The Daughter of Evil - Volume 4 - Chapter 4.23

chapter 4, section 2-with that person; scene 3
Praefacio of Blue, page 270-279

♣ Yukina ~Once more, “The Anonymous Coast"~

.

The spoon in my mother’s hand. Its blue glow was growing stronger.

“Hahaha. How was your mother’s confession?

It seemed that control of the body had once again switched to Abyss. She creepily smiled, while still kneeling.

"I would think you know this from the story just now, but…In this body I can put into operation the power of the demon even without any magical ability.”

The glow grew even brighter.

I began to feel as though the temperature was rising.

“This is a reaction of the ‘Vessel of Deadly Sin’ drifting through this area…This woman’s body is inept, unable to even notice that, but I shall use it to the best of my ability.”

Germaine was still staggering.

It was night, but it was so warm.

On the contrary, it was hot.

It was burning.

Blue flames were surrounding my body.

.

Will I die like this?

My thoughts came to a halt.

I couldn’t think anymore.

I didn’t want to think anymore.

That was how shocking my mother’s admission had been to me.

I’ve had enough.

Let’s end it this way.

Let my story finish here.

.

<That would put me in a bind.>

…Who are you?

<Your ending things so selfishly, that’s a bit of a problem for me.>

I don’t care. Leave me alone! I’ll make my own decisions on what happens to me.

<You have to write a continuation of the story.>

Story? What story?

<The “story” of Riliane, and Germaine, and even yourself.>

…Kyle said that too. That my role was to propagate this story.

<Exactly. You have to keep living for that.>

Then, are you going to save me?

<I can’t do that. I’m already dead, so I don’t have any power.>

What!?  Then you’re useless!

<Haha, sorry. But in my place–>

In your place?

<I’ll have my sisters save you.>

.

“L-let go, you wretch!”

Someone was gripping my mother’s body from behind. They were trying to steal the spoon she was carrying.

It became easier to breath. The blue flames surrounding me vanished before I knew what was going on.

“Don’t interfere!”

When my mother turned to the person struggling with her, she vigorously threw them back. They rolled in the sand like a pumice stone, and finally fell face-up.

“Ouch …”

I recognized the girl in the nun uniform who stood while clutching the back of her head.

“Miss Rin!”

“…I went looking for you out of concern when you didn’t come back. I had no idea that something this severe was going on…”

My mother’s face was warped with anger. It was like she was a completely different person from the kind mother that I knew.

“Cease your useless…The flames have gone out!”

She once again raised the spoon before herself. A faint blue light was emanating from it.

But after that, the light immediately faded. From then on there was no response from the spoon. It didn’t glow or warp, and no demon came flying out of it.

“Wh-what!? What’s going on!?”

Instead of the spoon I could see something else glowing, a red light, coming from around my mother’s breast. She plunged a hand into her clothes and took something out.

It was the “Glass of Conchita”. It was giving off a contrastive red light, as though to neutralize the blue light of the spoon.

My mother’s eyes grew bloodshot.

“The "Demon of Gluttony"…No! This is–Ney, is that you!? Tch, interfering at the last moment!”

Her behavior distinctly conveyed a sense of desperation that she hadn’t exhibited until now.

At that moment, Germaine approached her, while still wobbling along.

“Looks like it's…the end, for you…Abyss.”

She readied her rapier. Her aim was the red cat riding on my mother’s shoulder.

But due to her shaky footing, she wasn’t able to aim properly at her target.

Fangs bared, the cat beat Germaine to the punch, and attacked her.

“Hisss!”

Germaine hurriedly moved away, but the cat’s claws must have slightly grazed her, as there was a faint scratch on the nape of her neck. A thin trickle of blood leaked out.

There was a loud thud.

My mother dropped to the ground like her strings had been cut.

The moment that we were distracted with that, the red cat ran at full speed towards the port town.

She was going to escape–And the moment I thought that, it happened.

.

Maybe it was a hallucination.

But I could clearly see it.

The form of a boy who was nestling up against Germaine, to support her.

And I clearly heard it.

A voice saying, <Here, stand up properly, big sis.>

.

“I don’t need you to tell me that, you–”

Germaine once more lifted up her rapier towards the red cat running away.

And then–

“–Idiot little brotherrrr!”

She threw the rapier as though it was a spear.

“AAAAAAAAAGGH!”

The rapier splendidly pierced the red cat’s body. After giving out a human-like scream, it suddenly fell on its side and stopped moving.

.

I went to put my arms around my mother’s fallen body. It was a little hard for me to lift her alone, but Rin noticed and ran over, supporting her with me.

Germaine carefully approached the red cat, and pulled out her rapier.

A red cat, miserably stretched out on its side.

That was the end of the sorceress Abyss I.R.

…Was it, really?

“I-is she good and dead, Miss Germaine?”

Germaine gripped the red cat’s body with a puzzled expression, not answering my question, and lifted it into the air.

“It’s not dead or anything…”

Then she shoved the cat’s corpse before my eyes.

“What are you doing!? Stop that, Miss Germaine!”

I averted my eyes without thinking.

But…

“…Huh!? This is–”

“Yeah. It’s not a cat.”

What Germaine was holding, from the way it looked to me–

“It’s just a really well-made toy plushy.”

.

My mother was sleeping. Her expression was that of the kind mother that I knew.

Several tribulations of the heart that we would have to overcome awaited my family for when she awoke.

But I was by no means pessimistic about that.

.

I couldn’t clearly tell what was right. And I couldn’t designate a basis for my actions.

Even so, for now I had no choice but to press on.