Chapter 23: As much as possible in the [Present]

Kookie wants to improve her creative writing skills…..but her subconscious is more creative than her consciousness. How does one sleep-translate?

A/N: I used third-person for this flashback so I tried to write in a more formal tone, but how is it?

As much as possible in the [Present]

In a certain country, a cute little girl was born. She was called [Aura] and had the fortune to be born to royalty.
Her life had no particular hardships, and she spent her days enjoyably.
She was blessed in the pursuit of knowledge and started learning about politics when she was 10 years of age.
The nation adored her and she grew up contentedly.
However, that all changed when a man appeared one day…..

 

The man registered at the Adventurers’ Guild and quickly rose through the ranks.
He greatly contributed to the town when monsters assaulted, and had even been summoned to the imperial castle.
Amidst a large number of violent adventurers, he earned the trust of the town with his agreeable personality and instantly became popular.

…………Then one day, a group of monsters assaulted the town once again.
Numerous adventurers attempted to suppress them. Naturally, he was no exception and also joined the subjugation unit. Incidentally, the number of adventurers was insufficient and the castle also sent guards to participate.
Within the castle were the members of the royal family which included Aura, as well as the leaders of the nation, with several people left to guard them.

 

While the King was awaiting information from the troops, an armoured guard turned up.

“So….. How is the subjugation unit?”

Removing his helmet, the one who reported about the subjugation was――

“The subjugation unit was……………

……………totally annihilated.”

――that man, with a devilish smile on his face.

In the instant following that, the King’s head suddenly went flying. He had unsheathed his sword with an unbelievable speed and massacred the surrounding leaders. The floor was dyed with blood, and his body was also stained red from the spurting blood of his victims.

“N-no……”

With no way to fight, Aura was also cut down by his sword.

“This is only the first……”

Her body collapsed onto the floor and she watched as he left, muttering with a smile on his face.

Am.. I going to die here………?

Her blood continued to flow out from the wound he inflicted. Aura was unable to stop the flow and just continued to cry.
The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the approaching figure of a person.

――――――[Arnest POV]――――――――――――――――――――――――――

“…………And when I woke up, my wounds had disappeared somehow. Everyone was killed there and only I survived. I think I was saved by that person I saw just before I passed out. But I never heard of any recovery magic like that so I searched for them and was caught…… And then you came, while I was living as a slave. I met Lily when I was first caught as a slave.”

Aura finished retelling her past but I couldn’t find any words to say to her and could only mutter the words “I see…..”

“Well, that’s all in the past! It’s no use caring about it now!! Look, our food has come out!”
“Ah, okay…..”

Aura said it’s fine not to worry about it but I wonder if she really feels that way……
I don’t really understand girls’ feelings. However, I wonder whether there’s anything I can do now……
I watch Aura eat the food happily and wonder if there is anything I can do for her….

The food looked delicious but I couldn’t really taste it. I simply ate while deep in thought.

If there’s something I can do for Aura―――――

―――――It’s letting her have as much [fun] as possible in the [Present].

“What’s this!? It’s super delicious!!”
“Right? I thought it would be delicious ever since I saw it on the menu.”
“Yeah, it really is delicious. As expected of Aura!”

I made it seem as though I thought the tasteless food was very delicious.