Interlude: Delta
＊
Aah, it’s this dream again.
Delta, mutters in his heart. A dream he’d kept on seeing since he was five years old. Despite wincing, ‘again with this dream huh’, he doesn’t wake up. No, he mustn’t look away; it’s a dream he can by no means forget, he mustn’t forget, and one he wants to forget. It’s simply, a dream where images coldly flash by, and he just keeps staring at his foolish and weak self.
Soldiers happily, going around killing villagers and getting a kick out of it. Soldiers raping women, basking in ecstasy. Soldiers invading houses, fattening their own pockets. The village, the houses, the people were torched by that blazing fire. Families, left their burning houses. Over there were, numerous Magicians and troopers.
＜＜Display, The Existence Of Darkness, To The Enemy＞＞ーーDarkness Arrow(Zeno・Emblem)
He was a gentle father who hated wicked things. Holding a sword in his trembling hands and standing in such a way that he was protecting his family, the Dark Magic cruelly penetrated such him.
“Kuuhahahahahaha, I enjoy killing guys like this the most”
Stab Stab.
He will never forget it even at death; this expression of the Magician, who slams his short sword down delightedly, at the mother who covers them with her body.
Nevertheless, he thought of protecting his remaining younger sister at least.
“We’re running away”
Forcefully pulling her hand, he looks at his younger sister, who’s looking at their mother and father in tears, and starts running.
＜＜Display, The Existence Of Fire, To The Enemy＞＞ーーFlame Arrow(Fire・Emblem)
All too easily, the blade that took them from behind, penetrates his younger sister’s body.
“Hyahahahahaha, did you think I’d let you escape?”
That crazed Dark Magician’s voice.
The figure of his younger sister groaning and collapsing.
He simply, watched it, in a state of shock.
“Kukuku……that’s a nice expression(face)”
The Dark Magician, approached right by his side and swung his short sword down from high above.
Slash.
Along with the slashing sound, there’s a gush of fresh blood. However, that splatter was not from Delta; it splashed out from the back of a young girl who appeared out of nowhere.
＜＜Display, The Existence Of Light, To The Enemy＞＞ーーLight Arrow(Saint・Emblem)
The light emitted from her palm, penetrated the man’s body.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaah”
“O-……Onee-chan”
“Shh……you can’t let out your voice”
“But……”
She’s bleeding. Profusely bleeding.
“Quiet……keep quiet. I’m sure……help will come”
As she was saying that, she embraced him gently the entire time, in a way that she covered him with her body. He couldn’t see her face up until the very end. However, even now, her sepia hair visible across her shoulders left a deep impression on him. He, who was trembling helplessly, even as her warm body temperature gradually became cold, was pathetic.
「Unlucky」; who was it, the one who muttered that afterwards.
It felt, blasphemous; towards that woman who, at that very moment, protected him with her life.
He stared at the corpses of his family members, plopped down on the spot, and before long, laid down as it is.
“How long are you going to stay like that? Well, it’s none of my business though”
The one who reflected in his cloudy eyes was, a white-haired man who saved Delta. The sight of him looking up at the moon was, especially unnatural even in this abnormal situation. Before long, he carries the sepia-haired woman.
“……”
He didn’t have a hint of emotions anymore.
“I wouldn’t recommend lying around like that. Well, it’s a different story if you’re saying that you want to be ravaged by me as a corpse though”
The man, observes the youngster with his eyes wide open.
Even so, he couldn’t muster his strength; his heart was the epitome of emptiness.
“……you have two paths. Number one, it’s the path of dying in the wild like this. Another one is, the path of living alongside me”
“……”
“Well, for me, either is fine. However, if you were to choose the former……the girl who saved you……would’ve died in vain”
“……”
The man who muttered that, starts walking.
Why, is he weak. Why, did a war like this end up happening. Why, was he not strong enough to protect his family and benefactor. Why……is he alive.
Just as he runs after that Dark Magician’s back, he always wakes up from the dream.
＊
“……”
He opened his eyes on top of his bed and mumbled. He doesn’t know how many times has he already seen the same sight……the same nightmare.
At that moment, the sound of a cheerful knock reverberates.
“I’m coming in”
The one who entered was Raynes, the Chivalric Order’s Captain.
“……hey”
“Thanks for the hard work yesterday”
“Sorry……it’s my misstep”
“It can’t be helped. The students ended up coming. If neither of us retreated, there would probably be casualties besides him as well”
“……”
Raynes, isn’t fond of hurting women and children. Rather than the Klose Chivalric Order, it’s something that stems from his personality.
“However……he sure was an incredible Magician”
“Aah……”
What was out of Delta’s calculation was, the fact that Asch had taken in the Demon Hazen＝Heim summoned. And then, that had shown the fact that there’s actually no Magician who can take that Dark Magician on fair and square
“However……kuku……”
Raynes laughs unconsciously.
“What’s wrong?”
“He was quite an amusing Magician as well. Rather human-like, or should I say, he didn’t seem the heartless Magician you said”
“……”
He can’t deny that he, indeed, has quite a different impression than before. He was a man who fooled around, but at the very least, he wasn’t a Magician who behaved that lively.
“However, that individual is a Dark Magician. Living longer than anybody means, he’s nothing but malice to this society”
“……I’m worried about that part of you. Why, do you resent Dark Magicians that much?”
Raynes showed his friendliness without treating Delta as a senior, and Delta, too, despite being considerably younger, Raynes is the only existence he can call a friend.
“I have no reason. Dark Magicians are all evil. If we don’t eliminate every trace of their existence, true peace will never visit”
“……”
“Every trace……otherwise, there will be victims again. At some unknown place, at some unknown location, some nameless children, some nameless family. Something like that is, by no means forgivable……by no means……”
Delta’s words reverberated sorrowfully.
