Chapter 126: Fresh Start (2)

From intense pain and blood loss her consciousness grows dim, and well-tended flowers discolor pitch-black.

No good, collapsing in this kind of place is no good.

’I crushed the most troublesome Sacred. As fishing bait it was not a bad result, Moldy.’

’Is that so? Ehehe, thank you. Actually I wanted to finish her with the first blow myself.’

Because look. A white-haired man wrapped in black clothes.

From that man she felt a power of darkness she had never felt until now.

Occasionally beasts of darkness appear in Calmate. In that man there was vast darkness on a different level from those existences.

Leaving it like that is bad.

If I do not stop here everything will be too late.

Therefore somehow I have to tell everyone this crisis.

With a trembling hand she reaches for the holy bow, to have Princess Altina and Grace and Leas notice, one arrow into the sky.

’I will not let you, Doris-chan.’

’Agu... a, aaa!?’

The instant she tried to release, twin swords are thrust into both hands.

Arrow fixed to the ground as if stakes were driven into both hands could only shriek from pain and agony.

’Doris-chan, you said you are good at that kind of thing. I know, you bragged many times...!’

Bragged?

What is that, she looks up at Meldiana’s face.

’Kufu, fufu... aha... higu... fu, fufu.’

What was there.

A strange expression that looks like trembling from joy yet also looks like sobbing from sadness.

’Hey, why. Why do you make that kind of face...?’

What is happening she still does not understand well.

Why Meldiana has a sword of darkness, why she is acting together with the white-haired man, nothing, nothing.

But she at least understands that she is joining hands with that man and trying to harm this Calmate.

In other words she is an enemy of Calmate, evil the Sacred should purify.

Then Meldiana should rejoice at defeating Arrow. That one obstacle decreased, like the white-haired man.

And yet why does she have a sad face?

I do not understand, I do not understand, Arrow, nothing, nothing.

’Come quickly. This kind of thing is only rehearsal. Next is the real thing... next too be of use to me.’

’Yes! I will properly, properly show I am of use! ...Then, Doris-chan. We might meet again someday.’

’Wait. Wait, Moldy-chan...’

Toward the figure of her friend pulling out the blades thrust in both hands and happily following the white-haired man’s back, Arrow stretched a tattered right hand.

I do not understand, I do not understand, why do this kind of thing? Tell me.

But neither the question nor the stretched right hand received a reaction, and Arrow’s consciousness falls into darkness.

No good, I have to wake, quickly, I have to move, the instant before consciousness is lost she desperately wishes that.

But the wish is empty, and when consciousness finally returned everything had ended.

The fight with Magician Diabolic Alter, Princess Altina’s rescue, even Leas heading to Earth. She learned it all on the bed.

She becomes aware. She was defeated at the timing she must not be defeated most... Even when she had to fight together with everyone, even while everyone was desperately doing aftermath of the raid, she did not even have consciousness and was greedily sleeping.

Even now like this she cannot move... She cannot be of use to everyone.

Turning pale she tried to get up, raised a scream from intense pain, and rolled off the bed.

Because Doris Stan has less magical power of light compared to other Sacred.

Compared to Knight who was similarly stabbed in the abdomen, wounds heal far far slower.

Even the princess who was wounded many times and defiled has already returned to official duties, yet Doris only writhes on the ground like a bug.

What is this are they joking, I want to stand alongside everyone as a Sacred, why does my body not move this much.

Blood seeps from her abdomen. Arms that were about to connect creak mishi-mishi. No matter how desperately she tries to stand her body will not move. Why, why, why...!

’Doris... how is the injury. Doris!? What is it, Doris...!’

It was that moment the princess appeared.

Probably a get-well gift, she drops fruit in a basket and runs to Doris.

Ah. Wrong, I must not make her worry.

While I was gone everyone worked hard. They suffered, they also exhausted. On top of that I become more of a weight?

I hate it, I hate it, hate, hate, hate!

Her face twists from unbearable shame and patheticness.

I wanted to become equal.

I wanted to walk together with people who glitter far more than the likes of me.

Precisely because of that I cannot show this kind of figure like a trampled winged insect.

’Hime-sama... I, I am fine, I will get up soon, soon... u, gu... e, ehehe... I will work hard, wait...’

She desperately makes a smile, raises her body, and gushari falls face-down on the floor.

Are? Strange. While laughing as if joking she puts power into her whole body.

Stand, stand, stand, stand, stand, will I expose disgrace more than this to the people I admire? How shameless.

Put in spirit, put out guts, even if inferior to everyone I am also light, right? I am a Sacred, right? Then I should be able to. I should be able to do it.

But contrary to a stirring heart her body only puts out power fitting tattered Doris Stan. She rolled off the bed and cannot even stand.

Frustration, embarrassment, patheticness overflow boro-boro from her pupils.

If it were everyone else they would not have suffered this far from this degree of wound. Even in this state they would have swung swords and brought victory to everyone.

And yet why am I this weak.

Even though I thought I would not make her worry, even though I think I will stop, sobs will not stop.

’It is fine. Do not cry, cute Doris.’

Altina quietly drew such Doris close.

’Because "it is fine even if you are not here." We will somehow manage. Therefore now you may rest slowly.’

Altina evaluates Doris.

She found traces other Sacred could not notice and headed to protect a non-combatant walking unsteadily. Originally she should have immediately reported to Altina and them the enemy is also inside.

Doris’s unexpected was only one thing. That the person she tried to protect, Meldiana she thought was a friend, was in league with the invading enemy.

If there had been no surprise attack by Meldiana, even if she made contact with Alter Doris would have calmly judged I alone am at a disadvantage and chosen to flee.

But it did not become that. Because the man named Alter Native acted first to crush Doris.

He fished with Meldiana and crushed Doris two-on-one before she could convey information to the other Sacred. As a result Alter leisurely made preliminary preparations and appeared in the throne room.

In other words she was only crushed first and carefully because she was most troublesome to Alter.

There is no need for her to worry. If there is responsibility it is Altina and Grace who while in a commanding position did not arrive at that possibility. If they had not left her alone it would not have become this.

’...Eh?’

But.

But, but, that feeling does not transmit to her.

Originally holding an inferiority complex that I am weaker than everyone else, she did not understand the premise that she is excellent.

What she has is only the fact that against a darkness existence that invaded the castle, an existence she must absolutely not lose to, even as a Sacred she was miserably defeated.

Therefore the princess’s words transmitted distorted as the likes of you are not particularly needed.

Affection is transmitting.

She is not even misinterpreting that she is being treated as a bother. Because she believes they are not that kind of people.

But in the meaning of ability?

As comrades who fight together?

Was Doris Stan, Sacred Arrow, trusted?

Why did I hold that kind of conceit?

’For now slowly heal your body, all right?’

’U. n. I got. It.’

With a trembling voice, a dry voice, she desperately squeezes it out.

If at that point they had corrected her understanding.

If they had properly conveyed we also rely on your power, it would not have gotten twisted.

But Altina too was far from peacetime mental.

Seeing her current figure was unbearable. After laying Doris on the bed she left as if fleeing.

That too felt like the meaning there is no time to deal with the likes of you.

’Ah. I see.’

Ahaha.

Together with a dry laugh tears overflow.

Thinking we are equal comrades was only myself.

’No one. Expected anything of me... I see...’

In the first place. A girl I thought was a friend, a person I selfishly thought was a best friend, trash who does not even understand why she attached to a man like Alter. Why did I think I would be relied on by someone?

A sound gokiri was heard.

That is the sound of a heart snapping. Working hard together with everyone as a Sacred. That kind of pride vanished as if saying from the start there was no such thing.

The girl who wished to be equal with everyone, the girl who smiled trying to catch up by working hard, died out here now.

Ah, even so.

This body still remains, and the radiance I admired still shines as is overhead.

Then I will protect that radiance.

No, I must protect it.

Even junk no one expects anything of should at least become a shield.