Chapter 190 - <14>
In the midst of a blinding storm, Franz watched the two figures fall and let out a choked cry.
But in the next moment, a violent tremor ran through the entire terrace, shaking it so hard he couldn't stand. He let out a small scream and fell to the ground. The tremor soon subsided into smaller shakes, and after a short while, it stopped completely, leaving the green terrace in silence once more.
When Franz, doubly confused by the fall and the tremor, finally came to his senses, the sky, which had been raging like a great storm just moments before, was now beginning to regain a strange sense of calm.
The wind and rain hadn't completely stopped, but it had changed to normal weather.
Could it be because Anna, who created this situation, is dead…? The thought made his body tremble. That would mean Ritz was dead, too.
Finally pushing himself up, Franz staggered toward the cliff's edge on trembling legs. Lacking the courage to look down while standing, he sat on the spot and cautiously peered over. The scene that spread out before him was a reef of jagged rocks, like spear tips. If they had fallen there, they definitely wouldn't have survived.
"Ah… ah…"
He clutched his head in terror and a sense of loss.
He had never imagined it would happen so suddenly, so unexpectedly. It was impossible that those two, so sturdy and carefree, would die here after an argument, without ever making up. He had always believed that even if he, with his weak constitution and lack of athletic ability, were to die, those two absolutely would not. Scenes from the beginning of their journey until now flashed through his mind, appearing and disappearing.
It was cowardly of them to disappear together without even letting him properly explain the Intercontinental Network he'd created by combining all his business knowledge with what he'd learned on their journey.
He slammed his fist on the ground. If it was going to end like this, he should have explained it better, talked with them more. This was what it meant to have regrets that could never be undone. A painful remorse, even greater than the shock he felt after parting so easily with his master and realizing how little he knew him, constricted his chest.
He hung his head, and as he felt tears stream down his chilled cheeks, he was unable to lift his face. A hand tapped his shoulder. He didn't have the energy to even turn around, but after several taps, he finally looked up. There was Edward's calm, composed face, his dignity completely intact despite the rainwater dripping from his golden hair.
"Your Majesty… The two of them… I…"
Utterly confused and unsure of what to say, Franz was met with Edward's composed smile.
"Franz, calm yourself."
"But the two of them…!"
"Are dead… you think?"
Edward tilted his head with an amused expression, and Franz couldn't help but snap at him.
"You saw the bottom of the cliff! Of course they're dead!"
"Normally, they would be."
Edward's convinced tone and unwavering, calm expression.
"Normally…"
"Normally, with a reef that sharp, being impaled would be unavoidable."
"That's why!"
"Franz, take a calm look at the reef."
Franz swallowed his retort at the calm words. There was an absolute authority in Edward's expression and voice that commanded obedience.
He didn't want to see the gruesome scene that might be below, but he grit his teeth, leaned forward, and peered over the cliff. The reef far below was black and slick with rain, and even for Franz, who had poor eyesight, he could tell it was dizzyingly high and terrifying.
"They're not alive. With a reef this intense…"
"Is there anything unusual about that reef?"
Startled by the nonchalant, teacher-like question, Franz turned and replied in a low voice, suppressing his anger.
"Of course not. It's dangerous everywhere you look."
"I see. So there's nothing unusual anywhere."
"No."
"Then there are no bodies, either?"
"Huh?"
Caught off guard, he widened his eyes, and Edward smiled.
"The two of them fell straight down, holding each other. It was certainly a storm, but considering their combined weight, there's little chance they were blown off course by the wind. Which means they undoubtedly fell within the range of this reef."
"Y-Yes…"
"But there are no bodies to be seen."
"Ah…"
"Exactly. Which means they did not fall into the reef."
"That's… but that's just your speculation, Your Majesty."
As he said this in disbelief, Edward put on a mischievous expression.
"You were in a storm, and on top of that, you buried your face after seeing them fall. I, however, kept watching as they disappeared. Therefore, I saw what happened afterward and could easily surmise."
"...What happened?"
He stared straight into those light blue eyes and asked. Edward smiled.
"The Water Dragon. The moment the two of them fell, the Water Dragon returned here at high speed. And right after that, the cliff shook violently."
"Ah…"
"From that, don't you think there's only one possible conclusion?"
Asked, Franz nodded. The conclusion was singular. The Water Dragon had protected Anna. Which meant Ritz, who was protecting Anna, had a high chance of being alive as well.
The moment he realized this, relief washed over him, and all the strength drained from his body. He fell onto his back a few steps from the cliff. The rain, which he had found so accursed just moments ago, felt pleasant now that it had weakened.
Come to think of it, something similar had happened before. In Red Valley in Luciana, when Anna was about to be swept away by a muddy torrent, the Water Dragon had formed a wall to protect her.
"Thank goodness…"
He muttered, so relieved that tears started to well up. He covered his face with his arms, feeling that if Edward saw him, it would be like giving him a weakness to hold over him.
For Franz, those two were the benefactors who had rescued him from his cage called Saradio, where he had shut everything out. They were the first companions who had taught him to trust, and the only ones who accepted the helpless Franz for who he was.
He couldn't possibly lose them.
As Franz lay there, unable to move for a while, Edward gazed into the distance. Finally composing himself enough to sit up, Franz followed Edward's gaze to where the battlefield had been just moments ago.
Ritz and Anna had a high chance of being miraculously alive, but the situation here was hopeless. The Soukai Clan, being an oceanic people who lived in the sea, were said to be exceptionally skilled swimmers, so they might have survived, but the Tarnien army likely did not.
Even though they were the ones who had threatened with hostages and started the war, it was heavy to think that they couldn't have escaped the storm, which was like a backlash from Anna, and the terrifying power of the Water Dragon's attack, and were likely almost completely wiped out.
But even on that battlefield, a surprising scene was unfolding. Just when he thought all the ships, including the Soukai Clan's, had sunk, a single warship remained, rocking on the calming sea.
"That ship…"
"Did you notice?"
At the top of that ship, a blue and white flag fluttered in the strengthening wind. It was Touo's ship, which had kept its distance from the main naval force. Franz, with his poor eyesight, couldn't make out what was happening.
But Edward, who had recently declared that his presbyopia made it easier to see things far away, seemed to understand what was going on, and the corners of his mouth turned up.
"Your Majesty?"
"...It seems they will be saved."
"Eh?"
"I see. Touo thought this through quite well. If he left the hostages in Suien, they might be killed if the fighting reached the city. So he brought them along without telling the Coastal Defense Administration."
"...I don't…"
"Touo's ship is conducting a rescue operation right now. Centered around the Soukai Clan members from Suien who were taken hostage by the Administration."
"Wh—"
Speechless, he strained his eyes to see the scene on the sea. Several of the sunken ships were rising to the surface as if being pushed up. Water flowed from their decks as if with a will of its own. He could see people being launched up from within the water.
The number of people conducting the rescue operation gradually increased. First, the Soukai Clan, having fully recovered, were rescuing the remaining Tarnien soldiers along with their own people who had been held hostage. The Soukai Clan was the Water Clan, who presided over healing. If so, there were likely many among them who possessed healing powers, just like Anna.
It was certain that the vast majority might be saved. Those who were injured or died in the initial battle were, of course, beyond help, but perhaps all the victims of the abnormal situation Anna had caused could be saved.
The thought eased his mind. Anna, who cherished people's lives more than anyone, would surely have found it hard to return if she thought she had taken many lives in her anger. But if she knew that, miraculously, no one had died, she would be able to smile again.
"Then let's return to the settlement."
With that, Edward turned and headed back the way they came, without waiting for Franz's consent.
"But the two of them…"
"There's nothing we can do here. If we get back to the settlement, we should be able to borrow tools for a rescue, or a boat that can navigate the reef."
He was right. Worrying about what was below from up here would accomplish nothing. He looked at the pack Ritz had been carrying, thinking he could at least drop some food for them until help arrived, but he knew that if he dropped it from here, it would land on the reef. Even if the Water Dragon had protected them from being impaled on the rocks, he didn't know where they had fallen afterward, and it was impossible to throw it in their direction.
"Your Majesty, should we leave this luggage?"
As he asked, Edward stopped and turned back.
"Ah, the food. I'd forgotten we were also stranded on this island."
Edward smiled wryly and returned to the luggage. He took out several days' worth of hardtack that didn't seem to have gotten wet and instructed Franz to carry some as well. Looking at his expression, I realized something for the first time.
Edward, too, had been considerably shaken by Anna's rampage and Ritz's fall. I had thought nothing could rattle this Edward, so it was fresh and strange. For the first time, Edward, whose true feelings I thought I would never be able to glimpse, seemed like just another human being.
"Let's leave the rest. We can't carry it."
"Yes. Edward-san."
I'd been calling him 'Your Majesty' for a while without being corrected, so I'd just started using it normally, but for some reason, I rephrased it. In the kingdom, it's 'Your Majesty'. That's certain, but right now, maybe it was okay to think of him as a companion.
Edward stopped for a moment, but then raised his head with his usual composed smile.
"It seems you've seen an unsightly side of me."
"No, normally I wouldn't have noticed."
"Not normally, you say. That was careless of me. Then I shall endeavor not to show my flaws under normal circumstances."
If you become any more perfect, I'll be too intimidated to even speak to you… he thought, but kept it to himself and followed Edward, who had started on the path back.