Maria Reflects on Her Circumstances

Maybe I wasn’t needed. That thought had haunted me since the first Cristallo Sacro was purified.

I was afraid of monsters. I’d been fine when I was practicing my magic at the Academy, but the moment I saw a real battle, I was terrified. This wasn’t a movie or a TV show. Sprays of blue blood, death throes that made you want to plug up your ears, the stench of burning flesh and corpses... The swords that they swung were real. They could cut monsters and humans alike.

I had always lived in peace. I couldn’t handle it. Even if I understood it in my head, my feelings didn’t match up. And that was when Lucia reached out to me. She was just a mass of good intentions, giving her all to protect me, be with me, and cover for me.

I ended up relying too much on her, not thinking about what that would mean.

◆ ◆ ◆

Kyriest’s Cristallo Sacro was purified by Lucia’s magic. She fainted immediately afterwards, having used up all of her mana, but I didn’t have it in me to be worried.

I’d finally realized it then. The Cristallo Sacro were the pillars of this world. The only one who could purify them was the Sacred Maiden, and these people stole me from my world to do it. Kidnapped. Abducted. I had no choice in the matter, and I couldn’t go home. It was one-way.

But... I looked up at the beautiful crystal tree in front of me. The person who had cleansed this strange, sparkling tree wasn’t me. Lucia was from this world — I wasn’t. I was supposed to be the only one who could purify the Cristallo Sacro, but then she managed to instead.

They don’t need me, do they? It was like all my luck had suddenly run out. If I hadn’t realized it, I could have kept acting normally. But once I thought about it, it was all I could think about. It looked like everyone appreciated Lucia, so why would they need me when I was this useless? Lucia was worried about me, but that just made me more irritated.

“Kyuu~”

The one thing that made me feel a bit better was this little newborn dragon. I named it after my cat at home, Shiro, on purpose. I was all alone in another world, so I used the name to try to make myself less lonely. I missed him dearly. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t go home. I couldn’t blame Lucia, though. It wasn’t her fault. Nor was it Ed’s fault for telling her to do it.

With nowhere to point my frustrations, I just anguished alone. Surprisingly, the one to admonish me for holing myself up was Fer.

“Sacred Maiden.”

That night, Fer had come to see me, clearly worried. Lucia must have been trying to give me some space, because she hadn’t come back to the tent yet.

“What do you want? It’s not very gentlemanly of you to come see me this late at night.”

Relieved that it wasn’t Lucia or Ed, I gave him a little sass. He just gave me a troubled smile back.

“Would you care to have a chat with me?” he said. “The moon is beautiful tonight.”

Wow. Did he really just try that line on me? I laughed, never expecting that he’d say something like that, and took him up on his offer. I’d been cooped up all day, so I really wanted to get some air.

I looked around after leaving the tent. Neither Lucia nor Ed were around. Actually, no one was outside at all. They must have been in their tents.

“Is it really okay for you to leave Ed alone?” I asked.

“His Highness is with Reynard.”

“Where... Where’s Lucia?”

“She isn’t alone, so she should be alright.”

Fer didn’t actually say it, but I bet that dumb knight was with her. Geez, he’s cheeky for an idiot. If Celes pulled that moon line on Lucia, I would have done everything in my power to get in his way!

He chuckled. “Please, be gentle. We wouldn’t want to lose our strongest fighter.”

“No can do. He makes me wanna tease him.”

I didn’t think I was the teasing type, but I’d been weird since I came to this world.

“My lady,” Fer called to me softly, and his low voice was like velvet to my ears. “Do you regret undertaking this job?”

I blinked at his sudden question. Job? This journey is my job?

“Regret?”

“Yes.” Fer nodded, and I looked up at the moon in the sky.

“I dunno,” I replied. “What about you?”

“Do I regret it? Why yes, I’ve been full of regret since taking this job — I am plagued by thoughts about my lack of approach or methodology. But, in my position, I don’t have the privilege of stopping. That’s why I refuse if I’m going to regret something, or I’ll look for a path I won’t regret while doing that job.”

Taking his eyes off the moon, Fer smiled at me. Normally, he looked the part of a Knight Commander, calm and collected. But when he smiled, he looked a lot younger. Maybe because it softened the wrinkles on his forehead.

“Sacred Maiden, I know you have your worries. The mission that you have been given is very grave. Unfortunately, we cannot take on your burden for you; only Miss Lucia can lighten your burden. But, my lady, you are still the only one who will be lauded as the Sacred Maiden. You are still the core of the Cristallo Sacro’s purification. If you refuse to do so, Lucia can do it for you, but if you wish to do it yourself, no one will stop you.”

I couldn’t respond to him. I couldn’t even read how he felt about me from his green eyes.

“The choice is yours. Please, choose a path that you won’t regret.”