𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝟒: 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕
The fever keeps rising, and I stroke the bright red face and hair of Sofia.
She seems to be having a bad dream, moaning and looking in pain.
There’s nothing I can do as Chris heals Sofia.
Gently stroking without channeling any magical energy, Sofia’s eyes opened slightly.
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I thought she had woken up, but her focus was off.
She can’t see me. Or rather, it looks like she’s not awake.
It’s Sofia, but it’s not Sofia.
I get that feeling and get a little flustered.
Could it be that Sofia is still in a sleeping state?
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“Ah, morning has come again? I have to get up.
I hate it. Nothing changes even if I wake up.”
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What does this mean? Nothing changes even if she wakes up?
The words are slightly different. . . mixed with archaic language?
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“Are you okay?”
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“Eh? Who? Why are you here?”
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“Why? What do you think this place is?”
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“Eh? Why are you entering the tower on your own?
Wasn’t it that no one could enter without my permission?”
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Tower. . . Could it be Lilia, not Sofia?
That’s why the words are a little different, and she thinks she’s in the tower because she can’t see.
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Sofia said she was reincarnated.
I thought Lilia’s consciousness wouldn’t exist, but. . .
The slightly lisped and archaic way of speaking. . . this isn’t Sofia.
Is Lilia still present in her subconscious?
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“This is the royal palace. You understand? The royal palace of the capital.”
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“Eh? No way. . . Why? This isn’t the tower?”
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“No, it’s not the tower. You don’t have to be in the tower anymore.”
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“Why? I’m not in the tower anymore?. . . Why? Can I leave there?”
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Ah, it’s Lilia. She’s still trapped in that tower.
She must be delirious from the fever, but there’s no doubt that Lilia exists in Sofia’s subconscious.
. . .How can I save Lilia?
Even though she’s reincarnated, she’s still, forever and ever, locked up alone?
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“It’s okay. This is the royal palace.
You don’t have to be in that tower anymore.
This country has become peaceful.”
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“. . .I see. I’m glad.
So, I’m no longer needed as the country has become peaceful, right?”
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I’m torn by her cheerfully innocent words.
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That’s not it, that’s not it.
Nobody thinks that if we become peaceful, we won’t need you.
I understand that she was only needed as a witch during the war.
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I won’t say such a thing. I don’t want her to say it.
What can I say to convey my feelings?
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“. . .Even if this country becomes peaceful, Lilia is still needed, you know?
It’s okay, I won’t leave you alone. I’m here.
Lilia, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.
But you don’t have to cry anymore.
From now on, I’ll always be by your side.”
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“. . .Really? . . .I’m happy. I’m no longer alone. . . it’s good.”
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Tears dripped from Sofia’s closed eyes again.
Did it get through. . . to Lilia, who was all alone in her subconscious?
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You’ll never be alone again.
I’m here, we’ve been by your side all along.
I won’t leave, even if you ask me to.
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When I first read the book of the Barrier Maiden in Margrave Ahrens’ territory,
I wondered why I hadn’t been born in that era.
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The book, said to have been written by a merchant, had information left about a little witch named Lilia.
What kind of birth she had, what kind of life she led.
Her way of thinking, words she often said, the magic Lilia created.
It praised the feats of a small witch who had maintained the barrier for fifty years.
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But the book had a separate volume.
The separate volume written by the merchant’s wife was something completely different.
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The wife embraced a little witch,
Who laughed innocently when she drank tea for the first time.
Just once, when she got honey and tasted something sweet for the first time, the witch,
Was so surprised that she covered her mouth.
“It’s so delicious, I thought I’d scream!”
The witch who had brought peace to this country did not know sweet things.
The wife, who had added the honey without saying anything to surprise her, was genuinely happy to see it.
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Due to the nobles monopolizing sugar, honey was a precious thing too.
Even though Lilia protected this country,
And because it became peaceful, sugar and honey became available.
Why wasn’t there a reward for Lilia?
The honey was something that the wife had secretly obtained and given to Lilia.
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Witches who ended the war weren’t praised for their accomplishments,
Nor were their deeds made public. They were treated as if they never existed.
They were used as a substitute for a magical stone, sacrificed in the war, confined, and forced to create barriers.
Therefore, there is no mention of the witch in the history of Eugenis.
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It was a shame.
A small girl was exploited, used up until her death, without anything in return.
The more prosperous the country became, the more it became a shame that had to be hidden.
So, the merchant secretly wrote a book and sent it to other countries.
. . . After Lilia died, he was prepared to leave Eugenis.
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I was frustrated after reading it all.
A small, not yet adult witch was confined in a tower.
I can’t do anything, can’t help her, it’s a world from two hundred years ago.
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I felt a kinship with Lilia because I had been confined to a room myself.
I can’t help her, but I thought, if it were me, I could be confined with her.
Why wasn’t I born in that era, and why couldn’t I be by Lilia’s side?
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This might have been my first love.
I repeatedly read the same book over and over, unable to let go.
. . . I haven’t told Sofia, but it’s not among the books purchased from Ahrens’ territory.
I took it with me when I came to the academy.
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When I was reading the book, Lilia seemed like a poor princess.
A strong princess who continued her research on magic while maintaining the barrier.
But I thought being alone would still be sad.
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Now, right in front of me, there is a princess who seems just as pitiful.
She’s strong and unbroken even when oppressed, but I still want to protect her.
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“I didn’t make it in time for Lilia.
But I met Sofia.
. . . From now on, I won’t leave her alone.”
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I kissed Sofia’s forehead as she had fallen asleep, and then smiled weakly.
I felt a little relieved at Sofia’s usual happy smile.
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. . . The darkness in Sofia’s heart is deeper than I think.
I wonder if the time will ever come when I can heal it all.
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