Volume 1 – Following the Maze Drawn With Lines of Blood
“Are you awake, Mary?”
“Lady Mary, are you okay!?”
“Miss. Calaria… and Ami?”
A few hours after the fighting, Mary, who had lost consciousness, woke up.
Apart from Calaria, Ami spoke calmly as well, and Mary asked:
“Are you okay!?”
“I’m good! I’m too good, even!”
“She got up after her fever went away, and now she’s like this.”
“Thank goodness…… By the way, why are you holding my hand, Miss. Calaria?”
It was not just Calaria, but Ami was holding the sleeve of Mary’s dress as well.
“You held my hand first. Your arm was out of the bed, so you grabbed my hand when I was adjusting it.”
“I felt lonely with you and Miss. Calaria being all flirty in front of me, and that’s why I held you too.”
“We’re not being flirty…… we’re not, right?”
“You shouldn’t have to ask that.”
“You were!”
“L-Let’s just forget about that, how’s Miss. Cutie?”
“She’s in the bed over there. She’s still sleeping, her injuries were too deep.”
“Her fight with Hanged Man must have been tough……”
“She defeated Hanged Man by herself, that’s an impressive result.”
“But he came back to life after that, right? Or was he not killed properly?”
“No, he was definitely dead. He resurrected. That was unexpected, so I’m glad you came, Mary.”
“It was by chance. I needed Hanged Man’s powers to defeat Angel.”
Calaria raised her eyebrows.
She might have heard about Angel from the Liberation Front, but she did not know about arcana installations.
“I have so many questions to ask, but…… First, let’s start with Ami.”
“Me?”
Ami tilted her head.
“I was informed that you had died.”
“Yes. Ami was definitely dead when I arrived at the medical office.”
“Really? I thought I was just dreaming and talking with God……”
“Could you tell us the details?”
Ami gestured with her arms and started to explain her dream with as much detail as she could.
“My head felt dizzy for a while after I entered the medical office. I fell asleep like that, but, I started dreaming and saw a lot of wheels along with a strange, big person.”
Mary remembered Francis’s dream.
There was also something there which was clearly not human.
Perhaps that was the real Tower.
“That person started apologizing over and over again. ‘I’m sorry to do this. I’m sorry to choose a small kid like you. I’m sorry to use the same method as him. Forgive me. But this is in order to save this world.’ She kept saying that over and over again.”
“The arcana…… was apologizing?”
“Then, I didn’t really understand, so I asked. ‘Will that be helpful for Lady Mary?’ Then, she said, ‘I’ll give you the power to fight together with her.’ Of course, I said ‘Please do it!’ right after that.”
“That seems casual……”
“Isn’t there a price?”
“Apparently, I can only live for 1 more month.”
Ami’s tone of voice did not change as she said that.
Mary and Calaria were at a loss for words.
They did not want to believe.
But, it was an understandable price for someone like Ami who had no talent for sorcery or any training to use such powers
Even if it was understandable, however, it was hard to accept.
“But I thought it was okay, as long as I could help Lady Mary.”
“Ami! What are you saying…… guh, uuh……”
Mary put her hand on Ami’s shoulder, and her face immediately twisted in pain.
Calaria supported Mary’s body before she collapsed.
“Calm down Mary, you’re not fully recovered yet!”
“But……!”
“Ami, is that all true? Can you only live for 1 more month?”
“Mhm, I mean, this body isn’t human any more. It’s mostly made up of arcana now. So it will only last around 1 more month.”
Anything other than what Ami explained probably was not going to happen.
So, their only choice was to accept her words as they were.
“Wheel of Fortune was Hemlock’s arcana. Did you inherit it, Ami?”
“It’s way too early, and so forceful!”
Mary was emotional and spoke loudly, while Ami did not break her smile.
“I think I would have already died if you had not saved me, Lady Mary.”
There was no sadness in her expression.
“But I’m just a commoner, and not a sorcerer, so I was just a useless burden to you, Lady Mary.”
“That’s not true. I just want you to survive, Ami!”
“But I still have to say goodbye to you, Lady Mary, right?”
“That’s……”
“I’m just happy that I can fight for another month.”
They had spent very little time together, but Ami still put her life on the line for Mary.
Mary did not understand, but if this satisfied Ami’s sense of values, it wasn’t something that Mary’s words could change.
Mary hung her head down and clenched her teeth.
“Ami.”
“What?”
“Please come here.”
Mary called out to Ami while still looking down.
Then, she firmly hugged her small body.
“Ah…… Eheh…… You hugged me again……”
Ami happily felt Mary’s bodily warmth and rubbed her cheek against hers.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“This is enough.”
“It isn’t. I…… I feel like I can’t forgive myself!”
“Hmm…… But I’m happy……”
Those were her true feelings.
Ami, a commoner, was being hugged by a princess – that in itself was very valuable for her.
But this did not satisfy Mary, so she decided to be selfish for a while longer.
“Then, umm, maybe this is too much to ask, but……”
Ami hesitated, thinking that this would be a little ‘rude’ to want.
Then, Ami spoke with upturned eyes:
“Can I call you sister?”
Mary froze up.
She was a little surprised.
Before she could voice this out, Ami’s face went completely red, and she started flailing around in Mary’s arms.
“Aaah, I said it, I said it! But I just couldn’t help myself. Ah, I went too far, didn’t I? I’m sorry Lady Mary, let’s pretend I never said that!”
“Of course you can.”
“……!”
The sparkle in Ami’s eyes was clear to everyone.
Ami turned her eyes to Mary, glittering and full of positive emotions.
Mary smiled, unmindfully pouring salt on the wound.
Ami escaped Mary’s arms, stretched her back and took a deep breath after putting her hand on her chest.
Then, she stared directly at Mary with a serious gaze and opened her mouth to speak.
“Okay, I’ll say it, then.”
“Go ahead.”
Ami felt nervous, and……
“Sis…… Sis……! Sister.”
Ami finally managed to say it.
Mary replied as naturally as possible.
“What’s wrong, Ami?”
Ami’s expression started sparkling even more.
Unable to push down her feelings, she looked up at the ceiling and shouted.
“Father, mother, are you watching from heaven? Me and Lady Mary are sisters now!”
The people in the medical office had mixed feelings while watching Ami shouting excitedly.
It was understandable.
Both her parents had died only recently.
Of course, Mary’s heart hurt as well.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s her own choice.”
“I know. Logically, I understand, but……!”
This was not enough to clear Mary’s sadness.
Ami would die after a month, it was inescapable.
No, more accurately, one could say that the dream would be over in a month.
The current Ami was something like a corpse moving with the power of arcana.
Mary couldn’t help but blame herself.
Even if Ami was happy.