Chapter 8

Mea stared at Shizuku’s outstretched hand, then at her face. Shizuku was puzzled by her lack of response, but she didn’t retract her hand. Instead, she made a suggestion. “If you don’t like being alone, then why not come with us?” Her dark-brown eyes were brimming with a gentle emotion. Shizuku gave Mea another determined smile. “In a sense, I’m on my own, too. I’m from a different world, you see. But he’s accompanying me on my journey to Farsas. I’m going there to search for a way home. Why don’t you come outside with us?” Mea couldn’t help but find this woman kind of strange. She wasn’t like Laylia or the humans who had come to fetch her. Mea was far from ordinary, and yet Shizuku treated her entirely as though she were. How did she manage it? Mea couldn’t tell if she was ignorant, kind, or strong. The girl, who’d only just remembered that she was by herself, stared at Shizuku. Perhaps Shizuku was even more of an anomaly than she was. There was hesitation in her expression, yet she would not turn away from Mea. A smile spread across her red lips. Mea felt a surge of feelings she didn’t understand. After a long silence, she reached out with trembling fingers. Shizuku nervously took Mea’s hand in hers with a firm grip. She smiled at her, but for a brief moment, she looked ready to cry. Mea couldn’t help but find the display extremely beautiful. Shizuku knew it was reckless of her to offer to take Mea along. It would be akin to a child accompanying a child. She didn’t know much about this unfamiliar world yet. There was no way she could look after a demon girl and herself. She hadn’t been very confident when she’d proposed the idea to Erik. “Could we invite Mea to come with us?” she’d asked. The young man looked alarmed for a moment. Then he frowned. “Aren’t you scared of demons? She might hurt you.” “I’m scared, yes,” Shizuku replied. “But I’m sure she thinks of me in the same way. Plus…she always looks miserable.” A thousand years of solitude had surely exhausted Mea. She was lonely, mourning something she’d never have. That was why Shizuku had felt the urge to reach out and help her. “I understand, but you’re a human. It’s different,” Erik said with a stern look. “I don’t support this idea.” “Ugh, I knew you’d say that.” Shizuku forced a lifeless smile in the face of mounting disheartenment. Mea was of another species. Sympathy wouldn’t take precedent the way it did for Shizuku. Her reaction to losing the princess was proof enough of that. Despite this knowledge, Shizuku fought to keep resolute. The truth of the legend and Mea’s isolation were heartbreaking. There was no changing the past, but it wasn’t too late to help Mea. That was when Erik looked at Shizuku, who wore a bittersweet expression, and nodded. “Your compassion might be one of your virtues, but it could also lead to your downfall. I intend to help you as much as I can; however, your decisions will determine your fate.” “I know.” “Then you should do whatever you feel like.” “Huh?” His words weren’t terse or disdainful. It was as though he was suggesting that she pick what she wanted for dinner. At the same time, however, it didn’t sound like a throwaway comment. He’d expressed his true belief. Shizuku’s eyes widened as she tried to process the remark. She was weak, ignorant, and could barely protect herself. She felt too naive to the risks that surrounded her. She was reckless. Even so… Shizuku looked at her hands. She was free to do whatever she liked. That freedom was the only asset she had. There was little she could accomplish in this world. Things didn’t go the way she wanted. That said, Shizuku could still take another’s hand. She could still communicate with them. Although her potential was limited, that inspired her to cherish what she could manage even more. At some point, one of her choices might endanger her. Still, rather than letting the uncertain future deter her, Shizuku wanted to take the chances that came her way. That was the one thing she was most eager to do. It would help her grow as a person. Shizuku squeezed her hands a few times. Then she looked up at Erik and smiled. “I want to go and speak to her, then,” she announced. “Okay. Feel free.” “I’m sorry for being a nuisance. Your patience means a lot to me.” She bowed her head deeply, then lifted it. The girl still lay on the ground, hoping to disappear like her dream. Shizuku had taken a step toward her, seized by a feeling that Mea, too, had some yet untapped potential. Once Shizuku had pulled Mea to her feet, Erik looked the demon up and down. It was as if he’d never seen anything like her before. Placing his fingers on his chin, he nodded. “It’d be safer if we took her on as an assistant demon and had her sign a contract, but you don’t have any magical powers. We need a mage who can act as an intermediary. Oh well, we can decide on that later. First of all, I feel like her appearance is going to be an issue… Are you able to transform?” Mea gave him a firm nod. In the blink of an eye, she became a small, emerald-colored bird and perched on Shizuku’s shoulder. “Th-that was incredible,” Shizuku remarked. “High-ranking demons are such complex beings that this sort of transformation is impossible for them. Mid-ranking ones strike that happy medium,” Erik explained. “She would have stuck out like a sore thumb with that hair color.” “Oh. There are no green-haired humans here?” Considering the fact that magic existed in this world, the idea that some people might be born with emerald locks didn’t seem too far-fetched. This question, however, earned Shizuku a dumbfounded look from Erik. He shrugged as he began walking toward the doorway. “You’re not about to tell me there are green-haired people in your world, are you? That’s crazy.” “Uhhh… Wait a minute. I think we’ve got our wires crossed.” “Or perhaps there are some folks in your world that have hair that stands on end?” “You might see that every now and then, but it’s not like it defies the laws of nature or anything…” Shizuku chatted idly with Erik as she followed him out of the hall. The small bird on her shoulder looked back toward the casket they were leaving behind. For a brief moment, her green eyes brimmed with a vivid emotion, culminating in a solitary tear that dropped down onto the paved stone floor. The transit ring was located in a room in one corner of the castle that was almost submerged in water. Now Shizuku understood why Erik was soaked. She placed her head in her hands. The floor sloped down into the water, with the central part reaching a depth of around two meters. The water was so clear that Shizuku could make out the circular patterns etched onto the floor. “Won’t you drown with that outfit on?” Erik asked. “Will you be okay?” “Ha-ha… I’ll probably be fine, as long as we’re not submerged for too long. We won’t be stationary for a while, will we?” “The ring will launch into action as soon as we enter it.” Erik waded in with no hesitation. “Is it okay for you to stay in bird form?” Shizuku asked the tiny creature on her shoulder, to which Mea responded with two nods. Shizuku braced herself, then dipped her leg into the water, still wearing her dress. At first, her skirt filled with air and floated on top, so she pressed it down, causing it to billow beneath the surface. Once she was completely submerged and opened her eyes, she saw Erik before the transit ring, reaching out his hand. She reached for him, and a firm tug brought her close. The shock that followed made Shizuku feel like everything had gone blank. The world seemed to warp. It was a peculiar feeling. When Shizuku opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in the middle of a lakeside forest, completely drenched. “Whoa, they’re back!” “Are they all right?!” Shizuku, dazed from her first experience in a transit ring, heard a pair of unfamiliar voices. She realized two men and a boy were staring at her and Erik, utterly astonished. Shizuku cocked her head to one side. She felt like she’d seen the boy before. “Oh… I met you in front of that stone monument…” It was the boy who’d read the inscription for her. Judging by his expression, he’d been quite worried. Shizuku started to bow her head, meaning to thank these people for their help. However, a rumble from the lake gave her pause. “What was that?!” Everyone but Erik turned to look. Terrible waves ran across the water in the distance. The once-placid water shuddered, sending thinning ripples to the shore. The lake water surged a few times, kicking up white foam. This continued for a short while, but ultimately, it subsided. Then the lake was its still self again. Noticing how stupefied Shizuku looked, Erik whispered to her in a voice so low that only she would hear. “She was the very thing that was holding that castle together,” he said. “Now that we’ve brought her out, it’s collapsed.” “What? That can’t be true. That…doesn’t sound good.” “What does it matter? It’s not like anyone would have been able to get inside,” the young man replied nonchalantly. A gentle smile spread across Erik’s face. It was a comforting, honest thing. Shizuku looked down at his hand, which was still gripping hers. She was so grateful he’d freed her that it was difficult to contain the feeling. “…Thank you,” she muttered. The words were meant for Erik, not herself, yet they gave her a warm, reassuring sensation. The lost princess’s memories rested at the bottom of the lake, along with the castle. No trace of her soul remained. No comforting tales of the afterlife could provide solace for what befell her. Those who remained simply had to accept it and move on. On that day, someone undoubtedly recounted the fictional version of the story. For generations, it would be passed down from parent to child and from child to grandchild as a sad tale to help kids drift off to sleep. Perhaps that was cruel, or maybe it was a form of relief. Either way, it made no difference to the dead. Similarly, Shizuku had no choice but to live with the feelings she found so hard to shake off. Lamenting the mercilessness of death wasn’t an option. Equipped with this knowledge, she began to desire a better understanding of this unusual new world.