Novel Full Chapter 123 - Senior Holy Knight And Sunny Land [14]
123. Senior Holy Knight and Sunny Land [14]
When we destroyed the Red Drop and raised voices of joy, it began to rain again.
However, the rain was too weak; it couldn’t even be called a drizzle.
Looking up at the sky, thin clouds covered only the area around the royal castle. The drizzle was contained in this area solely.
No doubt that this rain was produced by Rain.
When I slowly turned back,
「Haa, haa…」
There was the figure of him gripping his broken soul dress.
I sensed something ghastly, seeing him desperately making it rain by pouring in whatever tiny spiritual power he was left with.
(Just what the hell is pushing Rain this far…?)
When I was thinking about that,
「Tsk, bastard! Cut it out! Stop the futile resistance!」
A senior Holy Knight swung up his sword, still in its scabbard.
At that moment,
「S-Stop!」
A little girl, who was probably no more than 10 years old, stood in the way and covered for Rain.
「W-What the hell is this girl? Where did you come from?」
When the senior Holy Knight scratched his cheek in a puzzled manner,
「Se-Serena! Why did you come out!?」
Rain, wide eyed, shook the shoulders of the girl who was called Serena.
「B-Because… Because foster-father was being bullied…」
「I, see… You are a really kind girl…」
I listened to the conversation between the two and looked around.
Then I found a part of the floor in the throne room that was opened up like a door.
(…Is that a『hidden door』?)
It looks like Serena was hiding over there, no, she was hidden there.
(From that reaction, there’s no doubt about it…)
It seems that she was the reason why Rain continued to make it rain.
I stepped forward and called out to him.
「Hey, Rain. If you don’t mind, could you please tell me? There’s something going on, isn’t there?」
Why did this guy, who considered the Black Organization as ”trash”, become a member of the Black Organization?
Why does he cling so persistently to make it rain?
And the mysterious girl, Serena.
(I can’t see this man, Rain, as a bad guy…)
I’m sure there must be some deep circumstances.
「……」
He grit his teeth, looked around, and finally looked at Serena.
He was probably thinking about her『hereafter』.
「You will be taken away to the Holy Knights Association after this. If you care for her, you’d better explain the situation without hiding it.」
Will he speak the truth or remain silent?
Depending on Rain’s choice, the weight of his sins will vary greatly.
There is no doubt that it will have an impact on how Serena will be handled.
Rain, who understood that instantly,
「…………Aa, I got it.」
Nodded, after a long silence.
「Long ago, I opened an orphanage in a conflict zone of a small country and gathered war orphans who had no relatives. We all helped each other and kept on living. Though poor, we were happy.」
As he recalled the memories, Rain slowly began to speak.
「But that happiness crumbled down overnight. It was a day five years ago that I will never forget. It was a truly peaceful day as usual. I plowed the field, ate lunch, and then I went to buy foodstuffs once a month as usual. When I bought a month’s worth of ingredients in a distant black market and returned home, everyone… was eaten by monsters… Right in front of me!」
It must have reminded him of that time.
His voice was trembling.
「I killed all the monsters right away. Then, when I tried to bury the deceased children, a girl came back to life. That is Serena.」Rain said, embracing Serena with his trembling right hand.
「I immediately rushed her to the hospital and had them treat her by scraping together what little money I had. Fortunately, they saved her life, but… the monster left behind the worst parting gift. A curse.」
Curse. An unexplained power exercised by monsters.
Effects, activation conditions, and curse dispelling methods, little detail is known about them.
「Serena was inflicted with the『Curse of Rain』. It’s forever harmless where there is『rain』. However, once you go『out of the rain』, burning pain assaults your whole body bringing about eventual death. I was shocked when I heard so from the doctor. They said the death rate from this curse is 100%.」
100%… which means certain death.
「After that, I ran around with the weather forecast newspaper in one hand. Single-mindedly searching for『rain』. However, such a life cannot last long. The fickle rain clouds disappeared completely one day. Sunshine poured down, and Serena suffered through hellish pain. I lamented my own powerlessness. When I cried and screamed,『God』appeared before me.」
「…God?」
「Aa, it was a mysterious old man who called himself the『hermit of time』.」
「!?」
Rain’s answer made me gasp.
(H-Hermit of time? Meaning… Rain is a『transcendent』!?)
I exhaled slowly and calmed my mind.
「Then, through a fairy tale like event, I manifested my soul dress. A soul dress which can make it rain, Last Drop.」Rain said, turning his eyes to the long sword that had broken from the middle.
「I was able to control the rain at will. I trembled with joy thinking, “This can nullify the curse of the rain. Serena can live a normal life.” But that joy was only momentary. We were kicked out of the village before reaching even a month.」
He sighed loudly and continued.
「This rain can only revolve around me. So if I move, the rain will move. Me, being the cause of the rain, was not something I can hide for too long.『Get out, Rain Man!』I used to be driven out as such…」
Certainly, if the rain can only revolve around you at the center, you will eventually be noticed.
「When I was kicked out of the village, I went to another village with Serena. But the rumor of the『Rain Man』spread quickly, and we were immediately driven out. As we went around wandering aimlessly, I accepted the invitation from the Black Organization.『Won’t you become our comrade?』is what they said.」
…Indeed, Leia-sensei said,「The black organization is gathering transcendents.」
Perhaps the Black Organization learned from its own network that『Rain is a transcendent』.
「At first, of course, I refused, but… they brought up a deal, as though they had expected my refusal.」
「…A deal?」
「Aa, they already thoroughly looked into me. ”If you achieve『Norma』, if you capture a monster called phantom spirit, we’ll give you an entire country. Doesn’t sound too bad to live there with Serena, right? You can let it rain and rain as much as you like,“ were the details of the deal.」
The Curse of Rain that was inflicted on Serena.
The position Rain was placed in.
They seem to have brought up this deal after knowing everything about their circumstances.
「It didn’t take long for me to make a decision. It is impossible for an individual to rule an entire country. However, with the『Black Organization』at my back, it becomes a different story! And I took a vow. To make Serena happy, including the portion of the children who died!」
After a long talk, Rain exhaled loudly.
「After that, as you know, Dagrio was changed to『Rainy Country』… This is all I have to say.」
Sympathy and pity, an indescribable atmosphere dominated the place.
I raised my voice to drown out that atmosphere.
「If that’s the case, I might be able to do something about it.」
「…What do you mean?」
「My darkness cures everything except diseases. Naturally, it can cure the curse of a monster.」
「D-Don’t lie! There has never been a single case of a curse being dispelled in the world! Even the rare『recovery-type soul dress』couldn’t do it!」
「E-Even if you say that… I can still dispel it.」
To be honest, I think it would be better to just demonstrate it.
As I scratched my cheeks, wondering what to do,
「C-Can you really…? Can Serena’s curse be dispelled?」Rain asked me, with a tiny gleam of hope in his eyes.
「Aa, if it’s a curse, I’m certain.」
「I… see…」
Rain dragged his battered body and stood in front of me and deeply bowed his head.
「…I am deeply aware that I am not in a position to ask for such a thing. But still, I cast away my shame and beg you. Will you please lift Serena’s curse…!?」
「Aa, of course!」
As I readily consented to Rain’s request,
「This part here… This strange bruise.」Serena opened her right palm and showed me the『Curse of Rain』.
「…I see.」
A dark-red pattern was on her palm.
(It’s very similar to the curse that hung on Reese-san from White Lily Academy…)
I can dispel this without any problem.
「Then, don’t move for a little bit.」
「O-Okay…」
I focused my mind and coiled the darkness around her right palm.
Thinly, softly, with the intention of swallowing only the bad.
Then, the dark-red discolored skin quickly returned to its original beautiful skin.
「It… disappeared?」
「Something… like this!?」
Serena and Rain widened their eyes, as though having witnessed actual magic.
「It should be alright now. Rain, stop the rain.」
「A-Aa…!」
He let go of his soul dress and stopped the rain.
「H-How is it… Serena? Does your body hurt?」
「No! It’s okay. I don’t feel any pain!」
The Curse of Rain that hung on Serena seems to have been dispelled safely.
Immediately after that, Rain, trembling with joy, grasped my hand tightly, shedding large tears of joy.
「Thank you! Thank you, Allen! I am indebted to you! I will never forget it for the rest of my life. I will definitely return this favour without fail.」
「Aa, that’s good.」
Now that the big problem was resolved, Rain was taken away by the senior Holy Knights.
I was very curious about what kind of punishment he would be sentenced with, so I asked Ben-san.
「Rain is one of the top executives of the Black Organization. There will definitely be strong political arguments. But there will be no death penalty. We can’t do such an unseemly thing.」
Was what he told me.
When I heard that it was not the death penalty, I felt relieved for the time being.
As long as you’re alive, you can start over again.
When everything finally settled down, I exhaled greatly.
(Fuu… There were a lot of things going on, but it all worked out in the end.)
I liberated Dagrio from the rule of the Black Organization, stopped the endless rain, and lifted the Curse of Rain that tormented Rain and Serena.
(There were so many things, but this case is finally settled.)
Thus, we, who saved one of the Thirteen Knights of the Oracle, Rain Glad and the Sunny Land, Dagrio, got on a small plane and returned to the Orest branch Holy Knights Association.