The Encounter Between the Forsaken Healing Magic’s Beloved Child and the Betrayed Black Dragon Princess of Calamity - 10

Chapter 10: May Happiness Be In Your Life and Despair Befall Those Who Hurt You

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“Snif… Ehehehe….”

After crying and wailing for a while, I finally managed to calm myself down. But still, Mercedes-san’s words made me so happy. The smile wouldn’t leave my face. 

“Me-Mercedes-san… Umm… Don’t you think you should…”

“Nope. Gilbert-kun, you’re still crying, right?”

She refused to let go of me. I was still held captive in her arms. Her embrace was warm, soft and comforting, but… Well, it was also a bit difficult for me to breathe like this. 

“But still… Those people who dared to call you useless… I can’t forgive them. Of course those scum who hurt you earlier too. All of them are unforgivable…”

“A-Ahaha…”

When I looked up, there was Mercedes-san. Her beautiful face looked really terrifying. Though she was in human form now, but that gigantic black dragon was her true form. She must be incredibly strong…

“Gilberto-kun.”

“Y-Yes!”

“It’s just… If you don’t mind, could you tell me more about yourself? Like how you’ve lived so far and… Why are you here alone in this forest?”

Mercedes-san gazed at me. She had a serious expression on her face. It seemed she wouldn’t budge until I told her everything she wanted to know. 

“…Well, I don’t think you will find my story pleasant to hear though…”

“Be that as it may, I still want to know. I want to understand what kind of person you are, Gilbert-kun.”

I turned my face away, but Mercedes-san pressed on. I really didn’t want to talk about this, but it seemed I was left with no other choice. 

“I-I understand.”

I still didn’t think I should tell her, but in the end, I decided to share her my story. Part of it was because Mercedes-san wouldn’t budge, but it was also because I believed that she would truly listen to me. After all, she was the person who had told me I wasn’t useless. I told her everything that had happened to me in the last ten years, including everything I knew about myself. I told her how my mother died shortly after giving birth to me, how I was raised by Madam Polke, how I was already treated like a nuisance for as long as I knew and how… They often hit me. 

I found out I was the sixth prince of the Hylics Empire when I was six. At that time, the first noble I had met looked down on me and said, “So this is the annoying sixth prince, who was born from an affair.”

The me before a month ago would’ve been grateful to that noble. Thanks to them, I had come to understand that I had a father and that I wasn’t alone. I would also assume that my father had personally arranged for me to live here in the imperial palace. No matter how much I was called useless… No matter how much they kicked and hit me…  Or bullied me… I wouldn’t feel hurt or lonely. The me before a month ago would still believe that someday I would be able to meet my father. 

“…But in the end, I was a useless child after all. I was abandoned in the Dark Forest because of that.”

After I finished telling her my story, I cast my gaze downward, giving her a wry smile as I scratched my head awkwardly. Right. I was abandoned here to die. After all, my existence was nothing but a liability to the Emperor and the empire. I had read about it in a book in the library. Uumm… It was something about a ‘bastard’ or something similar. Basically when the king had a hidden child, people would try to take advantage of that to seize the country and in the worst case scenario, the nation could be destroyed in the process. In other words, my existence would bring forth that kind of risk.

“Me-Mercedes-san?”

When I looked up, tears were streaming down from Mercedes-san’s eyes. Her crimson eyes sparkled with transparent droplets and though this wasn’t the right time to be thinking like this, but her eyes looked as beautiful as precious jewels. No. Her eyes were even more beautiful than any jewel.

“…Unforgivable. All the humans who trampled on your life and honor… Only to abandon you in a place like this…”

“Ah…”

A smoldering rage was clearly visible on her beautiful face as Mercedes-san murmured those words out. I never expected she would get this furious for someone like me. However, this only made me feel guilty instead. If I hadn’t told her all that unnecessary stuff, Mercedes-san wouldn’t need to experience this unpleasant emotion. 

“U-Umm… I-I’m sorry, I didn’t want to tell you anything because my story is nothing interesting-“

“No. I should be the one apologizing for making you remember such a painful memory… But, please rest assured.”

She whispered while hugging me tightly. Mercedes-san then stared into my face. 

“From now on, I will never let you feel that way again. I promise. I shall bring happiness in your life and despair to those who hurt you.”

“U-Umm…”

From the looks in her eyes as she gazed at me, I could tell those weren’t just empty threats. She was downright furious, to the point she would make that threat for my sake. 

“Umm… Your words alone are more than enough for me. Thank you very much.”

I gently pushed against Mercedes-san’s shoulders to create some distance between us and bowed my head deeply at her. What she said made me happy, so much so that I felt like I was walking on the clouds. But, I didn’t want to trouble such a wonderful person like her, especially for the sake of someone like me. When we first met, Mercedes-san was injured all over. She had undergone plenty of hardships herself. Someone must be after her life. Those two men wouldn’t be the last and in that case… Someone like me would only get in her way. I mustn’t stay by her side. 

“Do-Don’t worry! As you can see, there’s a beautiful stream nearby. I won’t have any trouble finding drinking water and strange enough, no monsters ever appear! I think I can survive just fine on my own!”

I put on the brightest smile I could muster and put on a brave face, assuring both her and myself that I would be okay. If I didn’t do this much, this kind woman would surely tie herself down to someone like me. I couldn’t let her do that. 

But then…

“Hoo… I had my suspicions so I came back and sure enough… I was right after all.”

“-?!”

The two men from earlier stepped out from behind the shadows of the trees.

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