‘Am I going to die…?’
As the sword descended upon her, the world around Aeroxia seemed to slow down to a crawl, stretching each moment endlessly before her eyes.
In her heart, regret swirled like a bitter storm, the shame of failing to prevent her elder brother’s actions, and the guilt of betraying Veridith’s trust.
At the same time, the memories of countless moments from the past surged in her mind.
“I am the elder brother; it is my duty to protect my younger siblings!”
“…You are all a bunch of failures. When I become king, I will deal with you all.”
‘Barol… what has turned you into this?’
“…I am leaving. I hope you will be unaffected by ‘those’ things and live happily on your own.”
At this moment, a small figure with the same sky-blue hair and simir features to Aeroxia appeared in her mind.
‘Who… is she...? It’s like... a memory from my childhood...’
Before she could fully grasp the image, the carousel of memories kept turning.
“…For those who’ve done wrong—whether they are siblings, juniors, or elders—just let them know they’ve made a mistake. Give them a good beating!”
“A beast tamer’s strength is not just measured by their own abilities, but also by the strength of their companions. Take a look at those around you.”
‘Companions… Veridith!’
In many tales, the fshing of memories before death is said to reveal the key to unlocking the situation and turning the tide. And now, in her own final moments, it was no different.
“...Help me! Veridith!”
“Coming right up!”
At the sound of Aeroxia’s call, a small white figure appeared, and with a delicate motion of her slender fingers, she stopped Barol’s sword mid-strike, halting it as if it were no more than a fragile twig.
“…Hm?”
Though Veridith tried to appear nonchant, a hint of confusion flickered on her face.
However, she quickly composed herself.
“Doing this isn’t very nice, boy.”
“...Who are you?”
“I’m just a nameless assassin passing by. Remember me well.”
With that, Veridith slightly tightened her grip and, with a mere flick of her fingers, shattered Barol’s sword.
“What…!?”
This scene completely shattered Barol’s understanding of the world.
After all, Veridith appeared to be nothing more than a child, perhaps even younger than his own fifteen-year-old sister. Yet this little girl, standing barely three-quarters of his height, had effortlessly caught his strike with two fingers and shattered his bde!
Barol quickly leapt backwards, distancing himself from Veridith. But just as he did, another figure appeared beside Aeroxia—or rather, behind her.
“Stand straight! How dare you present such a look while standing behind Veridith?”
A young girl, with white hair and tiger ears, grabbed Aeroxia by the colr and yanked her upright, as Aeroxia struggled to maintain her bance, her limbs too weak to hold her up.
“Yuriyas... Ah!”
Aeroxia turned to face Yuriyas, but her expression was enough to silence the words of gratitude she had been about to speak.
“Saved by Veridith so heroically… I envy her so much… I’m so jealous…”
A yandere.
At that moment, a term fshed through Aeroxia’s mind.
She regretted calling out to Veridith just now.
However, Veridith, standing in front of them, paid no heed to the exchange between Yuriyas and Aeroxia.
“...What was that sword strike just now?”
Veridith pondered the strange feeling she had when Barol’s sword had aimed at Aeroxia. There had been something odd about it, a sensation that became more unsettling the more she thought about it. So, she decided to confront him directly.
“What do you mean?”
Barol, acting as though he had no idea what she was referring to, drew a small knife from his belt.
“Hmm… Are you still going to keep fighting? You must be aware of the difference in our strength, right?”
“Obviously.”
Barol, now armed with a knife no bigger than a dagger, lunged towards Veridith. However, compared to the rge two-handed sword he was accustomed to wielding, this small bde might have been faster, but it cked range and skill. Veridith dodged his attacks effortlessly without even moving her feet.
“How annoying.”
Veridith muttered, extending one hand towards Barol, and with a swift, precise motion, she struck him on the forehead with a flick of her finger, sending him flying several metres away.
Naturally, Veridith had purposefully held back, for had she exerted her full strength, Barol’s skull would have shattered, scattering his brains across the ground.
“Ugh…”
Barol struggled to contain the pain, pressing one hand to his bleeding forehead as he slowly got back to his feet.
“Why do you keep fighting?”
The more Veridith looked at him, the more her confusion deepened.
To her, Barol appeared to be standing up against his own will, as though something or someone was forcing him to rise, yet when he had swung his sword earlier, it had given off an unsettling feeling, a sensation she could not shake.
“Ugh… Ah! Forget it, I’ll just hit you again!”
For Veridith, a combat genius but still very much a child in matters of social understanding, these thoughts were quickly abandoned.
For now, she would adhere to the tradition of her dragon kin: if reason failed, then let physical force do the talking!
Just as Veridith prepared to move forward, an unexpected event occurred.
A beam of light shot from behind Barol, piercing through his chest and continuing on, heading straight for Veridith.
Zing.
Just as the light was about to strike Veridith in the head, threatening to sever it from her body, a clear, ringing sound echoed, and a golden, semi-transparent barrier appeared before Veridith, intercepting the beam until it vanished entirely.
“...Ah?”
For a brief moment, even Veridith did not comprehend the near-death experience she had just narrowly avoided.
Yet, before Aeroxia, the man who had once been her brother now y dying, a mere shadow of his former self.
“Brother Barol!”
Seeing her elder brother’s pitiful state, Aeroxia cried out in panic, attempting to rush to his side, but her legs remained immobile, drained of magic, unable to move.
“...I didn’t expect someone would have prepared a life-saving measure for you.”
A shadowy figure suddenly appeared, emerging slowly from the darkness.
Cd in an outfit resembling nightwear, with his face obscured by a bck cloth, the stranger’s attire matched that of the masked figures currently being dragged away by Lucilliane.
“Who are you!?”
Veridith, now fully alert, barely had time to feel fear before she sensed an overwhelming, terrifying aura emanating from the masked figure, far surpassing her own strength.
“Ah, I didn’t expect that after all this effort, this person still wasn’t capable enough to be a proper tool.”
The masked figure ignored Veridith’s question, his eyes fixed on Barol, who was now barely clinging to life. He spoke with an air of disdain.
“You… Could it be…?”
Hearing the masked man’s words, Aeroxia’s face twisted in fury as she realised something.
“Princess of Lidolu, the Second Princess, right? Your talents were unexpected, but compared to her, you are nothing.”
“Second Princess? What are you talking about… Ugh!?”
Aeroxia, catching a single key word, was about to voice her question, only to be struck with a sharp, sudden headache.
“Instead of asking me, why not ask the person involved? I believe I’m right, aren’t I? The Grand Princess of Lidolu... No, Miss Mira.”