My name is...
The damage was greater than I expected. My arm is dislocated, and I believe I have some broken ribs.
"Perhaps I'll have to repeat," I think at this moment. But my body burns with fury, telling me I must live, that all this effort must have a result.
Debris begins to fall, the roof cracks, and the frozen walls shatter like glass due to Puck's truly otherworldly magic.
I don't look back; I walk with all my might over the rubble. Victory is outside. I'm close to it, but then...
"Marco!" Emilia exclaims. She reaches out her hand, and her eyes, her eyes seemed to want to cry.
I look up and see a large piece of the house falling towards me. There's no way to avoid it.
Emilia tries to create a large piece of ice, but time is not enough.
Just when I think it's the end, then...
"HA!" A loud shout echoes, the cry of that man who had arrived late every time.
A blade of air travels towards the rubble, causing it to explode. With my last strength, I leap outside, and the entire house collapses into pieces.
The thunderous noise resonates, and a cloud of dust moves through the air, obscuring everyone's view.
I tumble uncontrollably to the ground. Crashing at Emilia's feet.
She crouches down, completely stunned by what has just happened. My body hurts like never before. I can't move my arm; my chest aches, and I feel like all my bones are almost broken.
But it's not enough.
"Now, freeze the entire bazaar!" I look into her eyes with determination.
Emilia immediately rises, and by gathering mana, she tries to create an ice pillar. However, due to the appearance of that person, the pillar only forms halfway.
"The mana..." Emilia looks at her hands, then around her.
Seeing him, she understands what has just happened.
Then he appears, the person I've been waiting for since I came to this place.
An imposing and captivating man, with his crimson hair and his blue eyes that seem to shine with the moonlight.
His presence alone can generate a feeling of pressure in his surroundings. It's as if he were a force of nature, capable of facing any challenge that comes his way.
On his belt, he carries the mighty dragon sword, which exudes an overwhelming and powerful presence, demonstrating his combat prowess. On his right arm, he carries Felt's dagger, making me understand that I owe her my life.
When Reinhard stands beside us, it's as if everything stops to pay attention to him. His imposing presence and innate ability make him a true legendary hero.
But that bastard.
"You arrived late twice." I think to myself.
"You're late..." As I speak, my throat expels small drops of blood.
I feel like I'm about to faint. Now that I've calmed down, my body stops responding to me and tries to fall.
Then, a warm sensation envelops me. It flows within me, and I can feel a warm current.
Emilia was placing her hand on my chest, using healing magic on me. Her face looked exhausted; I suppose she also spent a lot of magic, and the fact that she keeps healing me is due to her noble spirit.
"Thank you."
Emilia looks into my eyes and sticks her tongue out at me.
"You're a fool," she comments with a sweet tone.
I give Emilia a small smile while experiencing the strange sensation of being healed by her magic. It's as if my body has been anesthetized; the pain completely disappears, as if it had never existed.
Magic is truly amazing, and it makes me think about what the world would be like in thousands of years, or if something like this existed in our world. We probably would have self-destructed, no doubt.
"Reinhard, you..." Emilia looks at Reinhard; she didn't expect him to be here.
Reinhard carefully surveys the destroyed bazaar. I suppose he's blaming himself for not arriving on time.
"I was patrolling the area when this little one came to me," Reinhard says as he turns and shows Felt.
She had managed to hide completely within the surroundings. Behind Reinhard, her expression seemed fearful, like a child getting into trouble.
Reinhard looks at Emilia, asking her to tell him what happened. Emilia recounts the story while she continues to heal me; my body feels like new, but this time the fatigue didn't disappear.
Reinhard seemed to think for a moment before speaking:
"The gut hunter." Reinhard looks back at the bazaar. "I'll have to investigate if she's still alive."
I don't think she's dead. I don't know what conditions she's living in, but she definitely recovered from that. In fact, she probably would have attacked if Reinhard hadn't appeared; fighting in a confined space is one thing, but in this open field, she doesn't stand a chance.
Nor would she in a confined space.
I don't know how to feel about it. I'm relieved to have overcome this challenge, but I can't forget that I'm here thanks to the sacrifice of so many people.
I won't let anyone else die. I'll do my best not to make the same mistakes again. That's what I want to tell myself, but deep down, I'm still the same person.
"Thanks for the save at the end, Reinhard." I get up, and Emilia reacts, trying to make me lie down again, but I stop her. "I'm fine."
"You had many wounds; you should rest," Emilia looks at me with a concerned expression.
"There will be time for that," I reply, looking at Felt. "You have a promise to fulfill, don't you?"
Felt looks at me with wide eyes, as if she expected me not to say anything or to forget what happened.
She walks with her head down and a clenched hand, aware that Rom's house was destroyed, and almost everyone died, with nowhere to do business or money for repairs.
But fate is going to change for her, I hope for the better.
Finally, Felt arrives in front of Emilia and lifts her head to look at her.
"Thank you for taking care of old Rom."
"Yeah, it was nothing," Emilia comments with a smile, noticing Felt's tender attitude.
Felt then opens her palm, and as she does, the crystal of the insignia shines brightly. Reinhard, upon seeing it, is surprised and grabs her arm.
"Let go of me!" Felt tries to break free but can't.
"Let her go!" Rom approaches and throws a punch at Reinhard, but he stops it with one hand.
Reinhard then touches her neck, causing Felt to faint. Rom gets angry, but I grab his arm.
"Stop!" I direct my gaze at Reinhard. "Reinhard, aren't you going to arrest her or not?"
Reinhard looks at me for a moment, as if he's thinking.
"You are..." Reinhard gives me a suspicious look. To be honest, I don't remember what abilities Reinhard has. If, by any chance, he can read my mind, that's going to be a problem.
"I'm Marco Luz," I look Reinhard in the eyes. "Thanks for saving me again."
I don't recommend that you see more. I'm not evil, but I'd appreciate it if you respected my privacy. I'll tell you everything when the time is right.
If Reinhard can read my mind, it's better to give him the warning now. I don't know the limits of his power.
"Reinhard Van Astrea, at your service. Don't worry, I'm just doing my duty," Reinhard bows slightly. "To answer your question, no, I'm not going to arrest her, but I do have to take her with me. I won't harm her in any way; I just need to verify something."
Rom seems suspicious, or actually, he seems to hate the very fact of being in front of Reinhard. "You had to be an Astrea," Rom spits on the ground in anger.
"Can't you take him too? They're like family, I don't think it's good to separate them", at least. I don't want a repeat of the attempted attack during the selection.
"Yes, it's not fair to separate a family," Emilia looks at Reinhard with determination, as if she would scold him if he didn't allow it.
Reinhard looks at Rom and nods.
"There won't be any problem. The gentleman can come with me," Reinhard bows to Emilia.
"Then it's settled," Emilia smiles, seeing that she now has the insignia in her hand.
Rom reluctantly stands next to Reinhard. Reinhard doesn't seem to have a problem with it, so he ignores Rom.
Reinhard can see that both of us want to be alone, so he decides to speak first.
"Well, it's been a pleasure seeing you. I know we'll meet again."
Reinhard bows again before turning his back on us and starting to walk with Rom.
I have to say something.
"Next time, let me treat you to a drink as a thank you!"
"It will be a pleasure," Reinhard comments, giving me one last look.
Emilia and I wait until they are a distance away. The only source of light was the moon shining high above. We began to walk since it wasn't safe to stay in that place.
I would have liked to confirm if Elsa is dead, but if she isn't, it's better to get away.
Both of us wait to be outside the slums. Despite it being night, the bars were still open, and the streets were well lit, providing us with a bit of security.
We found a sidewalk in front of a water fountain, illuminated by a beacon of light, and decided to sit there to talk in peace.
"It was an intense experience," I sigh calmly. "I never imagined it would be so chaotic."
A blatant lie.
Emilia lowers her head, probably feeling guilty about what happened. From her perspective, she must feel that everything that happened is due to her irresponsibility.
Not that it's entirely untrue.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you accompany me," Emilia says with a slightly broken voice. "If there's anything I can do for you!" Emilia lifts her head and looks into my eyes.
After a brief silence, I comment, "Thanks for saving me from those thugs. You've already done enough for me." I glance towards the fountain.
Emilia keeps staring at me. I can't find a way to tell her that I want to stay with her; any explanation would be too suspicious.
Emilia then shakes her head in refusal. "No, no. You put your life in danger just to do me a favor. No, you actually saved my life." Emilia takes my hand. "There must be something I can do for you, please."
Emilia gazes at me intently, her eyes shimmering, hoping for me to suggest something.
But it's not the right time.
"I really don't know who you are, I just know that it seemed like something important," I stand up from the bench and gently release her grip. "Thank you very much for everything. I guess fate connected us in some way. Hopefully, we'll meet again."
I start walking slowly. I need her to tell me who she really is.
"What are you going to do now!?" Emilia stands up from the bench.
"I don't know, I don't have a home or money, so I have to figure out what to do," I continue to advance slowly, giving her time.
Then I hear heavy footsteps behind me, and just after that, Emilia grabs my leather jacket. She stands still for a moment, as if she's thinking.
"Is something wrong?" I turn to look at her.
Her face doesn't show happiness or sadness; she just seems to be looking into the distance.
I suppose she really is suspicious; Puck probably told her something to make her so wary.
"I...," Emilia takes my hands again. "I'll tell you who I am, but..."
She applies a bit of pressure with her hands.
"No, you don't have to if you don't want to," I say gently.
"You saved me, and without you, I don't know what would have happened, so at the very least, I have to do something for you." She nods, changing her expression to a cheerful one.
Emilia, motivated, says, "You can stay at my house for a while."
She ponders what she said, then blushes at her words. Her ears turn red, and she releases my hands to cover her face.
"No, it's not that. My representative has a mansion, and since you're my benefactor, you can stay there for a while if you don't know what to do." She looks at me with sparkling eyes, a mix of blushing and excitement.
I pretend to think it over, as if it's a difficult decision. After all, if I accept too quickly, and she tells Puck, it might make her more suspicious of me.
I stay blank for a moment. To be honest, I just want to lie down and sleep.
"I..."
I'm interrupted by Emilia.
"Don't you want to?" Emilia's expression falls a bit, as if I've dashed her expectations.
I extend my hand for a handshake.
"On the contrary, I'll have to thank you for the offer," I give her a sincere smile.
Her ears perk up a bit, and her expression does a 180-degree turn to one of excitement as she takes my hand.
"Thank you!"
Emilia gives a little hop of happiness. Her expression is priceless, like that of a child who has just been bought a toy or their favorite meal.
It's been a while since I've seen something like this.
Today, under the moonlight, I've made the decision to change my life. Taking the easy path led me to failure, so I'll embrace the difficult path and make sure to overcome all the obstacles that come my way.
I walk alongside Emilia through the streets, where there are few people due to the hour, but some businesses are still open.
I find myself in a medieval world with magic, which made me sigh resignedly because I knew this world wasn't beautiful, and easy things weren't waiting for me.
Especially...
I see the silver-haired girl, Emilia, looking ahead with a satisfied expression.
She notices that I'm looking at her and looks back at me.
"Is something wrong?" Emilia looks at me confused but doesn't erase her smile.
"Nothing's wrong." I look ahead, not saying more.
I don't know if I made the right decision. I don't know what changes lie ahead or how things will unfold from now on. I feel very weak at the moment.
The strange thing is that, despite losing my grandparents and living traumatized by persecution for years, those memories feel vague, as if they happened a long time ago.
Instead, I feel like my returns haunt me every moment. It's unbearable... How did the protagonist cope with this?
I sigh, knowing that his is just a story... Although, in some way.
What happened to Natsuki Subaru? The real one, of course.
Suddenly, I realize that we are in front of a carriage stand. We approach one in particular where Ram is, who seems worried as she walks back and forth, with an annoyed expression on her face.
Emilia stops for a moment, as if she's afraid of what they're going to tell her for arriving so late. She seems nervous about Ram's reaction.
"Is something the matter, Satella?" I touch Emilia's shoulder.
She startles, surprised to hear the name I just called her.
"Satella? Oh, sorry," Emilia looks towards where Ram is. "Wait a moment."
After giving me a hand signal, Emilia trots over to Ram. From a distance, I can't hear what they're saying, but from Ram's annoyed appearance, it seems like she's scolding her.
Emilia lowers her head as if apologizing, but Ram sighs. After a few seconds, she seems to have calmed down, and then Emilia points at me.
Ram looks at me with suspicion, as if she's seeing a stalker.
"Marco, come over!" Emilia beckons me with her hands to where she is.
I walk slowly, thinking about how I'm going to react to Ram.
When I'm close enough, Ram looks me in the eyes, then sighs resignedly.
"So, this is the vagabond you rescued," Ram comments with an arrogant tone, shrugging.
Emilia clenches her fists a bit.
"He's not a vagabond. He's the one who helped and saved me, and I want to thank him for that," Emilia looks at Ram with a fierce expression.
I lightly touch Emilia's back, trying to calm the situation.
"Pleased to meet you, miss. My name is Marco Luz. The young lady offered to accommodate me for a while at her representative's mansion, thinking that her honorable representative would show goodwill toward her request," I bow slightly, showing respect.
Flattering Roswaal is the secret to getting along with Ram.
Ram seems to think for a few seconds, but then she starts talking.
"Hmpf! I guess you at least know how to thank properly," Ram opens the carriage door. "Miss Emilia explained the situation to me a bit. I suppose it's pertinent for Lord Roswaal to hear about it and decide what to do with you."
Emilia looks at me with a big smile and immediately takes Ram's hands.
"Yes! Thank you, Ram," Emilia looks at Ram with a happy expression.
On the other hand, Ram shows discomfort that even makes me feel sorry for Emilia. I guess it's at least good that she didn't realize.
Emilia calls me to enter the carriage. This will be my first time in a carriage, I suppose it will be a new experience of many more.
As I sit down, the carriage starts moving. Ram was driving it, so Emilia and I were alone. The carriage was luxurious, quite spacious, and cushioned. It wasn't as comfortable as an armchair or car seats, but it was quite comfortable.
Once we got further away from the city, I glance at the rear window, and my heart starts beating deeply. Maybe I can still go back to my world.
Those thoughts are quickly erased from my mind; my world no longer accepts me. Going back means having to flee again.
In the end, the only thing I can miss is not saying goodbye to my old man. My father, who was already on the doorstep of death. At least I would have liked to bid him farewell.
But because of those damn thugs, I couldn't go see him. Doing good things doesn't make good things happen to you.
A feeling of nostalgia embraces my heart.
The starry sky is beautiful, due to the low pollution, I can see the constellations in their full brightness. I want to engrave that image in my heart because this will be the sky I'll see from now on.
I take out my mobile phone to take a picture from the carriage, but the movement is so abrupt that it's complicated.
"What's that?" Emilia comes to my side to see the phone.
Surprised, I lean back almost falling to the carriage floor. Emilia looks at me and starts laughing.
"Hey Marco. You know?" Emilia looks at me and interlocks her fingers. "Thank you so much for saving me!"
Emilia then gives me a smile, behind it was the profound constellation.
Click!
My phone sounds as the flash activates and takes a picture without thinking. This photo, this photo means that I finally managed to protect someone. I finally managed to protect myself while avoiding someone's death.
Emilia reacts after I take the photo.
"What did you do?" Emilia approaches me, and I show her my phone. "Is that... a metia?"
I look at Emilia with a serious expression. After all, my plan depends on what I'm going to say.
"I have something important to tell you."
Seeing my expression, Emilia thinks I'm about to say something bad and reacts, trying to calm me down.
"Wait, is something wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Emilia looks at me worried.
I shake my head.
"No, now that it's just the two of us, I'll be honest with you."
Emilia, upon hearing my words, tries to silence me with her hands, moving them frantically.
"Wait, I also have to tell you something," she lowers her head, and her ears droop slightly. "The truth is...," she puts her hands on her legs and clenches them into fists, "I lied about my name!"
She says it loudly without looking into my eyes. For a moment, she gazes at her legs, but when she sees that I'm not responding, she slowly raises her gaze.
When she finally looks me in the eyes, I speak:
"I already knew."
Emilia thinks for a moment and then reacts with surprise.
"Eehh! Are you serious?" Emilia looks at me, a mix of surprise and fear in her eyes.
"Yes. No one says their name with such a serious look. I knew instantly that it wasn't your real name. Besides, didn't Puck call you Lia during the battle?" I point it out. "Lia, is that your name?"
Emilia thinks for a few seconds, then lets out a long sigh, releasing all the nervousness she had for nothing.
"But if my performance was flawless," she pouts, showing her indignation. "It's Puck's fault! Hmpf!"
Emilia then smiles.
"My name isn't exactly Lia," Emilia looks directly into my eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Marco. My name is Emilia. Just Emilia."
In just this day, I've seen Emilia smile multiple times, but I can't get tired of seeing it. Her sweetness is mesmerizing.
Too bad she's not particularly my type.
"I like this name better. It suits you. The name is as cute as you," I wink my right eye in jest.
Emilia then gives a nervous smile, slowly turns red, and lightly punches my chest. One, two, three, she starts hitting me gently, insulting me in multiple ways.
I'm surprised she acts like this with someone she barely knows. I guess she must have felt really lonely to get so close to a stranger.
"Idiot! Clown!" Emilia finishes with an insult I've never heard in my life.
Having freed herself, she starts to pant tiredly, but her expression still displays that nervous smile.
I have to test it, if it works, I can continue with my plan. If it doesn't, then I'll have to think of a strategy on the way to the mansion. Before doing it in the mansion, I have to make sure I can say it. If it works, I'll just have to make them believe me.
"Emilia," I hold her hands, making her look at me in surprise.
She doesn't say anything, just waits for me to speak. Her gaze shifts towards me in short intervals and then looks at something else.
"I'm going to tell you something very important. The reason I have nowhere to go, no money, and the reason I have this unknown device is because..."
If you're going to break my heart, then do it quickly.
"Yes..." Emilia looks at me this time with a serious expression, understanding that it's not a time for games.
"The reason I have these strange clothes, and don't seem to come from this place is because..."
I don't want to say it, for some reason, I'm afraid to. Emilia seems to see that I'm about to speak and tries to say something, but I'm quicker.
"I come from another world."
I look Emilia in the eyes with no sign of joking.
"Eh?"
Silence...