And so, it was time...for my fateful seventeenth birthday! It had been about ten years since I’d last been to the magic academy. I remembered my father and grandmother taking me there by the hand like it was yesterday. This was where I met my beloved Gillain during my beloved brother’s tournament match. I’d also reunited with Schneider here before he became a threat.
“Sere, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that we’re settling things here. If the time and place are the same, then we can find out once and for all if you’ll be condemned or betrayed in this life. If not for this opportunity, you would live in fear of Maribelle for as long as she was alive.”
“Lou... You’re right.”
Both in the book and in this life, we had no choice but to settle things here.
In Galé, when we celebrated the new year, Asu discreetly told me, “Lou told me his weak points.”
“Why...?”
“He asked me to kill him if it comes to that.”
If it comes to that... As in, if he fell into Maribelle’s trap. He had resisted it last time by ripping off his own paw. We didn’t know if he would be able to resist this time. Maribelle was an unknown variable.
Holy beasts never showed weakness, even to a trusted friend. Lou...
“If you kill Lou, I’ll follow him.” It was my only choice.
“And leave Gillain behind?”
“...”
“Don’t worry, Sere. I won’t let a friend die without helping first.”
“...”
“I just wanted you to know how serious Lou is. Trust him.”
“Let’s go, Sere.” Lou growled from my shoulder. I pressed his forehead against my own, unifying our minds. His pure magic calmed my heightened emotions. I walked toward the stadium.
Miyu was deep in my chest pocket, just like last time—my top-secret wave cannon. Asu was high in the sky. All three holy beasts had strong illusion magic on them. If they were noticed, I wanted it to be as late as possible, although I didn’t know if I would be able to trick Schneider and Maribelle.
I saw people scattered throughout the audience, probably the same people who had watched the previous scene in the castle.
Since I’d judged that this stadium match would be dangerous, I only let my very inner circle of strong people come: my father and brother, Ziek, Gil, and Elise. I gave them each a black cloak that covered them from head to toe that I’d cast reflective and defensive magic on so the enemy wouldn’t be able to tell who was who. There was no way I’d come without countermeasures prepared, since I’d had so much time.
I was hoping that Maribelle’s spell would only activate when she spotted someone, but based on Lou’s experience, there was a chance that it would work on anyone who was a character in Wild Rose.
But regardless, I was going to protect my friends. For my guards who would show their faces, I picked the good pair of Kodak and Sasara, since they had nothing to do with Wild Rose or Maribelle. I revealed Lou’s existence to both of them, and both of us cast defensive magic on them.
Sasara was shocked, but then she understood why the members of the shrine knelt to me, and Elise was excited when she revealed she could see Lou. Sasara was a saint, after all, so she would be able to see my fluffball in no time if she trained her magic.
Kodak, of course...knew everything already. He knelt to Lou again and vowed his loyalty. In return, Lou gave him, of all things, one of Matsuki’s specialty chocolate-flavored meal bars!
“I mean, he’s been protecting you all this time, Sere.”
Kodak clutched the chocolate bar at a loss, having received the greatest thanks from Lou.
The three of us looked the same as before, but our outfits were completely remade with defensive and magic-protection magic in the threads.
I’d also embroidered Lou on my right arm, to add to the Trundle crest on my back and the Galé crest on my left arm. Lou had rejected the design over and over. Now I looked like I was wearing one of those long school jackets that old-timey delinquents wore. I might cry if Schneider notices the resemblance and laughs at me.
The three of us and Lou stood on the eastern side of the field, almost like the eastern army in the battle of Sekigahara.
“Master of Trundle! Doesn’t your blood run red too? Don’t you love this kingdom? Do you think nothing of hurting our beautiful Judore?”
Suddenly, a light shone from the heavens onto the western side of the field. It illuminated Maribelle, with her hands folded as if she were praying to God and her eyes sparkling. The heroine had made her appearance!
“Maribelle! Don’t stand there! It’s dangerous!”
“You’re so pure, Maribelle...”
Two male students supported her from either side.
“Please, don’t stop me! This is my destiny... I will create a world without conflict!”
Her lovely voice rang out like a bell. Finally... I meet you face to face, Maribelle.
This was the person who had cast a shadow on my heart ever since that fateful day when I was three. I’d tried my hardest not to be involved in her life, yet she’d tormented me and my loved ones at every turn. She held my life and death in her hands.
She had a cute face with round, pink eyes, a small upturned nose, and lips like flower petals. Her fluffy pink hair was pulled back with a hairband but was otherwise loose. She appeared the complete opposite to my plain colors.
The two deluded boys in school uniforms at her sides were the remaining targets, the marquis’s son Cain and the younger dog Harry. I almost felt for them, having to attend to Maribelle.
Maribelle’s special pink uniform made me cringe. The fact that that was allowed at all, though, meant that she really did have this world under her thumb, which pained me to think about.
Appraisal! She shone red.
Maribelle (Protagonist of I Love You, My Wild Rose, magic academy student)
Status: Cursed (backfired)
Skills: All magic, reincarnated, Autopilot (lessened effect from curse), beloved by the gods
Cain shone blue.
Cain Duel (Marquis’s son, magic academy student)
Status: Charmed
Skills: Fire magic, wind magic
Autopilot... Does that mean things automatically go her way without her planning it? I hoped that the targets were limited to characters from Wild Rose.
The fact that she was shining red meant that her deeds up until now had been carried out knowing full well they were hurting people. She couldn’t claim that she didn’t have bad intentions. If I took her as the airhead she appeared to be, it would mean my death.
She took what she wanted, even if it meant hurting others, just like with the lesser dragon.
She killed those who got in their way, even if it wasn’t for the greater good, like with my grandmother.
She was the heroine, after all.
I noticed that “charmed” showed up for Cain, whom my Appraisal had included since he was sticking so close to Maribelle. Had the word “charmed” shown up in my appraisal because that was what I’d been calling it?
“Lou?” I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.
“I’m fine for now, Sere. My heart is calm enough that I could laugh. I can’t believe what I did last time.” Lou pressed his face into my neck as if he was ashamed to remember it.
“Maribelle hasn’t noticed you yet, right?”
“Yeah...but she has a ton of magic. Don’t let your guard down.”
I looked up at my cloaked father and brother sitting in the audience. My father winked at me as if to tell me he was fine. My brother looked normal. I felt like crying from relief with my biggest concern out of the way.
My brother grinned and waved to me, just like I’d done to him at that magic tournament so long ago.
“What’s that girl talking about? Isn’t she the one who sent fire at the city?”
“Isn’t she embarrassed to make such a scene?”
“She has makeup over it, but half her face is black. I guess it’s from the curse that she set on Erza backfiring.”
The whispers of my guardians and onlookers in the audience were clearly audible in the quiet space.
“H-Hey, shouldn’t you all be supporting me? Looking at me with respect? And you’re all wearing dark hoods! So suspicious!”
As Maribelle complained, someone stood up from a red seat in the audience. It was Gardner, the second prince. He looked gaunt, with no trace left of his innocent boyishness. Cecil stood behind him, a protective glint in his eye. Behind Cecil was...the lovely Isabella? She was wringing her hands, her eyes wide. Why is she in such a risky place?!
It’s because she’s worried about her beloved prince, of course... I couldn’t guarantee that I could protect the royal family too. Be responsible for them, Cecil.
“Oh, Gardner! Please, stop this fight! Don’t hurt anyone for my sake! Let’s find a way for you and Schneider to get along! We can talk this out!”
That wasn’t going to fly with Gardner...not after he’d been betrayed by his beloved Maribelle and had had everything stolen from him by his brother.
“Lou, can you tell Terl to tell Schneider to stop this charade? It’s getting on my nerves.”
“Terl isn’t in his right mind. I don’t think I can communicate... Wait, I have a connection. Schneider says, ‘Super sorry!’”
“That ‘super’ ticks me off.”
“Let’s join hands and work together to punish Trundle!” Maribelle was holding her hand out to Gardner in the audience.
What happened while I wasn’t listening?
“My brother killed our mother... Why should I join hands with him?” Gardner asked with no inflection. He wasn’t charmed...maybe because of the kick in the head?
No, anyone would be able to maintain their conviction after having their mother killed and their father kidnapped. Cecil, too, had only hurt and frustration in his eyes.
“W-Well, the queen killed Schneider’s mother too, right? So it’s even! And that queen was super annoying when I was after you too!”
“Just because my mother killed someone didn’t make it okay to take justice into his own hands. She should have had a trial under the impartial saint. Do you think it’s okay to take a life for a life? Weren’t you just saying we should talk things over?”
“It’s no big deal if a bad person dies! She’s an exception!” Maribelle pouted and put her hands on her hips.