Chapter 113: Splash (1)

Chapter 113: Splash (1) June 4th of the 571st year of the goddess Tessia: "21:00" The eighteen hours before the Holy City moved Cassie to their coronation building passed in a flash, though Arthur didn’t wait for the time to run out. Since neither the Bed Warmers nor AZ had anyone stationed in the Holy City, Arthur had to move on his own to gather information. The information gathering wasn’t difficult for him since Eira, using her natural attunement with the world, had managed to sketch a rough layout of the insides of all the buildings. The main problem was the rescue itself, and since they were traveling by carriage, Arthur came up with the craziest idea. At least it would seem that way to non-Earthlings. But for someone like him, who had watched far too many action movies, it didn’t sound all that absurd. The classic: a car or motorcycle cuts off another after a sharp turn. Because of that, he was now seated inside a simple carriage with Karma posing as the driver, since unlike him, she actually paid attention during Noble Etiquette classes. Arthur sat in his own carriage, following the one ahead, the one Cassie was in. Both he and Karma kept their eyes locked on it. Each time the carriage slowed, Karma did the same, and when it sped up, so did she. Arthur knew it was too optimistic to believe they hadn’t noticed him; it was nearly impossible. Still, he waited. Even if they knew, none of them would be able to guess what he had planned. A fast-paced ambush. "Remember what I told you?" Karma tilted up her driver’s cap and nodded. "Yes, boss. Smash into it as hard as I can." Arthur didn’t need to reply. Karma was the best at creating chaos. Their carriage suddenly lunged forward, wheels jarring against the uneven ground. The driver ahead immediately noticed and picked up speed. But Arthur didn’t ease up either. It was now or never. Karma yanked the reins to the side, causing the horse to crash through the wall of a shop beside them. 『 Elizabeth’s regular defense potion—Can negate simple attacks for thirty seconds 』 The horses, which Arthur had fed a good amount of the foul-tasting potion, smashed through each wall as if a barrier had been cast around them. Cassie’s carriage driver slowed when he saw no one behind them, but as soon as he did, Arthur’s carriage burst through the wall and rammed into its side. Before the carriage could topple, Arthur leapt out and tore the door open while Karma vaulted onto one of the two horses pulling it and bolted away. Cassie’s eyes widened as she saw Arthur force the door open, but before she could speak, he pulled her into his arms and jumped onto the other horse. They barely had time to exchange words as Arthur steered sharply into an alleyway. ’That was—’ His thought froze. ’Wait. Something’s wrong.’ He glanced briefly at Cassie; it was definitely her he was holding. ’Then what...?’ He yanked the reins, trying to stop, but the horse didn’t obey. Cassie wasn’t the type to be overly bold or flirtatious. If this were the Cassie he knew, waiting for him, she would have at least blushed a little and complained. "Damnit!!" As soon as the horse exited the alley onto the main street, it stopped abruptly. Standing before them was another carriage, this one carrying people with the unmistakable aura of knights. They knew. The real carriage slammed into the horse’s side, sending Arthur and Cassie tumbling down a slope toward the edge of a dock bridge at the street’s end. Arthur rolled hard across the ground, but with his last bit of strength, he braced his foot to stop Cassie from rolling further. He came to a halt at the bridge’s edge as the pale moonlight cast shadows across his scarred skin. Then— The carriage door opened, and a beautiful young woman with black hair and blue eyes stepped out, her face eerily similar to Cassie’s. Cassie, clutching her arm, lowered her head slightly in respect. "I greet big sister." The woman patted her gently on the head with a soft smile. "Nice work, Cass." Arthur’s gaze darkened as he pushed himself to his feet. Seeing his expression, the woman smirked. "Where are my manners?" She placed a hand over her chest and gave a knightly bow. "I, Rachel Springsteen, greet my brother-in-law, or rather, former brother-in-law." Rachel waited for a reaction. Shock. Anguish. Even pleading would have sufficed. But Arthur’s expression stayed cold, which only irritated her further. Arthur lingered for a moment before exhaling. "Who the hell are you?" The woman frowned. "What do you mean? Didn’t I just tell—" Arthur cut her off, tilting his head slightly. "You think I don’t know Cassie’s an orphan?" Even if the world had shifted, Arthur knew for a fact Cassie could never have a sister. Because of one simple reason: Bruce Springsteen wasn’t even her real father. He had only adopted her. Her biological parents had no other children, and they’d died after her birth. But Arthur could never bring himself to tell Cassie that. To her, Bruce had been her world before Arthur came along. Telling her would be like stripping away a piece of herself forever. Rachel gestured with her finger, and two men immediately pulled Cassie into the carriage. As she passed, Cassie glanced at Arthur with sad eyes before quickly turning to Rachel, as if an unspoken agreement had been made. Once Cassie was inside, Rachel released a tired, almost deranged sigh. "The rumors about you really don’t do you justice." She pulled out a cigarette, and one of her subordinates, a woman, lit it with a simple fire spell. The woman held the cigarette in her mouth without taking a drag. "How did you figure it out?" Arthur’s eyes almost narrowed, but he kept his face expressionless. "I know enough about Bruce to know the truth." Rachel smiled. "Well, I’m not completely lying to her. I am a Springsteen, in fact, I’m Bruce Springsteen’s only daughter." "I don’t see what this has to do with Cassie, or why you would create this religion and violate all those girls you take in." Rachel’s posture loosened, her chest pushing against the fabric of her open suit jacket. "Do you know why Cassie never knew I existed?" She exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "It’s because I was assaulted at a young age by a group of men, leaving me crippled. The only reason Father took Cassie in was to use her life force to restore me." Arthur’s face almost twisted in disgust at her vile words. Rachel continued with a smirk. "But before Cassie could awaken her full potential, Dad died. With him gone, no one was left to protect me, I was alone." Her smirk warped. "During that time, different men passed through our small home. And do you know what every single one of them did?" Her voice turned icy. "They violated me again, and again, and again." "When I could finally walk, I went to the city to beg women to help me. Instead, they told the men I was trying to escape. They claimed my presence had lowered the assault rates in their town." "None of them knew how much I suffered, that’s why they threw me back into the lion’s den. And do you know the worst part?" She stepped forward at an unhurried pace. "My lifeline. My property. Someone created solely to save me was out there, living and breathing. So I gave myself two missions." Arthur already knew what was coming, his stomach turning. Just as he expected, she spoke slowly: "One, to ensure every woman who sacrificed me would be violated too. And two, to make Cassie mine." Arthur forced down his fury. "Is that a sister complex I’m hearing?" he said with mockery. Rachel scoffed. "No. I’ll make Cassie suffer a million times more than I did, for abandoning me and her only duty." Arthur’s jaw tightened, his face contorting in rage. Rachel grinned at his expression. "Yes, that’s the look I like, Mr. Lover Boy." Before Arthur could move, the knight beside her, masked, stepped forward. "I’d have loved to keep that handsome face of yours in a box and admire it every day. But it seems time isn’t on my side." Arthur raised his dagger. ’Even if it’s a knight with Force, I can still—’ His thoughts shattered as the masked man shifted into a stance he knew too well, one he could mimic in his sleep. But only three people had ever used that sword art: Cassie, its rightful heir; Arthur, the shameless imitator; and its original creator, Bruce Springsteen. ’No way.’ Rachel’s eyes gleamed as Arthur’s dagger split cleanly in two from an invisible strike. A cold, cutting sensation enveloped him as the sword carved a perfect arc across his body. Cassie’s downcast gaze finally lifted, just in time to see Arthur sliced through, slipping into the water below. She flung the carriage door open and screamed, "Arthur!" Meanwhile, Arthur felt his body grow colder, his vision blurring, his mind clouding. Death. He knew it well. He had felt it before. But this time was different. Now, he had so many regrets, dragging him deeper into the abyss. ’Is this the end of my second life? What about my wives. My sisters. My mother. My friends...’ Darkness pulled him under as he reached out for one last grasp at life, but no strength came. His eyes closed, and the world went black. But before his consciousness fully faded away, Splash— The sound of something, or someone, diving into the water reached his ears one final time before the darkness claimed him completely. ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───