150 – Alice (1)

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Alice took a small breath through her nose.

The news that Ash had defeated Sylvia, who had refused to back down, was quite surprising even to Alice, who did not have a very favorable opinion of Sylvia.

But Alice suppressed her emotions as much as possible and asked slowly.

“I gave it my all and still lost?”

“Of course, there were some limitations. I didn’t use a sword, and I only attacked with unfamiliar magic… but,”

Sylvia took a slow breath.

“But, I lost. I really tried to defeat you…”

“…Why?”

“Well… I guess it’s because I didn’t realize what the spirit could do… If what Ash said earlier is true, it seems like he used teleportation magic right after breaking the earth sphere.”

Ash, excited like a five-year-old boasting about a heroic feat, proudly explained the last-minute trick he had come up with.

Drops a large pile of dirt into the air to attract attention, the dirt itself is a trap for sharp fragment attacks, and teleports out of sight in the meantime.

Even for Alice, who had not seen the scene with her own eyes, this felt like a very good connection.

Of course, if a sphere the size of a house were falling from the air, it would be inevitable that your gaze and mind would be taken away.

As Sylvia said, the power of the spirits that Ash wields will surely become a very important hidden card in this adventure.

Although its power may not be as powerful as Alice or Sylvia’s, Ash’s spirit magic, which can create various variables in the current situation where there are no wizards, is an extremely valuable force.

However, what Alice actually asked Sylvia was not about spirits.

“No, why, why did you try to defeat Ash?”

“…”

“Soon, perhaps in a few days, we will begin our journey to the Demon King, and it was necessary for Ash, who was overwhelmingly inexperienced, to feel the thrill of victory. If you don’t have the confidence that you can do it, your journey will most likely fail. You must know that, so why did you insist on defeating Ash?”

“…”

Sylvia kept her mouth shut again.

Alice snorted and sneered at Sylvia.

“No way… right?”

“…”

“Ahahaha… Ahahahaha, you’re crazy! This is for real.”

Alice said, holding back a burst of laughter.

“Do you realize now what a fool you were?”

“shut up.”

“You just realized that Ash could die? You were blinded by the idea of ​​marriage and now you’re saying that?”

“I told you to shut up.”

Despite the warning in her grim voice, Alice continued to smile at Sylvia.

It was an attitude that seemed like he had no intention of hiding his sarcasm.

Sylvia, who had been telling him to shut up, did not show any signs of anger that day, contrary to her words.

Because I remembered everything I said and what mistakes I made, I couldn’t dare show off my confidence.

More precisely, it might be more correct to say that there is no time to care about Alice.

Sylvia was slowly being swallowed up by the anxiety that she might lose Ash.

And Alice threw sharp words at Sylvia, poking her like thin needles that pierced through that heavy, tingling anxiety.

“You said that, it doesn’t matter what happens in the world. You won’t die anyway. Just live happily with Ash.”

“…”

“But if Ash dies, and the Demon King can’t be killed, and the curse can’t be lifted… what will happen to you then? Have you ever thought about it?”

Sylvia felt dizzy just from imagining it for a moment.

Those years of hell I spent alone in the forest before meeting Ash.

Thanks to the sweet time given to her by Ash, who she had never dared hope for or expect, the memories of that hell that she had been forgetting little by little began to crawl under Sylvia’s skin again.

No, as sweet as the days with Ash had been, the days when I would find Sylvia again would definitely be even more terrifying.

Because the guilt of not being able to protect your comrades will be compounded by the guilt of causing the death of your loved one.

Sylvia bit her lip, trembling with fear.

“…”

“You probably never thought about it. That’s why you so irresponsibly accepted Ash’s offer.”

Despite Alice’s cruel accusations, Sylvia had no answer.

Alice’s sarcasm, although bad in its tone, was the truth without any hint of slander added.

Sylvia just bowed her head like a sinner.

It was a look of regret and reflection that had never been seen even when he cruelly crushed Alice in front of him.

Alice continued speaking to Sylvia in a low voice.

However, the sarcastic laughter in her voice was completely gone.

“It’s because of you.”

“…”

“If Ash dies, it’s you who killed him. Just like Maria.”

“… know.”

Alice sighed for a moment at Sylvia’s heavy answer.

The two women sat silently, staring at the blazing campfire, their hearts noisy in contrast to the heavy silence that had settled over the cabin.

The bonfire also seemed to represent their minds, shaking more anxiously and crazily.

Alice coughed slowly and spoke again in a slightly brighter voice than before.

“Then why are you so dead? If you were worried that Ash would die, shouldn’t you be happy? You found out that Ash is much stronger than you expected. I only heard about him, but he’s quite clever. He doesn’t have bad sense either.”

“… It was surprising. It was a bolder magic than I thought… No, it was spirit magic… and it had practical applications.”

“Yeah, I’ve only seen magic of the scale that Ash described today. That spirit or whatever it is must be an incredible force.”

“… That’s true… But…”

Sylvia slowly raised both her hands.

“No matter what… even so…”

Sylvia’s voice was shaking.

As much as her trembling hands.

“I didn’t think I would lose.”

“Was defeat that shocking? Your pride as a warrior… something like that?”

“… no,”

Sylvia stared at her hands for a long time.

A palm that was longer and larger than the thick, rough fingers, and hard calluses covered every convex part of the palm.

Fingernails that are cut short out of habit, and the scars on the fingertips that are more clearly visible because of it.

It was a rough warrior’s hand with no trace of femininity.

These hands, which had held weapons all her life, were Sylvia’s weapon and most trusted partner.

However, Sylvia turned her head away from those hands, shut her eyes tightly, and clenched her fists.

“If…”

“…”

“… It’s not that Ash is strong… It’s that I’ve become weak… What should I do?”

“what?”

Alice asked back in surprise.

Oh my goodness, Sylvia is questioning her own powers.

That strong Sylvia, who had no rivals inside or outside the academy, and who always treated others with a dry attitude as if she had no interest in anything!

Alice looked at Sylvia with astonishment.

However, Sylvia, who had never seen such an Alice, began to mutter weak anxiety again.

“Alice, you’re right… If I… am weaker… and I can’t protect Ash… and if I… die…”

Sylvia’s voice, which had been trembling like a thin harp string, slowly began to become moist.

Alice was left speechless at the sight.

Alice could hear the fear evident in Sylvia’s voice and expression.

Sylvia finally let out a small cry, tears falling down her face.

“It’s like I’m killing Ash…”

＊

Sylvia slowly opened her clenched fists and buried her face in her hands.

Sylvia’s anxiety was so severe that it was absurd to Alice.

Alice wondered if losing to Ash had really been that shocking, but decided that it wasn’t.

Perhaps the anxiety, fear, and other negative emotions that had been building up while she was living alone in this forest were like a huge bomb inside Sylvia.

Perhaps, the reason Sylvia attacked Alice so mercilessly was because she was afraid that Ash might be taken away.

Ash was like a lid covering Sylvia’s huge emotional bomb.

If there were no ash, or even a small crack in the lid, Sylvia might just burst.

Alice thought that the sight of her crying in front of Alice herself was proof of that.

“…”

Alice quietly turned her gaze towards Ash.

In her eyes, honestly, Ash didn’t look normal either.

Because we had been apart for so long, I had no idea what kind of personality Ash had as he grew up, but at least now, Ash had maintained his characteristic kindness and warmth, but he also had a strangely self-destructive tendency.

Perhaps it was because losing his parents and then Layla, and being the only one to survive, left a great curse on his soul that would never go away.

At times, it seemed as if Ash was accepting of his own misfortune, welcoming his own doom.

The sight of Sylvia willingly offering herself to someone who is obviously not normal,

This was especially true when he showed his will to personally finish off the Demon King, who would make any human feel instinctive fear and horror just by mentioning him.

Sylvia needed Ash to block out her negative emotions, and Ash was more than willing to let her do that.

“Kuaaa…”

Ash was sleeping comfortably, drooling, not knowing whether he knew Sylvia or Alice’s feelings or not.

Alice sighed.

“oh my…”

This ugly little brat.

In the end, whether in the past or present, this older sister has to do the dirty work.

We always had accidents together and our souls would meet.

Still, that aspect was cute…

This time, it looks like he’s going to do it alone and I’ll have to look after him.

Alice nodded as if she had made up her mind about something.

“Hey, Sylvia.”

Sylvia made no reply.

Alice spoke softly to Sylvia’s gaze.

“This crazy b*tch.”

“…”

“You have to talk nonsense to some extent. Who told you to protect Ash?”

“… what?”

Sylvia looked up at Alice with reddened eyes.

Alice hurled curses at Sylvia with a fierce look on her face and a furrowed brow.

“Protecting Ash? Fuck you, you fucking b*tch. No one ever asked you to do that, in fact, I hate it. It sucks to be flirting with Ash, and it’s creepy to see you flirting with a guy after ignoring everyone else your whole life.”

“…You little shit still.”

“Since when have you been complaining about being good at protecting others? That’s why you left Maria and all those companions to die?”

“Hey you son of a b*tch,”

Alice quickly put the knife to Sylvia’s neck.

Sylvia closed her mouth in embarrassment.

Clearly Alice did not draw her sword.

I wasn’t even holding it.

But the sword was held naturally in her hand, as if it had been in her hand from the beginning.

The divine power felt from the tip of the blade lightly touching her neck reacted with Sylvia’s divine power, emitting a warm sensation.

Alice continued, threatening Sylvia with a slight tightening of her wrist.

“Just focus on what you’re good at.”

“What I’m good at…”

“You’re good at killing, aren’t you? Do you know how many times I’ve been killed by you?”

“…”

Alice slowly put away her sword.

Even though she clearly felt the sharp metal digging into her throat, there was not a single wound left on Sylvia’s neck.

“You kill the Demon King. I’ll protect Ash.”

“…”

Sylvia glared at Alice, caressing the back of her neck.

Alice sighed deeply as if she was tired of seeing Sylvia like that.

“Ah… Loosen that fucking expression. I have no intention of doing anything to Ash.”

“You must be serious.”

“okay.”

Alice nodded and smiled bitterly.

“Anyway, I don’t have any time left…”

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