Chapter 9: Miliane Fruktor

Miliane Fruktor had, simply, gone with the flow of things to come ‘to watch’.

This country’s Prince and a knight apprentice had some visitors (though it seemed a little dangerous).

The two of them were being looked at by three people that she had never seen before with extremely cold eyes (though one of them was yawning a lot as he did so).

Hiding behind the curtain, she used clairvoyance magic and simply ‘watched’.

In this country, Miliane Fruktor was well aware that her existence was a heresy. That was why, once this purification journey safely ended, she was thinking of receiving permission to return to her native country as a reward.

The people of this country had truly taken care of her. Even if that was due to her enormous magic power and her talent in using unique magic being beneficial to this country, they had guaranteed her safety and daily necessities even though she had possessed nothing except herself. That was precisely why she wanted to contribute at least a little bit to solving this country’s crisis before heading back to her hometown.

She thought that she should go back. Because though this country’s people had acknowledged Miliane’s power, they hadn’t acknowledged Miliane herself. Because they didn’t accept the existence known as Miliane Fruktor.

“No, actually, they’ve been in this room from the beginning……”

“Hah?”

“!!”

During the few moments that she had a temporary lapse in focus, she realized that the other people in the room had turned their gazes towards her, causing Miliane to panic.

She was in such a fluster that, on top of the presence erasing magic she had already cast, she once again cast another spell with the same effects.

After taking a deep breath and popping her face out from behind the curtain she was hiding within, she found that there were 4 pairs of eyes looking at her…….she decided not to mind the fact that for some reason, the Prince was stretched out on the floor.

From the start, she had a fear of strangers……rather, he was well-aware of the fact that she was an extremely shy person, so when she hastily hid back behind the curtain, the knight-in-training introduced her.

Taking advantage of that, she decided to make some form of greeting, but she fumbled, and that fact was retorted upon by the pretty woman. After a short while when she had once again hidden behind the curtain due to embarrassment, she noticed the sound of footsteps coming towards her. When she peeked her face out, the woman who had just retorted back was making a face filled with curiosity while looking at her.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Syltina. May I call you Miliane-sama?”

“Ah, yes. You don’t need to add the ‘-sama’……”

Miliane thought that it was a kind voice. And, it was a name she remembered hearing before.

“Ah, um, are you ‘Syltina Balratona-sama’? The daughter of the Balratona Duke…House……”

With a sudden chill, she felt as if the surrounding temperature had dropped by one or two degrees. The eyes that had been looking at her with a gentle colour just moments ago, now were simply dyed with a cold frost.

“……ah, um, I..”

She didn’t understand what had caused the girl to become angry. Even so, she had certainly touched ‘something’ of the girl’s that she shouldn’t have. She had to apologize, but her words shook as she attempted to weave them.

Ahh, this is why she shouldn’t become involved with people. She would unknowingly hurt them. A useless person that only has this kind of power like herself, should just quietly live on her own. If not, then she’ll once again………..

“I’m sorry.”

“……eh?”

At the words that were suddenly said to her, Miliane raised her lowered face, and saw Syltina looking at her with a troubled face. Her eyes were no longer dyed with a cold colour.

“Miliane-same doesn’t ‘know’ about me, right?”

“Eh?”

“Even if you know the name of ‘Syltina Balratona’, it doesn’t mean that you ‘know’ about me.”

“……”

“Miliane-sama, I am Syltina. Unfortunately, the family name by which I could call myself was stolen away 2 years ago, so right now I am simply Syltina.”

“Ah, I……could it be I said something extremely rude……”

Blood quickly drained from her face. That’s right. She had heard about it before. The person known as “Syltina Balratona” was someone who had been exiled from this country 2 years ago. Although she had already disappeared from this country by the time she (Miliane) had come to this country, her name was still muttered all over the place. Even so, there were people who still wished she were around, which was why Miliane had thought it was strange that someone wanted was no longer in the country. However, her curiosity had never been strong enough to purposely go ask someone about it. She had figured that if she wasn’t in this country, then she (Syltina) wasn’t someone who she (Miliane) would become involved with. She had only understood from the conversations of other people that “Syltina was the daughter of the Balratona Duke House, and was someone who was exiled from the country 2 years ago”.

That, however, was precisely why it was a mystery why the person in question was in front of her right now. She wondered why Syltina had been exiled from this country.

Was it really alright to ask about something like that? Simply by saying the family name “Balratona” had caused her to make eyes that cold. It made Miliane hesitate about asking.

“Miliane-sama, you aren’t a person of this country, are you?”

“Eh?”

“If you were someone of this country, then you wouldn’t face me and ask something like, ‘Are you Syltina Balratona?’.”

“……”

“May we speak for a bit? About myself, and about you.”

“Me……?”

“Yes. Why did you come to this country, and why are you helping out a country like this? I want to know about you as a person.”

“Why is that?”

“……”

At her question, Syltina’s eyes narrowed, and then she gave a ferocious laugh.

“It is so that I will not hesitate when the time comes.”

“……”

Upon saying those words, for some reason her smile became deeper, convincing Miliane that she had absolutely no intentions of saving this country. And her taking up the job of the Saintess’ guard despite that, was because there was some sort of reason behind it.

And, at the same time she thought.

That, if it was her…

“Ah, um, the truth is I……”

Staying hidden behind the curtain, she removed the hood she had been wearing so that only Syltina could see her figure.

“!!”

“I am an elf……”

Pointed ears longer than that of a humans, and hair mixed with a blend of white and light blue. Golden-coloured eyes and white skin. Those were the special characteristics of the race known as “elves”.

And they were also the reason why Miliane Fruktor was considered a heresy in this country.

“…………an elf, is it. This is the first time I’ve seen one myself.”

Syltina muttered in an excited manner.

“……”

Yes, and then humans (they) will say. That the elves are a race that excels in magic. Please lend us your power. It always went like that.

“……it’s quite beautiful.”

“Eh?”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Beauti…ful…….?”

She couldn’t quite understand what she was saying.

Right now, just what did she say? She understood that she (Miliane) was an elf, and her impression was…..right, she said it was “beautiful”.

She spoke not about the power that the race known as “elves” possessed, but looked at Miliane herself and said it. That she was beautiful.

This was the first time something like this had happened. Ever since she first became involved with humans, Miliane had never received praise directed towards herself.

“……….u.”

In order to hide the tears that accumulated in the corner of her eyes, she once again hid within her hood, after which Miliane took deep breaths to calm herself down.

“……we elves live in several separate tribes on Rizolda Island which is far down south of here…….a terrible thing was done to me by a member of my tribe……so, so I……”

Ran away. She was afraid of confronting the crime that she had committed, and ran.

In the human countries that she ran to, it seemed that there were people who knew of the usefulness of her power, so she was used in all sorts of places, tricked, and then at last the place she arrived at was this country.

As she thought, in this country too, in exchange for her safety and daily necessities, she was made to use her powers. Even so, she, who had no redeeming qualities except her magic, had no other means to survive except to obey them.

Like that, she had spent a whole year in this country. When she received the Royal Order to face off against the monster threat, she figured that she would head home after it was over.

In the end, other than the place that she had been born and raised, there was no place that wouldn’t recognize her as an “elf”, but “just Miliane”.

“……but, you praised me.”

Even if that was merely admiration towards her external appearance, those words were certainly directed towards her, Miliane Fruktor (her non-elf part).

“That’s why……i-if it comes down to it and my existence is a hindrance, please cut me down without hesitating.”

“……understood.”

At her words, Syltina gave a smile and laughed while responding. Then she turned around, and called out to two of the people amongst those who had been waiting for their conversation to end.

“Kuro, Al. I’m done. She’s ‘okay’.”

“I see.”

“Got it.”

The two people who nodded at Syltina’s words came closer and gave their greetings. The two named themselves as Alhart and Kuroitsu, and even after finding out that Miliane was an elf, they didn’t particularly say anything. Just, ‘I see’. Just that.

And then Kuroitsu said quite indifferently that he too, was anything but human.

“……a familiar, is it. This is the first time I’ve seen one.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen an elf too.”

“……that appearance isn’t your original one, isn’t it?”

“Hou, you can tell? Indeed. However, I cannot show my true form to you here. I am sure that there will be a chance to do so in the future.”

After saying that, Kuroitsu was called by Alhart and went to the back.

“Miliane-sama.”

In exchange, Syltina once again came in front of Miliane.

“Later, there is something I would like to talk to you about. Once this introductory meeting is over, may I have some of your time?”

“Ah, yes. That’s fine.”

“Thank you very much.”

Seeing Syltina smile as she said that, Miliane naturally also made a smile.

“A smile suits you much more.”

At Syltina’s words, Miliane gave another smile.

“If it was her…”, she thought. If it was her, then she would look at Miliane herself, and be someone who she could believe in. That is what she thought……