Convictions and choices

Everyone has turned away from me.

“My God! You?” the governess said, slipping backward across the bed until she reached Lady Winifred's side.

“Did my father know this?” asked Lady Winifred.

I remained calm without turning away the enemy’s gaze, “Yes, he always knew.”

She was thoughtful. She showed surprise, then grew thoughtful. Brigid gave a shocked scream.

“This woman screams too much. That's unnecessary, actually. All of you are unnecessary, except for you, of course,” Gaius said, looking at me at last. “I’m just having patience with you for being a companion of the empire, but I’m already getting angry... I propose that you get rid of them soon, since they don’t like us, the Mora Empire, and it can save air. Besides, that would be faster to move. What do you think?”

“Sorry…” I said, raising my fist. “See the girl with brown hair with bows and arranged with braids? I made a contract with her father, swearing that I would protect his daughter.”

“Hmm… I see…” he said, looking at her, then at me to complete the phrase. “So how about I kill everyone and just let her live?”

“I should save whoever I could too,” I replied.

“And you can do it? It's not practical for you for now, right?”

“That would be very impractical for a dude like you, but just for you,” I replied, startling everyone. “I’m not the kind of person you think I am, at least no more!”

“If you are someone of the Empire, you should at least support yours.”

“I am no longer of the Empire. I am a deserter.”

“Tsc…”

He looked at me for a few seconds, upset.

“Are they your friends? You're not only a deserter. Did you make friends with these people?”

“Hmm… No, actually, I don’t think they are my friends, nor do I think that they consider me as such, but it doesn’t matter. Whether friends, known or unknown, I must not discard them. After all, they are people. I may not be a good person, but I’m not a monster without mercy...”

That left everyone surprised.

“So, you get away, I won’t let anyone else die!” I said to him.

“They are people, huh... Did you really decide to protect these weak people? What a joke.” He started to laugh. “All right, all right… For you, I’m a monster, right? So you won’t be surprised...”

He moved, saying, “In that case, I’ll do it anyway…”

He took a long step and stepped deep into the middle of the bed, and would kill Brigid with the sword’s blow from top to bottom.

Then I jumped to the side and, using my knee as a base, defended the blow using my short sword from the bottom up, but still, the blow, as before, made cuts at a distance and hit Brigid’s shoulder with a scrape. So Gaius looked at me.

“I won’t let anyone else die. That’s what you said before, right? Beautiful words, but speaking is easy… let’s see what you can do!”

Brigid was paralyzed, so I moved my body and stood in front of her completely, creating a barrier between him and her. Further back, standing behind the two of us, Lady Winifred tried to pull her.

“If you give me a strong blow and accidentally kill me, that won’t help you at all... You’ll just be wasting your energy and approaching your death too. So what will you do?” I said.

“Tsc…” He stared at me. “Don’t you think we’re both wasting time?”

He turned his other free leg and tried to give me a side kick.

I tried to dodge, but one of Brigid’s hands, desperate to try to move away, pushed me forward trying to get out of bed, still tried to jump back but Gaius was faster and the kick threw me on his left side, far away, I hit the wall.

I coughed up blood… And I got dizzy trying to get up.

“Ah Ah Ah, you tried so hard to help them, but in the end all they want is to save themselves.”

It was a desperate, instinctual act. I understand her…

But now…

He was now without intervention, facing others who were now defenseless.

Damn, that was my fear. He’s physically stronger than me. I’m only alive because he needs me alive, and a place no one can leave but him. Everyone is at a complete disadvantage. There won’t be time to protect all of them…

I tried to get up, and then I looked at the girl, Lady Winifred, with an extended hand. It seemed as if she was the one who had pushed me before, so she moved and stood in front of everyone. Gaius knew Lady Winifred could not be killed because of the contract.

Still, it was an act of courage.

“You know, I can’t even kill you because of the contract,” he said, “but nothing prevents me from cutting off an arm or a leg.” He approached her and said, “Then get out of the way!”

“No!” she answered, opening her arms. “Mr. Kesil, I pushed you before.”

He was going to attack her, probably cut off her leg.

She just stared at Gaius, but then moved her eyes to me for a moment. She didn’t tremble or anything.

I understand… That touch before wasn't desperate. She was using her Numen when she touched me. This emanation… it was neutral! She was trying to tell me something about it… It’s her Ability! And I already know his abilities after receiving that kick!

“Vital Energy + Destruction + Corruption!” I shouted.

He looked at me at a glance but continued the movement of the attack, believing she was harmless at that time.

She stopped his blow in the air and paralyzed him.

“You damned…” He was trembling, trying to move. “That’s…”

“Telekinesis”… She tricked him. Actually, even I was fooled for a moment. She made it seem like she had no Ability to him until the end, but she was waiting for him to approach, and in his current physical state, he wouldn't be able to move even if he possessed the Vital Force. And when I said all of his abilities, it made it easier for her to defend herself and strike back with the best option without hesitation.

Telekinesis: allows the Ability to move, levitate, or manipulate physical objects and systems at a distance without the use of physical contact or muscle force.

Her understanding of combat is quite high, perhaps even better than mine.

“Now all that remains…,” I began to run over the bed under a high leap towards him with the sword raised and held by both hands, its base on top pointing down, to perform a movement from top to bottom, “…is to finish you.”

“Don't underestimate me, you scum!” He forced his own leg to the point of almost breaking bones to escape for a moment from her control, then kicked her away and then, with me still in the air, turning around, he prepared to attack with the sword, easily at that angle from the bottom up. “If you don’t want to stop them from dying, die with them! I’ll find another way to survive!”

In that moment, he noticed that she was holding his leg and pulled it back with her. Even after performing the strong kick, she held him at the same instant, making him helpless against his attack.

She was surrounded by a green Numen emanating.

Vital Force!

His gaze was that of someone perplexed. He should be thinking:
Impossible! Telekinesis and Vital Energy are abilities classified in the same type. No one can master more than one Ability of the same class!

I smiled and said, “It was you who underestimated us, you idiot!”

His head lowered by the drilling movement I made, and I crossed it, reinforcing a bit of emanation in the sword, on the back of his neck with the sword.

He fell motionless… agonizing… His last words were…

“Imitation Ability… Who would have thought… that in a place like this… a brat like this girl would… have it.”

“Before you die, listen to this!” said Lady Winifred. “My name is Lady Winifred, and my abilities are Telekinesis + Imitation + Purification!”

He observed her and then died. We had managed to stop the invading enemy.