- After a few months, when I had more or less gotten used to life at Sophiette Manor, we received a report that Ruthy's brother Raul was living as a slave in a neighboring town. Immediately, Lady Sophia invaded the land, kidnapped him, and freed other children in the process... Then the nobleman began to slander Lady Sophia's name... Legally, the children were employees, but that pig loved to torture them... I don't know how, but the bastard managed to convince everyone that Lady Sophia was a pervert who kidnapped children to torture them...
Kurone listened attentively to the long story told by the maid.
The place was the carriage that had come to Fallen. At that moment the group had to give priority to delivering the supplies to the village. That was Sophia's order. The order of her mistress, whom she considered a mother, came above all else. Noah was an obedient girl who would follow the orders of the one who had once saved him.
On the way to the village, the maid told the story of her childhood, how she met and was saved by Sophia.
At the end of the story, Kurone remembered Edward's accusation, which pointed out the fact that she had kidnapped a child once. Noah explained that the kidnapped child was Ruthy's brother, whom he considered an older sister and who was killed by the Marquise - this last fact made Noah furious when he found out, but that's a story for another time...
The accusation this time was also kidnapping, but who did Sophia kidnap and why didn't even Noah know? Surely, it was someone important, since, according to Ana, those who came to get Sophia in Fallen were guards from the capital, sent only in special cases.
- Should we ask Edward for help?
- No. Lady Sophia would not like Edward's help.
- Nobles are complicated...
Who entered the conversation at the last moment was the witch, Ana, who told in detail how Sophia was taken away by the guards.
- Sophia's trial is in three days, until then she will be locked up in the capital.
- This means that after delivering the supplies we have to go immediately to the capital... - Kurone added.
Without Amelia, the speed of transport slowed down considerably. In fact, it was as she herself said: "it's the coachman that matters".
The peaceful landscape all the way to the village kept repeating itself through the window, making the young man who was watching grow sleepy. It was already customary to sit by the window. Initially, it was to memorize the route, but at this point it had already become a hobby. Seeing the vegetation, rocks, animals - or rather, monsters - and people along the way made the boy forget his problems.
His eyes slowly closed... when he realized that he was already in the world of dreams...
When he awoke, he saw the familiar scenery. He was in the village, in front of the building with the broken glass: the adventurers' guild.
- Holy crap! We are already here...
Several men were loading sacks with grain for the guild, a woman was checking the quality of the cloth, and the doctor was attending to some sick people in the back of the carriage.
- With everyone's help we will finish unloading quickly... And then...
"Shall we help Sophia?"
First of all, why did you want to help her?
The marquise saved the village because she was paid for the job. He barely conversed with her, they were complete strangers. He had no reason for the young man to want to help Sophia. The only reason he went to Sophiette's mansion was to help buy supplies... He had no relation to the woman who was now behind bars.
- He looks thoughtful.
A female once brought Kurone out of another of his moments when he starts thinking and forgets about the rest of the world - that was the reason for his death in Japan, while thinking about the future of his sisters.
Standing in front of him was Brain, the maid from the Soul Za mansion who made the young man's whole body tremble just by looking into those sharp eyes.
He had been gone for a day, but saw no sign that Rory and the others had returned from the mansion with supplies.
- You must have realized by now... that the Marquis has not returned...
There was melancholy in the maid's tone of voice, and her expression was not the best either. The dark circles under her eyes that she tried to hide showed that she hadn't slept last night.
- Brain... What happened...?
- Ehhh... I'm sorry to tell you all of a sudden, but the carriage with the marquis and the others was attacked by an army of orcs while it was returning to the mansion... Apparently, someone wanted to get rid of the marquis... They tried to escape but...
Brain was briefly silent before continuing. Considering that Rory was in the carriage, I expected something like, "Rory killed all the orcs effortlessly."
- The carriage exploded and everyone inside was charred.
The young man was in shock at the unexpected end.
Rory. The little girl with a stolen military rifle and status. Technically a goddess. She alone managed to eliminate an absurd amount of orcs effortlessly.
- I-impossible...
- The marquis already suspected that someone was trying to kill him through the shadows... But we never thought about the possibility of an explosion.
Edward, Rory, Amelia, Elsie...
They were all dead! People he had fought, smiled and joked with until recently now no longer existed.
Even though Kurone lost these people, all he could feel now was an... immeasurable emptiness. That was it, right?
It was only a few days, wasn't it? The relationships were not deepened that much... He felt a slight sadness, but that didn't make him feel like crying at that moment, they were just random people from this world, right?
There was no character development. He didn't have the romantic relationship he imagined with the gentle coachman, he wasn't treated like a big brother by Rory, why would he shed tears for them? They were all strangers, right?
Everyone had their own personality... only Kurone, an ordinary young man, couldn't relate to them...
He was so weak that he couldn't play while fighting with Rory. He was so dumb that he couldn't talk to Amelia. He was so empty that he was eventually forgotten, ignored as an extra. I didn't need to cry. He definitely didn't need to cry!
You are reading story RAIFURORI: My Legendary Weapon Is a Loli With a Military Rifle! at novel35.com
He never imagined himself as the protagonist of a fantasy novel. That role belonged to Rory. That being the case, he would have to cling to the little girl, the protagonist, to survive in that world... to be able to go home.
"I'm an idiot..."
He didn't need to cry. Definitely didn't need to!
Rory was just a weapon given by the goddess. A weapon that grumbled, called him an idiot, destroyed everything without a second thought - stopping to think, did she ever call him by name?
She didn't need to cry. She didn't need to cry. She didn't have to cry. She didn't have to cry. She didn't have to cry. If he kept repeating this, would the tears stop?
The feeling of sadness was slowly taking over the young man's heart. He was about to cry out.
He had lost a sister again through his own incompetence. It was just like that time, when he failed to protect that girl...
Maybe, if he had been there, Rory could fight back at full strength.
History was repeating itself again. Was he really so weak? All he could do was sit and watch while his sisters were killed?
- Teruhashi... Rory...
- You!
- What?
The downcast young man turned to the owner of the approaching voice. It was a young girl with a black cloak covering her slender body.
- I have a revelation for you, it was given to me by the Great Goddess!
- R-revelation...
Kurone tried to pull himself together, using the sleeves of his blue overcoat as a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that covered his face.
- You are...
- I and my group were saved thanks to you and your companion.
The priestess belonged to the group formed by an archer and a rogue. The rogue died during the attack because he was impulsive, but thanks to Rory, the young woman, the archer and a soldier were saved from having their skulls split open by a club.
- Now listen. - The priestess brought her hands together close to her voluptuous chest. - The Great Goddess wishes you, Kurone Nakano, to go to the capital!
- What?
- She revealed it to me while I was praying...
- Get out of here, heretic! - Brain startled the girl.
- B-Brain!
- Don't listen to that heretic, Kurone. These people use "great goddess" to refer to that traitor. They are all heretics!
- But how does she know my name?
- The Great Goddess...
- It's just a trick! Come on, go away!
- All right... I've done my job as messenger of the Great Goddess.
- Just go away!
This was not the first time I had heard the expression "great goddess". Apparently, people usually used this expression as the "oh my god!" of Earth.
- Can you believe these people... You can't tell me that you believed what she said?
- I really have nothing left to lose…
- Wait, Kurone. You can't be so hasty!
- I am! I don't know why, but I feel that what happened to Rory and the others is connected to the capital.
- I see... From your eyes, I sense that you still have hope that your little sister is still alive... Look Kurone, I know it's hard... Kurone? Hey Kurone, what's up? What's wrong? Your expression looks terrible!
- ...Rory is definitely alive, and I won't know where she is until I get to the capital!
- How can you be so sure? And what was that expression just now?
- It's my big brother instinct! I'm going to the capital!
He could have just said that he got a shock in his brain from a familiar voice saying "I'm alive, you idiot," but it wouldn't have been as cool as what he just said. Anyway, it was amazing how the telepathy technique worked even when they were far apart, even if it was only for a few seconds.
"Your brother is coming to save you!"