I Blue : Reincarnated as a Cursed Crit-Based Swordwoman-Chapter 21: The Gentle Beast Unleashed

"... I see."

Hearing about her eventual execution, Momo sounded as calm as ever. One could hardly imagine that it was an attempt to kill her employer that had brought her here in the first place.

"It doesn't look very good for me, does it? The servants here don't like you very much, after all."

"... Yes," Noah admitted hesitantly.

"Well, at least you succeeded in getting one servant to join your side. Good job. Maybe... you'll be able to pull it off after all."

"... Y-Yes."

"..."

There was another long silence, the kind that seemed to stretch endlessly in the dim, suffocating air of the underground cell.

"... Are you still here?" Momo asked, her voice as even as ever.

"Y-Yes."

"Is there something else you wanted to say?"

"... Uh... C-Ca... Can I... er..."

Noah faltered mid-sentence, glancing nervously at the pale maid beside him. Her pale pink eyes stared at him intently, her expression betraying no emotion beyond a faint, knowing smile. It was clear she had no intention of helping him finish his sentence. If anything, he suspected she was enjoying his discomfort.

"Can I... see... you?"

The words came more naturally as he steadied himself. Noah knew his teacher was a strong person—or at least she gave the impression of strength, maintaining her composure even in this dire situation.

That said, he had glimpsed her more emotional side before. He suspected her calmness might be a facade, a way of coping with their shared predicament.

"... It would be best if you didn't," Momo replied flatly.

Of course, he hadn't expected her to agree right away. Perhaps she was suffering on the inside, unable to express herself because of her pride. If that was the case, he had to show her that he wouldn't think any less of her, no matter what.

"I d-don't... uh... mi... mind it!" he blurted out, his words tripping over each other.

He wanted to let her know he would stand by her side, that he wouldn't let her down.

"N-No matter... uh... what... no matter—"

"Then you might as well leave me to die."

"!"

Her swift response hit Noah like a slap. Leave her to die? What did she mean by that?

As if reading his thoughts, the pale maid finally opened her mouth again. "Mistress Vasilisa wants to see Miss Momo no matter what, but does Miss Momo want to see Mistress Vasilisa?"

"What... uh..."

"What am I talking about?" she cut, her cold eyes looking down on him. "Mistress Vasilisa is... 'worried' about Miss Momo. That she probably understands, and judging from how she quickly analyzed me earlier, she must know you wouldn't think any less of her no matter in which situation you found her in. Mistress Vasilisa just lacks that much in the personality department, after all..."

Noah tried his best to not show any sign of anger, knowing that it was exactly what the maid expected from him. He had to ignore every single provocation, or he would only prove to her that he was exactly the beast she expected to bring out with those words.

"... Hmph. As I said, Miss Vasilisa truly lacks in the personality department, which is why she is such a 'nice' and 'round' person, hardly judging people for things beyond their control. A 'true pacifist,' so to speak?"

He just had to ignore her insinuations. She was speaking into the void, after all. There was no need for him to listen to her anymore.

"But has Miss Vasilisa considered that Miss Momo would be the one to judge herself should she see her?"

"...?"

"That we call shame, Mistress Vasilisa."

"..."

Indeed, he hadn't considered that. Momo had her pride as his teacher, and even if he wouldn't see her any differently no matter what state she was in, she could feel miserable just from being seen.

"Ah... Her idiosyncrasies aside, your new ally seems to have at least some level of knowledge when it comes to decrypting people's emotions. That might be useful to you... if she doesn't betray you before it does, that is," said Momo.

"I would never!" replied Arachnea with a wide smile on her face. "If anything, she might be the one to betray me~♥!"

"(... She might)," Noah thought.

Momo, ignoring the maid's insinuations, asked in a quieter voice. "So, how does Miss... Miss Arachnea, was it? How does my situation appear to you? Do you think you will be able to gather a majority of witnesses?"

"...!"

Noah's heart skipped a beat. Momo probably didn't know what he did after she died last time. She wouldn't ask that question otherwise, would she?

If that was the case, it would have been better not to tell her the truth yet. He didn't want to lie to her, but in her current situation, such information would only lower her morale.

"H-Huh...ac... actually..."

But before he could respond, Arachnea jumped in.

"Oh? Wasn't Miss Momo informed about what Mistress Vasilisa did?"

"A-Ara... Arachnea!!!" Noah shouted, his voice cracking. He had totally forgotten about that maid—of course she would talk carelessly about something like that just to push Momo into despair!

"She made a surprisingly high number of friends among the staff by protecting Miss Momo," Arachnea said, ignoring him entirely. "She should've seen her. I was so smitten I decided to dedicate my life to her right then and there!"

"H-Huh?"

"Oh, so you're not her only ally?"

"Of course not! I'm just the beautiful maid she brings everywhere because she loves me more than anyone—even Miss Momo."

"(What is she going on about?)"

Momo stayed silent for a moment before replying. "... I see. Well then, take care of her for me."

Arachnea gave a small bow. "I already am. Miss Momo should worry more about herself."

Her voice dropped slightly, her next words heavy with meaning. "She wouldn't let Mistress Vasilisa's efforts go to waste, would she?"

Momo's gaze softened ever so slightly. "... Very well. I will do my best."

"A half-hearted reply she gives us, Mistress Vasilisa. Is she okay with that?"

"I am not exactly but—" tried to reply Momo, but the pale maid cut her.

"Excuse me, but I wasn't talking to Miss Momo."

"Hm?"

Noah raised an eyebrow. The maid was staring at him as she awaited a reply.

"... Huh... A... Are you..."

"Talking about Mistress Vasilisa? I am. Who else could I be talking about?"

"(You don't usually refer to the person you are directly talking to in the third person but whatever...) I... erm... am..."

"Lack of personality as I said, but here, Miss Momo has the gist of it," she said, looking at the cell's bars.

"Okay... I will be waiting for the good news..."

Momo sounded a bit more tired than earlier for some reason. Maybe talking so much was hard for her, though staying here alone, in the dark, must have been harder. If he could, Noah would have stayed here and talked with her as long as possible, but there was no time. If he wanted to save her, he had to act now.

"Mo...uh... Mo...mo..."

"Hm?" his teacher replied faintly.

"We... er... We... We will... uh... go outside and... f-finish my training... I... er... I promise..."

Again, Momo stayed silent for a moment as if digesting his words. In a low voice, she replied to him with a tone that seemed unusually merry.

"I would like to..."

"... Y-Yeah."

He couldn't see her in the end, but even without that... the feeling of being counted on gave him the courage to fight against what was to come. He knew that it wouldn't be just any ordeal, but he felt incredibly confident all of a sudden. No, it wasn't confidence—it was a sense of purpose.

As he walked away from the cell, his resolve grew stronger. Each step echoed loudly in the cold, damp corridor. He knew Arachnea was trailing close behind, humming an eerie, tuneless melody that grated on his nerves.

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"Miss Vasilisa seems rather determined," she teased. "Does she think Miss Momo will cry when she saves her?"

Noah didn't answer. His mind was focused entirely on what he had to do while trying to ignore he probably had to do it with that woman.

"Ah, no fun," Arachnea sighed dramatically, skipping ahead of him. "But don't worry. I'll make sure Mistress Vasilisa doesn't mess this up. After all, I'd hate for Miss Momo to judge her as a failure... For I am the only one allowed to do so..."

"..."

He wasn't the same Noah that attempted to flee without information last time. He wasn't the same Noah that let Momo die in the first place. He had to succeed. This time, he absolutely needed to succeed even if it meant...

"A... Ara..."

"Yes? Did Mistress Vasilisa call for me?" replied the young woman, eagerly.

"I... I will..."

He took a deep breath and looked into her crazed pink eyes.

"I will... show... it to you... again..."

That beast you are so smitten with.