“I did that because you disrespected me, right?” she replied. “Also, that curse of yours should have already been lifted.”
“That’s irrelevant!” he snapped. “You haven’t the slightest idea how much I’ve suffered because of that curse.”
Chichi giggled wickedly. “This is the end for you, sister. You were always an eyesore, but it seems we can finally settle the score.”
Her red lips were twisted into a smile. To me, that ruthless personality seeping out of her expression was hideous beyond compare. Her beauty didn’t hold a candle to Michelle’s.
“Guards, capture the witch Michelle!”
“Capture me?” Michelle scoffed. “You think you can arrest me with this many soldiers alone?” She was surrounded by a hundred imperial soldiers, but that didn’t seem to ruffle a single one of her feathers. Was that simply how strong the witch Michelle’s powers were? However, Chichi’s smile grew wider, transforming into something one could truly call an evil expression.
“You won’t be able to keep your head for much longer. Behold this!”
Chichi took the staff she held in her hand and stabbed it into the ground. A crack of light ran from it along the earth, making the air around us ripple. A heavy feeling settled upon me, as though a barrier had been raised, entrapping us.
“This is...” Michelle’s expression showed anxiety for the first time today. Chichi giggled.
“This is a magical item that I had specially developed so that I could take you down,” she said.
“So you can take me down? What do you mean?”
“This staff is a device that, when someone attempts to use magic, will release a wave of opposing magic to cancel it out. I’ve been waiting for you this whole time so I could use this the minute you appeared. Today will be the day that you kneel before me!”
The queen roared with laughter, as if she’d already won.
“Hear, hear, my queen,” the king assented. “We were thoroughly betrayed by the witch Michelle. Once we’ve humiliated her through torture to our heart’s content, we’ll have her executed. Ha ha ha...”
The king and queen were real pieces of work. I was really glad that Michelle hadn’t married a guy like this. But what should we do? We were surrounded by over a hundred imperial soldiers, and Michelle couldn’t use magic. Without a doubt, this was the biggest crisis I’d faced in my entire life. In the worst-case scenario, Michelle would be caught, and after putting her through the wringer, they’d execute her. I might meet a similar fate. Or would my life at least be spared?
Your life might be yours and yours alone, but there isn’t much about it you get to choose for yourself... Even so, in moments like these, it was crucial to make your own decisions anyway. Even if you couldn’t choose your parents, you could at least choose whom you loved, and I had no intention of letting Michelle go. I’ll try believing in the power of a dagashi-ya.
“By order of the king, capture the traitor Michelle!”
With the king’s ringing declaration, the soldiers came rushing in. However, a sudden strong gust of wind blew away the soldiers as they attempted to capture Michelle.
“Wh-What’s the meaning of this?!”
The dust that the Bomb Blast Menko had stirred up made it hard to see our surroundings. Just as I’d thought, that staff’s reversal spell was only effective against Michelle’s magic and wouldn’t react to my toys. I stepped in front of Michelle to protect her.
“Don’t you dare put your filthy paws on Michelle,” I hissed.
“What the hell’s up with you?!”
Queen Chichi hadn’t spared a glance for me before this, but she was now staring at me in shock. Without a word, I threw my Rocket Bomb at her feet, while she continued screeching loudly. Small pebbles kicked up by the explosion pelted her, and she began to tremble.
“Shut up, ugly!” I shouted.
“Did you just call me ugly?!” Chichi was rendered speechless by the insult that had probably never been hurled her way before. I didn’t care how pretty she was on the surface. As I saw it, an ugly personality made an ugly woman.
I brandished the giant Rocket Bomb from my number one lottery ticket at some soldiers who were about to rush in with their swords in hand. It was about as big as a rugby ball, and even I didn’t know how strong it was.
“Nobody move!” I warned. “If this thing goes off, the king and queen will be blown to bits!”
I kept the soldiers in check by holding the gigantic Rocket Bomb high above me with both hands. Oh, to hell with it. I’d take the king hostage and break free from this place. For now, we needed to get far enough away to escape the range of that magic item sealing Michelle’s power.
“Can you move, Michelle?”
“Yeah.”
Just as the two of us were about to move, a sudden loud voice boomed from outside. In its wake appeared General Bartos, wielding a large sword as he rushed in along with his subordinates. His two beautiful female lieutenants also rushed in at his side. I bet they’re also strong fighters.
The gate that was supposed to be our escape route was suddenly crammed with General Bartos’s soldiers. Everything had looked like it was going to work out, but was this game over for us? It might be impossible to escape now...
“Michelle...”
“Yusuke...”
“We’ll be together forever!” we said in unison. We’d chosen the same words at the same moment.
Even in this hopeless situation, we smiled with our hearts as one.
Once he’d reached us, General Bartos bellowed, “What is going on?!”