「…so the magic warrior that defeated that evil magic bear lived with the childhood friend, a girl, and they lived happily ever after. The end.」
「What? The end? Miss Lucia, read it again…」
「No, that's all for today. If you don't sleep now, you won't be able to wake up tomorrow. You need to be ready to celebrate my marriage.」
I said to the village girl as I finished reading the book and closed it with a clomp.
「Hey, hey…why did the warrior not choose the princess? He could have been king? Kings are good, right?」
「You're right. But he loved his childhood friend. More than anyone and anything. The power of love is strong, no matter what tragedies you see, it has the power to overcome all. Just like Keril and I…」
I covered her in her bed and blew out the candle.
After rubbing her arms over the covers a bit, I could hear her sleeping soundly.
Tomorrow is my marriage.
I thought that Keril would have arrived in the village yesterday, but there was news that he had some trouble and would be a little late. He would arrive tomorrow with Woojes and Katrea, who were set to arrive today.
It was normal that Keril would run into trouble, but I wish he would take care of himself on days like this. If he would, we could have a few days to act more like lovers before the occasion than just a marrying couple.
「Hee hee, Right. Keril and I are finally marrying soon.」
Keril and the marriage.
It's a day that I've always looked forwards to.
So that Keril would look out for me.
So that Keril would let me do what I want.
So that Keril would love me more than anything.
Cooking dinners for Keril, getting dressed up for Keril.
Doing my best, best, best.
Working my hardest, learning magic, finding an ally through marriage.
Getting over many enemies that looked to tear up our relationship.
No matter what, Keril would always trust me.
With that in mind, I'd be willing to do anything.
There was only one childhood friend with the power to stop that, and since I chased her away long ago, she must be dead.
That time, the adults had hidden it from us children, but I knew that her and her mother were sold away as slaves.
No one's going to get between Keril and I.
(Wake up early tomorrow, and make a pie full of different fruits. Keril will be happy.)
On that snowy day, a pie just like then, when I chased that bothersome magic girl away.
Thinking of the happy future that I would give Keril, I would do anything, ANYTHING to keep it.
(Hee hee hee, I wonder if tomorrow won't come quicker.)
I would get that happy red fruit, tomorrow.
The next day, the snow that had been falling since yesterday afternoon stopped, and the clear sunny sky shown down on the snowy landscape.
In that icy wonderland, it felt good to feel that fuzzy step of collected snow under my instep.
I awoke early to cook a pie, but I woke far earlier than I expected. That's why I decided to waste some time sentimentally, and walk around the village while I thought over the memories that I had with Keril.
I ran to the open grounds and looked at the empty house that we used to play hide and seek in, and the church we made our promise.
Today's wedding will be in that church as well.
I guess right about now the village father that will wed us will be waking up.
I opened up the church to its main hall.
No one was there, and the hall was filled with silence.
In front of the altar, I took a minute to pray.
「God, thank you. Please make Keril and I happy. Please watch over us from today onwards.」
Then, behind me I heard a creaking of an opening door.
An old, kind man with a large white beard entered.
「Oh, Lucia. Have you awoken early to pray?」
「Father. Good morning. I woke early so I decided to say my thanks to God.」
「I see, I see, well the good Lord is watching over you Lucia. You'll be fine, both you and Keril will find happiness together.」
The old man smiled at me.
His smile was filled with grace and warmth.
My mind was filled with an image of the village coming together to wish happiness for us.
「Yes, father. I…I will find happiness.」
「Yes, yes, good. I've been praying for it from long ago. Even in that foolishness with those beast-humans coming here to the village, I noticed it. I couldn't help you from being bullied by that beast-child, so to see you two finally be so happy, I, AGH!!」
Drip, drip…someone's blood fell.
「Well, seems you've awoken early again, father. You're in my way though, so could you?」
「Whaa? What the…?!」
I was so shocked I couldn't move, because in front of me, squish, the sound of a fruit being sliced arose, as a blood-covered sword was pulled from the father's belly.
「Nahhggg…ugh…uh..B…blood…oww…help…」
「Stop exaggerating. Your heart and large vessels haven't been cut. You won't die soon.」
「Ughh…」
A woman appeared before me, and she smiled calmly, as if she was a long time friend.
She suddenly kicked the injured father onto the ground.
「Ah…ah…I don't want to…die…」
「You're fine. God is watching, right? That's why you'll be happy, right?」
He put his hand into the hole in his stomach and cowered.
Seeing all of this happen made my mind go blank.
「Right? Lucia, what do you think? If a God that's watching me does nothing, he can't give anyone happiness. Don't you think the same?」
「M…Minnalis, is that you?」
Beige hair and eyes, and those long rabbit ears.
With her alluring smile, her thin arms and womanly body, covered in a maid's uniform.
An old friend that I thought I had gotten rid of…is now here.
「W…why…I thought you were sold to slavers…」
「Oh…you may have done that without Keril knowing, but it seems that you did. The reason must have been that you listened to the adults' conversations. You can't do that, if they find out, they'll scold you.」
She snickered, laughing, and I could feel a cold sensation of fear down my spine.
It was colder and sharper than the morning air, with a dagger almost like a fang of ice.
「W, why are you here all the sudden? Have you come to see Keril and my marriage?」
「Yes, just so. Time for my childhood friends to start a new life. Of course I've come to see you off.」
She smiled shamelessly yet seemed to still exude an unbridled hostility towards me.
「Yes, but too bad, it seems that I've injured the father and now it will have to be cancelled. That's why this time I'll have to kill you.
— Let a dancing tongue of fire rise and destroy. 『Lover's Snake!』」
GWORRRRRR – A huge stone column of red-black lava sprung from the ground like a snake, with a heat that shook the air.
(With my enemy being a beast, if I want to keep her away, I'll have to burn her with a Fire Wall.)
But she had outdone my expectations.
「I won't kill you…yet. 『Icicle Spear!』
「Wha?!」
Minnalis' icicle magic hit mine, and has frozen it, dead in its tracks as it hit the ground with a clunk.
「Fire and earth magic combined? Hmp, you're pretty good.」
「B, but, for a beast to generate a spear without even chanting.」
「You mean the fact that once magic leaves the body of a beast-human, it dissipates? Don't be stupid. If the magic's still close to me it won't weaken that much, right? Even among the beasts there are those that can control magic to the point of even becoming a magical swordsman. Didn't you hear that during magic lessons?」
「Ugh, burning fire spirit, run to sacrifice her in flickering flame! 『Fire Spirit Breath!』! 」
This fire spirit's flame that had the ability to burn all was the same quality as dragon's breath.
The fire spun in the sky, but Minnalis was able to dodge it inside the building without any lack of composure.
「So, your first attack wasn't even a surprise incantation, and the second one was a spirit magic attack that was only strength. Are you going to fight by just playing around? All you're doing is just shooting things at me.」
「S…shut up!」
Minnalis snickered while dodging, and now I could feel the situation becoming much more dangerous.
No good, no good, no good.
I was to be a part of the army's rear guard, so there was no way I could beat the natural magic of a beast.
Now that Keril wasn't beside me, I had to kill her before she got closer, and I was already in trouble.
(I can't choose my method, I just have to kill, kill her in the next shot!)
It doesn't matter why Minnalis showed up here anymore.
In Keril and my world, I don't need Minnalis, I can't let her remain!
「Hee hee hee, this is just like when we were kids. Look, you were always the slowest at running, right? Hee hee hee, tag, you're it! Hope you can catch up!」
「!! I didn't want to have to use this, but with this I'm going to blow that cool-look off you and the rest of you to smithereens!!」
I took out my final attack from by bag.
It was a jewel with fire magic of crimson that was the catalyst to draw out my spirit magic power to the strongest of my ability.
It wasn't cheap, but once I used it, the magical power in it would cease to exist, and I didn't want to blow the roof off this church with its strength, but this is no time to hesitate.
「Explosion that mows down everything with fire that threatens me, 『Raging Anger of the Fire Spirit!』」
For a moment, all the magical force around the jewel was collected and it changed to a color of hot fire.
It drew all the fire around me into a hot, white center and then expanded, engulfing all in white fire.
The explosive, echoing sound of this ending faded into the sound of the building crumbing, surrounding me with a mountain of ceiling tiles.
「D…did I win? Heh heh, that dumb girl. This wouldn't have had to happen if she didn't show up.」
The feeling of calm welling up inside of me ended in a sigh.
Then, it seemed like I was in a nightmare, but this time it was no joke.
「Ah, but, the church is ruined. What will happen to today's wedding…」
「Well, do you really need to be worried about that now?」
「Ah!」
I froze when I heard that voice again behind me.
When I was sure I heard it, I felt the pain of a sword plunging into my shoulder.
「Ah, aaaghhhh!!」
(Pain, this is bad, I have to do something.)
「Agh…healin…g spirit… 『Heal.』」
「I mean, the marriage that was already ruined by me already hurting the father is now over. If I hadn't taken him out then this place still wouldn't be good for a marriage. You really ruined it.」
I tried to get some distance from Minnalis, and the dulling pain was being acted on my health magic.
The warm green light was filling in the pain, but, I couldn't get rid of the icy cold chill that I felt in my heart.
Minnalis looked down on me like some kind of bug, and I could feel the fear inside me grow.
「W, what the hell happened?」
「Look, the church is a mountain of ceiling tiles!」
「Wait, where are the children?!」
「Who the hell…wait, that's Lucia, and Minnalis in front of her?!」
The people of the village surrounded us in the church.
Minnalis smiled at this, genuinely happy.
「Heh hah hah, I guess my stage is set. Let's begin.」
「W…what?!」
The next instant, surrounding the village itself, was a wall of black light.
There were dark gears spinning, floating on these walls, and looking on them made one worried without abandon.
「Heh, hee hee hee, finally, finally! Okay, Lucia! Now's the climax! Everything, everything will be broken, Broken, BROKEN, heh heh heh HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!」
Her echoing laugh…this was the first time I heard it.
No anger, no haste, no hostility.
Seeing Minnalis like this made me fear her from the bottom of my heart.