“Tears are the most powerful weapon a woman can possess.”
Now, I was experiencing the power of that ancient adage firsthand. It was right here, in this strange unconscious space devoid of light.
Her moist eyes, the sobbing breaths, and her shaking shoulders each struck my senses one by one. The maiden before me was pouring out sorrowful cries.
My heart ached painfully.
How could it not?
Even without memories of me, the figure before me resembled my fiancée. With my wavering mind, I unconsciously had to suppress words of comfort.
I had no choice.
Senior Elsi’s worries weren’t the kind that could be resolved with simple comforting words. I had reiterated these words so many times already, knowing better than anyone else.
Just recently, I had come to my own conclusions.
Senior Elsi would not have found the answer before me.
Unlike me, Senior Elsi hadn’t truly grasped what was at stake in this fight.
Everything dies and crumbles.
The collapse of civilizations and the bleeding of dear ones—only those who have directly witnessed the future can fully understand this terror.
Like me.
But we cannot afford to keep sitting and weeping.
“Hey, is being weak a crime…?”
With a voice filled with anger, the maiden asked.
Before long, a deep hostility had gathered in those azure eyes. Though this sentiment wasn’t directed at me.
Soon, Senior Elsi started spilling out all the words she had buried.
“For so long, I’ve been crawling like a dog! I didn’t sleep, only studying, pushing myself in training until my blood vessels felt like they’d rip open! And that’s not even all— fought life and death battles with all sorts of mythical monsters!”
I kept silent instead of answering.
This only incited Senior Elsi more.
Her clenched teeth, her bloodshot eyes—all these were filled with pent-up anguish, stained red.
“By now, it’s enough! Even without me, there are so many others who can fight… I don’t want to fight anymore! I’ve grown terribly weak…”
“You’re right. That’s why you’ve endured such suffering.”
As I responded to Senior Elsi’s words, I repeated my earlier statement.
“That’s why you’ve been brought to such a state. Rolling on the ground, battered, nearly choking to death… enduring humiliations, pain, and even losing someone precious. Isn’t that true?”
Every word targeted Senior Elsi’s wounds.
She had overcome death threats numerous times.
Just recently, she lost someone dear after a battle, her uncle who was the renowned Archmage Raymond Rainelle.
Naturally, she couldn’t remain unscathed. It was only fitting that Elsi would vent her pent-up anger this way.
“Yeah, that’s why…!”
“Because I’ve been there too.”
But I interrupted her before she could continue.
Caught off guard by the unexpected confession, Elsi closed her lips, a brief look of incomprehension crossing her face.
“I’ve nearly died so many times too. I pretended like I was okay, but inwardly, I was scared. Every day, I questioned myself—why me? Why must it always be me?”
Fortunately, my opponent seemed willing to listen for now.
Her eyes still carried a strong sense of doubt.
Then why?
Even though I understood her feelings, why was I being so harsh?
That’s why I continued in a firmer tone.
“No matter how much I questioned, there were no answers. Perhaps it’s nothing more than bad luck.”
“Bad luck…?”
“Yes, just bad luck. Do we need any other reason? The key point is, no matter how much we question, the reality does not change.”
At this, I picked up a piece of jet-black stick that had fallen to the ground.
It was something that had dropped when Senior Elsi collapsed. Moreover, it was the only keepsake left by Raymond Rainelle.
Was that why the significance of this small stick felt monumental?
Senior Elsi remained in silence, refusing to take the stick I offered. Her moist gaze silently met mine.
“Do you plan to cry forever?”
“I, I…”
“We won’t reach anywhere by merely running away. We bear the fate of the world.”
That’s right. This is our reality.
There’s no place to escape to, no matter how much we wish to flee. Behind us, there’s nothing but a sheer cliff.
Can you still run away?
It was impossible. We carry countless lives on our shoulders.
Though we sometimes feel crushed by the weight, choosing to abandon all of them is out of the question.
Under this premise, my persuasion continued.
“Let’s go back together.”
“I, I…”
“We can’t keep enduring all this, Senior Elsi.”
That statement struck home.
Elsi’s body stiffened for a moment, her breathing becoming visibly calmer. Then, slowly, the moisture in her eyes began to recede, and her expression took on a somewhat resolute look.
Yes, this is how the Elsi Rainelle I know should be.
A woman who detests appearing weak more than anything.
Isn’t this Elsi Rainelle?
After a while, a soft voice issued from her lips.
“…I hate it.”
But the content was the opposite of what I expected.
For a moment, I failed to open my mouth, my lips opening and closing several times.
Senior Elsi retorted.
“Why should I do as you ask?”
“I already told you, Senior Elsi… there’s nowhere to escape! Countless lives are on our shoulders…”
“And what?”
Her short but piercing question hit home.
Caught off guard by her forthrightness, I remained mute. A thought finally dawned on me.
Why did I forget?
My opponent was Elsi Rainelle.
“Why should I care if others die? Why should I suffer and get hurt because of some trivial sense of justice? Don’t make me laugh… I hate it, absolutely hate it! Who cares if the world falls apart? What do I have to do with it?!”
The woman who topped the Academy in character, with an egoistic nature and a sensitive temperament.
“I’ll never go back, so you should know that… Don’t come after me.”
This was the Elsi I used to know before she met me. Or perhaps it’s her true self that she has been hiding in front of me.
Before I could gather words for a flustered retort,
An intense shock hit my heart like a battering ram.
It was lightning magic.
Thinking back, she must have been strategizing a way to knock me down while pretending to be cooperative, as it felt too calm.
Due to sheer surprise, I didn’t have a chance to block it. Also, this was the world of unconsciousness where any sign of mana movement was hard to detect.
As my vision dimmed to whiteness, a fleeting image of Senior Elsi remained.
Looking into her hostile eyes, I thought,
I can’t let this go… I must bring her back…
Then, everything faded.
I lost consciousness and woke up again.
On the bed in the temple.
A Senior Archmage greeted me as I sat up abruptly, breathing heavily.
“We’ve suffered a blow…”
The news of a fallen sword was a clear piece of bad news.
Ceria woke up around evening.
She had recently been suffering from an unexplainable headache, and after fainting, her head felt all the worse. Soft groans escaped her lips involuntarily.
She couldn’t recall the last thing she saw before losing consciousness. Only the fact that she briefly blacked out came back to her.
Could she have been struck down so quickly she couldn’t react?
But where could such a powerful opponent have come from?
The unresolved question only exacerbated her headache. As she pressed her forehead and slowly sat up, a cheerful voice rang out from somewhere.
“Oh, you’re awake!”
Ceria’s gaze naturally turned towards the voice’s origin.
There sat a cute young girl with dark azure hair. While humming a tuneless song, she was diligently sewing something that made her appear unmistakably like a teenage girl.
The Fifth Imperial Princess, Shi-en.
In her hands was a familiar-looking stuffed doll, crafted to resemble a man she secretly loved, made with meticulous attention to detail.
I wonder how much this piece is worth.
Ceria subconsciously calculated the price in gold coins and let out a faint, raspy voice.
“Where am I…?”
“It’s the temple. Sir Ian has left to deal with other business and entrusted me with looking after you.”
Shi-en continued answering without meeting Ceria’s gaze, her focus entirely on the doll. Every stitch she embroidered was carefully done.
She seemed uninterested in Ceria’s physical condition.
Ceria, not expecting anything else from the princess, asked again without sighing.
“What ‘business’ exactly?”
Shi-en responded cheerfully once more.
