Chapter 1: The Royal Siblings’ Ordeals
One early afternoon, three days after Rio fought Nidoll at the Proxia Castle, in the room of an enchanted airship flying in the skies near the Beltrum-Galarc border...
“Instans Motus.”
By way of the teleport crystal used by three intruders invading the ship, Christina and Flora instantly disappeared from the room.
The intruders used another teleport crystal to suddenly disappear from the scene of the crime. The only one left in the room was Vanessa, who had been stabbed in the abdomen and was bleeding profusely.
The door to the room suddenly burst open.
“Hey! What was that noise?!”
Roanna and the previously sulking Hiroaki stepped into the room. As soon as they saw the ravaged remains of the room and Vanessa lying in a puddle of her own blood—
“Wha...”
Hiroaki’s eyes widened in shock as he fell speechless. He slowly turned his neck to look around the room, but Christina and Flora were nowhere to be seen.
“What is this...?” After seeing the state of the room from behind Hiroaki, Roanna instantly paled.
“H-Hey, what’s the meaning of this...?” Hiroaki’s voice cracked in his flustered confusion.
“Vanessa!” Roanna ran to her in a hurry.
“Urgh... Princess...” Vanessa stared ahead vacantly with unfocused, hazy eyes, letting out a groan.
“She’s still breathing!” Roanna confirmed that Vanessa was still alive. However, the abdomen of her knight uniform was completely soaked with the large amount of blood that had pooled on the floor. At this rate, she would die from blood loss.
“Hey! What happened?! Where are Christina and Flora?! Hey!” In his shock, Hiroaki questioned Vanessa hysterically.
“Ah... P-Princess...” Vanessa murmured quietly.
“Oh no, don’t speak! You’ll die!” Roanna didn’t force her to speak and instead drew the knife from the sheath at Vanessa’s waist. She proceeded to cut open the buttoned-up jacket Vanessa was wearing, then the buttoned shirt below that as well to expose Vanessa’s upper body without reservation.
“H-Hey, Roanna! What are you doing?!” Hiroaki asked in shock as he looked at Vanessa’s half-naked state.
“I’m checking her wounds. The only place she was stabbed was her stomach, but... Th-This is... Cura.”
Roanna used the minimal amount of movement to confirm the wound on Vanessa’s body, then recited the spell to begin healing her abdomen. Was she stabbed by a blade that was then twisted? Her abdomen was gouged into a bright-red pulp.
“Ugh, that’s brutal...” Hiroaki must have felt nauseous, as he paled and looked away from Vanessa.
“I may not be able to save her alone. Sir Hiroaki, please yell down the hallway for help. The attackers may still be on the ship, so make sure you don’t step outside,” Roanna instructed with an ashen face. The fact that they were nowhere to be seen probably meant they had already fled, but the possibility was still there. Despite the circumstances, she wasn’t about to abandon a life that could still be saved.
“R-Right... H-Hey! Is anyone there?!” Hiroaki nodded nervously and headed to the door, where he yelled down the silent corridor in search of help.
“...”
However, no one stuck their heads out of any of the rooms along the corridor. Of course they wouldn’t. All the nearby soldiers had been ambushed and killed by the intruders, then had their bodies shoved into the nearby rooms.
“Hey! Hey! Anyone! What are you all doing?!” Hiroaki continued yelling in distress.
Wouldn’t the attackers come to this room if I yell? Concern surged within him as he yelled, heightening his anxiety by the moment.
“Hey! Hey! Heeey! Why isn’t anyone responding?!” Hiroaki continued yelling anyway, down the corridor of rooms filled with corpses...
“No one’s coming...” he muttered weakly after some time.
“What in the world happened here...?”
No one on board the airship knew the answer to that. It was a short time after that when the surviving crew members noticed the abnormality on board the ship.
Meanwhile, in the western side of the Paladia Kingdom, a small kingdom located to the northeast of the Strahl region that was allied with the Proxia Empire...
Having been forcefully teleported by the attackers on the ship, Christina and Flora were currently standing frozen in a dense forest, dressed in their gowns.
“Huh...? Wha?!”
The sudden change in scenery left Flora in clear confusion. Once she understood that they were in a gloomy forest, she immediately drew closer to her older sister in fear.
“...Where are we?”
Christina touched the magic-sealing collar the men placed on her and looked around in a daze. Her eyes wandered, taking in the dense growth of vegetation.
They had been attacked by three assailants on the enchanted airship, so why were they in a forest on the ground? Was this a dream? The cold sensation of the collar said otherwise.
She looked around, but there was no one else in sight. The plants were being stirred by the wind. When she listened carefully, she could hear the cries of birds and beasts in the distance. Her heart thundered in her chest.
The crystal-shaped magic artifact the men threw at us on the airship... Was it enchanted with space sorcery?
Christina was as calm as could be in such an unrealistic situation, desperately racking her brain for an explanation.
Space sorcery was an ultra-high level of sorcery impossible to use with the modern sorcery of the Strahl region, but she had read about the existence of such ancient artifacts during her Academy days, and the sacred stones that summoned the heroes were also said to be enchanted with space sorcery. It would be extremely difficult to explain the current situation in any other way.
However, it was strange that they were teleported all the way here without anyone awaiting their arrival. The men had also said they didn’t know what would happen once they arrived here...
They said that if they wanted to kill us, they would have done so already. They also said the more hardships, the better—are they going to use us as hostages? But there’s no one around...
There were plenty of forces she could think of that would want to use them as royal hostages, but there wasn’t enough information for her to grasp the situation clearly.
“Christina...?” Flora called out, worried by her silence.
Christina smiled gently to calm her down. “Sorry, I was trying to figure out the situation. Even I am confused by something like this.”
“Where are we? Vanessa, Sir Hiroaki, Roanna... Everyone else on the ship is...” A dark shadow fell over Flora’s face.
“The enchanted airship was still flying normally, so the people in the cockpit should be safe. Sir Hiroaki and Roanna too, surely. Someone will find Vanessa and give her treatment. So...let’s focus on ourselves for now.”
Christina hugged Flora close to her and petted her head softly. Her words weren’t directed at her little sister, but rather at herself.
Either she was still shaken, or she could feel a vague sense of danger from this unpredictable situation, as her hand was shaking faintly.
“Okay...” Flora nodded slowly.
“If we wait here, those men and their allies may appear... But we won’t let ourselves fall into their hands so easily. Before we set off haphazardly, let’s explore this area first. We may find some kind of clue.”
Thus, the two of them began to explore their immediate surroundings. Then, within a few minutes—
“There’s a cabin over there, Christina!”
“Yes, I can see it.”
They discovered a single cabin standing alone in the forest not far from where they were teleported to.
It’s close to the spot where we were teleported to. It would be natural to assume that this place belongs to those men, but...
There may be people inside. If not, then there was still a high chance of obtaining some clues Christina thought as she stared at the cabin.
“We’ll examine the state of things from outside, and if it doesn’t seem occupied, then we’ll look inside. Follow behind me quietly.”
“Okay.”
Glancing around at their surroundings warily, the two of them approached the cabin.
Dresses and high heels. It wasn’t an outfit that was appropriate to walk through the forest in, and it was extremely conspicuous, so it wasn’t suited for moving stealthily. In the first place, the unstable footing of the forest was extremely difficult to walk on. Despite that, they drew within ten meters of the cabin.
“I’m going to get a little closer. You hide here,” Christina said, approaching the cabin alone. She went around the back instead of the front and listened carefully.
I don’t hear anything.
There was no sound of conversation, creaking floors from footsteps, or any type of work being done. There was only complete silence.
The window’s closed, but...
Christina tried to pry open the small, wooden window that was situated slightly above her head. Then, with a quiet creak, the window opened. She stretched upwards to peek inside the room.
There’s no one here.
The light was turned off so the room was dim, but she could see a table and chair.
Christina went around the outside of the house and opened the windows to carefully check the state of the interior. As a result, she confirmed there were no lights on in any room and the cabin was truly uninhabited.
“Flora, come here.” Christina stood before the entrance and called Flora over from the shadows of the trees.
“Was there no one inside?”
“Yes. I feel ashamed for acting like a burglar, but let’s go inside. The door’s unlocked. Right now we want as much information as possible—as well as the supplies that we’ll need to survive being in this forest.”
“Okay...” Flora must have felt some sense of guilt, as she nodded hesitantly.
“I’m opening it now.”
Christina gripped the doorknob and slowly pulled open the door. It creaked louder than when she opened the windows. Even knowing that there was no one inside, the two of them still flinched faintly.
Once they opened the entrance, there was a room that appeared to be like a dining room and a kitchen.
“Let’s go inside.” Christina stepped in first, followed by Flora.
“Pardon the intrusion...”
“Flora. Can you use magic to make some light?” Christina touched the magic-sealing collar and asked.
“Yes! Radialem.”
Flora immediately held out her hand and recited the spell. A geometric patterned spell formula appeared past her hand, turning into a ball of light. It had no destructive power, but it was magic developed to illuminate the dark like this. The brightness of the light could be adjusted by the caster, and it also emitted a faint heat that could be used to warm oneself.
“Let’s check that all the rooms are empty, just in case.”
“Okay.”
It wasn’t a large building. There was a dining area and kitchen immediately beyond the entrance, a bedroom with three beds, a small room for storage, and a toilet. It didn’t take long for them to go through every room and check that it was completely deserted before returning to the dining room.
“It does seem well-maintained...” Christina muttered. She had touched the bed and other furniture and none were covered in any dust.
“Does that mean someone is living here?”
“That, or it’s possible those men anticipated we would find this cabin and had their friends clean it in advance.”
“...” Flora’s face stiffened as she fell speechless.
“Sorry for scaring you. The dining room, kitchen and bedroom are all neat and lack that lived-in feeling, so I don’t think anyone’s living here right now. Though we still can’t relax too much...” Christina said with a troubled look.
“Wh-What should we do?” Flora asked in a panic.
“There’s nothing we can do. I feel bad if this cabin belongs to someone unrelated to those men, but we’re going to rummage around for any food or useful supplies. Come over here.” Christina headed towards the kitchen first. She opened the cupboard to find some simple kitchen utensils and tableware. There was also firewood.
“It looks like there’s a set of kitchenware here. All that’s left to figure out is if there’s food or not. Let’s check the storage room.”
“Okay.”
The two of them moved to the storage room.
“I’ll look through everything. You just stand there and illuminate the room,” Christina instructed quickly.
“Okay.”
Flora’s light filled the room as Christina opened the lid on one of the wooden boxes. Inside was preserved food like dried meat and dried bread, a bottle of oil, jars of seasoning, and bottles of alcohol. In another wooden box, there was a single piece of paper with writing on it.
“A letter...?”
Christina moved beside the light Flora held up to read the letter.
This is food. It hasn’t been poisoned, so feel free to help yourselves. The forest is filled with prowling beasts like bears and wolves, but you should be safe if you stay inside the cabin.
“It looks like this cabin really does belong to those men... It seems like they prepared the food in here for us. It says it’s not poisoned, but...” Christina looked down at the goods and muttered with a tormented expression.
They had been sent here alive through a teleportation artifact. There was no reason for the men to go out of their way to poison them to death after doing that, so it probably wasn’t a lie—but their intent was still unclear.
Of course, it seemed clear they were being kept as hostages, but why were they left unattended in the forest? It made sense to throw them in the forest to make it harder for them to move, but wasn’t it a bit too deserted here for that? Was it possible that this wasn’t an organizational crime? Such doubts arose.
“If there are ingredients, then we can make meals out of them. It looks like learning how to cook in Rodania was the right move,” Flora said to uplift the dark atmosphere. Normally there would be no need for two princesses to learn how to cook, but to make up for the time they spent apart, the siblings had used their days off to learn how to cook together.
“We won’t be able to make the best use of our cooking skills with the ingredients here, but it’s a lot more reassuring than having never cooked before.” Christina set aside the problems she couldn’t solve right now and nodded with a chuckle.
“It said we’d be safe as long as we’re inside this cabin.” Flora looked over at the letter.
“Indeed, if we only considered our own safety, the most pragmatic option would be to stay still in this cabin, but...”
Those men would eventually catch them if they remained here in the cabin.
The journey with Sir Amakawa as an escort taught me that traveling isn’t just about walking. I can’t even fight properly with my magic sealed right now, so I need a trustworthy escort.
However, they didn’t even have the money to be able to stay at an inn. They couldn’t hire an escort to return to Rodania, and all the fighting would have to be left to Flora. It’d be one thing if they were currently within the restoration’s sphere of influence...
If only her magic hadn’t been sealed... Christina touched the magic-sealing collar with an irritated expression as she was lost in her thoughts.
On top of that, they were in the forest. There was no telling what dangers were out there. From the perspective of an older sister thinking about her sister’s safety, they should stay in the cabin, even temporarily.
However, thinking as royalty, she believed they needed to leave the cabin. Though there were dangers in relocating, their freedom of mobility meant they should move for the good of their kingdom. That was the duty of royalty.
Flora saw the pained expression on Christina’s face and guessed at what her sister was thinking. She clenched her fists in a show of enthusiasm. “Christina! I’ll do my very best!”
“Flora...”
Perhaps the men had sealed her magic to prevent them from taking the option of escape, since Flora clearly looked like she wasn’t cut out for fighting. However, Christina had no choice but to rely on Flora.
“If we try to escape from the forest, I’ll be a burden on you because this collar seals my magic. If a beast attacks, all the fighting will be left to you. Do you understand?” she asked.
“Yes.” Flora gulped, but still nodded firmly.
“All right... Then let’s finish our preparations in this cabin and try to leave the forest. After that, we’ll find out where we are and aim to return to Rodania,” Christina decided. But just at that very moment...
Grrr.
The sound of a hungry stomach rumbled cutely. The source of the sound was obviously from one of them, so it was easy enough to identify.
Christina looked at Flora’s shocked face.
“Th-That’s not what you think it is!” Flora held down her stomach and blushed bright red.
“We departed from the Galarc Kingdom in the morning, and it’s already long past lunchtime. Let’s finish eating here first,” Christina said with a chuckle. Thus, they finished their meal before preparing to leave.
Afterwards, Christina and Flora selected the items they would need for their departure, then set about cooking with the utensils and ingredients in the cabin. They made a soup by stewing grains and preserved meat, seasoned with salt. That way, the dry and stiff bread could be eaten easily once it was dipped in the soup.
There wasn’t much of the work they could split, so Christina did all of the cooking alone. It didn’t take much time, either. She carried the completed dish over to the dining table, where they sat down across from each other.
“Go on, give it a try...” Christina said doubtfully, staring at the dish.
It wasn’t inedible when she tasted it herself, but it was nowhere near as good as the food they normally ate.
“Thank you... It’s delicious, Christina!” Flora spooned the soup into her mouth and beamed happily.
Christina blinked at the look on her little sister’s face, then gave a slightly curt but embarrassed response. “...Is that so?”
I want to protect her smile, Christina thought.
The ironclad rule of traveling was to depart in the morning. However, Christina and Flora set off into the forest after eating lunch. They considered staying in the cabin for a night, but the longer they delayed their departure, the more they’d risk their assailants closing in on them.
Unfortunately, there was no map in the cabin for them to determine their present location, but they were prepared to camp outside if need be. That said, they didn’t just start walking off in a random direction once they’d left the cabin.
“That tree will do.”
Christina first found a tree with a lot of branches that was taller than the other trees around it.
“What’s wrong with that tree?” Flora asked curiously.
“I’m going to see what direction to head in from the top of that tree. If the view is clear, I may be able to see where the forest ends.”
“I see... As expected of you!”
“This is how Sir Amakawa got his bearings while we were traveling through the forest. I’m just imitating him,” Christina said, embarrassed by her little sister’s open praise.
“This is what Sir Haruto did...”
Flora’s expression softened faintly at that name. Christina was pretty sure that wasn’t just her imagination.
“Now, let me try climbing this,” Christina said as she selected a branch she could start climbing from. However, Flora called for her to stop.
“Umm... I’ll climb the tree, Christina.”
“You will...? But you’re not good at physical activities, right?” Christina blinked at the unexpected offer.
“Even so, it’ll be much easier for me to climb once I’ve enhanced my physical abilities with magic.”
“Still...”
Flora’s suggestion made sense, but Christina was hesitant. When she considered the chance of Flora falling, she felt it would be much better for her to climb the tree herself. It was common to see unathletic sorcerers lose control of their magically-improved physical abilities and trip over their own feet. Climbing trees wasn’t particularly strenuous, but it still demanded some degree of coordination, so Christina was worried.
“I’m not as smart as you, so please let me do this much. I’ll be fine.” Flora was oddly assertive for once.
“All right... But don’t push yourself too hard. It doesn’t matter if you feel unsteady and have to stop in the middle. It’ll be too hard to climb in heels, so take off your shoes and go barefoot. Climbing in a dress might be tough, so you’ll have to put up with this even if it’s improper.” Christina hesitated before nodding, then rolled up Flora’s dress and tied it with a rope taken from the cabin so that it wouldn’t get in the way of her climbing.
“Okay! Augendae Corporis!” Flora replied in high spirits, taking off her shoes and reciting the spell. A geometric spell formula immediately engulfed her body—proof that her physical abilities had been enhanced.
“Be careful, okay? Use only the thick branches, not the thin ones. You don’t have to reach as high as you can go right away... Just take it slow and steady,” Christina called out to her, a worried look still on her face.
“I know. Here I go, then!” Flora replied with a forced smile, then finally began to climb. She obeyed her sister’s advice faithfully, climbing little by little without aiming too high in one go.
“...” Knowing that calling out to Flora without thinking would just interrupt her concentration, Christina watched her climb in silence.
“Heave-ho... Heave-ho...” Flora grunted sweetly, climbing with her eyes fixed upwards.
It looks like she’ll be all right. But I have to watch over her carefully. Christina vowed to catch Flora if she fell. However, contrary to her worries—
“I did it, Christina! I’m at the top! It’s a wonderful view!” Flora declared.
“Right now, the sun should be climbing from the south, so remember its position. Also, can you see the edge of the forest?” Christina had to raise her voice to speak to her. Flora couldn’t be seen from the ground behind all the branches and leaves, but she was apparently captivated by the scenery.
“I’ve memorized the position of the sun! The other trees are also pretty tall, so I can’t see the edge of the forest... But I can see smoke rising in the distance!” Her voice echoed back down to Christina on the ground.
“There must be people living there... Do you know which direction it is?” Christina muttered the first half to herself, then raised her voice again to ask the second half.
“Umm, the sun’s in that direction, so... It’s to the east, I think!”
“Thank you! Once you’ve memorized the directions, come back down.”
“Okay!” Flora’s cheerful voice echoed back. Not long after, her descending figure could be spotted between the branches and leaves.
“When you’re descending, focus on the branch below you instead of the ground! Make sure you choose your footholds carefully.” It wasn’t as though Christina had any experience in tree climbing, but she gave Flora advice as if she were putting herself in Flora’s position.
“R-Right. Don’t look at the ground, just at the branches...” Flora descended slowly and nervously. She took a considerably longer amount of time climbing downwards than she had upwards, but she managed to make it roughly two meters above ground.
“Looks like it’ll be all right...” Christina said in relief, having watched her in suspense.
“Yes. If I rely on the branches, then this much is... Eek!”
She had just crouched down to dangle from a branch when it snapped. Surprised by the sudden falling sensation, Flora screamed.
“Look out!” At the same time, Christina ran below her. She caught Flora as she fell, but the weight of her fall was too much for her to support. They toppled over together, but she sufficiently fulfilled her role of a cushion.
“Ow, ow, ow...”
Clutched in Christina’s arms, Flora opened her eyes fearfully to her sister’s face right before her.
“Are you okay...?”
“Yes, somehow...”
“I see. Thank goodness.” Christina sighed in relief. They remained hugging each other for a while, lying on the floor in a daze.
“Heh. Heheh. Hugging each other like this in the forest is kind of strange. Let’s get going soon,” Christina suggested with an amused smile.
“Okay.” Flora nodded shyly.
“Your dress is all ragged now. Let’s fix it before we depart. And put on your shoes again.”
Christina stood up and checked Flora’s outfit, undoing the rope to roll down the dress. She also picked up the discarded shoes and made her put them back on. She considered walking barefoot, but that made them liable to being injured by tree branches, so she gave up on the idea.
Incidentally, Flora’s dress must have caught on branches while she was climbing, as it was noticeably ripped and coming apart in several places.
“Thank you very much.” Flora seemed to find something pleasing, as she thanked her with a cheerful grin.
“I haven’t done anything deserving of thanks. More importantly, are you sure you remember the directions? What an odd child,” Christina said awkwardly, picking up their belongings left on the ground beside them. She had made makeshift backpacks using a blanket on the bed in the cabin, filling it with food, seasoning, and cooking utensils.
Perhaps it was because they were dressed in gowns with high heels, but their appearance would have looked extremely mismatched and comical to an onlooker. Thankfully, there were no spectators to worry about here.
“Yes! The sun was in that direction, and the smoke was rising in that direction!” Flora picked up her own backpack and pointed at the locations she memorized.
“Well done. Let’s get going then.”
The two set off in order to escape the gloomy forest.
How much time had passed since then? The forest floor was difficult enough to walk on to begin with, yet the two of them had to proceed in fancy high-heeled shoes unsuitable for walking. Their expensive gowns were already stained with dirt at the hems.
Their feet were heavy and riddled with blisters, so Flora occasionally cast healing magic over them to temporarily ease the pain as they progressed. However, the sun was beginning to set and the forest was getting much darker. Their conversation diminished as time passed.
I can’t see the end of the forest at all. How long have we walked? I doubt she got the direction wrong, but... Christina thought as she silently moved her feet, glancing at Flora walking beside her. Flora’s expression clearly showed her fatigue.
Christina’s field of view was filled with the same trees they’d been looking at all day. When they had first set off she could see into the depths of the forest, but now it was too dark to see very far.
She hadn’t intended on taking the forest lightly, but she had expected them to make it out today, which was why their current situation made her mentally and physically exhausted.
“Let’s stop here for the day. We’ll eat, have a good night’s sleep, then prepare ourselves for tomorrow.” Christina decided to make camp before the forest became completely dark. It was another ironclad rule of traveling to set up camp before it became dark when one couldn’t reach their destination by sunset.
“Okay.” Flora replied with a sigh that expelled her fatigue.
“Where should we sleep? Well, the only option we have is the trees.”
She looked around, but there was no flat land. Small stones were also scattered about the place, making it difficult to sleep on the ground. It seemed that sleeping against a tree would be for the best.
“Did you camp outside while traveling with Sir Haruto, Christina?” Flora asked.
“No. Sir Amakawa managed our travel time and route appropriately so that we never had to sleep outdoors.”
She had been impressed back then too, but looking back on that time in her current situation made her appreciate how amazing that was all over again.
Just then, Flora’s stomach let out a cute grumble of hunger. One beat later, Christina’s stomach echoed that sentiment.
“Shall we eat, then?”
The two of them giggled in amusement and set about eating dinner.
That night, in the middle of the dark forest which had fallen completely silent, Christina and Flora sat under a tall tree, wrapped in the blankets they took from the cabin, and huddled before a campfire.
There must have been nocturnal beasts in the forest, as their eerie cries in the distance made Flora tremble. At first she had been too terrified to sleep, but the fatigue she accumulated eventually won over, and now she was dozing off with her head resting on Christina’s shoulder.
“Flora, you must be exhausted. Go to sleep already,” Christina said to her sleepy sister.
“But what about you, Christina...?” Flora’s drowsy eyes were filled with worry. Her older sister had stayed awake this entire time because Flora couldn’t sleep.
“I’ll sleep as soon as you fall asleep. If you’re feeling drowsy, you should be able to fall asleep quickly.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Good night.”
“Yes, good night...” Flora must have approached her limit, as she passed out as soon as she replied, leaving Christina as the only one awake.
I can’t believe we’re camping in the forest. I did learn a little about camping while at the Academy, but...
The information had mostly been targeted for royalty and nobility. Like how to order people around, what kind of place was suitable for camping with a large number of soldiers, and so on. Although she had participated in an outdoor drill as part of her lessons on military operations, those drills were merely for form’s sake, as all the personnel, equipment, and the testing ground had been prepared in advance.
However, an extremely irregular situation had occurred in her sixth year... Christina recalled the outdoor drill she participated in when she was twelve years old. They left the route that had been provided to them and, as a result, were attacked by monster swarms that would have otherwise been exterminated. In the end, they were even attacked by a minotaur and narrowly avoided a disastrous incident.
If Sir Amakawa is the same person, then...
There were two people that immediately came to Christina’s mind. One was the orphan, Rio. The other was the honorary knight, Haruto Amakawa. No matter how much she tried to discard her conviction that the two were actually the same person, she always returned to the same thought.
If Haruto Amakawa were here right now, she probably wouldn’t feel any fear about her current situation. Though she knew this wasn’t a good thought to have, Christina couldn’t help thinking this way.
She knew she wasn’t a very capable person, but she couldn’t even use magic right now. The fear of whether she could protect Flora was overwhelming. And she was fully aware of how self-centered, convenient, and spoiled this wish was...
Why do I keep hoping for him to save us from this situation...?
Someone like her should have been even less than a complete stranger to him. Haruto Amakawa directed his kindness towards Celia, whereas Christina had only received the leftovers of that. With that thought, she scoffed at herself with a hint of deeply seeded guilt.
I have to do my best to get Flora back to Rodania...
Christina softly petted Flora’s sleeping head. That seemed to release her strained nerves, causing a sudden surge of sleepiness to wash over her.
She had continuously strained herself thinking she had to be strong for her sister, so she was actually fairly exhausted. Unable to fight against the drowsiness any longer, Christina fell into a deep sleep as well.
The next morning...
Sunlight had just started filtering faintly through the trees. Despite the uncomfortable sleeping environment, Christina and Flora slept through the night without waking up even once. The forest was cold as they slept and their quality of sleep wasn’t the best, but they both got enough hours of sleep.
The sisters blinked their eyes open. The first thing that came into view was the forest scenery, followed by the sight of the other with their eyes closed tiredly. Then, as their own fatigue from walking hadn’t recovered, they soon closed their eyes for a second round of sleep, surrendering themselves to the warmth of their blanket. They wanted to rest a little longer, unable to resist that desire. They half-dozed, with only the smallest bit of stimulation needed to wake them next time.
“Mm...” At the sensation of something tickling her neck, Flora woke up first.
What...? Flora thought, reaching for her neck.
“Oww!” A sharp pain pricked the back of her neck, making her flinch.
“Wh-What?! What happened?” Flora’s sudden scream shocked Christina awake.
“Th-There’s a pain in my neck...” Flora said, brushing her hands at the place where she felt the pain in a panic. Something small was sent flying as a result. It was a spider.
“Eek!” she cried out, immediately understanding the situation she was now in and paling more and more by the second.
“N-No! No! No! NO!” She had been bitten by a spider. Thinking there could be more bugs on her body, Flora shot to her feet and started patting herself down in a fluster.
“C-Calm down. It’s okay, I’ll look at it for you.”
“P-Please do...” Christina stood up and patted down Flora’s dress, checking carefully for any bugs. She also checked underneath the dress, confirming that the only bug that had made contact was the spider.
“It’s all right. There are no other bugs,” Christina said in relief.
“Th-Thank goodness... Sorry about that. I screamed out in surprise,” Flora apologized for losing her composure.
“It’s fine. I’d be surprised if a spider bit me in my sleep too,” Christina said with a chuckle.
“I’ll check if there are any bugs in your dress as well,” Flora offered, moving to pat down Christina’s dress to check for any foreign substances attached.
“Before you do that, detoxify the area you were bitten with magic. The spider may have been venomous,” Christina said, looking down at the fleeing spider.
“R-Right! Purgo!”
Flora must have forgotten the possibility of venomous spiders, as she hurriedly placed her hand over her neck and began detoxifying it.
I’ve heard there are some poisons that can’t be detoxified with magic, but...
Christina watched on with a tinge of unease.
Detoxify magic, as its name implied, was magic commonly used to neutralize poisons, but like Christina was thinking, there were some poisons that couldn’t be detoxified. This was because detoxifying magic broke down the substances that were toxic to the human body and made them harmless—it had no effect on bacteria, viruses, and mold.
Medical technology hadn’t advanced enough in this world for people to consider the fact that bacteria and viruses weren’t a type of poison, so they could only explain it away as Purgo being unable to detoxify all poisons.
That being said, it was clear that would only make Flora uneasy for no reason, so Christina didn’t mention it. She could only pray that the detoxifying magic worked, or that the spider wasn’t venomous to begin with.
“Show me the spot you were bitten... Looks like it isn’t bleeding. But cast healing magic over it anyway.”
Christina peeked through the gaps between Flora’s hand casting magic to check on the affected area.
“Okay.”
After Flora activated healing magic like directed, Christina prepared the same menu as yesterday for breakfast. Once they had eaten breakfast and warmed up, the two of them set off to escape the forest.
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