Pythie Frederica
Frederica began to speak to Ripple as if reading a picture book to a small child. This was neither a bluff nor a lie—she wanted to tell her how she sincerely felt.
“That was a wonderful blow—it packed quite an emotional punch. I’d thought your emotions had shattered back then, but it seems I was mistaken. My apologies.”
“What…are you talking about?”
“You know—when you killed that magical girl…Premium Sachiko…in front of Snow White.”
“That was…you!”
“Precisely. You are not at fault… But consoling you would do nothing for you, would it?”
Ripple was unable to reply.
I am Lazuline the First, Frederica told herself. She offered a smile that must have looked comforting.
“Your skills haven’t grown rusty—not in the least. In fact, you’ve grown even more than I anticipated. Goodness, I’ve certainly misjudged you. I’m so sorry. You have my apologies… And yet, your skills aren’t enough to touch me now.” Frederica paused. “You are trying to kill me. I’m sure there’s more than one reason. For revenge? Indeed, I have done enough for you to seek revenge. However, that is not your only reason for killing me.”
She watched Ripple’s reaction: a harsh glare. Ripple wasn’t trying to hide her anger. But she was listening.
Frederica continued. “You tried to kill me for Snow White’s sake. Didn’t you?”
Ripple’s eyes wavered slightly. Her expression didn’t change, but she was shaken up.
“Listen to me,” Frederica said. “You are mistaken. Snow White needs me.”
“You—you shameless little…!”
Frederica sounded as if she were speaking to a small child. “I understand your feelings toward Snow White quite well. But you don’t understand anything about Snow White.”
“What…?!”
“While Snow White was suffering, what were you doing? When Snow White was struggling—when she wanted help—where were you? Wouldn’t she have had an easier time if only someone—a friend she could count on—had been by her side?”
“You bitch!”
“You claim you couldn’t bear to face Snow White, but that was just your own selfishness. ‘This is all Frederica’s fault; killing Frederica will help Snow White’—those were merely your own assumptions. You were just looking for excuses to escape.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth!”
Ripple couldn’t even give a proper answer. She had nothing to say back.
“I am different from you,” said Frederica. “I understand Snow White. Because, you see…I’ve always been watching her.”
Ripple’s expression changed. Hatred openly on her face, it was as if she didn’t even want to look at her.
“As you know, there is no such thing as the ‘right thing.’ And yet, Snow White strives to be the right kind of magical girl for the sake of her fallen friends. The most powerful beings attract brownnosers, and those who reap benefits for others are held in high regard. But simply doing the right thing doesn’t provide a place to belong. Some will avoid her; others will shun her. The only people who get close to her just try to use her—but Snow White reads their minds. She doesn’t wallow in deceit. That is why she suffers so much in isolation… And her one remaining friend vanished without a trace.”
Ripple’s eyes widened. She wanted to argue back, but she couldn’t find the words.
“At this rate, Snow White will remain isolated in this big, wide world… But if great evil exists, then that doesn’t have to happen. Righteousness will be her strength. A magical girl who personifies justice will become the hope of the people, their aspiration, their emblem. She’ll gain friends who sincerely adore her, and she will be supported. People will even follow in her footsteps… How does that sound? Don’t you think this is the kind of world that’s most fitting for Snow White?”
She paused there and gazed at Ripple, whose eyes were swimming.
“That’s why I’ve decided to take on that role. I want to reign as the enemy of the world, as the absolute evil to defeat, and make a place where Snow White belongs. I want to bestow a clear goal in life—all so that she never again has to worry, struggle, or suffer.”
Confused by the long speech and unable to keep up, Ripple still must have thought that she had to say something.
“Snow White won’t bow to the likes of you,” she spat under her breath.
“Oh, but of course she will! She’s the one I found so promising, after all. She can grow beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, overcome any hardship! She acquires power in her own unique way and will defeat a grand evil! Indeed—I want Snow White to slay me.”
It was no lie. Frederica was speaking from the heart. She was best of all at deceiving people with her glib tongue and superficial arguments, but there were times when she wanted to communicate her real feelings to others, too.
“But I can’t have her slay me just once. Then the world will go straight to eliminating her. It’s only in fairy tales that a great evil is defeated and all is resolved. In the real world, heroes are uncontrollable, a nuisance… It’s a tale as old as time.”
Ripple’s expression changed yet again. It was as if the ratio of confusion and fear in her heart was changing at a dizzying rate.
Frederica lowered her voice a little and brought her face close to Ripple. “Are you familiar with the Sage system? You fought Grim Heart in a disguise—even in death, the soul of a Sage incarnation like her is never destroyed. They are reborn as new beings. Right now, I am working to hijack that system.”
The Three Sages were absorbed in their factional dispute, only causing the decline of the Magical Kingdom, and she doubted they had a mastery of the system. There should be a better way to use it.
“Even if I am defeated, I will be revived as a different being—a different evil. Snow White, her friends, and her successors will work together to defeat me over and over. The Sage system will ensure a never-ending cycle of poetic justice.”
She continued speaking in a whisper, as if imparting a secret. “I was inspired to come up with this plan when I first heard of the Sage system. Snow White has been the only thing on my mind ever since, and I forged ahead with this plan of mine. Snow White must attain the brilliance she deserves. That is my sincere wish.”
All emotion vanished from Ripple’s face. Her eyes were unfocused. But Frederica could see the gears turning in her brain.
“And you…Ripple. Do you remember when you and I and Snow White first met in person? The memory alone gives me chills, but it also sets my heart alight. Two magical girls working together so beautifully to defeat evil—me! I want to experience that very moment over and over. I’m doing this for your sake, too. In order to save you, first, Snow White must be saved.”
With her expression fixed, Ripple just trembled.
“It’s still not too late—won’t you join me? You can help with my duties as you did in the past; you can help Snow White as she grows, too. She’s stronger now—and together, you two might even try to kill me…just like you did once before.”
Frederica stood, leaving Ripple there dazed, and leaped from the gymnasium roof. She left her back wide open, but no attack came.