Claire 'The Continental Burn'

I had a problematic situation at hand.

As far as I'm concerned, having two girls in my room would be an occasion to celebrate.

Especially with one of them being butt naked.

However, the situation wasn't as great as it might've been, as said butt-naked girl glared hard at me after a great speech.

Now, I'm not fond of being violent with girls. I'd rather avoid it if possible, but I believe self-defense to be another matter entirely.

And yet, as she dashed at me, even though I could dodge out of the way, in fear she would end up hurting herself, I accepted the tackle, and we both fell to the floor.

Claire: "You're done for. Let me go if you want to keep your life."

With one hand in my chest, believing to be holding me down, she raises the other.

However, nothing extraordinary happens with her other hand.

Licia: "You shall let him go."

Then, the tip of Licia's sword approaches the neck of the girl with red twintails.

Funnily enough, this seemed to have been enough to make the girl stop.

Certainly a mystery.

Although, I do have a theory.

It wasn't just Licia's sword that did the trick. She's acting high and mighty, but I can feel that I'm much stronger than her.

Like with Licia before, her level had probably been reduced to 1.

As such, unless her Gift could compensate for our level difference, or she had a bunch of strong skills, there was no way for her to pose a threat to me.

That she came for me is very telling though. She must've recognized Licia as being stronger and chose me as the easier target for a bargaining chip that could buy her freedom.

But being dealt with by her, in this manner at least, wasn't in my plans.

Claire: "And if I don't?"

Defiant. But an easy bluff to see through.

Licia: "There are no what-ifs here, I believe I made myself clear."

A cold, scary look filled her face. Her monotone voice made her intentions obvious.

Miwen: "Let go, none of us mean you any harm."

I tried to mediate. If possible, calming her would be beneficial, and while I'd prefer she had reacted like Licia did when summoned, depending on the circumstances, I could understand this reaction.

Claire: "And why would I believe you?"

But as she proved my effort fruitless, I took the alternative route.

I grabbed both of her hands and while she tried to muster her strength to try and resist... to break free from me, it was no avail.

She seemed irritated by that, insulted even.

Yet, no matter how much she struggled, she had become completely defenseless.

Licia could finish her life at any moment, and she was not able to hurt or threaten me anymore.

Although a surprise at first, we gained control and ascertained our superior position over her.

Miwen: "Because if I wanted to, you would already be hurt."

Slowly, I guide her arms to her sides, and then gently I release my strength, allowing them to be free.

She had stopped struggling, so I stopped fighting back.

As long as we could maintain this status quo, she wouldn't risk being hurt.

I had hoped my actions would show that these were my true intentions.

As long as she didn't try to fight, everything would be fine.

Miwen: "I'm sorry about this, you are here thanks to my Gift. It's a bit hard to understand, but if you just listen to me I'll guarantee your safety, how does that sound?"

It's complicated. I needed her to be willing to listen, but...

Claire: "Hmph. Go on. Explain what you did to me. How can someone so weak overpower me with such ease? Why can't I muster any strength? And most important of all, why am I still alive? Also, what is-"

Miwen: "That's a lot..."

Some of her questions had answers, while others I myself had no clue about.

My only objective was to make her understand the situation she was in though. As long as that was out of the way, we would have an easier time talking about all the rest.

As such, not alarming or shocking her was a priority, at least as much as possible.

But... one of her questions, about the reason why she was still alive, ended up getting to me.

The fact that she thought she should be dead indicated that my power was really bringing them back from death.

I tried to shake off my mixed feelings about that and used the opportunity she had given me to explain the things I could.

Miwen: "As for your first and second questions, you are now level 1, I was able to overpower you thanks to my higher level, I believe this should answer them both?"

Claire: "So it's the worst case scenario... the power to erase someone's level, how truly terrifying."

Quite.

If such an ability was not tied to the [Companions Banner], and was instead something I could do whenever I wanted, I'd probably be having a way easier time at the Dungeon.

Even top-rank parties would kill to have someone who can weaken a boss like this.

Yet, it wasn't the case that I could control this. Rather, it was among the things I didn't understand well enough.

Miwen: "You don't need to worry about that, I did say I wasn't gonna harm you."

Claire: "...And for my third question?"

Probably the most complicated one...

Miwen: "Well... You could say that you are alive thanks to my Gift. I think it brought you back to life. I should also correct you. I don't understand my Gift completely yet, but I can't erase someone's level. If I had to guess, that only happened because..."

Claire: "Because I died?"

Miwen: "That... yes, I believe so."

Things were progressing well, and she was becoming a little more calm.

As for me, I didn't really want to think of my power this way, but I had no choice but to admit it now.

Even in the world we live in, such power has restrictions, consequences, and well... it never works that perfectly.

It's like a piece of the person is always missing.

It's become such an easy power to make money through but at the same time... I can't help but feel like it only hurts the living more.

Since I didn't know them before their deaths, I'll never be able to tell if their souls and minds are the same as they were back when they were alive.

I do fear I might be desecrating them with this.

Yet, if I were to hope for the perfect scenario, looking at this on the brightest side it could have... a second chance to live again would probably be welcomed by many.

However, it seems like my Gift has no desire to guide me in how to use it.

Meaning... it's up to me to decide what I do with it.

And so, if I want this power to be a good thing, I must treat those I summon with care.

I want to believe that they are as human as they once were. So I have to guarantee it.

And to do that, I'll have to extend a hand. Being kind and protective, as well as giving them the freedom to choose their own fate. As long as I do that, they'll be as much of a human as anyone else.

Instead of this power becoming a curse for her and others, I'd like it to be a blessing, as it has been for me.

So, I decided on the path I would like to walk with this girl, as well as Licia, and whoever more I may bring into my kingdom.

For it to be a place where they can be themselves. That would make me happy.

Miwen: "My Gift allows me to do a bunch of different things, among them, I can provide you with clothing, but there's a condition. You need to register as a [Citizen] for it to activate."

The first step might as well be the hardest.

But this is necessary. Like with Licia, it would be good if I could have her stay with me until she became accustomed to this world.

Claire: "What effects will I suffer from that?"

Miwen: "From what I know, you can access my kingdom and I can share my skills with you, and vice versa. However, for that, the consent of both parties is needed. As for entering and leaving the Kingdom, both actions require only my permission."

Claire: "Is that true? Are you sure you're not hiding anything from me?"

While I was being as truthful as I could, it's still a fact that there are factors I'm not entirely sure about. Especially after I summoned Licia and a new function appeared without warning.

I couldn't guarantee that what I told her was everything, but I could be honest about it and hope that she would understand.

Miwen: "Not that I know of."

Claire: "You do know how strange it is for someone to not completely understand their Gift, right?"

...There are quite a lot of Gifts. If anything, most are just a simple effect that can be activated whenever the user desires.

A few can change the user's body too, and within those, some can turn back, while others get stuck in a different form.

A little more complex than that, we have those that boost a natural ability or supernatural powers such as magic or flight.

Then we have those with multiple effects or conditions and those that grow with the user or under some predetermined circumstances.

And then even some Gifts a little similar to mine, that work like a small system, allowing a bunch of things at once.

There are plenty of mixes and more types too, but... out of all the Gifts I've ever heard about, mine is for sure the most complicated.

Usually, you can figure out what your Gift does just by using it, which is why I'm trying to experiment more, but... it's only leading me to more questions as of yet.

Miwen: "Well, my Gift has a lot of functions, and since I only got it a few days ago it's not a-"

Claire: "Can you stop lying to me? What do you even want?"

That surprised me.

What I said got her angry.

Even though I don't know her well, it's easy to read her emotions.

The shift in volume also helped though.

However, I wasn't lying at all, so I got a little confused about what made her so mad.

Thankfully Licia was there too, and she was able to understand it a little better.

Licia: "He's telling the truth. Both about being his [Citizen] and about his Gift, I know it's hard to believe, but that is how it works in this world."

Claire: "So this is a different world huh? I thought the furniture was strange but... how twisted is this world for things to be so messed up?"

...My room was not the most tidy out there, and I don't usually spend much on fancy furniture but... that hurt a little.

Licia: "I don't think it's twisted at all, if you give it a bit of time you'll see that these things, although very strange are also very interesting. Above all, they are part of the way of life of the inhabitants of this world, they are not meant to do any harm, so calling them messed up is very rude."

Oh...

I was a little proud of her response.

Ever since she was summoned, she has been showing a lot of interest, so she must've gotten a little upset by Claire's words.

It's harder to tell with Licia though. Especially when she's like this.

Claire: "... I don't care about that."

Licia: "What do you care about them?"

The tensions were rising again, but I allowed it to continue.

It seemed like Licia was getting to her, for good or bad.

Claire: "Hah... I don't know. My life should be over already, I had met my end and I was satisfied with it. I know I could have done more, and I made many mistakes, but I lived how I wanted. I don't regret it."

Licia: "I see, I wish I could say the same. Mine was always filled with struggles I didn't choose for myself. So when I was in your place, somehow deep in my heart I saw it as an opportunity. To live the kind of life I wanted to, to be free to choose and also... to find peace for myself."

This was hard.

They were talking about such heavy things and both of their lives seemed to have been extremely eventful.

While I had no idea why, it made me feel guilty.

Licia says she is happy and thankful for the things I've been doing for her, but I cannot help but be anxious about it.

The banners seem to exist to help and make me stronger, but... exploring someone's life and death only for something trivial like that doesn't sit well with me.

The only way I can come to terms with it is if I do my best to make it a worthwhile life for them.

Only like this can I convince myself that I'm doing something good.

Licia: "Give him a chance, if only for some time, you'll see that it's worth it to keep on living in this world."

Claire: "Then, are you happy living in this world? Even after your death?"

A question that I was still not able to ask, but one whose answer I wanted to hear more than anything.

Licia: "I'm happier than what I was in the world of my previous life, that is for sure. I don't know how it'll go for you, who has no regrets about your past life but just try and experience this one, I can guarantee that he'll not bind you, as he has not bound me."

Claire: "I see... I guess I don't lose anything by just giving it a chance huh?"

Licia: "That's what I believed, and I couldn't have gotten more of this small leap of faith."

In the end, the efforts I made for Licia went a long way.

It was reassuring. The anxiousness and guilt I was feeling faded away thanks to her words.

If I had a positive impact on her, then... I could feel proud about this power, and while challenging, it would also be rewarding to ensure that others feel the same way as she does.

She validated the path I had chosen to walk.

Claire: "...Fine. I'll allow you to register me as your citizen or whatever."

She also managed to convince someone else.

I could tell she still had some suspicions, but their small confrontation led to a lot of progress.

Miwen: " I'll need your full name for that, I believe I hear you call yourself Claire, but I didn't quite catch your surname."

Claire: "It's Claire Ashbrodd, daughter of Duke Marten Ashbrodd. Guess this really is another world if you've never heard of me."

Apparently, she's supposed to be famous...

I wasn't sure if their worlds operated the same way, but Licia's epithet of 'Frost Sword' was fitting considering her fighting style and Gift.

Even then, she wasn't famous enough to question me for not knowing her.

She even confessed that her name wasn't worth mentioning in the capital of her Kingdom.

Then, if I were to apply logic and scale to this girl, who called herself 'The Continental Burn' and believed everyone in her world to know about her existence and name...

Yeah...

I might have bitten more than I can chew here.

Whatever the case may be for her nickname, I kept true to my words and registered her as a [Citizen].

But... once again, something new popped up.

A new button in the [Kingdom] menu with the word [Events] written in it.

I decided not to mess with it for now, and instead, I claimed the Kingdom Points available and got Claire a change of clothes.

Claire: "So it was true... I apologize for doubting your words."

She seemed a bit reluctant to apologize, but she still did it anyway.

I confess that I thought she was a bit cute doing that.

Miwen: "It's no problem really, given your situation it's totally comprehensible..."

It wasn't her fault.

If I'm correct, it seems like she popped up here after being killed.

After such an event, to suddenly appear in an unknown room, surrounded by two strangers, would be shocking and confusing for anyone.

If anything, I do respect her mental fortitude and quick decision-making.

Although reckless, if she was capable of overpowering me, she'd have taken control of the situation in a blink.

Miwen: "Well, a few things... I'd like to respect whatever you want to do from now on, even if you want to leave. But this world is probably very different from anything you experienced before. And if you care, I'd like for you t stay. I'm willing to provide you with anything you wish, and is within my power."

Claire: "For now it seems beneficial for me to go along with you... of course, if you so much as bother me, I'll leave instantly, are you willing to accept that?"

She spoke confidently, full of pride, almost as if provoking me to see how I'd react.

Miwen: "Of course."

Yet, this was fine for me.

I'd even be willing to help her out after if she needed me to.

I also wouldn't hold a grudge over that.

After all, what I'm offering her is actually for her own good.

Claire: "Haah? You have really accepted that? This gotta be the strangest kidnapping I was ever a part of."

Miwen: "I'm no kidnapper though ?"

I also wouldn't like to be called a necromancer, so... summoner is probably how I'd describe myself.

Claire: "Well, from my perspective I was about to meet my end in the battlefield, only for someone to use their ability to forcefully change my location. I cannot see how that does qualify as kidnapping."

Miwen: "W-well..."

Claire: "I'm only joking, of course, now if you excuse me, I need to change myself."

Contrary to Licia, Claire seemed completely unfazed that I was seeing her naked body.

She acted so naturally about it that I thought she didn't care about it at all.

However... her shame decided to appear only after she had something to cover herself with.

It ended up making it seem like she was more embarrassed to change in front of me than to be seen naked.

Licia stayed with her in my room while she changed, and after she finished, I noticed a problem I had not considered up until now.

After summoning Licia, I had her sleep in my bed, while I was on the sofa.

Now that Claire was with us...

Where the hell would she sleep?

To have her stay with Licia was dangerous since we had not built any trust yet.

But then... I'd have to share the bed with one of them?

I tried thinking about all the options, but all of them presented problems.