It was as if I was in clouds if not in the fluffiest bed. The fluffy warmth enveloped my entire body, easing my mind so I didn't feel any discomfort. I then rested my head against the soft thing I was laid into.
Ah... so warm... I think I can sleep for eternity if it's like this. As I thought such thing, I heard a distant sound.
Almost inaudible, and extremely faint.
*RING!* The chiming sound echoed slightly louder. This time, my ears clearly heard it and a question arose in my head.
Who is it? Who's there...? Why are you ringing the chime?
As if that someone heard it, a feminine laughter appeared. It was melodious and whimsical like a breeze of wind in the middle of spring.
"That's three questions, Child. You are really like a child despite your soul maturity."
......ah... It seems... my thought was conveyed. I see... if so... then we are talking right now, or... this is me speaking even though I can't hear my own voice...
"Half correct. You simply haven't remembered how to talk in this realm. Though Freyja did have a hand so that you're conscious here."
Hm...... I'm sleepy... so... can we wrap this up quickly....?
"Certainly. Your soul hasn't synchronized completely. Maybe after two or three years but after that is up to your willpower. Also your heart."
...Syn...chronized......?
"Are you listening? You shouldn't mess up since you will be prone to dangers. Especially if some fellows noticed your situation."
...oh... I... see...... Un... okay...
"...you're still unstable. I guess I should say it's as expected but... Hm. Since Helios is busy capturing Irnia... Alright then!"
With a tone which seemed as if a person gained 'Eureka' moment... the voice became louder and–
"Because you've just initiated a Connection with a Vagnalos, I'm pretty sure you're shaken up so I'll erase the part where you made Connection until he opens up to you!"
......ha...? Before I knew it, light blinded me and everything turned pure white.
"Well, you can find me if you try to look for ‘Vainticel’! See you later! I'll add a bonus since you're my follower too!!"
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...I opened my eyes and I saw the familiar ceiling of my room. Uhm... Why am I here...? Somehow, I think I did something worth for me to have an identity crisis... What happened...? My last memories before sleeping was me thanking that grey-eyed boy and... Nothing else. I couldn't remember why, or what had transpired!!
"...maybe because I was still sick at the time... Really, illness can jumble up memories, eh...?" I mumbled with a hand on my cool forehead.
I rose up from bed and I swayed around. My body feels heavy but it's not so much... Instead, I feel... lighter as I traced the blanket with my hands.
I looked at myself and it seemed... I was wearing a gown. Wait, why a night gown...? Who changed me—ah, mother usually did whenever I was sick.
I never tried to touch this kind of dress since it's half-transparent, not to mention those in wardrobe were really, really too much for a gentleman like me. Mother gave them to me as they were her old possession but still... Why? Where did she get them? And the quality seemed too high for things sewn by local tailors.
There are even corsets and dresses for attending balls.
Eh... forget that. I want to change so let's change to a more... normal dress. Of course I'm still hesitant about female clothing but it's better than walking naked. Not to mention my bad friend scarred me with an emotional scar worse than this. At least I don't have to wear something like g-string. Again.
However, as I opened the wardrobe and dropped the night gown, the door to my room was flung open as a running figure entered the corner of my vision.
"Oy, Princess! What in the bloody Chaos is with your parent!?" A familiar voice shouted.
Right after he slammed the door back and locked it, there was a loud sound coming out from outside as a blood curdling howl echoed.
"Get out and receive my execution, you shitty brat!!"
...the heck? What are these two doing, honestly? I really want to yell but once the boy named Fei gritted his teeth, he tried to not let the door be blown away by pressing his back against it. When he stared at me next... his jaw dropped.
"...what?" I asked as a sense of foreboding filled my heart.
"......no... well, uhm..." Fei stuttered with his eyes swimming from a corner to another.
Before he could say anything other than that, though, I cast my gaze downward... and I see it.
Flat as heck. A smooth land of milky white which went down while a strand of gold bristled against my shoulders. And then there's nothing else.
No, rather... my train of thought stopped halfway through as I glanced to Fei and then to myself. Blood suddenly rushed to my head and I screamed.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!"
That day... was the first time I ever screamed in a girly voice despite me being a male at heart.
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"I see... so that's why. You sure got it rough, lil' Charlotte." Melinda commented with an annoying smirk.
No, she is annoying. I knew that as a fact since if she didn't disappear on me, I wouldn't have drowned and stayed on bed for two weeks. It was stupid of me to rely on her when we visited the village. I grunted and finished my breakfast earlier than Melinda.
"Now, now. It's not like the boy did any harm to you right, Charl?" Mother inquired with a similar smile like Melinda's.
"But mother...!" I tried to raise a complaint...
Yet when I realized I couldn't come up with anything logical to support my cause, I slumped back.
With a sigh, I drooped my shoulders and let out all the steams in my mind with it. I give up. Let's just stay calm and not causing problems. Women are hard to deal with and the two males are already punished by mother anyway.
As I got up from the chair and helping mother with the dishes, she asked me while glancing at me.
"Are you alright, sweetie?"
"Uhn. I'm okay, mother."
"Don't force yourself, alright? Tell me if you're hurt somewhere."
"I know, mother."
I nodded repeatedly as I answered her concerns. After all, my body feels so light today. I couldn't understand why but it seems I've gotten healthier. It's to the point of allowing me to sprint for 12 minutes straight!
I curved my lips upward once I realized I could become stronger. Since I'm healthy enough to do exercises, father allowed me to join in his morning practices from tomorrow and I'm really eager to do it!
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Winter was still around and my birthday was still half a month away. Not that it mattered since in Magnis, people celebrated their birthdays once every five years. I won't get any present this year but that's fine too though why am I walking in the hallway?
Now, it's already my daily routine to be awake faster every time I'm not ill. I changed with a set of light clothes made from high-absorbent fabric, then I walked outside wearing thick leather boots. I won't get cold so easily if it's like this and I always have my muffler wrapping my neck!
Hm! With this, I can do morning exercise–
"Where are you going?" A sudden voice came from behind.
I jolted after hearing it and I turned around...
"Ugh. Why are you there?" I groaned once I realized I was busted.
"Your mother insisted me to stay here." Fei complained with his lips curving downward.
His sword dangled next to his waist and he was still wearing the same black clothes. Doesn't he have something other than that? He looked like a miner covered with black oil if not soot.
"...I guess she's worried about you. You don't look like a B-Rank Adventurer."
"Hm... Almost everyone can achieve it in a year full of opportunities. Whatever."
Hah... Adventurers' rank depended on the number of completed Quests and achievements after all. My parents were both SSS-Ranked Adventurers so I doubted I was a normal child born in a normal family. Still, there's this strict criteria to do a Rank Up. Fei did showed me a dog tag which explained his identity as an Adventurer but I found it... unbelievable.
I mean... father told me the exact same thing but what about Fei? Unless he has a connection or because he did something amazingly big, there's no way he could become a B-Rank Adventurer at his age... probably. I'm not so sure about everyone else though.
I followed Fei and I asked him about the matter.
"I'm different than ordinary humans." He answered.
Eh? Are you saying you're not human when your ID Card said otherwise? How lame can your joke be?
"But that's not a reason to neglect yourself. At least treasure your life a little more." I reprimanded.
"Why should I listen to you?" Fei replied with a condescending tone of voice.
If I didn't train my patience beforehand, I would have lashed out at him. Just calm down and think of a way to change his mind even if he's a thickheaded bastard. If there is a thing that can make him baffled, then--
"...because I don't want to see you getting hurt."
Fei stopped on his tracks and he glanced at me. He stared hard it made me feeling fidgety. Then the boy turned back to his default position.
"...you'll just ignore me like everyone else sooner or later."
Huh? What did he just say? I stared at Fei but he walked away and went to the village without a care.
...but... somehow. That back of his looked ‘lonely’ as I watched it vanishing from my sight.
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Two years had passed.
Time seemed to fly in a blink of an eye and before I realized, the powerful ray of sun blinded my sight as I lied on the grassy backyard. I groaned while sweats trickled down my cheeks and I heaved rough breathes.
My hands were trembling, my stomach throbbed with dull pain and dirt smeared on my clothes as a hot breeze brushed past my hair. As if consoling me whose body heated up due to adrenaline and intense workout.
"Alright, it's the brat's victory," Father said. "The scores are now 175-0."
...Uuu... I lost... again. I got up and grabbed the wooden sword lying near me. Then I looked at the black haired boy who's returning his wooden sword to father.
"That was unexpected. I thought my daughter would beat you this time but you twisted your wrist around to deflect her sword."
"...I had no other option. It's a sword duel so I can't use anything other than a sword."
"Then don't do something like that! Your wrists are the lifeline of a swordsman, brat!!"
"Shut up! I ain't listening to your rambling, stinky old man!!"
...they're arguing again. Can't you at least care about me? I mean, my solar plexus was struck with a wooden sword, you know??
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Letting out a groan in the middle, I caught father's attention and he turned to me. I gave him back the wooden sword he lent to us for the duel.
"You've improved, Charlotte. That last move was magnificently done." He said with a nod.
"But I haven't defeated Fei yet!" I complained.
Just how much of a genius is he!? I saw him training every day but he never showed me that absurd technique!! It's as if he's a manga character to jump two story high and doing a whirlwind slash!
Also, did he just say 'Variant Arts'? Hm... that's different than what I heard from Elder John. I thought Fei was learning Assassination Arts under that shady old man... Did he invent his own fighting style in the middle?
"There's no way you can defeat me." Fei muttered as if stating the obvious.
"No! I almost had you!! I'll beat you next time!!" I protested.
The boy shook his head. "Just why are you so eager to defeat me?"
"To prove that I'm right!"
Ha? Fei tilted his head at my answer and I decided to make him recall what he said.
"You said that you're special. I'll show you that you're no different than me!"
"...and is that your reason to fight?"
"Yeah—huh?"
...what did he just say? Reason to fight? I stared at Fei but the obsidian grey eyes seemed to narrow down it sent a chill down my spine.
"Brat," Father pounded a wooden sword on Fei's head lightly. "If you're going to fight again then do it later. Don't you enjoy being victorious against my daughter all the time?"
"...none of your business. I'm just annoyed by her."
Fei turned around and he walked back to the Manor. Once silence fell, I looked at father who showed a frown as he closed his eyes. Seemingly in deep thought.
As I approached him, he suddenly shook his head and he cast his gaze down at me. His beard had been shaved for quite some time and he had a youthful face from up close... Isn't he an Ikemen (handsome man) already? What's so ordinary about him?
"Ah..." I let out a sound when father suddenly rubbed my head. He said, "It's okay, Charlotte. You're still growing so you'll beat him someday."
...Uuh...? Is he comforting me? But it's not like I'm depressed by my defeat... I mean, I felt frustrated at first but I can't turn back time. After spending two years with Fei, I realized I have no choice but to recognize his strength and overcome him.
After all, I hate his way of thinking which seemed to say nobody would be bothered even if he died a horrible death. If I can't even straighten a child's irrational behavior then there's no way I will ever be allowed to leave Bluesnake.
Though saying that... Why is it that his back is growing more and more distant? Whenever I remembered the time where he left the Manor in that snowy day, my heart tightened and I felt as if a lump was stuck in my throat.
...Why?
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Another day passed and a new day arrived.
I sat down under the Hortio Tree in the backyard after morning practice with father. The shades given by the tree cooled my body and calmed down my adrenaline as a sweet yet sour scent tickled my nose.
In Magnis, Hortio is a tree bearing fruits with the shape similar to apples. The color was green but the flesh of the fruit was akin to an orange fruit. And it tasted like orange, which is luckily, my favorite after the heavenly Anfle.
Warm breezes caressed my hair and I could hear the rustling grasses. My eyes caught several butterflies in mother's flower garden and I smiled as the cloudless blue sky stretched above me.
The training became harsher after I learned the basic stance and father became extremely strict in teaching me. Not that it's a bad thing but my stamina hasn't improved very much ever since summer arrived.
Maybe because I'm still a bit sick. I was struck with heatstroke the day before yesterday. It's not too high but mother was upset knowing it. She scolded father for being too harsh and it's the first time I ever saw him to reflect on his actions. I put a hand right above my eyes as I gazed upward–
"So you're here again."
...and Fei barged in by appearing from the shadow like an Assassin. My mood fell rock-bottom it forced me to scowl at him.
"Stop that already. You're beginning to irritate me with that sudden emergence, Fei."
The boy ignored me as he sat near me. His back leaned against the bark of the tree and he put his sword on the ground at his side. What’s he doing?
"...now that I think about it, you have a strange sword there, Fei." I muttered.
"Don't touch it." Fei warned.
...Haa. Same as always huh? I can't believe he's not changing after two years of forced interaction with my family. Then again, all we did was arguing if not fighting. Looks like we both hate each other for our guts.
"It's not like I will steal it you know? I just want to know how real sword feels like." I said.
At that, he became silent. I took it as his permission so I held the sword with both of my hands. The black sword possessed a black hilt, a scarlet crossguard, and a jet black sheathe. Even when I drew out the blade, darkness glimmered and not even sunlight reflected by it. The weight of the sword seemed heavier than how it looked like when I lifted the unsheathed black sword unfit for 12 years old boy to use.
...I tried to touch the blade but Fei said.
"Stop doing something stupid."
"...way to go in ruining my excitement, Fei..."
"Curiosity will kill you, Princess."
"...stop calling me that," I puffed my cheeks and pouted but I still stared at the black sword resting on my laps. "Do you fight with this weapon, Fei?"
"Not all the time. There's no opportunity to find a good target for it."
So it's a special sword? Well, I guess it's as expected of a B-Rank Adventurer to have one or two magic items. Even so...
"This sword is in good shapes," I said. "You maintained it every day right, Fei?"
"......yeah."
"Did someone give it to you?"
The boy nodded although a bit slower than I expected.
"Hm... what kind of person was it?" I asked.
"Why do you want to know...?" He replied with a question.
"I'm just curious. Fei doesn't look like someone who wants to keep something for himself." I answered.
After a short silence, the boy heaved down his shoulders. He said, "Shut it, will you?" with an irritated tone of voice but he continued.
"It's just a belonging of a stranger who forced it onto me before dying. There's nothing else that matters."
......ah. So it's a memento. I touched a sore spot again... I hung my head down as I regretted for asking but I couldn't let what my rival said next.
"...that's right. Nothing else mattered since they were already fated to die once they met me."
......Huh?
"Give it back," Fei said as he stretched out his hand with overwhelming pressure. "That's not a toy for a sickly princess like you to use."
...even before I could say anything, the Adventurer snatched the sword and sheathe without me being unable to do anything about it. Then Fei vanished in a blink of an eye again. Leaving behind scattered leaves dancing in the air.
Although that was a reaaaallly cool exit...
"...Why did he even search for me in the first place??"
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-Alex's POV
This is worrisome. Indeed, it's so worrying I heaved a long sigh once in a while. After the morning practice, I returned back to the Manor and the one who greeted me was my beloved wife.
"Alex? Isn't it too early for you to finish the training? What happened?"
"...Agatha..."
We went to the dining room. I wanted to discuss about something with her and I'd like to do it in the most calming situation possible. When Agatha brought a pair of cup filled with tea, I sat in the place I usually sit and my wife settled down right next to me. Just like always.
"It's no good." I muttered while shaking my head.
"...What do you mean by that, dear...?" Agatha responded with a question.
I told Agatha how our daughter's progress. She did as I told her to do, she's energetic and she's enthusiastic whenever she learned something new. Also, she developed quicker than other children. It's very heartwarming to see our only child working so hard for the sake of her future, but once it came to fighting?
"I could see it from her eyes. There's a terrible cloud in them."
"Isn't that only because she is still a child? You know that Charl is different than you or me..."
"No, Agatha... it's not good at the rate Charlotte is going now. "
I groaned as I put the empty cup on the table. It caused me to remember back when squires had to eradicate a band of bandits as their first mission. Honestly, it was anything but pretty and it made me to narrow down my eyebrows.
Also, Charlotte... even though she's still so young, she showed tremendous amount of potential. I can't say she will surpass the brat who's already abnormal but with enough time and opportunities, those two will be stronger than me or Agatha.
Even so–the world isn't so kind. The two of us knew all too well the reality of having to stay silent despite being capable to ensure the situations. Sometimes, fate will verdict a cruel trial which seemed so impossible one would rather give up too.
"If Charlotte can't find her way soon, she might as well abandon the thought of seeing the world." I muttered despite hating what I said.
I don't want to ruin her dreams no matter how much I am against it but I don't like to restrain her pure will. Putting a hand on my face and considering what kind of thing I should do to help my daughter, I felt a weight leaned to my shoulder.
"It's okay, Alex" Agatha's voice roused me back from pondering.
I could feel her warm from the hand on top of mine which was on the table. Her smile was serene, and charming. As if all the dark thoughts I have were exorcised by light.
"We'll find a way to help our daughter. Let's think of a way. I'm sure there's a way. Also, you have me. We can do this together."
"...Agatha..."
Reflexively, I touched my wife's cheek. I could feel her softness and warmth, and I knew all too well that I truly loved her. My wife soon smiled with a flushed cheeks and responded by holding my hand.
An urge ordered me and I complied to it. I drew my face closer to Agatha's and--
"Aren't you so lovey-dovey even today, you lovebirds~?"
An interruption suddenly appeared in the form of a High Elf across the table! Realizing what was about to happen, my wife shook her shoulders and her cheeks dyed with seven shades of scarlet. Then she pushed me off the chair.
"Gah!" I groaned in pain but my shock moved my body to rise up and yell. "M-Melinda!? Since when did you...!!"
"I've been here for quite-a-while! It's unfair to see how you two are so close when I'm being left alone like this you know?"
No, as if you're crying if that creepy smile is on your face!! She's definitely up for something! This woman is for sure scheming something bad! Again!!