Chapter 205

(This is baadd……. Heavy. This is just awfully heavy. Honestly, that’s too heavy that I want to run away right now……)

After she finished talking of the long recollection, Emily hugged her knees once more, buried her face, and turned small. Kousuke was sighing inside his heart while looking at such Emily. Honestly speaking, he couldn’t help but felt sympathy with Emily’s circumstance. Emily had even forgotten that she wasn’t wearing anything down there that it felt like her secret place down there could be visible with her current sitting position, but right now Kousuke was in the middle of much regret of hearing the story that he didn’t even have the composure to be aware of such thing.

「When we arrived, there is almost no survivor anymore inside the research building. We met up with Kimberly who ran out of bullet and went into hiding, then after we shared information, we split up to search for Doctor Grant, I managed to secure her but……」

「That handsome bastard betrayed you then.」

「Yes. It was when we met up with our comrades and gathered in the first floor to escape. We were surrounded by berserkers and put up a fight, and when we somehow managed to secure an escape route, we were gunned down by Kimberly and an armed group from somewhere that had replaced the bodyguard agents.」

Because of the attack of that time, the agents who came for the pick-up were annihilated. Vanessa was able to survive even while getting wounded on her side was because she was immediately covered by Hughes. But in exchange he was also lethally wounded, even so he fought hard in order to let Vanessa and Emily escaped.

As the result, due to Hughes’s last stand, Vanessa and Emily managed to escape.

There, Kousuke spoke his doubt.

「Hm? After that, you didn’t contact the security bureau right away?」

Kousuke witnessed the car chase at the afternoon. From the story that he heard, the incident occurred at midnight. That meant that Vanessa and Emily were fighting alone for more than half a day.

「My smartphone that can connect with the private line was broken when we were ambushed……. Doctor Grant’s phone also seemed to break somewhere in the middle of our escape.」

「You can just use public phone right?」

「That’s true. I also tried to do that. However, that……it’s embarrassing but, after I performed first aid on my wound, I fainted.」

It appeared that Vanessa ran out of strength because she even performed the bullet extraction inside the car. After that Emily nursed Vanessa for the whole night.

And then, the next morning, Vanessa who woke up from her fainting finally made contact with the headquarters, but right after, perhaps they were detected or something, they were assaulted by Kimberly and his group then.

After that, they were chased around relentless without any time to meet up with the people from headquarters, also the meeting site that was decided beforehand was also known by Kimberly so it couldn’t be used, and that was why they were doing nothing but running away.

「I see. ……Then, what are you going to do from here? The security bureau seems to be suspicious too right?」

「That’s right. However, it’s also the fact that we won’t be able to do anything by ourselves. It’s only in the movie when individual can oppose an organization as their opponent. ……We have to determine, the true intention of the chief.」

In this situation, even though the security bureau seemed suspicious, but it was unthinkable that the whole place was pitch black. If it was just as Kimberly insinuated, that the security bureau was pulling the string of the attack, then Chief Magdanese was exceedingly close with “black”. In that case, then Vanessa would ask for help from bureau member listed up inside her head that seem to be trustable, and also from other places like intelligence department and so on.

But if it was the opposite, that Chief Magdanese was “white”, they would be able to get rescue from the most direct place.

In any case, to investigate about the organization behind Kimberly and further to oppose them, Vanessa would need to obtain the power of organization too. Because of that, no matter what it was essential to clearly determine the position of Chief Magdanese, whether she was white or black.

「First, it’s important to classify which is the enemy and which is ally. I plan to move with that direction, so during that time I want Mr. K to protect Doctor Grant.」

Kousuke scratched his cheek with a troubled look after listening to Vanessa’s plan. And then, he was about to open his mouth to say something, however, his voice that was going to sing an objection was interrupted.

「I’m not looking for protection or anything.」

「Doctor Grant?」

Vanessa turned her gaze in surprise. There, Emily who turned small was slowly lifting up her face and looked back. The dark flame dwelling inside those eyes, which contradicted her frail atmosphere before this caused Vanessa to gulp unconsciously.

「That drug,【Berserk】, it’s something that mustn’t exist in this world. It has to be erased from this world, all of it without leaving anything behind. I who created it, have to erase it no matter what.」

「That’s……」

「I absolutely don’t want to be just protected, only waiting for the situation to end without understanding anything. That’s why, Vanessa. Please, bring me along. I want to ascertain with my own eyes, who was the one that spread around【Berserk】, and, what will happen from now on.」

「……My apologies but, Doctor Grant. You are――」

「A burden? I don’t think so. 【Berserk】is a defective merchandise that was created by chance. Whether it’s to improve it or making its antidote, those are out of the question without me. In other words, I am the best shield you can ask.」

Vanessa was greatly troubled with Emily’s point. Indeed, for the people who were seeking for Emily’s knowledge and ability, Emily’s life was something they had to absolutely protect. To put it another way, if she turned Emily into shield then they wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger.

If Vanessa said that she would search information against an organization in this isolated situation, then indeed it could be said to be a useful card. However, even though she was fighting to protect Emily by nature, but if she made her into something like a shield than that would mean putting the cart before the horse.

Besides, there was nothing absolute in a battlefield, on top of that an “accident” could possibly happen. And even if those didn’t happen, the enemy had no reason to not make the decision “it’s fine if she is at least alive”.

For Vanessa, taking around Emily together with her from here on was something that couldn’t be permitted. However, even with all those reasons, she was unable to simply reject and left her was surely because of Emily’s eyes. If she forced her to stay behind, then she would run off by herself. That risk was something possible with the current Emily.

How should she persuade her……Vanessa was at a loss, but before Vanessa could say something, the one who spoke to Emily who said rash things, was Kousuke who was being reserved.

「Look here……as I thought, something like this, I think it’s better if we leave it to the pro you know? Emily is a researcher right? A researcher has their own battlefield that can only be fought by researcher isn’t it? If Vanessa-san found ally and they prepared a place for you to research【Berserk】, then Emily’s battle would be from there on, isn’t that right?」

For Kousuke, it would be the best for him if Vanessa could quickly found ally organization that could give heavy protection to Emily. Because at that point of time Kousuke would become unnecessary and he could leave. Thinking so, Kousuke tried to back up Vanessa, but

「No.」

His opinion was rejected with one word. Emily didn’t even meet his gaze.

「Saying no like that, are you a child throwing tantrum huh. You understand right? You said you are going to become shield or whatever, but you are virtually still a burden. There is no way Vanessa-san will be able to use Emily as shield. That’s why, here you shou――」

「If I said no then no-!」

Hearing Kousuke’s words, this time Emily’s almond-shaped eyes glared fiercely while saying a rejection that sounded completely childish. As expected Kousuke was irritated hearing Emily’s words that weren’t even an objection but simply selfishness.

「Seriously, this isn’t the time to throw tantrum. How about you understand your own position a bit more? You are genius right? Then at least understand that much.」

「……」

Kousuke’s obviously pathetic atmosphere until now faded, and its place he replied with expression and tone that were visibly irritated. Emily trembled in shock from that. However, the flame dwelling in her eyes didn’t die down for even a bit. She couldn’t say any rebuttal and tears were oozing out slightly from her eyes, but even so she still radiated rebellion to Kousuke.

Kousuke continued his words while holding down his irritated feeling at the unreasonable Emily.

「Look here……if you keep being obstinate, and Vanessa-san get hurt again because of that――」

「What’s wrong with being obstinate huh!」

Emily interrupted Kousuke’s words and exploded.「OoU」Kousuke raised a strange voice in shock. Emily approached Kousuke who was like that and gripped his collar.

「I know already! It’s better for Vanessa-san to move by herself! That I won’t be useful if I’m with her! I know that! But, I still cannot help it! Because, because-」

「Ca, calm do――」

Kousuke caught Emily’s shoulders to try to calm her down, but right after that, he tasted an impact that shot through his heart from the words that Emily yelled next.

「Everyone, they died!」

「-」

Emily who was shedding tears with her emotion exploding kept yelling without noticing Kousuke’s condition.

「Everyone, everyone died there! In order to let me get away! In order to let me stay alive! Everyone died! They died there……」

――I told you they died! Captain Meld and Alan-san and the others, all of them! All the knights that entered the labyrinth died! In order to let me get away! Because of my fault! They died! They all died there!

The wailing that he once raised was resurrected in his head.

「I was entrusted. Everyone, they entrusted me with their hope. I, I cannot stop. Or else, or else everyone……」

He was entrusted. At that time, Kousuke was entrusted with his comrade’s hope. The knights, they entrusted their hope to Kousuke. They kept him alive and let him escape, just him――

As the result, he could save his friends but, Emily……

Kousuke stared at Emily. She was hanging her head down, clinging on Kousuke while sobbing. At the side, Vanessa’s hand reached out to stop Emily, but she saw Kousuke’s face and her breath got caught unconsciously. Vanessa didn’t understand how to describe it, it was a mysteriously transparent expression.

Kousuke gently caressed Emily’s head. And then, to the surprised Emily, he spoke with a voice that was calm, and yet it mysteriously penetrated until deep in her heart.

「I’ll become your strength.」

「……Eh?」

Emily slowly lifted up her disheveled face. Kousuke scooped the tear trickling on her cheek with his finger, and then he smiled with a troubled look.

「I’ll become your strength. I’m not Mr. K though. But, surely, it will turn out well.」

「Mis, ter K――」

「It’s Kousuke. Emily. I’m Kousuke.」

The tear on her cheek was gently wiped. It was like, the warmth of her brothers and sisters.

Emily was half in a daze while she repeated Kousuke’s name「Kou, suke?」just like how she heard it.

Even Vanessa at the side was wide-eyed. Kousuke showed a grin that was full of confidence and declared.

「It will be okay, Emily. After all I’m――」

――The right-hand man of the demon king-sama yeah?

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

The next update is planned at 6 P.M Saturday too.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep