Chapter 37 - Episode 37: Frim struggles to the end.
Episode 37: Frim struggles to the end.
My opponent, without underestimating me, swings the whip.
Frantically, I tear through the approaching whip with two layers of water barriers and high-pressure jets, directing a stream of water towards the oncoming man.
In hand-to-hand combat, as a young girl, I am no match.
Although the whip does not directly hit me due to the water barriers, the impact still strikes me. The water barriers reduce the force of the fire whip in the first layer, but the one on the second layer delivers a significant impact to me. Even though it’s not a direct hit, the impact is too painful for my already worn-out body.
But the power of the water stream, if it hits the man at close range, would send him flying… Yet, it seems that him knowing the water will hit, won’t cause much damage.
I don’t want him to get closer; he wants to get closer to finish me off. We fight with fire and water, hoping to hit each other well, but we’re at a stalemate… and I’m getting anxious.
He clearly moves with the skill of a seasoned fighter, avoiding my direct water attacks. Unlike his fire, my water seems to consume much more energy. And behind me, the hut that couldn’t be extinguished is burning.
“Give up!”
“Ugh… I don’t want to!”
It’s hard to hear with the two layers of water barriers, but when the fire whip or fireballs hit and burst, the voices become clear.
The water stream becomes easier to aim the closer the opponent gets, and if it hits, it can blow the entire body away.
—– A dangerous deadlock where one wrong step could result in both of us dying.
But this is fine. Someone might come if time passes. Ideally, I’d like to put out the fire too, but I can’t handle that right now. However, despite shouting loudly and having a fire, there’s no sign of anyone coming here.
With the dwindling magic power and the man approaching with murderous intent, I feel my life is in danger. If I had absolutely no knowledge and couldn’t use water magic… it might be hopeless. I would have probably gone to get someone. That might have been the right thing to do.
Even though I’m hesitating, even though I might not be doing enough, I didn’t want people to die because of me. I’m not some philanthropist believing “all lives are equal and should be saved.” Even when I was in Japan, while I might have felt a little saddened by wars, conflicts in other countries, or natural disasters, I never thought of doing anything about it. Even though I’m so indifferent, when a ball… when a child fell on an escalator, I couldn’t help but save them.
Since becoming Frim, it’s been nothing but hardship. Aching body from being beaten, not knowing how to move, the norms of slavery and nobility here, belonging to an antisocial group, my life threatened by others… Yet, it was painful to see slaves killing each other. I wanted to help. Not everyone has to be forced to fight was like that, but there must have been some other way. It was so frustrating. I proposed a fist fight, a fist fight to honor those who had been stacked up as corpses, but still, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. The Dugga gang even extorted money from people sleeping in alleys… it was really tough. The food consumed by their lives was tasteless. The lives of distant, unknown people were a story that didn’t concern me. But both the child who fell and the young man collapsed in the hut ended up within my reach. This might be hypocrisy. It might be for petty self-satisfaction. Still, to remain myself, it’s my own decision to decide how far I’ll go to help troubled people in front of me.
I’m easily knocked over by the shock of the whip once again.
“I got her!!”
“…I didn’t let you!!!”
“What?! Ugh!!?”
The surrounding water is mine. It’s getting harder to use as it mixes with dirt, but I prepared to control it a little. I shift the water underfoot. I wind it around both feet and slide sideways, releasing all the water in my body towards the center. This is the most blown away the man has been so far. It’s a blow with all my might. My magic power is already less than half. While looking at him, I grope behind me where I can feel the heat with one hand and release water… Is it over now?
“Hey hey, what are you doing against a kid?”
“Was there a coward over here?”
“We’re done over there.”
“Be careful, she’s using incredible water.”
“…This is the worst.”
Other assassins who approached the blown away man… have increased.
“Is this the end… It’s okay, Frim, just hand me over and you can survive.”
“Hey, suspicious person!?”
A suspicious person referred to as the prince from behind came out. He came out with a piece of wood he found around as a cane from the hut. His face is pale, but I’m glad he came out. I can’t carry the man with my own strength. I didn’t know how much of the back of the hut was burning, and there was even a possibility that he was already dead.
“It’s because of you that this country is in chaos!!”
“Long live the Crown Prince! Die!!!”
“Why did you interfere with the excellent brothers becoming kings!?”
“Don’t come near me! ”
Placing both hands on the cobblestones, I touch the water. Several water droplets float around my body as a threat.
Magic is harder to cast from a distance; it’s easier to conjure and manipulate it from close by. ―― So, I just need to get close to the fallen water.
The pose of a bug, no, the pose of a frog. It’s like kneeling, but it’s not surrender. My leg got hurt when it was wrapped up, and I can’t stand up, that’s all.
“That’s enough. You won’t die. You did well.”
Even though I’m being told that with a pale face… even though I know I won’t be killed, there’s no way I can abandon him.
“That’s right! Give up and hand over that bastard here!!”
“I won’t kill you now!”
“If you kill that king, I’ll let you off!!”
“”
They say unpleasant things. Even I, having done everything I could, can accept it if it’s impossible.
“”
My unchanged response. It’s an all-out attack that just releases ahead of me. I continuously solidify the surrounding water into several spears and shoot them forward. I’ve grasped the essence of attacking. Compressing water and shooting it forward. My magic power is dwindling, but I’m not done yet. If it hits a tree, it’ll gouge and break even the trunk. If it hits a person, it’ll probably cause serious injury or maybe even kill.
“…Sorry, but I’m fine now.”
“Suspicious person, I don’t know if this will succeed, but can you struggle a little longer?”
Continuing to release towards the still visible enemies, but when a new enemy swings a staff, something invisible like my water barrier deflects the water and strikes directly.
“I forgive you. It’s a life that would have died anyway if I hadn’t done anything.”
It’s a final struggle. Whether this succeeds or fails, I might die. Even so…
“Me——”
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
(The King’s Perspective)
When I come to my senses, there’s a loud splashing sound outside.
Frim is gone. Did someone go to get help? …This is bad! Outside!?
I grab the fallen piece of wood and head outside. When I peek out, Frim is being whipped repeatedly.
Even in this state, she was trying to protect this building… Her thin clothes are torn, blood flows from her head, and she can’t move one leg and one arm.
Even in this condition, she tried to help me… I’ve already given up. I’ve built up a resistance to poison, but still, to protect this body that might die even without doing anything, there’s no need for the futile sacrifice of a young girl.
I considered that if I found an opportunity to escape, she might be able to escape too. If she’s a wind user, she might be able to escape on her own. …But reinforcements for the enemy arrived.
Frim, who crawls on the floor to use magic, seems to be on the verge of collapsing without doing anything. With a nosebleed and a swollen eye, she looks very pitiful.
Since she said she wanted to struggle until the end, I allowed it.
“Hold me… Sit down and hold me, don’t move.”
“…Understood.”
I didn’t understand the meaning… but still, maybe there’s meaning in it. If she’s a wind knight, she might carry people like this and fly. If this child has two attributes, it’s not a bad bet.
Her body is smaller than I thought, and one of her legs isn’t moving either. I hold her as gently as possible… My heart aches for the countless wounds on her small body.
“”
As instructed, water membranes were layered three, four, five times.
Is this… a defensive magic stance to endure until reinforcements arrive?
Assassins who survived her water spear-like magic become blurry in the water and start approaching us.
“Prepare for impact.”
“…What—”
Before I could understand, everything in front of me blew away.