— Sylphiette —
That day, a little over three and a half years ago, when the infamous 'Displacement Incident' reduced the Fittoa Region to a desolate land… that was the day I met the princess and lost my family… and the day my life took a drastic turn.
The princess in question was one Ariel Anemoi Asura, the second princess of the Asura Kingdom and the third in line for the throne.
Even looking back on it now, I can still remember it clearly.
We had just finished celebrating Rudy's tenth birthday in Roa, and then, the next morning, everyone went outside the city so he could try out his new staff.
Then, that person attacked.
'Arumanfi' or something, and was repelled by Leon and the strong beastfolk woman, Ghislaine, Leon's so-called 'Big Sis'.
Then, the light appeared.
I don't remember much after that, only the sight of Leon sprinting to his sisters as he covered everyone with a dome of earth, and then, the moment that light engulfed us… I was in the air.
I can faintly remember tumbling toward the ground, screaming so loud that my throat became raw as the wind whipped past my face.
It was… terrifying.
And that pure feeling of panic and fear, which still gave me nightmares even now, was the last memory I had of that day.
And then, I woke up in a bed.
A nice bed, one even nicer than the one I used with Eris the night before, and it was very comfy, with soft sheets and a plush pillow.
And sitting in front of me on that very bed, was a beautiful young girl, one around Eris and Leon's age, with long golden hair, shining light blue eyes, and a pretty face.
A very pretty face.
One so pretty, it made me feel self-conscious as a girl.
Could I really match up to one so beautiful?
Even if Leon always called me cute, I was doubtful.
I had decided that moment to ensure the princess and Leon didn't meet, or… something bad could happen.
But aside from my admiration, and slight insecurity, I was also immensely confused at… well, everything.
Where was I? What happened to me? What happened to everyone else? Why was I wherever this place was? Who was she? Why was she with me?
It was then, after calming me down, that the princess told me everything, from her name to my current situation.
That was how I learned about the disaster that had befallen the Fittoa Region, how everyone was teleported, and how when I landed in the garden the day before, I had saved her from a terrifying monster.
I then descended into another panic, but was once again stopped by the beautiful princess.
She then proceeded to compliment me, both for my magical skills and, surprisingly, my appearance.
An appearance like mine was being appreciated by a girl like her?
That was impossible. Especially with my cursed hair colour.
At first, I thought she was like Leon, who always said that he loved my hair, but then, I soon realized… the previous emerald green I both despised and had come to appreciate… it was gone, replaced with the colour of pure silver from root to tip.
But as my surprise calmed down, I slowly realized something else from the princess' words.
She said a disaster had befallen the Fittoa Region, not simply the Citadel of Roa.
And asking further, my fears were confirmed.
My homeland… my friends… my mother and father… they were all gone.
And past that, through no fault of my own, I could be considered a trespasser of the royal palace, a crime much too large to be punished by anything less than death.
But then, the princess extended her hand, patting my head to calm me down as she proposed her deal.
I would help her during her fight for the throne, and in return, she would keep me safe as she searched for my family with her connections.
I accepted.
After all, what other choice did I have?
However, I did ask that she would let me go once my family was found, or at the very least let them know of my survival.
And so, I donned the glasses and the persona of which I was asked, and became Ariel's guard… though I was thankfully able to keep my hair past my shoulders, despite the princess' initial plan to make me seem like a boy.
After all, Leon did say he liked me with long hair, so why would I cut it short?
Initially, I was planning to leave as soon as I caught wind of my family.
Nobility was problematic, after all.
I knew that much from Leon, Eris, and Lilia's stories to know I wasn't meant for such a place.
And that was something I quickly found to be true.
Sylphy was absolutely not meant for it.
But luckily for me, my persona, 'Silent Fitz', was.
I didn't need to converse in the annoying, cunning ways that the others did, nor did I have to ensure my eyes were always directed in the correct place.
I simply stood near Ariel, ensuring she was safe, and biding my time until I could finally return home.
And then… Ariel found information about my parents, but… it was not the news I was hoping for.
They had died, and even after two months, Rudy, Leon, and Eris were all nowhere to be found.
That was when I realized it.
That I… was completely alone.
It was on that horrible day that I was able to meet the princess once more, though this time, it was the true Ariel Anemoi Asura.
Not the second princess, beloved by the common folk, and the perfect representation of a noble lady.
No… this time I met the kind princess, the one who held me that night, ensuring I wasn't alone as I cried into her chest.
Though… that was also the night where I learned about the princess'… hobbies.
Luckily, I was able to last that night without losing my virginity, but unfortunately, I had also awoken a side of the princess that even she herself didn't know she had.
It was simply not right for a girl to have flushed cheeks after getting blasted out of a bed with wind magic.
Much less for that girl to be a princess of the greatest kingdom in the world.
But despite this, after that night, I began to notice more about the princess as she showed me more of her true self.
She was kind, perverted, and selfish, but put up a grand facade of maturity and perfection for the outside world.
It made her seem… more human.
More… like a friend.
The way she wore such a facade almost reminded me of Leon in some ways, so I found it quite endearing.
And so, from that point on, I decided to help this new friend of mine, or at least ensure that she survived the battle for the throne.
And as a result, we grew closer.
However, I did ask her to keep searching for my friends.
After all, I had someone I loved, and others I cared for, such as Eris and Rudy.
As Ariel began to seriously contest the throne, showing determination and ambition that had never been there before, her opponents began to take her more seriously.
And with that, came the assassins.
After all, there was no easier way to remove an opponent from the battle for the throne than by killing them.
The first assassin came during the night, and by the morning, I had ended my first life, driving a short sword through the girl's neck as I cut off her arms with wind magic.
It didn't feel good, to kill… but knowing that doing so was keeping my friend safe made the distaste lessen immensely.
I bet this was what Leon felt.
It made me glad to think I could understand him more.
Anyway, it was good I was able to easily accept the act of killing, as after that day, the number of lives I had taken slowly rose with each attempt on the princess' life.
I had always been thankful to Leon for everything he taught me, but that mostly because of how much fun we had and how my curiosity had been sated by his lessons.
But now that I had been putting his lessons into practice, and saving both myself and my dear friend, I was forever grateful.
And, while the princess' perversion was often… vexing to handle, it did give me many ideas of how I would thank Leon once we met again.
But despite my admirable and still-growing strength, the assassins became too much to ignore any longer, and with the many nobles of the land choosing to support Ariel's enemies, the country became much too suffocating.
At least, that was before the issue of the Boreas Greyrat family.
I wasn't too well-informed, but essentially, with the return of Philip Boreas Greyrat, who I briefly remembered meeting, Ariel's enemies had to divert their focus toward him, as not only had he ruined their plans with his survival, but he also had the support of a kingdom, not to mention his influence over those affected by the disaster.
Eventually, Ariel's enemies got what they wanted, as the Boreas Greyrat family was deposed, and with that distraction out of the way, Ariel became the main focus of her older brother's influence once again, meaning that our time in Asura had run out.
So, with all of her most loyal servants, including me, the princess fled, leaving for the magic city of Sharia to become a student at the Ranoa University of Magic.
Of course, this was but a facade.
While she would be studying, her main reason for leaving was to save herself and grow her forces without worrying about her brother's authority.
Of course, her older brother himself knew this, so he would not let her go so easily.
It was a smooth trip, for the most part, at least until we got past the border of Asura, the Red Dragon's Upper Jaw.
We had expected to encounter resistance here.
We had expected an ambush as a last-ditch attempt to finish off Ariel.
But this… but this was too much!
"Raah!"
A man ran up to me, his sword raised in preparation to attack.
He was… only a bit stronger than Luke, so easy to deal with, at least for me.
But going through practised movements, I shot a spear of ice at his torso, causing him to quickly bring down his blade to defend himself.
But of course, doing so left him open, and I would not let such an opportunity go.
So, sending myself forward with a gust of wind, I twisted my hips, slashing across his neck, leaving him gurgling on his own blood as I stepped back, watching his form crumple with a cold glare.
Keeping my short sword ready, I went back to 'Ariel', or at least, the girl who was disguised as her, watching as another of the princess' attendant's head was severed near the treeline.
Another person I had come to know…
No, that didn't matter right now.
There was no time for grieving.
It was looking bad.
While we had come here with a group of twenty strong, only ten of them had any fighting power, and of those, only five had the strength to put up a fight against these people.
Actually, seeing the body of the now-deceased attendant fell to the ground, and remembering the first person to fall to the ambush, there were only three of us who could put up a meaningful fight.
Would we last in a position like this?
And if we did, this was just the border.
Would we make it all the way to Sharia?
A volley of fire careened through the air, heading towards 'Ariel' and interrupting my thoughts.
Quickly forming a barrier of water, I noticed just as the fire lit up the area near me, that there was an assassin sneaking under the magic barrage, his blade held firm as he paced towards 'Ariel'.
No!
I was too late!
I couldn't-!
As the assassin's blade raced toward 'Ariel', I watched in muted surprise as the assassin's head flew through the air, his neck spurting blood as his body tumbled across the ground.
…What?
"Haa… and we were having such a nice, calm journey."
A calm voice echoed from my side.
Turning to the voice, I watched as a young man stepped forward, his golden hair swaying slightly as he crouched to the ground with his sword held to his side.
Wait… that face… that voice… that hair… w-was he-?
"Well… here I go."
A moment later, he disappeared, leaving only the sound of thunder in his wake.
Snapping my gaze back to the battle, I watched as the group of assassins were cut down, their torsos flying through the air as their bodies fell unceremoniously to the ground.
…Huh?
The fight…. It was over?
No! More importantly!
"Troublesome… this isn't usual for the northern territories, right? I hope not."
Leon!
He was here!
That was him, I was sure of it!
He… he survived!
But to think he got so strong… well, I'm not entirely surprised, but I still couldn't help but be amazed.
His eyes turned to survey the battlefield, taking in everyone else's stunned silence, before his eyes went to me, narrowing slightly as he stared at me.
My heart stopped.
No, it only felt like it did.
I… want to run up to him.
These feelings of mine… the ones from my childhood, that naive love and admiration… they had changed.
Not that I had let go of that love, surely not.
No, instead, that love had only grown stronger and more… real.
Every night I felt the tears stain my pillow, thinking of everything I lost, the only thing that would shine a light on my dark feelings were the thoughts of the future.
Our future.
Before what was simply a crush was now a raging inferno of love, lighting up my life and visions of the future, keeping me warm when I lay alone in the lonely, cold bed.
So it was only obvious that I wanted to go to him.
I wanted to take off my glasses, jump into his arms, tell him who I was, thank him for being alive and… ask him to stay with me, forever, no matter how selfish that request may be.
But… I couldn't.
After all, right now, I wasn't Sylphy, but rather, I was 'Silent Fitz', guardian of the princess.
If I was simply an ordinary guard, this distinction wouldn't matter… but that was not the case.
'Silent Fitz', past being an intimidation tactic, was a blank slate for disguise.
As Ariel was often targeted, one of the best tactics to protect her was using transformation magic, which we also used today in anticipation of an attack.
But with transformation magic, while being able to change everything about one's appearance, one was unable to change their voice.
Hence, as 'Silent Fit'z, while I would have still to imitate the princess, I would not have to worry about others noticing my natural tone, and in addition, the princess would not have to worry about changing her voice at all.
So, for these reasons, I could only become Sylphy behind closed doors, where only the most trusted of Ariel's people knew of my true self.
Still… it didn't make me want to go to him any less.
It just made me have a reason for the pain I felt in not doing so.
I didn't even know if he was alive after not hearing of him.
After all, with someone like Leon, Ariel should have easily learned of such a talented young man, but… she hadn't.
But thankfully, those worries now seemed useless, as here he was, standing right in front of me.
Hm? He was still looking at me?
Did… did he recognize me?
The thought sent a pleasant tingle down my spine.
"You have quite a bit of mana…" he mumbled. "…It's strange too."
I guess that wasn't the case.
It was then that I noticed that other than looking older and more handsome, there were some other changes from the Leon I remembered.
Mainly the streak of white hair tucked behind his ear and the glowing purple eye he now had.
I… guess he had changed too?
There must be a story behind that, huh?
But, I still remembered him.
My hand rose up to my chest, touching the green pendant that was tucked beneath my shirt.
The same pendant he gave me so long ago, and the one I had kept with me ever since.
Did he… truly still remember me?
I hope so…
"That was so cool, Big Brother!"
Hearing a childish voice, I turned to the side to see three figures come out of the woods.
Two were young girls, one with golden hair that was tied in a braid and another with maroon hair tied in a ponytail, and standing behind them was a taller young woman with blazing red hair and a matching set of eyes.
"You were supposed to stay hidden…" Leon sighed. "And why did you let them watch, Eri?"
"They're old enough to see a battle," the young woman shrugged. "Besides, even if you tried, they're not completely innocent to that stuff."
No… that wasn't just a 'young woman', that was Eris!
She was alive too!
And those children… that's Norn and Aisha!
They were all alive, and all together!
I was so glad, I had to hold myself back once more from running to them yet again, lest my disguise be discovered.
But for them to be together like this… they must have teleported together, right?
I do remember them being with each other when the light reached us.
I… couldn't help but envy Eris, at least a little.
Like this, I could already tell at a glance that the two had grown closer.
Lucky…
"…I would still rather them not see, though," Leon said, shaking his head. "Anyway, you guys… what's going on here? You don't look like merchants, and these guys don't look like mere bandits."
He then kicked one of the dead assassins, grimacing as more of his entrails poured out of the torso.
I had expected Luke to speak up at that point.
Luke Notos Greyrat was Ariel's guardian knight and the son of one of her most influential noble supporters, so he always acted as Ariel's second in command.
He was also someone I knew very well, as he knew about the true me, and was someone I considered a friend.
So why… why was he just looking at Eris with a blank face?
Was he too shocked about the situation?
I suppose that made sense, but he had to get a grip!
Was I supposed to do something?
Why was no one speaking!?
Leon's gaze then trailed over to me, causing me to freeze, before glancing at 'Ariel' beside me.
"You… are you the leader here? Or is it someone in that carriage?" he asked.
He knew about the people in the carriage!?
But that's where Ariel was!
What would I do?
I know Leon wasn't too fond of nobility, so… how would he react?
I didn't think it would be too bad, but if Ariel or Luke accidentally made him mad… especially with his sisters around…
"Thank you kindly for your assistance," a bell-like voice said, stepping out of the carriage. "And as for the leader, that would be me."
…I just hope this goes well.
And… I hope I can meet Leon as the real me very soon.
I missed him horribly, after all.
And I had some dreams I wanted to fulfill.
— Leon Greyrat —
Watching a girl step out of the carriage, I noticed that she, just like the girl I saved upon my arrival, was shrouded in mana, almost akin to touki but… much weaker.
This shroud of mana was then removed as she took off her ring, revealing her true appearance, which was… an exact copy of the girl I saved.
…Huh?
I was quite confused, but whatever.
A few of her apparent servants were shocked out of their daze at that, quickly returning to her side, including a young man who looked quite similar to Paul and a silver-haired girl with sunglasses.
And that silver-haired girl… her mana… it was difficult to explain.
Past there being quite a lot of it, it was also… compressed and… 'brighter' than normal.
Odd.
I had seen her cast magic silently before I arrived, which had slightly surprised me, so… was it that?
But mine didn't look that bright…
I then noticed the girl I originally saved also take off a ring, revealing her true appearance as well, which happened to be who the 'leader' looked like whilst shrouded in that mana.
How confusing.
So the two… switched appearances?
Was it some sort of transformation magic?
This 'leader' must be quite important to need a body double.
But to think such magic exists… I wonder if I can copy that?
"I am the second princess of the Asura Kingdom, Ariel Anemoi Asura. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the leader said with a curtsy.
Ugh…
I knew as soon as I noticed that the group ahead of us was being attacked that this was going to be troublesome, but even I didn't expect to be saving a princess.
Wait… an Asuran princess?
That meant she lived in the royal palace before coming here for… whatever reason she had.
Would she… know about Sylphy?
Hmm… while I still thought this was troublesome, at least I now had a reason to bear with it.
"…And I am Leon Greyrat, nice to meet you," I said evenly.
It was polite, but not the tone one would usually take with a princess, evidenced by how the Paul-like boy's eye twitched along with how some of her presumed followers frowning.
Interestingly, though, the princess herself, aside from some mild surprise, didn't seem bothered at all.
In fact, upon hearing my name, her smile widened as she glanced at the silver-haired girl for a moment.
What was that about?
It's almost as if she reacted to my name.
Did she know me or something?
"Well then, Leon Greyrat. First, I once again thank you for your assistance, and if possible…" Ariel said, turning back to me. "Could I ask for your aid in guarding us to our destination?"
…What?
My eyes narrowed in suspicion.
What was going on?
Aside from the fact that I didn't want to do such a troublesome thing, especially with my sisters with me, I was also confused.
Even Ariel's people looked surprised at her rash decision.
That was the natural reaction.
After all, I didn't know them, and they didn't know me.
Why would someone as important as her trust a nobody with their lives, even if I helped them.
I would like to refuse outright, ignore them, and get our tied-up horses before continuing on our way, but…
She could know where Sylphy is, right?
Or at least, this 'Ariel Anemoi Asura' was my best chance.
"Of course, you will be rewarded for such assistance," she added with a smile. "And I assure you that protecting us might be in your best interests…"
What?
What the hell did she mean by 'my best interests?'
That almost sounded like a threat, but… it really didn't feel that way.
Looking to my side, my gaze matched with Eris, and seeing her shrug of indifference, I decided to go along with the princess… for now.
"…We can talk about that later. For now, I would prefer to make camp for the night," I said calmly, breaking the silence.
My gaze then went to the bodies of whom I assumed to be her attendants, numbering ten in total.
"…And I assume you will want to bury your dead."
A few of her people grimaced, and a few nearly began shedding tears, but through it all, Ariel's soft smile never left her face.
But nevertheless, I could see a burning passion within those blue eyes.
Hmm… maybe this princess was interesting past her possible connection to Sylphy.
I would only know for sure later tonight, though.