The New World [Magi Fanfic]

Soiled Hands

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In the end, everyone had no choice but to fight. Parthevia had already declared war on Sindria so there was no going back. Furthermore, Sindria didn't have an army but Serendine did. As much as they hated to admit it, they needed her right now.

Drakon explained the battle strategy. It'd be a defensive battle with the main focus on preventing any soldiers from entering Sindria through the only two entrances, the bridges connecting to the mainland. Serendine would go with Judar and Sinbad to kill Barbarossa and finish the battle quickly. Lucy wanted to go with them but since she was the strongest magician there, excluding Judar, she had to stay behind to protect Sindria.

All that was left to do was wait until Parthevia's troops started attacking. Lucy was watching from the sky, flying hardly used any of her energy. It wasn't long before Sinbad was at her side in his Djinn Equip. He looked over at her.

"I won't let you." He didn't even wait for her to say anything before continuing.

"I don't care about Serendine but I do care about you. I won't let you soil your hands." He said.

"They already are..." Lucy mumbled under her breath.

"It doesn't even matter because once this war starts, I'll have to kill anyways. To protect everyone." Lucy said as she looked him in the eyes.

"Even so, I won't let you do it. Like you and Ja'far said before, sometimes there's no choice but to get your hands dirty... but I won't let you do it unnecessarily." Sinbad declared stubbornly.

"But this is not unnecessary." Lucy replied as she squeezed his hands. She cast her gaze back down.

"You promised to keep me from turning bad before, don't you remember? So, I'll do the same for you." He said as he lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him.

"... You don't understand Sin. This is the country you... no... we strove to build! And those people just trampled all over our goals! " Lucy said as she dropped her hands from his. He quickly put his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm probably the only one who does understand!" His grip tightened.

"When I saw what happened to the people of my village... I was feeling just like how you are now. I couldn't stop thinking it was my fault for leaving them unprotected and I hated Barbarossa for it... for a little bit, I even thought about killing him. I understand completely. Just like you were there for me then, I'll be here for you now." He said as he caressed her cheek.

"As your best friend and your husband, I'll protect you. I won't let you become terrible because I know you'd do the same for me. So, if you try to kill Serendine or even Falan. I'll stop you." He declared. Lucy didn't say anything but he smiled at her anyways.

"You..." Lucy sighed as she looked at him.

"You're not even my husband yet." She said stubbornly with a small huff.

"Then let me protect you as your fiancé! Let's move forward, together." Sinbad hands slid down her arms to grasp her hands. He gave them a light squeeze and was happy when she returned it.

"That was probably the lamest proposal I've ever heard." Lucy grinned, earning a small laugh from him.

"I'll retry when this is over." Sinbad said.

"Are you done with your confessions yet?" Judar's smug voice interrupted. Serendine was with him in her Djinn Equip. Lucy ignored both of them, even when Judar continuously whined her name. He even tried to reach out for her but his hands were slapped away by Sinbad.