Sevens

Volume 8, Chapter 94 – The Fifth and the Qilin May

Translated by: Reiji

「A horn grew out? Could it be, a monster?」

「That’s a terrible misunderstanding. But, I’ll leave the correction for later.」

Aria who readied her short spear was surprised by the girl’s transformation.

But there was no anger.

A girl who was younger than us was emitting an indescribable pressure.

Although they were surprised by that bizarre spectacle, both Eva and Miranda took out their weapons.

The three of them reacted quickly.

And yet, the girl closed her distance between us in an instant.

Miranda threw her knife in panic, but the girl caught it between her fingers without even looking.

As for Eva, a purple lightning burst out and destroyed her quiver before she could aim her bow.

The girl faced the two,

「Can you two stay quiet? Right now I’m angry.」

The girl who came in front of me was staring fixedly at the Jewel.

The Fourth was panicked.

『What is the meaning of this? Until now it was impossible for someone other than Lyle to hear our voices.』

Was this also because the Jewel was unstable?

I drew my saber and slashed, but it was easily snapped by the girl with a horizontal wave of her hand.

The broken blade was rotating in the air before stabbing the ground.

The girl reached out towards my chest──towards my Jewel, so I leaped backwards.

The girl whose reached out hand grasped empty air looked at me and muttered.

「What did you do? ──What did you do to Fredericks?」

Miranda took out a new weapon while saying,

「Fredericks you say──」

The one who noticed first was Eva.

「Isn’t that the name of Lyle’s ancestor?」

Previously I told Eva various things about the ancestors to turn their story into song.

Because of that, she immediately recalled that name.

The girl stared fixedly at my face.

「H~mm, his descendant is it? You look somewhat similar to him. But, there’s no way I can forgive you for imprisoning Fredericks because of that.」

「Wait! Listen to me. This is──」

Before I could explain, the Fifth yelled from inside the Jewel.

『May, if you can hear me then listen! I’m not imprisoned. You must not fight Lyle!』

That voice of the Fifth──didn’t reach.

To be more accurately speaking,

「I can feel Fredericks’s mana. He is telling me something.」

What the Fifth said wasn’t conveyed at all.

『That’s hopeless!』

The Sixth yelled at the Fifth.

It seemed that she understood that the Fifth was yelling something. But the misunderstanding wouldn’t be solved with just that.

『──No way』

The Fifth was stunned that his voice didn’t reach.

『Fifth, you’ve really done it now.』

The Third said that. The Fifth replied with a troubled voice.

『──It will be a disaster if the Jewel is taken away like this. It’s practically impossible to take back a treasure from a qilin.』

The Jewel had a connection of mana with me.

It seemed that the connection would be maintained no matter how far away the distance was, but if the distance was too far then the Arts would become unusable.

And then, the amount of mana consumption would increase in order to maintain the mana connection through the distance.

If the Jewel was taken away here, it would really become a genuine cursed item for me.

「You’re mistaken. This is!」

「Shut up.」

The girl lashed out with a spinning kick.

I bent my arm to guard from the attack──

「Kahah!」

──I couldn’t neutralize the impact and got blown away.

「Lyle! ──You!」

Miranda slashed at the girl, but it was dodged with a movement that looked like a dance.

Miranda took distance from the girl who immediately counterattacked. She discarded her weapon and produced strings from both her hands.

Seeing that,

「You’re a bit troublesome. That’s why, go to sleep for a bit.」

Eva was holding a hatchet, but she seemed to think she wouldn’t be able to do anything in close quarter combat and rushed toward me instead.

「Lyle, can you stand?」

「I, I’m fine. I jumped in order to neutralize the impact.」

I bluffed, but my arm that blocked the kick was paralyzed.

──What strength.

I stood up with Eva’s help. There the girl looked at us.

「I won’t let you get away.」

She ignored Miranda and headed over here. The girl kicked on the ground.

But, Miranda smiled behind her.

Miranda’s string looked like it stabbed the ground.

「Too naïve.」

Six hands made from soil extended out from the ground. They grabbed the girl’s legs and arms.

「Do you think you can stop me with this much?」

「Just an instant is all I need. If there is an instant──」

The girl forcefully destroyed the arms made from soil, but this time Aria attacked her.

She charged forward with her short spear held at her side. She pushed the girl until her feet left the ground and pressed her until the nearby huge tree.

「──Aria will manage something for us.」

The girl was hit by an attack that a normal human wouldn’t be able to endure. She opened her eyes wide.

「I’m surprised. That’s really fast. But, just this is──」

「You’re right. Just this is sufficient isn’t it?」

Aria said that, then she immediately withdrew from there.

The strings Miranda produced entwined around the girl and wrapped around the huge tree.

Miranda didn’t relax even after that. She created several golems.

The golems that only consisted of arms grabbed the girl together with the tree.

「They’re specially made. You won’t be able to get out so easily.」

After the table was turned, Aria looked at me.

「Lyle!」

I understood what she wanted to say.

She wanted me to decide.

But, inside the Jewel the Fifth was──

『O, oi, wait! Don’t kill May! That girl is a qilin! She is a cute kid!』

I could hear the deranged voice of the Fifth, but the Sixth closed his mouth forcefully.

『Just shut up. Lyle, here you should──』

I nodded and said to the three.

「Everyone──let’s run.」

「──Eh? Why’re we running away!?」

It seemed Aria intended to finish this here but, I instantly chose to escape.

This matter of qilin──just what should I do about it.

.

──After Lyle’s group escaped.

The left behind qilin, May was looking down while still being restrained on the tree.

「──I have to save Fredericks. I finally found him. I──I have to save Fredericks no matter what.」

Her blue eyes shined, then the golem arms pressing her on the huge tree burst out.

May forcefully tore off the tough strings that Miranda produced and started walking slowly. The clothes she was wearing stretched out and wrapped her body.

And then from that human appearance she returned into the form of a horse──a qilin with white scales and fluttering golden mane.

From the horn that grew out on her forehead, purple light flashed out with crackling sound.

「Unforgivable. I absolutely won’t forgive someone who did a horrible thing to Fredericks!」

When May kicked on the ground, explosive sound resounded in the surroundings.

Soil was blasted to the air, at the same time May also leaped towards the sky.

May rushed off to the sky at full speed. There she searched around for Lyle’s group.

After May rushed away, wind whirled up and the trees of the forest were making swaying sounds.

「I’ll find you without fail no matter where you run!」

Lyle and the others were unexpectedly pursued by the qilin May──

.

Inside the forest.

We found a handy depression that we covered with grasses and branches to hide in.

The qilin seemed to be running in the sky. Sometimes there would be wind blowing strongly.

Eva spoke with a small voice.

「Hey, I’m just guessing here but──is that girl a qilin?」

Aria was making an astounded face.

「She is a girl no matter how you look at her. She’s a human.」

「No, there’re various possibilities, like her transforming or something. Aa~, I remembered. There is a story of a qilin transforming into a woman and loving a man.」

「That’s a fairy tale right?」

「The possibility cannot be denied.」

It seemed there was a story of a qilin in fairy tales.

Miranda was,

「If she was actually a qilin, that meant we have angered a divine beast. Lyle──I mean, Lyle’s ancestor, what did he do? It seemed she was terribly angry though?」

It was only natural but, the three of them couldn’t understand what May was talking about.

Even if she said that I imprisoned the Fifth, they didn’t get what she meant.

Eva was grieving.

「This is the worst. Being chased around by a qilin is the worst. I know several stories of qilins becoming angered but, none of them ended on a good note.」

Miranda provoked Eva.

「Then, how about you run away alone?」

「You’re really an unpleasant woman. Because you’re like this that I absolutely dislike you. I won’t leave Lyle.」

That was a line that would make my heart beat fast if I didn’t know the reason behind it.

She accompanied me because she wanted to use me as song material. Knowing that circumstance, I didn’t even feel happy hearing that line.

Right now we were blending with the scenery inside a depression. We even covered ourselves with soil.

We were lying down with our body pressed on each other, waiting for the qilin to leave.

But, it seemed the qilin was flying around above the forest. There was no sign of her leaving.

The argument was also continuing inside the Jewel.

『May is a good child.』

『But, she is targeting Lyle and the others isn’t she?』

The one who reacted coldly at the Fifth’s mutter was the Third.

『That child also has her reason.』

『Are you saying it’s fine to let the Jewel get taken away because of that? Aren’t you forgetting the objective of Lyle and the others?』

The Fourth was also cold.

『She will understand if we talk to her!』

『Your voice won’t reach so you can’t even talk to her.』

The Sixth was exasperated.

『You guys, think more seriously!』

『The answer is clear. If she is chasing after Lyle then he can only fight her. Rather than getting pursued by a qilin forever from here on, it’ll be better to face her here. ──A disaster that is befalling us ought to be driven away, Fifth.』

The Seventh said that there was no other choice but to defeat her in this situation.

If it was a way to defeat her then we had it.

I could bring the fight into a close quarter combat and hit her with the silver great sword.

There was difference of strength between us but, but I would be able to manage somehow using the silver weapon.

If even the silver great sword didn’t do the job, then that was it.

『──Lyle, May is a good child.』

『This guy, when he understands that he cannot persuade us, he is moving to cajole Lyle instead.』

It was rare for the Sixth to refer to the Fifth as ‘this guy’.

The Fifth was unlike his usual self. There was desperation coming out from him somewhere.

『I found that child inside a forest.』

『Oi, don’t ignore me! Wa, wait, human’s arm cannot be turned that wa──HIGYAAAAA!』

I heard the Sixth’s scream. After a while the inside of the Jewel became quiet.

And then, the Fifth began to talk about his past with the qilin.

.

──Fredericks encountered the qilin inside a forest.

Fredericks faced a large army in a war and came out victorious. At the end he was covered with mud and blood.

His subordinate guided him inside a forest.

Their campsite was set up inside the forest.

The provision there was disturbed──by an injured qilin.

His subordinates were greatly troubled.

They were against a qilin.

It was the beast of good fortune. But it came this far and ran out of strength. Now it couldn’t move.

「It’s still young.」

「What should be done? From how it looks, it won’t even let us treat it.」

When his knight subordinates tried to approach, the young qilin would take out its small horn and threaten them.

Even though it was deeply wounded, it generated crackling light from its horn and exposed its hostility.

Its neck was wounded. It looked like it would die if it wasn’t treated.

「Back away. I’ll do it.」

「Fredericks-sama, it’s dangerous!」

Fredericks didn’t even listen to his subordinate. He approached the young qilin.

He young qilin attacked Fredericks.

The lightning magic attack hit Fredericks, but he endured it while treating the qilin.

「You’re still energetic. You’ll get better soon if you’re like this.」

When the young qilin stopped attacking, Fredericks continued cleaning the wound and applying medicine.

He bandaged the wound and checked the qilin’s state.

「Looks like you can’t stand. Guess I’ll put you on a carriage and bring you to the mansion.」

One of the subordinates were excited hearing Fredericks’s words.

「Fredericks-sama has obtained a qilin! With this the prosperity of the Walt House is assured!」

Fredericks replied calmly.

「Developing the territory is the job of me and you all. Don’t rely on anybody else. Also, I forbid anyone from telling other people about this child.」

Fredericks talked to the young qilin while his subordinates were perplexed.

「You’ll get better soon. Don’t worry.」

Fredericks then brought it back to the mansion and looked after the qilin──

.

『──She is a kind child. She always rubbed her forehead on me when I approached. It was also difficult when we parted. She looked back at me many times.』

I had faintly noticed since before that the Fifth would become talkative when it was about animals.

But, this time I got the feeling that he was more emotional than normal.

Sometimes his voice would be thick with emotion like he was going to cry. I couldn’t imagine that Fifth would become like this.

I grabbed the Jewel and rolled it with my fingertips.

It was the sign of rejection.

To that the Fifth was,

『You demon!』

In the first place, the current me had no option of helping May.

I was being pursued and my life was targeted by her.

There were only two choices. Running away with everything we had, or fighting her with everything we had.

If it was from close range, I would be able to land a hit with the silver great sword.

If it was from long range, I could snipe her with the silver bow.

If I wanted to win it would be with these two options.

Aria’s hand shook me while I was pondering.

「Lyle, what’re we going to do now? Are we going to defeat it like usual?」

Aria’s gaze turned towards my Jewel.

In response to that Eva was,

「No! Don’t say such an ill-omened thing.」

Eva didn’t want to fight against the qilin.

Miranda was also the same but,

「──I heard that qilins move in groups. Even if that child is the only one we met, it will be troublesome if she has comrades nearby. If possible I want to escape from here somehow.」

In that moment, May was rushing past us above.

The trees were swaying hard from the gust of wind.

「Will we be able to escape from that?」

How would we escape from an opponent that was flying around freely in the sky?

If I could handle the silver great sword or bow more skillfully, I could also pick the option of injuring her without killing her and then escape but──right now that was impossible.

If I held back, it would be us who got killed.

It didn’t look like we would be able to move for a while.

I was also thinking of moving when it was night, but then the Fifth yelled with a voice as though he had gotten a great idea.

『Lyle, “that”! Right now is exactly the time to use that!』

I pushed my forehead on the ground.

「──That huh.」

My Art that I didn’t want to use if possible.

It was great that I manifested the second stage but, it was an Art that made me hesitate to use.

『When are you going to use it if not now! You can do it if it’s you! If it’s with that, I’ll also be able to persuade May directly.』

The Fifth was more passionate than usual.

I could guess just how serious he was for the sake of the qilin he was taking care of in the past.

But, I wished that he would also think of my feelings.

My Art’s second stage had a really strict requirement for its use.

Aria shook me again.

「Hey, what’s with you. You suddenly mentioned something.」

I covered my mouth with my hand. I regretted letting out my voice.

There wasn’t any meaning to it but, I believed it was careless of me.

Or rather, how many days has it been since we entered the forest?

I was getting really tired.

I could clearly feel my body and also my mind getting exhausted.

「No, I was thinking if I’ll be able to manage to do something about this. Right, you see, using my Art──if it goes well, then we might be able to get through this situation.」

「Then say that from the start. You often stay silent like this. Just use your Art right away and solve this.」

Aria was speaking angrily in a small voice. I averted my face.

Miranda seemed to be curious about my gesture.

「If I remember right Lyle’s Art is──」

The first stage of my Art was called “Experience”. It was an Art that was constantly active.

It was an Art that sped up when “growth” would happen. I didn’t know whether it was a lie or not.

Originally, an Art was divided into three stages.

The first stage came when you first manifested your Art.

At the second stage, the Art demonstrated even more effectiveness and utility.

The third stage was the ultimate form of your own Art.

You could think of the Art becoming even stronger and more convenient as the stage advanced.

There were also special cases like Clara.

A type that didn’t have any stage when it manifested.

And then, in my case──

「It’s practically a different Art. It looks like a special type.」

Eva cut in with a voice that was full of curiosity.

「A special type? That’s a bit interesting. Or rather, if it can overcome this situation, then I’ll want to rely on Lyle’s Art. Doing something like killing a qilin is no good.」

Miranda ignored Eva who was like that and asked for a more detailed explanation of the Art from me.

「But, from your expression there is a problem with the Art isn’t it? There are various types of Arts, so I heard that there is also a type that cannot be used if the requirements aren’t satisfied.」

As a general rule, typically a person would only manifest a single Art.

Thinking about that, I who manifested a different type of Art for my second stage might get a good deal.

I didn’t know whether the first stage had any effect or not, but the second stage definitely had an effect.

It could be used if the requirements were satisfied.

The day I decided to fight Celes, the second stage was liberated as though it was recognizing me.

But, the Art that was liberated was horrible.

When an Art manifested, the person would learn its name and the way to use it.

It would come to mind like a flash of inspiration, but──

「The Art’s name is Connection. It’s an Art that enables me to communicate with the minds of other people.」

Aria tilted her head in puzzlement at my explanation.

「That’s all?」

She must have thought that the Art would be able to do something more amazing.

She looked disappointed.

Miranda was the one who got her attention hooked.

「I want to hear more about it. In what way can you communicate with the other’s mind?」

「If the person is within the effective range of my Art, then I can converse with them even if we’re far away. You can think of it as words being sent to your head directly. We can talk even in a distance where our voices cannot reach. It’s also possible to share our sight with each other──I think.」

Miranda was silent, but her eyes were strangely lively.

It seemed she had instantly noticed just how amazing my Art was.

But, Eva was finding fault in me who wasn’t being clear.

「You should try using your manifested Art. Sometimes there are people who forget the way to use their Art. That will be a waste.」

──I couldn’t test it even if I wanted to.

The reason?

There was something that had to be done beforehand with the mind communication partner.

I wouldn’t need to worry like this if it was a convenient Art that could connect me to anyone without caring who it was.

I would even teach everyone about it if that was the case.

「It’s impossible.」

「Just why’s that?」

Eva angrily asked the reason, so I honestly told her the requirement.

「──I’ll need to do something beforehand with the one I’ll use Connection with. If I don’t do that, the line of mana between both sides won’t be connected. In addition, once this line is severed, I’ll need to do the same thing again to establish the connection.」

I wanted you to imagine a line that was like a fine thread made from mana connecting both sides.

Similar to the one with Monica.

In that fellow’s case, even if the line was severed, it would connect again immediately even without me doing anything in particular.

A part of me thought of it as convenient but, was it just my imagination that for some reason it felt like it was entangling me so I couldn’t get away?

Eva thought for a bit, and then she went red until even the elf’s long ears. She muttered then.

「Eh, ah──could it be that’s」

Aria didn’t seem to have realized.

「What? Tell us about that requirement already. It’ll be a waste if that kind of convenient Art isn’t used.」

Miranda smiled meaningfully at Aria’s obvious thought.

「Aria is really stupid. Your stupidity can put up a good match against Shannon.」

「Wh, why are you saying that?」

「Lyle won’t use an Art this convenient. And then, think about the reason why he wouldn’t tell us about it. Don’t you think that there’s a problem with that “act” to connect the line of mana?」

Aria saw Eva who went red until her ears and her own face was also gradually reddening.

「Co, could it be──」

I resolved myself and told the three of the Art’s requirement to use.

「Yes, it’s by a kiss.」

「Eh?」

「Eh? I, it’s that?」

Eva and Aria were suddenly surprised, but Miranda said 「Oh, that’s disappointing」.

What’s with their reaction?

「──Don’t act exaggeratedly just because of something like that. You made us misunderstand.」

Eva was angry. I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

「But it’s a kiss you know? Not the light one, but doing it in a more adult-like way you know?」

Hearing that Aria was,

「Aa~, of course that would make you a bit troubled. Well, I guess it’s certainly hard to say?」

Miranda was smiling.

「It’s no problem. I’ll welcome it anytime. Lyle, how about practicing it with me?」

She approached me. I twisted my body to escape but, I couldn’t make any movement here.

「Tha, that’s no good. A kiss has to be treated with more importance──I think.」

Eva was grinning broadly.

「Lyle is unexpectedly innocent. Putting that aside, the problem is how can this matter get resolved using that Art to communicate with the mind of others?」

It was my Art.

What I thought as possible should be doable.

A voice came from inside the Jewel.

『Leave it to me. If Lyle and May are connected, I’ll persuade her then.』

──It would depend on the Fifth though.

In case we were connected with my Art, the other side should be able to connect with the Jewel too.

I got the feeling that it was possible.

Aria was deep in thought while,

「Wait a second? That means, Lyle has to kiss that girl isn’t it? In the first place, is that possible?」

Yes! ──That would be difficult.

While I was at my wits’ end, the other three were also making a complicated expression.

My Art couldn’t be used without kissing. Its peculiarity was too strong.

.

──May was running in the sky while watching the ground carefully.

She would descend to the ground if there was strange movement and checked it.

In most cases, the cause would be an animal or a monster.

There were also monsters that escaped from the dungeon and went wild from having excessive strength, but she defeated all of them with one attack before returning to the sky and repeated her search again.

「Where──where is he?」

In order to save her benefactor Fredericks, May was searching around with bloodshot eyes.

Then, she sensed Fredericks’s strong presence inside the forest.

「Fredericks!」

She forcefully changed her direction midair and dashed toward the ground. May’s body was wrapped in lightning that brightly illuminated the night sky.

She landed without reducing her speed. The ground was gouged as though she crashed into it.

The surrounding grass and plants were blown away. A gaping hole was created inside the forest.

When the raised dust was cleared up, the figure of Lyle that was dirty with soil was there.

「How wild. What’re you going to do if the Jewel is destroyed?」

Lyle spoke frivolously. May turned a sharp gaze at him.

「Jewel? I feel like I’ve heard it from somewhere. ──No, that’s right, I remember. That rock that looks like a blue jewel, it’s a tool to memorize Arts. Fredericks also had that.」

In the past, a blue Gem hung around Fredericks’s neck.

Its appearance had changed with the decoration attached to it now, but that wasn’t all.

「I didn’t notice. It’s like a completely different thing.」

「Yeah, it has become a bit more convenient, or rather it has been ranked up into a cursed item.」

May transformed from a qilin into her human form.

May who became human glared at Lyle.

「Cursed? Is Fredericks imprisoned because of that? ──You humans are too cold towards your own family.」

In response to May’s words Lyle was,

「It was the Fifth──Fredericks who was cold towards his family.」

May was irritated by Lyle’s misunderstanding.

「You really don’t know anything. Or perhaps, it’s forgotten by the passing of time? Fredericks held a great kindness towards his family.」

Lyle’s expression looked doubtful.

But, it didn’t matter to May.

「I wonder what you know? If you release Fredericks, then I promise that I won’t take your life at least.」

There was a great difference of strength between a qilin and a human.

It was because their rank as a living being was different.

May talked condescendingly. Lyle faced her with a serious face.

「──You already understand right? The Fifth is dead. Fredericks has died.」

May was enraged hearing that. Her horn grew out from her forehead.

Her body emitted electricity. It made crackling sound to the surroundings.

「──Don’t say it.」

「Several generations have passed. We humans have shorter lives than you qilin. That’s why──」

「DON’T SAY ITTTTT!」

May yelled. At the same time lightning fell on the area.

Trees were blown away, tthe damage to the surroundings was expanding greatly.

Lyle said towards May who was like that.

「──How about I send you to meet him?」

It was a sweet invitation.

May too understood that Fredericks had already died and she couldn’t meet him.

But, Fredericks’s presence was right over there.

She couldn’t hold herself back.

「Eh?」

The lightning stopped. The surroundings was filled with the smell of the scorched trees.

Crackling sounds like something was burning could also be heard.

「I’ll let you meet with Fredericks.」

「──Re, really?」

Lyle showed a smile.

「Yeah, really. In exchange──can you let me kiss you? If possible a deep one where our tongues are entwined with each other. It’ll be helpful if you allow that. Oi, wait. Wait! I’m not joking. You’ll be able to meet him for real by doing that!」

May was clad in lightning that was even more intense than before. Her horn grew even longer into a thorny shape.

「You made fun of me huh. You intended to trick me by using Fredericks as an excuse. Unforgivable. I absolutely won’t forgive you, you HUMANNNNN!」

Lyle pressed his right hand on his face. He made a hopeless expression.

「I never thought that it would go smoothly from the start though.」

Even he himself didn’t think that things would go like what he said.

That was enough to make May think that in other words, he was making fun of her.

「You humans refer to us as divine beasts but, don’t think that those divine beasts won’t kill humans. Even though I was thinking to forgive you because you’re Fredericks’s descendant──you’re the only one who I absolutely won’t forgive. I’ll tear you to pieces!」

May was enraged──