Ch. 6: In the Darkness of the Castle
After being attacked by a strange toy soldier, I had somehow escaped the small, dark room, but…
Leonie had run off ahead of me and I couldn’t find him anywhere.
OO: “Leonie! Where are you?”
As I searched in the castle, before I knew it, a veil of darkness had fallen over the sky.
In the gloomy corridors of the castle, there were no signs of life, and only the occasional odd sounds could be heard in the distance.
(I’m scared…but I have to hurry and find Leonie…)
For the time being, I wandered around the castle looking for Leonie when…
Leonie: “Oooooh…courage…I don’t have any courage so…!”
OO: “Leonie!?”
In the dead end of one of the castle hallways, I found a small, quivering Leonie.
Leonie: “…OO…?”
He nervously called out my name.
Those were the events that happened to us, deep in the darkness of the castle.
Ch. 7: If I Just Had Courage
The dim corridor of the caste was filled with a gloomy aura.
From within, I had finally found the lost Leonie and I rushed over to him.
OO: “Leonie, are you alright…? You were suddenly gone, I got worried.”
But Leonie was so small and curled up, and he just kept mumbling the same thing to himself over and over.
Leonie: “…courage…oooh…if I just had courage…”
OO: “Leonie…”
Leonie: “…”
OO: “Hey, Leonie!”
Leonie: “…huh?”
I loudly called his name and clapped him on the shoulder, and he finally looked up.
His face was like that of a small, frightened animal, twisted in terror.
Leonie: “W-what…did you come to laugh at the coward?”
OO: “Of course not…but Leonie, I don’t think you’d be any different even if you had courage…”
Leonie: “W-why? It’s simple, I just need to get my courage back and…!”
Leonie looked at me as he bit his lip in frustration.
Leonie: “Or are you trying to tell me it’s impossible for someone like me to get that courage back?”
OO: “That’s not…I just don’t think courage is something another person can give you.”
Leonie: “…but Oswald did…”
His voice came out bewildered and he shrunk in on himself again.
OO: “Right…I don’t really know what it was you got back then…”
(How can I explain this to him?)
I clutched my chest and, thinking, I chose my words carefully.
OO: “I’m sure you did get something back then, but to call it courage…”
At that time…
Leonie: “!?”
Leonie sensed something and turned his sharp eyes towards the courtyard.
OO: “What’s wrong…?”
Leonie: “Something’s … out there!”
OO: “What!? The soldier from before…”
Cowering in fear, I stepped back.
But behind me was a cold, marble wall. This time, there was nowhere to run.
(What do we do…!?)
I looked around in a panic.
Leonie, his legs trembling in fear, looked out into the darkness of the courtyard.
Then…
Toy Soldier: “…!!”
Toy soldiers formed up in ranks and moving awkwardly appeared in the courtyard.
A weird noise like that of broken machinery could be heard as they drew closer.
From within the group, one of them raised its hand high overhead in the darkness.
OO: “…! Run Leonie!”
Leonie: “OO!?”
Our voices echoed loudly in the castle of the night.
Ch. 8: Budding Courage
On that eerie night, our shouts easily went unheard.
Seeing the soldier raise its hand up high, my body moved of its own accord.
OO: “Ow…”
Leonie: “OO!? Why…did you do that!?”
OO: “…I-I’m fine…it’s just a scratch.”
To save Leonie from the attack of the toy soldier, in that instant I had thrown out my body. Now, a thin stream of blood flowed from my arm.
Leonie: “You…did that for me…I’m such a coward…!”
OO: “Leonie…?”
I looked up at him as he spoke for the first time in a while, his voice low as if coming from the pit of his stomach.
Leonie: “How dare you…do that to OO…!!”
Leonie held me, and in his eyes I saw something burning within.
(That light…)
The thing swirling in his eyes was so beautiful that I naturally reached out my hand to him.
Leonie’s hot hand tightly grasped mine.
Leonie: “Sorry OO…I think I got what you were trying to say. So…!”
To protect me, Leonie put me behind him and stared directly at the looming group of toy soldiers.
Leonie: “Uwaaaaaaa!!”
An animalistic yell rang out around us.
Leonie: “Don’t think…I’ll let you lay your hands on OO again!”
Just as his right hand was raised high in the air, he recklessly swung down at the toy soldier that had injured me.
Toy Soldier: “…!?”
He smashed through the back of the soldier, scattering bits of junk all over the floor.
Seeing that, the remaining toy soldiers panicked and tried to flee.
However…
Leonie: “I don’t think so! I’ll protect OO…! Even if I’m not courageous, and I’m weak, I’ll protect this castle and the people of this town…without fail!!”
Leonie swiftly cut off the soldiers’ retreat and once more raised his fists.
With a one-two, Leonie swung out, and each time, a toy soldier was beaten down.
Toy Soldier: “…!?”
At that time, the last soldier, with nowhere to go, rushed at Leonie.
OO: “Leonie, behind you!”
Leonie: “Haaaaa!!”
At my voice, Leonie immediately flipped around and dealt a devastating blow to the toy soldier.
Leonie: “OO…OO!!”
Having finished off the soldiers, Leonie rushed back to me.
Even now, his eyes were wet with tears as if he was about to cry.
OO: “Leonie…”
As a reward for saving me, I hugged his small, trembling form.
It was hard to believe that Leonie’s trembling back had cut such a brave figure only a moment ago.
(I’m sure he was afraid, but he was able to muster his courage…)
OO: “…thank you.”
Leonie: “Hic, I was so desperate…all I was thinking about was how I had to protect you no matter what OO…”
OO: “Yeah, you were courageous…and very cool.”
Leonie: “Eh…I was courageous…?”
OO: “Yeah, the courage was within you all along.”
Leonie: “Oh…really?”
OO: “Yeah…”
He had stopped blaming himself and fought the danger before us.
I realized he hadn’t learned it from me, but from his heart, what true courage was.
Leonie: “Thanks, it’s because of you that I had courage.”
He spoke as he hugged me close.
At that time…
Just behind him, the defeated toy soldier popped and let out a plume of smoke.
Leonie: “Uwaaa!?”
OO: “I-it’s all right.”
Leonie had immediately leapt back in fright and clung to me.
In his blind spot, a single piece of paper was enveloped in the smoke and fluttered down.
(…? It looks like there’s something written there.)
Carefully, I grabbed the scrap of paper…
[Leonie – While you’re away, I’ve left these toy soldiers to guard your castle♪ — Oswald]
(This is…a letter from Oswald? Then these toy soldiers…I think it’d be best not to tell Leonie right now…)
Leonie: “W-w-w-what was that!?!”
Unaware of the letter, Leonie frantically clung to me.
OO: “It’s all right…it’s fine.
As if praising the small bit of courage that had finally blossomed within him…I continued to stroke his back, sure that it would become broader in time.
END