'It's Myria...'
"...Rei...ka..."
As those words escaped her lips, the atmosphere completely changed around us, as she dropped her bow from her back and...
...
...
...
"REIKAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"
*THUD*
Myria had thrown me off balance, when she unexpectedly charged at me, but rather than attacked me... Was she hugging me? And even more, she was tickling, caressing and fondling me?!
"REIKA!!! I'VE BEEN SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!!"
"""""""HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!"""""""
Everyone exclaimed in surprise when Myria suddenly came charging at me with the single, happiest face I have seen in my entire lifespan. 'DIDN'T SHE JUST HAVE ENOUGH KILLING INTENT AROUND HER TO SCARE THAT CERBERUS FROM BEFORE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT?!' I was left in shock, and all I could manage to formulate was:
"WHA-WHAAAAAAT?!?!"
I wasn't comprehending anything going on around me... Seriously... 'TOO FAST, TOO FAST! WHY IS SHE HUGGING ME?! Didn't I almost kill her just 2 days ago?!'
"Reika!!! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"
Her happiness was overwhelming... 'But why is she being so joyful...?'
"But..."
It was strange... I had started feeling useful these last 2 days, while they were troublesome... they made me feel fulfilled yet... I began to feel my sadness, depression, and guilt flourishing once more, in my fresh memories...
"...I almost hurt you..."
I could feel my eyes watering as Myria's care began slowing, and her hug lost grip...
"...I almost killed you... I almost couldn't bring myself to stop..."
...
Absolute silence fell around the room. Nobody dared to speak as the atmosphere became gloomy.
'I knew it... I'm useless... There is no point in even trying my second life is there?'
...
"But you can sto-
"BUT YOU STOPPED!"
I was taken aback and directly faced a determined Myria... 'Did she just...?'
...
She had clearly just talked over that disgusting female voice... I was moved by her determination as she continued:
"YOU STOPPED DIDN'T YOU!?"
'But...'
"I saw you suffering so much when you were almost RAPED by those horrible bandits"
'But...'
"I saw a side of you, you clearly wanted to keep hidden when we spoke, and that's alright!"
'But...'
"I spoke to you for a good amount of time... so I can be sure..."
'But...'
"...You are a good person!"
As those final words left her lips, tears were already rolling down my cheeks...
"Thank you..."
I hugged her, keeping her close to my body, as I began crying in joy... that someone who I thought would hate me forever... had understood me...
"It's alright... It's alright... It's all going to be alright Reika..."
She said as she caressed my head... It was so warm... so loving... I felt useful...
※
About 15 minutes had passed and I had finally calmed down. It turns out I had been gone from Litherm for nearly 2 days... 'I guess I spent too much time slaying those ore golems, hehe'
So anyway, apparently Myria was here because when a sudden powerful tornado of blue iridescent flames emerged from the top of the cave where there has been some suspicious activity, besides the fact of an adventurer who had beaten the guild master across the guild's arena hadn't returned, urgent measures needed to be taken...
And those urgent measures comprised, of taking the princess of the kingdom along with several knights to find out what was happening...
...
...
...
Yes... apparently Myria... is not just Myria... She's Myria Celes... The princess of Litherm kingdom and one of the strongest warriors of Litherm kingdom, despite her never seeing actual combat.
...
...
...
Yes, it takes a lot of time for that to sink in... My only 2 friends since coming to this world are the princesses from the demon and Litherm kingdoms...
'Just why do I have to end up in all of this?!?!' Besides, both of them are insanely powerful...
When I used [Master Appraisal] on Myria, and this is what I got:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Myria Celes
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Race: Human
Class: Grand Magic Archer
Lvl: 645
HP: 1,585,865/1,585,865
MP: 3,546,876/3,546,876
STR: 154,389
DEF: 395,534
SPD: 312,786
MRES: 1,965,654
Skills: [Holy Beam], [Holy Radiance], [Aftermath], [Ravage], [Union], [Angelical Horn], [Purge], [Cleanse], [Holy Light], [Fire Shot], [Imperial Essence], [Judgement Arrow], [Fire arrow], [Heaven's wrath], [God's arrow]
Affinities: [Holy], [Fire]
Titles: [Litherm Princess], [Rebel Princess], [Magic Archer], [Blessed], [Goddess of Aim]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems incredibly similar to someone else's status... (AN: Scarlet is virtually the same in terms of strength as Myria)
As it turns out, the only reason, Myria wasn't able to kill the rogue adventurers or bandits, or rapists, or whatever! on her own, was because: For one, she didn't have her 'Heaven's Bow', a mythical grade item, capable of killing thousands. Second, she had never actually fought to the death before, and as such, was terrified at what they could do to her. And third, she was apparently drugged as she was sleeping, so when she attempted to retaliate, it was far too late...
But this really took me by surprise... I didn't expect this frail-looking girl... to end up being so strong!
...
'Well, the same thing could be said for me, now that I think about it...'
After sulking for some minutes over my current predicaments we ended up heading back to the Litherm Kingdom along with Myria... on her royal carriage... Surrounded by her royal knights...
And to my dismay, rather than taking us to the entrance of Litherm Kingdom... she took us to her royal palace... under the excuse:
"No friends of mine will ever sleep in a place unfit for them!"
When we arrived at the Litherm Kingdom, we were received with cheers and celebration... It was truly mind-blowing... 'Just what would've happened if I killed this girl...?' It was a thought that had crept my mind, for some inexplicable reason, but I quickly swiped it away...
By this point in the trip... Scarlet and Myria had already become good friends. And while Scarlet, does look unnatural considering her pointy ears and pale skin, she was actually well received in the kingdom...
Thanks to Myria... So I guess, there was little to no trouble there... I suppose.
※
We had finally arrived at our destination, Scarlet and me were both given rooms next to Myria's in the royal accommodation. And seriously... when I entered the room, it was the single most reflective thing, I've seen in my entire life... The roof was chiseled marble, the floor was antique wood planks decorated with silver linings and glorious paintings hanged on every wall.
And the bed... THE BED!!! It was the single largest bed my eyes, have ever laid upon!!! IT LOOKED SO COMFORTABLE! The moment I finished gasping at my room I immediately jumped into it and began making myself comfortable.
"Ahhhhh〜 This bed is wonderful〜"
It truly was... So much so, that when I began to feel, warm and cuddly, I was ready to fall asleep... but:
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
"Reika!!! Dinner is ready, please come, join us! My parents want to meet you!"
Said Myria's voice from across the door...
"Yes! Yes! Coming!"
'I guess the sleeping will have to wait?' I thought a little annoyed...
"Welp, time to meet the king and queen!"
※
When I arrived at the table everyone stared at me with their mouths agape...
'Did I do something wrong? Did I dress weirdly?! I mean, I did arrive pretty late... but this new body is hard to shower...'
But as I began to delve into my thoughts a unison of voices, including the servant's and monarch's silently said:
""""""""""""Beautiful...""""""""""""
I was caught off guard, by what they said and I blushed immediately at their reaction... all things considered... I wasn't wearing my adventurer clothes right now. I was wearing a fancy purple one-piece dress I was giving, which looked very fancy, with white outlines. Besides, for once, ever since becoming a girl, I actually fixed and prepared my hair, which wass very time-consuming, but ended up looking stunning. Even I was enticed for a couple of minutes looking at my reflection... and doing other things... but don't mind THAT!
Anyways, as I took my seat, we began to eat. the dinner was absolutely exquisite and Myria's parents were surprisingly nice, in contrast with those horrible monarchs from the Everidian Kingdom... We had been talking and exchanging some minor information about each other, but it was an incredibly joyful conversation... it made me happy...
However, for some reason, I had felt a little... uneasy... throughout the dinner... it felt like something was missing? I didn't know why this was happening... nothing of the likes had ever happened before, but it was still, quite strange, and I couldn't brush it off for some reason... However, I decided to endure it, since I was having quite a lot of fun, since a long time ago.
※
As the night progressed and we finished our plates, Myria's father, the king suddenly interrupted our eager conversation and called for our attention by elegantly tapping his spoon on his glass,
*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*
"I would like to propose a toast... to Reika... the valiant adventurer, who saved my daughter's life... I am incomparably obliged... We shall suitably reward you, my dear..."
I was speechless... as everyone cheerfully clapped and began to toast...
for me...
I felt happy... so happy... I didn't care about the reward... I cared about being useful... being cared for... being THANKED!!! I was overjoyed by his words... and I guess a little too overjoyed because I began crying tears of joy...
"Oh, my dear... what's wrong?"
Asked kindly the queen, to which I responded with my kindest smile...
"Nothing... for once... absolutely nothing is wrong...!"
※
The dinner was now over, and I was now snuggling in my bed staring at the chiseled ceiling of my room...
For some reason, the strange sensation had only grown stronger, since the dinner...
It made me feel so uneasy, that I simply couldn't sleep despite, having the most comfortable bed under me right now...
I rolled around, everywhere trying to catch some sleep yet I couldn't...
※
About 1 hour had passed since I began rolling around... for some reason... my uneasiness had only grown... but it had started... transforming... it wasn't only uneasiness... For some reason, I could feel my depression, anger, frustration, annoyance, regret, hate and more... pulsating inside me... as if calling out to me...
"Unsh..."
"...kyak..."
"...the..."
"...bouk..."
※
I no longer know, how much time has passed since then... the whispers had become voices... and begun to torment me unimaginably...
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
I did not understand why this was happening... I could only attempt to cover my ears, but the voices did not stop...
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
"UNSHEATHE BOUKYAKU"
※
I felt, my heads and my thoughts collapsing... I could feel my head exploding from the torment these voices brought upon me...
"UNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKUUNSHEATHEBOUKYAKU"
I couldn't take it anymore... It hurt...
'The voices hurt...'
'My feelings hurt...'
'I had been so happy...'
'yet I feel so hollow right now...'
'I can't hold on anymore...'
※
3rd Person P.O.V.
Reika suddenly stopped moving... She was no longer, squirming, complaining or grabbing her head... She now had a cold... heartless... and almost dead-like gaze...
She silently stood up from her bed with a swift movement and walked barefooted towards an ominous sword leaning on the decorated wall...
She took hold of the sword and unsheathed it, dropping the scabbard without a single care of the sound it produced as it hit the ground...
As she now held Boukyaku in her hands... some words escaped her lips... but this wasn't her voice... This voice wasn't filled with hope, care, and joyfulness...
All that was left, was...
Death...
"Games are over..."