Chapter 310

Marina and Nana.

Two of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire.

Marina Debius tried to kill the Emperor.

Because her son, Secundus, was killed by the Emperor.

Nana Nereyades tried to protect the Emperor.

Because even though she loved Secundus, Ferbias is the Emperor.

“Stand back, Your Majesty.”

Nana was dressed in a sea-colored coat.

She carried a giant oar on her back.

She nonchalantly swung with one hand the super-sized oar that twenty strong men would barely be able to move.

This super-sized oar is a memento of the Whale of Hobel Bay, Niko Nereyades.

It is just huge and heavy, not made of any particularly special material.

Although it was constantly worn down, burned, and damaged through various battles, it was also easy to fix.

Nana, grasping the super-sized oar, stood blocking Marina’s way.

“This Nine-Streams General will handle this place.”

“…Nana…!”

The Seven-Forged General, Marina Debius, growled.

Her face is ferocious.

It is the face of a mother who has lost her young.

She looks like she wants to bite off Ferbias’s neck and bathe in his blood right this moment.

Hatred that absolutely would not cool down otherwise burned in her heart.

“……How could you do that?”

The hatred soon turned toward Nana.

Originally, hatred is like that.

Even though it is a feeling of blaming innocents, it looks impeccably right in one’s own eyes.

Marina felt that her anger toward Nana was justified.

“It was a short time, but I considered you like family…!”

“I know. I am only grateful.”

“In the end, you are also a traitor!”

Marina bared her teeth and got angry.

The spear held in her hand rang loudly.

She pointed the sharp blue spear tip toward Nana.

“Secundus! My child! You only used that child’s feelings! You’re bad! You, you, bad…!”

“No.”

Nana spoke firmly.

“That is not true, Seven-Forged General.”

Moonlight.

Nana took off her sea-colored hat and threw it away.

Half of that face is in a hideous state.

It is due to being wounded in the fight with Shion.

And also, below both her eyes was all raw.

Her eyes are red even now.

“I am still crying every night.”

“…….”

Marina realized that Nana’s words were true.

She didn’t want to believe it, but she came to believe it.

As she said, Nana was still crying.

Her first love who approached her, the man like a monolith who left too quickly, whom she sent away without even being able to share a single meal which wasn’t much… Secundus Debius.

Marina Debius, feeling the traces of her son in Nana’s heart, could not bring herself to say more.

Ferbias also came to know the relationship between Nana and Secundus only then.

He felt a very unfamiliar feeling realizing the affection between his half-brother and his school junior, and soon recalled the fact that he was the one who killed his half-brother and felt guilt.

Having run away from the Emperor’s seat, he had no strength to fight and win against the guilt.

“Then….”

Marina Debius ground her teeth.

“…If you are still crying because of Secundus….”

At the same time, she firmly gripped the spear with her thumb and index finger.

“…Why are you blocking me, Nana.”

“Because he is His Majesty.”

Nana recalls Niko.

The Whale of Hobel Bay lost two childhood friends to the Empire.

One of them was even his first love whom he had secretly loved for a long time.

Yet Niko served the Empire as a soldier with loyalty all his life.

Not because it was a matter of right and wrong, but because that was the place in life given to him.

“Still, because he is His Majesty.”

She is a Nereyades.

She is the granddaughter of proud Niko.

Just as he lived submitting to his life, Nana also chose submission to life.

She is a Ten Great General of the Empire and Ferbias is the Emperor.

Then she has no choice but to protect him.

She decided not to even think of other possibilities.

“Fine, try it.”

Good. Before the words even finished, Marina Debius lunged.

Her spear is not an ordinary one.

It was a lump of iron the size of a fishing boat shaped into the form of a spear by magic.

Naturally, the weight is the weight of a lump of iron the size of a fishing boat.

“When I was in my prime, you were a suckling babe-!”

“That’s right.”

Nana blocked Marina’s spear without difficulty.

Her super-sized oar was also as heavy as Marina’s spear.

At the clash of the two weights, Ferbias’s knees buckled.

“And that was….”

Nana unwittingly bared her teeth and smiled.

Because she too is an unavoidable Ten Great General of the Empire, soon to be a battle maniac.

“…A very long time ago.”

***

She wanted to swim.

She wanted to swim forever, but life drove her to the land, to the land.

But now she knows the reason she was driven.

There were people she had to meet at the end of the land where she was driven.

There were things she had to learn.

She met the White Whale.

The White Whale taught her.

How to be strong even while bleeding?

How to breathe the Great Sea?

That life is originally swimming.

She met the Regressor Prince.

She ended up learning from the Regressor Prince.

How terrible it is to be consumed by hatred.

How pitiful a distorted soul is.

A heart that pities such a Regressor Prince, the enemy who killed the White Whale.

She met a reckless man.

She learned from Secundus Debius.

The flutter of affection she harbored for the first time.

The tears shed for a lost lover.

The meaning of every day she has to live despite that.

Her swimming is deeper than before.

It absolutely could not become shallow.

Yet sometimes she comes up to the shallow place and swims as if dancing.

This signified freedom.

Swimming became a dance.

Nana Nereyades’s Ars,

‘Freestyle’.

***

Nana splashed the water.

Whether on the dirt ground or between tree branches, even if it was in empty air, she didn’t care and if she stepped, it became splashing water.

Even in a state carrying the terrifyingly heavy super-sized oar, it was no different.

“Nana-!!!”

Marina did not back down even a little against Nana wielding ‘Freestyle’.

Because she too is already wielding her Ars.

Just as Nana became freer than before, Marina also became tougher than before.

The Herculean strength that collapsed the Bellos Grand Bridge with bare hands swung the iron spear this way and that.

“Don’t stop me-!!!”

Three horns stabbing in succession.

Debius Triple Forged Horn.

Three branches of Forged Horns aim for Nana.

However, Nana, befitting the name of Freestyle, wove through the Forged Horns.

Her hem got caught a little and tore.

So it became even more like a dance.

Nana was in pain even while swimming as if dancing.

Because of her unfree heart, because of her heart missing Secundus.

However, this was her choice.

She had become so free that she could choose unfreedom.

Yes. That is how it is.

True freedom is revealed in choosing unfreedom.

She wanted to be bound herself.

Even after being fully released, she bound herself tightly with affection toward Secundus.

So she is freer than anyone. She was a free person who didn’t even need to prove it.

She was finally Nana Nereyades herself, so she was dignifiedly beautiful.

The mother who lost her young wails.

The sight of her shedding tears of blood was pitiable.

However, Nana leisurely blocked Marina Debius.

She even had the composure to speak to Ferbias, whose feet were frozen and couldn’t move.

“Your Majesty.”

It took a little time for Ferbias to realize the title ‘Your Majesty’ referred to him.

“Please run away.”

“…I….”

Ferbias mumbled.

“…I am not the Emperor anymore, Nana. There is no reason for you to protect me….”

“No reason?”

Nana giggled.

“Weren’t we quite close from before that, Senior Ferbias?”

“…….”

“I had a lot of fun hanging out with you, Senior. Of course, Senior was very annoying back then too, but.”

Ferbias almost shed tears unwittingly.

However, Nana did not particularly want to see even that sight.

She swung the super-sized oar wide to make Marina step back, then shouted loudly.

“I said go, Your Majesty!”

“……!!”

Ferbias Caseptus trembled, startled by the loud voice.

He was like a wild animal.

“…….”

He looked alternately at Nana and Marina, then soon took a step.

And then he ran out into the dark trees. His retreating figure was ungraceful.

So it was good to see.

Because it probably means he intends to live somehow.

Because struggling to live is originally ungraceful like that.

“Try to live.”

Nana muttered.

She was saying words similar to when Amethus sent Shion away.

Although it is a fact she has no way of knowing.

“Just, just try to live, Your Majesty….”

***

Ferbias ran away.

Nana protected him.

Ferbias became invisible, and left far enough that even with the senses of a Ten Great General of the Empire, he could absolutely not be caught.

Marina, sensing that, eventually had no choice but to back down.

“…It’s because of you.”

Marina glared at Nana while biting her lip.

Blood flowed from the bitten lip.

Nana did not run away.

She accepted her hatred entirely.

Even though Nana didn’t need to accept it, she chose to do so.

“Because of you, I couldn’t take revenge, Nana!”

“Yes. I know.”

“I will chase after him even now.”

“I will continue to block you.”

The two Ten Great Generals of the Empire looked at each other.

Marina opened her mouth.

“Can I beat you, Nana?”

“You probably can’t beat me.”

Nana took out a bundle of string from her bosom.

It looked like a slender rope at a glance, but Marina let out a lament.

The name of that rope is ‘Sinew of the Great Sea’, an Ancient Weapon.

Marina realized that Nana had been going easy on her all along.

“Since I have Grandfather’s memento.”

“…Then I should back down? Would that be wise?”

“…But you won’t do that, right?”

“Right.”

Marina suddenly laughed loudly.

She opened her mouth wide enough to show her uvula and laughed continuously.

It gave goosebumps. Her eyes were completely bloodshot.

“How can I back down?”

The Seven-Forged General raised her spear even knowing she would be defeated.

Nana also, unavoidably, wound the ‘Sinew of the Great Sea’ tightly around both her fists.

“You will know too if you lose your young.”

“…….”

Marina pulled her spear way back.

To prepare the Debius Forged Horn.

Nana bit the ‘Sinew of the Great Sea’ in her mouth.

As if putting a bridle on herself.

Nana transforms into something that is not Nana.

Yet she was still Nana.

Ancient Transformation, Charybdis.

Scales covering her.

Sharp and hideous hands and feet, jagged as if cut from a dragon and attached.

A tail wriggling under the coat.

Ferocity poured out from Nana, who had taken a form resembling a monster in the sea.

Seven horns.

Debius Seven-Forged Horn.

Even Nana could not dodge all of them.

However, the scales were thick so she avoided deep wounds.

Marina lunges fiercely, just fiercely.

She didn’t care a bit about her own safety and was just busy thrusting the spear blade.

Nana swims. Splashes water.

She wove this way and that through all places where she couldn’t swim and dodged Marina’s horns.

She just swam like that.

She did not take a sharp attitude toward Marina.

Even if the opponent was fierce, she decided not to be fierce.

“…Nana….”

Marina cried while thrusting the spear.

“…Nana…!!”

“Yes. Seven-Forged General.”

Nana answered calmly.

“I am here.”

“…How can you contain yourself so well?”

“I am not calm.”

“Liar! Unlike me who is ungraceful even with age, you are calm!”

Marina’s words resembled a scream.

The thrusting spears were likewise.

“Is it the virtue of youth, Nana? How can you be so dignified and beautiful even after losing precious things?”

“…That is probably.”

Nana answered.

“Because I have already screamed.”

“…….”

That it hurts and is painful, that I hate you, that I am right and you are wrong so pay the price to me… Because I have already screamed such ungraceful screams countless times.

It’s just that there are no more screams left to scream, but it must have looked like calmness.

Nana gave such an answer.

“…Then teach me. What should I do? How much, no, how do I have to scream… for this burning heart to subside.”

“I do not know.”

Nana Nereyades stopped swimming.

Because Marina put down her spear.

Marina Debius stopped swinging the blade and stood still, shedding tears drop by drop.

Nana approached her, and she did not block, so Nana could wipe her tears.

“However….”

Nana said while wiping Marina’s tears.

“…In Hobel Bay, I know a very delicious restaurant in Sillemol Free Market.”

“…….”

“I heard a famous restaurant in Hanchamus Islands opened a branch. It’s a person called Sideburns Gloriosus, an acquaintance of Grandfather. He said he definitely wanted to invite me and treat me.”

“…So?”

“Let’s have a meal, Seven-Forged General.”

Nana smiled brightly.

Small frame and scarred face.

Yet how is she so dignified?

“Let’s have a very wonderful meal.”

“…To Hobel Bay just for a meal? It’s a long distance.”

“So it has even more value. Wouldn’t it be good to take a train to Beribelom, and move by carriage from there?”

“…It’s strange.”

Marina had sad eyes.

“Even after losing my only son, shamelessly, I ended up looking forward to it….”

“That is it, General.”

“…….”

Marina unwittingly opened her arms toward Nana.

Even though they were clashing with weapons just a moment ago, strangely, her heart opened wide toward the small-framed Nana.

Nana jumped into that embrace without hesitation.

“Will you eat with me, Nana?”

“Of course, Your Highness Marina.”

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