As I regained consciousness, the first thing I saw was Sirin’s sleeve resting by my head.
Well, I won after all.
Hehe…
“What… fainting twice just for a spar? Really?”
“Hehe! But wasn’t it great? I may not have exceptional swordsmanship, but I excelled in a different way!”
“Um… yes. I guess so. I don’t know much about swords, but what just happened felt impressive.”
Rubia’s rough yet gentle hands patted my head.
Was I really amazing? For real?
“Oh my, are you laughing? You have no idea how worried I was.”
“Ugh… well, I did win the spar… so can you please praise me…?”
“…Alright. You did well. Very well. You looked cool… and more than anything, I’m glad you didn’t get badly hurt.”
Rubia, sounding a bit disappointed, started pinching my cheek.
“Indeed. You definitely defeated me. Hehehe… I never imagined it.”
Sirin reached out her hand to me with a bright smile.
I hesitated to take it, but if I didn’t, I worried Sirin would feel awkward, so I held her hand and got up.
“Do you remember that feeling from earlier?”
“Um…”
An image flickered in my mind…
It felt like my sword and my body were the same… it was as if I was wielding not just the sword but my very existence… What does that even mean?
“I… I don’t know…”
I couldn’t tell.
It felt like shaping the dispersing smoke with my own will.
It felt like a rare success… one that wasn’t because of my skill, but tremendous luck.
“That’s right; it’s better not to know. It’s a realm you shouldn’t yet reach. If you were an ordinary human, you would have died the instant you swung that sword.”
“D-die…? Me…? Why…?”
“What… swinging a sword would kill you?”
Sirin, overhearing our questions, smiled softly and turned her back to us.
Then, she swung the Great Sword once.
Definitely, it swung back.
Sirin’s sleeve, right beside her, floated into the air.
It split in half.
Again, in half.
In half.
In half.
In half.
“It’s a matter of twisting the very fabric of the world, so if you’re not qualified, you could die.”
Upon finishing her words, the continuously splitting sleeve mingled with Rubia’s sigh and scattered into the air.
“Twisting the fabric of the world…? You mean Noah?”
“Rubia, it seems you know what this means?”
“…Yes.”
Fabric? Qualification…?
“Ru-Rubia… what does that mean?”
“Noah, your sword left only the ‘result’ after disregarding everything else, even slicing through sleeves.”
“…Result?”
“With no trials, and without the given qualifications.”
A bittersweet smile appeared on Sirin’s face.
“You have performed Reverse Heaven.”
Then, she raised her hand.
“However, that shouldn’t be the case.”
She snapped her fingers.
“You must become one with the same Sky.”
The world turned upside down.
*
“So, what are we having for dinner?”
Rubia sighed as she looked at Sirin, who was holding skewers in one hand and tanghulu in the other.
“You went straight last time, but it seems you have plenty of time today.”
I didn’t have the right to address what Sirin said right before we left the room, so I didn’t even catch the full conversation.
As soon as we stepped out, unlike us, Sirin regained her usual energy and started darting around.
Time flew by, and dinnertime arrived.
“Hmph! Today, this lady is incredibly free!”
Sirin puffed out her cheeks, popping the tanghulu and skewers into her mouth and chewing happily.
W-what on earth is she doing?
“Um… yeah. Is there something specific you’d like for dinner? Noah, is there something you want to eat?”
“This lady prefers meat!”
“Um… I’m okay with anything as long as it’s not seafood.”
“Well then, shall we take it back and eat at the inn? Eating in the inn would be quiet and nice. We can also eat dessert right away if we buy it.”
“Oooh! Can you get more sugary fruits on top of that?”
“I… I have tons of jelly… should I take my time choosing candy…?”
“If only you two would just put the swords down… Haah…”
Rubia sighed, glancing between me and Sirin.
“Alright… Let’s first take a stroll and see what we can find.”
“Sounds good!”
With Sirin leading the way, Rubia reached out for my hand.
I shuddered at the memory of cotton candy from earlier and carefully held Rubia’s hand.
“Is it alright if Noah has sugary fruits?”
“Um… I’m torn. Since I already have tons of jelly… should I choose between sugary fruits and regular candy…?”
“Is cotton candy not your thing?”
“Umm… it’s… uh, I ate some earlier…?”
As her small giggle reached my ears, my body jolted again.
“Sugar fruits and candy were already eaten, right?”
“No, it’s not… cotton candy is… I… I only have it once a day…”
“Then, I’ll have to eat it alone.”
Cotton candy… I want to have some too.
Earlier, I was too out of it to truly enjoy it…
But if Rubia wants me to feed her again… then… my fingers will…
Ah? No! I can just sneak some bites from Rubia’s… right?
Oh wow, I’m so clever.
“Rubia… can I just have one bite?”
“You said you get it once a day, right?”
“A… but Rubia had a bite too… one bite isn’t enough.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Of course.”
With a mysterious look on her face, Rubia gazed down at me and smiled, nodding with a raised brow.
“Alright. But I’ll only eat the cotton candy before bed.”
“Y-yeah…? Why? I don’t want to brush my teeth right before sleeping…”
“Tonight, there’s something important to do on the bed. Very, very important.”
Rubia’s grip on my hand tightened.
“Something on the bed…? Important…?”
“Yes. I think it will be… great. For both you and me. I’m new to this, so I’m unsure how it’ll go, but I know what it feels like, so I think it will turn out well. At first, the feeling of stirring inside might be a bit scary, but it’s alright. Just listen to me.”
And she licked her lips with a wicked grin.
What on earth are we doing that sounds scary?
What are we doing that involves stirring inside…?
I’m curious.
I’m madly curious.
But my instinct screamed that if I asked anything, I’d be in trouble… so it shut my mouth tight.
“…B-but, what if I spill cotton candy on the bed…?”
Instead… I blurted out another question.
“Just eat carefully. Neatly.”
“Um… yeah…”
“There are extra bed covers available, so it’s fine.”
Why do you keep extra bed covers?
Can’t you just clean it up with your Divine Power?
Hmm… perhaps even if it’s cleaned with Divine Power, it could still feel icky?
Then again, Rubia always showered again even after cleaning that way.
“I-I see… I get it now.”
“Yes. Just trust me and do everything—”
“Hey! Tonight, this looks good!”
“…Tch.”
“Eh…?”
Sirin’s shout from afar interrupted Rubia’s words.
But… wait, didn’t she just sound super annoyed by that ‘tch’?
“Hmm, cube steak. That doesn’t sound bad. How about you, Noah?”
Ah, maybe not…?
“Yes. I’m… okay with that.”
“I’ve chosen the sauce and how well I want it done, but what will you two have?”
“I’ll go with medium. What about you, Noah?”
I’m curious about the flavor…
Can I just follow Rubia’s lead?
“Uuumm… I’ll also go basic… but well done.”
“Huh?”
Sirin, who had been grinning, suddenly crossed her arms with a serious expression.
“What… why is that?”
“Who eats steak well done?”
“…I-I don’t like it when the blood drips.”
Even though I can’t see it, I can’t help but think that looks gross.
Sirin tilted her head, looking at me as if questioning my sanity.
“Weren’t you a blood-drinking demon?”
“Ugh… that… that’s all just a rumor…!”
Rubia then tilted her head too.
Why is Rubia confused as well…?
“Rumor…?”
“Ah, you too, Rubia…?”
“Pffft—I’m kidding.”
“Is that really a joke…?”
“…S-so, shall we hurry and order?”
“Um, Rubia…! This isn’t a joke!”
Rubia, wearing an incredibly mischievous grin, let go of my hand and jauntily walked away to order food.
Just as I found myself being separated from her.
“Ugh…”
I felt a splitting pain in my head, and my body went limp.
The harsh texture of the ground enveloped me.
The scene painted in my senses turned into a chaotic mess.
The sensations in my arms and legs faded, and even sounds became muffled.
As all my senses were about to fade away…
[Are you okay?]
Sirin’s voice echoed in my head.
The sensations in my limbs returned.
The pain gradually started to ease.
“Ugh… uh…”
I opened my mouth to respond, but blood gushed forth, silencing me.
“Noah!”
Rubia rushed over, pouring her Divine Power into my body.
My ragged breathing returned to normal, and the nausea subsided.
“Are you okay, Noah? What on earth—”
“What the hell… who are you?”
Rubia’s words were cut off by a female’s curse.
“It seems you’ve gotten desperate too.”
Sirin’s voice rang out, heavy with gravity.
“Without a chant, you dispelled… who the hell are you?”
“Rubia, you should take Noah back to the inn.”
“Yes…?”
“Hey, what the hell. Can you not hear me? Who the hell are you—”
[Shut it.]
Crack!
“…Huh?”
Rubia’s voice of shock echoed in the quiet alley.
Quiet alley?
That can’t be right.
It was so noisy just a moment ago.
Focusing my hazily shown senses, I tried to see the surroundings.
“What… what the hell…?”
The festival-goers.
The people who were laughing happily were all lying on the ground.
They convulsed, their bodies covered in blood.
And the woman who had cursed earlier?
She crawled on the ground, her jaw shattered.
“I planned to dine together, but how disappointing. Let’s save that for another time.”
Sirin’s gentle smile was in stark contrast to her ferocious voice.
“Noah, you need to be more careful from now on. But for now… enjoy this festival. There won’t be any problems until it’s done. This lady will take responsibility.”
The atmosphere around us felt heavy with magical power.
The aura emanating from the woman who crawled with her jaw shattered.
At that moment, it echoed through the world.
[Just stay still.]
Sirin’s voice resonated powerfully.
Crackkk!
Her body twisted, deforming, and her insides spilled out.
All manner of filth burst forth.
Yet still, she remained alive.
“S-sirin…?”
Rubia squeezed me tightly.
“Um, it seems I have done something unsightly. I will clean this up in no time, so you two should leave now.”
Sirin lifted her arm.
“Make sure to visit me soon.”
She snapped her fingers.
“Do not rely solely on ‘stats.’”
The scenery shifted.
“You must not depend solely on ‘stats.’”
Inside the quiet inn room.
Only Rubia’s trembling breaths echoed throughout.
