Whipped Cream (3)

[ I. ]

At the sudden prelude, the blood-red flame of the burning scented candle flickered greatly.

[ Think it’s fortunate. ]

“What is?”

I opened my mouth while lying face down on the floor. Perhaps because it was in contact with the cold marble, my lips froze from the chill.

[ You’ve been laughing well lately, haven’t you? ]

“Who?”

[ You, I mean. ]

Unlike the last struggle of the flame trying to maintain its form a little longer, I stayed still.

[ For years, no matter how much I tried to get your attention and acted cute in front of you, you never even blinked an eye. ]

As a test, I blinked. My vision was blocked and then cleared again.

[ I’m glad you met that girl. Really. ]

“What a fuss.”

If I had been in a mental state where I could easily react to something, I wouldn’t have called myself crazy in the first place.

Laughing well.

Talking well.

Acting well.

Like a normal person. That’s how it would have been.

[ But there’s one thing I’m disappointed about. ]

“What is it?”

That’s why I tried harder to become like that.

[ Why don’t you smile when it’s just the two of us? ]

I struggled to show emotion.

[ You become so lively when you’re with that girl, but you get quiet again in front of me! ]

“That’s not true.”

[ Don’t lie! I can’t feel the flow! The flow of emotions! ]

But I need to rest too, don’t I?

So I don’t become awkward with myself, it’s okay to just exhale for a moment, right?

If a body riddled with blood laughs well and cries well, wouldn’t that be strange in its own way?

Excited emotions, excited feelings, excited smiles.

Now that I can stand in front of people, I’m struggling to experience as much as possible.

A lot. Very much so.

Ignoring the spirit who was pouting while flapping its wings, I closed my eyes.

I didn’t care what happened.

Even if such appearances pile up one by one and become me, I’m ready to accept it.

In fact, I was quiet.

In fact, I was calm.

Since I became the girl called Aureli.

Surrounded by excitement, smiling narcissistically.

Even if my original self is hidden.

Accepting it as inevitable, following the predetermined result in the natural course of events, is like an ordinary human being swept along by the flow.

Like whipped cream being added to Americano.

Even if it becomes a completely different taste, I was okay with it.

If I could spend even a little more time in daily life before reaching the end.

“Hello! I came again today!”

Gazes suddenly focused and then quickly dispersed.

This seems like I’ve become popular.

“……”

When our eyes met, I could see Erica immediately grabbing her forehead.

I smiled slightly and went to sit in the seat next to her.

“Are you okay from the after-effects?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, yesterday’s battle was cool too.”

Erica let out a hollow laugh.

“I’d like the person who just watched me get hurt and stepped in belatedly to keep quiet.”

“You told me not to interfere, didn’t you?”

I just listened well.

“Why don’t you follow orders so well usually?”

“That won’t do!”

“Ha.”

As I scattered the materials for today’s research purpose on the desk and sat down in the chair, I felt a glancing gaze from the side.

“Um, today.”

Unlike usual, her hesitation sounds like a date request.

“There’s a place we need to go investigate.”

“So it was a date request after all.”

“There’s. A place. We need. To go. Investigate.”

I smiled slightly and nodded. It was a face that showed no concession or misunderstanding.

“They say there have been frequent secondary invasions by the delegation in areas near Namyangju.”

“Secondary?”

“Since on-site responses have increased after the last committee meeting, combat has become inevitable, right?”

Nod nod.

“Whether it’s retaliation psychology or not, reports have come in that they attacked the same place twice.”

“That’s a big problem!”

“After investigating the situation, we plan to visit the Namyangju Magic Branch directly.”

Unlike the short and concise battles that had occurred involving the delegation so far, the fact of a secondary invasion itself would be quite irregular for the Association and the committee in the current situation.

“But you’re planning to go with me?”

“……”

There was silence and Erica turned her head. Soon, the scattered reports flowed into her hands.

“Do you know what will happen if I leave you alone?”

“That’s true.”

Correct.

It might be because it’s her workplace. Following her, who seemed cold at a glance, out of the building, a large van was waiting.

It was the same kind we rode in during the last criminal organization eradication.

“Yesterday’s battle was cool.”

“I told you that earlier.”

Erica, who was looking out the window while seated, turned her head.

“That’s right.”

It must be due to the sense of discomfort. Because her stance when engaging in battle was a bit different from what I’ve seen so far.

If I had to express it, it felt a bit more beastly. As if she had jumped in to kill monsters rather than to close the gate.

“Just.”

As I was quietly nodding, her voice followed.

“There are times when you don’t want to think about anything, right?”

“There are.”

“I wanted to be like that.”

I shook my head up and down more vigorously. Erica let out a hollow laugh as if she found it ridiculous.

The place where we got off after the van stopped was in the middle of a road slightly away from the city center.

When I lifted my head, I saw a building with one side severely damaged.

“They say it’s the Namyangju Power Control Facility. The invasion took place last night, and…”

It seemed to be a place operated by magic technology. Although not in the center of the city, it’s a facility that oversees the entire city.

I saw a few people who seemed to be administrators with faintly perceptible magical power. A large machine was visible in the damaged area.

Sparks flew and electricity enveloped the outer wall.

It seemed to be under repair.

I pulled down my hat.

“Ah, you’ve come. You must be the incident handlers sent by the Association, right?”

“Thank you for cooperating. We’ve come regarding the incident disposition and report.”

It was a courteous attitude. Unlike the facility manager who seemed to imply that we should be comfortable, Erica had a somewhat cold atmosphere.

“I really thought I was going to die yesterday. All sorts of strange things barged in…”

As I looked around while following the manager leading the way, the interior was in an even more miserable state. If we were talking about a person, it would be like a wound.

“Can you tell us about the circumstances of the incident in a bit more detail?”

Erica took out a notebook. A ballpoint pen also came out of her pocket.

“White knight-like things with spears suddenly came in through the main entrance. As soon as I saw them, I immediately felt it. Ah, those are dangerous.”

The manager stopped walking. It was a large space, probably the central facility. The machine that had been installed was severely damaged, with only debris visible.

“After that, well… While my colleagues who were former hunters were throwing their bodies to block them, some people from who knows where joined in and somehow managed to cut off their breath, I guess.”

“Were there any other strange points?”

“Other than that… Ah, only after I came to my senses later did I realize that those things were the beings mentioned in the official document that came down from the government. But, well…”

The manager, who had been speaking without hesitation, rubbed his chin.

“Besides the things they called knights, there was one more thing behind them. I couldn’t see the face because its whole body was wrapped in cloth.”

Erica played with her pen and then looked at me. It was a glance asking if I had any guesses.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“…I understand. Is the damage situation serious?”

“Other than the loss of central power… it’s fine. We have emergency power. The whole city won’t experience a blackout.”

As I watched the two people open the door and move to the next space, I slipped out quietly.

As I walked down the long corridor, I saw flowers and vines that didn’t match the gloomy interior.

“It’s not like you to visit directly.”

[ Of course not. I’m a complete shut-in after all! ]

Still, you’re the king who moves behind the scenes.

Given Seran’s personality, he doesn’t do unnecessary things. Unlike most spirits who are easily swayed by emotions, he is cold and ruthless.

It’s insufficient as a reason to send the delegation, which is for exploration purposes, once again under the pretext of retaliation psychology.

Moreover, there’s no need to reveal himself directly. I don’t like it either. I don’t think he would do that.

“Are you looking for something?”

[ It must be entertainment! Because he’s so evil! Don’t you think he wants to see the people trembling with his own eyes! ]

“The elegant and disciplined princess doesn’t get excited.”

Bloody went quiet. The word ‘princess’ certainly helps.

I picked up a fallen flower. It’s a red lily. When I blew on it lightly, the petals crumbled and disappeared.

After taking a few more steps, I touched the wall. Red currents flowed in and spread widely.

I broke my concentration and blinked. Unlike the damage to the facility I saw earlier, the internal structure of the entire building hadn’t suffered serious damage.

Is the purpose of the secondary invasion not destruction? They didn’t even completely demolish the building.

I sucked in the faint blood I could feel and turned back. Anyway, one facility doesn’t seem nearly enough to understand Seran’s purpose a bit more.

Didn’t they say we’d visit the Magic Branch later too?

As I quickly retraced the path I had come from, I saw Erica talking with the manager in the space ahead.

When I stood slightly next to Erica, I felt her gaze.

“Where did you go?”

“I got lost.”

She had a dubious expression.

I shrugged my shoulders.