I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! Volume 5 Read online

  Now I see, I thought. It explained why they weren’t acting like normal defective spellcasters, as well as why they never attacked the viscount himself.

  It also explained why Lord Credias never made an appearance in the RPG. Given that no defective spellcasters had ever shown up in the game, he probably didn’t have as many contract stones on hand there. If I had to guess, he’d used up his whole supply in fishing for a spellcaster; hence why he’d forced Kiara to fight for him during the war, likely lurking somewhere in the shadows as she did.

  In which case, perhaps Lord Credias had been quietly taken out not long after Kiara died.

  Right as I envisioned that scenario, I faded out of consciousness. My fever had gone down, but the exhaustion still hadn’t left me; maybe that was why.

  For a brief moment, I witnessed some sort of hallucination.

  Well done, Kiara. I had no need of that man anymore, murmured a woman, offering me praise. It was my first time ever hearing her voice, yet somehow, it felt so familiar. Now it’s time to give you that which you desired.

  She took out something to show to me. In a box small enough to sit atop her palm, there was a silver ring with a translucent green gem, fixed upon what looked almost like... a white rod?

  This was all that was left of him. But you ought to be able to tell whether it’s the real thing or not, no?

  At that, I snapped back to my senses.

  “That puts us in a hairy situation, to be honest. As long as he has enough stones, he can make as many magic-wielding soldiers as he wants. Bet he hit the mother lode somewhere.” Master Horace was finishing his previous thought, so I couldn’t have drifted out of consciousness for more than a few seconds.

  I pinched the back of my right hand—the one that wasn’t hurt. It wasn’t quite enough to clear my head, but there was no time for me to be spacing out. Not until we got back to Alan’s troops, at least.

  “But it doesn’t look like the viscount is having much effect on you this time around,” I said to Master Horace.

  “He’s holding back, obviously. He’s having fun watching you run around trying to escape, knowing he can crush you at any moment. Eeeheehee! The healthier your prey, the longer you can enjoy the hunt.”

  Lord Credias was letting us get away so he could watch us suffer, all to satisfy his own sadistic urges. From his perspective, the moment Cain was taken out of the picture, he could kill me whenever he wanted.

  It finally dawned on me why the viscount had looked so complacent, and I heaved a sigh.

  “Tired, Miss Kiara?” Cain asked.

  “I’m doing alright. I’m still feeling a bit lethargic, but that’s all.”

  In all honesty, I wanted nothing more than to lie down and take a nap. Of course, Cain was much worse off than me, and he’d still carried me all this way. I was in no position to be whining.

  “Alan’s troops shouldn’t be too far away; we’ll be there in no time. Let’s do what we can.” I didn’t want to worry Cain, so I flashed him a reassuring smile.

  With just the hint of a rueful smile, he responded, “If we don’t make it back to the main body... would you be willing to die alongside me?”

  I could practically feel my face fall. The very fact that he was asking me spoke to what grave danger we were in.

  “I don’t want to see you in the hands of that viscount.”

  He reached out to brush a hand against my cheek. Between the gentle gesture and the question he’d just asked me, I was lost for words.

  “Under normal circumstances, being a spellcaster would guarantee you a decent level of treatment as a captive. But so long as that viscount is around, you’re as powerless as an old woman on her last legs. And based on what he said... the man is clearly obsessed with you. There’s no way he would leave you undefiled.”

  Cain was exactly right. Lord Credias had made a strange comment about how I looked like someone else, and given that I’d run off on him before we could get married, there was a good chance I’d be subjected to the worst fate possible for a lady.

  Lord Credias was the only opponent I couldn’t fight off with magic. There was no telling what he might do to me.

  Still, I wasn’t going to give up and die—no matter how scary the thought was.

  “If he’s that fixated on me, I doubt he’s going to kill me. He has no reason to keep you alive, though. It’d make more sense for you to leave me behind and—”

  “I’m not going to do that,” Cain asserted. “Why would you ever think I’d abandon you? You’re irreplaceable to me—both as my sister and as something more.”

  The declaration almost brought me to tears. He cared so much about me; that realization alone offered me a bit of salvation in this hopeless situation. Still, if I let myself get too immersed in those feelings, my will to keep running was bound to melt away with the rest of me. There would be no saving me or Cain if that happened.

  “You’re my one and only brother, Sir Cain. I won’t let you die. Let’s do what we can to make sure neither of us does.”

  If they lost Cain, Alan and Reggie would be devastated, too. No matter how much they claimed otherwise, both of them looked up to the knight like an older brother.

  If my capture would lead to his death, I had to do whatever I could to keep from getting caught. I needed to get my slow wits in order and think of a solution.

  It was then that, suddenly, I heard a sound—the crunch of footsteps over dried leaves and tree branches. Either a person or a horse was drawing near.

  “Sir Cain!”

  “If it were an ally, they would have called out to us. Let’s get going. If they get too close, they’ll be able to spot us easily.”

  At the moment, we were sitting in a nook in the cliffside, with only an earthen wall erected to keep us hidden from view. Perhaps that could trick the eyes of someone far away, but the moment they got any closer, they’d be able to tell that something was off.

  We stealthily slipped out from the hollow. Every now and then we would stop where we were, holding our breath and listening for the mystery guest’s footsteps. Whoever they were, they were still a good distance away... probably. I could hear the faint, metallic clank of their armor.

  Purposely steering clear of the source of the sound, Cain walked along the edge of the cliff. The footsteps would sometimes get closer and sometimes get farther away, but they never faded into the distance.

  “Sir Cain, let’s head up to the top of the cliff. I’ll make us a staircase. If our pursuer is on horseback, we’ll be able to shake him. The viscount and his lackeys shouldn’t be around anymore, since they left to find a way down.”

  “Do you think you can manage it?”

  “I’ll have to.”

  There was no other way if we wanted to survive. Cain acknowledged that with a nod... only to thrust me away seconds later, the same moment I heard something slash through the air.

  As I slumped down onto the ground, I watched an arrow whizz past my eyes. Cain, who had gotten to his feet to shield me behind his back, was staring fixedly at a certain spot.

  Our assailant spoke in a tone casual enough to have no place on the battlefield. “Oho. Lord Bullfrog wasn’t lying, I see. You really are indisposed.”

  There was no mistaking that voice—and this was the worst possible time to be hearing it. Oh, how I wished it could have been anyone else.

  “I figured the spellcaster would come this way, and what do you know? It looks like that prediction was on the mark. I was right to slip away on my own. Am I good or what?”

  Singing his own praises, the man lazily emerged from behind a tree. His rusty red hair was a bit on the long side, and his eyes were sharp and gray—it was none other than Isaac.

  The first time we’d met, he’d pretended to be a merchant. He’d seemed like such a good person, cheering me up when I was down about Reggie denying me the opportunity to fight. But now... I knew that he was the king of Salekhard, who had formed an alliance with Llewyne and invaded Farzia.

  “Can’t say I expected you to have a knight with you, though.”

  At first, it looked like he’d come here alone. Soon, however, I heard the beat of horses’ hooves approaching, followed by a dozen cavalrymen coming up behind him.

  When he caught sight of Isaac’s green cape, Cain deduced that he must be a Salekhardian. Of course, the whole point of the different colors was to prevent friendly fire, so that was to be expected.

  “You disguised the sound of your approach by moving alone, I see,” Cain muttered, realizing that using those noises to guide his escape had been his downfall. Still, he didn’t sound particularly upset; to the contrary, he appeared oddly calm about this turn of events.

  As for me? I couldn’t even bring myself to open my mouth and say something. Whenever Isaac looked at me, it wasn’t with the same gentle gaze he’d shown me before. The ice in his eyes chilled me to the bone; I may as well have been a pebble on the side of the road to him. Worse still, he hadn’t even bothered to lower his sword.

  Eventually, Isaac took a step toward us.

  I had no idea how strong he actually was. What I did know, however, was that Cain’s injuries were going to put him at a disadvantage. I desperately tried to think of a way to stop him, but I came up empty.

  “Isaac...” Sensing that this wasn’t the time or place to be asking for mercy, all I could do was call out his name.

  The redhead came to a halt. “Why, if it isn’t our little miss mage. If I’m being honest, you present little more than an obstacle to me. I’ll kill you as soon as I’m done with this man, so wait your turn like a good girl.”

  He wouldn’t even say my name in return.

  It was then that I realized that I’d been holding onto the naive hope that he might help
me out the way he always had in the past. But that wasn’t going to happen; right now, he was standing before me as the king of Salekhard.

  Cain held his sword at the ready, blood oozing from his open wounds.

  The color drained from my face. At this rate, he really was going to die. An image of Cain lying covered in blood crossed my mind.

  I needed to get these two away from each other. I didn’t want Cain to die. I didn’t want him to get killed by Isaac. But I was scared of hurting Isaac, too.

  “Wha...? Little disciple?!” By the time Master Horace cried out in dismay, I had already cast my spell. The ground all around me turned into a giant pincushion, spikes protruding from the earth.

  “Go away!” I screamed.

  The wave of earthen barbs rippled over the ground. Just as I’d demanded, the knights who had lined up behind Isaac hastily drew back.

  And yet, Isaac himself only took another step forward. Weaving his way through the extending spikes that threatened to tear into his limbs, he rushed forward to clash swords with Cain.

  That was when I knew that I’d failed. Isaac probably realized that if he got right up close to Cain, I wouldn’t be able to hit him with my magic. I couldn’t risk Cain getting caught in the crossfire, after all.

  I couldn’t attack anymore. The mana in my body was spiraling out of control, painful enough to make me clutch at my chest. It was so bad that I would’ve coughed it up, blood and all, if that was what it would take to make me feel better.

  “You fool! What, are you trying to take years off your own life?” Master Horace berated me in hushed tones.

  Sorry, Master Horace. If I’m going to end up dead either way, I want to do as much as I can.

  “Sorry for dragging you down with me.”

  “Hey, don’t apologize. I’m not even alive to begin with.”

  Master Horace’s words of reassurance tugged at my heartstrings. Even so, I had to create a chance for Cain to escape.

  There was only one thing left that I could do.

  “Just act like a real doll for a bit, okay?” With that request, I turned my gaze toward Isaac and Cain.

  They were still in the heat of their silent battle. Isaac slashed at Cain, and Cain parried his strike. It looked almost like a sword dance they’d learned the moves to already. Cain was sent tumbling back by Isaac’s kick, knocking him off balance. He quickly pulled himself upright, pivoting into a thrust, only to be pushed back yet again. Then they exchanged blows once more.

  Before long, Cain was running out of breath. Isaac, meanwhile, was composed enough that the smile hadn’t fallen from his face. “Now I wish I could’ve dueled you when you weren’t already hurt.”

  Upon clashing swords for the umpteenth time, Isaac swept Cain’s feet out from under him. Even as he toppled over, Cain kept a firm grip on his weapon. Aiming to parry the next blow of Isaac’s sword, he raised his arm.

  However, the tip of Isaac’s sword instead drew a smooth arc in the air, cutting into Cain’s leg, sending his sword flying, and then running him through the stomach.

  The only reason I didn’t scream was because I couldn’t find my voice.

  After Isaac pulled out his sword, dripping with blood, Cain crumpled to the ground.

  My arms and legs were trembling violently. Still, standing there crying and doing nothing wasn’t going to help Cain. I forced my joints into motion, pushing myself forward with everything I had. I threw myself over Cain, as if to shield him.

  “Don’t kill him...” I didn’t have the energy to so much as raise my voice, but I couldn’t let myself pass out just yet. There was something I still had to do.

  My movements were sluggish, but Isaac didn’t move in to stop me. That alone was enough to reassure me.

  Thank God. That means he might actually go for my proposal.

  I put my idea into words. “You want a spellcaster, don’t you, Isaac? Isn’t that why you asked me to go with you before?”

  When I glanced up, I saw Isaac wordlessly meet my gaze. He stayed silent, fixing me with a stern look—as if pressing me to put my resolve into words.

  “I’ll go with you to Salekhard. I’ll join your side, so please, just spare his life,” I declared, my voice wavering.

  “Miss Kia—” Cain probably wanted to stop me. Stubbornly holding on to consciousness, he called out my name, but I pretended I hadn’t heard him. It wasn’t like I really wanted to do this, either. Becoming an ally of Salekhard meant becoming an enemy of Farzia.

  “Let Sir Cain go. In exchange, I promise to serve under you.”

  Isaac mulled that over for a few seconds before answering. “Hmm. Your resolve is admirable, Kiara. But are you sure? There’s no telling how you’ll be treated. You’re a spellcaster, after all. I can’t hand you an opportunity to trick me.”

  Now that he was acting as king, Isaac wasn’t going to say, “Sure, why not?” and abscond with me just like that. The ice in his gaze—the way he looked at me like a stranger—was enough to make me wince.

  Unlike the viscount, Isaac had no trick to keep me in check. Thus, I couldn’t imagine what he might do to ensure I stay in line. What was I going to do if he had me tortured? Or if he did something no better than what Lord Credias would?

  Just thinking about it made me want to cry. Still, it wasn’t enough to break my resolve to rescue Cain. Now that I could do little but sink miserably to the ground, this body of mine was the only thing I had to bring to the table.

  Besides, his lack of confidence that he could keep the upper hand actually put my mind at ease.

  I nodded. “I can’t use magic right now. I doubt I could put up much of a fight if you decided to carry me off somewhere, and if it means you’ll let Sir Cain go... I’ll listen to you.”

  “Very well,” declared Isaac.

  Cain tried to stop me. “No! You should just make a run for it—-”

  Although he’d just asked me to die with him earlier, I knew Cain would never let me run off to my doom. Thus, I just smiled and said, “I don’t want you to die. You’re my only big brother in the whole world. How could I just stand by and watch my loving family get killed?”

  “But there’s no need for you to sacrifice yourself. What about His High—?”

  I touched a finger to his lips, cutting him off. Surreptitiously, I placed the back of my hand on the wound on his stomach.

  “I’m sorry; I know I’m being selfish. Either way, it’ll be fine for you to go back on your own. I know Reggie will understand. He knows better than anyone how much I wanted a family. If it was to save you, the person who’s like a brother to me... he knows I’d do something like this.”

  I clenched my teeth together, holding back a sob. Cain looked like he still wanted to argue, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. Using my blood, which was still flowing freely, I attempted to heal his wound with my magic.

  Pretending to cry, I hung my head. My tears were falling of their own accord, soaking Cain’s clothes, so Isaac would probably believe I was merely sobbing. That was only going to buy me a tiny bit of time; still, I wanted to do whatever I could to increase Cain’s chances of survival.

  Perhaps due to the pain of the spell, Cain appeared to have lost consciousness. I continued to cast my magic, concentrating my efforts on his internal injuries. If I’d healed the external ones, Isaac would have caught on to what I was doing. Besides, a little salve in the right place was all it would take to patch up those flesh wounds.

  Unfortunately, I’d lost a little too much blood, and using my magic had cost me even more stamina than my injury. Although I’d managed to keep Cain alive for now, there was no telling if Alan and the other Farzians would be able to save him. It was going to take another miracle for Cain to survive this, but this was the limit of what I could do.

  Strangely enough, I didn’t feel much worse than before, even though I’d just cast magic when I was already pushed to my limits. Why was that?

  “Have you finished your goodbyes?” It was some number of seconds later that Isaac finally asked me that, gripping me by the shoulder.