Swordsmaster Fox-girl

I was 100% sure of my guess, but acting on it right now wouldn’t do me any good. I had to somehow convince Violette that this wasn’t really Edward before doing anything.

Plus, he was stronger than me. Mid 4-star at the absolute lowest and close to breaking to 5-star in the worst case.

At least he hasn’t grown that much stronger since last time.

And seeing how Violette was clinging to that fucker like that, it seemed that I wouldn’t get many chances.

“Let’s just find a way outta here.”

“Yes, Mistress!”

I ran my hand along the wall. Gurghh…. What is this sticky stuff? I coated my hands with Ice and ran them along the wall, feeling for anything useful—and I did. A section of the wall that felt thinner than most.

Again, that guy’s not fucking Edward. He’d have found this by now.

“Ed— Takuto, punch this wall right here.”

“...Why do I have to listen t—”

“Just fucking do it if you wanna escape.”

The fucker grumbled. He clenched his fist and punched a hole through the rocky wall. What waited behind it was… oh no….

“Pretty….” Violette muttered.

I pushed aside Violette and Edward and rushed forward. This… it can’t be! Ceiling of glowing rocks that were like stars. Deathly air that was suffocating, and a giant snake coiling around a tall clocktower.

“The Sunken City.” Violette was already standing behind me since who knows when. She took out a notebook and wrote something down on it. “Onii-san, I think we found it.”

“Indeed, the Last Devourer.”

Ryk….

It was the damn Eternal City of Night.

…

Why?

Why was it here?

Wasn’t everything in the tutorial… fake?

That.… It was Ryk, r-right? Not some big snake or anything?

I took a step forward in shock, but the ground gave way below me. Someone grabbed my hand before I could fall. It was Takuto.

He effortlessly pulled me up and patted my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Huh? Why is he more… handsome now?

He became damn near irresistible. That silky blonde hair that looked fluffy, those eyes that contained wisdom, and those reliable shoulders to rely on. 

Maybe, just maybe, he was the same Edward. Maybe he just changed… for the better.

My heart beated wildly.

Hold me, I wanted to whimper. But my words were caught in my throat.

When he extended a hand out to me, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I—

[Blessing of the Storms Monarch has been invoked]

[Rejected “Protagonist’s Charm”]

“YOU FUCKER—!”

My slap caught the bastard off-guard. He came tumbling to the ground with Violette swooping down to catch him.

“W-Why did you do that to onii-san!?”

I glared at Violette, shutting her up. Fucking dammit! I just wanted to rip my hair out! After swiftly turning around, I made an Ice Shard in my hand and threw it at a small glowing pillar that was begging to be hit.

Soon, a platform was raised, and I jumped on it. The cycle of me throwing shards and platforms raising continued until I was far enough from the duo.

As I rested my back against a wall and tried to make sense of what had just happened, a blue screen appeared. It projected an image of a man with short black hair and gray eyes.

[Hey]

“...”

[Hey! Stop ignoring me!]

“H-Huh?”

That man… he wasn’t just an image?

[That’s right. I’m looking right at you, uhhh-] he flipped through some papers. [Esther?]

“...Who are you? Is this related to the blessing?”

[In a way]

I squinted my eyes and tried to picture the man with longer hair, more kissable lips, and of course, some boobs. He….

“Why do you look like Ast? Are you her sibling?”

The man coughed. [I wish we were. But don’t worry too much. I’m Theodore, by the way]

“Why are you talking to me instead of Ast?”

[She’s… busy, so I’ll talk to you on her behalf. So, me being here means the blessing as been invoked]

I rolled my eyes. “I just told you that.”

Theodore smiled. He ignored what I just said. [You’ve encountered a Protagonist of your world. From the looks of things, he tried to Charm you into his grasps]

Mental… interference. So that means—!

“Is Violette under his control!?”

[Dunno who that is, but if she’s a girl, then probably]

“I knew it!” Patting my past self in the back for figuring it out so early, I turned toward Theodore again. “How do I save her? She seems… very obsessed with the guy.”

[I’ll get to that.] He clasped his hands together. [But first, you have to understand something. The Protagonist you encountered is special in the way that he’s only a soul inhabiting another body]

I furrowed my brows and tapped my chin in thought. “So the body is still Edward’s, and Edward’s soul is still in there somewhere?”

[I would assume so. I call these kinds of Protagonists, “Parasites”]

…Isn’t that what I am?

[Nah, you’re cool. You naturally Reincarnated, but somehow, you retained your memories]

I clenched my fists. Do not read my mind.

[It’s very hard not to. Your resistance to mental interference is lower than an infant’s] Theodore took a look at the paper again. [Nope, nothing abnormal. You’re just born very manipulatable]

For the sake of not offending someone powerful like Theodore any further, I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.

“How do I save Edward and free Violette?”

[That’s a good question.] Theodore smiled apologetically. Though, a hint of amusement could be seen in his eyes. [Edward is too far gone. Maybe his soul still has some fight left but he’s basically dead. As for the girl… you need to either charm her yourself or prove to her that he’s not really Edward]

Edward… was dead. Somehow, I didn’t feel anything. Maybe the years had made me just… not care anymore? Maybe it just hadn’t hit me yet. Whatever the case was, it was best to focus on Violette for now.

“There’s already a fuck-ton of evidence. And I don’t think Violette likes girls.”

[Sometimes, the heart knows better than the mind]

Veins bulged on my forehead. “Be more specific. I’m not a fucking Mage—go bring your riddles somewhere else.”

[You’re no fun,] Theodore sighed. [Fine. Make her feel it’s not Edward. Something personal. Something that would never change]

“Like…. The fact that he likes older women?”

[Tastes can change. Ah, I can’t believe I used to avoid Syl]

“He uses a sword now?”

[Think about what you just said very carefully, former-Swordsmaster-that-use-magic-now]

“Tch….”

Something that would never change about Edward…. Tch, nothing came up.

[Well, that’s all I can do]

“...What’s the catch?”

[Huh?]

“The catch.” I glared at him. “You hardly seem better than Ast—and last time, she demanded I help her with something.”

[Ah!] He laughed. [Nothing, really. It’s just an extension of Ast’s favor. You still need to help us once the time comes]

“And that time is…”

[Don’t worry about it.] Theodore sighed and kicked his feet on the desk. [It’s a long, long time away. You might even be dead by then]

“...Then how am I supposed to help?”

[We’ll figure it out. Until we meet again, Esther Raze]

Just as abruptly as it appeared, the blue screen disappeared. I was left alone with my thoughts and a spear whooshing toward me from behind.

I jumped slightly into the air and stomped on the body of the spear, easily breaking the cheap wood in half.

“Pate.”

“My good woman, unexpected of you to talk to yourself for minutes straight.”

The bald man hid behind a tower shield with another spear in his hand; face smirking.

“At least you’re polite enough to wait for me to finish.”

“I’m glad for your praise, milady. Seeing you descend into the pit of insanity is very empowering. Now, please die.”

But that simply wouldn’t do. I unsheathed Requiem and sheathed it again. Before anyone but me knew what had happened, Pate’s shield had already been sliced cleanly in half.

Pate stood there, shocked. His jaw dropped as he quickly prostrated and smacked his forehead on the floor.

“Spare me! Please! I-I have a pet dog to take care of!”

On cue, a shelled creature crawled out from the shadow behind him.

“That’s a turtle.” I sighed. “Or tortoise. Whatever. Not a dog.”

Pate glanced back before returning to his begging position. “A dog! It’s a dog!”

Seeing that I wasn’t answering and was just staring, Pate squealed in fear once more and stood in front of his “dog” protectively. “I-If you wanna kill, kill me! Don’t hurt my dog!”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“P…lease?”

I smiled widely, showing my canines, pointing the tip of Requiem at Pate’s neck, I whispered in his ear.

“You just gave me a very good idea, Pate. You see, I know someone by the name of ‘Freya’. She told me to be kind.” Before Pate could sigh in relief, I continued. “And I also knew someone by the name of ‘Edward,’ and he would protect his sister at all cost.”

“Good… for… him…?”

“Indeed, good for him.” I retracted my blade and put on my Armor of Fear. “And good for my plan—that you’re going to help me with.”

“D-Do I have a choice?”

I simply crouched down to pet the turtle on its head. Seeing it lean into the pat with its eyes half-closed like that made me lament my cosmic inability to have my pets stay alive.

“No.”