Episode 71: Thank You for Everything
She managed to dodge to the right, but part of the claw pierced her left leg.
It probably hadn’t reached the bone, but blood poured steadily from the wound.
With no time even to catch her breath, the black dragon kept attacking, one blow after another.
She kept dodging, half-rolling across the ground, but she was close to her limit.
(I thought I could manage more than this…!!)
Right now, Fiine was using an enormous amount of magic to sustain Yuria.
She didn’t have enough left to fight the way she used to.
(I’m protecting the townspeople. So if I keep buying time like this, Mr. Burkhardt and the others might make it here…!!)
The moment the thought crossed her mind, a heavy impact struck her back.
“Gah!!”
She was slammed to the ground and rolled three times. What had hit her from behind was a boar-like monster.
(Right, it’s not only the black dragon, these ones are here too…)
Normally, no number of low- or mid-level monsters would be much of a threat.
But Fiine had no strength left for a wide-area spell now.
Once again, the black dragon’s claw bore down on her.
Her whole body ached, and she no longer had the strength to get up and dodge.
(Am I going to die…?)
If Fiine died, the barrier protecting the townspeople would vanish too.
Dying now was out of the question. But her body wouldn’t move any more, and her consciousness was growing hazy.
“Guuooaaaaaaaah!!”
The black dragon roared and opened its mouth wide. Black flame came pouring out.
She shut her eyes without meaning to. If that fire took her, there’d be nothing left of her at all.
“Fiine!!”
She heard Yuria’s voice, and in the next instant her body lifted into the air. Yuria had saved her.
“…Yuria.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Fiine. …Not that this looks like the moment for saying that, but…”
She must have rushed back. Yuria’s breathing was badly ragged.
Even so, carrying Fiine, she leapt about and dodged the attacks of the black dragon and the other monsters.
But naturally, with Fiine in her arms, she had no room to fight.
At this rate, Yuria’s stamina would give out too.
“Hey, Fiine.”
“What?”
When their eyes met, Yuria smiled gently. It was a smile that didn’t suit the situation at all, and Fiine’s chest tightened.
“Dispose of me.”
“…Huh?”
“Then you’d be able to fight properly, wouldn’t you?”
Looking straight into Fiine’s eyes, Yuria went on in a calm voice.
“I know, at least roughly, how much magic you spend keeping me going. So, please, dispose of me right now.”
“Yuria…”
She was right. Fiine was putting most of her magic into sustaining Yuria.
That was why she could keep any other magic doll going for only a single day, and why she was close to running out of magic now.
If she returned Yuria to the earth right now, she could easily turn this situation around.
The black dragon’s hard scales made most attacks ineffective, but attacks on the inside would work.
When it opened its mouth wide to breathe fire, there was an opening to strike inside its body.
(If I just had the magic, I could do it…)
Yuria gently stroked Fiine’s cheek.
“Thank you for everything, Fiine. I was so happy to be by your side.”
“…Stop.”
“Even though I can’t eat, even though I don’t have an ordinary human body, just being next to you was fun. Getting to run the magic doll shop together made me so happy.”
Dodging attacks as she went, Yuria spun out her words with a face on the verge of tears.
This was nothing but a farewell.
“And the fact that you never tried to get close to anyone but me, to be honest, it actually made me feel a little good.”
“I said stop already…!”
She didn’t want to hear it.
(Why are you smiling like it’s nothing?)
She hadn’t been able to accept Yuria’s death.
She couldn’t bear the thought of days without her.
So, knowing it was wrong, she had made her.
Running from the magic academy, running from the Magic Corps, running from working hard for other people’s sake, running from her dream.
Having run from everything, the place she’d ended up was simply a life spent with Yuria.
Even if she was a fake, she’d wanted to be with her.
(Because, because I…)
From the very first time they met, Yuria had been on Fiine’s side.
She’d believed in her, scolded her where she was wrong, and always stayed by her.
With Yuria, meals tasted better than usual, familiar scenery looked somehow beautiful, and even when she was tired, she felt she could keep going.
She’d truly, from the bottom of her heart, looked forward to the future.
“But I love you so much, Yuria…!!”
Tears came flooding out of her eyes.
With a troubled smile, Yuria wiped them away with her palm.
“Thank you, Fiine.”
Smiling, Yuria slowly lowered Fiine to the ground.
“I love you so much too. No, maybe ‘love’ isn’t even enough.”
Fiine pushed herself up desperately. Yuria lightly pressed a hand to her forehead, as though refusing her.
“Fiine. I love you. Forever.”
It was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen on her.
Yuria waved, and began walking slowly toward the black dragon.
Reacting to her, the black dragon opened its jaws wide.
“No… I said no…!!”
She was trying to die.
She knew that a magic doll could be destroyed by an outside attack.
Even if Fiine didn’t dispose of her, if her body was destroyed, Yuria would die.
And she would never come back again.
If the black dragon’s fire burned her, Yuria would vanish from the world completely.
(Am I going to let Yuria protect me again…?)
She had died because she’d protected Fiine.
If she hadn’t saved Fiine, Yuria could have escaped safely that day.
And yet here she was, trying to die shielding Fiine once more.
(Is it because she doesn’t remember how she died? No, that isn’t it… even if she did remember, Yuria would have tried to protect me.)
Summoning every last bit of strength, she somehow got to her feet.
The black flame the dragon had spat was about to engulf Yuria’s body.
(At this rate it’s the same as that time… and the same as when my parents died.)
She could not let it end like that.
“Move… no, move, move…!!”
She gripped her staff tightly and drove it into her left thigh. Blood gushed out, and in exchange for the pain, her mind cleared.
Then, using the blood, she drew a magic circle on her thigh.
Self Marionette.
This time, she would absolutely save Yuria.