Chapter 39 - The Day of our New Beginnings Part 1

An unrecognizable young girl lies into my arms. No, it's a young woman who had grown up from being a boyish yet a crybaby childhood girl friend. My mind has nothing but pure white and blank but I was still able to somehow mutter these words with my trembling voice. [] () In a blink of an eye, her beautiful appearance immediately revealed itself. [] () The dirt and stains on her clothes have now been cleaned as well. But… She's still not opening her eyes. How strange. My [Saint] magic includes every recovery magic known, right? I even double casted it. All fatigue should have been relieved and all status ailments should have been cured… But… is that not enough…to awaken someone from sleep? Hey, Emmy. Why aren't you saying anything. [] () [–Russell!] Suddenly, I heard a loud sound of a thud came over my ears. …No, I was mistaken. I got hit. [Casting recovery magic for the second time won't get us anywhere so get a hold of yourself! Don't you have me by your side!?] […Sybilla…] [It's alright. Calm down. Let this Sybilla-sama use all knowledge she has and everything in her hands to show you that we can overcome this! As if… As if I'll let everything for this child end in here! I will not let that happen!] Sybilla's eyes when she shouted are firm and full of conviction unlike mine who's trailing off a bit to escape reality. It's so different from mine who doesn't have any idea where to go. It's the eyes of someone full of dedication to help. Sybilla's knowledge. To me who doesn't know anything, it's the best thing I can rely on. –This is my partner. How reassuring. [I'm sorry for panicking like that, Sybilla.] [It's someone who's always been with you for almost all your life so it can't be helped. Right now, this child is in grave danger. It doesn't seem like she still has any life force remaining… Also…] [Also? Also – what?] I focus on every word Sybilla has to say. […How should I say it… It feels like… She already lost the will to live…] [She already lost the will to live!?] I look on to the face of Emmy who isn't waking up. The boyish girl who right now can't even utter a sound really looks like a princess… -Aaah. Damn it… How could I remember something like that in such a time… [And, right now, the life force blessings given to her as the Holy Knight is extremely murky…Err… How can this holiness… be dark instead? Darkness? By herself?… such deep and unfathomable despair… How can this child's heart be so torn and broken?] [Something happened to Emmy and made her to suffer to that extent!?] [Considering that she made it all the way here just to help you, rather than saying something happened to her… It's probably something about you. But, even so, it shouldn't be this dark. Did someone break her? Or rather… Did someone trigger something inside?] Sybilla puts her hand on to her chin as if thinking of something then she slaps her cheeks with both hands after she shook her head. [Anyway, if this continues, Emmy-chan will never wake up. The person herself doesn't want to. And since that's the case…] Sybilla touches Emmy's face and opened her eyes to check it. After she removed her hand, she crosses her arms and said: [We just have to force her no matter how much she hates it.] I wonder what she meant by that… But before I could ask, Sybilla already revealed the answer. [That skill just now should be the Holy Knight's secret skill. It's their ultimate technique blowing off everything in front of their shining shield.] […Ah.] I remember that light. It's what Emmy unknowingly used to me back then when I was kicked out of the party. [And that skill just didn't work properly.] […Is that so?] [Yep. The stronger the attack the enemy unleashes the stronger the blow back it will give. You've seen how that ridiculous self-destruction magic got blown off taking away the mountains with it, right?] So Emmy used that kind of skill, huh. I thought it was so pathetic that Emmy made me unconscious with just a single hit using her shield but it seems I did better being able to survive… I feel Sybilla is trying to help or comfort me in some way after she tells me about this. [However, this skill should have activating conditions.] [Activating condition?] [First is that the attack should be coming in front of you. You know this, right?] I nod my head towards her question and urged her to continue. But Sybilla didn't immediately said what's next. She looks like she's going to tell something that she really doesn't want to. [Hurry up, aren't we supposedly running out of time!?] […You're right.] I can't help but raise my voice seeing Sybilla so reluctant to say it for whatever reason. And finally, Sybilla lifted her face. [What I am about to say is something I shouldn't but this is an emergency so it leaves me no choice. You better prepare yourself, Russell.] The air around Sybilla changed all of a sudden as she moves closer to me while piercing me with her gaze. I can't help but gulp seeing how unusual for her to assume such fierce appearance as I nod my head…Then, Sybilla took a step back let out a sigh. [It's about the person she favors…] […Huh?] I wonder if I heard it wrong? [Nope. You heard it right. It activates when she thinks about the person she favors the most… Thinking about the person she likes, or might as well be called akin to the power of love~ or something like that. It's a power up to be used as one cheesy heroic act you, you know? That's why I don't want to say it.] That's what Emmy had used? A skill that can be used upon thinking the person you love the most? I remember what the receptionist from the guild told me that 'Emmy's eyes are always following you'. And now the skill she had used… The skill she had used for me. On that day, when I had seen Emmy's face closer for the fist time in a while, I thought that she had really changed. …That must be it. How can I be so dense. If I was able to see Emmy's face close up then shouldn't it be obvious that she had seen mine too? As a result… that skill activated. The skill that had protected me just now. [Russell] [Hm] [You should have guessed by now. On how this child feels when she activated the skill, and how she truly felt when you left the party.] [I know.] [I'm sure she hasn't really cut all of her ties with the hero's party. She just went here on her own. Just for you… Just for the sake of laying her life for you!] […I know.] [That's why at least just for now, I will only allow one thing to happen.] After Sybilla said so, she moved far away from me as she crosses her arms and looked at my direction. [I shall allow you who has fallen head over heels to the cutest of all Sybillachan to temporarily let someone else take the biggest spot in your heart!] [Un. You aren't in that position in the first place so you don't have to worry about that.] [On top of that–] Sybilla didn't show any reaction to my retort at all. …It seems like Sybilla is really serious about it. She hasn't showed such seriousness ever since I changed my class. [We'll have you be the Holy Maiden.] [Holy Maiden? Not a Saint?] [It's close but still different. You'll be using the 'Legends of the Holy Maiden, A Love so Genuine' chapter as reference.] [A Love so Genuine…] [Yep. The partner's the Holy Maiden, you know?] Legends of the Holy Maiden, A Love so Genuine. And as the name suggest, it's a love story with the Holy Maiden as the partner. Even among the numerous legends of the Holy Maiden, it is the most famous among all of them especially towards adventurers.