Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Vol 2 Chapter 73

――Demon eye!?

「Kuu, hot!」

Eclair didn’t do anything.
She only, is just there.
She did no more than just face me.

――Even so, she released enough magic power that it felt like I would be burnt to nothing.

「As always you’re not able to control it then. Though that was within our prediction.」

Leymia said as such, then took a necklace from her pocket.
Eclair’s necklace that had been taken and shredded shortly before, strongly resembled it.

「So? If you come with me, I’ll give it to you though? You want it don’t you, this demon eye seal.」

Absently standing with eyes that wouldn’t match their focus, Eclair looked at it and walked as if to take it for herself.

「Eclair! What happened to you! Get yourself together, that child is……The enemy you know!?」

At that voice Eclair stopped moving and, she turned toward me.

――My eyes met her, properly.

「――tsu!? What is!!」

This heat!!?
This magic power isn’t normal!
Even though it’s not that magic has been chanted, it’s breaking through my magic defense!
Absolutely, the members besides me couldn’t face this……!

「……Wh, o? Eclair? Is that――me?」
「――Eh?」

With an unchanging vacant expression, Eclair didn’t look like she was telling a joke.
Eclair’s, Eclair like drive was――nil.

「Like this then, her identity will collapse I suppose. Fairy of Silver Lightning.」
「Wha, what is that.」

As Leymia approached Eclair she put herself in front of me.

「I don’t have the time to argue with you――――Your friend, surely you don’t want her to die?」

Showing off the necklace, Leymia gave me her warning.
――She got to, my head!

「……Because of you! Because you, did something uncalled for!!」

――Strike down Leymia.

Take the necklace.
Put it on Eclair for her.
That’s all, this conversation……Is over!

「――tsu」

Circulating lightning through my body, I leaped toward Leymia.
Interfered with by black flame, the hand I reached out with is slightly burnt.
As such I took the wall of flame and flowed with it.

「Beyond that time, even faster…… Fairy of Silver Lightning. You are dangerous.」

While restoring my burnt hand with heal, I searched for an opportunity.
Shit!
Leymia really is, not an opponent that I can easily contend with.
Even though, there’s no time!
Seeing Eclair standing listlessly behind Leymia, I rushed.

「It can’t be helped――princess. Burn her away, if you do so I’ll release you from your suffering.」

At Leymia’s word, her breath stopped.
Eclair slowly turned her head and, looked at me.
The heat was as always.
Just by meeting her gaze, it hurts……!

「――Real, ly?」
「I don’t tell lies. Princess is important. I’ll cherish you.」

At that Leymia’s words――Eclair nodded like she was happy.

「Eclair!! Do you

not recognize me!?」
「Hot……This heat, I want to be rescued from it. Therefore――――Become nonexistent?」

I received those words, as if my head was being struck with the impact of a blunt weapon.
To put it frankly, I was shaken.
And as such against me, Eclair raised her hand.

「――Fire.」

――Ha?
It wasn’t a check or a stratagem, from straight in front of me, at this point such a low rank magic……?
No――Wrong!!
This is, somehow fire!?

「――Cast release! Icicle Garden!!」

When Eclair uses Fire, it looks like a frail seeming flame.
But, I felt from this a mystique that the numerous Fires I saw from Eclair lacked!
This is, instinct.
Without reason, I took a defensive stance instinctively.
And so, that unreliable Fire contacted the wall of ice and then――created a massive explosion.

「～～～This, force!!?」

Beyond Star Flare……!?
My full power defense, the wall of ice cracked――it broke!

「U, AA――!!」

Blown away by the blast wave, I rolled across the ground.
Somehow, my body is fine……
If the wall of ice hadn’t offset that force――I’d be dead.
I might’ve been killed by Eclair, I sealed that truth away in my heart.
This isn’t like in the arena competition, competing together in a thrilling fight.
I clenched my teeth.
With the great explosion, looking at me after I rolled and flew from the building, the enemy’s allies that we’re fighting were in an uproar.

「Alice!」

Shion-san turned her body and is trying to come near me……!

「Coming is, no good! No one come near me! Hurry, please secure our exit route!」

Shion-san was, stopped by my call.
Were Eclair to set her eyes on anyone but me then she might……!
Even to the extent that she’s Shion-san, escaping from her gaze is, impossible.
Shion-san looked at me with serious eyes, she nodded once and then resumed cutting into the enemy knights so as to break through their encirclement.
……As expected of, oneechan.
While using heal on myself, I got up.
I became slightly lightheaded from standing but, it’s still not at a dire level.

「……What Fire was there, Eclair you liar.」

Once again, I returned to the half destroyed building where those two stood.
Though at this point it’d be fine to call that spectacle completely destroyed.

「Lie? Uso……I, liar.」

By one word and another, is Eclair being thrown into confusion……?
My chest hurts……

「Just now was fire of origin’s, copy perhaps? Good job surviving, Fairy of Silver Lightning.」

Leymia explained it, like she was impressed.

「Fire, of origin? What is that, demon eye doing……」

Those eyes that wouldn’t match their focus, I worried and worried about Eclair as she murmured something, I just couldn’t settle myself……!
As if this is the time to leisurely converse!
Looking at me as such, Leymia made a slightly pained face.

「……Crimson Sight.

Sight. Because of the crimson princess, it was named as such.」

Eclair’s demon eye?
Blazing crimson, demon eye?
Does it enhance magic?
No……I notice that it isn’t something so simple.

「Uso, lie? Who? I watashi watashi――」
「This the limit you know. Fairy of Silver Lightning, be reasonable already. While we keep fighting, you get that your friend will die?」
「――Is that, what you have to say!!?」

Even though just a bit ago at that place, Eclair was there!
Even though up until now, she had always been at my side!
How can I!?
Instantly reaching a resolution with Leymia is, impossible!
But, while I’m dwadling, Eclair is……!
Really, I don’t know what I should do……

「……If you’re that conflicted――――You should come to us, Fairy of Silver Lightning. To be allowed to be together with the princess is best.」

Leymia, stretched her hand toward me.
The devil’s, invintation.

「――tsu」

Us?
……Sacrament?
If I go over to them, what will I do?
Who will――――I fight?
My pink haired friend, floated in my head.

「That is――That iss!」

Such a thing is!

「……Maa, fine. Don’t pursue me okay.」

As I hesitated, Leymia gave up on me.
Joining hands with Eclair, black flame enveloped them and they floated into the air.
My eyes met her once again, as Eclair kept her vacant expression.

――Without thinking, my body jumped on its own.

I don’t want to let her go!!
Plunging my left hand into black flame, I grasped Eclair’s hand.
This can’t be taken as a farce――Though it’s hot!!

「Kuu……Eclaiir!!」

My left hand had mostly lost its sensations.
To the extent that I didn’t want to check.

「……Al, ice?」

For just one moment, as Eclair opened her eyes widely――

「A, AAAAAAa!!」

With one hand pressed against her head she let out a groaning voice.
Am I just, becoming a burden!?
How I could give her that, I can’t can I……

「――」

――And so.

After Eclair closed her eye once, she once again opened her eye widely.
As if what had happened up until now was a lie, she has a collected atmosphere.
A crimson eye and――――a silver one, odd eye.

「――You’ve forced too much on her. A little more and, isn’t this child just about at the point where she’ll disappear and cease to be!」

Mee, with that sort of tone, Eclair suddenly showed anger.
She faced both me and Leymia.
With the sort of impression from when, a much older person kindly gives a lecture.
As if she was a different person.

「……Eclair?」

As she focused on my left hand joined with her own the Eclair with a completely different atmosphere, smiled kindly.
A smile, not like her.

「Impressive, I’ve made a huge discovery! Aah, mou! This makes me really excited you know! Nee

know! Nee Nee? You’re, Till’s child!?」
「Eh!? Till? Ano? Eto, something like……that might be?」

At the name that suddenly came out, I was surprised.
People who refer to Till in such a manner are, excluding myself I kind of don’t remember any.
Though our relationship is called shishou and disciple, certainly there’s no mistake that she’s my gaurdian in this world.

「Really! So, this child is your precious friend isn’t she?」

Though from Eclair’s mouth, it’s strange that she’s speaking of herself like she’s a different person.
Mysteriously, there’s no sense of wrongness.

「――An extremely precious, friend.」

So I nodded strongly, I gripped her hand strongly.

「――Fufuu, I understand. Then, endure for a little while? Since about this child, I won’t treat her poorly? Okay?」
「Is that, true?」

We won’t just become seperated, I realized that we’d be pulled apart across the distance of two nations and became anxious.

「It’s okay! I won’t cause sad feelings, not for this child, or for you.」
「Really, really, okay!?」
「Of course! ……Being torn apart is something, I’ve already had enough of.」

Being dumbfounded, even so I felt like I could depend on her for some reason, and nodded.
No, since I could only cling to her now……

「Good child! Ne, give Till my regards okay! Tell her that I love her.」

……This isn’t, Eclair?
Saying that, 『Eclair』-san softly let go, of my linked hand.
I also, accepted that without resisting.

「You also, think about this child for her okay? By doing so, you’ll surely meet soon!」

Innocently, expressing a smile with an atmosphere different from Eclair’s 『Eclair』-san called out to me.
To such words, I nodded once more.
And so, Leymia, after continuously watching the situation increased her speed in a burst and withdrew.

「Eclair……」

Falling from the sky, I looked steadily at the hand which had separated from Eclair.
Admonishing my own inexperience at having been unable to stop this result, I thought strongly.
Somehow, until the time where we can meet again, protect Eclair――『Eclair』-san.
Clenching my left hand strongly, I wished for that.

「――I see, so it’s like that then.」

That night, I explained the situation in Till’s room in the principality’s capital while grasping for air from total exhaustion.
After that, we broke through the encirclement with desperate determination, and somehow arrived with everyone safe at Wilmington’s outpost.
Everyone remained as such at the frontline outpost but, I alone used magic and ran to the principality’s capital with my full power.
It was the longest distance I’ve moved using my physical body.
Furthermore it was fast even for me……

「I understand, the true form of the girl’s demon eye. As far as what I’ve heard from your speech, there is no mistake.」

Still laying on her bed, Till nodded generously.

「Right now, zee zee, you understand!? Haa haa, do you!?」
「……Indeed. do you!?」
「……Indeed. By the way since there’s no enemy and we’re having trouble conversing, how about we talk after you’ve steadied your breath a little? Are you afraid?」

A sort of image as if in front of a small child, going haa haa while breathing heavily is it……trying to report like that is.
Borrowing a pitcher left on the table, for the moment I wet my throat.
While making deep breaths, I steadied my breath even if only a little.

「……I’m sorry, I lost my composure.」
「It is not a concern.」
「I……am mortified.」
「Kufu, while you still haven’t lost anything?」

Exactly, as she said.
Calm down Alice.
If you have time for regret, make the optimum moves and take it back!

「How can I, oppose that? That, demon eye!」
「――It’s impossible.」
「Till!」
「Don’t shout. It’s impossible for the current you to oppose that, and before that, such opposition might not be necessary.」
「What do mean by that?」
「……I feel a, nostalgic presence.」

Till, eyes became kind to an extent I had never seen.

「Maa, it will become a fight. Afterwards Alice, it’s whether you can take in and stop that girl with your full power, or something like that I suppose.」
「Though I can’t oppose her……?」
「Kufu, that girl, it’s fine if you oppose her with your full power.」

Till smiled suggestively.

「……Till’s too secretive.」
「Don’t say that. To me, someone can’t understand everything just by asking.」

Though I do think that’s how it is.
I can imagine various images can’t I……?
――That is also so.

「Sacrament is, surely going to attack……」

Everyone is, on the frontline.
If I don’t return soon.
And also……Eclair also, might come.
Though thinking normally I wonder if they would hesitate to put her out after they finally captured Eclair, if that 『That Person』……
If it becomes like that then, just as Till said, I’ll see if I can take in and stop her with my full power.

――tsu!

I became dizzy.
The world……
Setting aside magic power, it’s physically impossible is it……
facing Till who had remained sprawled on her bed while listening to me speak, I fell into her.

「Don’t get on top of me!」

Suddenly covered by me, Till’s small body was angered.

「……It’s impossible, already.」
「……What an unmanageable person. While still inexperienced, you’re desperate is it.」

From below my body, I heard Till’s kind voice.
Ah……come to think of it, was I entrusted with a message……?
With my dimming conscious, I had to at convey just that so I moved my mouth.

「……Till……I love you……」
「――Baa, What!? ……Foolishness! Saying only what you said then irresponsibly sleeping, this idiot disciple!」

Aah, conscious is……I’ll sleep already.

「……Seriously. Really, such an adorable person.」

At the edge of my far away conscious, like she was lovingly stroking my head, that sort of sensation happened――

Chapter end