-Interlude The shadow of the new country and the rival appears-

Almost one year had passed since those two outsiders coming here.

No,

Saying it outsider is not correct.

Since they’re already become a part of us.

As for what happened since they coming here…

-recap of previous time-

“W..why?”

The one who asked is Mai.

She made a disbelief face like the world is ending, and her face is getting pale.

Even us is getting awkward with this sudden rejection.

Then, the girl named Nora answered.

“Uhmm, i am happy that you thought me that way Mai, but…”

“I.. can only think of you as a big sister? Or a little sister sometimes..”

*stab*

“GHUAKH!??”

She speak with innocent face that seems like devoid of any malicious intent.

Mai had suddenly falls into her knees after hearing that.

“E..erm, i, its not like i hate being confessed to. It makes me happy too, but...”

“I am sorry, i really didn't have any feelings with you other than looking at you like a siblings...”

*smack*

“GOFUUKHH!???”

Mai vomits blood.

“B..but, it’s fine! Even though we can’t become a lovers…”

“We’re.. still friends, right? A best friend forever!”

*stab*

“AAAAAAAAAARGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

With that as a finisher, Mai had died.

*BAD END*

…….

After she had collapsed like a puppet without strings, everybody had looked at her awkwardly.

Some is getting sympathetic, other seems confused.

Nora is getting confused looking at Mai like that, while keep speaking “Eh? Eh?”

“...”

We were speechless while looking at this situation.

This girl… what a natural.

Is she doing it on purpose or not? If it wasnt, that was too scary.

While still look weakened, Mai tried her hardest to standing up.

“..wa”

She tried hard to speak

“UWAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Cannot bear it anymore, she start to bawling while putting her back on floor.

“Uh? Huh?”

Nora still looked confused.

Ignoring everything else, Mai keeps bawling and swinging her arms and legs.

“UWAAAAHHHH!!!!! NORA HATES MEEE!! I DON’T WANT TO LIVE ANYMOREE!!”

She makes a tantrum while grabbing her face with both hands and swinging her legs.

“KILL MEEE! JUST, KILL ME! I DON’T WANT TO LIVE ANYMOREE! WAAAHHHH!”

She cried and act like a baby.

“Uhm, Mai? Didn't you hear what am i am saying? I never said i hate you..”

She ignores her words and keep bawling

“EVEN THOUGH.. EVEN THOUGH I LOVED YOU SO MUCH, DESPITE THE TIME THAT WE HAVE SPEND TOGETHER, WHYYYY??”

“Mai, you're ignoring me again!??”

“HUUKH *SNIFF* WAS THAT DAY A LIE? THAT DAY WHEN WE BARES EVERYTHING AND BECOMING ONE WITH EACH OTHER. . WAS IT JUST A MISTAKES OF YOUTH? DID YOU ALLOW ME TO DO IT JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE FEELING SYMPATHY WITH ME? *SOB*”

“Wh..? Mai, i told you to not bring that up again!!”

“YOU PLAYED WITH MY FEELINGS LIKE THAT! I KNEW IT! *SOB* I KNEW IT WAS TOO LATE! YOUR HEART HAD ALREADY BEEN INSIDE MIKE GRASP AFTER ALL! I REALIZE IT’S ALREADY TOO LATE, NOW YOU HAD BEEN DEFILED! EVEN THOUGH I KNOW… EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TOO LATE... I STILL HAD A HOPE SOMEWHERE WITHIN MY HEART! UWAAAH! FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME NORA, I WAS TOO LATE TO SAVE YOU!!”

“Like i always said, what are you talking about…”

“UU *GUSU* *SOB* *HIC*”

Mai keep speaking to herself and ignoring Nora while crying hard.

“...”

Nora makes a troubled face. Until Mai is finally stopped crying but she was still closing her face.

“E..erm, Mai?”

Since she was keep quiet all of sudden, Nora start to ask.

It was getting quiet for awhile, then.

“....no”

Mai start to muttering.

“?”

Nora looked worried.

She was with Mai for so long that anything that she do was supposed to be not surprising to her anymore.

But lately she feels like she doesn't understand Mai anymore and start to have some suspicion that this Mai is not the childhood friends that she knews anymore.

“No… i can’t”

She mutters while closing her eyes.

Everybody still looks at her confused, while looking at her.

Then…

“I decided…”

After saying that, Mai start to open her eyes and getting up.

“Wah!?”

Because it was sudden, Nora collapsed on her knees.

Mai was standing while wiping out her tears.

She was still red from crying, but her face is more determinated than before.

“...”

She looked at Nora with a serious face.

Then,

While crouching down to Nora, she hold her hands like a princess.

“I will become your knight!, no, a prince!”

She said that without any hesitation.

“...”

Nora start to getting blank for a second, then.

“EEEEEHHH!?”

She screamed.

…..

“W..what do you mean, Mai?”

She looked so surprised so she was slowly asked her.

“....”

Making a serious face, Mai is start to answer her.

“Having cried my heart out, i have remembered various things in the past”

“?”

“When we were little, you once said that you want a prince in white horse to take you as a bride someday, right?”

“Wh..that was so long ago, Mai!”

“It doesnt matter, more importantly..!”

She was getting close to Nora face.

“Eh? Eh? Mai, what do you..MMPH!?”

She start to kiss her.

“M..mai..wh..uupph..mm..”

And deep kiss on top of that.

“fu..uh..umm..”

“...”

Everybody looks at them while some is getting red, some take a peek through their fingers, and some is whispering to each others while looked so happy.

After a moment that seems like a eternity, Mai finally release her mouth.

“Fwaah!?”

After finally being released, Nora collapsed on her knees.

“Ha...haaah..Mai… what..are..you?”

She was getting red while teary and sweating a lot.

Because it was so sudden, her pants are soaked wet too.

Mai had a urge to continue, but holding back because she got more important things to say. And face the old granny instead.

“Your majesty”

“M,me?”

Mai was making a pose like a knight in front of their king.

The old granny is surprised because she was suddenly talked to her instead, but still replying anyway.

“Let me train here to become a prince worthy for Nora”

“Huh?”

Mai start to explain.

“I understand. My inexperience is what led Nora had been defiled by that creature. Because of my weakness, i allow Nora to be tainted by the devil. That’s why. I need to be strong! I need to protect Nora from that evil! There's no use of passion without strength! No matter how right my purpose is, the enemy is too strong! That’s why i had to be stronger! But, i can’t do it alone! Please, your majesty! Lend me your strength! Give me the strength to protect Nora!”

“Huh? Uh, sure. But, we’re not a kingdom or knight order or something like that, so i don’t know if we can help you much, but are you fine with it?”

“I am fine, as long as i can be stronger!”

“W..well, if you say so”

Having pressured from Mai determination, the old granny accepts it awkwardly.

Turning back to Nora, Mai start to speak to her again.

“Nora”

“Nhah..?”

She was still a bit dazed, so she didn't reply.

Then Mai holds Nora hands

“i promised. I will save you from that devil monster someday. The enemy is strong, but i won’t lose! Until then, will you wait for me, Nora?”

“Any...thing..you..say..”

She was still dizzy, so she did not have any strength to thinking and doesn't care anymore about answering her.

“...”

The old woman is silently mutters with a low voice.

Young people nowadays, is really impossible for her to understand.

……

After that, Mai had trained hard to hunt together with us.

Her ability in skinning and sewing is amazing too. That we practically had depend on her about everything related to it.

She said she wants to gather her own money for a house to live together with Nora, and to have money to support for her future children.

Nora still shy and refusing her attempt, so she tried to become a better husb.. wife? Whatever. By working hard and be accepted by Nora someday

On the other side, Nora feels she was useless.

So i started to teach her how to cook instead so she can gain some confidence

But...

Who ever thought such tragedy was going to unfold because of it?

Instead of food, it become a weapon of mass destruction.

Some of us that start to eat it is begin to hallucinated, screamed, feeling in pain and anguish like they had been feeling every suffering possible concentrated into them. While the others made a enlightened face and said they had meet their dead families.

I thought it was a joke, but considering when i checked, their hearts really stopped beating at that moment, i can’t really laugh at this.

We had used every possible means to recover those guys. Some of the survivor had a trauma with cooked food and decided to live only from grass and raw meat.

And to think this girl didn't even realize it was from her doing, she was scary indeed…

If only it was only happened among those close to us, it probably can be let slide as a incident.

Unfortunately, the timing is bad.

Various tribe and leaders of our country is having a meeting today.

Since it was customary for a newly wed wife to cook, i ask Nora to cook today portion.

She was saying she wasn't confident with her cook but i said its fine, since we are a tough bunch after all. Some failed cooking won’t annoy us.

But who would ever expect it would invite this tragedy? All i ever ask her to make was some simple soup.

Even Goddess herself is probably won't expect this to happen…

‘AAAAOOOHYHhbbNNUUHgVVb’

‘GURbbUbbLlLUubLug’

‘MeDIC MEdiCcc… GUHOoOg’

‘MoThER GRaNDmAa WAiT FoR MEeE!’

‘hEHHEEeEhHEEhhEE So MaNy FlOwErS, Is ThIs HEaVen?’

Within this storm of hysteria, mass hallucination, and pained expression added with scream that doesn't seem to come from humans. It was fitting to call this place as hell instead of meeting hall..

We managed to do everything we can to keep them to dying, but it took three days until the survivor is fully regain their consciousness.

Most of them is extremely traumatic that their hair is becoming white. Even the famous clan leader called giant killer and whale slayer is getting scared seeing a soup and start to hide under their blanket once we served them that.

Of course it wasn't a soup that Nora made. But they still getting traumatized instead.

…..

After the disaster meeting, things gone downhill then.

Some of the leaders accused us of attempted murder, while the others stopped their contact with us.

Of course, i told them it’s just a misunderstanding but nobody even tried to listening to me.

After that, the whole clan is separated, and the country is divided in chaos.

I managed to gather small amount of sympathizer and the one who support Nora and Mai relationship, but who knows until when we can keep our lifestyle.

Nora keep apologizing to me, but since i was partially to blame i keep saying it wasn't her fault.

Now Mai and the others is working to earn money for livehood, but most of the other clan have cold shoulder with me since that incident.

To make matter worse, an outsider is bringing something called a doujin.

I myself doesn't know what it is, but it was probably a powerful artifact to gather those disoriented bunch.

Things change by then bit by bit. All of the clan that hate us is gathering and called themself as BL faction with that outsider as the leader of their gathering.

Despite me being the actual leader, i was powerless to stop the change from happening.

Thanks to that, even though a oracle that heralds the end of the world happened, i cannot do anything about it. Those guys didn't listen to me anymore.

And now…

When Mai and Nora is out with our main fighters trying to convince the outsiders that bring the doujin here, that devil comes.

Since it seems like it’s better if outsiders to speak with each others, i was agreeing and staying at home.

Anyway, about that devil…

The devil that comes is wearing human skin and looked no different than human girl.

But from the bloodlust and the strength she emits, i know she wasn't a normal human girl.

Perhaps, she was even more strong than the founder?

I am still not sure if she was enemies or allies at beginning, but looking at her she was clearly not a good samaritan.

Surrounding her with riders, archers and spearman left we tried to defend ourself.

But the devil strength exceeded our expectation.

Controlling and taking one of us as hostage, she shows her hostility by making her cutting her arm.

I want to save my grand daughter that she was controlled, but it was beyond my capabilities.

When she declares she would kill all of us, i began to panic and sensing her starting to gather her magical power i ordered the rest to try to stop her.

But it was too late! We won't be able to stop it.

As things getting dire, a strange sound is resounded.

We got confused, but having regain my calm, i ordered everyone to run away.

They asked about me, but i refuse to run away with them.

This and before is happened because of my decision, i have to take responsibility and giving them time to run away from this devil at least.

Once she was done, i speak to her trying to buy some time so everyone can escape.

Surprisingly, she said she was not going to kill us all.

What a joke! After doing that to one of us!

After she told me to shut up and watch, i only gets wary with her.

Suddenly, i watched a miracle.

The girl that her arm cutted off is restored like before.

She was still unconscious, but her breathing is getting stable and not even a scar is left.

This is.. i never seen or heard this kind of magic is possible.

After that, to my surprise.

She was surrendering while holding out her arms.

What is actually her intention?

Since it was so bizarre i got a bit curious myself and accepting her surrender.. or should i say, we’re saved?

Really, kids nowadays is full of surprise. They never stopped to amaze me.

I guess there's still a worth of living for this long after all.