NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 175
Chapter 175. Ordinary
“This magical tool was recovered during the incident at the academy.”
Before heading out to search for Nina, Liliana received a magical tool from Hermes.
Pointing to the black crystal-shaped object, Hermes explained.
“Its effect is to imbue someone’s magic, allowing others to use it in a limited capacity. In other words, it can stock someone’s magic.”
Laplace, who once handed this tool to Clyde—the mastermind behind the academy incident—had completely abandoned it.
This speaks to how overwhelmingly powerful the other side is, capable of discarding such a useful tool as a mere pawn.
But that’s a topic for another time.
“So now, I’ve imbued this tool with several of my Bloodline Magics for you, Lily-sama. From ones that can stall Nina, to those that can block attacks, or halt her movements. I believe you’ll need them all.”
“…Are you saying…”
“Yes. Most likely—no, almost certainly. If you encounter Nina-sama, you will have to fight her.”
Hermes bit his lip once more, frustrated at being unable to go himself.
His expression also carried some other kind of inner turmoil.
“Lily-sama.”
Despite this, he looked straight at Liliana with trust and said:
“Use this tool wisely to achieve your purpose. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
His words carried a peculiar emphasis.
Though slightly hesitant, Liliana gazed at the magical tool, reviewing the magics imbued within it—
“…Ah.”
She understood.
By comprehending both the magic entrusted to her and its previously explained nature, she grasped it all.
His intentions, the current objective—and the unspoken truth that being careless could expose them to the Archbishop’s foresight.
Even in today’s irregular moment, the fundamental issue remains:
He is most susceptible to the influence of foresight, requiring utmost caution.
Thus, these roundabout words were a sign of Hermes’ trust in her—trust she accepted with joy.
“…I will not fail you.”
She declared resolutely.
“I’ll fulfill my mentor’s wish and… ‘converse’ with that lovely friend of yours.”
◆
Thus, encountering Nina, the predicted game of chase began.
Its opening—
“──No way…! [Theur Gy]!”
“Oh, that’s Sara-chan’s… No, judging by the feel, it’s Herm-kun’s.”
Was marked by Liliana’s shock.
Without hesitation, she used the magic within the black crystal. No, she had to.
Within mere seconds, she understood that without it, she’d be checkmated.
“So you can use it, Herm-kun’s power… I’m honestly a bit jealous.”
“!”
Despite her words, Nina relentlessly pursued and cornered Liliana.
Her extraordinary speed, strength, and merciless tactics crushed even Liliana’s confidence in physical combat.
Witnessing this, Liliana became certain—this girl, in this field, surpasses Hermes.
(Master had warned me, but this is far beyond what I expected… Still!)
Liliana pushed herself to rise above.
An arrogance that no one could defeat her was abandoned long ago.
Moreover, she knew being caught here would mean absolute failure.
This spurred her into cold, calculated action, refining her movements.
Simultaneously, she recalled Hermes’ words on countering Nina:
[Nina-sama is exceptionally sensitive to ‘magic that harms her’.]
Based on their academy experiences:
[Thus, even an ambush is unlikely to hit her with offensive magic.]
Therefore—she abandoned offense.
The black crystal contained defensive magics like [Theur Gy], [Aiolos], and [Lunad Saraka] to balance out physical disadvantages, as well as other non-offensive spells.
While Nina is sharp against harmful magic, her sensitivity to non-harmful magic is weaker.
Using these defensive, evasive, and capturing spells, she could evade Nina’s grasp.
“…Weren’t you going to ‘talk’? Or are you that desperate?”
Even as Nina relentlessly chased her, likely driven by some binding Geass, her words didn’t stop. She seemed open to dialogue.
“That’s troubling… I have questions of my own for you, princess. Why are you even here? Shouldn’t the Harvist territory be on the brink of collapse due to internal discord?”
Thus, Liliana, buying herself a moment to breathe, shouted:
“Please, listen to me, Nina!”
And delivered the most critical piece of information.
“──The reconciliation with Harvist’s soldiers has succeeded!”
Nina’s eyes widened.
“What—”
“We’ve already agreed to defeat the Northern Alliance! Preparations are underway—meaning Archbishop Johann’s plans are foiled!”
This was pre-approved information, as it would be exposed by foresight by tomorrow anyway.
Thus, using it as an opening for dialogue was deemed advantageous.
Realizing her chance, Liliana successfully initiated a conversation.
“Do you understand? Even the Archbishop’s power is not absolute! So—”
“…You’re not lying. I see. That’s… impressive.”
Then,
“──So even without me, even without someone like me, you can still change the future on your own.”
With a deeply sorrowful smile, Nina locked eyes with Liliana.
“…………”
Then, as if compelled by the Geass, she resumed her assault.
Liliana instinctively felt she had to refute Nina’s words.
“That’s not true! The turning point—the discovery of their spies—happened because you defied the Archbishop’s foresight and defeated them—”
“I didn’t evade it.”
Liliana’s eyes widened.
“My independent actions were fully anticipated by the Archbishop. Even my killing of the spies was part of his calculations, meant to deepen the soldiers’ mistrust of you.”
She explained how that scenario nearly came to pass.
“I truly believed it would. That’s why the credit is yours. You overturned ruin’s destiny and carved out a future—”
Again, she spoke with that pained smile.
“I’ve always been in the Archbishop’s grasp. No matter how hard I try, I’ve… never made any difference.”
“…Why?”
Why does she diminish herself so?
Liliana, recalling accounts of Nina’s cheerful personality, found this inconsistency troubling.
Reading her unease, Nina replied:
“…It’s a bit pathetic to admit, but since I’ve come this far, I’ll tell you everything.”
Nina von Frodite, who hid this darkness even during her academy days, began speaking softly:
“I’m just… an ‘ordinary girl’. That’s all I’ve ever been.”
As she intensified her assault,
Her movements growing fiercer, Nina resumed her story.
“Let me give you an example.”
Speaking as if to teach Liliana, who desperately dodged.
“Imagine… a ‘world-saving battle’. Something grand, with overwhelming foes, where everyone must unite to fight.”
“…What?”
“As I said, it’s just an example. But imagine something that dramatic, something straight out of legends.”
At Liliana’s puzzled voice, Nina gave a faint smile before continuing.
“Whenever I hear fairy tales like that, I always think—”
She speaks the truth of her heart.
“Ah—I’m just not the kind of person who could ever take part in that kind of battle.”
“!?”
“On the other hand… someone like Herm-kun would undoubtedly be the type to lead the charge in those situations. Katia-sama as well. Even Sara-chan, and… I feel like Albert-kun would end up standing there too. And Liliana-sama, Your Highness… you’re already at the center, aren’t you? If we replace ‘world’ with ‘country’, isn’t that exactly what’s happening now?”
“And you… aren’t like that?”
As she desperately dodged the attack, Nina nodded.
“That’s right. …Ah, but I’m not saying it’s because I wasn’t chosen or that I lack power. That would be incredibly disrespectful to people like Herm-kun who are capable of standing in that kind of battle.”
After clarifying, she took a step back… placing her delicate hand on her chest.
“What I lack… is probably my heart.”
“…Your heart?”
“Or maybe you could call it conviction. Something like Herm-kun’s dedication to magic or Katia-sama’s sense of noble duty. That kind of ultimate value, something that’s worth risking everything for, something everyone praises, something proud and magnificent—”
With another charge, she continued.
“—I don’t have anything like that.”
“…!”
“I don’t have any conviction so strong I’d give up everything to follow it. Even if I have things I care about, I’d let them go if circumstances change, or yield to someone else’s conviction. Because… the way I’ve drifted through life, just going with the flow, has brought me to where I am. …And I don’t think I’ll ever have something like that.”
But then, she paused.
“And that’s normal. Most people probably don’t have something like that. —You’re the odd ones.”
“What—”
“…Ah, maybe that’s going too far. Well, in any case, that’s how irresponsible Nina’s way of life is. But what I want to say is—”
The balance of offense and defense temporarily shifted.
Liliana’s [Theur Gy] surrounded Nina, attempting to pin her down. But before the barrier could fully close, Nina wedged her sword in, prying it open.
They entered a moment of stalemate. Within range of each other’s voices and expressions, Nina…
Spoke the rest of her words, her true feelings.
“…I’ve had enough.”
“—Ah.”
“I just wanted to be with my family. But every night, I’m forced to see terrible nightmares. My family is being used for their purposes, and I’m stuck doing things I don’t even want to do. I just… I just want to give it all up. Even though I don’t want to feel that way, I can’t stop myself.”
It overflowed.
From deep within the cornered girl, her weakness spilled out.
“…That’s cruel. …Why you?”
“Eh?”
“Why—why isn’t it Herm-kun coming to help me?”
Even knowing it was misplaced anger, the words wouldn’t stop.
“He said he’d help me. I’ve been struggling, doing my best, so why hasn’t he come—”
“Th-that’s because, Master is—”
“Yeah, I know. Herm-kun’s already aware of the Archbishop’s ‘magic’. He can’t risk leaking information or making direct contact with me, who’s nothing but a liability. And on top of that, I’m in a position where it’s ‘impossible’ to meet him even if I wanted to. But still—”
After listing all the logical reasons, she added:
“Even so—I can’t help but think, why can’t he just—”
Her voice trailed off, almost a sob.
And at the same moment, Liliana’s barrier shattered with a loud crack.
The capture failed. The situation returned to an even standoff.
“…………”
Both exchanged glances, seeking their next move. After a few seconds of silence—
“…Ahh, sorry.”
Nina broke it again.
“I ended up complaining way more than I thought, and I even lashed out. …But this is who I am. You’re free to be disappointed in me or report this back to Herm-kun and the others.”
She spoke quietly and then added:
“Your goal is to capture or persuade me, right? Sorry, but neither’s going to work. As long as I’m under a Geass, it’s hopeless. It can’t be broken, and even if by some miracle it were, the Archbishop who’s under the same geass would find out immediately.”
With one last smile, Nina said:
“So… just leave me alone, okay? You all can go on without someone like me.”
“…No.”
As she tried to say goodbye, Liliana interrupted.
“…Huh?”
“Oh, um, I understand your situation very well. But, uh… my denial just now wasn’t about that. I don’t have any way to deal with your geass right now either.”
What Liliana wanted to deny was the statement from before.
“I’m not disappointed. …After all, I started aiming to become a queen just to save my family.”
“…What?”
“Master and the others… they might be surprised by your words, but I don’t think they would abandon you because of them. …It might sound presumptuous coming from someone like me who hasn’t known them as long as you, but that’s how I feel.”
And besides.
She understood… that Nina’s words, while genuine, also held another intention.
They were meant to push Liliana away.
To escape the range of her magic, which relied on emotional proximity.
“I’m not disappointed in you.”
At first, she’d found Nina a little eerie—a mysterious foe with unclear reasons for her hostility.
But after hearing her honest words… she no longer felt that way.
So Liliana smiled and said:
“In fact—I think I might come to like you.”
She spoke her true feelings—
(…………Oh no. This is bad.)
And immediately realized her mistake.
By then, her attention was completely drawn to Nina.
“…Oh, come on, Princess. I warned you at the start, didn’t I?”
Nina’s gaze was inescapable, her body already immobilized.
The meaning was obvious.
“You knew it would affect you, and yet you still did this? Are you a clumsy princess or what?”
The conditions for [Il Felrina] had been met.
(Th-this is bad! Wait, this is seriously not a joke—!)
“You understood I’d have to use it if it worked, didn’t you? So why… oh, honestly—!”
And so, with one final, critical mistake,
All of Liliana’s efforts were about to crumble as she fell into Nina’s hands—when.
“—Are you alright, Your Highness?!”
“That’s… Frodite’s sister?! Damn it, how did she get in this far?!”
From behind came the shouts of about ten soldiers.
It seemed the Harvist Domain troops had sensed the disturbance and rushed over.
Seeing them, the first to react wasn’t Liliana, but Nina.
She exhaled in relief, more profoundly than Liliana herself.
“…Ah, thank goodness. Now I can say ‘mission failed’.”
It seemed her objectives had shifted from ‘capture Liliana’ to ‘retreat due to mission impossibility’.
With one more sigh of relief, Nina glanced at Liliana one last time.
“…Well, see you later, cute Princess. …It was nice talking with you.”
With that honest sentiment, she disappeared into the forest.
◆
(Th-that was close…!)
Watching Nina vanish, Liliana let out her own breath of relief.
She’d nearly made a disastrous mistake at the very end. …No, the words themselves had been her genuine feelings, but she should have chosen a better moment to say them. A lesson learned.
As the soldiers who’d come to her aid expressed their relief at her safety, Liliana reflected.
(…Nina’s expression.)
The burden she carried, combined with the events of this northern rebellion, had likely pushed her to this point.
Even as she left… the shadow didn’t leave her face.
Surely.
The one who could truly lift that shadow wasn’t Liliana herself.
“…”
And the situation hadn’t improved much.
They’d made contact with Nina but failed to capture her, and with the geass in place, they couldn’t bring her over to their side.
—But still.
Taking a deep breath… holding the black crystal artifact given to her, Liliana declared firmly:
“—I accomplished my mission perfectly, Master.”
The relief of fulfilling the task entrusted to her…
And the excitement of the reward she was sure to receive from him, filled her as she headed back to the fortress.