After my sermon to Lilia-san ended, I decided to ask her again about the
current situation that I'm curious about.
[Speaking of which, what happened to the hunting tournament?]
[Due to the Black Bear Incident, the tournament has been canceled.]
[Well, even if they were to calculate the points we gathered… The
overall winner would be Death King-sama, right?]
My question is answered by Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san.
I see, the tournament was canceled huh… Well, it can't be helped but…
[In that case, the Fruit of the World Tree will be…]
[I heard that it's going to be the prize for next year's Sacred Tree
Festival instead. The Fruit of the World Tree is a mysterious fruit that
doesn't deteriorate with time, so it's said to be perfectly fine even after
a year.]
[I… see.]
It seems that the Fruit of the World Tree will be next year's prize, so
Lilia-san and the others won't be able to get it, at least, in this year's
tournament.
Considering how Lilia-san and the other are feeling right now, I
probably shouldn't just lightheartedly talk about it.
After a brief silence passed, Lilia-san turns to Sieg-san and opens her
mouth.
[Sieg, I'm sorry. I said something like you should look forward to it, but
in the end, I wasn't able to get the Fruit of the World Tree…]
[...]
Receiving Lilia-san's words, Sieg took out a memo pad and pen from her
pocket before writing something on it and turning it towards our
direction.
"I'm going to apologize in advance. Lili, I'm sorry."
[Eh? W- Wait, Sieg… Don't tell me…]
[...…]
What was written there kinda looks exactly what I had just said to Liliasan a while ago.
Seeing what's written there, Lilia-san's face turned pale before she took
a step back.
And then, Sieg-san clenched her fist and swung it towards Lilia-san
without any hesitation.
[Gyyaaaahhhh!?]
S- She was blown away!?
Her iron fist, which is incomparable to my knuckle earlier, sends Liliasan's body flying backwards with tremendous force.
Arehh, did she just punch her with a punch filled with magic power… AAre you alright there, Lilia-san?
[…Ouch…]
But then, Lilia-san, who had fallen on the floor, got up while holding her
face.
No, no, that force of that punch even sent you flying and made you spin
twice in the air, you know!? Being hit with that kind of power, and you
just reacted to it with an "ouch, even if she says she had used magic
power to defend herself, Lilia-san is already almost a monster.
Sieg-san looks at Lilia-san, who is holding her face with tears in her
eyes, and shows her what she wrote on her memo pad this time.
"Please don't make assumptions about my feelings without permission.
I've told you many times. I'm not blaming you for what happened."
[…Sieg.]
"I don't regret losing my voice and resigning from the Knights Order. I'm
just happy that I was able to protect the people of my best friend."
[...…]
I somehow had the feeling that was the case.
Lilia-san was desperately trying to heal Sieg's body, but Sieg-san was
looking at Lilia-san and the others with a sad expression, rather with an
expression that looks like she wants her voice to be healed.
Then, Sieg-san turns to me and slightly smiles.
"Hearing what Kaito-san just said also woke me up."
[Eh?]
"Lili, I've never been able to tell you but… I'm going to be clear with you,
I've never once thought of healing this injury."
[What!?]
Lilia-san's eyes widened, as if she had forgotten what had just
happened to her face, when she saw what Sieg wrote.
"However, I knew that Lili was feeling guilty about me. So, I thought that
if returning my voice would make Lilia feel a little bit better, then I
should not say anything and just wait. So, if Lili had obtained the Fruit
of the World Tree, I was going to take it with open arms.]
[…Sieg.]
Talking with written words, speaking without any sound. However, the
feelings that Sieg-san wants to convey strongly resonates.
Ahh, I see, that's why Sieg-san was looking at Lilia-san so sadly… What
was really hard for her wasn't the loss of her voice…
"Lili, I'm with you. I am also feeling guilty about you ever since that
incident."
[…Eh?]
"If I'd been stronger, if I'd only been able to stand up for myself, I
wouldn't have to burden you with such heavy shackles… As much as LIli
wanted to bring my voice back, I also wanted to lighten what you're
carrying behind your back as much as possible. I thought the best way
to do that was to remain silent and accept your atonement. However, I
finally realized just now that it was a mistake."
Just as how Lilia-san felt responsible for Sieg-san losing her voice, Siegsan was also feeling responsible for causing trouble for Lilia-san
because she was weak.
That's why I think Sieg-san is feeling painful seeing Lilia-san being so
desperate, but still couldn't stop her… Because she was convinced that
it was her fault and that she had to accept Lilia-san's atonement to
redeem herself…
In the end, Lilia-san and Sieg-san may be similar to each other. Both of
them had a strong sense of responsibility and couldn't forgive
themselves, which is why they're crossing this path for so long.
"I was just running away. I was ashamed of my inadequacy, and avoided
facing you. Making excuses to myself that it was for Lili's sake…
However, if I really cared about you, I should have just told you exactly
what I wanted, not run away. So…"
Thereupon, Sieg-san stops writing and removes the scarf wrapped
around her neck.
Revealing the deep, slightly discolored scar, which has been hidden by
the scarf for a long time to keep it from driving Lilia-san into a corner,
Sieg-san looked straight at Lilia-san.
Then, she puts her hand on her own neck, and a thin red light made of
magic power illuminated.
[…Li– Li…]
[ ! ? ! ? ]
[Is… tap… mis… anders… tand… ing…]
A hoarse, faint, choppy voice that sounds like it's being desperately
squeezed out… perhaps, she's using magic power to force her throat to
tremble, producing a "voice-like sound".
It's hard to hear what she's saying… Still, it felt like that is the most
beautiful voice I ever heard.
[Dis… wunds… ay… gat… wir… samting… aym… prawd… of.]
[…Sieg, you're…]
The words she would have wanted to convey the most. To Sieg-san, the
large scar on her neck isn't something to be ashamed of, but a proof
that she has protected something important to Lilia-san… her pride.
As if that way of speaking was excessively exhausting, Sieg-san's
breathing became heavy, with the gentle smile still on her face, she took
up her pen and memo pad again.
"See, a voice is something easy for me to get. So, Lili, please don't blame
yourself anymore. Please stop thinking about erasing my most
important pride."
[…Sieg, I… I…]
"Lili has always been kind even back then… And you have always been a
crybaby since you're a child."
[When exactly did that happen…? However, I know that… Sieg… isn't
the only one…]
Large tears fell down from Lilia-san's eyes as if something heavy was
lifted from her shoulders, and seeing that, Sieg-san gently hugged her.
The scene looks like they're real sisters.
After the incident that occurred once upon a time, the relationship
between the two of them has been unknowingly distanced from each
other, but now, it seems as if they are repairing their relationship.
[Miyama-sama… Should we slip away now?]
[I guess so.]
Burying her face in Sieg-san's chest, Lilia-san sobbed like a child.
Seeing this scene, Lunamaria-san silently called out to me and nodding
to her words, we left the place.
Dear Mom, Dad—— I was reminded once again how difficult
understanding the heart is. They should have been thinking about each
other, caring for each other… And that, in turn, pushed each other in a
corner. But today, I think that the relationship between Lilia-san and
Sieg-san that was filled with misunderstandings, in a real sense—— I
think it was restored.