At the edge of the ruins, a stiff and heavy silence hung between the two girls.
It wasn't because they had just been arguing, nor was there any distrust between them. It was simply that both had their own thoughts to ponder.
The Princess's train of thought was actually quite simple: Why were those two humans from earlier so powerful?
She had encountered many humans before, experienced countless battles—or rather, her life usually consisted of either sleeping or fighting.
Yet, humans had always left the impression of being annoying flies, their threat level practically negligible.
But those two were completely different.
Just standing there on the ground, looking up at the sky, the residual shockwaves that tore through the atmosphere had made her heart palpitate with unease.
This inevitably led her to wonder: if she were to go all out, would she even be able to participate in a battle of that caliber?
Meanwhile, Shiori was worried about her newly-made friend.
Bianka Durandal Ataegina.
Shiori's first impression of her was of someone so straightforward she seemed almost wooden. Even clearly joking remarks would be met with serious consideration and an earnest reply.
She had a chivalrous sense of righteousness, like a knight straight out of a storybook.
Shiori knew her own situation was very special, potentially key to changing the world. Even just living her daily life, she was aware of this.
The organization Ratatoskr had been studying her all this time. It was likely her uniqueness had already attracted surveillance and observation.
Yet, despite these circumstances, Durandal had still told her, 'No one can hold you accountable.'
Adding to that was Kotori's crash course on the factions: Schicksal, Ratatoskr, DEM, the explicitly quantified destructive power of Spirits, and Durandal's own reputation as the strongest, backed by her record.
All these factors combined gradually fleshed out Shiori's impression of Durandal, culminating in the conclusion: 'A person with a knight's personality, righteous and a bit wooden, but incredibly powerful.'
Yet, even with that impression, Shiori still felt worried. The reason lay with that woman named Ellen.
The sheer sense of danger emanating from her was palpable even to Shiori, who wasn't the primary target.
Back then, she had fled without a second thought, not just to give Durandal space to fight, but also because she was utterly seized by a fear she had never felt before.
After running a safe distance with the Princess, Shiori had asked Kotori about Ellen.
The reply was: 'A wizard rated on par with Durandal. Since she hasn't been seen for a long time, their current relative strength is unclear.'
That made it impossible for Shiori not to worry. If their levels were similar, and Ellen gave off such a dangerous vibe, it was only natural for Shiori to fear for Durandal's safety.
However, this worry didn't last long before Kotori reported, 'Durandal has already won.'
Shiori: ...
Wait, weren't they supposed to be equally matched?
Kotori could only observe the situation via satellite.
While she could determine who shot down whom, the specifics were unclear.
She could only say, "That was the prediction. But it's normal for battles between top fighters to end quickly. The moment one side shows an opening, it's checkmate."
She reminded Shiori to focus her attention on the Spirit. Shiori didn't refuse, but with her mind preoccupied, she found it impossible to concentrate.
Compounding this, the Princess was also lost in thought about the recent battle, which naturally led to the strange, stiff atmosphere.
Fortunately, this atmosphere was soon shattered by the clear, audible sound of something tearing through the air—the same sound that had accompanied Ellen's arrival earlier, causing Shiori to flinch instinctively with panic.
It was only after she saw the figure land that she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Durandal…"
Shiori looked at her with concern. "Are you hurt?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Amber wore a slight smile. "There's no need to worry about me. Even if I were truly injured, I have the means to heal myself. Even severed limbs would be restored in the blink of an eye."
Her very first summon in this world had been 'Bright Knight: Excelsis,' and the weapon she drew for that form wasn't 'Hler's Serenity,' but 'Abyss Flower'.
But in truth, she rarely used its power.
This wasn't to maintain her persona, but because living in the world of Jujutsu for so many years had taught her a lesson: while everyone being unconcerned about injuries had its advantages, it also had significant downsides.
Yuji and Maki were prime examples. They'd stop even dodging attacks, just charging headlong into battle.
Moreover, it led to a diminished sense of danger judgment.
Therefore, unless faced with truly difficult-to-treat or severe injuries, Amber almost never used the power of Creation.
This was also why she hadn't helped the Immortal Blades heal their injuries back then, instead waiting for them to return and tend to their wounds themselves.
Hearing this, Shiori nodded thoughtfully, but with her limited concept of actual battlefields, she still said, "Even so, I'd still worry. It must hurt, even if you can heal it."
"On the battlefield, no one can guarantee they'll emerge unscathed. Forget getting hurt, even one's life isn't always in their own hands."
Amber didn't particularly want to shatter Shiori's naive perspective, but considering what the girl might face in the future, having stepped away from ordinary daily life, she would come to understand this sooner or later.
Besides, although Shiori said such things, once she learned Amber had healing abilities, she became the most reckless of them all—perfectly matching Amber's stereotype of someone who suddenly gained powerful regeneration.
It wasn't like Fu Hua's regenerative abilities were weak, but you never saw her trading blows in a fight unless it was absolutely necessary.
True powerhouses didn't rely on their healing abilities; they only treated them as one card in their hand.
Yuji & Maki: ...
"I see…"
Shiori truly didn't understand much about combat and couldn't offer more on the subject.
"Rather than me, how are things on your end?" Amber changed the subject. "Didn't hit it off too well?"
"Uh… actually, it was okay?" Shiori rubbed the back of her head, glancing at the Princess beside her.
Although the atmosphere had been heavy and quiet, judging by how the Princess had kept pace with her, she didn't seem to harbor any rejection towards Shiori.
"And what about over here, 'Tohka'?" Amber looked at the Princess.
"Tohka?"
Hearing this address, the Princess, whose expression had been calm and unreadable, froze for a moment. She didn't understand the meaning of those two syllables, but based on the speaker's gaze, it was clearly directed at her.
Amber then remembered—the Princess didn't have a name at this point.
"Huh? So Spirits do have names?" Shiori, unaware of this, had assumed it was the Princess's name. But seeing the Princess herself looked confused, she became puzzled too.
Did Durandal remember the name wrong?
"...It's a name I just thought of," Amber could only say. "After all, we can't keep addressing you as 'Spirit' or by your codename 'Princess' forever."
Upon hearing this, Kotori's expression in the sky turned slightly complex.
Wasn't 'Durandal' a codename too? Even if she didn't know why someone would incorporate a codename like that, according to the girl herself, it indeed counted as one.
"Well… that's certainly true," Shiori agreed with a nod.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Seeing the two of them talking back and forth, the Princess was still completely in the dark.
"What do you mean, can't call me Spirit or Princess? Haven't you been calling me that all along?"
"That may be so, but those aren't really names, are they?" Shiori explained.
"My name is Itsuka Shiori. But if someone addressed me as 'girl,' 'human,' or 'student,' while not exactly wrong, it wouldn't help us get closer either."
"Closer?" The Princess furrowed her brow, struggling to comprehend.
"Well then, try calling me 'Shiori' instead of 'human,'" Shiori, finding it hard to describe, simply invited her to try.
"Shiori…"
Still not quite grasping the situation, the Princess tentatively voiced the name. An indescribable feeling arose in her mind.
It was just a change in address, yet it felt as if some invisible connection had been established between them.
"Because exchanging names is the beginning of understanding each other." Amber smiled and nodded, but then, realizing it might not quite fit her persona, added, "Rita once said something like that."
"The beginning of understanding each other?" The Princess blinked. "So… if you want to understand each other, a name is necessary…"
'Understanding each other'—these words felt utterly foreign to her, yet for some reason, they made her heart beat faster and the corners of her mouth threaten to lift involuntarily.
She didn't resist this unprecedented feeling, and subsequently, her first genuine smile appeared.
Seeing this, Shiori immediately smiled as well, like a parent witnessing their child following their guidance to achieve something amazing.
Even if it was just progressing from crawling to walking, it filled her with delight.
"What? Why are you making such a strange face…!?" Seeing Shiori's expression directed at her, the Princess instinctively wanted to avert her gaze, but feeling that would seem like admitting weakness, she widened her eyes and stared back.
"Sorry, I was just thinking of something happy." Shiori initially thought to make up an excuse, but after a moment's consideration, she abandoned the idea and said directly, "No, it's just that seeing you smile makes me happy too."
Kotori, watching from above, felt like facepalming. 'Speaking so bluntly, are you some kind of Durandal yourself?'
But seeing the Princess's favorability and mood meter clearly jump up a significant notch, she fell silent.
Could it be… that the current meta is all about the direct approach?
Remembering how Durandal's straightforwardness had easily closed the distance with Shiori, and now witnessing Shiori's own blunt force instantly bridging the gap with the Princess, Kotori briefly questioned her life's understanding.
As an avid consumer of various anime and manga, she of course knew about 'moe attributes' and was acutely aware of her own appeal.
Simply put, she was the tsundere and imouto type.
In theory, that should be a killer combination, right? So why did it feel like it was falling out of fashion?
The three on the ground were unaware of Kotori's internal crisis.
Struck by Shiori's direct hit, the Princess felt a peculiar itch in her chest, and an unnatural heat rose to her cheeks. Unfamiliar with this emotion, she simply stood there frozen.
But she quickly snapped out of it. "You…! It was just a smile! What's there for you to be happy about!?"
"Because you always had such a negative expression before." Shiori, realizing she had likely embarrassed the other girl, considerately lowered her head slightly, letting her gaze fall to the ground.
"We want to save you. But if the person we want to save doesn't share that desire, there's nothing we can do."
"Save me… I think this is the second time I've heard that word from you." The Princess recalled their first meeting.
Back then, even though the other party had said it, she hadn't really believed them. But now things were different.
Durandal's display of power gave her the thought, 'Someone this strong has no need to deceive me,' prompting her to seriously consider the words.
"But, how do you plan to save me? Save me from what?" the Princess asked, perplexed.
"Do you know why humans fight against Spirits?" Seeing the Princess showing interest in the topic, Shiori's face lit up with a smile. She hadn't expected progress to be this fast after just one encounter.
"…No," the Princess shook her head. "Isn't it because I'm a Spirit, and you're human?"
"Of course not." Shiori explained, "The reason humans attack Spirits is because of this."
As she spoke, she pointed behind the Princess, in the direction they had come from—strewn with dilapidated ruins, cracked and collapsed ground, and, of course, the massive crater in the far distance.
The Princess, however, merely tilted her head, not understanding Shiori's meaning.
"This place wasn't supposed to look like this." Understanding the Princess's confusion, Shiori directly pulled out her phone and showed the Princess street view photos she had prepared in advance.
Clean, tidy streets, pedestrians everywhere—scenes the Princess had never witnessed before.
She hadn't realized there were so many humans, nor had she imagined that the landscapes she always found herself in weren't actually humanity's homes, but their 'former homes.'
"Is it… caused by my appearance?" The Princess lacked common knowledge, but she wasn't stupid.
Connecting the environments she always found herself in after regaining consciousness with Shiori's earlier context, she understood the implication.
"Every time I wake up, I cause destruction like this… So that's why…"
This realization was hard for her to accept. All this time, she had believed the attacks were due to their different races. She had never intended to harm them, yet they persistently came after her.
In this understanding, she was the tragic, helpless victim, merely defending herself. But what Shiori showed her revealed this was her own mistaken perception.
In reality, she was attacked because her very appearance destroyed human homes.
The cognitive dissonance left her feeling lost and at a loss.
"But, we can change this situation." Seeing the Princess understood, Shiori declared.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.