“What are you trying to do?” asked the young man who’d protected her, the anger clear in his voice. Lars just shrugged his shoulders, acting totally calm. “What does it matter? She’s not human, but an observer that needs to be eliminated.” “She is human. She’s no different than the humans in our world.” “I’m not so sure about that. I doubt you’ve sliced her stomach open and taken a look inside, have you? On the surface, they can make themselves look however they want. That’s how her kind have been able to infiltrate this continent all these years.” Lars shot Shizuku an icy look. “Unacceptable anomalies need to be eliminated.” …Anomalies? Hearing him call her that made Shizuku shudder. When she first realized she was in a whole new world, Shizuku had felt like an outsider, but as she’d continued on her journey, that feeling had gradually begun to fade. She’d met new people and had meaningful conversations. There had been no shortage of challenges, and the future often seemed unclear—and yet with each tentative step she took, Shizuku had begun to feel more and more at home in this new world. But now the truth had once again revealed itself, along with the king’s coldhearted desire to “eliminate” her. “What if you kill her and she turns out to be a regular person?” asked Erik. “What if I don’t kill her and our continent remains bound by them?” “She doesn’t have that kind of power!” Shizuku watched this conversation unfold; it still didn’t feel real. Shizuku didn’t really understand what the pair were talking about. The one thing she did understand, however, was that the king wanted to kill her. Lars locked his blue eyes on to Shizuku, making her shudder. Nobody had ever looked at her with such pointed determination before, and it sent a chill through her entire body. The king stepped forward, sword in hand. Erik blocked his way. “Run, Shizuku,” he said without turning around. “E-Erik…” “Just run. I’ll be fine.” Erik’s tone of voice made it clear that he wasn’t going to accept no for an answer, but Shizuku didn’t know what to say. She took another look at the king. The way he was staring at her made it obvious that he didn’t see her as human, and an indescribable sense of unease surged inside her. “The king won’t lay a hand on me. Seriously, just go.” Hearing Erik tell her to go for a third time finally spurred Shizuku into action. She was the only anomaly in the room—the only one who was perceived to be nonhuman. As hard as it was to believe, that was the truth, which was why she had to escape. If she wanted to stay alive, she needed to go someplace where the king couldn’t get to her, so Shizuku hesitantly turned around. As she hurried toward the door, she spared a glance over her shoulder at Erik. Lars glanced at her, seeming unperturbed, then returned his focus to the mage standing in front of him. “Don’t let your emotions prevent you from seeing the truth. Now, get out of my way.” “I won’t. You’re the one who’s mistaken here.” Shizuku placed her hand on the door and yanked it toward her. The soldiers who were standing outside couldn’t have heard their conversation, because they only glanced at her briefly with a hint of suspicion in their eyes. As Shizuku slipped past the soldiers, she heard the king’s voice echoing behind her. “Get out of my way. Or do you want to add another offense to your record? Was it not enough for you to get yourself involved with a forbidden curse?” Shizuku didn’t turn around again. Instead, she started sprinting down the long hallway. She retraced her steps, heading for somewhere far away. It was a magnificent castle with a polished floor, but everything Shizuku saw looked warped and distorted. In spite of this, she remained focused on getting out. She’d believed that once they reached Farsas, doors might start to open for them, yet all that had awaited her here was the incomprehensible threat of death. In the throes of what felt like a nightmare, Shizuku continued to run, all alone. Where was she supposed to flee to? Would she find refuge somewhere once she’d escaped the castle and Farsas? Would she have to live out the rest of her life afraid in some remote corner of the world? Would she have to give up on everything just to stay alive? Shizuku caught sight of a soldier farther down the hallway; however, when he saw her, his expression changed. He held up a hand, attempting to block her path. “Who are you?! Stop!” But Shizuku veered down another corridor and kept on running, ignoring the man’s question. She needed to get out of the castle as quickly as possible, before the king sent pursuers to chase her down or the gate was closed. Shizuku emerged at a bend in the hallway. There, she came across a large window, through which she could see the castle walls. A staircase leading up them extended inside the castle premises, and the towering walls made Shizuku think of an exquisitely crafted miniature garden. It felt almost as if they were jeering at her, as if she were an insignificant little insect. Shizuku came to a halt and looked behind her. No pursuers seemed to be on her tail yet. “…Where am I even going?” Just before meeting the king, Erik had told her to sacrifice him if she had to. That said, he’d been talking about himself being the source of the trouble, not her, and while Shizuku had understood how he meant this, that didn’t mean she accepted it. Plus, she was the one who the king had set his sights on. What would she achieve by running away? Shizuku exhaled and closed her eyes. All alone in the darkness, she pictured herself striding ahead. “She got away?” Lars raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing the news. It appeared Shizuku had already left through the castle gates by the time his royal order had made the rounds. She’d been remarkably decisive and bold. The king didn’t yell at the apologetic soldier in front of him. Instead, he calmly expressed his thoughts out loud. “As long as she stays well out of our way, then that’s fine… Wait, maybe it’s not? This is a real nuisance. I wish she’d appeared in a different form—it would have made her easier to kill.” Once the king had concluded his nonsensical mutterings, he asked for Harve to be summoned. Harve, however, had gotten wind of the situation before the king had called for him, and he was already outside the throne room. As soon as he was let in, Harve offered the king a deep bow. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty…” “Ah, don’t worry about it. You’re not at fault. More to the point, am I right in thinking that girl was staying at your family home?” “…Yes,” confirmed Harve. “Go and capture her, then. I’ll have some of my soldiers accompany you. We don’t know what kind of power she possesses, so if she resists, don’t fight back more than you must.” His order left Harve dumbstruck. What in the world had happened during their meeting? This was no way to treat an ordinary girl, at the very least. Harve tried to clear up the king’s misunderstanding. “Uhh, Your Majesty, the girl doesn’t have any magical powers. She can’t even use a sword. She’s just an ordinary young girl, no danger to anyone really…” “She certainly looks like one, that’s for sure.” “So—” “Don’t argue back. If you can’t track her down, I’ll send someone else instead.” Lars directed his blue eyes toward Harve, who could see the full extents of the man’s authority within them. Swallowing deeply, he complied with the king’s command. Just as he was about to leave, however, Harve asked the one question he was most concerned about. “Your Majesty, may I ask what happened to Erik?” “Oh. He refused to back down, so we’ve restrained him. It’s been a long time since someone other than Lettie challenged me so directly. I see why Katiliana was so attached to him now.” The king spoke with a touch of irony, but Harve didn’t find his response unsettling, which provided him with some reassurance. It was unlikely that Erik would be executed anytime soon, so Harve still had time to beg the king’s younger sister to pardon him. Nevertheless, Harve couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in his chest. Whether he liked it or not, the events of four years earlier kept flooding back. When his friend had fled Farsas in despair. He wondered whether Erik would allow himself to abandon Shizuku after what had happened all those years ago. She continued to climb the stairs, but the spiral staircase inside the tower seemed to go on forever. No, it was impossible for it to go on forever. There was definitely an end point—so Shizuku continued to ascend the staircase in search of it. This tower had been constructed to reach the heavens, only to incur the wrath of the gods. It was a symbol of neither despair nor hope, but merely the humble determination of the lowly human race. Shizuku raised her head and focused on climbing. Keeping her eyes fixed ahead of her, she raced up the staircase. Eventually, the exit came into view without Shizuku having stopped once, and she peered out onto the rooftop of the tower. “I made it…” Shizuku held down her hair so the wind wouldn’t mess it up. If she reached up, she felt like she would be able to touch the expanse of sky above her head. The castle’s lookout tower was about the same height as a four- or five-story building. There were several taller constructions, including the castle’s four spires, but they were so high that it was impossible to converse with anyone on the ground, so Shizuku was happy where she was. As she walked over to the outside wall, she began to speak to the small bird on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for making you come with me, Mea.” After escaping from the king, Shizuku had shaken off her pursuers and briefly returned to the inn she’d been staying at. Then she’d raced back into the castle, bringing Mea with her. After using her assistant demon’s help to avoid the surprised soldiers, she spotted a nearby lookout tower, ousted the guards, and barricaded herself inside. Now, having successfully made it onto the roof, she looked down over the castle walls, where she spied a group of soldiers shouting angrily at her. “Get down! You won’t be able to escape from up there!” “I’m not escaping. I want to talk to the king. Go and tell him where to find me.” Having made her intentions clear, Shizuku crouched down against the outer wall, keeping hidden so nobody would fire at her. She rubbed her trembling legs and took a few deep breaths. “I’ll be fine… I’ll be fine.” Mea looked up at her questioningly. Shizuku had yet to explain any part of the situation to her, but the look in Mea’s green eyes was anything but accusatory. Strangely, this only made her chest feel even tighter. As Shizuku’s nerves threatened to overwhelm her, she gritted her teeth and looked up at the sky. Although her thoughts were swirling around at a terrifying pace, her conscious mind had gone blank. Slowly, she felt her nerves start to settle. Her shallow breathing began to calm down, and her narrowed field of vision opened back up again. Shizuku gazed up at the sky and blinked. Suddenly— “You called for me?” A voice that she would never be able to forget rang in her ears. He spoke from all the way down on the ground, but she could still hear him as clear as day, and Shizuku couldn’t help but shudder. She’d called for him, so obviously, she needed him there—but part of her had still expected the man to ignore her plea. Shizuku began to contemplate why the king had chosen to agree to her request—but then she shook her head vigorously, bringing that train of thought to a halt. She got to her feet and looked down over the tower’s outer wall. The man was standing directly below the tower, looking arrogantly up at her. “Your Majesty, I have something I want to ask.” “Go ahead,” the king answered. “Why are you trying to kill me?” The girl’s blunt query sparked a commotion around the king. None of them had known about that. The king was usually such an easygoing man that they couldn’t understand why he’d want to capture this perfectly ordinary young girl, and the fact that the girl in question was confused also caused significant disquiet among the onlookers. The king’s men discreetly examined his behavior, attempting to discern the monarch’s true intentions. “Why are you asking me?” replied the king. “You must know the answer better than anyone.” “I really don’t. You’ve made some kind of mistake. I’m just a normal person.” “But you’re different,” he declared emphatically. Lars must have been referring to the fact that Shizuku had come here from another world. He was right—she wasn’t from his world—but even so, Shizuku didn’t feel like that was the only reason why he wanted to kill her. He’d said to Erik that “her kind” had been infiltrating this continent for many years, but it hadn’t even been six months since Shizuku first came here. That was an important distinction that differentiated Shizuku from these beings he was referring to. She was confident she’d be able to get through to him if she told him the whole story. “Your Majesty, I’ve been here for less than six months. I was born eighteen years ago, and I’ve been living with my family for the majority of that time. Before coming here, I knew absolutely nothing about your world. I don’t even understand how I ended up here. I just want to go home.” She was telling him the truth as she knew it, which was all the knowledge she had. She’d come to Farsas precisely to expand on it. A smile appeared on Lars’s handsome face. “How can you prove that’s not all an act? You’re an outsider. You must be one of them.” “Who are ‘they’? I don’t even know what you’re referring to.” “Anyone can feign ignorance if they so desire.” Shizuku could tell he wasn’t listening to her, and she gritted her teeth. She’d suspected things would end up like this. She was dealing with a man in a position of power—surface-level arguments wouldn’t work on him. Daytas had been the same way. Still, she refused to believe that her words were powerless. After all, Lars wasn’t the only person listening. This wasn’t the time to back down. Shizuku brought Mea down from her shoulder and placed her by her feet. “If anything happens to me, save Erik,” she whispered softly to her dear friend. Mea’s green eyes stared up at Shizuku, who smiled and nodded. She looked back down to the ground. In the corner of her eye, Shizuku could see soldiers on the castle walls nocking arrows to their bows. They were aiming straight at her, with only Lars’s whims to decide when they would shoot her. At that moment, Shizuku felt like she was standing on the edge of a precipice—and it was up to the will of the king whether or not she jumped. Her current approach wasn’t going to get her anywhere. If she wanted to set things in motion, she needed to get to the core of the issue. Shizuku bravely fixed her gaze on the king. “What did you do with Erik?” “He’s locked up in the dungeon. If I drag him out here and put my sword to his throat, will that lure you down?” “I want you to set him free.” “And I refuse.” It didn’t seem as though Lars had ever intended to negotiate, and Shizuku furrowed her brow. Rage started to bubble up from somewhere deep inside her. Was it possible to be so scared that you stopped feeling fear entirely? Shizuku, at least, wasn’t frightened by the situation she’d found herself in—right now, she was being guided by emotions more powerful than fear. And one of the feelings currently keeping her standing was, quite simply, irrational rage. Suppressing her anger, which threatened to boil over, she implored the king one more time. “Please, let Erik go. I’m just a normal human. All he did was help me out.” “In that case, he’s guilty, too. Would you like me to bury you both together?” “Huh?” Shizuku’s voice lowered. She knew she was being provoked, but she could feel the fury rising in her nonetheless. Still, she couldn’t let her anger take over, and she spoke so that everyone around could hear. “You have no intention of listening to me, no matter what I say. You won’t accept anything I say as proof, will you?” “Who knows? What will you do if I won’t?” “I’ll pick up the gauntlet.” That was what Shizuku had decided. She’d gone to that very spot, somewhere his sword wouldn’t reach her, because she’d chosen to fight him. Shizuku pressed down on the stone with her hands and climbed up onto the outer wall. Lars stared at her in wonder as she stood on top of the tower with nothing to support her, and she gazed icily down at the young king. “Your Majesty, you said it yourself, didn’t you? Nobody’s cut me open and taken a look inside. On the surface, I could make myself appear however I wanted, so I’m going to offer you some proof—and I’ll risk my own body for it.” Shizuku wished she could fight the absurdity of the thoughts she was having, but she had no way of doing so. She couldn’t wield a sword, she couldn’t use magic, and she didn’t know enough about this world she’d found herself in. All she had were her words—and her body. And so she intended to put those things to use. Lars smiled. He didn’t seem disturbed at all. In fact, he almost looked like he was enjoying himself. “Are you going to jump from there? You really do have some funny ideas.” Shizuku looked back at the king, her gaze projecting a completely different emotion from his own. During her six-month-long journey, she’d met some new people and parted ways with others. She couldn’t say she’d put her all into every situation her travels had thrown at her—far from it, in fact. She’d lost some people even before she’d realized what was happening. Daytas and Varola, who’d chosen to end things in the way that they did, were one example of that, yet she was under no illusion that listening to them more would have changed things. What she did regret, however, was that she’d been too scared to push herself out of her comfort zone. There was a part of her that was scared now, too. It was incredibly frustrating. But even so…she fully intended on taking that first step forward. She’d already decided on that. Shizuku let out a deep breath. Her mind was already calm. She had a slight urge to cry, but even that seemed trivial right now. Something more fundamental, more human, was keeping her going—her anger toward the irrationality of the situation. That was all she had, but it was enough. Sometimes, it was the simplest of emotions that drove people to risk everything. “I don’t wish to die, Your Majesty—but I’m angry enough to make up for that.” Shizuku began to articulate her emotions, her first step toward impressing upon the king her determination. “You’re saying inexplicable things about me. Do you want to kill me and pretend I never existed? If you’re wrong and I turn out to be a normal human being, what will you do then?” “I cannot ignore such a possibility if it exists. However, more than anything, you are an extremely suspicious individual. You must realize that, at the very least, yes?” “I do.” If Shizuku were one of “them”—those beings that the king felt threatened by—then he’d probably be making a good decision. However, there was one thing that only Shizuku knew. She was powerless. She knew that better than anyone else. “I’m human.” Her dark eyes shone defiantly, the intensity in her gaze eliciting a smile from Lars. Shizuku’s voice pierced the air, reaching the king’s ears. “So analyze me to your heart’s content. Catch my blood and flesh as they scatter through the air. But if, after all your probing, I turn out to be undeniably human…I want you to admit defeat and set Erik free.” Shizuku’s death probably wouldn’t make much difference to the king. Even if she was an innocent young girl, there were many more citizens whose lives and deaths he was responsible for. But to Shizuku, her life might have been one out of several million, but she still believed it meant something. She didn’t care if this blow was just one in a sea of others. She was ready to risk it all. Shizuku didn’t want to die in the face of defeat. She didn’t want to lie curled up on the floor, powerless, when her life was brought to an un untimely end. So she’d chosen to retain her dignity—by gambling her own life. While it might not have been the outcome she’d hoped for, she didn’t feel hesitant in the slightest. “That’ll mean I’ve lost, will it?” said the king. “Yes,” replied Shizuku. “And I will have won.” “Even though you’d be dead?” “Even though I’d be dead.” “How interesting.” The king smiled, and Shizuku thought to herself, That’s the smile of the strong and powerful. Those eyes could see through people’s weaknesses. But Shizuku couldn’t allow herself to recoil in fright. She didn’t want to back down. She wouldn’t let the king decide when she died. “You sound very human, saying things like that,” observed the king. “That’s because I am human,” replied Shizuku. “Prove it, then.” His words left no room for interpretation. Shizuku closed her eyes. She knew he’d say that—that no amount of arguing would be enough to convince him. She smiled. The way Shizuku saw it, the essence of a person always boiled down to their mindset. She was scared, yet she wasn’t. Frustrated, yet not. She wanted to cry, yet she didn’t. She wanted to live—she didn’t want to die. But if she really had to die, then she wanted to be free to decide how for herself. She hadn’t set out on this path hoping for death. She’d set out to win—and this was her way of making that happen. She stared at the king. She didn’t think about anything else, just the man standing below her. A finite world. A warped vision. Everybody was alone in the end. People were divided from the moment they were born. But that— Shizuku cut off that train of thought, sensing it could go on forever. “I win,” she declared. She gently jumped off the tower. Without averting her gaze, Shizuku began to fall. The last thing she saw was Lars’s face, his eyes wide with astonishment. They were everywhere. Those fragments inside a person, scattered all around. They wouldn’t be noticed. After all, they were considered perfectly normal in this world. They were the reason escaping or fighting wasn’t an option and gave such a restrictive kind of freedom. But at the end of the day, they were what people— “Jumping to your death is such a horrible thing to do. I bet it really hurts.” “People say that if you jump from a great enough height, you lose consciousness on the way down. I bet you’d be able to pass out, though—you don’t even ride scary roller coasters.” “Why do you make it sound like I’m planning on doing it?!” Shizuku yelled. Her younger sister, Mio, didn’t even look up from the book she was reading. “I mean, you were the one who said you thought it would hurt,” Mio replied reasonably. Shizuku scowled at her sister, who was rather impassive for her age. The pair had been enjoying a relaxed day off when a TV report sparked a lively debate about the most agonizing way to die. Shizuku, sitting next to Mio on the sofa, had started by saying, “Hanging yourself sounds painful,” vaguely echoing what the television presenter had said. Her younger sister, reading her book, had then countered with a realistic argument. She’d often correct Shizuku when her opinions were off, so this was a common scenario in the Minase household. At least, it was when Shizuku had still been around. Holding the TV remote, Shizuku rested her chin in her hand. “Dying terrifies me, though. I’d prefer a natural death, like euthanasia.” “Euthanasia? You do know that’s not natural, right?” “Huh?” Shizuku blinked, confused—but her sister had already closed her book and turned to face her, and Shizuku gulped. Mio gazed at Shizuku with her large eyes, the sole feature the sisters truly shared. “I’m not going to kill myself, Mio,” Shizuku assured her. “You’re worrying for no reason.” “R-really?” “I mean, I don’t even want to die.” “Oh, right!” That was what Shizuku had told her sister, and yet… Her body was numb. Even the slightest movement of her fingers sent intense pain coursing through her. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out. It hurt. She was in pain. She was scared. She couldn’t lift her arms. Her legs refused to move. It hurt. She could taste her own blood—or perhaps she was just imagining it. She wasn’t sure. She was scared. She was in pain. Don’t come in. She didn’t feel good. Save me. Save me. “…M-Mom.” “You’re going to be fine.” She heard a woman’s voice. Someone put a hand against her forehead. They gently stroked her hair. That alone was enough to fill her with joy. And then her consciousness was plunged into darkness once more. “…You! You really do have some twisted hobbies!” “My ‘hobby’ is thoroughly investigating suspicious individuals.” “And does that include murdering ordinary young girls? You must be out of your mind!” “I’m perfectly sane. I saved her, didn’t I? After all, she did look like a human on the inside.” “That’s because she was! Undeniably! Her blood, her bones, and her organs all confirmed that!” “Try not to get too angry. It’ll give you wrinkles.”
Chapter 23
23 min read