Hinata was alone, sipping wine from a glass in her bedroom.
When people referred to alcohol in this world, it was almost always mead made from honey. Wine did exist, but it was extremely expensive. The fact that Hinata was drinking it signified her status as a queen.
While wetting her throat with expensive wine, she thought back to one thousand years ago.
Hinata had never consumed alcohol before meeting Naru and the others.
She started drinking after she met them, and she never would have thought drinking alone could make things taste so bland.
Both Juvia and Ruby were still alive, but they basically never met up anymore. They all had too many shackles tying them down. Also, Hinata had always thought she wouldn't be able to face her friends with how far she still had to go to build this country.
However, she was made to realize something today. She was made to see that her attitude of not being able to face her friends, which had her wallowing in her own emotions, was the biggest insult to her friends.
If the victor was looked down upon, that degraded the loser by association as well.
Hinata had claimed victory over Lunaru Fenris, so she had a duty to maintain a character worthy of that achievement. She was taught that today by none other than Naru herself.
I had to be taught by the very friend I betrayed and defeated. Is there anything more laughable?
But thanks to that, I've woken up to what I must do.
First, I need to rebuild this country from the ground up as fast as possible.
I need to unite it into one. I'll eliminate discrimination based on wing color, and this time, I'll make sure to build the paradise for the flugels that I've always wanted.
I'm sure there will be war soon. Now that Naru has been revived, it's clear as day that there will be a big upheaval in the future. There's the Grimm King, Naru and then Ruby. There's no way those three won't clash. There will definitely be a fight between them somewhere, someday.
And I'm just as sure that that fight will involve the entire world.
I can't have this country be the only one that's not properly led by then.
I'd be a laughingstock.
Juvia… You've already predicted this, haven't you? I'm always the last to act.
The ice in Hinata's glass clinked as it moved around. The wine inside reflected an unconfident, sad-looking woman who seemed to be wasting away.
Look at how unreliable this woman looks. It's only natural that she's long since lost the goodwill of her people.
Hinata downed the wine all at once and walked to the window. Then, opening the window, she looked out at the night sky.
Just how many times have I mourned the fact that I will never fly in this sky again? How many times have I despaired?
To the flugels, there was nothing more important than their wings, and not being able to fly was a torture greater than any other. Hinata had even considered suicide.
However…
How small of you. So you can't fly. And?
Aren't you the way you are exactly because you've been so afraid of falling to the ground? You never soared high in the sky, but you never stood on the ground to experience the same sight as other people, either. You were just a half-assed person who sat in the middle.
No, that can't be right.
At the very least, Naru always stood firmly on the ground. She may have been covered in mud and had stones thrown at her, but she still desperately clung to life. That's exactly why she's so strong. She knows what it's like to walk the earth, so she's able to step forward more assertively than anyone else. And because she's able to kick off the earth so strongly, she's able to fly higher than anybody else.
So this time, it's my turn. Yes. Even without wings, I still have my legs.
Compared to Juvia, who can't even walk anymore, I'm much better off. So I'll walk. I don't need to fly. My wing can just be a decoration.
I can move forward by just walking. I can't stand still, mourning my lost wing. I need to walk forward. If I do, I'm certain I'll be able to catch up to that back and those black wings someday, even if they have taken off ahead of me.
Also, depending on how you look at it, isn't the fact that the one who called the queen of the sky is stuck on the ground and covered in mud ironically funny?
Hinata snorted, giving a short laugh.
I never thought I'd be able to look at the world like this. It feels like I've been reborn.
Things got really violent when Naru came along, but I should be thankful to her. I need to tell her thanks for giving this foolish woman some spirit.
With that in mind, Hinata looked down… and froze.
—The white town was collapsing.
"…"
Each part of the once beautiful townscape had been destroyed. The streets had been punched full of holes by Penny's machine gun. Houses had collapsed and buildings had been blown up.
On the other side, the state of the black town was also bad. One spot that used to be a park had been turned to nothing but scorched earth, and there was even a line of burnt ground extending outside of the capital. It was damage brought about by the clash between Fiona and Tayuya, two of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians.
The ground outside the capital had been ravaged and overturned like someone had dug through it, trying to get to something. That was thanks to Haruka's magic which had sprouted trees, destroying the scenery.
"…"
Hinata clenched her fist, shaking.
I'm thankful to you, and I regret betraying you in the past.
But this is a different matter.
Hinata knew she was partially at fault, but she couldn't stop herself from screaming, "NAAAARUUUU!!!!"
The White Princess's cry of fury shook the night air over Gjallarhorn.