Chương 18: Bad To Worse.
Sora's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with the breathtaking sight of maple leaves dangling from tree branches—a stark contrast to the brutal attack she had suffered at Lucy's hands.
She placed a hand on her stomach, sat up straight, and muttered, "Where did all the claw marks go?"
As she prepared to remove her kimono to inspect her wounds, Lucy intervened, grasping her hand, reassuring. "Your injuries are all healed."
Sora turned to Lucy, her eyes sparkling with bewilderment. However, before she could speak, her gaze fell upon a group of males scattered on the ground in the distance. Her eyes widened further as she took in Lucy's new hannya-mask, adorned with ominous horns.
She sighed at the pitiful sight, saying, "She was here, wasn't she?"
Lucy nodded, deepening the worry in Sora's eyes. "Why didn't you go with her?"
Sora recalled the decorated piece of cloth the girl Lucy liked had given him. Although she couldn't read the engraving, she recognized it as a symbol of high social status in the Tama Artist world. She had hoped Lucy would find happiness with that person.
However, Lucy's intentions were different. He removed his mask, a smile spreading across his face.
"Love is sweet... but love with money is sweeter. Even if your partner can give you everything, there will come a time when you must reciprocate. The same goes for vengeance... having someone else do it for you is meaningless. How can you prove you're the product of their actions if someone else takes revenge?"
He turned to Sora, his smile intact, and flicked her small nose. "Don't you agree, sidekick?"
Sora rubbed her throbbing nose, her eyes gleaming with frustration. She disliked being called "sidekick," but she knew Lucy's words held truth.
Her expression darkened as she asked, "How do you know about my family? I've never told anyone about my parents."
Lucy removed a maple leaf that had fallen onto her head, his expression indifferent.
"You're torn between being a girl and a boy. My guess is that your mother wanted you to be a girl, while your father wanted you to be a boy. Growing up, they constantly argued over what you should do, and you ended up as an 'ace,' not wanting to be with either gender. You believe no one can love you better than yourself, which I admire."
Seeing tears well up in Sora's eyes, Lucy flicked her nose again and said teasingly, "I also overheard Miyamoto-san talking about a man with silver hair who killed 20 people with a single javelin throw. Considering how cute you are, you're clearly your father's daughter."
Sora chuckled at Lucy's joke, though it wasn't entirely accurate – her father was more masculine than cute. However, the humor in Lucy's words lifted her spirits.
With her mood improved, Sora decided to change the subject. "What happened to your cousin's body? I know I was the one who suggested 'taking care of him' to the other girls, but it was you who planted that idea in my mind."
Lucy smiled, acknowledging Sora's words, before flicking her nose again.
"She said she'd take full responsibility for today's events. That's why she left those guys in a half-dead state."
Sora's eyebrows shot up in astonishment.
"Wow, she did that just to protect you, Lucy-san! She must really love you!"
Before Lucy could respond, a gentle voice came from behind the two, "Who wouldn't love a man willing to save a girl in need? If I didn't already have someone occupying my heart, I would have fallen for you."
Sora cast a vicious glare at the red-haired man, trying to ask why he had saved all the girls instead of just her.
Lucy shrugged her off. He knew that Katsura and his men were absent, which allowed the girls to kill Goro. He had wanted to avoid the punishment Katsura and his men would inflict on the mortals for not rescuing a Tama Artist.
However, he had not anticipated Shinji's sudden rebellion against the Tama Artists, which could have led to his death, one way or the other.
Lucy thought to himself, 'Should I consider myself lucky that she arrived today with news about my father?'
Clearing his mind, he nods at the blind woman, who seemed to be asking if she could join them.
As the blind woman, Mikino, sat beside them, Sora began arguing with her. Lucy ignored their bickering, focusing on the approaching horse carriage. It was moving swiftly, and within moments, two coachmen came into view.
Mikino and Sora, beside him noticed the carriage as well, making them close their mouths, momentarily.
The carriage halted in front of the battered males scattered on the ground. An athletic woman wearing a black kimono stepped out, her piercing blue eyes scanning the scene with mockery.
She took in the exhausted and battered bodies, her gaze sweeping across the group with an unreadable expression. Tying her long hair into a ponytail, she revealed her delicate facial features before calling out, "Who leads this pathetic group?"
Her voice was loud and sharp, echoing through the military camp. However, no one stepped forward to respond. Miyamoto was dead, and Shinji's condition was uncertain, leaving the other men on the ground equally unwilling or unable to answer.
A vein bulged on the woman's face, Tsubaki, as she roared again, her voice laced with venom, "Who leads this pathetic group?!"
Before Tsubaki could unleash another roar, a girl with fair skin and shoulder-length black hair tied into a bun rushed towards her, making her raise an eyebrow.
The girl bowed deeply and introduced herself, "I am Akihime Tsukino, the new leader of this group."
As soon as the words left her lips, a whip materialized in Tsubaki's hand, and violently lashed at Tsukino, forcing her to tumble to the ground.
Tsubaki's gaze fell upon Tsukino, who was writhing on the ground, her eyes cold and glittering.
"Who calls this leadership? After defeat, you must train to improve on your failures!"
Her gaze swept across the battered individuals on the ground, her voice growing even colder. "Everyone, to the training grounds now!"
When no one responded, Tsubaki swiftly swung her whip through the air, and it erupted into flames before lashing at each person on the ground, shattering parts of their armor and grazing their skin.
In the next instant, everyone, including Tsukino, sprang to their feet, ignoring the pain, and rushed towards the training grounds.
A single thought echoed in their minds:
'That pig was better!'
The situation had clearly deteriorated from bad to worse.
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