"You know, what Octavia said is true. You should be grateful you met Lord Arthur."
I glanced at the man in the strange Magician's outfit. He was smiling warmly at me, making me unconsciously reply, "Why is that?"
"Didn't you see for yourself how Emma was acting toward you?" The man answered with a joking smile, but his eyes didn't look like he was joking at all. "If Lord Arthur wasn't here, you would've been a goner for sure. I'm positive your fate would've been the same as those poor guys back there."
His tone made me uncomfortable, as if the lives of the men who had just died were worth no more than an animal's.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Merlin Pendragon. A Wandering Magician, you know!" The man named Merlin pointed to himself with a friendly smile.
"Merlin, stop talking nonsense."
THUMP! My body went rigid hearing that cold voice.
"Yeah, yeah, Emma," Merlin replied in a lazy tone. "Oh, right, Yuna-san, I can do this, you know."
I watched Merlin take off his Magician's hat, then turn it upside down to show that it was empty. He then flipped it back over.
What is he trying to show me? I thought, confused.
Then, I saw tiny, two-dimensional stars, animals, and people emerge from the hat's opening. They formed a circle and danced in the air, emitting a dazzling yellow light.
I stared at the sight, bewildered. What is this? Some kind of hologram technology like in the movies? Can a magic trick do this?
"What do you think? Pretty amazing, right?"
Hearing that, I looked at Merlin's face, who was now walking beside me. My heart was still pounding from the show. "How… how did you do that?" I asked, my voice a mix of awe and a fear I couldn't hide. I looked at his hands, then at his hat, as if trying to find the secret behind it. "That was… incredible."
"Haha! Of course it was! In this world, there's no Magician greater than me!"
Cih, he's clever enough not to answer my first question.
I then looked at the cartoon animals still dancing in the air, before they finally disappeared into tiny yellow particles of light, like fireflies.
"Merlin!!"
I saw Merlin's previously happy expression instantly turn to one of panic when he heard the voice of the man named Arthur.
"I'm sorry, Lord Arthur!"
"Never mind. I know you like putting on shows for people, but remember the situation."
Who is this Arthur Leonhart, really? To have subordinates as strong and strange as Emma and Merlin? I don't believe for a second that the four people he mentioned earlier were just ordinary friends. No matter how stupid I am, there's no way a friend would call another friend 'Lord.'
I looked at Arthur's back with a gaze full of curiosity.
We descended the mountain slope and finally made it out of the forest. We walked along the side of a fairly well-lit road. Not far from here, I saw a white van parked, its engine still visibly running.
I carefully observed the appearance of these dangerous people.
Are they… foreigners?
In the forest earlier, their appearances weren't very clear, so I hadn't noticed.
Ahh, I'm so stupid. I should have known. People who can't speak Japanese have to be foreigners.
I focused my gaze, especially on Merlin and Octavia, who weren't wearing full-plate armor. One of them looked Japanese? No, rather than Japanese, Merlin looked more generally East Asian. Huh? What am I saying? Japan is an East Asian country too! I'm so dumb….
And the other one was clearly European or American. With blond hair, blue eyes, and features like that, anyone would think she was European.
And the three of them…
I squinted as I walked, observing the person in white armor and the two in black armor. I can't tell. Well, of course I can't! They're wearing full-plate armor! I'm so stupid! I wanted to be angry at myself for thinking something like that.
And besides… are those wings and that tail… real?
I touched my chin, watching the tail and wings that occasionally moved.
There's no way a human could have a tail and wings. But, come to think of it, they don't really look human. From what the woman named Emma said earlier, she called humans 'lowly creatures.' So, is that reptilian tail real?!
Could it be… I've met aliens?!
The thought was so absurd it made me want to laugh. Aliens? That's just in movies. But for now I can be sure they aren't human.
I didn't know what kind of creatures they were, but what I did know was that these people clearly had no good intentions toward humans. From their words and behavior, I could tell.
"Emma, can you get rid of that tail of yours? We're about to enter human society. It would be a hassle if they found out something."
I frowned hearing Arthur's words. My hypothesis was correct. Before, I only believed it about 30%, but now, I can be 100% sure that those two are not human.
"That's easy, Lord Arthur."
I saw the black reptilian tail on Emma's tailbone suddenly vanish, as if it had never been there. The hole in her armor automatically closed up tightly.
What's with that armor? Does it have nanotechnology, like in those superhero movies?
I also saw the strange wings on Arthur's back disappear. Those wings were clearly not something a human could make. They were like… I couldn't even define them.
"Ahhh, the Boss and the others are taking forever…. I can't believe chasing one high school girl could take almost an hour."
I heard someone complain. I tried to find the source of the voice and saw a young man with blond hair, about in his twenties, walking toward the white van while holding a canned drink.
"Lord Arthur, that's the last kidnapper. He was the driver."
I could barely contain my anger when I saw the young man. This bastard! He's the reason I'm in this mess! If he hadn't chosen the route I usually take, I could've just gone home like normal! I wouldn't have had to deal with these dangerous people!
"Watch your mouth, insect!"
Hearing that cold voice, I reflexively tried to hide behind Merlin's body.
"Emma!"
At Arthur's sharp tone, I saw Emma immediately obey and no longer show her aggressive side. I sighed in relief.
Then, I heard a small whisper in my ear. "Don't worry, Yuna-san. As long as you're useful to Lord Arthur, Emma won't kill you. So, don't worry about what just happened. It was just a bluff."
I looked at Merlin in disbelief. I'm not so sure what you're saying is true. I then moved a little away from his back. Merlin just let out a small laugh at my action.
"Mahiru Yuna, I want to ask you something."
Hearing Arthur's voice, my body immediately tensed.
"Do you want to kill him yourself?"
Hearing the question, my body trembled for a moment as if struck by lightning.
Kill someone? Take someone else's life?
I looked at the young man leaning against the car door. Do I have that kind of courage? I looked at my own hands. I had never thought about killing someone, not even the person who tried to rape me.
True, I couldn't lie and say I wanted to see them walk away without punishment. If I said that, what a hypocrite I would be. I wanted this person punished, but not by my hand. Just like the kidnappers who died in the forest. At least, if I wasn't the one who killed him directly, I wouldn't feel guilty and regret my choice.
I had wished the people who bullied me would disappear. But now, I realized that was just a thought. When that wish became a reality and I was told to kill the person, I could only be like this.
I looked at Arthur's helmet-covered face, then lowered my head. "I don't know. I do hate them, but on the other hand, I don't want them to die either. I'm strange, aren't I?" Tears began to fall, and my face turned red.
"Humans are indeed foolish. Have you forgotten what they intended to do to you?"
I lifted my face at Emma's cold voice. "Of course I haven't forgotten what they did. But killing someone is wrong," I said.
I saw Emma about to step toward me, but she was immediately stopped by Arthur's hand.
"I see, I understand. This is your choice, Mahiru Yuna. If you can't decide, then I will." Arthur paused for a moment. "Actually, I knew you would say that. From our first meeting, I knew you were a good girl. Be proud of yourself. People like you are very rare in this world."
I looked at Arthur in disbelief. I've never heard anyone say that to me. Maybe… this is the first time.
"Then why did you ask me that?" I asked, curious. My hair swayed in the wind.
The gentle voice from behind the helmet replied, "I don't know."
I was silent for a moment, processing his words. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my right shoulder. I turned and saw Merlin say, "Be proud of yourself, Yuna-san. I've never seen Lord Arthur say that to anyone."
"Thank you, Mr. Merlin." I nodded gratefully.
"So… this is my decision."
I saw Arthur nod at Emma after saying that. I looked at him with an expression of disbelief.
From here, I could see the shocked expression on the young man's face at Emma's sudden appearance.
I saw the young man about to speak, but before he could get a sound out, his head was split in two, as if cut by a very sharp knife. His head fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
Blood stained the asphalt a deep red.
I couldn't even see how Emma did it.
My gaze shifted to Arthur. "Why… why did you do that?" I asked, my voice trembling with anger.
"Not everyone deserves to be saved," he answered. "If I let him go, do you think he would go home and repent? You were lucky to meet us this time, but what if there's a next victim? They might not be so lucky. And… why are you only speaking up now? Why didn't you react when the kidnappers in the forest died?"
Arthur's questions left me speechless, unable to answer.
I bowed my head, staring at the ground as tears started to fall from my eyes. I didn't know how to reply to his words. Deep down, I knew he was right. But for some reason, I felt upset and couldn't accept his opinion.
"I know you're a good person. But you can't give that kindness to everyone. Not everyone deserves it."
I lifted my head and saw Arthur, from out of nowhere, holding out a handkerchief. And for the first time, I could see the real face behind that black helmet.
The streetlight illuminated Arthur's face, the night wind gently moving his short hair.
It turned out that all this time, behind that helmet… was just a young man who didn't look much older than me.
He had beautiful sky-blue eyes and a handsome, East Asian face. And right now, he was smiling gently at me.
For a moment, I felt as if time around me had stopped.