CH 42

“!!??”

“Huh?”

The lightning bolt ran straight through Excaliburn and severed him in two.

Lulurun felt tremendous power and sharpness, and at the same time familiarity and reliability.

The fluttering golden hair shined, illuminated by the lightning.

“KEISUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Rhy… nes…” Lulurun whispered.

The lightning bolt was Rhynes, who had rushed to Keisuke with all her might using Lazarion, and cut down Excaliburn with a single sword slash on her way to rescue Keisuke.

“Are you still alive?” Rhynes asked. “This is bad… Keisuke … What the hell… oh, don’t die, don’t answer, just don’t die…”

Not knowing how to deal with the dying Lulurun, Rhynes was upset at her helplessness, how she couldn’t do anything, then she whispered nearly silently,

“No, please, don’t die, Keisuke.”

Where did the demonic strength and the trustworthy expression go, what was this pitiful expression? Lulurun musters as much strength as she can and says,

“Don’t look like that… you’re the strongest knight…”

“I can’t… help it…” Rhynes sobbed. “I don’t know what to do… I don’t know if I can do anything, either…”

Distraught and with tears falling from her eyes, Rhynes collapses beside Lulurun.

“I just don’t want my loved ones to die anymore …”

Like a child, Rhynes cries, the words spill from her mouth like her tears.

Lulurun wipes Rhynes tears with her finger. Lulurun’s blood smears on Rhynes’s face, it drips down with her tears.

“Don’t cry…” Lulurun said as cheerfully as she could to reassure Rhynes. “That sort of look… doesn’t suit you, Rhynes…”

“Whose fault do you think it is that I’m crying!? Idiot!” Rhynes yelled.

“It’s okay, I’m healing with recovery magic… I’m not going to die… I’m just in a tough spot right now…” Lulurun said.

“You’re serious?” Rhynes asked. “You’re seriously going to be fine?”

A faint magical light envelopes Lulurun’s body, healing her wounds little by little. Rhynes is a little relieved to see this but her expression remains tense.

“It’s okay… you can leave me behind, Rhynes… I’m not going to die first…” Lulurun said, gently putting her hand on Rhynes’ cheek and bringing their faces close together.

“Right,” Rhynes said, “I’ll beat you someday, and you have to train me until then, otherwise, you can’t… you can’t… can’t be so reckless…”

“Thank you…” Lulurun said. “You saved my life, Rhynes…”

Rhynes expression softens a little before it quickly clouds again.

“Keisuke… I’m sorry, I should have helped you sooner…” Rhynes said.

There was nothing to apologize for, Rhynes gave her all, that’s what everyone would think.

Still, for her, this result was a consequence of her lack of power.

She was almost responsible for the death of someone she cared about, Rhynes can’t look directly at Lulurun.

“Rhynes…” Lulurun whispered. She had noticed Rhynes body had become badly battered from using Lazarion. “You’re… you used Lazarion…”

How hard did she push herself to do this…?

“You’ve pushed yourself too hard…” Lulurun said.

“… I wondered if I should call you with the bracelet, but I didn’t know for sure, so I ran… I had no choice! This was the only way I could make it in time!” Rhynes yelled.

“… Bracelet… oh, I see, you wanted to try to summon me,” Lulurun said.

“Huuuh?! Did you seriously not get that?!” Rhynes yelled.

“Joking, joking…” Lulurun said. “Even if you did summon me, it would have been a nuisance to you, Rhynes… so your call was correct.”

“Don’t tease me like that…” Rhynes said, smiling despite the tears.

After seeing Rhynes like this, Lulurun is relieved from the bottom of her heart and thanks the Knight who came to save her, even if she was forced to do so.

“Thank you…” Lulurun said. “You really saved me, that was so amazing of you, Rhynes… you are… my knight.”

“Since when did I become your knight?” Rhynes snapped. “Idiot!”

Lulurun wanted to say “my knight in shining armor,” but the words didn’t come out right and it ended up coming out as arrogant encouragement. Though upset at the words, Rhynes embraced Lulurun and started administering first aid.

“Relax, Keisuke, I’ll get you to a hospital right away!” Rhynes said.

“It’s appreciated…” Lulurun said.

As they were right now, Lulurun is in a princess carry.

“Umm…” Lulurun went, embarrassed and apologetic.

“What’s wrong?” Rhynes asked, not even bothered or ashamed. “Does this hurt? Should I hold you more gently?”

“… No, it’s fine,” Lulurun said.

As Lulurun can’t move, she has no choice but to accept the princess carry, and she leaves herself to Rhynes’ reliability. She was curious about the sense of security that enveloped her then.

“No wonder I’m so popular,” Lulurun said.

“What the hell, look at you…” Rhynes said. “There’s nothing pretty to look at right now.”

“Sorry, sorry, I just need a moment,”

“Need a moment for what?” Rhynes asked.

“The thing is…” Lulurun said.

There was something she had to check on before they left.

“Are you okay with it, Rhynes?”

Lulurun asked Rhynes to take her where Excaliburn’s upper torso had been blown off.

She can’t leave it alone, she has to open a dialogue with Excaliburn, why did this happen, who instigated him?

And to begin with, “How did Excaliburn end up in this world?”

As she thought, Excaliburn’s chassis was still broken to pieces and stopped moving.

“Excaliburn…” Lulurun started.

“I wasn’t looking out for hidden tricks! You just caught me off-guard!!” Excaliburn cried.

He was caught in a tree branch and still complaining, indignant despite the fact that he was about to cease all functioning.

“Keisuke, what is this guy? Is it a magical machine? Why is he talking?!” Rhynes yelled.

“This is Excaliburn, a robot I created to be a magical mobile knight in my previous world,” Lulurun said.

“You made him?” Rhynes asked.

“Yes, I didn’t expect he’d move and talk like this,” Lulurun said.

“And he’s a knight?” Rhynes asked.

“In a manner of speaking,” Lulurun said.

Excaliburn falls out of the tree for all his complaining.

“Geuah!” he yelled.

While still being held in Rhynes’ arms, Lulurun approaches the fallen Caliburn.

“I have no idea how this guy appeared in this world, but he’s at least as dangerous as I am,” Lulurun said.

“Same as you?” Rhynes asked.

“Well, that’s how I designed him,” Lulurun said.

“You designed him to be this way?” Rhynes asked.

And now stuck on the ground and unable to move, Caliburn yells, “Hah! Only my creator, Yokoi Keisuke, can lay claim to any of that! What the hell makes you think that you made me instead?!”

“…………”

With a sigh, Lulurun explains it to the whining and sparking Excaliburn.

“Listen to me, Excaliburn, I may be dressed like Lulurun, but I’m your creator, Yokoi Keisuke.”

“No, it can’t be! That’s not possible!” Excaliburn yelled.

“I look like Lulurun, but I’m not, I’m Yokoi Keisuke,” Lulurun said.

“Impossible.”

“I’m Yokoi Keisuke.”

“Then.”

“I’m Yokoi Keisuke!!”

Caliburn’s voice gradually weakens as the mysterious, terrifying voice of Lulurun grows louder.

“Then that means… huh?” Excaliburn said.

“I’m your creator,” Lulurun said.

“You’re… serious?” Excaliburn said.

“I just want to ask why this happened… but believe me, Caliburn, I’m Yokoi Keisuke,” Lululurn said.

Though she’s unsure what’s going on, Rhynes nods deeply. Caliburn’s understanding gradually catches up to them, he asks Lulurun in a tiny voice,

“So you’re truly… Master Yokoi Keisuke?”

“That’s right, I’m Yokoi Keisuke!!”

In the face of all these misunderstandings, Caliburn’s reaction was very simple.

“I’m sorry”

He apologized very quietly.