Flame Lion (6)

"Ah, that hurts."

Jini, covered from head to toe in blood, drove a sword into the deck and knelt. Paula-san rushed over and pressed a cloth against Jini's wounds to stop the bleeding. I wanted to help, but I couldn't. The battle wasn't over yet.

"Lady Romelia!"

Kyle cried out. Almost simultaneously, a red light flashed, and a blast of hot air struck my cheek. I looked up to see a large fireball slam into the furled sails of the Silverwing.

The pure-white sails burst into red flames, and the fire spread around them.

I looked toward the fireball's point of origin. There stood Bohn, pushing back his wet hair.

"Bohn, you! Are you betraying us?!"

Mary-san, who had been holding Ann by the shoulder, had anger in her eyes. But Bohn shot back without backing down.

"Huh? Betray you? You were the one who screwed up first! Well, whatever. If I destroy the ship and kill everyone aboard, everything will ultimately go according to plan!"

Bohn, no longer needing to hide his intentions, blurted out what he truly meant. Mary-san gritted her teeth, but then someone called out to her.

"Mary! Put out the fire!"

Captain Maurice was the one shouting the order. With heavy footsteps echoing, he charged up the stairs leading to the stern and seized the steering wheel of the Silverwing.

"Raise the anchor! Prepare for battle!"

When Captain Maurice bellowed his orders, the crew of the Lazybones sprang into action all at once.

The anchor was raised, and the Silverwing slowly began to move.

"Ann, stay here. Put out the fire! Cut loose the sails!"

Mary-san gently stroked Ann's shoulder and issued the orders in a clear, carrying voice. The children aboard the Silverwing moved as one, cutting the ropes holding the burning sails and throwing the sails into the sea.

Captain Maurice tried to get the ship moving, but a ship whose sails had been burned could not maneuver well enough. Meanwhile, the Flame Lion was nimble and easily kept pace with the Silverwing.

"Fire your arrows! Keep shooting!"

Bohn ordered the Flame Lion's crew to fire, while launching a fireball of his own.

"Like hell I'll let you do as you please!"

Mary-san's body glowed green. The next moment, a raging wind blew the arrows and fireballs raining down around them off course.

"Those with bows, return fire! Those without bows, put out the flames!"

Mary-san rallied them while using magic to fend off the fire and arrows. But the crews of the Lazybones and the Silverwing had only just finished fighting, and both crews were wounded. At this rate, they would be overwhelmed.

"Lady Romelia! I can go!"

Kyle shouted, glaring at the Flame Lion.

Given Kyle's agility, leaping aboard when the Flame Lion drew near might be possible.

"I can go too."

"I can do it too!"

Borel and Gatt stepped forward. Each held a sword that had fallen nearby. The sea was calm, and their opponents were no children. Now, the three of them could fight at full strength. But...

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the wounded Zeze and Jini.

Even if the three of them boarded, they would not be able to do anything. They were hopelessly outnumbered. If Zeze and Jini had been uninjured, we might have stood a chance. But both of them were wounded and unable to move.

There has to be something... Anything?

I looked around. We needed something that could give us an opening. Even the smallest advantage would do, so I searched for anything that might turn the tide of battle. But nothing so convenient was lying around.

Just as my shoulders drooped, it happened.

"Ro...melia!"

I felt as though someone far away had called my name. I looked toward the Silverwing's starboard side, but no one was there. Beyond the rail stretched the open sea, with not even a small boat in sight.

I wondered if desperation had driven me to hear voices and bit my lower lip, feeling pathetic. But then Kyle cried out in surprise beside me.

"Huh? Ah—L-Lady Romelia... look!"

With eyes widened, Kyle pointed at the sky with a trembling finger. I looked up after him to find a cloudless blue sky stretching overhead. Yet in that endless blue, I could see something white in one spot. I thought it was a bird, but I was wrong. That was...

"A kite?"

I furrowed my brow and peered intently at the white object flying through the sky.

"Hey! There's someone riding that thing!"

Gatt shouted when he saw the kite floating in the sky. Sure enough, a red-haired man and a blue-haired man were clinging to it.