𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝟖-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬
“Your Highness, being treated kindly in times of vulnerability can indeed lead to confusion. You might have heard things like. . . [The second prince, myself, isn’t really expected to do much and hence, is pampered] or [The Crown Prince is expected to do a lot, hence, he’s kept close and dealt with strictly]. . . Constantly hearing such things might have made you lose faith in your motherland that allowed you to study abroad, right?”
ㅤ
Prince Keizen, the second prince, showed explicit signs of agitation, his shoulders stiffening.
I pleaded, looking him in the eye.
ㅤ
“At any rate, if we worry now, things will become irreversible. Please give me the sacred relic before the damage escalates.”
“There’s. . . no turning back, is there?”
ㅤ
The second prince’s shoulders trembled.
With trembling lips, he unsheathed his sword.
ㅤ
“Ah. . .!”
ㅤ
Kami-sama defended me from behind. The next instant, a multitude of magic swords sprang out from the mirror.
As I tried to form a defensive wall, Kami-sama shouted.
It was a rare occurrence to hear Kami-sama raise his voice so much.
ㅤ
“Charlene, stop the magic!”
“Ah. . .”
ㅤ
The next instant, snakes appeared one after another in front of Kami-sama, forming a wall and knocking down the magic swords. Despite being wounded and shedding radiant light from their bodies, the snakes held on. Kami-sama, likely sharing their pain, bit his lip with a grimace.
ㅤ
“Kami-sama, don’t go out there. I can take care of this with my magic.”
“You can’t.”
“Why?”
ㅤ
Kami-sama turned to look at me, his face filled with distress.
Inside the mirror, Strelitzia laughed shrilly.
ㅤ
“Tell her, Serpent God. After losing your connection with the nation, you’re rapidly losing your power as a land god. The magic that the leading saint was using was shared with you from your power after your connection with the nation was severed, wasn’t it?”
“What. . .?”
ㅤ
Kami-sama remained silent. His back alone was enough affirmation.
Even when I rode the spirit horse, and after that. After the sacred relic was extracted and the connection was severed, it was all Kami-sama, sharing his power with me.
ㅤ
“Kami-sama. . . why?”
“I didn’t anticipate being this weak.”
ㅤ
Kami-sama murmured, his back to me.
ㅤ
“Charlene. . . I’m not capable of protecting you as I did that day.”
“No way. . .”
ㅤ
I had unknowingly used the power that was sapping Kami-sama’s strength.
If I had thought about it a little, I would have realized. But I didn’t.
ㅤ
Strelitzia burst out laughing.
ㅤ
“Thank you for reducing Land God Kai to just a mere man.”
“. . . . . .Heh, even after being reduced to a mere man, isn’t the second prince who would kill his own kin for you, not a human anymore? Your true feelings are showing.”
“You’re quite articulate. I’ll stab you again and again.”
ㅤ
Swords sprang out from inside the mirror, one after another.
I can’t use magic anymore.
ㅤ
“Run, Charlene.”
“No, not without you!”
ㅤ
I grabbed Kami-sama’s arm, which was trying to block my path, and ran.
Kami-sama picked me up and ran. Without using his powers, Kami-sama was certainly faster than an 8-year-old child.
ㅤ
The swords swung their blades at us, barely missing, as if to mock us.
ㅤ
“Come on, I wonder how far you two can run?!”
ㅤ
The chasing swords. The grinning second prince.
The unceasing chaos from the outside was audible, and Kami-sama was rapidly weakening.
ㅤ
We somehow managed to hide behind the rubble of the demolished cathedral.
The second prince’s footsteps were getting closer.
ㅤ
(Charlene, I have a request.)
(What is it, Kami-sama?)
(I’ll buy us some time. . . Please, escape from here.)
ㅤ
“What?!”
ㅤ
I couldn’t help but look at him. Kami-sama was serious.
From his sleeve, he stealthily handed me a snake. It was the smallest snake I had ever seen, fitting snugly into the palm of my hand.
ㅤ
“I’ll hold them off with my own body. In the meantime, I need you to escape with that clone.”
ㅤ
I understood the intentions of Kami-sama.
ㅤ
“In other words, you want me to find the sacred relic while escaping!”
ㅤ
Kami-sama nodded vigorously.
The footsteps are rapidly approaching.
Rising from his position, Kami-sama relayed his message to me.
ㅤ
“As long as we have the sacred relic and the serpent, and Charlene who shared their soul. . . No matter what happens to this body, I won’t lose.”
“Understood. . . I’m sorry that it has come to this.”
ㅤ
As Kami-sama tried to stand up, I grabbed his arm.
ㅤ
“Wait. . . Look at me.”
ㅤ
Pulling Kami-sama’s sleeve, I placed my hand on his cheek.
I gave Kami-sama a kiss, just a gentle touch on his cheek.
ㅤ
“Charlene.”
“This is all I can do in my current state. . . Kami-sama, I’m counting on you.”
ㅤ
The second prince is approaching.
With all his remaining strength, Kami-sama lifted me up and threw me with all his might towards the sky beyond the hill, outside the church!
The second prince let out a surprised shout.
ㅤ
“Wha. . .!”
“I’m your opponent. . . I’ll protect Charlene.”
ㅤ
While falling freely, I kept my eyes on Kami-sama running towards the mirror.
A shower of swords fell on Kami-sama. I couldn’t see what happened to him.
ㅤ
“. . .I’m sorry, Kami-sama. . .!”
ㅤ
I hugged the snake to my chest and plummeted straight down towards the bottom of the hill—the direction of the church.
I should be able to perform the last act of magic absorption.
ㅤ
“Ah. . . a. . .!”
ㅤ
Using magic to soften the impact, I landed at the back of the church.
The solemn farewell at the cathedral, the uproar of the orcs, everything was eerily quiet as if it were all lies. Probably, everyone had fled to fortresses or aid stations.
I stood up and looked at the baby snake in my arms.
ㅤ
“Kami-sama, are you okay?”
ㅤ
The snake didn’t move, hanging limp. But when called, it moved a little, so it seemed conscious.
ㅤ
“Hold on a little longer. . . I’ll find the sacred relic soon.”
ㅤ
Tucking the snake into my chest, I looked around.
Although I spoke bravely, in reality, my prospects were bleak. Even if I put power into my body, I can’t use magic. The saint’s ability seems a bit usable. But, probably something about the land and Kami-sama’s mechanism is changing, I felt something wasn’t right.
The saint’s ability is said to arise when the saint’s body and the land’s healing ability are connected. Until now, the land’s Kami-sama was in between, but it seems to have fallen out completely.
ㅤ
“I can’t use magic, and I can’t perform the saint’s abilities properly. . . I’m just an eight-year-old kid.”
ㅤ
Looking at the palm of my hand, I was suddenly reminded of the helplessness of the day I was abducted ten years ago.
At that time, only my own foolishness and powerlessness struck my heart.
And I jumped out of the church, returned to my hometown, and felt the guilt of changing my father’s life.
Today, once again, Kami-sama risked his life to save me.
—This time, I’m going to save the people who are important to me.
ㅤ
I began running towards the place where many people were gathering.
Fortunately now, people from various walks of life are gathering to oppose the orcs. The best way is to ask around among them. If the second prince was carrying around a rusty stick like that, there would surely be someone who remembers.
ㅤ
“Hang in there, Kami-sama! I. . . I will definitely save you!”
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Translator’s Blog
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