t have the strength to remove a heavy metallic spear with only a single hand and the strength of a young child. I’m burning up with impatience. Just thinking about the possibility of the fire moths getting any closer to here sends chills running down my spine. I should be trying to calm down and catch my breath, but on the contrary I’m getting all heated up.

The smell of burnt flesh caused me to recall unpleasant memories, and I felt disgusted. I don’t need additional reasons other than heat and pain to cause me to sweat right now.

Calm down…… Calm down, me. How about I just take drastic measures, and try ripping the spear out of my flesh, even if it tears my fingers off? At the very worst, maybe I won’t be able to use my middle finger, ring finger, and little finger for the rest of my life, but that’s probably still better than dying here being burned alive. Plus, my left hand isn’t even my dominant hand.

“-Eliza!”

Just when I was thinking about sacrificing some fingers, how fortunate for me, I heard a voice calling for me from the sky.

It was so unexpected for me to hear this voice, that I almost called him by his real name, but I managed to stop myself. I don’t want to get into another argument with him.

“……’Elise,’ I’m here!”

Swoosh, the fire moths scattered. As Rashiok landed, a child with remarkably similar black hair and scarlet eyes to me rushed by my side. He looked at the spear stuck into my hand and his expression distorted, then he grabbed the spear handle with both hands and pulled it out of the ground.

Blood is now falling to the ground with a pitter patter sound. An intense pain and numbness is causing my wrist to shake. I tore my cloak into strips with my mouth and right hand, and I had Ratoka help me tie the cloth strips around my hand and stop the bleeding, then I also had Ratoka carry the priest to Rashiok’s back as well. I had Rashiok carry Viscount Rogshia gently in his mouth, while the rest of us rode on Rashiok’s back as he soared through the air.

I can hear the sounds of the wind blowing past us. Even though we’re flying straight in the middle of so many fire moths, none of them can approach us at all, probably because of the fact that Rashiok can control the wind with his magic.

When I looked down at the royal capital’s downtown area, it was truly in a terrible condition. There were groups of people everywhere, trying to escape the fire moths through narrow alleyways. Fire and black smoke was everywhere, and there were constant screams of despair and anger.

“You, how come you’re here?”

“Rashiok suddenly…… made me get on his back and flew off from your residence.”

Is that so, I nodded. Ratoka actually didn’t know what was going on. It was Rashiok that decided to move on his own. I would have preferred Teo or Gunther to Ratoka, honestly, but what most likely happened was that the moment Rashiok noticed something was going on, he probably just found the closest person and brought him here to me, so I can’t complain. I felt a bit relieved, and stroked Rashiok’s neck with my fingertips.

“Oi, don’t move your injured hand.”

“The bleeding has stopped. I’m fine. It shouldn’t get worse unless I move my palm around.”

My tightly wrapped left hand had already stopped bleeding. I pushed the throbbing pain out of my consciousness and instructed Rashiok to land on the waterway. Since fire moths are weak against water, they shouldn’t be close to the waterway. There were many commoners that had escaped the fire moths standing in the water, shivering in fear.

“Ratoka, take care of the injured people we brought. Don’t let them die. Especially this priest.”

I suddenly gave Ratoka an order, and removed the remnants of my cloak that was interfering with my movement, and pressed it into Ratoka’s arms telling him he could use it for bandages. Eh, was all that Ratoka could say, as I dropped him off on the high ground together with the two unconscious men.

“Don’t leave the waterway. The fire moths won’t approach here.”

“Where are you going, with such an injury!”

“Viscount Ogren escaped and took Feria Rogshia with him. I’m going after them.”

“What!?” I soon put Ratoka’s shouting behind me, as I ordered Rashiok to fly again. Once again I felt the wind’s roar, as well as the internal sensation of my organs floating.