The sword princess' tale

Volume 3 Chapter 15 - What I Want is....

The same scenery. The same dream. The same nightmare I often saw and felt with my entire existence.

You can't do anything.

Someone said. The voice which was telling me cold, cruel and absolute reality once again appeared.

You're weak. So weak you don't deserve anything.

The voice sneered and I felt someone choking my neck from behind. I gasped while wriggling on the ground. Trying to catch up with someone who disappeared into the distant horizon painted with scarlet blazes yet was unable to as the freezing invisible hands restricted my limbs and suffocating me.

Just give up. You can't achieve anything anyway.

Darkness crept and slowly eating away my vision. Amidst the flickering flames and the coldness which kept me down to the ground, I began to lose the rein over my body.

......yeah... maybe you're right. I couldn't achieve anything.

Then-

...even so... Once the image of a youth who wielded a sword all alone amidst the blazes which seemed to mock at him appeared in my mind...

I couldn't take it. I couldn't bear to see it again. And because of that, I...
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"Charlotte!"

My vision shook and light abruptly entered it. I squinted and frowned but soon enough everything became crystal clear.

"......ah... Huh...? This is..."

The remnant of bonfire was at the corner of my field of sight. Even though the darlness thoroughly covered the surrounding, an odd sense of warmth and comfort seemed to embrace me from behind. Then I felt something like needles were poking the crown of my head so I turned up...

Why are there strands of black above me? They're quite sharp too...

"You alright?" Suddenly a familiar face descended from above and I shrieked.

"F-Fei!? Wait, why are you-"

"...well, it just so happened to be like this."

What do you mean by that!? Fei sighed and he told me to look downward. Once I did so, I realized that I was sitting on Fei's leg and my body was hugged from behind with an arm...

Wait. This is Fei's arm! Th-then... right now...!

"Eek! Le-let me go...!" I shouted frantically while feeling blood going to my head.

"Sorry, can't do. You're the first one to start it too." Fei said.

Even so, that doesn't make it right! This is in an entirely different level of something I can endure and just where are you touching!?

But as I flailed my limbs like a kid, Fei simply ignored me and started rubbing my head. He's treating me like a cat! This guy seriously is treating me like a cat which would sit on an elderly lap only for some patting and sunbathing!! Kiiiiii! Stop this madness at oooooonnnccceee!

"It's okay, I'm good at patting."

"Don't say that kind of stuff with that smug smile you dummy!! And how did you even read my mind?!!"

'I don't care.' Fei said while still patting me. Agh...! Uuu...! Stop it... stop it...! At this rate, my pride as an adult is going to... it's going to fall into oblivion!!