"Argh... thanks, girls... It just feels so good to be home..."
I could feel the exhaustion holding my body down quite a bit. But as both, Myria and Scarlet aided me in my slow recovery from that nasty moment, I recovered my enthusiasm as we began walking to the gates of the Litherm Kingdom...
It surely was a strange adventure full of mishaps and really dark developments... however... In the end, everything came out just fine...
For the most part...
※
It had been nearly 2 hours since we entered the Litherm kingdom...
At first, everything had gone just fine, with Myria's parents crying in joy over our return... Even going as far as to celebrate our return with a massive feast, which I very much enjoyed... And even getting us enough time to relax and look over our wounds...
...
With a shared bath...
...
...
...
Blissful experience, to say the least...
...
...
...
After an uneventful and relaxing 2 hours though...
All of our happy happenings came to an end, when a sudden knock rang on the royal castle's doors...
...
...
...
We had completely forgotten a tiny, minuscule, small detail...
We never actually 'succeeded' in the quest to aid the Everidian party...
...
...
...
In fact, we failed completely!
With Haruto gone missing and the three Evenhide sisters slaughtered mercilessly by the demon king himself...
I would say we very much failed...
Hehe...
Or should I say...
Oops?
※
We were now walking down the main road of the Litherm Kingdom, heading straight for the adventurer's guild...
The sun was shining, the roads were lively and the summer breeze hit our faces softly giving me a faint smile...
However... that smile was only temporary... since we weren't walking alone...
In fact, from an outsider's eye, we probably looked like some sort of prisoners...
Because we were being escorted by at least 20 knights of the kingdom in a sort of convoy fashion...
It was quite clear from the face of the people around us that they were quite obviously horrified seeing their strongest party being escorted like prisoners...
Now that I think about it... I think that's what we were supposed to be... I mean who places handcuffs on someone free?
As we kept walking non-stop heading for the adventurers' guild I had noticed Myria was quite literally shaking in anxiety... While Scarlet, couldn't care less about what was happening around her...
I was a little relieved seeing the playful Scarlet return to our lives, as a warm smile crept on my face... But she obviously caught onto this... I seriously need to hold my poker face longer...
"Hehe～ Reika, having strange thoughts are we～? Will you finally accept me～?"
*Sigh*
That's really all I could let out as I brought my handcuffed hands to pat her head softly...
"Hmmm～ Reika, should do more than this to love me you know～?"
I didn't even reply as I grabbed her handcuffed hands with mine... And to end her tantrums, I gifted her with the most sincere smile I could muster...
A little embarrassing, but effective to say the least...
In the end, she pouted a bit from my lack of reply, but calmed down shortly after as her lively attitude came flooding back...
But as one conversation came to an end another one began...
Yet... I hadn't expected anything along these lines...
Without any warning, Myria silently asked:
"Reika... What do you think is going to happen now...?"
"Hmm? What do you mean...?"
"I mean, you have obviously dealt with the Everidian kingdom for far longer than I... since... you know... that..."
She had said all of this in a bashful and apologetic tone as if regretting her own words... But, I didn't find it disturbing or annoying at all as I responded nonchalantly:
"Oh, that! I mean, I've only dealt with them that one time in the past, but other than that I don't really know how they will react to this... But just seeing their guild master, that Pietro guy, makes me feel like we might run into some trouble..."
"..."
I didn't quite understand why it was... but I'm guessing I said something wrong somewhere at some point... Because the moment I finished my sentence Myria lowered her eyes to hide the small salty droplets rolling down her face...
"Uwah～ Myria? Did I say something wrong...?"
"..."
"Please, I'm sorry if I did..."
"..."
I was left in utter and complete confusion as Myria once again performed an action I had never seen coming...
...
She was faintly laughing...
...
It wasn't your typical sad laugh... nor happy laugh...
...
It was simply nostalgic... pained... regretful...
...
And as she laughed even more, tears rolled down her face... this time... her sobs were apparent enough that some of the knights around us became silent as she began talking in between sobbing:
"Hehe... *Sniff* I simply don't understand... I just don't get... how you... Reika... can be so strong... *Sniff* After hearing... all of those things you went through... I... I would've probably killed myself in your situation... In fact, any normal person would've given up... yet... you continued..."
At this point, the entire scene had gone quiet as the guards had slowed down... Scarlet silenced... and the world listened... her beautiful bittersweet tone...
"I'm just... blown away... I can't believe how... after such injustices... you're still... you! *sniff* Just look at me... a tiny mishap and I'm already a wreck... I'm not fit to rule or command a kingdom... I just wish... I was just... even just a fraction... as strong as you..."
...
...
...
It was quite obvious no one had expected such an emotional scene to develop right then and there... as some of the guards were beginning tearing up...
...
And I was no exception...
My eyes were already wells of tears by the end of Myria's small dialogue...
Yet... there was something I had to get out of my chest as well...
"Myria... I'm not as strong as you may believe... hehe... *sniff* In fact... I'm sure did think of taking my own life multiple times... I just couldn't hang on to that feeling of being useless... unwanted... Everyday... hurting... It was no way to live life... My self-harming desires... got to the point... my emotions became dull... to protect me from myself..."
My depressing tone had quite literally frozen the atmosphere around me, as the guards, Scarlet and even Myria finally gave in to the tears they had been holding back so bravely...
"And... If I'm any honest right now... the only reason I'm able to persist to this day... The very reason I'm able to stand here today... the reason I didn't snap at Haruto the moment I had the chance... is..."
"Scarlet..."
"Kira..."
"and..."
"you..."
...
...
...
No one dared to speak a word... I had never expected me, out of all people, to become sentimental in the middle of being us dragged as prisoners... yet it came to me so naturally...
...
I was left to soak in my past sadness and depression, as I opened myself up... yet... the warmth that soon spread through my body... was worth it in the end...
...
As I brought my monologue to an end... Myria in tears had approached slowly with her eyes still lowered... as she placed her arms around me and cried...
Cried out of pain... sadness... hurting... but most importantly...
Happiness...
"...Thank... *sobs* you... ...Thank... you..."
I could only smile faintly as Myria cried on my chest...
She called herself 'weak', yet she was nowhere near that... If I had to call someone out for being strong... Myria would be my choice...
Yet... right now... She was like any other 18-year-old girl crying out of regular stress or anxiety back in my old world...
Despite her strength, despite her beauty, despite her status... she is still Myria, a young innocent girl deep down...
I was moved, as the nostalgia of her sobbing spread throughout my body...
Stroking her beautiful crimson hair while clearing some of her tears with my fingertips...
I could stare and be taken by the absolute beauty of this instant...
...
...
...
Seiichi's P.O.V.
It had been a few hours since the miraculous sight of those three girls embraced by destruction...
We had finally managed to calm down from the initial shock of such an event happening...
Most people wanted to immediately fall back or retreat after seeing such a thing, yet I forced them to stay...
For more than one reason...
I had started asking the others regarding what or who those girls could've been...
Yet no one had an answer...
It seemed as if I was the only one who even remained sane enough to remember the moment clearly...
This, of course, left me frustrated... but what ticked me off far more... was that the only one who knew... Haruto... clearly didn't want to tell me anything about them...
I was sure he knew who they were...
But, I'm guessing was too oppressive on my quest for answers... Because... shortly after asking around like a madman... strange whispering and sights began to fall on me from the others...
It all happened to fast... and in the end, after the other heroes calling me delusional, lovestruck and other blasphemy...
I was forced to let the miraculous sight go...
We had finally resumed the journey towards the 'Galvan Fortress' as planned...
Sure... with many people now on edge at all stages of the mission... but at least, everyone seemed to remain on track...
...
...
...
However... I still had a problem...
Despite forcing myself to let go of that sight... of that instant...
That girl... her beauty... her being... it all seemed so familiar... yet so unknown to me...
For some reason, even after being able to wipe my memory of her 2 comrades... that last girl... I couldn't... I just couldn't forget her...
There was something about her... something unnatural... strong... yet... beautiful in every way...
...
...
...
In the end, we remained walking through the 'forest of nightmares'...
Forcing ourselves to try and fight through anything that would come across our path...
However, one thing had become apparent ever since that unprecedented event...
There were no demons... no monsters... no patrols around...
This forest was supposed to house at least one of the 'Battalions of sorrow' from the demon king's army... yet no one was here...
We had even gathered intel that the hated black-winged demon, Yuafnar, had been spotted here... yet as mentioned... no one was here... not a single sign of life present in the area...
The place was desolate...
Of course, all the others simply brushed it off with random excuses such as:
"Oh, I bet they're scared of our power!" -Hero 1
"I'm guessing that blast was their last resort and when it failed they retreated!" -Hero 2
"Who knew the demons would be such cowards!" -Hero 3
But I knew this wasn't the case...
That hadn't been an attack of the demons... otherwise, we would've been killed...
That power was simply too much to suddenly change trajectory like that...
If it was aimed at us... it would've killed us right there and then...
As far more questions than answers arose from the strange event... I was left wondering in doubt...
'Just What was that...?'
Reika's P.O.V.
After the emotional scene had melted away the hearts of the guards, we had finally resumed our journey until arriving at the adventurers' guild...
We took one deep breath before entering as we did not know what would be our fate...
But as we entered...
I saw the usual... yet... unusually if it makes any sense...
Kira.. worried to her bones while she bit off her nails...
Callum desperately trying to argue with Pietro who seemed to be holding back something with anger and frustration...
But most eye-catching of all...
was a girl...
A beautiful maiden with silky brown hair, and deep brown eyes. One might think those are regular features at first... However, her figure is absolutely dazzling, holding contrasting curves, a moderate bust, and pristine lips...
She wore clothes of a knight... with a beautiful white crystal sword and a long armored robe of different colored gemstones...
She was incredibly beautiful as an aura of honor irradiated from her at all moments...
But her beauty was not what caught my attention the most...
The fact was...
I knew this girl...
And as my thoughts raced as to why she could possibly be here...
I involuntarily let my thoughts loose...
"Sa...ku...ra...?"