Oneshot (2/2)
”I wanted to offer my thanks.”
Bøyg suddenly said.
”… Thanks? … I haven't done anything for you to thank me for.”
”I don't have any confidence that I can beat the Demon King.”
The hero's face was serious.
”I really am glad you're here. With your power, even the Demon King would go down. It might be shameful for the hero to say it, but it's because you're here, that I can feel relieved from the depths of my heart.”
”…… What is your objective in flattering me? I don't really have anything to give you.”
”You're as twisted as ever.”
Bøyg gave a small laugh.
”…… Come to think of it, you don't talk formally to me, do you?”
The dream Bøyg always spoke to me in a courteous tone. Even in private, he maintained the dignity of a hero as he spoke.
”Hmm? Ah? That so. Would you prefer me to speak formally, Holy Maiden? Then I have committed a most heinous discourtesy.”
”… No, it doesn't really matter. That wasn't what I meant when I said it. Talk however you want to.”
”Yeah? Thanks for that. No, how should I put it, you don't really give off a Holy Maiden sort of feeling, so when I speak formal… it just feels unnatural, you know. Oh, was that also a discourtesy?”
”… It doesn't matter. I'm aware of it.”
I know people often say I'm not very holy maiden-ish, and I'm the one who knows best that I'm not holy maiden-ish at all.
Rather, when he speaks politely, it makes my body itch. Just be frank, frank please.
These formalities just don't suit me.
”…… Bøyg, is speaking casually your natural self?”
”Hm? No, I wonder. It's not like either of them feels off. When I'm talking with the sword saint, I speak respectfully, but it doesn't feel stiff at all.”
”… Fhmmm.”
So it's not like dream you is putting on airs.
Fhm…
”Then I'll be counting on you in the Demon King subjugation. It's shameful, but we won't be able to do it on our own.”
”……”
Bøyg lowered his head.
It doesn't matter. I don't particularly think it's shameful.
I mean, the dream me was in love with you,
… And the real me had fallen as well.
It was seven, perhaps eight years ago.
I was recognized by the church as the 'Holy Maiden,' leaving my parent's embrace at a young age.
There were no friends in sight, the training was harsh, the monsters were scary. I would always hide my tears, gritting my teeth as I lived on.
While the Holy Maiden may be adored, she couldn't have anyone close. She was the valuable Holy Maiden, a solitary existence in the world, so it was only natural.
That's why the party was agonizing.
To greet and greet and greet and greet people I didn't know. Maintaining a forced smile, listening to their boring talks as if it was supposed to be fun, having myself lifted up by meaningless flattery, and saying oh, that's amazing on reflex when it was called for.
Who do they think I am? I'm an unwoman. I had already caught a glimpse of my own unwomanhood back then. I'm a coward. A coward. Like h.e.l.l I can stay in this party!
And once all the lines of greetings were over, I made myself scarce in a corner of the hall, dazing out on my own.
Stifling my breath, I created a sh.e.l.l around me so I wouldn't have to talk with anyone.
At that time, a voice called over.
”Are you alright?”
It was the small Hero Bøyg.
Worrying for me, he had brought over lots of candy.
That's all there was to it. It all came down to such a small thing.
It was an absurd trifle of kindness, and it's not as if anything major happened. After that, we didn't have any significant conversation, and after leaving the sweets, he left my side.
That was all there was to it, but from that day forth, I couldn't take my eyes off of Bøyg.
The party went on, the dances began. I simply gazed at him dancing with someone else from afar.
I didn't invite him to dance. A coward can only look from a distance.
… But the dream me invited him to dance, and he took her by the hand.
I felt a little jealous.
[Dream]
”Will you hear out my dream, Lady Ina?”
”I won't.”
The Holy Maiden curtly handled the hero's serious look.
They were in a room of a castle stolen by the enemy, and while the hero and Holy Maiden had each been afforded their own private room, at this point, they only ever used one room for the pair.
They were living together.
”I have something important to talk about.”
”I can imagine what you're going to say. And I'm sure it's the happiest thing I can wish for as a woman…”
The Holy Maiden turned her reddened face from the hero. Her cheeks had turned the red of a ripe apple as she awkwardly tapered her mouth.
”Then!”
”But even so, even so, it cannot pa.s.s. You cannot give me those words here and now.”
The Holy Maiden stood and approached the window.
Far, far away, she stared into the distance with a tragic expression.
”I mean, the battle with the Demon King will soon be upon us…”
”……”
The Hero was silenced.
A battle where there was no telling if everyone would get out safe was before them.
”It's an ill omen to make a promise before a difficult battle.”
”… So you're the sort to believe in such superst.i.tion.”
”I always loved the books and moving pictures…”
She wanted to avoid discussing hopes and dreams before the trial.
While her hopes were hot and glimmering, the battle would shave away and put cracks into them. The obstacle of death would shatter such a promise into pieces.
That's why she was afraid to put the warm future she hoped for to mouth.
The hero embraced the Holy Maiden looking up at the stars from behind.
”Lady Ina…”
”…!”
The Holy Maiden's body twitched.
It wasn't rare for them to embrace one another. They had already done things more amazing than that time and again.
Even so, her pule hastened. A throbbing beat of nervous delight raced through her, and it was something the hero could feel as well. The two of them shared their heat.
”If it's no good to talk about the future…”
”Then here, then now…”
The hero's face approached the Holy Maiden's. The distance from eye to eye entered point blank, as each side noticed the pa.s.sion imbued in the other's pupils.
Their lips approached. A few centimeters left. No, only millimeters to go…
The Holy Maiden closed her eyes.
In exchange, the hero opened his mouth.
”Here and now, I shall be teasing you
The hero tickled her bottom.
”Hyah!?”
She brushed away his arm, blankly taking some distance. Her face was red with embarra.s.sment, and swelling up her cheeks, she showed her displeasure with upturned eyes.
The moonlight leaking through the window illuminated the displeased girl's silver hair.
”Hahaha, you're angry.”
”Yes I am! Anyone would be angry! It was all leading up to a romantic air, was it not!? Why did you tickle my b.u.m!?”
In regards to the chuckling her, the Holy Maiden's voice was rough.
”But you don't feel so tense anymore, do you?”
”…”
Receiving those words, she probed into her own chest.
Sure enough, it felt lighter. Her heart was pained before the battle with the Demon King. And at this very moment, it had softened a bit.
… No, but what's this about tickling someone's b.u.m?
What did her maiden heart have to say about that.
The hero laughed as he sat down on the sofa. As if she thought the very least she could do was express her displeasure, she let off a thud as she violently took a seat by his side.
”Won't you cheer up, Lady Ina.”
”Hmph…”
”There, there. Good girl, good girl.”
”Hmph…”
The hero gently stroked the Holy Maiden's head.
His hand gently swayed, so as not to disturb her silky hair.
”Lady Ina, you told me the other day.”
”Eh?”
”That not just as the hero, everyone needs to give it their all. Not just the power of one, we can fight together to overcome this battle.”
”Yes…”
”I was happy to hear those words. And I'm sure they're just right when we have no geniuses among us.”
”I do think you count as a genius… but if we put our power together, I'm sure… I'm sure…”
”Please fight by my side, to the very end.”
”Of course!”
The Holy Maiden's smile was brilliant, but it was a smile as if to show the solid resolve underlying it. Seeing that face, the hero gave a satisfied nod.
He lowered his hand that was petting her head.
The hand s.h.i.+fted from her hair to her face, he stroked down her neck to her shoulder, and…
As his hand came down even lower, the holy maiden slapped it away.
Her displeased eyes focused on the hero.
The hero gave the mischievous smile of a child whose prank had been found out.
”You were about to touch my chest, weren't you.”
”…… Who can say? I have no idea what you're talking about.”
”……”
The Holy Maiden pouted.
”I understand. Bøyg is actually a lewd person, lately, I've come to understand all too well.”
”No, that's not true, is it…?”
”It definitely is! On our nights together, do you understand just how ragged you run me!?”
”N-no… that's because you told me to make a mess of you and I couldn't help but…”
”…”
The Holy Maiden's face turned red and she cleared her throat once.
”W… well, i-it doesn't really matter if you're a lewd person or not… it's fine…… it's not like I hated it……”
The Holy Maiden's words gradually grew smaller, at the end becoming the hum of a mosquito.
”But! Even so! I have to draw the line somewhere! Until the battle with the Demon King is over, all impure acts are strictly prohibited!”
”Eeh!?”
The Holy Maiden rudely turned her face away, the hero was taken aback.
Crestfallen, he hung his head. After the intense battles with the demons, his indecent exchanged with his beloved girlfriend had been a great relieve on his heart.
Simply, to be blunt, the Hero was a lewd person.
Feeling up the Holy Maiden's body was one of his great pleasures.
”… Is it really no good?”
”It's no good.”
”My word…”
He dropped his shoulders. Seeing him like that, the Holy Maiden gave a light laugh.
”But…”
Holding the Hero's shoulder, drawing her face closer, she gave the light touch of a kiss.
”A kiss doesn't count as an impure act.”
At the soft sensation he just felt at his lips, the hero was dumbfounded. So this was what it meant to be lowered and raised; receiving a sudden reward, a childish expression floated over his face.
The Holy Maiden was making a mischievous, charming smile. She laughed as she observed the reactions of her beloved hero.
The hero embraced her shoulders, and once more, this time a more heated kiss…
[Reality]
”DA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a! FU U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U! f.o.o.kin flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin'!”
I cried out.
I cried out from my soul.
I swung my fists as I cried out.
”Splendid! As expected! As expected of you! For I, the Demon King to be pushed back! As expected of the humankind's strongest hero! This is the thrill, this is what I've been fighting for!”
”S H U T T h E F O O K UPPPPPPPPPPPPPP! T H A T S H I T D O N ' T M A T T E R NOWWWWWWWW!”
Before my eyes was the final and strongest enemy, the Demon King.
As expected of the enemy leader, he was a cut or two above the rest. Even after receiving a few of my fists, he endured.
”Now come, Holy Maiden! Make me feel like I'm alive!”
”Like I care about thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttt! flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' some more! THAT BITTTTTTTTTTTCCCCCHHHHHHH! Quite getting all hot and sweatyyyy!”
I spat up sugar!
Showing an unwoman a dream like that is torture!
Ptttttttttttttttttttttewy! Hack, ptewy!
It was sweet! Way too sweet! The inside of my mouth's caked in sugar! It's bad on the soul for an unwoman like me!
What the h.e.l.l was that!? What's with that sweetness!? Are you stupid!?
Stop it! Stop it! I can't hold on much longer! You're giving me food poisoning! d.a.m.n fool!
”I'm taking this anger out on… YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU! DEMON KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNG!”
”UWOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
The Demon King was a sandbag to take my frustration. As his body was needlessly durable, I put in all the weight of an unwoman, hammering my fists in again and again.
”So this is… this power is your love, your wish for peace!”
”Take another guess!”
It's just a personal grudge!
Right now, peace can eat s.h.i.+t!
All I want is peace for my own heart!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! This really is bad! Go to h.e.l.l! All the couples in the world should go to h.e.l.l! Are they all like that!? Are all the world's lovers like that!? I M P O S S I B L E! That's impossible!
Is that conduct that's exceeded sanity into the realm of madness really the love everyone in the world looks up to!?
A AH! The sugar! It's leaking from my mouth! I feel like I'm going to spit up sugar again!
Those couples…
The world's couples…
All the couples in the world can just…
”… PEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS S S S S S S S S S S S S S S H h h h h!”
”GYAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
The one who perished was the Demon King.
My barrage of rage took him down.
My anger against every couple in the world defeated the Demon King and brought in peace.
The world was at peace. Because of my hatred of every couple in it…
[Dream]
”Kuh…”
”S-strong…”
”So this is… the Demon King's power…”
In a grand hall decorated with ornate ornaments, the hero and his comrades were forced to their knees. Before their eyes was the form of the Demon King standing composedly, his wounds all too light. It was the throne room of the Demon King's castle. Despite the fact that the portions the effects of the battle reached were broken and tattered, the wounds on the Demon King's own body were light.
”Ha ha ha! So it's already over! Brave heroes!”
On the other hand, the hero parties' bodies were ragged.
Wounds all over their bodies, stamina at reaching its limit, the hero's comrades planted their hands and knees onto the shattered floor tile.
”d.a.m.n… dammit……!”
”To think he was such a foe… it's completely different……!”
”He's strong… so this is the Demon King……!”
No one could move their body.
The hero and holy maiden and sword saint and witch crawled over the ground, the Demon King's grand laugh being all that resounded through the room. They weren't dead yet. Their consciousness hadn't cut off. They could still speak.
But even so, the hero party had no chance of victory.
They had lost to the Demon King.
”I must commend you heroes. While being mere humans, you grew strong, slaying every last remnant of my army and making it all the way to me.”
”But that's as far as you go. You couldn't reach me. You couldn't achieve peace. You gave it a good shot. Now sleep.”
”…… Dammit!”
The Demon King's footsteps sounded out as he slowly, slowly approached the collapsed heroes. He walked on to ley the final blow to these heroes of feeble breath.
Despair approached.
Their lives were to be reaped.
Their hopes of peace would be reaped away.
”Dammit…! Dammit……!”
The hero desperately tried to lift his body. But he couldn't stand. His body wouldn't listen to what he had to say.
He was aware his own death would mean despair for the world. An existence that should never lose by any means, that's what he was.
Even so, against the absolute existence of the Demon King, his life was to be trampled down.
He couldn't stand.
No matter what he did, he couldn't stand.
The Demon King approached.
”… Eh?”
”Mn………?”
Within all of that, a single shadow got to its feet.
Swaying its wound-ridden body as it put power into its limbs, slowly lifting itself up. Her orderly long hair disturbed by the battle, her blood-stained clothes ruffled and stained with blood and grime.
Using her staff as support, she desperately stood. Her eyes held no ambition, with a body so ragged she might fall with a poke, when there was surely nothing she would be able to do, she stood.
”Ina…”
”Holy Maiden…”
”Lady Ina… why are you…”
The one who stood with the Holy Maiden… Ina.
”Fwahahaha! So even before the hero, the Holy Maiden stands! And so!? What will you do!? What are you able to do!?”
The Demon King laughed. But without paying that any mind, the Holy Maiden turned towards the Hero and sent him a smile. It was a smile somewhat imbued with resignation.
”… Bøyg.”
”…… Lady Ina?”
”From here on, I will defeat the Demon King.”
”…… Eh? But h…”
”So… this is goodbye.”
But how would you do that? Before he could say that, the hero's sentence was cut off by her words of parting.
”W… what are you talking about…… Lady Ina……? There's no way you can beat him, with that beaten body…”
”Bøyg…… I always loved you. Even before that day you saved me from a dragon's bonds… from the day you gave candy to a lonely girl, I always loved you.”
”W-what are…”
”When I was always looking at you from afar, I was overjoyed when the day came that I could become your power. Fight alongside you, supporting up one another, the days of being loved by you were nothing but happiness.”
”What are you saying at a time like this…! Lady Ina!”
”Thank you, Bøyg……”
No matter how they were taken, those were words of parting.
The hero cried out. But as if to shake him off, the Holy Maiden turned her body away and faced the Demon King.
An immense magic gushed from her body. That strange magic he didn't know the source of enveloped her body, causing it to glimmer.
”Woman… that magic… you're using your lifeforce……”
”If I use the secret art… I will die. But I'll take you down with me, Demon King.”
”Fwahahaha… this is getting interesting……”
”Stop it! You have to stop…! Ina!”
The magic of life gus.h.i.+ng from her body converged. The Holy Maiden gathered her final power into her hands, with the intent to fire her final spell.
Releasing the magic of life was just as it sounded, no different than relinquis.h.i.+ng one's life itself.
”This is… the end! Demon King!”
”I've heard out your resolve! Now come! Holy Maiden!”
”STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!”
The two resolves and the pained cries of comrades echoed through the room.
The room shook. No, the castle as a whole was shaking. Perhaps form the intense clash of the two magics, the oscillating air shook the s.p.a.ce.
Resolve and magic, pained cries, thoughts, an evil heart and a heart of justice, any and all sort of intense resolve mingled in the room, clashed and shook the world.
The final battle, the final shot with the world on the line clashed.
I lied.
That was a mistake.
The shaking s.p.a.ce wasn't due to the Demon King, or even the Holy Maiden's magic.
There was an intervention.
There was a single ill-mannered human in existence who would interfere in a battle with the world on the line.
”… Eh?”
”What is this…?”
Cracks began forming in s.p.a.ce itself.
As there was an invisible gla.s.s pane where there was supposed to be nothing at all, cracks spread to form a dividing line in reality.
At first, everyone thought the vibrations and tremors were the aftermath of the final battle. But that was a mistake.
Fingers began sprouting from the crevice in s.p.a.ce.
Those unhealthy fingers that didn't look like that didn't do any decent exercise outside emerged from the other side, and by the sheer strength of the hands connected to them, the s.p.a.cial crevice spread out.
”W… what's this…? What's happening?”
”On the other side… just who…”
”Who… could it be……?”
On the other side of s.p.a.ce was a single young woman.
Unkept hair, half-asleep eyes, her uniform was ridden in wrinkles. Her appearance wasn't kept up, an air of cynicism drifting about her.
And yet, an enormous magic could be felt from that slovenly girl.
That prior shake in s.p.a.ce wasn't the magic or life or the demon king's darkness, it was the sheer willpower of the girl who appeared from the other side.
”Y… you are……”
”I-it can't be……”
”M… me……?”
The girl looked extremely sloppy. But if you ignored the atmosphere around her, she was identical to the Holy Maiden Ina.
The mysterious girl sucked in a deep breath.
”BAAAa.s.sSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTAAAAAAAARRRRRRDDDDDDDDSSS! Always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, always, flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirtin' and flirting the h.e.l.l of itttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!”
At a single scream from the mysterious girl, the entire s.p.a.ce tingled and shook.
”How am I supposed to sleep at night, dammit!”
”Kyah!”
The girl's body moved instantaneously, planting a punch into Holy Maiden Ina's stomach. At that single blow, the magic of life concentrated on both her hands melted down and returned to her body.
Holy Maiden Ina fell to her feet.
”You lot! You're a right bother!”
The girl who resembled Holy Maiden Ina cried out.
”Always flirtin and flirtin and flirtin the place up! Arbitrarily appearing in my dreams, flirting as if to show off the happiness I'll never get in my lifeeeee!
What's this!? What's wrong with you people!? You making fun of me!? You laughing, this is never happenin' for an unwoman like you, and taking me for a fool!?”
”Eh? Eh…?”
While the girl seemed angry at Ina, the Holy Maiden in question had no idea what was going on. She was angry at the hero as well, but naturally, the man was oblivious.
As if the tense air to that point had been a lie, a dazed air ruled the area. Excluding the enraged mysterious girl.
”Idiot! Idiot! What's more, on the verge of death from the likes of the Demon King? IF you die here, it'll get even harder to get a d.a.m.n night's sleep! Is that so much to ask for!? Quit bringing trouble to my doorstep! Stupid!”
”W… who exactly… are you……?”
”It goes without saying I'm this woman who came from a parallel world! The victim who's been shown all your lascivious harlotry in my dreams! Stupid!”
”Eh!?”
The mysterious girl pointed at Holy Maiden Ina as she spoke. Parallel world… meaning she proclaimed herself the Ina of a different world.
”Could it be… you're the one from my dreams…”
Holy Maiden Ina softly muttered.
”Ha ha ha! Gallant warrior of another world! How truly intriguing! Now why don't you show me what you can do!”
”Good! You're noisy! I don't have the time to deal with you right now!
Holy Maiden LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa.s.sSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!”
”HOGEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
By the beam of light emitted from the mysterious girl's mouth, the Demon King disintegrated. And just like that, the beam proceeded to destroy a third of the castle. More than that, a beam spat out from a woman's wide-open mouth, no matter how you looked at it, was not a pretty sight.
And so peace returned to the world.
”In the first place, you two, you know! You're really lacking in any consideration for me! What's this!? You think happiness is something that gets shared with everyone!? You think a single person's happiness is tied to everyone else's!? You think love is the sort of thing that makes everyone happy!?
That's wrong! You're wrong! It's different for an unwoman!
When I see someone I don't know flirting up the town, it makes me nauseous inside! And then? When I see a man and woman holding hands as if love is all there is to the world, ptewy! Quit messin' with me, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! In the end, you're just a b.i.t.c.h in heat reacting to your instinct to mate!
You get me!?”
”Ah, yes.”
The hero party had naturally gotten on their knees in apology.
”Yeah, yeah, I know! I'm biased! It's just my biaaas!
I know you haven't done anything wrong! However! If an unpopular woman like me doesn't see popular women that way, it's bad on my mental health! You can't get by if you don't apply some sophistry to your unpopular stress! It doesn't really matter, does it! An unpopular woman can't get by if she doesn't see it that way!
Rather, do you even know what an unwoman is!? It means an unpopular woman, that's what they're calling them these days! Did you know!?”
”Ah, no.”
”As I thought! I knew it! We live in different worlds after all! Where a popular woman and an unpopular one live are… no! By the letter, we live in different worlds!
Have you ever thought about it!? About the unpopular women in the world!? Do you know what pain the unpopular women go through!? I'm sure you don't! There's no way you could!
And yet, you keep showing me how you flirt over'n over'n over'n over! Are you aware of it!? Are you even are you're being watched!? I'd doubt it! There's no way you are!”
The heroes seriously didn't know what was going on.
”In the first place! Why is it when I'm thiiiiiiiiiiis strong, and I've contributed to the world so much- h.e.l.l I saved two of them- that I'm not popular at all, when someone as flimsy as you gets a boyfriend!? Do you think that's alright!?”
”Eh? Are you referring to me?”
”Of course I am! Me of another world! Everyone giving it all to take down the enemy, deepening their bonds, working hard together, deepening friends.h.i.+p, everyone grasping at a single victory together……
Are you stuppppppppppppppiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiddddddddddddd!?
You're stuuuuuupiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiddddddddddddd!
I'm alone, by myself here! Always alone! So strong I'm alone! In victory and effort I'm always alone! With efficiency in mind, I'm alone! In friends.h.i.+p, I'm alone! What does that even mean! What's one-man teamwork supposed to be!? I don't get what I'm saying anymore!
Do you get me!? Do any of you get it!?”
”Ah, no…”
”As I thought! There's no way you would bet it! Even I don't know what I'm saying after all!
But! But please understand! That's… that's…
… Such is how the unwoman lives her lllllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
A scream rose from her soul.
The Demon King had perished, the world had found peace, and yet what was she doing? The heroes hadn't the slightest idea.
”You two! Yeah, you! Holy maiden! Hero!”
”Eh!”
”Yes!”
”What got you two together was that, right!? That time she was kidnapped by a dragon and you saved her! Risked your life to save the damsel in distress! You think you're the protagonist and heroine of some adventure novel!? Of course you'd fall! Anyone would fall, anyone would feel the love! The love story where the Holy Maiden and Hero save one another's lives! How beautiful! Good for you!
But try saying the situation I found myself in! Do you get it!? Do you know what I did back then!?”
”No.”
”I escaped on my own! I punched the d.a.m.n dragon to death! Before the hero could come to save me, I beat the dragon army black and blue! That's right! Hero over there! Do you think that’s what'll make a love story!? Do you think a love story will break out of holy maiden with both hands caked in blood.”
”N… no……”
”That's right!
Isn't that right!
Of course it's right!
Because I was too strong, I lost my chance for romance!
It's because I'm too strong that I'm not populaaaaaaaar!”
The unwoman's soulful cry.
It was such an empty pitiful cry, it resounded through the peaceful sky.
But there was someone to chant an objection.
”That's wrong.”
The hero denied the angry sham holy maiden's words.
”……… Mn?”
”You're wrong, Lady Ina of another world. The reason I started to take to Lady Ina wasn't because I saved her in the fight with the dragon.
It was long before that… when she invited me to dance at a party at the palace.”
”Mnnn?”
The movements of the rough, raging sham Holy Maiden came to a halt. And as if she hadn't the slightest idea, she tilted her head with her resentful look still plastered over her face.
”I… in a dance party at the palace, Lady Ina asked if I would be her partner. To tell you the truth, that was when I started to be conscious of her… the girl who had just left her hometown, fearfully making scarce in a corner of the room invited me to dance with a reddened face…
The courage in the depths of her eyes… it captivated me.”
”By the time I noticed it, my eyes had started to follow her. Was she doing alright? Is she still lonely? Has she found someone close who'll dance with her…
And the moment I heard she had been taken by a demonic dragon, I immediately took off, fast as I could.
From the depths of my heart, I wanted to save the girl who shared a dance with me……”
”Bøyg…”
Holy Maiden Ina touched a hand to her reddened face. It seemed she was unaware of that fact, as she tried to conceal the embarra.s.sment and delight of having been taken to so early.
Within all of that, the sham holy maiden opened her eyes wide to show her shock. As if the foundation she believed in was crumbling beneath her.
”… So the rescue drama in the dragon's nest had nothing to do with it……?”
”I won't say it had no influence, but there was something that got me before that.”
”Then… then the real opportunity that got you together… was whether or not she called out at the dance party…?”
”At the very least, it was for me.”
”………”
The sham holy maiden's eyes widened more.
She never invited the hero at the dance party. She lacked the courage to take the hero by the hand and dance.
The Holy maiden and hero danced, while the sham holy maiden had only watched from afar. The two of different worlds had that small difference in courage.
The sham holy maiden had believed.
Because she was too strong, she had lost the first opportunity. She thought that was the only big difference separating her from the she of this world.
But the cause had come before that.
”Umm! Excuse me! Other me!”
”… Mn?”
”I… I've seen you in my dreams……! I… I… have something I need to ask you……!”
”…”
The lovely Holy Maiden crossed her hands, got on her knees, and made a plea to the scraggly-haired self-proclaimed holy maiden.
”How can I become as strong as you!? The Demon King has perished, but I! We! For as long as we live, we want to protect whatever is in our reach!
I want to gro
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