Volume 17 Chapter 5 Protecting Everything
"Why does it end up like this, huh... Cil."
Ravuri was stroking the white dragon's back while looking down at the ground.
Around the Holy Castle, monsters were crawling like dirty mud.
If they had killed the Holy King, the monsters would have sent a signal, but since they didn't, it meant the Holy King was still alive.
But there were still many monsters left. Ravuri's victory was not guaranteed.
"...Why don't they just give up? But I guess that's not an option, right, Cil?"
The white dragon didn't respond because Ravuri was controlling her.
But even if she didn't answer, Ravuri knew the truth.
Noroa's resistance was almost at its limit.
The Holy King would be killed soon, and Ravuri's plan would succeed.
And if what Noroa said was true, the holy city would sink... along with the people Ravuri had met in this town...
"No... this can't be..."
This wasn't what Ravuri had wanted.
All Ravuri wanted was to be free.
Since birth, Ravuri had been trapped like a bird in a cage. Everything Ravuri liked was denied, forbidden, or destroyed... even her hobbies, words, gestures, friends, and marriage partner were all decided by others.
Ravuri couldn't take it anymore. That's why Ravuri was drawn to the curse.
Ravuri believed that with the cursed equipment, Hell Hell's Flute, she could gain freedom.
But Ravuri was still a naive princess. The moment Ravuri touched the cursed equipment, her story went crazy.
The world became her enemy. Ravuri was called a "disaster" and was almost killed by the people she thought were family. When she escaped from the town, the monsters attacked her again.
Ravuri lost everything: freedom, safety, friends... everything.
Ravuri kept running away, running away, running away...
But no matter how far she runs, freedom is still far away...
She was so scared and lonely, and her heart was weak.
Then, she got a call from an organization called "Cursed Users".
They said, "If Holy King disappears, you'll be free."
They told her to do what they said, and she would be free. Ravuri and everyone else would be happy too.
The freedom she has been wanting for so long would finally be hers.
But...
"...What will I do when I'm free?"
She wouldn't have to worry about her life being in danger anymore. She could listen to her favorite music. She could hang out with her friends forever.
She could do fun things all the time.
That's the freedom she's been searching for. But...
"It's empty."
Why did she want to be free in the first place?
When she thought about it, she remembered a fairy tale she read with Cirrul a long time ago.
It was a story about a brave hero who saves a princess trapped in a tower.
She's always dreamed of having her own hero who would understand her, love her, and protect her.
But no one came to save her, no matter how long she waited.
She was always alone, like a bird in a cage...
"Ah, I see."
It wasn't until she lost everything that she realized.
She didn't want freedom; she just wanted to be loved.
She wanted someone to take care of her and protect her.
But instead, she ended up alone, making the whole world her enemy.
She's not a good kid like Cirrul, so no one will come to save her.
No one will love her. No one will protect her.
...It's all her own fault. She's a person who deserves to die.
When she thought about this, her head cleared up a bit.
"This isn't the time for this."
She took a deep breath, wiped her nose, and let out a long sigh.
She had to get back to playing her flute soon. The sound effects from the flute wouldn't last long, especially if the commands were complicated.
She put the flute to her mouth and started playing again.
The sound was so beautiful, it could charm monsters.
Maybe that's why it was drawn to the sound...
Suddenly, she saw a red butterfly fluttering at the edge of her vision.
It was flying so naturally that she didn't even notice it at first.
"Wait, what?"
In her mind, she felt a weird sense of discomfort growing.
...This was strange. The butterfly was flying too high, and it wasn't following her commands like it should.
She had a bad feeling in her chest, like something was off.
And then, that bad feeling came true.
"Whoa, what's going on?!"
Suddenly, a huge swarm of butterflies came flying towards her from the front.
In an instant, her vision was filled with red.
It was like a flood of butterflies, and she felt like she was going to suffocate.
That's when she finally realized what was happening.
"This is an attack?!"
She quickly grabbed the flute she was holding and started waving it around to try and shoo the butterflies away.
But they just wouldn't go away. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see what was in front of her.
"Why... why is this happening?!"
She was so scared and confused that her heart was racing.
She didn't know what was going on, and she felt like she might get killed if she didn't do something. But she didn't know what to do, and she felt all alone.
Her vision started to get blurry and white.
"Someone... please help me..."
She couldn't help but let out a weak cry for help.
Her voice was so quiet that she didn't think anyone would hear it.
But then...
"――I've got you!"
Someone grabbed her arm, and she realized that someone else was riding on the white dragon with her.
She caught a glimpse of their face through the gaps in the butterflies.
"Ah..."
She couldn't mistake who it was.
――It was Noroa Rator, the boy who was supposed to be her protector.
But he was also her enemy.
Yet, he was smiling at her kindly.
"I've come to protect you."
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