บท 84: Chapter 82 : Maid in Next Life!!
Ryder's voice cracked with emotion as he spoke, "Sister Ikaruga told us that you were our best hope. She went back to try and save Emily and the others, but I'm not sure if she can make it..."
Ryder's eyes were filled with desperation as he knelt down and bowed his head to the ground.
"Brother Everit, we've never been close, and I've even done things that weren't right to you. We can't offer you anything in return. I don't know if you would risk everything to save us, but I'm begging you..."
"But..."
Ryder's voice wavered, tears dropping onto the ground as he spoke, "I'm not afraid of dying, but I want my brothers and sisters to live! Even if just one of them survives, it's something. They can carry our memories, our dreams."
"Please, please, come save us!"
Everit sighed, cutting him off gently, "It's okay. I'm in Ahhanita Town now, at your place. Tell me where you are, and I'll come right away."
Ryder looked up, stunned. "Really? You'd do that?"
"Of course," Everit replied firmly.
Ryder's relief was palpable, but it quickly shifted to urgency. "Brother Everit, if you're in town, you should go to Sister Ikaruga first. We can hold out here for a bit, but she's in real danger!"
Originally, Ryder had thought that Everit was far away, and that Ikaruga would be on her own, with little hope of rescue. But if Everit was already in town, it changed everything.
Ryder realized that they could withstand the danger for a little while longer if it meant Ikaruga could be saved first. It was risky, but it was the right call.
"Got it," Everit nodded, his voice resolute.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in Ahhanita Town, Edward moved away from the window and sat down in a chair. Across from him, a large man with a stern expression sat watching him intently.
"Mr. Laxus," Edward said, his voice low and measured, "things are getting complicated."
Laxus grinned and said, "If you give me the green light, Mr. Edward, I can wipe out the entire Ahhanita family, take care of those dark mages, and even break down their barrier. After that, you can do whatever you need to do."
Edward shook his head and replied, "That's not an option, Mr. Laxus. I'm not an inspector; I'm just the newly appointed mayor, filling in for about a month. John Ahhanita is still the official mayor recognized by the royal palace."
"If you kill him and try to present it as evidence, we'd both be in hot water. Sure, I'm old enough that I can afford to take risks, but you're still young. Plus, you represent the Fairy Tail Guild. There's no need to create conflict with the kingdom just for my sake."
Edward sighed, "Those folks in the royal palace only care about their own interests. To them, Ahhanita Town is small and insignificant. But if we break the rules, they'll see us as a serious threat."
Laxus frowned a bit. "That's a headache."
Suddenly, they heard a loud noise coming from the distance, followed by the sounds of battle.
"What was that?" Edward asked, startled.
Laxus moved to the window and peered out. "Looks like there's a fight going on. I'm sensing strong magical fluctuations—someone powerful is involved."
Edward rubbed his forehead and asked, "Who has John provoked this time?"
Laxus snickered and replied, "John's been corrupt for years—bribes, deals with dark guilds, even using people for experiments. No surprise he's made some enemies."
"I just hope whoever's fighting is okay," Edward said with a sigh.
Laxus replied with a smirk, "They'll be fine. Because I'm going to check it out myself."
Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You?"
"Yeah," Laxus said. "It's not my style to just sit here and do nothing." With that, he turned into a bolt of lightning and shot out of the room, leaving Edward behind.
**Boom!**
A bolt of lightning struck the roof.
Natsu, who had been leaning on the windowsill, was stunned. He could hardly believe his eyes.
"Laxus?!"
Erza shot to her feet. Her mind raced as she recalled the thunder from the night before—just a few rumbles, with no rain to follow. It was unusual.
"The thief last night... it was Laxus!" she exclaimed.
"Let's move!" Gray commanded decisively.
Everyone sprang into action, ready to confront whatever lay ahead.
---
The mayor's mansion was strewn with corpses. It was a grim sight.
A large group of former guild members, numbering in the hundreds, stood in front of them, blocking their path.
Seated on the ground, leaning against a stone, was a man who had been reduced to a bloody wreck. He clutched a broken sword in one hand, his head hanging low. The battle had taken its toll on him.
"I never expected someone like you, Ikaruga, to kill so many of my men," sneered a tall, imposing figure, towering over the injured man. He was at least two meters tall and exuded an air of ruthless authority.
This was Sahan, the vice-president of the Dark Guild Death's Head Caucus.
"You're just a bunch of trash, but I'll admit, you're stronger than I thought. I guess the master of Mugetsu Ryu trained you well," he said with a mocking smile.
"But this is where it ends for you."
Several other dark mages edged closer, surrounding Ikaruga.
Her vision blurred as she struggled to remain conscious. Blood was everywhere. The broken sword in her hand was nothing more than a stub, barely ten centimeters long—completely useless in this dire situation.
She wasn't just exhausted; she was on the brink of collapse. Her body had already reached its limit.
Before, she could push herself through sheer force of will, but now, it was like her entire system had shut down. She couldn't fight anymore.
Even if she weren't struck down in battle, she might just die sitting here, because she couldn't even summon the strength to lift her head.
The thought of this, the despair of her helplessness, made Ikaruga question everything. All those years of training, the sacrifices, the dedication to the ideals of her martial discipline—had it all been for nothing?
"Mugetsu-Ryu," she muttered, the words almost a whisper. "Master, I thought that by sacrificing myself, I could make things better. But was that just a fantasy?"
She gave a bitter smile. Was everything she believed in a lie? Was the concept of Mugetsu-Ryu, the philosophy she had dedicated herself to, just empty words?
Why couldn't she save anyone? Why was she powerless? She'd trained for years to be ready for this moment, but now, at the time of greatest need, she felt utterly useless.
Ryder and the others faced an uncertain future. Emily and others had been captured, and she was powerless to help them. What had she accomplished?
Nothing.
As life drained from her and her consciousness began to fade, memories of her friends and allies flashed through her mind. She worried about their safety, their futures.
But beneath it all, she felt a pang of selfishness. Why couldn't she at least have one last comforting thought?
"At least," she whispered with what little strength remained, "let me hold onto a trace of beautiful fantasy."
She took a deep breath and used her final breath to speak: "Mr. Everit, they say you're of noble lineage. If there's an afterlife, I'd like to be an ordinary maid in your family's manor."
"That should be enough."
Ikaruga remembered reading that line in a novel once. It was from "The Bad Viscount Falls in Love with Me."
In the story, the heroine is killed and then reincarnates as a maid for a Viscount. After they fall in love, enemies from her previous life come to haunt her, but the Viscount stands up to protect her.
Of course, it ends in a happy ending.
Ikaruga forced a smile as she thought about that sweet tale, allowing herself to drift away into a comforting dream. But reality soon pulled her back down into her own personal hell.
"My family doesn't even have a manor."
"And second, why wait for another life? Why embrace death when there's still so much to live for?"
She felt her hope slipping away, and with it, her strength. That's when a familiar voice rang out, cutting through the darkness in her mind.
"Ikaruga, what are you thinking? You don't have to give up."
Suddenly, she snapped back to reality. The voice was like a lifeline. She forced her eyes open and saw a figure standing in front of her, shielding her from the enemies that surrounded them. It was a familiar silhouette, and seeing it brought a flood of relief.
Tears blurred her vision, but she managed to whisper, "Mr. Everit."
****
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