A Wish to Grab Happiness

Volume 7, Chapter 133: Malicious Seeds

My thoughts burned when I recalled that scene.

My head got feverish as if I were sick. My brain functions did not work properly. However, this feverish feeling felt completely different from an endemic disease.

The scene that unfolded in front of me burned my eyes and my head. I had seen this sight before. Back then, I saw it from a dark place. However. Now, this scene appeared vividly in my eyes as if it was within my reach.

That scene of the past became vivid in my brain. A scene in which Vestaline’s tough spear-axe roared and crushed Bruder’s body. A strong blow that crushed all his flesh and bones without mercy. It transformed a human being called Bruder into a silent object.

An unmistakable déjà vu. I already seen it in the past and I knew all the details surrounding that tragedy. So what action should I take right now?

In the past, I was foolishly unable to do anything. My limbs trembled immensely, I could not feel my hands, and my legs did not move forward. A newborn would be more useful than I was. Surely. I was useless in the end. I could not even rescue Bruder, stand up to the enemy, or die alongside my comrade. Damn it. Ah, damn it.

I remembered that scene clearly. The line of sight that Vestaline showed from above the demon horse during that moment. Her eyes refused to accept threats. Not the eyes that looked at an enemy, but the eyes that looked at dust on the roadside.

Surely, defying her rule was the only reason for killing Bruder. He obstructed her path, when he was just a mere, disgusting dust.

In the past timeline, I did not die because I did not confront her. However, I lost my friend and dignity at the same time. All I had left was a strange life.

“…Ah, don’t fucking joke with me. Why am I seeing that scene again?”

My legs were already kicking the ground.

My chest felt bizarrely complicated. Of course, I did not want to lose Bruder again. I also felt the desire to humiliate the Steel Princess.

However, the biggest thing that I wanted now was to avoid living a boring and lowly life again. After all, the most important thing right now was my own accomplishments.

Ah, I did not think that Caria, Filaret, Edith and Matia told me so. However, that was my essence. To live for myself, and not for others. The scene from the past repeated once again in this timeline. Yet, I felt like choosing myself one more time.

A flash of light ran before my eyes. On this very moment, I stuck out my shoulders and pulled my treasure sword from my waist during the momentum where Bruder was about to die. My treasure sword drew a purple line in the air and landed against Vestaline’s spear-axe.

I drew a beautiful trajectory as if it had been decided from the beginning.

*metallic sound*

Despite using the sword, the cost of receiving the heavy spear-axe was too much to handle. Vestaline used the momentum from her horse to strike down. It was different from clashing weapons on the ground.

Every bone in my body quivered. My flesh was about to tear under the heavy pressure. My internal organs hurt, and the pain crawled out between the gaps of my teeth.

I forcibly turned my wrist back while making a distorted noise. I increased the strength in the tip of my treasure sword. With such movement and strength, I managed to bounce the menacing power of the spear-axe.

The burning smell of iron and iron clashing with each other covered the surroundings. The echoing sound hit my ears. Even though I tried to release my power, I felt as if my wrist crushed in the spot.

A few seconds later, the spear-axe slammed into the ground. The burning smell still lingered in the air.

「…Did your parents teach you to behave this rashly when meeting other people?」

I felt like my voice was trembling. My back teeth moved painfully. My bones hurt in a very strange way, and I could not use my legs to get out of here.

I see. In other words, I could not escape anymore.

「…You arrived right on time. I was looking for you, green one.」

Vestaline’s eyes pierced my body. Her heavy breath came in and out of her lungs in a forceful manner.

Her eyes told me that she not only felt the frustration for failing to kill Bruder, and the repulsion after hearing my words, but she also felt a pure hostility towards me.

「I heard from my father…Mordeaux Gon told me you are a harmful insect.」

Insect, I see. Did a mere insect bother them? It seemed that Vestaline’s heart was more inclined toward the annoyance of pests than hostility itself. She really underestimated me.

Still, if that was what she thought of me, then fine. I shall change that now.

「You are misunderstanding the situation. You should protect what has be protected.」

Since she was wearing a helmet, I could not read the details of Vestaline’s facial expression, but I could see that her eyes swayed.

Apparently, she heard my words clearly. Great. She would not bother with me if I were a mere roadside dust. However, I was not dust since she not only heard my words but also took them seriously. I had to grab this opportunity to upset her heart.

It did not matter if I were an ally or an enemy, if my words reached her heart, then I could do whatever I wanted. Especially with a young girl like Vestaline, whose emotions were unstable.

「“Protect what has be protected”… What does that have to do with my father and me?」

I managed to withstand my lips, which were distorting a little.

I was glad that Vestaline had a straightforward personality. If she had a personality like Caria, who was both fierce and twisted, she would have attacked me without hesitation.

She could not overlook my words because her heart had the foundation to protect. It seemed that Vestaline was not a person to kill someone cunning without hearing what that someone had to say first.

I admired her great integrity. I should praise her for giving me an opportunity to retaliate.

「It has everything to do with you and your father. After all, you don’t know what your Lord Mordeaux did in the past, do you?」

The light of her eyes became stronger. This reaction was not due to the puzzling question. Actually, she felt a stronger hostility towards me. After all, it seemed that her tolerance for me after mentioning her father was not high.

However, things won’t go forward if I did not step up the game now. My purpose was to make the Steel Princess Vestaline betray none other than her imposter father Mordeaux Gon, whom she admired the most.

My cheeks distorted. Somehow, I felt that I had a malicious personality for coming up with this scheme. I did not want to die yet. However, I had to step into danger for the sake of my goals. Endangering myself was better than not being able to live a good life.

「I know there are people who speak badly of my father. But everything my father does is necessary for his rule. If you have a grudge against my father and you are trying to harm him, then…」

「…A grudge, huh? 」

A voice reached my ears at the same time as Vestaline’s voice echoed behind the armor. Bruder, who was crawling on the ground, raised his face when he interrupted her words.

His brown and long stretched hair appeared when his hat fell down. By the way, was he growing his hair long? He used to hide his hair with his hat. He even used his hat when he went to bed.

Yeah, that’s right. When I first saw Bruder in the past, I thought that he was a woman. Of course, what I received was not a slap, but a fist instead.

Since then, I felt like I had been unconsciously choosing my words carefully around him.

Bruder’s wavy brown hair swayed when he opened his lips again.

「I will tell you the name of my father. He was not just Bruder. He was Bruder Geluah. You will remember well what the man you call as father did to my father Bruder!」