I think it was nighttime when I woke up.

  I figured as much due to how dark it was…but then again, everything was basically always blue in Subtherma in the first place.

  I didn’t recognize the ceiling I awakened to staring at.

  I slowly raised my hand, finding I was missing my middle finger. My hand was covered in bandages all over, but it was clear enough my body had taken irreversible damage.

  Shakily, I pat down on the bed, finding one of my legs…also missing.

  Knowing I’d never walk again was a bit more depressing than I expected, especially considering I lost it while saving a bunch of people I barely knew…

  I couldn’t help but feel none of this was truly worth it.

  The gentle noises of Amelia breathing calmly next to my bed broke me out of my momentary dose of reality. Despite missing two of my limbs and one finger, I still began crawling towards her, almost desperately. Luckily for me, there wasn’t really a big gap between the beds, so I could easily drag myself over it.

  I probably looked like a total creep, vigorously pulling myself towards a sleeping and wounded woman while panting like a pervert.

  Upon closer inspection, the skin around Amelia’s eyes was a bit red. I couldn’t help but wonder why, until suddenly, the paladin’s eyes snapped open. I found myself staring at her up close and personal, when she shakily reached for my face and began squishing my cheeks.

  I gave her a wry and reserved smile in response.

  “You really are a witch…” She smiled solemnly, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I bet you cast some sort of curse on me…” She sobbed a bit. “Why am I so happy to see a monster alive?” She giggled a bit and wiped her eyes, while her tears didn’t seem like they felt like stopping.

  Are you starting to see why I keep calling Amelia a ladykiller?!

  She really had the power to say some very cheesy stuff, totally nonchalantly.

  What a true horror she was!

  I was supposed to be the monster here, and yet all I could feel was immense respect…and heartless-heart palpitations from her dreaminess. I wondered how many women in her past had begun to question their straightness simply from having a conversation with her…

  At that moment, all I could think of was how much I wanted her to princess-carry me to a happier place.

  “AHEM!” It was time for me to break out of my weird fantasy, but Amelia seemed to be dead set on squishing my cheeks some more.

  “S-sorry…!” She finally let go as my expressions began growing odder with each squeeze to my face.

  “Where…are we?” I asked and looked around. The room reminded me a bit of Fanael’s room, but it was notable bit less extravagant and lacked all the personal effects the princess’ bedchamber had.

  “A bedchamber in the dwarven castle.” Amelia answered and wiped her eyes. I suppose her eyes must have been so red because of…crying a lot. I felt a bit bad about it…

  “I thought they didn’t let humans in…” I chuckled while gazing around, taking in the surroundings.

  “Well, apparently witches are okay.” She smiled playfully.

  “What are you doing in here, then?” I quipped.

  “I’m too tall for the guards to stop me from entering.”

  We shared a moment of quiet laughter, and as our giggling quieted down, I noticed a most adorable dwarven maid by the doorway. She seemed quite surprised and almost a bit frightened.

  She then dashed off and broke my fantasy of having a cute, timid maid tending to me by shouting “THE MONSTER HAS AWAKENED!!” She had a BOOMING and powerful voice.

  A group of weaponized cuteness barged into the room as a set of five adorable little maids rushed me. They began poking me with various sticks and checking my bandages, while Amelia sat away, chucking to herself. The joke was on her, though!!

  This was definitely the best physical check-up I had ever had in my life! Even when counting the past one too. Having the adorable little creatures bustling around and mumbling something in such a cacophony, that I didn’t understand a thing they said, filled the hole made by my lacking heart with enough cuteness radiation to cause horrifying mutations.

  “Would you want me to explain everything that you missed while you were sleeping for the last two weeks?” Amelia smiled; she clearly got some kinda weird satisfaction to seeing the dwarves climbing on me.

  “T-two weeks!?” I gasped as a thermometer was getting carelessly jammed into my nose. I was starting to feel this group was maybe not the most proficient in medicine.

  “Yeah. I’ve been on pins and needles here due to your…absence.” Amelia sighed, and it really felt and looked like a sigh of relief more than anything.

  “I’m…sorry.” I couldn’t help but look down a bit.

  “No… This is all my fault.” She shook her head. “I really underestimated the magnitude of danger I was putting you in.” She punched the arm rest of her chair a bit, causing the group of little healers to jump.

  “H-hey…it’s not that bad…!” I tried to calm her down, but the way she looked at me seemed almost angry.

  “Not bad?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?” She stood up, the little healers jolted and hid behind me in horror. “I’m here…” She inhaled sharply, tears beginning to run down her cheeks once more. “With nothing lost… And yet, you…!” She pointed at my missing leg.

  “…!” I couldn’t really come up with a sensible argument, so I simply stayed quiet.

  “I’m… so incredibly sorry you were dragged into this.” She sobbed and kneeled before me, grabbing my remaining hand and clasped onto it. “I do want revenge… I also want justice… But I don’t want it at the cost of the wellbeing of those who matter the most to me.”

  It’s not like I wasn’t frustrated by the situation I was in, either.

  I was rendered basically useless now, and I knew, that even if Amelia had the heart to keep me around, I’d be tied to a bed forever, just like in my past life. Sure, this time I did something great with my life…

  But was it really a cause worth ruining my second chance for?

  I couldn’t possibly think it was.

  The little healers left after my bandages had been swapped, and I was left alone with Amelia in the silence. I didn’t want to talk about these sad things right after all the stress had finally worn off…

  “H-how about we don’t worry about that right now…” I mumbled shakily. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “…” Amelia bit her lip and sat down next to me. “V-very well.” She nodded solemnly.

  “Did…any people die from the bomb we set off near the siphon?” My question was a bit hasty because I felt guilty about setting the explosive off in the plaza.

  “No. Some were wounded, but after everyone heard of our deeds to save the kingdom, you’re considered nothing short of a hero.” The paladin spoke and gently helped me lay down.

  “That’s a relief…and kind of makes me feel guilty at the same time. Since when has it ever been healthy to call a terrorist a hero?!” I laughed a little.

  “Sometimes you have to take extreme measures to address extreme issues…” The knight rested down next to me. “Everyone is genuinely thankful. A little lady with slightly gray hair has been bringing you flowers every day. There’s a bunch of get well and thank you gifts and cards right there.”

  Amelia pointed at a table full of various letters and a bouquet of beautiful and at the same time slightly weird looking flowers. I rolled over and began going over a few letters. They had cute little images drawn on them, and a few had little thumbprints pressed into the letters. It was generally wholesome enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy, so I couldn’t help but smile. While my body was in a terrible state, seeing how many people were happy because of me felt pretty good.

  “Maan…dwarves are kinda cute, aren’t they?” I giggled aloud.

  “AHEM!!” Amelia coughed a bit, almost in the middle of my words. “I know this is definitely not the right timing for this…but um…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Apparently… the word ‘dwarf’…is considered slightly…um…” She staggered a bit. “Un…savory?” She seemed like maybe she had gotten scolded for calling them dwarves.

  “R-really!? WAIT!! What was it again…Mhiir’im?” I recalled the strange word the advisor and Fanael used earlier.

  “THAT’S IT!!” She slapped her leg. “What did Fanael say again…” Amelia seemed to have dropped the honorifics of calling Fanael ‘her Highness’ already.

  “It’s like calling us TINY HUMANS!” The nosy voice of princess Fanael broke Amelia’s pondering as the little elephant’s foot of cuteness-radiation stepped into the room. “Us Mhiir’im are a noble race wholly detached from you tallwalker-scum, despite our anatomical similarities!

  “Puha…!!” Amelia slapped her hands in front of her mouth, until she burst out laughing.

  “Nyeheheheh…” The princess giggled smugly and climbed onto the bed, crawling onto my chest until she was sitting there. She truly didn’t give a crap about personal space, I guess. Not that I really minded, since she was light…and adorable.

  “Morning witch.” She grinned. “Glad to see you’re up and energetic enough to flex your racism muscle!” She slapped my side.

  “Puahahahahahahaha!!” I burst out into uncontrollable laughter, causing the little creature to bounce on my belly. Fanael was clearly not serious at all about the racism comment, so having someone present to lighten the mood with offensive jokes was exactly what I needed.

  “Seriously though…” She calmed down a bit. “I’ll extend my thanks as the princess and ruler of this country later once you’ve recovered… But you have my sincerest thank you as the Mhiir’im known as Fanael il Subtherma, right now.” She bowed courteously at me…while still sitting on my stomach. “I have an idea for what we’ll do for you as payment for your sacrifices, but you’ll need to wait a few days until we can put our plans into motion.” The girl spoke a bit mysteriously.

  “Plans? What are we planning? Nothing serious again, I hope… I’ve had enough of crazy suicide plans…” I groaned, not that I actually expected to be forced on another nightmare mission in my current state.

  “I’m not going to say anything because I honestly don’t know if we’ll be able to follow through with our plans in the first place.” She smiled a bit apologetically. “The kingdom is still in shambles…” The princess sighed solemnly.

  Somehow my hand found its way on top of the little cutesy bundle’s head and began petting instinctively. The princess seemed completely dumbfounded by the gesture, Amelia looked quite shocked too.

  “WHAT?!” I looked at the two, feeling almost offended by the weird looks they gave me. “IS IT A CRIME TO PET CUTE PRINCESSES WHEN THEY’RE SAD?!” I almost shouted…leaving the two looking even more caught off-guard.

  “Eh!” Fanael simply shrugged and LAID OVER MY CHEST!! GOD, SHE WAS SO CUTE!

  “YOU’RE FINE WITH IT!?!” There was a noticeable twinge of jealousy to Amelia’s voice. She rapidly crawled next to me and began petting Fanael too.

  “Pervert…” Fanael scoffed at Amelia, leaving the poor woman completely devastated on the spot.

  “AHEM!” I coughed. “I can’t take much credit for this whole venture… It was Amelia who pushed us into this, so if anything, you should thank her…” I smiled contently as I pet the princess.

  “Yverna…!” Amelia sighed softly, but I think there was a hint of…guilt to her voice once more.

  “The paladin will be rewarded for her efforts as well, but I will do everything in my power to thank you too, especially since that golden bastard would probably still be alive, if not for you.” Fanael murmured against my body. She was very warm and soft to pet.

  “OH!! SPEAKING OF! I have a lot of questions!!” I jolted up a bit, causing Fanael to quickly sit up to accommodate my movement. She really did have crazy good reflexes.

  “I bet…!” Amelia chuckled and scratched the back of her head…until she tried to pet Fanael again, only to get hissed at once more.

  “How did you suddenly get un…petrified?” I asked as I proudly pet the princess, who had CLEARLY granted me the honor of being her one chosen pamperer.

  “When you grabbed me for the first time, you seemed to…gesture weirdly over my face to do something, so a bunch of your blood dripped all over my face.” The princess began speaking.

  “A-ah… I was…checking if you were breathing or not. I’m sorry I got you stained like that… It must have been gross…” I lamented, but couldn’t stop petting her.

  “No, on the contrary. None of this could have happened if not for that.” She raised her head a bit to gaze up at me. Her eyes were like big dark buttons.

  “I’m curious on this now as well…!” The headpat-banned paladin’s interest was piqued.

  “Wha… Why are you two so confused about this? Are you claiming, that YOU, a witch and a former royal guard paladin, are unfamiliar with one of the most well-known things about witches?” Fanael laughed in what sounded like even she didn’t believe her suggestion to be the case here. Oh boy, she was in for a surprise…

  “W-what? What is it? I uh… I have pretty severe amnesia. I actually don’t even know how to cast magic properly! All I can do is see mana!” I was growing a bit excited to learn more about witches.

  “PUAHAHAHAHAHA!!” The little bundle of joy burst out laughing with enough force to send her rolling around. “WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING!? NO…!!! NO!!! OUR KINGDOM WAS SAVED BY A MAGICLESS WITCH?! UNNNNNNNGHHHH… How did we mess ourselves up this badly…!!” She groaned in both laughter and emotional pain all over the bedsheets.

  “H-hey! Better than not being saved at all!” I interjected awkwardly.

  She slapped the thigh I still had a bit. “TRUE” The adorable creature crawled onto me again. “Witch blood is a panacea.” She finally calmed down a bit.

  “A…a what?” I shook my head a bit because I had never heard the word before.

  “… Wait… I think I’ve heard of this…!!” Amelia climbed to sit up next to us. “You mean to say it’s not a myth!? Can it really cure all ailments?!”

  “No…! It’s not a myth at all! Curses, poisons, and impurities! Witch blood cures all three, but it’s an extremely rare occurrence to ever see someone getting cured by it, which is why it has such a mythical status to it.”

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  “Why is it so rare?” Amelia took the words out of my mouth.

  “Because it only keeps the cure-all property for roughly half a minute after being outside the witch’s body. It can’t be stored because it goes bad instantly. This makes it totally useless for most situations, unless you got a witch to conveniently suck up on!” The princess patted my cheek a bit.

  “Don’t even think it…” I laid down and began pondering to myself. “I wonder if that’s what helped you in the dungeon…” I looked at Amelia.

  “Oh! When I got sick because of the swarm? Didn’t you say there was a bigger insect in my mouth which caused my sickness?” As I spoke with Amelia, Fanael seemed to grow progressively more confused.

  “I thought so too, but I did bite my own thumb to… well. Long story, but my blood did definitely end up in your mouth in the process of digging the bug out, though.”

  “Wait, wait… Hold up.” Fanael sat up again, staring at the both of us like a deer in headlights. “What’s all this about a damn dungeon?! I only know of one dungeon leading here, and it’s literally an impossible to pass-through death-trap we sealed up ages ago!!”

  Both of us fell silent at Fanael’s comment, so we simply exchanged an awkward glance.

  “How about you two simply share your stories with me a bit? We got time…” She sat off my belly. It left me a bit sad, but it did help me get up to lay a bit more comfortably. I had a big pillow to support me, but my back was still aching a bit from our battle with Godwyn.

  “Well… please brace yourself…” Amelia began narrating.

  I simply pitched in whenever Fanael had questions about me, but the story was mainly told from Amelia’s perspective. She told the princess about her life in Rachasia, the story of Amy, her family and the golden princess… and how we met.

  Despite her outwardly ruthless behavior, Fanael seemed to be quite emotional when it came down to stories like this. She was fuming with rage, sobbing with empathy, and giggling reservedly whenever the story called for it.

  When it came down to the dungeon, she kept shaking her head, as if she didn’t believe anything we said. I pitched in to explain my part, but she simply sat there, dumbfounded. I didn’t quite understand what was so weird about the dungeon, but clearly SOMETHING was up because as soon as we finished, the princess held up a finger to interrupt us.

  “Hold up…” She bounced off of the bed and rushed out of the room.

  “You two feel free to wander around and whatnot! I got some…work to do.” Her comment was left cryptic. Amelia and I simply sat there looking like idiots as the door got closed, and we were left together. “LISTEN UP YOU SHITS! WE’RE GETTING OUR ECONOMY ROLLING AGAIN!” Her voice echoed through the corridor as she shouted at some of her subordinates.

  “What was that all about?” I turned to my knightly companion, who simply shrugged at me.

  “She sure has a foul mouth for someone so dainty.” Amelia commented in a slightly disapproving tone.

  After we giggled at Fanael’s wild personality, Amelia gently lifted me up without a warning, getting the most alien feeling squeal out of me.

  “W-what are you…?”

  “Well, she said to wander around, so how about we go out for a walk?” The princely paladin spoke as she began walking us through the corridors of the castle.

  The hallways that were previously enveloped in oppressive darkness were now brightly lit with warm lights to the point, where it made the castle look like a thoroughly different place.

  A lot had clearly happened over the two weeks. We saw some smiling Mhiir’im folks patching up the cracks and disrepair the castle had fallen into over the time Fanael wasn’t here.

  “Ah… I actually have a question.” I piped up as I got carried around by Amelia. She took me into the elevator, and we headed to the third floor.

  “What did you do to Godwyn?” I asked, as we finally reached a beautiful indoor garden, and to my surprise there were flowers and even butterflies flying around. “Wha… So pretty…!” I marveled as Amelia gently let me sit down on a bench. I was still frail, so she supported me by letting me lean against her.

  “Remember that weird dark mummy and my scary dreams?”

  “Yeah?”

  “It seems it was a test devised by a divine entity. It was all to see if I was of fitting mind to serve her.” Amelia began.

  “W-wait! So, you really did get one of those…patron deities to worship?!” I lifted my head up and sparkled with excitement. “But…was that magic, then? The instant necrosis thing? I didn’t sense any mana from you!”

  “I don’t quite know myself… The Goddess of Death…she’s very cryptic, so I don’t understand the hidden meanings behind her words flawlessly. It was her, who guided me to rest you upon Godwyn to truly defeat him.” Amelia’s words stuck to me like glue.

  “Y-you got the Goddess of Death as your patron?!” I gulped dryly. “WAIT! Your Goddess told you to put me there…? D-did she mention…anything about eating souls…?”

  “She did not…but I could deduce that’s what you were doing when strange dark sludge started spilling out of your mouth after making bizarre biting gestures at the air.” Amelia sighed, clearly not fond of the memory. “I suppose witches do truly consume souls… How horrifying…!” She was playfully judging me, but I could tell she was actually a bit disturbed over finding out I could really eat souls.

  “…I…really need to have a chat with your Goddess sometime in the future…” I sighed. “But you made a pact with…the Goddess of Death, huh?”

  “I did… Does it frighten you?” She smiled a bit apologetically.

  “HELL NO!! THAT’S AWESOME!!!” I was all sparkles, for I loved all things edgy like this. I wanted to be a cool witch for the very same reason, and knowing my paladin companion was blessed by a Death Goddess made it all the more epic!! My witch fantasy was so close to beginning…if only I didn’t lose most of my body in starting it…

  “Heheheh… I figured you’d be the one person to say something like that, but your reaction is still quite endearing nonetheless.” She smiled sheepishly. Maybe she was a bit nervous over what I’d think of it?

  “So… The Goddess of Death gives you the power to, like…instantly kill stuff?!” I was really hoping this was the case. If nothing else, at least Amelia would stay safe from the horrors of this world with the forces of death on her side.

  “Well. I lose an hour of my lifespan for every minute I spend while using her powers, but otherwise it is quite powerful, although only in the element of killing things.” She chuckled.

  “Ohoo…! That’s a pretty good deal!” I nodded, crossing my arms. It made sense, that a Death Goddess would make you sort of…live closer to death at all times.

  “She also demands I only kill things out of necessity.” Amelia smiled gently. “I think despite her rather…unsettling appearance, she’s a quite nice person.”

  “Hmhm! Honestly, the moment you started shouting at her back in the last dream, she did seem a lot less scary.” I chuckled while reminiscing over Amelia’s attitude towards her Goddess.

  “I don’t think she takes any joy in being considered frightening, but she simply cannot help it, considering her domain of power.” Somehow, Amelia’s attitude towards her new Goddess sounded very casual… More like they were friends over a deity and a worshiper. “I’m surprised you didn’t get shocked over the…life span draining effect of my powers.” She turned to look at me.

  “Well, I, for one, am hoping that maybe…” Suddenly, a strange feeling filled my nose. It was almost as if something sharp and cold went through my nostrils, and I had to rub it a bit before continuing. “Well, I’m just thinking… We’ll be living long lives, so it’s not a big deal if you lose a bit from the latter end.” I gulped, something in my nose really bugged me, so I wiped it again. “I don’t want to see you die, but if I have to, I’d rather have it be due to old age, than some gross bugs or lunatic murderers.” I spoke quietly, to the point where I wasn’t even sure if Amelia could hear me.

  The paladin simply wrapped her arm around me, pulling me closer as she sighed deep and nodded to herself a few times in silence.

  “I would rather not see you die either.” She quietly whispered and held me tightly. That coldness in my nose came through again, but I couldn’t rub my nose, so I just had to endure it. By the end of it, my nose was leaking a bit. “Ah…!” The paladin chuckled and gently wiped my nose with a napkin she had with her.

  “Let’s try to get stronger… So, we don’t end up like this again.” I nodded, until I gazed down at my body. “Although…admittedly, at this point, it might be a bit late for me.”

  “…!” Amelia gritted her teeth and clenched her fist with frustration.

  “I don’t think I’ll be of much use on the journ-“

  “NO! Don’t say it!!” Amelia shouted and interrupted me. “W-we can still think of something…” Her voice was shaking uncontrollably.

  I stared in silence. What could we realistically do?

  I was missing entire limbs.

  While magic might possibly allow me to move, I’d still be pretty useless in a lot of otherwise everyday situations.

  “I’ll… Figure something out.” The paladin stood up and walked around a bit.

  “S-sorry for saying it like that.” I apologized, sighing.

  “No. It’s not your fault.” She kept herself from saying it was her fault, but it was more than clear that’s undoubtedly what she was thinking. The frustration on her face was all too clear to see.

  “YOU ABSOLUTE LUNATICS!! YOU SERIOUSLY DID IT?!” A familiar, adorable voice roared over our gloominess as Fanael ran to us.

  “Um…?” I stared at her, a bit stunned.

  “THE DUNGEON!! YOU TROGLODYTE!” She was flailing wildly. “YOU KILLED THE RUST FEEDERS?! HOW?! YOU SERIOUSLY KILLED THEM?!” It seemed like Fanael was mostly having the shouting competition with herself, as we had no opportunity to even question her. “LOOK! I don’t have the time or the crayons to explain this to you! But this is HUGE! YOU TWO ARE COMPLETELY INSANE!!” She kept going on.

  Amelia and I simply stared in stunned silence as the little princess kept hurling weirdly insult-sounding compliments at us. Apparently emptying the dungeon was a big deal?

  “W-why is this so important?” I managed finally to interject all the shouting.

  “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN!? WHAT?! IS YOUR IQ IN SINGLE DIGITS?! DID YOU NOT SEE THE WALLS?! THIS IS WHAT THAT BASTARD GODWYN WAS AFTER TOO! I WONDERED WHY HE MENTIONED IT!”

  I was left staring with my mouth open.

  “T-the walls…?” I whimpered, hoping to not get insulted further. “The uh…strange circuits on them maybe?

  “THEY WERE COVERED IN COMPLETELY OVER-CHARGED CHORALIUM!! WE ARE ABSOLUTELY! AND UTTERLY RICH!! I CAN REBUILD THE KINGDOM WITH THIS AND HAVE PLENTY TO SPARE!! THAT’S WHAT THOSE DAMN GOLDEN MOUTH BREATHERS WERE AFTER!!!”

  I still had no idea what this even was about. I guess she was happy? That’s good, I right? Without explaining a thing, the princess just dashed off while screaming to herself.

  “OH, YOU WILL GET WHAT’S COMING, NOW!! OH, JUST YOU WAIT!!” And…then she was gone.

  “Her mouth really does betray her looks…!” I stared in stunned disbelief.

  “I heard she actually bathed in the blood of those three afterward…” My knightly friend spoke. WHY WOULD YOU SAY THIS, AMELIA?! WHY!? WHAT!? IS THIS A JOKE?! EXCUSE ME?!!??!?!?!

  “… Hah…aha…” I tried to laugh, but I couldn’t. What the hell was that even supposed to mean?! Was she serious?!

  She simply gave me the most confusingly deadpan nod, so I was left completely mystified as she carried me back to the bedroom.

  Witches cannot sleep…but god, how I wished I could. I didn’t need the mental image of Fanael laughing like a lunatic while LITERALLY BATHING IN THE BLOOD OF HER ENEMIES!!

  I spent the next couple of days trying to erase it out of my mind.

  When many things keep happening, it’s easy to start feeling like time moves faster than normal. The days go by in a flash, and you can barely remember what even happened because of the rush. The same is also true for the opposite, and time can feel like it drags on forever when not much happens around you.

  I’m very familiar with this due to my history of sitting around in a hospital. The room I’m stuck in due to my current predicament is filling me with an unsettling sense of familiarity, so I couldn’t help but wonder how long I’d be locked here.

  One thing was for sure, though, Amelia wouldn’t be able to see her goals through if I’d remain holding her back in this state.

  I know she would rather not leave me behind, but she had much bigger concerns in life than I did. Even if I was able to get through everyday life with magic, the wild and dangerous adventures were definitely out of question due to my body.

  Maybe I’d never be able to go on journeys of peril and horror, but at least my life wasn’t ruined completely.

  Amelia, on the other hand, had her entire life stolen from her by the princess in Rachasia. Losing your child is one thing, but having your husband stolen alongside it was another. If I didn’t misunderstand her, I think her husband was still alive too. I had had friendships end, and I definitely had issues with abandonment…

  But even then, I couldn’t possibly imagine how much it must have hurt to be betrayed by someone, who you had built a family with and loved with all of your heart. Be it due to some mystical influence of the golden princess or not, Amelia’s husband was now playing for the wrong team.

  Having the support pillars of your life torn down so mercilessly must have been an absolutely unforgettable experience in the worst possible way.

  Her desire for revenge and her sense of justice were the two things I knew I couldn’t stand in front of, for they were leading her entire life presently after all.

  The issue, here, was that it was more than clear I wasn’t capable of standing by her. I was weak, and I only survived due to sheer luck in the encounter with Godwyn. Had I been there all by myself, there would have been nothing I’d have been able to do.

  The current state of my body was evidence enough of this. Amelia and Fanael survived with a few scars and scratches here and there, but that’s because both of them were strong.

  I wasn’t like them, so I had to sacrifice my own body just to exert even a semblance of power.

  While I was more than used to the role of the weakling in my past life, somehow being in the same situation here in this new world hurt a lot more.

  It was heart-wrenching to realize, that despite being a witch, and despite having all these innate talents, I was still the same person on the inside.

  A crippled, barely alive weakling.

  I couldn’t help but gasp a bit sharply as I leaned back in my bed while mulling my current situation over.

  God… How I hated myself.

  Even when I became someone else… I was still the same in the long run.

  My thoughts got interrupted a bit by a loud noise, as Amelia burst into the room. She was smiling a bit as she walked in, but it was easy to tell she still felt guilty over me. This had been the case for the last couple of days so far.

  She did smile, but there was definitely a burden hidden behind the fa?ade.

  “Hello. I hope I’m not intruding on you.” Amelia walked over to the bed. She was already well enough to move around, so she was helping with the rebuilding efforts in the kingdom.

  “No…! Nothing important.” I shook my head and tilted my head at her a bit curiously.

  “I was walking around town today…and I think I found what looked to be a library.” Amelia was a bit coy about it, and I couldn’t quite figure out why, but did she say a library?! That certainly would help me pass the time a bit better.

  “Really?! Can you take me there?!” I almost bounced up to sit. Amelia seemed to brighten up a bit at the sight of my enthusiasm.

  “Such was the plan!” The knight hoisted me up in her arms, and we began making our way to the library.

  The city under the stalagmite range was bustling with life. The streets were clean and pretty, and most importantly; no sight of ash anywhere. I never realized how colorful the town was until now. It was a refreshing sight to take in after the gloom and doom we had seen before. A lot of Mhiir’im people came to greet me, and to my surprise! THERE WERE CHILDREN!!

  Now, I’m sure I’ve mentioned how insanely cute the women of the little wonders are. BUT WHEN THEY’RE YOUNG! THE BOYS ARE JUST AS CUTE!! Amelia had to lower me down, only for me to get surrounded by a swarm of curious children who kept asking me about the funniest things!

  “Are you really a witch?! Can you turn me into a frog?!”

  “Do you eat souls!? Are they slimy?!”

  “What do they taste like?! I was told they taste like old socks!!”

  “Can we be friends? I’ve never seen people this tall!”

  The bombardment of questions went on, until the mother of the group came to shoo the crowd away. I was honestly more than okay with them continuing to pelt me with their adorable nonsense.

  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THE SAVIORS OF THE KINGDOM!” The mother, who was just as cute as all the other Mhiir’im girls, was howling in horror. She had red hair tied in big twin tails, and she didn’t look like a mom at all.

  “It’s fiiineee…!” I giggled as the swarm of adorable returned around me, against the protests of their mother.

  “I’m SO sorry about this, Miss! There’s so…many of them! I don’t have enough hands to keep them all under control! You don’t happen to know a spell to grow more arms on someone?!” I realized where the kids got their tendency for silly questions for.

  “I’ll make sure to let you know if I ever think of one!” I gave the lady a thumbs up. She chuckled a bit apologetically at the sight of her little children climbing all over me.

  For reference, the adult Mhiir’im ranged from about 70 to 110 centimeters, I’d say. The young were somewhere closer to 40-60. I wondered where the children must have all been hiding in during the uh…gloomier era of their kingdom.

  I figured it might have been a tactless question to make, so I decided against it.

  After a bit, Amelia lifted me up again, and we were off after waving at the swarm of living sugar. Upon looking around, there were a lot more children around now in general. They were easy enough to see because they started pointing at us as soon as we came in to view.

  Luckily, their parents were mostly understanding and didn’t scold them for gawking at us too much, as we were most likely an exotic sight after all.

  Soon enough, a vast building of white began to rise in the distance. It had beautiful pillars carved out of a smooth white stone. Maybe marble again? Either way, it was pretty. It looked a bit like a courthouse because of how ornamental the front of it was.

  We were guided inside by a couple of polite gentlemen.

  “What sort of literature might the two honorable ladies be seeking?” A very well-dressed Mhiir’im man walked over to us. He had a very gentle air to his presence.

  “Good day.” Amelia began speaking. “Might you have anything on the subject of magic or monster encyclopedias? Any notes or texts specifically on witchcraft would also be greatly appreciated!” The knight beamed; she could tell I was in approval of her words by the wild nodding my head did, almost reflexively.

  “Of course! Books and texts on witchcraft are quite rare, so I can’t promise on any particularly good results on the subject. The first two of your requests, however, can indeed be fulfilled with great ease!” The man beamed. “I will ask one of my assistants to bring the books on magic and monsters to you immediately, and I will personally go through our archives for any potential pieces retaining to the subject of witchcraft.”

  “T-thank you!!” I was basically shaking with excitement. “Amelia!! They have books on magic!!” I repeated the already stated fact to my companion, who seemed to be delighted with my reaction.

  “We are most glad to be of assistance!” The man turned to a couple of his supposed assistants and commanded for them to go search for the books, and then he found a couple of others, who were tasked with providing me with something to lay down on while I read.

  “W-wow…! Talk about good service!” I mumbled as a big fancy sofa was dragged into a reading hall surrounded with books and a peaceful silence.

  “Anything for our saviors. Miss Yverna, was it?” The man smiled. “That lady who provided you with the magic coffin…happened to be my wife. Had you not told her to go back, she might have been gone for good with the next siphoning.” The man’s voice cracked a bit. “I don’t…know what I’d be without your help.” He lifted his head and looked me straight in the eyes. “You can expect only the best of service in my libraries for as long as I breathe!”

  “Oh…!” I was caught a bit out of my element by his energetic sincerity. I had never been thanked so genuinely by a complete stranger in my life. “I’m… Glad we were of help, even if we did it a bit crudely…!”

  “No-one will complain about a few bruises and scars here and there, when the alternative would have been a pointless death!” The man chuckled and guided Amelia to lay me on the sofa. A table was pulled in front of me, and a pile of books was beginning to grow on it rapidly.

  “Whoa…!” I was basically radiating with excitement as I began looking through the titles. “Do you think it’d be okay if I read here even overnight?” I asked a bit awkwardly.

  “Would sleep not be crucial for your recovery?” The man seemed a bit confused. “I’m not one to say no to you, but I do want you to prioritize your health!” This man had the most genuine smile, and it was almost impossible to not respond with a smile whenever he did.

  “Um… Witches do not…sleep.” My voice came out as a quiet mumble, but the silence of the library made it audible enough. “I’ve been spending my nights in the bedroom with…little to nothing to do. It would be much nicer to spend my time doing something productive.” I explained quietly, hoping the librarian would be okay with it.

  “Truly?! Most fascinating!” The man clapped his hands together. “Then certainly! I suppose the serenity of the library might even help you recover a tad mentally as well! I pride myself in our atmosphere here.”

  “I’d really appreciate it!!” His warm welcome to my suggestion made me so elated, I jumped in place a bit.

  “I’ll come check on you every few hours.” Amelia smiled. I knew she’d figure out some stupid excuse for getting her way even if I asked her to not lose sleep over me, so I simply smiled and shrugged at her a bit.

  Getting myself this small slice of literary paradise to sink into was extremely welcome.

  My depression was starting to get the best of me whenever I sat by my lonesome at nights…

  So, if nothing else, I at least had a temporary band-aid to put on my deteriorating mental state in the form of drowning myself in books.