陛下の放った光の球は閃光の尾を引いて襲ってきた。
父と兄、そして騎士団長親子、そして私も渾身の防御魔法をかけてシールドを張るが、耐え切れる自信はない。ルドルフは剣に魔力を込めて迎え撃つ。
最初の攻撃をシールドが何とか防ぐ。ジリジリと焼ける音がする。次の攻撃では穴が開いた。その次の攻撃は簡単に防御を突破し、襲い掛かってきた。
次々と放たれる光の球。目で追うだけでもやっとだ。どれだけの魔力を持っているのか見当もつかない。国王の力がこれほどのものとは全く思わなかった。だが、ルドルフも、アレクもエリアスも次々に襲い掛かる光球の攻撃をひとつ残らず撃ち落していく。以前、彼らの実力はここまでではなかったと思う。現世で鍛錬を積み重ねた成果だろう。
国王の攻撃が止んだ。力が尽きたのかと思って見つめていると、両手にこれまでとはまるで違う、鮮やかな青い炎が浮かんできた。メラメラと燃える青い炎。全身が泡立つ感覚がする。あれはあまりに危険だ。これまでの攻撃が子供のボール投げに思える。国王は血走った目で、顔中筋張っている。表情はないが、肉体にはかなりの苦痛があるはずだ。
「ぐあああああ！」
地の底から響くようないななきとともに、青い炎は巨大な光球に変化した。
絶望と無力感。圧倒的な力の前に私は言葉を失った。その場にいた者皆がそうだったと思う。ただ一人王太子を除いては。
覚悟を決めた表情で、彼は私たち皆を守るようにして、一歩前に出た。
「うあああ！」
獰猛な叫びとともに、青い光球が襲ってきた。
ルドルフは、冷静に球の中心を見極め、押し返すようにして光球を突く。核を失った球は衝撃波とともに粉々になって霧散したが、受け止めた衝撃で広間の床は抜け、地面に巨大な窪みができた。
攻撃を防いだという安堵は一瞬。息をつく間もなく、次の攻撃が放たれる。こちらも防御はほとんど意味なく私たちの方へと向かってくる。
ルドルフは態勢を立て直すのがわずかに遅れた。剣の切っ先は光球の中心をわずかに外れ、バリバリッと切り裂く音がした。光球の重さと剣の力とがせめぎ合う。
「うあああああああ！」
雄たけびと共に剣の魔力が増し、光球を切り裂いた。
光球は真っ二つに割れた。右に飛んだ彗星のように尾を引く光球をアレクが剣で撃ち落とす。もう片方ははずみで弾け飛び、騎士団長がそれを撃ち落そうとしたが間に合わず、父とエリアスが攻撃魔法をかける。光球は光を失ったが爆風に変わったエネルギーが建物の屋根を破壊した。バラバラとがれきが落ちてくる。強風と共に雨が吹き込んできた。
国王の身体は辛うじて立ってはいるものの、両手はだらりと垂れさがり、脚も震えている。力を使い果たしたように見えた。
「え？うそ…今ので終わり？もうちょっとできるでしょ？」
ミアが陛下の元へ駆け寄る。抜け殻のようになった陛下はもはや何も言葉を発することはない。
縋りつこうとするミアをアレクが引き離し、捕縛する。
陛下には王太子が魔力で縄をかけた。
「ちょっと！国王を縛り上げるなんて。あんた自分が何をしたかわかってんの！？」
「我を失い、魔力兵器となった陛下をお止めしただけだ。」
ミアは自分のことを言ったのかもしれないが、ルドルフは自分に、そして私たちに告げるように言った。
これは反逆ではない、あくまで攻撃をしてくる者から守っただけ。正当防衛だ。
ん？あえて陛下に攻撃させた？いや、それは私がミアを挑発しちゃったからで…。でも…？
思考をめぐらせているうちに、エラ、と王太子に呼ばれた。
「陛下を楽にして差し上げてくれ」
穏やかで優しい表情。
「あ…はい」
私は頷いて、陛下の側へ行き、艶の失った金の頭に手をかざした。血走った眼がゆっくりと閉じられる。こわばった身体の力が抜けて上半身がだらりと崩れる。それを抱き留めた息子の腕の中で、静かな寝息を立て始めた。
陛下をお運びするために、エリアスが広間の外へ兵を呼びに行く。ミアは未だにぎゃいぎゃいとわめいていた。
毛を逆立てて威嚇する子猫のようだ。シャーシャーと必死で牙をむくその様子が、私には哀れに映った。
私は膝を折って、ミアの顔を見る。小柄でか細くて、愛らしい少女。特別な体質を持ってしまったために底知れぬ狂気に支配されてしまったのだろうか。
憐れみは彼女には深いだったらしい。ミアは私をぎろりと睨みつけた。
彼女の額に手をかざし、光の魔法で浄化する。彼女もまた魔薬に侵されているはずだ。
「ごめんね。あの時、特例扱いしてでも加護をあげておけばよかった」
加護程度の魔法では大した浄化にはならない。でも私は懺悔せずにはいられなかった。
規律を守ること、公平であることを重視しすぎてしまった。彼女の「お願い」を聞かなかった…というより聞きたくなかった。そんな前世から続くミアへの嫌悪や嫉妬がなかったといえば嘘になる。
それがここまでの事態にしてしまった。責任の一端を私が担っている。そんな気持ちから出た言葉だった。
「何であんたに…っ」
ミアは何事か、文句でも言おうとしたのだろうか、口を開きかけたが、光の魔法で精神が落ちついたらしく、ふうと息を吐いたかと思えば、沸き立った水に氷を入れたように静かになった。
「ちょっと…何これ…どういうこと？」
広間の入口で声がして振り向くと、ベルタ王女がいた。床に穴が空き、天井は崩れてがれきが散乱する玉座の間の惨状を目にして、あっけにとられている。兵に止められるが、するりとくぐり抜けてきた。
「姉上、危険ですから下がっていてください。」
「何事なの？」
「後でご説明しますから…姉上は何の御用です」
ルドルフは面倒な人を通してくれたなと兵の方をちらりと見た。
「あたしは…あの…ヴィクトルをお父様に紹介しようと思って…」
ベルタ王女は毛先を指で弄びつつ、後ろの男に目をやった。恥じらうようなどこか色気のある視線。
王女に促されて男が進み出る。
ヴィクトル・ハインと名乗るその男は細面の優男で、上品そうな雰囲気があった。こげ茶色のウェーブがかかった髪を一つに束ね、顔つきに似合わずがっしりとした体型。ほんのりと笑みを浮かべる口元は優美だが、何を考えているか分からない底知れぬ感じがした。
「私たち結婚しようと思ってるの」
王女がはしゃぐように彼の腕にすがりつく。何の曇りもない晴れやかな微笑み。男も王女を優しい眼差しで見る。どこからみても似合いの美しいカップルだ。
「ちょ…ちょっと…」
一瞬、雰囲気に流されそうになったが、私は王女を止めなければならないということを思い出した。王女にはまだ知らせが行っていないのかもしれない。ヴィクトルがくれたという蜂蜜が魔薬入りであること。その男が王女をかどわかそうとしているかもしれないということ。
「何よ…それ…どういうことよ！！」
叫んだのは私ではない。少し落ち着いたと思われたミアだった。
The ball of light released by His Majesty attacked us with a tail of flashing lights.
My father and brother, the Knight Commander and his son, and I also put up a shield with our best defensive magic, but we were not confident that we could withstand it. Rudolph intercepted with magic power in his sword.
The shield manages to block the first attack. I hear the sound of burning. The next attack leaves a hole. The next attack easily broke through the defense and attacked.
The balls of light were released one after another. We could barely follow them with our eyes. We had no idea how much magical power they possessed. I had no idea that the king’s power was this great. However, Rudolph, Alec, and Elias shot down every single one of the light ball attacks that came at them one after another. I don’t think their abilities were this good before. It must be the result of their training in this life.
The king’s attacks stopped. As I stared at him, wondering if he had run out of power, I saw a bright blue flame in both of his hands that was different from anything I had ever seen before. Blue flames that blazed like a mela mela. I felt my whole body bubbling up. That was too dangerous. The previous attacks seemed like a child’s ball game. The king has bloodshot eyes and muscles all over his face. He has no expression on his face, but his body must be in a lot of pain.
“Gaaaahhhh!
With a cry that seemed to echo from the depths of the earth, the blue flames transformed into a huge ball of light.
Despair and helplessness. I was speechless before the overwhelming power. I think everyone present felt the same way. Except for one person, the crown prince.
With a look of determination on his face, he stepped forward, protecting us all.
‘Aaaaah!”
With a ferocious cry, a blue ball of light attacked us.
Rudolph calmly assessed the center of the sphere and pushed back, poking the light ball. The sphere, having lost its nucleus, shattered and fizzled out with the shockwave, but the impact it received dislodged the floor of the hall and created a huge depression in the ground.
Relief that the attack had been prevented was instantaneous. Before I had time to catch my breath, the next attack was unleashed. This one, too, came toward us with almost no defense.
Rudolph was just a little too late to regain his posture. The tip of the sword slightly missed the center of the photosphere, and there was a crunching sound. The weight of the sphere and the power of the sword jostled against each other.
“Aaaaahhhh!”
With a yell, the sword’s magical power increased and sliced through the sphere.
The ball of light split in half. Alec shot down the ball of light with his sword, which flew to the right and trailed like a comet. The other one flew off by accident, and the Knight Commander tried to shoot it down, but couldn’t do it in time, so his father and Elias cast an attack spell. The ball of light loses its light, but the energy transformed into a blast destroys the roof of the building. Debris fell in pieces. A strong wind and rain came in.
The king’s body was barely standing, but his hands were slumped and his legs were shaking. He looked as if he had used up all his strength.
What? No way…is that all? You can do a little more, can’t you?”
Mia rushed to His Majesty. His Majesty, who had become a shell of a man, no longer had any words to say.
Mia tries to cling to him, but Alec pulls her away and binds her.
The Dauphin casts a noose on His Majesty with his magical power.
He said, “Hey! How dare you tie up the king? Do you know what you’ve done?
I only stopped His Majesty from losing his mind and becoming a magical weapon.”
Mia may have been talking about herself, but Rudolph said to himself, and to us, as if to tell us.
This is not treason, it was only defending us from those who attacked us. It was self-defense.
Hmm? You dared His Majesty to attack us? No, that’s because I provoked Mia… But…?
While I was thinking about it, Ella, the crown prince called out to me.
‘Please put His Majesty at ease.
A calm and gentle expression.
Ah…yes.”
I nodded, went to His Majesty’s side, and held my hand over the gold head that had lost its luster. His bloodshot eyes slowly closed. The stiffness of my body relaxed, and my upper body collapsed slackly. In the arms of the son who held her, she began to breathe quietly in her sleep.
Elias goes to call the soldiers outside the hall to bring His Majesty in. Mia was still whimpering.
She looked like a kitten, fur bristling and threatening. I felt sorry for her as she bared her fangs in desperation.
I bent my knees and looked at Mia’s face. She is a small, thin, lovely girl. Had she been given a special constitution that had led her to be ruled by an unfathomable madness?
Pity was deep for her, apparently. Mia glared at me.
I put my hand on her forehead and purified it with light magic. She must have been affected by the magic potion, too.
I’m sorry. I should have given her a blessing at that time, even if I treated her as a special case.
Magic as small as a blessing is not much of a purification. But I couldn’t help but repent.
I put too much emphasis on being disciplined and fair. I didn’t listen to her “requests”…or rather, I didn’t want to. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have such dislike and jealousy toward Mia that continued from my previous life.
It has brought me to this point. I bear part of the responsibility. These were the words that came out of such feelings.
Why did you…?”
Mia opened her mouth to complain about something, but the light magic seemed to have calmed her down, and she let out a breath and became quiet as if ice had been added to boiling water.
What is this…what is going on?”
I heard a voice at the entrance of the hall and turned around to find Princess Bertha. She was taken aback to see the devastation of the throne room, with holes in the floor, the ceiling collapsed, and debris strewn about. The soldiers stopped her, but she slipped through.
He was stopped by a soldier, but he slipped through.
What’s going on?
I’ll explain later… what is your business?
Rudolph glanced at the soldier, thinking that he had let a troublesome man through.
I… um… wanted to introduce Viktor to your father…”
Princess Bertha looked at the man behind her, playing with the ends of her hair with her fingers. His gaze was somewhat sexy, as if he was ashamed.
The princess urged the man to step forward.
The man, who introduced himself as Victor Hein, was a thin, handsome man with a refined air. His dark brown wavy hair was tied up in a single bun, and he had a sturdy physique that did not match his face. He had a graceful mouth with a slight smile, but there was an unfathomable sense of not knowing what he was thinking.
We’re thinking of getting married.”
The princess clung to his arm as if excited. The man’s smile is radiant and unclouded. The man also looks at the princess with kind eyes. They are a beautiful couple who look perfect together from every angle.
But…hey…”
For a moment, I was almost carried away by the atmosphere, but then I remembered that I had to stop the princess. Perhaps the princess had not yet received the news. The honey that Viktor had given me was laced with a magic potion. The man might be trying to frighten the princess.
What…that…means!
I was not the one who shouted. It was Mia, who seemed to have calmed down a bit.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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