novelraw Chapter 249
Chapter 249
Chapter 249
80. Safe! (4K)
Sheffy had always been someone who never accepted a loss.
For example, in her previous life, when she bought breakfast at a roadside stall and ordered a roujiamo asking for extra cilantro, when she finally got it, she found the owner had only added a tiny bit.
Faced with that situation, she would definitely rise up in anger—then go order a bowl of tofu pudding.
Not for anything else.
Just so that when she took the tofu pudding and added condiments at the counter, she could scoop in three whole large spoonfuls of cilantro!
She would grin happily, staring at the bowl floating with cilantro, feeling like she had made a huge profit.
Unaware that she had actually bought an extra bowl of tofu pudding.
But times were different now.
Lady Aimeris was not cilantro.
Yet Sheffy was determined to squeeze three big spoonfuls of benefits out of her!
The corner of the trashy silver-haired dumpling’s lips curled upward, that gloomy mischievous smile making Xiarette want to kiss her.
"Hehe... we don’t need to know Aimeris’ purpose at all. Trying to guess the intentions of a thousand-year-old fox makes you the fool. But what we do know now is that what she’s doing is transferring Syla’s magic power over to herself. And this process seems pretty difficult—otherwise, wouldn’t she have just transferred it all at once?"
"That’s true. If Aimeris didn’t have some kind of limitation, back in the Kingdom of Aurus she wouldn’t have needed to meet us privately to negotiate and seek help, right?"
"Mm-hmm. Syla’s foundational magic came from Aimeris, but the magic she regained after her rebirth was supplied by me~ I’d guess this is exactly why Aimeris can’t smoothly and quickly reclaim Syla’s magic. I’m the stumbling block in her way! As long as Syla herself doesn’t use the portion of magic that shares the same origin as Aimeris, that blonde shorty can’t do anything."
"So that’s how it is...!" With that single remark, Xiarette immediately understood. "Then doesn’t that mean as long as we tell little sister Syla to avoid using magic as much as possible, Aimeris will be left with no options!"
Sheffy gripped the fishing rod and stood up with one hand on her hip.
Looking at the vast lake surface where no big fish could be seen, she suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This is hilarious—her own magic, and she can’t even take it back. I bet that blonde shorty is so mad she’s stomping her feet! No, this is far from enough. Just stopping Syla from using magic is only defense. On top of that, we need to take the initiative and attack!"
"Take the initiative...? Sheffy, you’re not planning to go fight Aimeris again, are you?!"
"I’m not that bored. That thing can’t be killed anyway. Until we find a way to completely destroy her, beating her up doesn’t mean much—at most it’s just venting. Hey, Xiarette, do you remember the Demon-Sealing Crystal I showed you earlier?"
"You just showed it to me a few minutes ago... am I that forgetful? In your eyes, am I really that dumb?"
"Not that dumb."
"Oh... not that dumb, that’s good."
Sheffy narrowed her eyes, sensing within her Storage Magic the sealed authority "Creation" belonging to Aimeris, as well as the "Firmament" constructed from Aimeris’ magic.
After a brief moment of thought, the conclusion Sheffy spoke out completely astonished Xiarette with her creativity.
"The flow of magic is like a river. As long as the terrain changes, the flow will reverse with it. Next, I’m going to study how to shatter both of these, compress them into pure, harmless magic, and hand it over to Syla for safekeeping. That way, her mental power can be restored to how it was before. However much magic Aimeris has drained from Syla, I’ll make her pay it back double!"
Xiarette held down her golden hair stirred by the night wind.
Standing behind her, she watched over that small figure ahead.
Some words, if spoken by others, would sound like bragging.
But when spoken by her, they inspired absolute reassurance.
Without making a sound, Xiarette quietly hugged Sheffy from behind and spoke in a gentle, teasing tone.
"This really suits your personality... according to your analysis, this magic originally belonged to Aimeris, and now you want to take it all for yourself. Pfft... do you think this is some donut stall?"
"Tch, what’s the big deal? Even if Syla’s magic originally came from Aimeris, Syla never asked her for it in the first place. She just gave it on her own for over a thousand years. No matter what it is, if something’s been lent out for a thousand years, there’s no reason it has to be returned, right? Eh...? But tell me, did donuts even exist a thousand years ago?"
"When Syla wakes up, why not ask her?"
"That works."
After a brief hesitation,
before continuing, Sheffy lowered her voice, her tone becoming much more subdued.
"However... Xiarette, until I find a better solution, I might have to trouble you a bit."
"Hm?"
Sheffy leaned her back slightly into the softness behind her.
Since Syla would need to avoid using magic for the time being, Xiarette’s own combat strength, without the Holy Sword’s support, would drop from above the tenth rank down to the ninth rank.
As a member of the Wright Family, who prided themselves on strength and honor, this would likely be quite a blow.
That had been Sheffy’s first thought.
But her second thought made her regret saying it.
Because...
"Ow...!"
"So Sheffy’s looking down on her big sister again, huh?"
"Don’t just go hitting my head all the time, the wisdom in here is very precious!"
"Sheffy, lend me the fishing rod."
"Oh...? You think someone like you can fish?"
Instead of answering Sheffy directly,
Xiarette’s fingers traced along her sleeve, gently stroking Sheffy’s snow-white arm and hand, until their fingers interlocked, holding the fishing rod together.
The two pressed closely together, so near that they could hear each other’s slightly quickened breathing and heartbeats.
The beauty of late night lay in the slumber of all things.
Every word she spoke reached straight into the depths of the heart.
"It’s not just little sister Belith who’s protecting you, you know...? That’s not her exclusive privilege."
"Mm... what are you suddenly saying—h-hey, your hand is wandering again!"
"I’m correcting your grip on the fishing rod, idiot Sheffy. Look, your fingers should be placed like this."
Despite fishing for so many years, her basic grip on the rod was still so clumsy. Though Sheffy was a genius, in certain aspects, she was correspondingly slow.
—This was a privilege of Xiarette, something only understood after being with her across two lifetimes.
"See? Holding it here makes it easier, right? Mm... actually, not having the Holy Sword might not be a bad thing."
"I was just worried you’d feel the gap..."
"If I said there’s no gap at all, that would be a lie. But my father once said, relying too much on something powerful can sometimes become a shackle to one’s own growth."
"Ohh...! I get it! It’s like when the market is full of fish for sale, your determination to fish yourself gets shaken!"
"Th-that’s... roughly the idea? Sheffy, keep your eyes on the water. Listen carefully to the movement beneath the lake."
Patiently and gently, she guided Sheffy’s small hand to the side.
Unintentionally, Xiarette caught the floral fragrance from Sheffy’s hair.
Don’t worry.
Because if, without Syla’s help, she were to simply give up and fall into complacency, then she wouldn’t deserve to call herself her sister.
【Very good! Xiarette, remember this feeling when you swing your sword. Don’t rely on brute force, and don’t depend on the power of the Holy Sword. You must train your own technique to its absolute limit. What you need to believe in is not the Holy Sword, but your own potential.】
Xiarette had always remembered her father’s teachings.
When she was young, she didn’t quite understand one sentence he once said—
【If you didn’t have the Holy Sword, you might reach an even higher peak.】
Without the Holy Sword… she could become stronger instead?
【That’s right. The Holy Sword is indeed powerful, but it will never truly be yours. You cannot wield all of its power, and it will also mask your own strength. Xiarette, without a doubt, your potential surpasses even mine.】
Through wind and rain, she trained diligently without rest.
The confidence Xiarette now had—the confidence to smile at Sheffy without hesitation—came from every single day and year of her past, from every drop of sweat shed with each swing of her sword.
"Hold it here. Feel the vibration transmitted from the fishing rod to your hand."
"Xiarette, do you actually know how to fish or not...? Why have I never heard you mention it before?"
"Hm? Because I didn’t think it was anything worth mentioning. But when I used to train my patience and willpower, Father and Mother had me fish, so I guess I know a little?"
"I doubt it. This lake just doesn’t get along with me—I can’t catch anything. And you think you can just pick up my leftovers? That’s just ridicu—eh?"
"The rod moved! Quick, Sheffy, follow my movements and reel it in!"
"No way, really?!"
The struggling force from the lake was insignificant under the combined effort of Sheffy and Xiarette reeling in the line.
Xiarette gently wrapped an arm around Sheffy’s slender waist, and just as the rod neared the shore, she gave the command.
"Lift!"
"Hey!"
*Splash!*
The shadow in the lake, reflected in Sheffy’s gem-like, astonished eyes, was pulled out of the water by the line.
The fish arced through the night sky, scattering droplets that gave the illusion of stars falling into the lake.
The droplets fell back onto the water’s surface like countless pearls scattering across a mirror.
Sheffy excitedly pulled the line back in front of her, not even bothering with a net—because it had been so long since she last caught a fish!
The fish wasn’t big, only about half the size of a palm.
But when Sheffy removed the little fish from the hook, she was so happy she nearly jumped up!
"Amazing! This is amazing, Xiarette! We actually caught a fish! I didn’t expect you to be hiding such a skill! Look! It’s a fish we caught together!"
"Alright, alright, I see it," Xiarette said with a doting smile.
With her hands behind her back, she watched Sheffy bounce in place, celebrating this long-awaited victory.
Only after her excitement settled slightly did Xiarette tilt her head and tease,
"Now that you’ve caught a fish, can Sheffy finally relax?"
"Relax wh—ah... sorry..."
At times like this, Sheffy’s mind worked quickly—and her emotional awareness was just as sharp.
Even if Xiarette hadn’t reminded her like this, Sheffy would have wanted to apologize on her own.
"What I said earlier... I shouldn’t have said that you wouldn’t manage without Syla. With this skill alone, Xiarette, you’re already unbeatable in the world!"
"But your big sister won’t be satisfied with only knowing how to fish, you know?"
Maybe not now.
But in the future, even she would surely make Sheffy see her in a new light.
If she wanted to walk forward together with her, how could she not have that resolve?
Sheffy treasured the small, struggling fish and carefully placed it into the fish basket, her eyes still shining with delighted excitement.
Suddenly, she turned around, spread her arms toward Xiarette, and waved her little arms up and down with utmost sincerity.
"Xiarette! Teach me how to fish!"
"Hah, didn’t Sheffy always call herself a fishing expert? And now you still need me to teach you?"
"I...! Hehe, there’s always someone better, right? I may be a fishing expert, but you’re a fishing grandmaster! An expert learning from a grandmaster—that’s perfectly normal, isn’t it?"
"You only praise me at times like this. Hmm... let me think. Teaching you how to fish is no problem at all, just a small matter. But if I teach you, then shouldn’t Sheffy fulfill the promise she made to her big sister?"
"W-what promise?"
"On the snowy mountain—cutting down snowmen—the competition with little sister Belith. It seems like I was the one who won, right?"
"!"
So it was that bet I wasn’t even involved in?!
Wait... you two decided that whoever won the snowman-cutting would get me to sleep in their room tonight—but I never even agreed to that!
That might be true...
But if Sheffy wanted to find somewhere to sleep tonight, it seemed she didn’t really have any choice other than Xiarette’s room.
After all, her own bed had already been occupied by Belith.
Watching Sheffy’s little face rapidly flush red, her body growing increasingly fidgety, Xiarette suddenly wondered if she had been a bit too direct.
She had originally planned to build up to it more.
But then Sheffy lifted her complaining gaze slightly and muttered softly—words that struck straight into Xiarette’s heart.
"Fishing is just fishing... and there’s actually a condition like this... Xiarette is so lewd..."
"!"
Xiarette had never been called out so bluntly before. Her elegant face beneath her golden hair instantly turned burning hot!
Even so, she knew she had to fight back at a time like this.
She couldn’t just let Sheffy enjoy herself smugly!
"Th-then you tell me—do you have those kinds of thoughts or not?!"
"Mm...? As for me... of course I also... ahem, it depends on how things go later!"
"Alright."
"Well, the mood is there, but just a little bit, okay? This time we can’t go until dawn."
"Alright."
"A little messing around is fine... since it’s almost dawn anyway, but we can’t go until noon!"
"Alright."
"I-I’ll tidy up the fishing rod first, it’s rare to catch a fish, I—"
"Forget that. Right now, immediately, we’re going."
Who cared about the fishing rod anymore!
Xiarette put away the Holy Sword and, in one smooth motion, scooped Sheffy into a princess carry.
Their gazes avoided each other, yet drew closer at the same time.
Seemingly apart, yet not a single second truly separated.
As she carried her back toward the Demon King’s Castle, Xiarette’s steps were both hurried and gentle, steady and careful.
In the fish basket, the lone little fish swam around, as if laughing at the shy and hopeless witch.
Little fish—it might be braised, or it might be steamed.
But at least until tomorrow noon—
it was safe!