Chapter 27: Cure
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Growing up, Rebecca was not a noble but rather a commoner elf. Daughter of a blacksmith who makes weapons for the royals. Her story began when she was an idealistic young knight training in the Elven Guard. In those days, Rebecca was known for her brashness and her unshakable belief that she was destined for greatness. Her delusion was laughed at by the people around her but she didn't care.
Meanwhile, her father, rugged but a kind elf, continuously forged weapons of extraordinary quality while also not forgetting to instill in Rebecca a sense of humility, and purpose along with an unshakable pride in their crafts.
Rebecca was taught to become a blacksmith, so at a young age, she knew about swords. However, Young Rebecca saw herself as destined for greatness, not as a simple blacksmith but as a defender of elves, envisioning herself among the ranks of knights who protected the royal family.
Her father, however, didn't support her dreams of becoming a knight. Because of this she always tried to take her father's crafted sword secretly and use these to train.
And once she broke one, her father wouldn't notice because it was just one of his many unworthy crafted weapons.
Rebecca's rebellious streak began early on, fueled by her father's insistence that she should become a blacksmith, a respectable role for an elf but one that utterly bored her. Her father had high hopes that she'd follow the family tradition of metalworking, crafting intricate items for elves and enchanting blades for those rare, noble knights. However, she dreamed of wielding the blades, not forging them.
This would continue until her father found it out and restricted her from accessing his crafts.
But perhaps because of this, she then just created her own swords.
To spite her father and assert her independence, she devised little schemes to practice her budding knight skills. She'd sneak off to the training grounds or "take" her crafted weapons from the forge under the guise of "testing their durability." Her mischievous ways often got her caught, but each punishment fueled her desire to prove herself. Over time, she became not only skilled but also fiercely determined, each successful act of defiance reinforcing her belief that she was meant for a life of combat and loyalty.
Until one day, Rebecca joined the Elven Guard with a single-minded determination to achieve greatness. Leaving her father behind without a word.
When she joined she was quickly noticed. She was gifted, no doubt, with a natural talent for swordplay and an intuitive knack for battlefield strategy.
Yet her confidence quickly earned her a reputation as arrogant, and she gained the nickname "Peacock Knight" for her cocky demeanor. She brushed off her comrades' jeers, considering herself not only better but above the petty grievances of lesser knights.
The defining moment in her life came the day she was assigned to guard the young Princess Sylvia. To Rebecca, this was the pinnacle of achievement, the fulfillment of her destiny, the moment she'd finally enter the upper echelon of elven history. The mission seemed straightforward: stand vigilant, and most importantly, remain invisible as Sylvia went about her royal routines.
But on her very first day shadowing Sylvia, she was struck by an unexpected sight. Sylvia, dressed in elaborate robes meant for a court appearance, was sneaking out through a hidden exit in the palace. Intrigued, Rebecca followed in silence, only to discover that Sylvia had ventured to a secluded forest clearing, where she promptly pulled out a small pouch filled with dried, spiced meat.
Seeing this, Rebecca couldn't help but speechlessly watch Sylvia who was drooling.
When suddenly the little princess then caught her eyes.
"!!!"
Not knowing what to do, the little princess's eyes wandered around like a puppy before, "Uhh… I'll let you take a bite if you don't tell anyone" she spoke in a timid tone.
Rebecca silenced from the evident mischievous action of Sylvia, soon started chuckling.
Slowly, she then approached the little princess sitting and sat beside her. "It would be an honor princess"
As she took the meat, Sylvia's face looked dejected because her meat decreased in size.
At the same time, Rebecca who just watched the princess slowly eat couldn't help but smirk.
"Perhaps we are just the same princess"
She muttered, meanwhile, Sylvia who was completely immersed in feeling the taste of the meat made a cute "Hmmpp!" sound.
"I guess I'm not the only one…"
Rebecca followed, and that's when the little princess finally gazed into her and asked her why was she speaking nonsense.
Maybe because she was feeling sad lately, but she couldn't help but reminisce about her past. Times when her father and her family relatives said that her dream was "foolish" and wrong. For years, Rebecca had felt trapped by her father's expectations, pressured to fit into the narrow role of a blacksmith, and expected to uphold traditions that felt restrictive. The quiet but relentless weight of disappointing her father left her feeling unseen as if her true self was a burden to those around her. She often felt like an outsider in her own family, her ambitions clashing against the legacy of metal and flame her father revered.
Soon, the knight responded to the little princess.
"Well… Let's just say we are like the same"
Catching Sylvia, the pristine, revered princess, eating a forbidden morsel of meat. It was a small, rebellious act, yet in that instant, Sylvia shattered the mold she was cast in, proving she was willing to defy the very traditions meant to define her.
"Just like me, you are different Princess"
For Rebecca, Sylvia's action was like a revelation—she saw someone brave enough to embrace herself fully, to break the rules with a smile, knowing the judgment it might bring. This gave Rebecca a profound sense of validation. If Sylvia, bound by expectations even greater than her own, could freely defy tradition, perhaps Rebecca's dreams weren't so foolish or wrong after all. This moment, this tiny rebellion, felt like Sylvia had unknowingly given her permission to be her true self too.
Soon after, she then took a bite of the meat.
Munch!
And she 'didn't like the taste' of meat at all.
However, at that moment a bond between them slowly formed.
Because of the meat incident, Sylvia when she was asked to choose a knight for her, she quickly chose Rebecca. Because she knew that she could trust her.
Slowly, Rebecca witnessed Sylvia grow, while also continuing to improve herself.
The princess in her eyes was someone who couldn't make mistakes. Talented, sophisticated, kind, and different.
Ever since that day, Rebecca swore her loyalty to Sylvia.
She watched the princess excel in magic, literature, and archery. Like her, the princess was exceptionally talented—perhaps even more so.
Day by day, they outshone their peers.
However, with their accomplishments, their arrogance grew as well.
The princess was constantly praised and admired, while the knight consistently won every battle she was tasked with, never tasting defeat. That was how capable and formidable she was.
The elves looked up to them, especially Rebecca, though few truly knew Sylvia, as she was often kept hidden from the public eye.
Now, in the present.
Rebecca, who held such a high and perfect image of the princess, frowned at seeing the pretty human speak so coldly to her princess.
It wasn't just his tone that irked her; it was also that he knew of the princess's identity, which was supposed to be highly confidential.
And then—he had dared to point his weapon at her princess. The knight's anger only intensified.
That's why she hesitated to lower her weapon.
'How dare a beast threaten her princess?'
Yet, because Princess Sylvia was in danger, she held back her fury. Though reluctant, she soon calmed down, thinking of a way to teach this disrespectful human a lesson.
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Sylvia is a character who is fated to die. If I were to be asked if I knew her, well… I fucking know everything about her.
The first time that she met the protagonist of this game, Sylvia was an arrogant woman who was always praised by people. Especially the opposite sex. But the reason why she attracts people so much is not only because her beauty is that of a Goddess, but also because she is a royalty that has the blood of royalty and is cursed to charm people unintentionally. That is why people who see her suddenly go dumb or enchanted by her. Her face and body are filled with jewelry and their purpose is to seal her charm and make people resist her beauty. One of the reasons why her mother keeps her hidden.
Her mother had the same blood as her but Sylvia is a once-in-a-lifetime existence, she had the stronger blood of royalty in her that existed a hundred thousand years ago.
If it wasn't for the system warning me about her sudden charm, I could have been immediately charmed by her. Perhaps, I would mutter to myself how beautiful she is and imagine marrying her.
But the only reason I'm able to resist her is because of Alfonso's mentality, despite seeing someone beautiful his narcissistic tendency to look down on people is palpable.
Second is because I used points to resist her charm even more using the system.
Suddenly,
"The contract's vow is finished"
Karina spoke. After the glowing white light engraved on both of our necks stopped radiating.
"Satisfied?" I shrugged while gazing at Sylvia's eyes.
A nod then naturally came from her. Of course, she was satisfied—this interaction served her interests for now. But the moment she betrays me, or I betray her, one of us will surely die by destroying our soul as compensation.
Anyway, it didn't take long for her to order her knight to get the flower.
However, her knight then just stood there, as if her words were never heard to begin with.
"Rebecca???"
"𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘, 𝕴 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖜𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖆𝖓 𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌—𝖙𝖔 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖚𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖇𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖆𝖓𝖞𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌. 𝕺𝖗 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝕴 𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖓? 𝕯𝖎𝖉𝖓'𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖘𝖆𝖞 𝕴 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉, 𝖔𝖓 𝖔𝖈𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓, 𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖆𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖞𝖔𝖚? 𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖘… 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖆𝖙 𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊?"
"..." Sylvia hearing the knight's response could not think of anything to rebuke.
"𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘, 𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖉𝖊𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚—𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑. 𝕭𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘… 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘, 𝕴 𝖈𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖆𝖇𝖎𝖉𝖊. 𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖐 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖘𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖑𝖞 𝖍𝖚𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖚𝖑𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚… 𝕹𝖔, 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊, 𝕴 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖔𝖇𝖊𝖞. 𝕱𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖊, 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝕴 𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖈𝖈𝖊𝖕𝖙 𝖘𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚."
The knight continued, and slowly she stepped forward.
—Slap!
A white glove was then thrown in front of me.
"I challenge you in a duel human."
Her words were laced with fury, matched by the intensity of her piercing gaze.