Chapter 68: The Exiled Marquise’s Ending Monologue
*
In the Demon Realm Forest, near the Demon Realm Church, inside a hastily dug hole, experiencing Magicka depletion for the first time in her life.
The moment Erika Solntsalri heard the sound of space tearing apart, she was aware that she had certainly accepted her death.
Various thoughts welled up within her heart.
If only she had just a little more Magicka left… Thoughts of her best friend in the Royal Capital, thoughts of her parents.
Strangely enough, feelings of resentment or bitterness about her exile hardly surfaced at all; at most, she thought, That damn prince, go bald already.
Was the reason her heart felt so strangely calm because she had finally obtained a period of freedom she couldn’t even hope for? Freedom that she could say she had thoroughly enjoyed.
No, perhaps it was thanks to Shara, who was speaking to her with a smile even in this situation, she considered for a fleeting moment.
But delving deeper into the fact that someone could smile and talk to another person in this scene seemed likely to lead to an unpleasant truth, so Erica gently averted her gaze from the smiling Sister.
And then, Erika Solntsalri saw the Azure Flame.
*
It was a quiet morning, a stark contrast to the festive uproar of the previous day.
Thanks to the Hecate lord’s arrangements, alcoholic beverages in the city were free for two days, turning the City of Hecate into a festival ground.
Watching the adventurers drink, sing, and dance, barely pausing for injury treatment, Erica had envied their freedom, only to correct herself—no, now she was one of them.
She understood that their seemingly overly hasty revelry stemmed from the fact that they might be dead tomorrow, their futures uncertain, yet Erika Solntsalri found herself fond of that life, that freedom.
Struggle to live to the fullest, and if that’s not enough, die.
What a simple, what an easy-to-understand way of life, she thought.
For Erica, who had lived as the daughter of a Marquis House, it was a way of life that seemed to assert freedom itself.
Writing a letter that served as her diary at the table in her room, Erica thought.
About the boy her age who had brought that very freedom to her.
About the boy who had thrown away a proper life as a noble just to gain an acquaintance with her best friend.
If one sought to overcome the rank of a viscount house and gain an acquaintance with the Maiden of Light, proper means likely wouldn’t suffice.
But even so, could one just throw away their own life? Even if they gained that acquaintance, there was no telling what would happen next. Just because the means to reach for what one desired existed, could one cast everything aside?
At the very least, she couldn’t have, Erica thought, a smile bordering on self-deprecation on her lips.
While she yearned for freedom, she had given up on such a luxury from the start, telling herself it was because she was born into a Marquis House.
That was why Shin Longdagger appeared truly beautiful to Erica.
Simple, straightforward, and supporting that choice with his own free will—that figure, that resolve, looked truly beautiful.
Suddenly, simply feeling guilty that she was the one by Shin’s side, Erica’s pen stopped.
At the same time, she reconsidered, No, this isn’t my fault.
Most of this guilt was Shin Longdagger’s fault.
That person was a little too serious about his duties.
Erica thought back on her many conversations with Shin.
That kind of kindness and sincerity should really be saved for when he met her best friend.
Voicing such things so readily, so easily, was a bit much, she thought.
Wasn’t he something of an enemy to maidens?
Saying just the right words at terribly opportune moments—it was practically a crime.
She also wanted to ban him from saying heartwarming things out of the blue.
In short, the fact that her heart fluttered a little was Shin Longdagger’s fault, and this guilt she felt now was also his fault.
—And someday, it was something she would have to return.
Erika Solntsalri let out a small, truly small, thread-like sigh and continued writing her letter.
A letter to her best friend, with no way to send it.
A few moments of hesitation.
Was the expression that surfaced a wry smile or self-deprecation?
For a little while, I will borrow your him.
Erika Solntsalri concluded the letter thus.
*
Within the shattered space, Erika Solntsalri stared wordlessly at Shin Longdagger, who had Azure Flames erupting from his entire body.
That was Magicka of extremely high purity; Magicka of extremely high density was causing the phenomenon known as magic simply by existing.
The phenomenon itself had no effect.
But causing it was synonymous with the presence of a Supreme Skill.
It was a Supreme Skill that would normally be considered a clan’s secret technique, something that should rightly be kept secret, like the Solntsalri House’s secret technique.
That miracle, caused by driving a Magic Circle with ultra-high efficiency, was one of the pinnacles of magic in terms of efficiency.
The Solntsalri House had achieved it by using their own hair as a Magicka tank, overcoming the efficiency problem with an enormous amount of Magicka.
But the phenomenon happening before her eyes now was not that kind of thing.
Erica was speechless at the miracle brought about by sheer individual talent, by one person alone.
With the initial shockwave, the Greatshield Shin carried shattered, and Shara, whose head had been lolling, let out a small cry and fainted.
While gently catching Shara’s head as it fell onto her chest, Erica couldn’t take her eyes off Shin.
Did he, clenching his teeth, looking this way with eyes whose focus seemed uncertain, even realize the miracle he himself was causing?
But there was one thing she knew clearly; with unwavering conviction, Erica knew that Shin had not given up on living.
The death she thought she had accepted vanished all too easily.
She reached out a hand toward Shin, who felt terribly close, yet terribly far.
Did this unserious former classmate know?
That Rainivati’s Fifth revealed its true malice after the shockwave that seemed to sweep the land.
That the torn space itself would drain the Magicka from all living beings within its range, reaping their lives.
Her outstretched hand touched Shin’s cheek.
“…I might actually start believing, you know? My Longdagger.”
Erica felt the last dregs of her Magicka being sucked away the moment it touched the Azure Flame.
Is the church absorbing it? Resisting the rapidly approaching, irresistible drowsiness, she tried to follow its destination.
Within her fading consciousness, feeling enveloped by something, Erica regretted that her hand was slipping away from Shin’s cheek.
*
She put down her pen, placed the letter in an envelope, and sealed it.
Erica herself couldn’t tell if the sigh that escaped her lips was from the fatigue of finishing writing or something else.
But it was undoubtedly mixed with exasperation at Shin’s conduct unbecoming of a noble, shouting loudly in the other room.
Honestly, My Lord was incredibly careless for a noble.
To think he could perform such a Supreme Skill, yet panic and raise his voice so easily.
He really should consider his own abilities more objectively.
Standing up from her chair, Erica gave a wry smile.
Well, he apparently remembered almost nothing about what happened in that hole, so perhaps it couldn’t be helped.
He claimed not to remember those words she had spoken, thinking it might be the end, so perhaps Shin really was an enemy to maidens.
Well, actually, she was grateful he had forgotten.
Still, what was he making such a fuss about?
Erica Solntsalri opened the door, aware that her heart was pounding despite herself.
She was careful not to let her voice sound too excited.
She spoke with a truly challenging smile.
Wondering what would happen next.
“What on earth are you making such a racket about? My Lord.”
***Afterword***
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