Chapter 33

“Yes, yes!” Sylatrella had returned to normal. She lifted her skirt and spun around in place. Her snow-white feet were kept immaculate, shielded from the ground by a layer of golden magic particles and earth.

It was clear that Sylatrella truly liked her new clothes and felt very happy.

“Lady Sheffy, you are so kind. You even bought me new clothes while shopping. When I woke up just now, I saw these clothes laid out beside the Holy Sword, and they fit perfectly!”

As she spoke, a faint blush had already involuntarily appeared on Sylatrella’s small face.

“Ex… except for my mother from a thousand years ago, whose appearance I no longer remember… this is the first time I’ve received such a wonderful gift… Thank you, Lady Sheffy. I am truly touched.”

“…”

Wait a minute.

Setting everything else aside—

Why did that outfit look more and more familiar the longer I looked at it?

I didn’t even buy any clothes for you on this trip, did I?

Suddenly, Sheffy remembered.

Oh…! Weren’t those the new clothes I had bought for myself?

I had purchased two sets in total, and the one she was wearing was one of them!

After bringing them back, I had tossed them together with the Holy Sword. That seemed perfectly reasonable, right?

And since both Sylatrella and I had pitifully childlike figures, it wasn’t strange at all that they fit her well, right?

But why did I suddenly feel such an urge to strip them off you!

Just as she was about to make a move, Sheffy happened to catch a close look at Sylatrella’s happy and innocent smile again.

Her sinful little hand, which had been about to reclaim her property, hesitated.

Uh… maybe I should try being a decent person for once and earn some virtue?

With noble moral character, Sheffy smoothly withdrew her outstretched hand, then gave a casual wave as she spoke.

“Well… it was just on a whim. I bought it for you along the way. Since it fits and you like it, that’s all that matters. Yes, that’s right.”

“Ugh…!”

At that moment, the child seemed to feel the warmth of a mother’s love.

33. Hero

Losing a piece of clothing was no big deal — it could always be replaced.

But losing someone’s heart… well, trying to shamelessly win it back afterward would be much harder~

See?

When Sylatrella insisted on pressing her flat little chest against Sheffy in an attempt to return her heartfelt gratitude, Sheffy dodged in a flash, nearly sending the poor blue-haired little girl plunging straight into the lake!

Turning back with a sigh, Sheffy saw Sylatrella staggering to an awkward stop at the lakeshore.

Rather than adjusting her posture first, her priority had been to lift her skirt to prevent the lake’s splashes from soiling the new dress Sheffy had given her. After checking repeatedly in all directions to ensure no water or mud had touched it, Sylatrella finally placed a hand on her utterly flat chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

This care for her clothes… was exactly the same as the way Sheffy had just cherished her own pajamas.

And it was precisely because of this that Sheffy felt so annoyed!

She cherished her pajamas because they had been a gift from Xiarette, her sister in spirit.

But why was *she* cherishing the skirt Sheffy had given her—what exactly was Sheffy supposed to be to *her*?!

The more she thought about it, the angrier Sheffy became. She finally strode forward in large steps and stopped right in front of Sylatrella…

And gave her a righteously firm flick to the forehead!

*Thump!*

“Ah…! Ugh… that hurt. Lady Sheffy, why did you suddenly reward me… did I do something good?”

“Alright, alright. First of all, I’m not even going to get into how there was something a little off about your wording just now. But before anything else, I want to ask you a question. Don’t lie to me—my eyes can see through falsehood.”

“What does falsehood mean?”

“It means a lie.”

“Oh…! I would never lie to Lady Sheffy. Eh? But Lady Sheffy, since you could have just said ‘lie,’ why did you say ‘falsehood’?”

After thinking for a moment, the clever little Holy Sword came to a conclusion!

“Oh! I get it—Lady Sheffy must think it sounds cooler that way, right?”

“Pfft! You… you little brat, what do you know?! Just shut up already!”

“Ugh…! Lady Sheffy won’t let me talk anymore!”

If there was ever a way to make Sheffy blush instantly all the way to her neck with a single sentence—

There it was… you actually said the one thing that *everyone* tacitly agrees shouldn’t be said out loud!

So what if it sounds cool? Isn’t the whole point of having so many words in a language so that sometimes you can sound cool?!

Poor little Holy Sword Sylatrella, completely unaware of what was going on, received another firm pat on the head.

The evening lake breeze blew in with a refreshing chill.

It made the silver-haired and blue-haired girls’ hair sway gently in the same direction.

Amidst the soft rustling of water plants, as Sheffy gazed at the moon reflected in the center of the lake… she asked a quiet question.

It came a little abruptly, but in the face of Sylatrella’s always relaxed smile, it didn’t feel abrupt at all.

“Tell me… don’t you think I’m scary?”

“Eh?” The little Holy Sword tilted her head, looking as if she didn’t quite understand. “Why would Lady Sheffy ask that?”

“You said it yourself—you woke from the Holy Sword because I scared you awake. Doesn’t that mean you find me kind of scary? If I’m scary, why do you keep sticking to me? Wouldn’t it be better to stay far away… not to bother with me at all?”

“Ugh… I don’t really understand, but… is Lady Sheffy feeling sad?”

“No. I never feel sad.”

“Falsehood.”

“You say that word again and see what happens?! Using what you just learned on me now, huh? Don’t say ‘falsehood,’ say ‘lie’!”

“So Lady Sheffy admits she was lying just now?”

“……”

Sheffy’s words felt like an iron fist striking cotton.

Sylatrella’s pure, untainted smile of innocence left Sheffy at a temporary loss for better words to continue the argument.

But Sheffy was someone who cared deeply about her pride—how could she possibly admit to that!

She simply chose to give up and play dumb!

With a little *hmph*, Sheffy turned her head away and refused to speak.

Wherever Sylatrella moved, Sheffy would turn her head to the opposite side to avoid looking at her.

But the little Holy Sword was nothing if not persistent.

She kept hopping from side to side so fast it practically left afterimages, making Sheffy dizzy just watching!

“Stop…!”

Sheffy grabbed her by the shoulders to hold her still in front of her, stopping her from bouncing around any further.

—Which meant their gazes finally met in mid-air.

“So Lady Sheffy admits she was lying?”

“I do not admit it.”

“Then I’ll keep jumping—until I make you dizzy.”

“You little devil, aren’t you?!”

After this back-and-forth tug-of-war and psychological struggle, Sheffy finally decided to give up her fragile pride.

“Ah, fine, fine… I admit it. I was lying. I did feel a bit sad just now—thinking about some old memories, alright?”

“Hehe, now I know a little more about Lady Sheffy!”

“You little…!”

She had originally wanted to give her another flick to the forehead, but this time, the raised hand slowly lowered again.

Sheffy had deliberately tried to avoid this topic.

But Sylatrella would not avoid her.

You asked just now if I was afraid of you, didn’t you?

Then I can give you my answer right now.

“I’m not afraid of Lady Sheffy at all.”

“Tch.”

“Um…? Did I say something wrong again?”

“No, it’s just… annoying.”

Precisely because Sheffy possessed the ability to see through lies, she knew that just now, when Sylatrella said “not afraid,” she hadn’t been lying.

But knowing full well that she was the *Princess of Calamity*, how could anyone other than Xiarette say they weren’t afraid of her?

The more certain Sheffy became that Sylatrella had spoken the truth—

The more unsettled her mood became.

It wasn’t until Sylatrella pinched the hem of her skirt and began softly speaking to herself.

“You were right… I *was* scared awake by your magic. At first, I felt as though I was staring into a bottomless abyss—that kind of fear.”

“See? Everyone calls me a monster. They all wish they could keep their distance. So you should hurry and—”

“But then I heard you say, ‘I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to see battlefields again. I’m getting out of here.’ That’s when I knew… you must be a gentle person.”

“Huh…? Just because of that?”

“Mm… just because of that. Because Lady Sheffy, you and I… we’re the same kind of existence. So I can understand.”

This time, it was Sheffy’s turn not to understand.

Beneath the glow of both the bright moon and the red moon.

In Sylatrella’s eyes, there was no reflection of the moonlight—only Sheffy’s silver hair, which shone brighter than the moon, and the weight of the centuries Sylatrella had witnessed.

“We are both people trapped in a cage.”

“No matter how powerful we are… we’re always bound by all kinds of troubles.”

“Lady Sheffy, I told you before—back a thousand years ago, I threw myself into the sword-forging furnace because the kingdom had captured my family and threatened that only if I jumped would they release them.”

“That is true… but there was something else I didn’t say. That memory is just too painful… too painful. But since you’re willing to talk to me now, I’m willing to tell you.”

Sheffy quietly listened to her speak.

Listening to what the girl, who had resolutely thrown herself into the sea of fire a thousand years ago, had been thinking.

“I could’ve chosen to fight to the bitter end—to risk everything and try to save my family. Dying like that… would it really be any different from dying in the furnace? Maybe, if I fought, we might have all survived.”

“But at that time, my mother and father had nearly lost their minds… They said they regretted giving birth to a monster daughter. They said that if I had been a normal person, none of this misfortune would have happened. Ha… honestly, I could understand. I was born an anomaly—how could I blame my parents for lamenting what I had dragged them into?”

Hearing this…

Sheffy had already more or less guessed the real reason why Sylatrella had chosen to leap into the furnace.

“That’s right…” Sylatrella blinked, and in that instant it was as if those terrifying sparks were rising again. “I was disappointed… I felt that my existence in this world only brought harm to others—nothing else. I even thought about whether I should stop caring about my parents, stop caring about national duty… just go somewhere I liked, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and live the life I wanted.”

“But in the end… I didn’t have that courage.”

“I couldn’t abandon my family, nor could I cast aside the undeniable fact that I had been born in the Kingdom of Aurus, and therefore owed something to this country.”

“So I jumped. I gave up on distant mountains and rivers. I chose to be a moth drawn to the flame, to end everything once and for all—so that I wouldn’t have to think about anything anymore.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep