The sword princess' tale

Volume One Chapter 8 - Falling Despair

"......I... did it......"

I looked up at the moons in the night sky. It was a close call. I was treading on a thin ice... and I succeeded. Relief, joy, fear. Everything went out of control and I could never endure the overflowing happiness.

I lived. I survived. I won...! those words proved how much they meant to me as my first success in taking a step forward. I did it. I did it......

"Agh...!? Owowow......!! It... it hurts......!"

Wh-what happened...? I looked at my arms and they were bursting out small cuts. Hiii! The wounds sprayed blood! Even the skin turned red as it swelled like boiled crab meat! It seriously hurt and I couldn't stop tearing up as sharp pains reached my brain from all over my body!

"...That's right... I used Fei's strongest technique."

I heard he trained for half a year to learn it and it strained the body beyond the limits due to its insane destructiveness... He certainly did have his right arm wounded to prove it. It was a foolish thing to imitate his technique without practicing it... huh...?

Ugh. And I just cut open a monster which was definitely tougher than steel. What foolishness have I done using this weak body......? And I was still feeling under the weather. I felt like crying when ALL of my bones were creaking like this..

"......ah! Th-that's right... Fei!!"

My feet quickly moved and I rushed to where the black haired fool was. I found him... hey, he's standing up! What kind of stunt is he trying to pull now!?

"Fei!!" I yelled out and the boy glanced at me. Seemingly surprised.

"...Charlotte......? Why are you-*bam!* Agh!!"

The two of us fell after the front tackle I have done incognito. Fei groaned and rambled in pains but I simply snatched his collars

" "YOU!" "

We yelled at the same time, then we were perplexed.

"You idiot!" I recovered first and yelled again! "What the hell were you doing!?"

"You're the idiot here!! Why did you come here!!?"

"Shut up! I ain't listening to a lousy hero who got defeated after saying cheesy words like that!! What if I didn't come earlier?!"

"I can live out from that just fine! What about YOU!? What kind of foolish deed did you do?! Did you even contract a devil just to show-off like that!?"

"I! AM! NOT! SHOWING OFF!! It was YOU that tried to show-off, you scatterbrain!!"

Then I rained dozens of fists at the boy. Despite wounded so gravely, it seems that he wouldn't die just by a few beating from a demon. Even so-

"I was... scared... you know...!?"

"Huh...!?"

Proceeding on hitting Fei again, I complained with "I thought you were going to die...! Don't make me worry again!! And stop trying to act cool by taking the brunt of all attacks! Are you a masochist!?"

"J-just what's wrong with you-!?"

"Don't! You! Ever! Do! That! Again!!"

"Gah-ouch-ow ow! Stop-I get it! I get it, alright...!? I won't do it again!!"

"Just saying it isn't enough!! Say that once you promise not to pick the shortcut to suicide!! Don't you ever try to think that death is an option for every trouble!!!"

The boy literally displayed a very annoyed expression. One that I could never saw before but I was still hitting him weakly which forced him to give up.