hello it is I, mr never writes a damn word
In the pitch-black void, Natsumi opened her eyes.
Maybe 'opening' wasn't the proper word. She had no eyes, or hands, or feet, or mouth, or any other part of her body. She was nothing more than a mere consciousness without form. Unknowing of where she was or what she was.
She turned her non-existent neck and surveyed the room with her non-existent eyes. Nothing. All she saw was nothing.
A room or was it another world? It was without a ceiling, without corners, without walls, covered in nothing but pitch black darkness so great that it defied thought.
Was she dead? Was she alive? Was she something? Despite being unable to feel anything, there was something bugging her mind. A constant stream of words surrounding her. They repeated the same phrase, the same confession.
In this abyss of darkness, the same three words hammered into her mind nonstop. They were words of love, pure love, love so strong it suffocated her, invading every crevice of her consciousness and flooding her entire being with love.
Suddenly in the void of everlasting darkness, there was meaning.
A silhouette emerged from the shadows in front of her mind. Or was it behind her? It was slender and as pitch black as the rest of the void, the upper body was a human-like shaped fog.
But why could she see it? She had no eyes, nor did she possess a body. Was it all a product of her imagination? Or was she submerged in someone else's mind? What was happening to her? Why was it happening to her? So many questions whirled inside her mind but she didn't know the answer to any of them. All she felt was love.
The same three words were amplified. They threatened to destroy her consciousness or what remained of it, replacing her thoughts with nothing but love towards the mysterious shadow. She attempted to fight back, forcing her mind to think about anything but it. But that was useless. The more she tried the stronger her feelings grew, the stronger her desire grew, the stronger her need grew.
Natsumi wanted to weep, she wanted to weep at the unfairness of her situation, her inability to run with her legs and embrace the figure with her arms, to hold the figure in her arms and return their love. She cursed her uselessness and inability to fulfill her desires.
In the shadows, she continued to drown in her desires, until a beam of light penetrated the world of everlasting darkness, opening a crack in the void of nothingness. Without a sound, the rip in space tore the world of eternal darkness apart, dispelling the shadows away, thrusting Natsumi away from the void and away from its love.
Opening her eyes, Natsumi was greeted by a familiar sight.
"What's the matter? Why'd you suddenly space out?"
Ignoring the fruit seller, Natsumi observed her surroundings, protecting her eyes from the bright sunlight by holding one hand above them.
"I'm back…" She shivered on the spot, tightly hugging her body. Her pupils darted around, and her sudden change in attitude earned the attention of the green-haired merchant. He jumped out of his chair, extending a hand towards her, muttering something she couldn't hear.
"This is all your fault." His words echoed inside her head, and she turned to meet his gaze. Staring down at her from above, his two claws slowly approaching her, threatening to-
She was running. As far as she could go. As far away as possible from that wretched devil..
The only emotion plaguing her mind was fear. With every step she took, she could hear her skin cracking due to the cold. With every person she ran into, she could feel her arms falling and crumbling into fine powder.
She ran without direction. The only thing she knew was that she had to escape. If she was going towards the loothouse or further away from it was something she didn't know, for her mind had more important things to think about.
"Why me!? I just wanted to eat some mayo, so WHY!? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?"
"Was it because of my grades? Did I not apply myself enough? Because I didn't try hard enough?"
"I just want to go back… I want to see mom and dad…"
Her escapade was interrupted when she ran into something. A wall? A lamp? Someone's dead cold body? She didn't know, nor did she care. She attempted to dash past her, but a strong force on her shoulders kept her in place.
"Yo. Where ya running Miss?" A rough and muffled voice rang out. She slowly raised her head up until she met someone with a bucket on his head talking to her.
"Uh? W-What?"
"Is there a concert I missed or something?" He continued, letting out a chuckle, letting go of his grip on Natsumi's shoulders.
She then took a few steps back, holding her two hands on top of her chest, staring at the man in front of her like a scared kitten. He looked like a bandit, with his green vest exposing most of his chest and the sword on his hip, longer than her arm.
"Checking me out, eh?" Natsumi's attention changed from his missing left arm back to the helmet on his face. Something about the man was… uncanny. The way he spoke without any emotion in his voice.
"It's the second time I've seen you. You're walking in circles, you know?" Natsumi hunched down, taking quick breaths, preparing herself to run again. She had paid no attention to where she was going, but this man had observed her steps.
"So," he started speaking, caressing where his chin should be. "Anything weird going on? Cultists? The Sword Saint going sicko? A talking cat, perhaps?" Natsumi froze for a split second after hearing the last part. How did he know? How could he know?
"Ah, so it was the cat. Well, nothing can do about that. You planning to do anything 'bout it or…?"
"I… I-" Her words died in her throat. Why was she wasting time here? She should have dashed past him as soon as she could. "I want to get away." She replied, regardless, her head hanging low. She tightly shut her eyes, fighting against her own imagination, forcing her mind to shut up about sensations that weren't there.
Her mouth wasn't full of snow and ice. It wasn't.
"Getting away?" The man responded in confusion. He scratched the back of his helmet and continued. "You ain't gonna find the elf or anything? Well, that's a shame. Now I gotta find Princess and try to get laid before I die."
Just, who was he? The way he knew about Puck, how indifferent he looked about it, how he was telling jokes knowing he'd die… It was just so… inhumane.
"See ya." He put his arm on Natsumi's shoulder, making her catch her breath with how fast and sneaky he had approached her. "If we make it out of this, that is. Hope your stars are good, Miss."
A few seconds after he had left, Natsumi fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. She moved her legs, holding them tight to her chest, vacantly staring ahead.
"I should…" She whispered. She wanted nothing more than to run away from this, to find a safe place to rest. To go back home and eat mom's food while laughing at dad's jokes. Yet, when she was finally able to run away from her issues, something kept her in place.
"If I leave…" The helmeted man had made it clear. He didn't seem to care about it at all, but how about anyone else? The apple merchant? Mary? Anne? Could they look at the sky, shivering from the storm, and declare that they wouldn't care if they died?
She was the only one who knew about it. The second time it was all her fault, but if it had happened even while she was far away, wouldn't Puck destroy the city no matter what?
"I…" Could she? Could she run away, unfazed by the thousands or dozens of thousands of people who'd die, knowing that she could have prevented this somehow?
Even then, what could she do? Find Emilia and convince her not to go there? That wouldn't work, not with Puck at her side, ready to thrust an ice spear through her chest if he needs to.
Tell the police? What would that even accomplish? They'd never be able to-
Reinhard. He was the Sword Saint, he had to be strong, right? Maybe he could do some sword magic or something, and win? It seemed too much like a bet she had no good odds for. Would he even listen to her in the first place? A random girl rambling about a cat about to freeze everyone in the city?
"Reinhard…" A weak whisper. Why had she thought about him? Because he had been nice to her once? She took a deep breath, but before she could scream at the top of her lungs, a white uniform appeared in front of her, a gust of wind following after.
"Have you called for me?" Reinhard said, extending his right hand towards Natsumi. She stared at him, her mouth trembling. Reinhard tilted his head to the left, seeing how unresponsive she was.
As he was about to retract his hand, worried about the state of who had called for him, Natsumi grabbed it with force.
She will speak.
"Is this the loothouse, Miss Natsumi?" Reinhard said, observing the shack in front of him. The door was tightly shut, just like every other house on their way here.
"Yes, it's this one." Natsumi said, tightly hugging her left wrist behind her back. Everything seemed normal. No metallic clangs, no stench of blood, no frozen winds. If they arrived early enough, perhaps they could buy the stolen jewelry back before anything happened.
With that hopeful thought in her mind, she climbed the steps to the loothouse and knocked on the door. She didn't want to waste anymore time.
"For a rat…" A gravely, old voice asked from behind the door. She stood silent for a few seconds, and then Reinhard's voice rang behind her.
"Poison."
"For a white whale…"
"A harpoon."
"To the noble dragon we are…"
Reinhard paused for a split second before answering with his eyes closed. "Shitbags."
"How did you know the password?" Natsumi asked as she heard the sound of various locks from behind the door.
"I have the Divine Protection of Password Guessing," Reinhard answered.
"S-Sounds useful," Natsumi muttered. There was no time to ask what a Divine Protection was.
Reinhard stepped to the side, and the door was opened with enough force that made it look like it had been kicked wide open. A red-faced old man glared at the duo from the doorway, hunched down yet still taller than the door.
He was bald and had a large build, his face was riddled with wrinkles that made him look like he had been through years of service and his eyes looked as if they held countless pearls of wisdom. He wore ragged garments that looked as if they had been stained brown through years of dust and sweat. A disgusting sight.
Contrary to his appearance, he did not look frail in the slightest. Under his clothes was a very fit and muscular body. With hulking arms that dragged on the ground, making him look more like a gorilla rather than an old man.
He inspected both the shining swordsman and the weirdly dressed woman, before letting both pass inside. Now having the time to inspect the old building, Natsumi took note of her surroundings. Shelves full of old books, weapons, and other various objects. A wooden counter with a massive club behind, as well as a golden-haired girl sitting at a table.
She stared at the two newcomers, focusing on Reinhard's outfit before catching sight of the sword at his waist. She stood up in a rage, putting one foot on top of the table and screaming at the top of her lungs.
"A royal knight? DON'T JOKE WITH ME! NON-"
"Felt, calm down. He must have a reason to be here, don't you, young Astrea?" The giant said, then moved away from the door and took a seat near the wooden club while still paying attention to the duo.
Reluctantly, the girl sat back while still glaring at Reinhard.
"You stole an insignia from a girl, right? A half-elf with silver hair." Natsumi asked.
"And what if I did? Whatcha gonna do, take it back? Leave us to starve like always? Is that all you fucking knights are good at!? TO JUST-" Before she could finish her rant, she was suddenly thrown to the side with enough force to reach the wall.
She attempted to stand up, but was stopped by Natsumi tightly hugging her, forcing her to lay on the ground.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WI-" She cut herself short, having noticed Natsumi's quick breathing. She looked towards where she previously was, and froze. Reinhard was on top of the table's remains, holding a curvy woman in midair. She was sporting a black dress and had a sharp, curved knife in her right hand, which Reinhard had grabbed.
The woman let go of the knife, graciously falling to the ground as Reinhard inspected the weapon. He threw it to the right, nailing it into the wall.
"Ara. It seems the little thief exposed our little secret. Should have expected this from a simple slum rat." She took another knife from the inside of her coat, and pointing it at Felt, she said: "As punishment, I'll feast on your bowels."
Her words made everyone come back to their senses. Rom grabbed the great club next to him and dashed towards the two girls, who cuddled together behind the giant.
If not for Reinhard's help, they would have been killed without even realizing it.
"Black hair, black clothes, a blade unique to the cold lands of Gusteko, and an obsession with bowels." Reinhard briefly touched the handle of his sword before adopting a fighting stance with his bare fists. "There is no mistaking those characteristics. You are the Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."
"And you… Red, blazing hair with a sword with dragon scratches. You must be the current Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea. How remarkable, having all my opponents be so much fun." As soon as she finished she lunged forward, striking Reinhard's neck with precision and speed. However, he deflected her attack effortlessly, kicking her stomach in a counterattack.
Elsa was sent flying towards the back of the loothouse, but she managed to recover midair, attacking one more as soon as she touched the wall. She threw a second knife, which bent upwards and stuck to the ceiling right before striking Reinhard.
That did not stop Elsa, who once again struck in vain. He caught her blade and kicked her stomach a second time, launching her afar and disarming her. Elsa struck against the wall with such force it broke, leaving a hole behind.
"Even better than what the rumors say… Won't you use that sword at your waist? I would love to experience its sharpness." She said, licking the blood from her injuries as she walked back to the loothouse.
"Sadly, this sword can only be drawn when needed."
"So I'm being underestimated? I'll have to do my best, then." Then, with her heel dug into the splintered planks, Elsa shot from her position. She jumped from the outside to the wall in front of her, then to Reinhard's right, the ceiling, the counter; leaving behind afterimages with every dash, the planks chipping away with her every step.
Natsumi's sight couldn't keep up anymore. Observing the beginning was already hard, but now it was straight-up impossible. Elsa was simply too fast. She could no longer see her, only her afterimages.
Elsa struck from the ceiling. Time slowed to a crawl and suddenly, she could see everything. Elsa wasn't lunging towards Reinhard but towards her.
Why could she see it so clearly? Was she about to die again? In fear, she closed her eyes as Elsa slowly approached.
The next instant, she heard a loud thump. She opened her eyes, and all she saw was Reinhard's blazing red hair. A gush of blood came from Elsa's arm, and time resumed its normal course. Elsa jumped backwards, holding what remained of her right arm with her left hand, staining it of blood as her arm had been cut from the elbow down.
"Ah, this color, wonderful." She moaned out, a faint blush in her cheeks. "Those girls, they must be important to you to become so vicious with your attacks." Reinhard stood silent against her taunt, inspecting the weapon he had stolen.
"A fight with the Sword Saint is a unique experience. Stronger than the rumors said." She threw away her right arm, twirling her remaining knife in her other hand. "But Mama will punish me if I don't finish this job."
"Then let us end this quickly. Miss Natsumi, if you and the others would please take shelter it would be much appreciated." He added with a smile.
Nodding silently, Natsumi guided a very obedient Felt to the stray corner of the loothouse, Rom following after the two. The tone of Reinhard's voice, and the change in the atmosphere of the room kept their lips shut.
"You already know my name, but let me introduce myself. I am Reinhard van Astrea, Sword Saint of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica." His steel-blue eyes brimmed with confidence as he held the dagger in his hand in a low stance.
"The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert." Elsa introduced herself with a lick of her lips.
An overwhelming aura enveloped the room, and their fighting spirit made the atmosphere tremble. In this place that had almost been turned into a ruin, the assassin dressed in black and the legendary hero would face each other.
As both parties stood in the center of the room, nobody moved a muscle. Suddenly there was a breathless scream in the air. Elsa had made the first move.
Holding her remaining knife in her left hand she dashed at imperceptible speeds. No longer caring about her injuries she slashed her knife at Reinhard. However, before the tip of the blade could even touch him, a brilliant pillar of light tore through the loothouse, splitting the shack in two.
It looked as if the world was misaligned as the light tore through space itself. The strike was so powerful that the aftershock even warped the atmosphere, as a raging wind blew through the loothouse, or atleast what remained of it.
The surging wind enveloped the building, launching the furniture and scrap wood, violently tossing them about. Natsumi's instincts took over and she desperately tried to hold on to Felt, covering the small girl to protect her from the stray debris.
She endured the wind and the pain. Finally, the storm faded, and the sounds of the loot and wood that were being flung about falling to the ground in addition to the dull sound of the building creaking announced that it was over.
Tossing aside some stray rubble. Natsumi checked on the little girl cowering in her arms. It seemed like Natsumi's cover was enough to keep her unharmed. Turning her head to the corner of the room she found the old man leaning in the corner, unresponsive.
Once she had confirmed the safety of the two people she worked so hard to protect, Natsumi finally turned her head to the man standing in the center.
Once the dust began to settle all that stood was Reinhard, his clothing as spotless as when she first met him. His handsome visage illuminated by the light of the blue moon his face held a sorrowful look.
As reality set in, she let out a sigh of relief. Surely Elsa couldn't have survived that. The strength of her legs faltered as she fell to the ground, all the pent-up exhaustion catching up to her.
Natsumi didn't notice it at first but she was covered in bruises and had scrapes all throughout her body. The fabric of her torn pajamas clung to her body, soaked with blood. Her once pristine jet black hair tangled in knots, barely covering her scuffed-up face.
"Are you alright!?" Felt said, weaseling her way out of Natsumi's grip, her crimson eyes welling up with tears.
"I'm fine," Natsumi said as she tried her best to push a smile to her face. Doing her best to soothe the worries of the little girl, she ran her hands through her golden locks as she gently patted her head.
She tried her best to calm her breathing and ignore the cold air hitting her open cuts and wounds.
The only reason she didn't collapse on the spot was because she didn't want to make Felt cry.
However, her cheap facade quickly started to crumble as she caught sight of a strand of silver. Her eyes widened in horror and her breathing became rougher as she recognized the two approaching figures: A silver-haired elf and her feline spirit.
She remembered the words of the helmeted stranger. Despite that, fear took the best of her.
For a split second, the adorable figure of Puck mixed in with the terrifying apocalyptic beast. The sensations she had managed to repress so far returned at full force and she had to hug herself from trembling further, her nails digging into her skin drawing even more blood. An act that didn't go unnoticed by the girl at her side.
She paid no heed to Felt's putting her arms on her shoulders and shaking her body, instead attempting to convince her mind that the pain wasn't real. That her body wasn't being frozen over, that she wasn't cracking… not again, she didn't want to die.
As the elf approached the destroyed building, Puck took notice of the trembling girl. Noticing his gaze, Natsumi attempted to stand up and run, as a primal part of her instincts took over the logical part of her brain, with only one goal in mind: Survival. However, her hasty escape was cut short as soon as she attempted to run, as her fragile body was unable to keep up with the burden.
Exhausted and in absolute fear, her mind shut down to protect herself.
The last sight she witnessed was the approaching footsteps of the silver-haired elf.
As Reinhard exited the loothouse, he let out a sigh so faint no one noticed it. The once sharp blade in his hand slipped through his fingers, reduced into fine dust from the sheer force of his attack.
His handsome profile was marred only by his despondency as he observed the wreckage caused by his recent battle.
He grimaced as he observed the damage caused by his incompetence. Despite his valiant performance, from his viewpoint, his inadequacy brought him so much disappointment that words were unable to describe it. Natsumi shouldn't have needed to bawl at him, desperately trying to convince him of a threat to Lugunica.
He should have noticed Elsa right away and stopped her before she could first strike.
He shouldn't have destroyed the loothouse, injuring those he was supposed to protect and destroying their home.
Felt and Rom shouldn't have needed to steal a Royal Candidate's jewelry in the first place.
Done inspecting the destroyed loothouse, Rein turned his head to find a faint blue light in the distance. A silver-haired woman was crouching over the collapsed Natsumi, as a water-like pulse came from her hands.
"You're the girl who stole my insignia, right? Hand it back and I won't hurt you." She said to Felt as soon as she finished healing Natsumi to the best of her abilities.
"The insignia? Have it back! I should have never agreed to steal it." Rummaging inside the bag on her waist, she took the insignia she stole and threw it at the elf. Before it left her hand, it brightly shined red. Upon seeing it, Reinhard rushed to Felt's side.
"What's your name? Your age?" He launched a barrage of questions at the little girl while she was attempting to break free in vain. With no other choice, she calmed down and answered.
"My name is Felt, and my age… I don't know my birthday! I'm fifteen, I think? Maybe fourteen?"
"Um… Reinhard-san, right? I know she stole from me but you don't need to punish her…" Hearing a silver bell-like voice, Reinhard turned his head, still firmly holding Felt's arm.
"Forgive me, Emilia-sama. But leaving this go unnoticed is something I cannot do. She has stolen from you, after all."
"Huh? What do ya want with me? Just leave me alone! I gave her the insignia so all should be fine now!" Once more, she attempted to break free from Reinhard's firm hold.
"Go to hell, you think just because you saved—" Her foul-mouthed response was interrupted as her head mysteriously slumped and her body went limp.
Gently putting the girl over his shoulders, Reinhard turned to Emilia. Her eyebrows upturned in confusion and incomprehension as she looked at the shining insignia in her hands.
"Forgive this foul sight, Emilia-sama. But under no circumstance can I let this act go free." Reinhard said as he bent down to pick up Natsumi as well, now carrying two girls, one on each shoulder.
"Miss Natsumi wanted to return your insignia. Do not fret, the Bowel Hunter has already been dealt with." As soon as Reinhard said those words, a group of debris rumbled with the nearly naked figure of Elsa coming from them, soon retreating to safety after locking eyes with Reinhard for a split second.
"Forgive me. It appears I failed to finish her off." Reinhard said, looking down. Emilia shook her head and answered.
"Don't worry, Reinhard. You saved me, and that's all that matters. But, if she wanted to give my insignia back, why…" Her words drifted off as she looked at the ground in shame.
"I could feel worry, anxiety, and fear from Miss Natsumi. After the Bowel Hunter was seemingly defeated, it all turned into tiredness. It has nothing to do with you, Emilia-sama." Reinhard calmed down the depressed half-elf. He omitted the bit about Natsumi's spike in fear he felt, not directed towards Emilia-sama but towards the Great Spirit at her side.
"Emilia-sama." A petite pink-haired maid called out to Emilia from behind. "The carriage is ready."
"Oh, Ram. I'll be going now." Emilia said as she gave one last look at Natsumi before turning back.
"I'm sure Roswaal-sama will want to give Miss Natsumi a reward," Reinhard called out to the two girls. "I'll organize a visit to his mansion in a few days."
"Understood, Sword Saint-sama. I'll communicate your intentions to Roswaal-sama." Ram turned back and bowed with elegance before accompanying Emilia to the carriage she had prepared.
Once the duo was out of Reinhard's sight, he calmly gazed at the setting sun.
"It seems this Royal Selection will be a long one." He started the trip back to his residence, carrying both unconscious girls. What events would bloom from this tumultuous day was something he couldn't predict.
arc 1 has ended, truly a maiden's new life fr fr