Chapter 73: Tournament Day 2 (Part 5)

[So, what was that all about?] - Queen Laura

[W-What ever do you mean?] - Rose

[Don't play dumb with me Young Lady, I'm talking about that stunt from earlier! I'd heard you were having difficulty controlling your mana output after your training but that's...] - Queen Laura

[...that's beyond mere control problems.] - Miriam

[I...] - Rose

[It's okay Rose, you can tell them.] - Annabelle

Auntie was right! Miriam was awesome at brewing tea, although to be honest she probably had a bit of an advantage considering the quality of the leaves. Now if you were to ask me why I was commenting on the quality of the beverage while surrounded by a literal boatload of worry. I'm just disassociating dammit! Don't I deserve to distract myself from uncomfortable situations too?!? No? Fine then!

My attempt at deflection, abysmally poor though it may be, was handily ignored by my Aunt as she got straight to the point. Honestly I'd hoped to have this issue fixed long before my family realized the extent of the problem but I'd failed. My anger over the thought of that Prince kidnapping children for... whatever he wanted them for, had triggered an intense outwelling of mana from my inner world. The accumulated energy that we were using to contain Her funneling into my body with alarming speed. Of course that had been noticed! But despite the fact that they were family, or maybe even because of it, I didn't want to burden them with a problem they could do nothing about.

What finally convinced me to open up however wasn't Logic whispering in my head that it was a good idea, nor was it the thought that they could possibly help me, another thing he brought up, that meddling annoyance. No, what finally convinced me is when Annabelle, the one that has been with me since my birth, called me by name to reassure me. Along with my Mother and Karen there was no one in this world I trusted more and here she was telling me it was okay. How could I not be convinced?

[....Hah. Well the thing is-] - Rose

[Okay now what was so important that we had to not-so-subtly send away Moon? And what was that mana burst earlier anywa- Did I interrupt something?] - Arlen

[Hah... Arlen, I love you. But you've got the worst timing imaginable.] - Queen Laura

[...I'd have to agree with her Highness Prince Arlen.] - Miriam

[Huh? What'd I do?] - Arlen

[Hehe...] - Rose

[Hahaha!] - Queen Laura

[Hahahahahahaha!] - Everyone Except the Clueless Prince

And of course it happened! I mean seriously though I'm all ready to lay myself bare, get my woes off my nonexistent chest as it were. And in walks goddamn Mr. Flagbreaker himself! Right as I am about to confide in my Aunt and more specifically Annabelle, in walks Prince Arlen, acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. The volume of the sighs that came out of the mouths in the room would have blasted eardrums if it were in a room with good acoustics and the sheer exasperation of those present really did wonders on diffusing the tense situation. Funny enough I was grateful to the Prince, him and his clueless face, for breaking the tension at least. His next words were the straw that broke the camel's back however as I felt a giggle work it's way past my lips at just how silly this was. The Prince, meanwhile, just looked around at us in confusion as we all broke into roaring laughter.

[Okay so first things first, is that little catgirl okay, Moon was her name correct?] - Queen Laura

[Yes, I made sure she made it to her room and while she was a bit disoriented from the mana exposure I don't think she has any lasting damage.] - Arlen

[Good good no-] - Queen Laura

[Thank goodness! I was worried when you rushed her out, I'm glad she's fine though!] - Rose

[R-Right! Umm! Y-You guys were talking about what happened right?!?] - Arlen

[Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. Now are you still comfortable talking about it Rose?] - Queen Laura

[I... Yes.] - Rose

Our little laughing spree lasted for a few minutes more and after we'd finally stopped we'd cleared most of the lingering air of anxiety but first was checking on how Moon was doing. The Prince's response a moment later sent a wave of relief through me as a fear I hadn't realized I had was cleared.

But, inevitably, it still came back to the original topic. And with the Prince here there was just one more hurtle to overcome, one that I wasn't sure if I was ready for to be honest. Confronted with a choice this time I glanced at Annabelle who made a go ahead motion before acquiescing. It wasn't like my situation was going to change regardless of who I told so whether the Prince was there or not really didn't matter. Guess I just had to do it.

[Okay then, phew.... I'm dying.] - Rose

[Huh?] - Everyone

[W-What do you mean you're dying?!?] - Arlen

[D-D-Don't joke around about that young lady!] - Queen Laura

[Dying? Dying? Dying?] - Annabelle

[Well that's a bit overly simplistic. What happened was...] - Rose

[So during your training with this Manic Blade person, whose actual name is Gilgamesh, whose actual identity is the companion to the First Hero, you unlocked something called The Place Between which is like a void space where your inner world manifested. And on this world you met your Grampa on your father's side which then led to you unlocking a piece of your Draconic Power which led to you manifesting different part of your memories and psyche as their own individuals? Am I getting this right?] - Queen Laura

The group was incredulous, they had all heard of her "kidnapping" by the Former S-Tier Adventurer Manic Blade but this was far beyond what they'd heard. Not only was this whole situation ridiculous it was also worrying. Or at least that's what Rose was getting from the faces of those around her. They didn't know what to think about this revelation she could tell, but at this point it was too late to turn back. So into the rabbit hole we go!

[Exactly, and that's when She appeared.] - Rose

[And She is....?] - Queen Laura

[Honestly I'm not sure but Logic thinks that She might be a manifestation of some kind and-] - Rose

[Okay and Logic is a manifestation of your analytical side?] - Queen Laura

[I guess he's sort of-] - Rose

[Okay this is all great and all but how does this lead to you dying?!?] - Arlen

And there it was, we're back to the question of the day. After explaining all about Logic and his ilk the group was starting to connect the various dots that form the picture. But that left one question on their minds. What does any of this have to do with her dying?

[O-Oh right, well She's sort of... going ballistic in my inner world and that's not good. Every time She wakes up she takes another part of me with Her. Master Gil and I came back when we did to try and fix the problem before it was too late.] - Rose

[You... realize how crazy this all sounds right?] - Queen Laura

[I believe her.] - Arlen

[Huh? I mean I do as well but what if she was under an illusion or some sort of symptom from her training? Miriam?] - Queen Laura

[Honestly I can't tell, as far as I can see she believes every word of what she's saying but that doesn't rule out the possibility of some kind of outside magics.] - Miriam

[She's telling the truth.] - Annabelle

[Ah, if the famous Annabelle the Unseen is saying that it must be true.] - Miriam

And finally there we have it, I've been slowly losing bits and pieces of myself for months now. Ever since She showed up actually, and while it was never expressly said it made too much sense that She was somehow attempting to take my place. In fact each time she woke up I felt more of myself slipping away. It was terrifying seeing yourself fall apart a little bit at a time. Even now I wasn't sure how much I'd already lost but I wasn't going down without a fight!

The response from the group was, partially expected and partially surprising. The first to express their belief was my cousin, Prince Arlen, to my shock. I'd not spent much time with him beyond our first encounter's more than 5 months ago so my feel for his personality was shaky at best but I had expected him to be a bit more of a momma's boy honestly. Next was Miriam's assertion that I believed every bit of what I was saying, which of course I did since it was the truth. And last was simultaneously the most surprising and least surprising endorsement, Annabelle.

[Agreed, so I guess now the question is what we do now.] - Queen Laura

[We save Rose of course!] - Arlen

[I know that I meant how we do that!] - Queen Laura

[Your Highness, might I suggest we contact the Court Mage Alphonse. He would know better than us where exactly to start.] - Miriam

[Good idea, do that immediately. As for you.] - Queen Laura

[Y-Yes?!?] - Rose

[I'll be withdrawing you from the Tournament immediately. I care about you too much to risk your life over something like this. We'll have to find someone else to-] - Queen Laura

Finally finished with my explanation of my condition I felt more at peace than I had in weeks, the relief of getting that all off my chest was amazing. I'd have to catch up my friends as well, I couldn't leave them behind afterall. Auntie's response was swift and concrete, save her Niece, me, no matter what. Miriam left after receiving her instructions. What happened next however made my blood run cold and every instinct immediately ring like alarm bells. Auntie wanted to pull me out of the Tournament!

[No!] - Rose

[Huh? Oh don't be so obstinate Rose! Your life is worth far more than the headache a few leftover noble collaborator's would cause. We'll deal with the rest so you just need to-] - Queen Laura

[I said no!] - Rose

[Excuse me?!? Didn't you hear me? You're droppin-] - Queen Laura

[No! I'm finishing this thing! I won't have someone clean up after me because my family decided that my life was worth more than theirs!] - Rose

[R-Rose, but you said that fighting is dangerous for you right now! You literally proved that less than an hour ago!] - Arlen

[What he said, now stop being so stubborn and le-] - Queen Laura

[No! I already decided to see this through! And besides maybe I'll think of something during the fight, actually no, I know this is the right move.] - Rose

[Rose you... You've made up your mind haven't you?] - Queen Laura

[Yes.] - Rose

I'd succeeded! I knew I had when her angry expression suddenly softened like she was looking at something nostalgic and sweet. Honestly it felt a bit exciting, after all this time in this world I'd never really made a decision myself. I'd kind of rode the wave of events from one place to another so refusing to back down here felt exhilarating, even if the consequences might end up being dire. Even so I'd already made that decision when I first decided to follow the plan, I knew all along that it might be dangerous in my condition but something was spurring me onward and I had to follow that gut feeling no matter what.

[Mom what are you saying?] - Arlen

[I'm saying that I'll let her fight. I could force her forfeiture but... I'd like to trust her intuition.] - Queen Laura

[R-Really? Why? I-I mean not that I'm complaining but...] - Rose

[Hehehe, well to be honest you reminded me of your mother when we were young. You see Mama didn't want me to journey around as an Adventurer as is tradition and I teamed up with your mother to convince both of our parents to either let us go willingly or we'd sneak out without permission. The look in our eyes must have looked just like yours. Hahaha, the looks on their faces when they realized that they couldn't win. In the end we were right, the experience we gained by fighting for our lives has paid off tenfold. I hope... I know it'll do the same with you.] - Queen Laura