Seraphina POV
"Just… be careful."
After spending a while deliberating over what to tell Lucy, with a hundred things I want to tell her, I end up settling for the simplest words of caution.
"You too."
She gives me a faint smile before answering and climbing onto Bernard's back.
"Haha, let's do this!"
"Uwah!"
By the time I realize what's happening, they have already taken off at high speed, with Lucy desperately clinging on.
"Haah."
I let out a deep breath and steel myself for the battle ahead.
Honestly, when I first saw this huge monster, I seriously doubted whether the six of us could take it down. Our first round of attack didn't exactly inspire confidence either, considering we barely made any dent in this thing.
But now that Lucy has taken charge and come up with a plan I'm feeling much more optimistic. I still don't like how she's put herself right on the front line, though. Even so, I trust her judgement. Part of that is because of her extensive knowledge of the game, but even without that, I think I'd still follow her lead.
"Okay."
I open my eyes just in time to see Bernard and Lucy slam into the monster with even more force than before. Their shield is still completely intact this time, just as I'd expect from Lucy.
But I don't stand idle either, and begin hurling several magical gems aimed right at the hydra. They wouldn't do much damage on their own, so I deliberately aim for its weak points, forcing it to split its attention between Bernard and Lucy's frontal assault and my attacks. I also make extra sure to leave an opening for them to pull back after each attack.
"Hah!"
Then Arthur suddenly appears in the monster's blind spot and brings his sword down, cleanly severing one of its heads.
"Screech!"
I quickly toss a few more magical gems, covering for Arthur and then turn to Hugh next to me:
"You're up next, um… try to hold back as much as you can."
"Hm."
I know I'm asking for the impossible, especially in this situation, but I can't help it. I don't want to see Lucy suffer.
The next moment, a red ball of flame flies through the air and strikes the wound right at the opening, cauterizing it.
Ugh, without Lucy's knowledge, we probably would have kept fighting this thing until it lost one of its heads, only for two more to grow back and make the fight even harder. So I guess I could already call us lucky for having Lucy with us.
But I quickly snap out of my thoughts and keep throwing out magical gems, and look at Bernard and Lucy with worry.
Good, their shield is still up and it seems to be in good condition. Lucy must have pushed through it after all. But still, we should finish this up as quickly as possible.
"Bernard, go to the side! Arthur, watch out for the tail!"
So with renewed determination I keep playing my part as we slowly wear the monster down. Arthur manages to cut off two more heads this way, and I use some more magical gems to cover for him.
By now, my once-abundant reserves have noticeably dwindled, and I have to keep reaching into different pockets for more gems. But I should have enough for the rest of the fight, probably. However, that's when it happens…
Bernard slams into the hydra as usual, but I can immediately tell something has gone wrong. Large cracks spread across his shield before it shatters into countless pieces of earth.
"...! Watch out!"
I shout and break into a run before I even realize what I'm doing.
The impact sends Bernard and Lucy flying backward, but Bernard quickly turns around and pulls Lucy against him, turning his own body so that he'll take the impact when they hit the ground. However the monster doesn't miss this opening either as it extends its two remaining heads at them while they're still in the air.
I quickly glance around. Arthur was knocked back by the hydra's tail the moment he began to move, so he won't make it in time. Pulling two people out of danger at once would probably be difficult for him anyway. Hugh is already exhausted from his injury and his fire spells, while Miss Julia can barely maintain her shield anymore so she can't intervene either.
So it's all up to me now. Using magical gems… wouldn't be enough to stop its desperate attack. Which means…
And if anything goes wrong, it's all in your hands. Don't hold back.
Lucy's words echo in my mind. I don't want her to suffer, but if this is the only way to stop the monster from hurting her, I can't afford to hesitate.
I feel the temperature around me rise as I extend my arms and let my mana flow through them. A long stream of raging flames bursts forth, cutting through the two heads just before they can reach Lucy and Bernard and instantly cauterizing the wounds at the same time.
"Hyah!"
Then I redirect my spell, making the flames sweep around the monster's body until it is trapped within a whirlwind of fire.
Even without its heads, the hydra continues to thrash around, desperately trying to break free of the flames. I intensify my spell, determined to kill it as quickly as possible. I can't let it go on a rampage now.
It's been a while since I've let myself go this much. My heartbeat quickens as I push myself to my limits. Although I've kept up with my magic training in class, I've always held back.
"Just die already!"
I shout as I let my flames consume it completely. It can no longer let out any sound without any of its heads so it just shrivels up and then turns into dust.
"Haah. Haah."
I went all out to kill it as quickly as possible, and now my body is screaming in protest. I take a few quick breaths, trying to steady myself.
"Lucy!"
But I push through it and force my legs to move as I make my way to her.
"Ugh, is she okay?"
Bernard asks as he struggles to sit up and carefully lays Lucy down.
"I… I don't know."
I quickly look her over. There are no visible injuries, but her brows are tightly furrowed, as though she's in pain.
"Let me see."
Suddenly Miss Julia kneels down next to us as well and she places her right hand on Lucy's forehead. I notice the flow of mana for a moment and then Lucy's face finally relaxes.
"Don't worry, she's alright."
"But what about…"
What about mentally? Seeing that whole display must have been traumatizing for her.
That's what I want to ask, but in the end I have a hard time finishing my sentence. Miss Julia simply pats me on the shoulder as she stands and says:
"Have a little faith in her. She's pretty tough."
"Hm…"
"What about you Bernard? Any injuries?"
"Ah, nope! It would take more than that to take me down, haha!"
"In that case let's return to the academy. We can come back later for any materials. Though there's probably not much left…"
It's only when Miss Julia says that that I realize just how thoroughly we've wrecked this chamber. Well, at least we learned that what we're looking for isn't here anyway.
After this, we quickly make our way back the way we came without any further issues.
…
"You should get some rest, you must be exhausted as well."
"...I'll just wait a little longer."
I reply to Miss Julia while sitting next to the infirmary bed that Lucy is lying on.
"Haah, whatever. I've already checked you and you didn't get any curses so you can relax. Call me over if there are any problems when she wakes up. I'll be over in the light magic classroom checking on the others."
"Hm."
Miss Julia leaves the room, and I turn my gaze to the girl lying on the bed, her long golden hair spread out around her.
I carefully take her hand in mine. It feels a little cold, so I cup it between both of my hands, trying to warm it.
I really hope she'll be okay.
I think and as much as I want to stay by her side like this, now that all the danger is over, I feel a new wave of tiredness wash over me and my eyelids begin to feel much heavier. So, against my better judgement, I slowly lower my head onto the bed, still holding Lucy's hand. As I gaze at her face, my consciousness gradually fades.
…
"Hng."
Sensing slight movements from Lucy, I slowly stir awake as well. I sit up and my head begins to clear. I have no idea how much we slept, but it probably wasn't too long.
"Lucy? Are you okay?"
I ask as I turn to her. She's already sitting up and has a very blank expression on her face as she rubs her eyes in a daze, clearly not quite awake yet.
"Hm…? Ah!"
At first, she barely responds. But as her eyes regain their clarity and she looks at me, she suddenly recoils, scrambling backwards until she hits the headboard. Her reaction startles me too, and I quickly get up.
"Wh-what is it? Should I get Miss Julia? I'll go right away."
"Wait, no! I'm okay, just… just give me a moment."
She says, but she quickly averts her gaze from mine and whenever she glances back up, the same scared look appears on her face and she looks away again.
"Are you sure? You still seem a little… shaken."
"No, it's just… Sorry. Whenever I look at you, I get reminded of the scene before I fainted, with you in the middle of… Anyway, it brings up some other stuff… But I'll work through it quickly, don't worry. What about everyone else? Did anyone get hurt?"
"Ah, well, we made it back alright, and everyone is fine. But are you sure you're okay? Um, I can leave if I'm making you uncomfortable…"
"N-no, you can't!"
"...!"
She suddenly raises her voice and looks me in the eye, but then her eyes become fearful again and she uses her hand to cover her eyes. After a moment of silence she carefully starts talking again.
"Um… You can't leave because then I might get stuck like this. If I don't face this right now, I feel like I'll have a harder time getting over it later."
"But if it's too much to bear, it's okay to take it slow. You shouldn't push yourself."
Even if that means we interact less, I'd rather that than have Lucy hurt herself like this. So I move to take a step away, but she suddenly reaches out and grabs my sleeve, stopping me from going anywhere.
"No, you don't get it. How could I be scared of my best friend? Especially when I know you did all of that to save me in the first place. I would feel even worse, so I have to do this right now. Please, Hina? All you have to do is sit here with me for a while."
"...If it is too much, then I'll go and call Miss Julia."
"Hm."
I reluctantly let Lucy tug me back and sit down beside her on the bed. She's still averting her gaze, but after a few deep breaths she tries to maintain eye contact with me again, though it only lasts a few seconds this time as well.
"Ugh, maybe I should try a different approach…"
She mumbles under her breath, glancing at the hand still clutching my sleeve. Slowly, she releases the fabric and tentatively reaches out to touch my hand with her index finger.
"..."
I just silently watch her actions, unsure if I should say something or not.
After a moment, she seems to make up her mind and slowly places her hand against mine. I can feel her faint trembling as her cool fingers press against my skin.
After a while, she does the same with our other hands. As she grows more confident, she begins tracing my fingers with hers, interlocking them with mine, then letting go and repeating the process.
Even though we have held hands before, experiencing this much stimulation from her careful yet deliberate movements is a first. I can vividly feel her cool fingers brushing against my skin, the softness of her touch as our fingers intertwine.
"Um…"
Almost instinctively, I get the urge to say something, but seeing her focused expression as she does all of this, I decide to stay quiet.
Get yourself together, Seraphina! You can't let your mind wander while Lucy is working so hard to overcome her fears.
I quickly berate myself, trying to keep my heartbeat under control.
And just as I manage to calm down, I feel Lucy letting go of my left hand, which now feels a little empty. But I don't have much time to dwell on that before her hand suddenly fills my vision.
"...!"
I flinch slightly and then a cool sensation settles on the side of my face. I glance anxiously at Lucy, but she still seems lost in thought. A jumble of emotions crosses her face, yet her determination shines through above all else. Although she's still not looking into my eyes, it seems like she can look at my face already.
Calm down, Seraphina! This is just part of her treatment! It's perfectly fine. Ugh, then why does it feel so weird?!
While she's still holding the side of my face in her palm, Lucy's fingers begin to slowly trace my cheek and even brush against my lips. I can feel my already-hot face grow even warmer wherever her fingers touch.
Searching for some kind of distraction, I glance up, only to find Lucy's face filling my vision. At some point she seems to have moved closer, though her eyes remain fixed on my face. While there is still some distance between us, it still feels more intimate especially after everything else…
After a while, she brings her other hand up as well, cupping my face between her palms. Now my head is held gently in place, and I have no choice but to look at Lucy in close proximity.
Ugh, I already knew she was beautiful, but seeing her face this close has an even bigger impact.
"Ah!"
I suddenly have the brilliant idea of closing my eyes to calm my racing heart, only to realize almost immediately what a terrible mistake that was.
"Ugh."
Without my sight, my other senses seem to grow sharper, making me even more aware of Lucy's every touch. In the end, all I can do is endure, my heartbeat pounding so loudly that I can hear it in my ears.
Thankfully, she soon moves on from my face. I feel her hands withdraw and I quietly let out a sigh of relief. But then she suddenly moves even closer and wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my embrace.
"...!"
All the tension that had briefly left my body comes rushing back, and I freeze, unsure of what to do.
But with such close contact, I can feel her unsteady heartbeat and breathing. The trembling I could only faintly sense before is also much more apparent now, running through her entire body. So even though I still can't quite get my own emotions under control, I wrap my arms around her and gently pat her back, wanting to offer whatever comfort I can.
I feel her stiffen slightly at first, but then she seems to relax. The trembling lessens a little as well, though it might just be my imagination.
We stay like this for a while and over time I can feel her slowly return to normal as her shaking disappears and her breathing returns to normal as well.
I can't really say the same for myself, though. Every time I begin to calm down, Lucy shifts slightly, either moving her arms or adjusting her head, and sends my heart racing all over again.
"Hm?"
Lucy makes a curious sound after one such event, then pulls away and tilts her head. She places a hand against her own chest, seemingly checking something. In the meantime I let out another relieved sigh.
"It's not me. Then…"
She mumbles quietly before she reaches out again and I immediately stiffen.
"Ah! Um…!"
When I see her hand heading straight towards my… chest, I start to panic, but she reaches me before I can even think of escaping. Even through my clothes, I can vividly feel her hand settle on my skin, making me even more flustered than before.
"Your heart is racing."
She says flatly.
"Ah."
R-right, my heart! That's what she was checking. I knew that already, haha…
"W-well, of course my heart would race if the person I love approached me like that…"
I clumsily try to put together an answer and quietly voice it. Then she lifts her head and looks into my eyes with those big blue eyes of hers. The fear from before is gone, leaving only those beautiful, gem-like eyes.
"The one you love… So you really love me?"
"...! Of course I do!"
Being looked at like that and asked such a question makes me even more embarrassed, but I push through it and answer honestly.
"Your heartbeat sped up again."
"Ugh… c-can you maybe let go…?"
She's kept her hand over my heart this entire time, and being read like this makes me feel even more flustered. Especially since I can see the corners of Lucy's mouth slightly lifting.
"If I…"
She begins to say something, but then she hesitates for a moment and that hint of emotion disappears from her face.
"No, nevermind. I would have to return this body in the end anyway…"
She quietly mumbles and then begins to pull her arm away. I feel like I almost managed to get through to her, but now this brief connection suddenly begins to slip away as well.
But I refuse to let this chance go, so I quickly grab her hand and press it against my heart myself this time. She looks surprised by my action and I ask:
"If there was no 'real' Lucy. What would your answer be?"
"...There is no 'if'. I have to give this body back to her."
"Then what if we could have a new body for her and put her soul into that?"
I really don't like the answer she gives me with such a matter-of-fact tone, so I can't help bringing up the idea that I've been thinking about for a while now.
"Huh? Is that possible?"
"...probably. There is no precedent for it, but magic can do a lot of things so I'm sure we could figure something out."
"..."
She falls deep into thought at my suggestion, which makes me feel a little relieved. So she would like to stay here if it was possible. That makes me happy.
Though the part I left out is that something like that would be highly illegal. Any magic that manipulates the soul or tries to create living beings is highly taboo in the empire, and this rule is strictly enforced due to some past incidents.
But if it meant Lucy could stay here, I'd be willing to risk it without a second thought. And I believe I could get Miss Julia and the others on board too. With all of us working together, we could probably make it work.
Though I really wanted to leave this as a last resort due to all the risks involved, but we are starting to run out of time.
"Two Lucys? That didn't work out too well last time, did it?"
"Well…"
"...But I'll think about it."
She eventually mumbles. Getting that answer is already a huge step forward, so I'm really glad. Still, after everything she put me through here, I feel a little unsatisfied, so I decide to push a little further. Leaning closer, ask:
"So now you believe that I love you, right?"
"Huh? Y-yeah…"
"You won't deny my feelings after this by saying that the world just forced me to feel this way?"
"I, I won't. So-"
I press on and get even closer to Lucy, returning to about the same distance as before, while still keeping her hand pressed against my heart.
"You can feel my heartbeat, right? It's beating so quickly because of you."
I say without holding anything back, watching Lucy's face gradually redden as she now averts her gaze for an entirely different reason.
Heh, so now you can get embarrassed, huh?
"I get it. I get it… so…"
"Has she woken up yet?"
Feeling satisfied by her answer and reaction, I'm just about to let go of Lucy, when the door suddenly opens and a familiar voice calls out. Lucy and I both turn towards the door at the same time and see Miss Julia standing there.
Currently, we're sitting very close together on the bed, our legs touching, and I'm even leaning closer to Lucy while holding her hand against… certain places…
It's only now that I realize how this must look to anyone else, and I instantly become flustered and quickly let go of her hand.
"Ah! U-um, this is…"
"M-Miss Julia, we weren't…"
Even Lucy speaks up in a panicked voice. She probably also realized the compromising position we're currently in. Though she isn't having much success in her explanation either.
Miss Julia simply looks from one of us to the other with an unreadable expression, then steps back out and closes the door.
"Y-you're wrong! It's a misunderstanding!"
I finally manage to shout, but the door doesn't open again.
"Ugh…"
Next to me Lucy lets out a pained sound while she completely buries her face in her hands.
"Um… wasn't that…"
I start to speak carefully, glancing at one of Lucy's hands, but end up staying quiet.
No, never mind. I'm already as embarrassed as I can be, so it's better if I just stop thinking right now…