Chapter 89: 49

Volume 1 – 49 – Makia: Sins & Mistakes of Witches & Heroes

It feels like the very air within the hall has just stopped.

I have waited and waited for this day to come. However, reality is starting to encroach on this miraculous meet-up.

“Hey, Yuri… What should we do now?”

“… umm…”

We let go of each other to smile a little bitterly at one another.

“Great, we really stand out, huh?”

I want to enjoy this moment of reunion with Yuri, however, this is neither the time nor the place. We are painfully aware of the stares surrounding us. As expected, we are the centre of attention.

Someone!! 

Someone, please bring in the [Hidden Camera Prank Success!!] placard! [1]

“Ahem.”

While everyone is looking at us with confused eyes, a strange girl breaks past the crowd. She is very pretty with long purple hair that looks as soft as silk and is dressed in something that carries a scent of exoticism.

She taps her fan close and smiles suddenly at Ulysses and me.

“Goodness, Your Highness Ulysses!! Is this the person you have been speaking of? My, my, now I have to hear more about it. No, as a woman, I insist that you tell me all about it~! Now, come, come, both of you.”

“… Wha…?”

She is being overly familiar as she practically herded us away from the centre of the crowd and towards the terrace. I have no idea what is going on with her and I don’t recall ever having met her before.

However, Ulysses turns this pained smile at her and says, “Excuse us, Princess.”

The moment we were herded away, the hall suddenly reverts to its former liveliness. Even so, the topic on everyone’s lips is about us.

Oh my… 

It can’t be helped I guess, I can only blame it all on a sudden impulse.

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The terrace feels cool after the heat of the ballroom. The heat in my head also seems to have seeped out quite a bit.

“Goodness… What were you thinking? In front of all those people too!”

“Thank you very much for the rescue, Princess Shatma.”

“…”

In order to evade the eyes of all those people, the woman leads us to the terrace where she proceeds to scold Ulysses and me. Since I don’t know this person, I merely frowned.

“Maki-chan, this is Princess Shatma. She’s the first Princess of Fresir.”

“… Pleasure to meet you”

A lot of things have just happened, so my greeting is rather half-hearted.

“I know who you are… Crimson Witch of the West.”

“…?!”

Well, well, my interest in this girl skyrocketed with those few words.

What are you talking about? Do you really know me?

[2] She has snapped her fan open again and the amber eyes peeking over the laced edge shimmer with magic. It is the kind of magic that seems to draw you in.

“And… you are?” I say in a low voice.

“Erm… Maki-chan, the situation is a little complicated, but I can say that she is in a rather similar situation as us.”

“Similar situation?”

“She is the reincarnation of the Wisteria Princess, from 1000 years ago.”

“…?”

I know about the Wisteria Princess, of course. However, Ulysses’ news is so abrupt that I had a hard time believing it.

Ulysses must have seen the doubt on my face, because he quickly says, “Like the Three Great Demon Kings, she retains her past memories. She was also killed by him…”

Ulysses clearly has more to say, but he suddenly stops speaking. [2] A shadow stretches across the floor, the light from the ballroom is blocked by a tall figure. Just by looking at the figure standing backlit by the light, all of us become even more conscious of the cold wind and the darkness of the night.

“You…”

The man blocking the light is a beautiful blonde young man.

Princess Shatma approaches him without hesitation, “Oh, hello, Kanon.”

When she reaches his side, she turns towards us and says, “Crimson Witch, allow me to introduce Kanon Iskeil, one of the Generals of Fresier. To you, he will forever be the Legendary Hero from 2000 years ago, I believe.”

“…”

I cannot extract any information from his name. Obviously, that is not his real name. I narrow my eyes at him while he stares down at me with that typical cold gaze.

“… allow me to give regards to the day before, Hero.”

“….”

Ulysses is obviously surprised and asks, “You’ve met before?”

Just then, shimmering classical music spills into the terrace, completely at odds with the tense atmosphere.

“Princess, Sir Raymond has asked for you,” said the Hero to the Eastern Princess Shatma.

She nods, sparing us one more glance before walking towards the light of the ballroom. [2] However, she stops and says, “Crimson Witch, do make sure not to miss this Holy Festival’s major event~”

“… And what is this event?”

The woman chuckles before striding off, her face still covered by her fan. Naturally, this left me very confused.

“… And so, you’re still here, Hero.”

“…”

“Shouldn’t you hurry after the princess? Aren’t you her servant now?”

General Kanon is still there, staring at us.

I really, really don’t like that guy. Can’t I enjoy my reunion with a good friend without him ruining things?

Is he just going to evade every single one of our questions?

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“What is it? Do you plan on asking me to dance?”

“…”

Inside the ballroom, ladies and gentlemen of the aristocracy are already swaying to the music, gorgeous dresses sweeping the floors as they allow themselves to move with the delicately woven music.

General Kanon suddenly smiles and extends his hand at me, “In that case, may I have this dance, Young Lady Makia Odille?”

“… You…”

Sweat slides down my face, and the corners of my lips quirk up. “You know, that’s not the kind of face you should make when asking a lady for a dance.”

No matter how one looks at it, he is clearly looking down on us, ready to kill us at any moment. As one might expect, I am on my guard. However, if I step back now, my reputation as the Crimson Witch will be stained.

Therefore, I place my hand in his and face him as though I am about to go on a one-on-one battle.

Ulysses has turned pale, going ‘aaahhhh’ as he holds his head.

“Maki-chan… Please, come back alive…”

“Naturally, I shall step on his feet so hard that he will never stand or walk again. Be sure to come and observe my victory.”

“… Maki-chan…”

Neither of us considers the waltz as dancing. This pleasure of the ball, a beautiful activity where men and women could move about together in public and get to know each other is nothing but a battleground for us.

Yes, I am going to war.

The one who shows fear or weakness first is the loser.

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“Oh my, looks like Young Lady Odille has been invited to dance with the Fresir General.”

“Goodness me, what a funny looking pair.”

“I must say, Young Lady Makia did not seem to be good at dancing. I wonder, has she been properly instructed?”

The entire hall of people is staring at us.

From a distance, it looks like a young girl is being guided by a more experienced dancer, a military gentleman at that. Ulysses is watching us from afar, [2] and will not rush forward to stop us, so I think we don’t look too suspicious.

Even so, those who are watching more closely would know that this isn’t just any waltz. Our expressions reflect the grimness of a

Demon King.

Well, I am the only Demon King in this dance, but that is just an expression.

Speaking of which, I am not too bad at dancing.

However, the hatred that seeth within me makes me do my best to stomp on his foot with my heels at every opportunity.

Unfortunately, this Hero has excellent dodging skills. I bet it looks like

we’re doing some kind of crazy dance to the random outsiders.

We dance and glare silently at each other.

However, in the end, I could not maintain this silence. [2] No wonder couples like to use the waltz as an excuse to conduct secret talks. As we move among the swirling couples on the floor and sparkling music, there an odd sense of privacy envelops us.

“Why?”

“…”

“Why did you stop back then?”

Back then, 2000 years ago.

I still remember our last moments together.

The moments of my death were seared into my mind. In desperation, I used my ‘self’ as the medium for my magic and utilized the data of the Crimson Witch to destroy everything.

“As someone with the ‘Blessing of the Goddess’, you should have the upper hand back then.”

“……”

Even now, the silhouette of our last battle stayed with me like an afterimage that could never be shaken off. As blood poured out of me, I vaguely recalled the Hero tossing his weapon away.

However, what stayed with me most is the calm expression on the Hero’s face. There was an impression of ‘I don’t care what happens next’ that lacked even a hint of despair. [2] It was that lack of care that scared me the most.

“That was all due to my mistake. I had made many errors back in that era.”

“…?”

“I… killed you all in the wrong sequence.”

“?!”

“That sequence led you to destroy yourself just to take me with you. That was my first mistake. Even so, choosing to destroy yourself was also your greatest sin. However, I only understand this 1000 years later.”

“What… What are you saying…?”

I have no idea what emotions are roiling behind this man’s powerful gaze. However, the feeling of frustration and helplessness welling up inside me is becoming unbearable. I had not expected my question to elicit such an answer, especially since it brought back that memory from the past.

Right now, all I want to do is escape.

I don’t want to hear anything else from the man who calls himself General Kanon now.

Unfortunately, the man slides one arm all the way around my waist and his other hand squeezes mine.

“…”

He is squeezing the same hand that was injured earlier. Blood seeps into General Kanon’s white glove, staining it red.

“You will recall things soon.”

He tightens his grip on my hand.

“The disaster caused by you and I not only affect the future, but shone a light on a past that should never be revealed… You and I are equally to blame, Crimson Witch.”

Right then, I could not understand what this ex-Hero was saying.

Why do I have to hear all this from a man who had killed us?

What is even more frustrating is how frightened I am.

Especially since I realise that it would not be long before the legacies left by my suicide and the promises of the distant past would soon be scooped out into the open.

[Gumihou: Hmm, this chapter is difficult due to the vague, doomsday wording. Striking a balance between Actually Ominous and Jin Fengju-esque Solo Drama is difficult]

[1] [Hidden Camera Prank Success!!] or [ドッキリ大成功!!]

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