Chapter 32
Chapter 32: A Rat’s Pride
She was praying desperately to the God of Heaven . She begged and cried endlessly .
「Ah, you’re the one I got caught together with…Helot…I wish I had been caught with Helot Stanley instead…!」
I was not the one that she begged for on that prayer .
My breath was hot . That scorching air created by my lungs went through my windpipe, and it felt as if my whole body was burning and melting . This excruciating heat kept circulating through my insides without stopping .
Did I felt these hateful feelings…this unbearable heat…my disgust with the whole world, when I was traveling with the Filaret la Volgograd of the future?
I did felt them back then . Yes, even in this timeline . My feelings didn’t change even after I went back to the past .
I remember . I remember everything that happened to me before, every painful memory . The powerful Sorceress . I never recalled a scene where she begged and sobbed like this . Naturally, she wasn’t swayed by such feelings . She wasn’t distraught or upset by anything . Yet, I remember that every time I saw her eyes, she was always looking at someone else and not me .
…Ah, why did this always happen to me . I wished I had been Helot myself .
The heat was so strong that my fluids boiled inside my stomach . I let out some foam from my mouth . Strangely, my body was steaming .
Of course . It was absolutely natural . I was bound to be a rat no matter where I’d go . There wasn’t anybody else other than Filaret that continued to give me such feelings . For her to give me that type of evaluation… How wonderful . Yes, how wonderful it was that my life hasn’t improved yet . How ironic was it, really .
The flames of the candlestick made of pottery projected only our shadows so far . Soon, I noticed that the flames showed a large shadowy figure on the wall as well . It came closer to us while making a loud noise as it walked on the marble floor . It was a soldier covering his face with a helmet . This man was probably a leader because of his robust armory and strong-looking sword .
「…C’mon, stand up . Our Holy Mother demands that of you . Have you finished your prayers?」
Apparently, they got rid of the impeding hindrance . Still, I really wondered if they really captured the two remaining people that were still running freely through the passages of the underground temple . Perhaps, they intended to kill one of us to serve as an example for others .
Filaret’s voice trembled . She could barely speak . Her face was pale blue . Without any signs of hope . I was impressed to see this type of defeated expression imprinted on her face .
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It was natural that her evaluation of me, regarded me as a rat . For Filaret, this evaluation would probably never change . Okay, no problem . I made up my mind . I’ll gladly receive this designation .
However, there wasn’t any way to suppress my other feelings . The hatred that I felt when she begged for someone else . Not me . These feelings were about to crawl from my spine to my mouth . My eyes became widely open and I took a deep breath .
「Whatever . You have been always like this . You never change, do you, Sorceress . 」
—
The shadowy figure projected on the wall shook and stood up .
The pottery candlestick never fade out . The flames burned incessantly because of the monster fat in it . The small wind pressure made it look as if the flames were dancing . If I dropped what I had left in my pocket into the sparkling flames, it would probably increase the heat dramatically .
I stood up quickly just as the soldier demanded me to . Filaret stared at me with teary eyes . I looked at her as well . My mind wanted to stop me . But, my heart wanted to say express my feelings into words . I didn’t know anything anymore .
「I am sorry . But, as you can see, I’m just a mere rat . No matter if it’s now or in the future . That’s why I won’t be able to rescue you brilliantly like Helot Stanley . 」
My hands were tied with a rope behind my back . The soldier looked at me, stood up quickly and distorted his expression . He looked at me with strange and suspicious eyes . Still, he didn’t show any intention to harm me just yet .
Even so, the soldier guarding us probably had his own orders . If I were to move recklessly, he would probably kill me immediately . In addition, there were five or six guards in this room besides this robust soldier . The odds were against us . They outnumbered us . Even if I tried to do something, the probability of failure was quite high .
Ah, this frustration . This was insulting and nerve-wracking . The fluids inside of my stomach were burning . My mind was in turmoil . That man . Yes, that particular man . Ah, if I were that man, Helot Stanley, would I be able to come up with some sort of plan and be able to rescue my fellow comrades successfully?
My mind was having foolish thoughts . It were equivalent to delusions . I had to get a grip of myself . I pulled the rope as I pushed my elbow . The flames of the candlestick, which I could see under my eyes, seemed strangely flickering .
I see . Power could be weak if one had the strategy to deceive it . Besides, I had to be the one to do something in order to change their perception of my persona .
「However, Sorceress . A rat has the pride of a rat . Please, take a proper look at this . You should be able to escape once I give you the chance . 」
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I slowly twisted my fingers to take what was hidden inside my pocket . I tried to be discreet so that Filaret was the only one able to see it .
It was a sticky liquid made of a monster’s mucus . I bought it back in Garoua Maria . This liquid was originally used as an adhesive . Therefore, it could be easily purchased as a daily commodity . Knives, armor and gold were far more important for quests . No one would place his or her eyes on this piece of junk that anyone could to buy .
But for me this was something useful . Of course it was something convenient to use because…it burnt extremely well and rapidly .
The plan was quite simple . If I couldn’t cut the rope because they took my knives, I had no other choice but to burn the rope… Or to burn everything in the surrounding area . Luckily, I still had the handkerchief from Ariene . I could use it to cover my hands while I tried to burn the rope . If I were to be successful, they would need to find water . Their attention wouldn’t be upon me .
…Okay, I need to push the candlestick with my elbow . I thought that I did something similar to this a long time ago . It was a memory form when I was taken as a prisoner .
I was immersed on an old nostalgic scene . For a moment, I forgot about everything else . But, soon, my feet stood strong on the ground and my senses came back to reality .
I pushed my whole body to the side . I tried my hardest to push my elbow towards the pottery candlestick . I had to press it hard in order to smash it .
At that moment, I had a glimpse of Filaret’s figure, on which she moved her lips slightly . But, I couldn’t hear her words…
*breaking sound*
The pottery collapsed with mild sound .
—
I felt intense pain throughout my entire body, not just the elbow . The pain was strong enough to make me feel like my body was split into two parts .
The pottery fell on the pavement of the floor when I smashed it with my elbow . Ah, that hurt badly but my arm was safe from external injuries .
At the same time, I felt a burning pain . Yes, the flames were so hot that it hurt my skin . It no longer felt like just sparkling flames, but real fire .
The mucus was acting as a fuel . Because of its properties, the fire spread quickly . It freely burnt everything it touched . My clothes almost got on fire, and the whole room was caught on fire .
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The moisture-free and dry accessories flared up in an instant . It was as if the candlestick was hiding a very special kind of fuel, a fuel of destruction .
Naturally, the force of the fire also fell upon me . It ran through my arms to the waist and started to burn all of my cloth .
Ah, it burns . It kept burning without stopping . Everything was scorching hot . What if the fire really burnt me to death? At least, it would also burn my unwanted feelings .
I heard Filaret’s high-pitch voice amidst all of this chaos . The guards started to shout aloud when they faced the continuous spreading fire .
Ah, so pleasant . Who would have thought that this could be so pleasurable? They underestimated me . All of them really underestimated my character .
The one that looked at me had a very frustrating expression on his face . The robust soldier stood in front of me . He held his strong-looking sword, but it was too late . Yes, too late to get me or to eradicate the fire . Therefore, he put his sword away .
「Bottles of water! Bring bottles of water…! 」
I had already burnt my rope .
I managed to come between the flames and got hold of the soldier’s sword . And then…
…I approached him through the raging fire and I used the sword to strike between the eyebrows of his helmet . The sword cut through the flames and pierced right up at his neck .
It wasn’t the move I aimed at, but it confirmed his downfall . It was the only move that I’ve managed to accomplish amidst the madness of this situation .
The flesh of the soldiers was torn, and Blood spilled everywhere . The cervical spine was severed . It was cut made across the mouth towards his torso . The corpse looked like the remnants of a devil .
An expression of fear would be visible on anyone’s face if the observed this scene . As it should be it . Those who dared to come here, all looked at this place with the same expression . The most visible feeling . I only saw fear . Yes, I could take advantage of that . After all, I knew very well how fear could transform a person .
The black coloring of the fallen soldier’s sword strangely matched well with the crimson color of the burning flames .
*cough cough*
Die . I mustn’t die . Yet, there was no doubt I was probably on the verge of death . Maybe, if I put it in another perspective, this could mean the real end of my adventure through the past timeline . I could easily die here and now .
I had convulsions . My throat felt sore and hurt . I almost fell to the ground . I could hear screams and fear in the air . Like me, the flames caught up with everyone else . If I were to die here, then I wished that all of those people would die along with me .
My throat got worse . I exhaled the burning smoke of the flames . It was painful every time I breathed . Still, the heat wasn’t comparable to the heat I felt inside my body . It was far from being similar . Ah, I wasn’t feverish yet . This heat was too weak to go against the power of hatred that dwelled inside my body .
…Nonetheless, my physical strength had reached its limit .
I could no longer feel the sensation of my damaged left arm . I was being exposed to the heat . I should be feeling pain . But, I couldn’t feel anything anymore . Everything burned on the ground from behind my back, but nothing made sense to me . I was starting to lose my consciousness .
Every time my senses got numb, my vision also got dim . I wasn’t strong after all . I had my own limitations . Even my ears were numb . Somewhere far away, I felt that I could hear the voice of Filaret . But, it was distant . The sound faded away .
Ah, so this was how it felt like . These were the feelings that a fragile human body could feel while being whipped out by the burning flames . The senses became weirder with time . The numbness increased and my field of vision almost black it out .
Well, I didn’t mind dying now . After all, I didn’t give up in the end . At least, one positive feeling would remain on my heart as I finally gave in . I shall die with the heat now . There wasn’t anything else I could do to avoid this predicament . Ah, nothing really .
Please, Filaret . This was your only chance to escape . Please, run away from this place . Your arms were still tied up with a rope, but your legs were free . I had hoped she forgot about her fear . Please, don’t let her be scared and shivered . Don’t give up . Just get away .
I was never capable of saving people . I wasn’t Helot Stanley neither a hero . I was just Lugis .
And, the black shadowy figure that brought me to this era . Did you see me? I, Lugis, shall perish here and now . I used an unconventional way in order to save just one woman . I made quite a mess, didn’t I? Actually, to tell the truth, this wasn’t how I envision a hero .
Yet, isn’t what I’m doing a bit too great for a mere rat?
…Yeah, you’ve done a great job .
I listened to a far distant voice inside my earlobe . Soon, I could hardly breathe and everything became pitch-black . On this moment, I lost my consciousness and my body fell on the spot .