Chapter 7: It's Time

It has been three weeks after we’ve been summoned to the continent of Edea, and at the moment, we are staying at the royal palace of Esteral, one of the few human-led Kingdom on Edea. During the past three weeks, we have received thorough training in order to gain the necessary skills in order to survive in this world for the next five years when we’ll be able to return to our original world.

Our training includes close combat, magic, common knowledge (survival skills, history, monster encyclopedia and so on), alchemy, etc. Due to each of our special attributes, it had been decided that all six of us would be divided into different teams to train. Shelton and Mina, due to their similar attribute, have been allocated to train under the guidance of princess Rosemarie and the senior magician Prisella Mcgarden while Enri, Chizu-senpai, and Kana have been allocated to train under the knight captain of the second division and the senior magician Bertalia Kroh. As for me, I have especially asked to train under one of the elite knight slash alchemist of the special division, Shawn Tousel.

As I have been trying my hardest in every one of my training so far, I can feel myself getting stronger day by day (although my starting stats were so low). However, as ironic as it is, I’m still the weakest among the six who have been summoned. Excluding Shelton, who is basically a cheat spec due to being the protagonist, and Enri who counts as the mini final boss, even Kana, who is a healer, is stronger than me. I can’t help but feel irritated every time I feel the mocking and snorting looks from those in the castle. They were similar to the eyes back at school on earth.

Is it my fault that my starting stats were low? It was you people who summoned me, but after having found out that my starting rank was hollow, it didn’t take long at all before the staffs at the castle started to neglect me. The meals were no longer as nice as before, the maids assigned to look after me also disappeared sometime last week.

Not to mention the usual cold ill-fitted gazes I usually felt from the girls around Shelton and Enri who kept bothering me from time to time after I gave them the completed lemonade which I made with Shawn-san (to make up for the previous failed one, I gave them both two iced cold bottles to drink after their respective training). As a result, the gazes every time I’m with the baka duo, who got even more popular even with the castle staffs plus nobles (most of whom are female), started to get worse.

*Sigh* This is just a f**king repeat like when we were in school. One by one, the maids and staffs who I got along with at first started distancing themselves from me. It was only a few days ago when I found out why.

They were being bullied by others for being near me, for being near me who was hording the duo all for myself. At the time, I was accidentally trying to find the maid who was first assigned to me to get back my dagger which I left for her to polish, and that was when I coincidentally saw the said maid being surrounded.

‘I’m not pretending to be a good girl. I’m sorry if I looked that way as I serve that girl, but never once had I considered her my friend.’ I closed my eyes and leaned on the wall behind me after I saw her ice-cold eyes. I should have known. From the start, I should have known that this would happen.

I was unable to sleep that night. The words she said continued to sound in my ears, each time making my heart, which should have already gone numb over such occurrences since a long time ago, hurt like a needle has pierced through, and thememories of our interactions so far surfaced in my head. Even making old memories over Mina’s incident about a year ago resurface.

‘Hi, I’m called Mina. A pleasure to meet you.’

‘You look so lonely. Can I sit next to you?’

‘hahaha, it’s not funny that I alone tripped. Don’t make fun of me.’ The klutzy smile of hers was so dazzling that I’d forgotten the loneliness from not having a friend all this time. I was happy, and thought that I too finally had someone who I could call my best friend, and happily introduced her to Shelton and Enri. The original group of three had become four, and by the time I knew it, I had accepted Kana too as Enri’s girlfriend. It was such an ideal group, and everyone got along or that was what I thought.

‘Shelton, Serika said she can’t make it, her stomach hurt.’

‘Let’s go ahead first. Serika isn’t coming, she got cleaning to do this week.’

Until, it all fell apart...

‘Always...always, why is it always you?!’

‘Just what is good about you? Just because you grew up together, it’s always been related to you.’

‘what am I talking about? *snort* stop acting ignorant like a goody two shoes. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?’

‘Friends? Best friends? Don’t f**ck yourself. We were never friends!”

I opened my heavy eyes. Realizing that I had the dream again, I moved the back of my hands over my eyes.

They were wet. *sigh* I guess I still haven’t gotten over it.

I hated them so do I hate Shelton and Enri. They never noticed, the reason I don’t talk that much anymore, why I wore a scarf, why I avoided the two cousins, why I told them I’d never accept the cousins as friends again.

As much as I hated both of them, they are still my only family. Unlike my previous life, I had no one now but them. I know best myself that I should have left them alone since some time ago, but I’m reluctant.

I was reluctant, until it happened.

“Capture her!” A group of armored knights stormed into my room when I was practicing making a face changing magic potion which Shawn-san taught me two days ago. The person himself said he was busy with some mission and gave me an assignment to finish before he comes back.

“What-!?” Surprised, I dropped the glass bottle I was holding in my hands.

“You two, get her!” One of the knight who seemed to be the leader shouted. Then two knights stepped in and one knight grabbed my left wrist while the other one took out his sword from the sheathe at his waist.

From his stance and gaze, I felt killing intent and instinctively, I quickly took out my short sword hidden on my thigh and swung it towards the hand holding my left wrist, and jumped back, distancing myself.

Ignoring them scream of pain of the knight who got his wrist slashed by my short sword, I shifted my focus to the other knight who was pointing his sword at me.

“You better surrender, little lass.” The knight said and licked his lips while eying my body up and down giving me the shivers as if something disgusting was crawling on it.

“Tell me what is going on? You can’t be attacking me without a reason, right?” I turned to look at the knight at the back who seemed to be the leader.

“Humph! Of course, we have.” Pausing a bit, he continued after pulling a paper androlled it out before me: “Kurozawa Serika, you have been suspected for the attempted assassination of royalty, and is to be arrested immediately.”

I frowned upon hearing what he said. This was not completely unexpected. I can roughly guess what is happening.

It seems like someone had finally ran out of patience and decided to make their move. The fact that they came here to arrest me must be because they have made enough preparations and the person must find me to be a thorn in their eyes. Of course, knowing about it and not feeling angry was two entirely different matters. However, with the force of five knights, I have not a high chance of winning. Though with a few tricks, five of them is nowhere near enough to beat me. I didn’t waste my time training all this time, you know. Although, my aura (aura is the embodiment of one’s current rank) is a bit weak, fighting strength cannot be judged by just aura alone-is what Shawn-san said. After all, I have alchemy on my side.

Nevertheless, considering this is inside the castle, even if I beat the five of them, I have an impossible chance of breaking out. Without any choice, I obediently let them take me somewhere while I wracked my brain about how to get out of this situation.

The knights then brought me to a room on the ground floor of the same building. After a few knocks, I was brought into the room.

“Prisella-sama the criminal has been brought here.” The leader bowed his head then pushed me to in front of him.

“Good work, Poulan. Now leave her. You can go and guard the door since we’re going to personally interrogate her.” replied Prisella.

“Yes Ma’am.” The leader who was called Poulan saluted Prisella then went out without forgetting to close the door.

Only after he left did I get a chance to look around the room. Although it’s in the same building, I never got a chance to come to this room since I heard it is forofficial business like a formal meeting with the king or so. The room was luxuriously furnished with a big table and fluffy sofas surrounding it with a bookshelf just a bit away to the right.

“Well, well, please do sit first. It is not good manners to talk while standing.”

Hearing Prisella talk like that, I became increasingly sure that the matter now is definitely related to her, and is done with a goal in mind. While guessing what she would want to do and looking at her cautiously, I still sat down on one of the chairs at a corner of the room.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Cut to the chase, what do you want to do by framing me and bringing me here?”

“Now, don’t be so hasty. There is still another person yet to arrive.” Prisella calmly poured me and herself some tea and patiently lifted her cup to have a sip.

“Is it princess Rosemarie?” Prisella showed no reactions whatsoever, and her face was still as calm as if the usual flustered appearance was nothing but an illusion.

*knock*knock*

“She’s here. Come in.” As soon as she heard the knock, Prisella lifted her head and gave permission.

“Ara, it seems like I’m a bit late, aren’t I?” Contrary to my expectations, the one who came was not Rosemarie but her maid who I saw on the day we were summoned. If memory serves me right, her name should be Shana or something.

“So, you’re aware you’re late.” Prisella narrowed her eyes at Shana who displayed an extremely carefree attitude as she sat down and poured herself a cup of tea as ifthis all did not concern her at all.

“Ufufufu, I got held by something difficult to achieve you see, and maybe some loose ends.”

“Well, then let’s start, shall we?”

“About time, what am I arrested for? I don’t remember doing anything though.”

“Kurozawa Serika, as written in the arrest warrant, you have been convicted of assassination of royalty, specifically, Rosemarie. Do you acknowledge your crime?” Prisella put down her tea cup and looked coldly towards me while spouting nonsense that I had trouble understanding.

“What? What did you say I did?”

“Assassinaton of royalty, more specifically you are convicted of being a major accomplice.”

“What the F—ck are you spurting? I did what?”

“ufufufu, honey, don’t act ignorant. One of the maid saw you put a little something into Rosemarie’s drink, and that something turned out to be poison.” The answer to my question to Prisella was instead spoken by Shana who then stood up and walked towards me.

“*laugh* how funny, I don’t even remember seeing any of Rosemarie’s drinks before, so how can I even put anything in it?”

“Don’t lie, Kurozawa Serika. We have both witness and evidence. Even your personal maid has testified that you were the one who added the poison.” Personal maid...so it was her.

“Even still, I refuse to acknowledge the crime, my personal maid has already stopped serving me since last week so her testimony is invalid.” By the end of the sentence, I was already gritting my teeth trying to calm my anger from bursting out. I can even feel my eyes becoming hot at this point.

Not only did she hurt me with those words, to think she betrayed me in the worst possible way. As I thought, friends...were never meant for someone like me.

“Honey, you don’t have to deny it so hard anymore, we already know why you did it, and if you’re thinking of stalling for time until your childhood sweethearts come, don’t even bother.” Shana gave a low chuckle then continued: “They seem to have been held by something important.”

“You really know why I did it? Then tell me why I did such a thing.” I suddenly have a bad feeling growing in my heart as if I should not hear the reason.

“For your lover Shawn Tousel. That is why you put poison in the princess’s drink.”

“!!” How the f—ck did Shawn-san come up at this point? Wait... Shawn-san left urgently on a mission he said was directly ordered from his captain. He did say that it was strange to have a mission assigned when he was already doing one training me. It has already been three days and I haven’t heard anything about him since he left.

“What did you do to him!?” I finally felt a string snapping inside my mind.

It is okay if you frame me, hurt me, scold me since I’d long gotten used to it, but not to Shawn-san. He is just an innocent person not related to any of this at all. Just thethought of him getting hurt or framed due to getting involved with me makes my stomach churn.

“Not much really, just that he was arrested due to treason and colluding with the demons is all.” Treason...Towards Prisella who said that as if reporting a trivial matter, hatred on top of anger as well as self-blame wells up in me. I’m sorry Shawn-san, it is all because of me.

“You dare! How could you do that to him!?” Not to mention being innocent, Shawn-san is also an elite alchemist working directly under the king, they can’t just frame him as they like, right?

“Answer me! Say something!” As no one answered, in a fit of anger I jumped in towards Prisella, hoping to hear her say that Shawn-san was still ok or just injured or missing.

“You shouldn’t have done that to Shawn-san. He’s not wrong!” As I got in front of her, I can feel my wrist getting caught.

“Enough, stop it Serika!!” In my anger, I can hear a familiar voice. Turning my head, the one who spoke and held my wrist was Enri. I can’t help but feel a sense of security after seeing him. If Enri is here then maybe, just maybe, I can still save Shawn-san.

“Enri, you are here. Quick, get Prisella to tell me where Shawn-san is.” I was getting more and more frantic as I looked pleadingly towards Enri.

“Serika!” With a loud shout, I finally feel Enri’s strange look and actions... as if he’d already known everything.

“what, Enri, you’ll help me, won’t you? A life is at stake here!” I was starting to become desperate under Enri’s cold gaze which I’ve never seen before. However, all that I received from him was a cold, irritated, disbelieving gaze. I feel very uncomfortable under that gaze.

Right, it’s all due to Prisella, Rosemarie and them. It must be them.

“Serika, stop it! It’s not your fault. It’s just that you were fooled.” Hearing his words, I was taken by disbelief then anger again rises up.

“It’s you, isn’t it? You framed him!” I once again shouted at Prisella.

“Enough is enough!!”

*Slap*

A slapping sound reverberated throughout the room. I can feel my left cheek burnwith pain.

I put my hand on my left cheek and looked towards Enri in disbelief. The one who slapped me was no one else but Enri, who at this point, also looked shocked at what he just did.

“I, I...”

Hanging my head down, I can feel my sanity coming back. That one slap brought me back, and I realized, just how stupid I’ve been.

What use was it to loudly scream for innocence? For help to come from those who mean me harm? For the trust and faith from those who never noticed my plight?

Just what have I been doing so far? It was both funny and stupid.

A while after that, I was back in my room, sitting on my bed. I don’t clearly remember what happened afterwards, I vaguely remember Enri apologizing for me to Prisella and them, and to forgive me since I was momentarily brainwashed or something. Then I only said one thing, ‘I’m going back to my room.’ And here I am.

Sitting on the bed with my back against the head of it, I can feel the room getting cold. The floor was still ridden with the broken pieces of glass and woods from the commotion with the knights, but I don’t feel like cleaning it at all. The pain from the slap was no longer there, but the experience itself was still perfectly clear in my mind. It’s so funny, everything is so f—king funny that I can’t help but want to laugh.

How stupid have I been? Stubbornly holding onto what is nothing but an illusion that I know was never there to begin with. What ‘story of three of us’? What ‘start and end with 3 of us’? It has always been like this hasn’t it? ‘They’ have never really understood and trusted me. It was only me who stupidly thought I was most clear on what kind of person they are; however, I can’t be any more wrong. That’s why, it’s funny.

“haha...hahahaha...ha...*sob*...ha...*sob*” My originally shelf-pitying laugh turned into uncontrolled sobs and tears continuously poured out.

It hurts.

It hurts so much. Even more so than when I know that the maid betrayed me, even more so when I know that the most important person and my only family doesn’t believe in me and believes I’m a treacherous person who would easily poison others.

I got it already. It’s already time I grow up.

Since it hurts, it means it’s time to stop persistently clinging on.

I’ve already paid enough as a price, even dragging down Shawn-san.

The price I paid should already be enough.

Enough to finally leave everything behind, and start anew...