Ch. 9: Crisis, and Eyes Full of Rage (MOON)
After that…-
I was shoved into a small room somewhere in the slums.
I have to tell Edmond.
Edmond: "Looking back on it, it was the royal family that caused that to happen…-"
The royals were so selfish, and even though they felt so much responsibility…at this rate…
I looked around, knowing I had to escape, but the door was locked tight and my hands were bound behind my back.
I thought about what I could do when…
Slum Man 1: "Hehe. He was right, you really are a pretty girl."
OO: "…!"
Several men shuffled into the small room.
I could sense something bad about them and my body started to tremble as a chill went up my spine.
Slum Man 2: "That nice guy outside said there was a real pretty girl in here. Said if we sell her, we can get some good money."
N-no…what's going to happen?
I felt my body go cold with dread, and I tried to cry out but…-
OO: "…!"
One of the men easily lifted me up.
OO: "L-let me go…!"
I'm scared…what's going to happen to me!?
At that time…-
??: "In here!?"
There was a loud noise and the door was smashed in.
I had tightly closed my eyes in fear, but they opened in surprise to see…
OO: "E-Edmond…!"
Edmond: "You bastards…what do you think you're doing!!?"
Edmond yelled, an anger in his voice that I'd never heard before.
Edmond, accompanied by a group of guards, stood there, his eyes blazing with fury.
Slum Man 1: "T-this is bad…"
I saw the man start to move.
Slum Man 2: "Tch…!"
OO: "…!"
Already raised up, the man moved to throw me to the ground, and my body smacked into the floor.
Edmond: "OO!"
Slum Man 2: "Move it!"
Right after that, the men scattered like spiders, but one after the other were caught by the soldiers.
Edmond: "You didn't think you could run did you!?"
Edmond, acting as reinforcements, bashed his arm against the fleeing man's leg.
Slum Man 2: "Gyaaa!!"
Seeing the man writhing in pain, my eyes shot open, and Edmond looked at me.
Seeing his gaze, I felt something cold crawl up my spine.
But this is different from the fear I felt before…
I had a strange feeling, like he'd been possessed by a beautiful, savage beast.
It seized at my heart, something that I couldn't possibly put into words.
Edmond: "Gather up any of the other men around here. Don't let any of them escape."
Soldier: "Yes sir."
Edmond called out his orders to the soldiers, as if stifling his anger. Then he reached out a hand to me.
Edmond: "OO…"
As if trying to soothe me, he carefully undid the ropes around my wrists.
Edmond: "Sorry I'm late."
Just as everyone had left the small room, Edmond wrapped me up in his arms.
OO: "Edmond…"
As he embraced me, I tightly clung to his neck.
Perhaps from relief, I felt tears prick at my eyes, and I desperately tried to hold them back.
Edmond: "When you disappeared, I looked all over town for you. Are you hurt? What happened? Let me get a good look at your face."
He fired off the questions in rapid succession, and I didn't even know where to start answering, so I lifted my face.
He was so incredibly close that my heart leaped in surprise.
OO: "I'm…"
Edmond: "You're shivering. You poor thing…"
The anger that had filled his eyes before was replaced by a different kind of fervor…
Edmond's face was earnest, and he came in closer.
Edmond: "I'm sorry…"
After he gently kissed my forehead, we went to go.
Edmond: "Let's leave this place at once."
He spoke without any provocation.