BXBX NOVEL Chapter 105.3: Queen Maker (5)
A cursed sword dance that prays for the death of the enemy.
Death bloomed splendidly and rushed toward Neria.
In the face of the approaching flower of death, Neria did not hesitate.
She even threw away her shield after her sword.
– Huung.
She twisted her head to avoid the sword tearing through the wind. The saber aiming at her shoulder blade was swatted away by her arm guard.
Avoiding what could be avoided, and buckling what was difficult to avoid.
As she repeated the series of movement, the dance of curse was over before she knew it.
Just that she hadn’t thought it wouldn’t even be able to chaff her skin.
The sword dancer’s face was stained with despair. Seeing that, Neria clenched her fists.
‘There’s nothing different about her.’
– If you don’t follow me, I will kill you and all your friends. Then the spirit of your foolish Hero will be broken, right? Even if he manages to overcome it and makes new allies, I will kill them again. Until the Hero you love loses his mind.
A threat from Gis.
As if to prove that it wasn’t just a bluff, a dagger was stuck by her bedside when she woke up the next morning.
Neria was weak and ordinary.
Consoling herself that she had no other choice, she complied with Gis’s threat, and she left Cloud with a great scar.
It was meant to be, she thought.
She had hurt Cloud. But if the women chosen by Cloud were to take her place, wouldn’t she be able to wade through it all? Take all the right decisions?
She wanted to check it out.
Maybe she just wanted to be convinced.
That the woman of Cloud’s choice was so great that she would never reach her.
From the beginning, being next to him was not her destiny.
But no.
That woman was not the special woman she thought her to be.
Little by little…
The emotion of anger began to shore up inside Neria.
She swung her fist.
– Puck!
She was no different. Not at all.
– Puck!
Just lucky.
– Puck!
She was more desperate. So why…! Why her!?
– Puck!
Neria didn’t stop punching.
“Stop!”
Until Cloud shouted.
Neria was startled by his voice and stopped her fist. When she saw Katarina stumble and fall, she was horrified.
It was too much.
She had badly beaten Cloud’s lover.
Her heart pounded and fell.
Maybe he would criticize her for going over her bounds.
Would he hate her more?
Maybe she won’t even be able to be by his side.
While Neria was trembling with anxiety, Cloud strode forward.
She couldn’t contain her fear and closed her eyes tightly.
So the words that travelled to her were unexpected.
“You’ve improved a lot compared to before, Neria. You’ve worked hard all this time.”
Neria sighed.
Far from being criticized, she was rather praised.
It was true that she had tried her best, putting in the effort because she wanted to be recognized, but… she never thought she would receive it at a time like this.
Embarrassed, Neria was speechless.
She barely calmed down before lifting her head and opening her eyes.
“Are you fine? Any broken bones?”
Cloud wasn’t looking at Neria.
“I think my ribs are broken. No, they might be smashed…”
“Let’s see… Feeling any pain?”
“That’s my chest!”
“Don’t people have ribs in their chest too? Anyway, it looks fine, just chug one down.”
“Chi… you don’t worry about me.”
He was talking to her, feeding her a potion.
“Gulp… ugh… I always meant to ask this, why does the potion taste like this? Can’t they make it delicious?”
“There are other, more delicious things to taste. Plus, it would be pricier. Alright, hop on.”
“Hih? What are you doing?”
“Don’t you see? Hop on. It would be hard to walk now that you’re beaten black and blue.”
“…not to that extent.”
Katarina muttered with a reddened face, but was quietly carried by Cloud. Carrying her on his back, he turned his attention back to Neria.
“We’ll stop by church for a while, so why don’t you go back first?”
“Church..? Why church?”
“Even if she seems fine, we never know. Maybe something inside her could have gone wrong. Ophelia said she can’t heal for a while for some reason, so we’re going to church.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll…”
“It’s fine. I’m grateful that you showed your hand. That means a lot. See you at the inn in a little while.”
After saying that, Cloud turned his back and walked toward the outside of the dance hall.
Neria flinched and held out her hand, then put it back down. She stared blankly at the two walking away.
Memories from the past come to mind.
– Ugh…
– Does it hurt a lot? Be patient. We’ll reach the village soon.
– Yes…
She had carried Cloud, who had sprained his foot in the mountains, on her back.
For some reason, those memories overlapped with view now.
But back then it was different.
The young Cloud was being carried on her back, but now he was carrying someone else.
“It isn’t because Katarina is special…”
Cloud had changed.
From the person who borrowed the back to the person who lends the back.
“I see…”
Neria’s voice turned gloomy.
Normally, a childhood friend would rejoice at such growth, but she couldn’t.
Because she had no place of her own on his back.
And because she never seemed to in the future.
Neria barely survived a near collapse and walked toward the dropped sword and shield.
She shouldn’t be weak.
If she turned weak, she won’t be able to stay by his side.
As she crouched down to pick up her shield.
– Tuk. Tuk.
Her tears fell and soaked the dirt floor.
* * *
“Cloud.”
“What?”
“Are you pretending not to know? Or do you really not know?”
“What?”
“I mean Neria.”
“What Neria?”
“She loves you.”
“…You are being very straightforward, aren’t you? Don’t you usually say things like that part by part?”
“Be honest and answer quickly. Okay? You don’t know?”
“…if I’ve to say it, I do know.”
“I knew it. It’s rather strange that you wouldn’t know it when she displays it so openly. So, did you just draw a line?”
Katarina said in a somewhat joyous voice.
I smiled bitterly and shook my head, staring forward.
“The line was drawn from the very beginning.”
Because Neria likes Cloud.
Not ‘me’.
T/L: Finally the conclusion. Btw, we have a new pr now.