Arc 2 - Chapter 23: Two Sword Fairies (1/2)

Two sweet girls painted in contrasting colors were walking silently on the sidewalks of the city of Rolderhelm.

The shorter girl had two cat ears on the top of her head. Her hair was pure white, separated from all shades. Her white dress was ornate, with a frilly skirt and looked a bit heavy. Her cat tail wagged from a hole in the back of her dress and she held a brown teddy bear in her right hand.

The girl, who was taller than her, had straight black hair down to her knees. Her black hair danced slowly with her every step. She had big, round black eyes the same shade as her hair and wore a one-piece black dress. Her ears, unlike Yurine's who walked next to her, were not on the top of her head. They were where they should have been, but pointed.

"The ears of our kind are normally pointed, this is the first time I've met a sword fairy with cat ears. Of course, these ears look great on you, you're incredibly cute."

It was the fourth time Yurine had been separated from Yu. She didn't like to walk with someone she didn't know and was therefore hesitant to talk.

In fact, Yu was also a stranger when they first met and she didn't like him, thinking he would try to steal her mother, but since they had to live together, she quickly got used to him.

Yu was also handsome enough to make her get used to him quickly, but it was something she was embarrassed to admit in front of him.

At Nerissa's mention of the sword fairy ears, she put her free hand to her ear. If she were a normal sword fairy, her ears would be just like Nerissa's.

But Yurine was no ordinary sword fairy, she created by her mother, so her ears were not like those of other sword fairies.

"Normally. I am a special being."

Yurine had heard stories from her mother. In some of the stories she had heard, objects that people valued too much were transformed into sword fairies.

However, according to the knowledge of the Wizarding Academy, sword fairies were created by the evolution of accumulated mana. Either way, Yurine did not fit either condition.

She was created by his mother and she was a perfect being. Since she was created by a perfect being, she was more special than other living beings.

"You're so sweet." Nerissa giggled at Yurine's arrogant words.

Yurine unconsciously started hugging the toy Yu had given her. Nerissa was right, she looked so cute like this.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm your sister? Hmph."

Yu was looking at Yurine the same way. A slight smile, slightly squinted eyes and a gentle look. Yurine had gotten used to it, but now she couldn't describe the feelings she felt when someone else looked at her like that.

It wasn't discomfort, it wasn't uncomfortable, but she would have preferred it not to be like this. But she would regret her wish if suddenly these gazes stopped.

"Hmm..." Nerissa thought as she put her finger to her cheek. "Maybe it's because I'm used to being a big sister that I unintentionally look at most people that way. The big brother & sister relationship with your dealer is like a big sister & brother relationship between Gal and me."

"Whaaa! As if I call him big brother..."

She would not admit that she and Yu were even remotely similar. Nor did she want to call him her big brother. She didn't need a brother.

"Dad? Do you prefer a dad & daughter relationship?"

"THIS IS WORSE!"

She could tolerate being called sister, even if it was hard, but father was not a word she could tolerate. In the first place, it made her feel as if Yu was doing things with Rie. Even the fact that Yu was registered as her official father was uncomfortable.

"NEVER!"

She shook her head, shouting out when she remembered what Rie had done to Yu, and tried to erase the image from her memory.

"Who does he think he is? He said come back before sunset... Look, look, look! What nonsense! I'll be back when I want to, he needs to learn in his place!"

She was embarrassed to be spoken to as if she and Yu were best friends. To break down this perception in Nerissa's mind, she started complaining about Yu.

"And he keeps saying strange things to me. He said his heart is full of love, hmph! How desperate he is to endear himself, the trickster..."

She paused and felt guilty for using the word trickster. She didn't want to give Yu's secret, she looked at Nerissa to see if she had understood anything, but she was smiling and watching. When she saw her smiling she pulled herself together and continued with her complaints.

"That pervert gets a room with one bed so he can sleep next to me! The other day I woke up and he was next to me even though we had separate beds! He's a bastard trying to take advantage of my sweetness!"

She actually liked having someone next to her when she slept and although she was uncomfortable at first, later she liked Yu's face so she liked sleeping with him.

But it was something she was embarrassed to admit and she couldn't say it to Yu's face or anyone else's.

"If you use words like that, people might misunderstand something and get Mr. Valarfin in trouble."

They had walked a long way and arrived at the park. Although there were areas for children to play in this park, its main purpose was not for children, but to commemorate a goddess. The goddess was Rhea, the Goddess of Nature, who descended to Rolderhelm forty years ago to save the world. The park was called Rhea Gardens, and it was a truly awe-inspiring structure.

Waterways flowed through the park, which was divided into six parts, and they walked across bridges decorated with flowers over the waterways.

The leaves of the trees had started to turn yellow because it was autumn, but some of them were still green. The flowers resisting autumn were also swaying in the gentle breeze.

"In a world where even the most beautiful flower withers, their efforts are meaningless," someone in Emily's memories once was said. Yurine couldn't stand that person being right.

"Fading is unfair."

Why was life given if it could be taken away? Did her mother's existence mean nothing? Was all laughter, all joy, all love in vain if one day it would end?

Yurine hated to think about these things, but even if she didn't want to, the words of people she didn't want to remember swirled around in her memories, unpleasant thoughts screaming inside Yurine's brain.

"Don't you love him?"

Yurine looked at Nerissa. She had not expected such a question to come out of nowhere. At first she was a little stunned, then she went to a swing she had spotted. She cleaned the leaves that had fallen on the swing with her hand and after sitting down, she answered the question.

"It's just a mutually beneficial relationship, that's all."

Her pride wouldn't allow her to say they were friends, neither couldn't she say she didn't love him. To Yu's face, maybe she could say she didn't love him, even if it was a lie, but she was afraid that if she said something like that behind his back, Nerissa would take her seriously.

"Why did you let him name you if you didn't love him?"

A sword fairy could not be named unless she gave her permission. Since Lucia had introduced her with the family name Valarfin, Nerissa assumed that Yurine had agreed to be named.

Yurine was unnamed. Her mother had not been able to give her a name, nor had she received one from Yu. If it turned out that she was nameless, some people might try to take her over and force her to accept a name, so she couldn't say that she had no name.

But she didn't want to claim that Yu had named him. So she didn't answer the question.

"You realize what you're doing by letting him name you, don't you? You can't live a lifetime hating him."

When a sword fairy was named, it was her first and last naming ceremony. It could not be taken back or changed, and she had to live with the same name for the rest of her life.

"I don't hate..." Yurine said, but she couldn't finish the sentence. "What are you doing?"

"The last time I put Gal on a swing was when he was ten, I think. He's not likely to do things like that anymore. I guess I'll have to wait until Gal makes me an aunt to have a moment like that again."

Nerissa was behind her, started to swing Yurine. Yurine was holding the chain of the swing with one hand and pressing her teddy bear to her tummy with the other.