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“Chapter 197: Friends Forever”
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(Narrator’s perspective)
As the only child of the royal family, Raviola grew up to be a docile and quiet kid.
Or so the adults around her thought.
Raviola never played with any of her toys. She just sat in the corner of her room, hugging her knees and doing nothing. At most, she would grab a book and read every once in a while.
But that wasn’t the real Raviola. It was the personality her parents had assigned to her.
– …I’m bored.
There was nothing to stimulate her interest. No toys or books could entertain her.
Raviola decided to ask her parents:
“Is it not boring to do nothing all day?”
From her perspective, all her parents did was talk to adults and bow their heads.
“It is our job as the chosen ones”, they responded.
But Raviola wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
– Hmm…
One day, the granddaughter of one of the maids that took care of Raviola showed up.
She looked at Raviola from afar, wary of her.
The adults told the princess to not hang out with her. But Raviola didn’t care. It was the first girl of her age she had ever met.
Time passed and they got to know each other more and more.
Raviola had finally found someone. Not a book, not a toy, but a friend.
When she did something right, Septe would praise her. When she teased her too much, Septe would cry.
Raviola was happy.
It didn’t take too long for them to become best friends.
××
(Takaya’s Perspective)
– Do you understand what you’re saying, princess? (Tilchina)
– I do. I’m the one asking for it.
– You’ll forfeit your social status.
Raviola is no simple adventurer. She’s part of the royalty, and one day will lead the Royal Capital.
Becoming Tilchina’s servant means none of that will matter.
Even if Septe becomes a demon, that doesn’t mean Raviola would never be able to see her again.
– I don’t care. We’re not “chosen ones”. We were puppets dancing in that monster’s hands. I can’t live a dignified life carrying such shame on my shoulders. Besides…
Raviola held the remnants of Septe’s body tightly.
– I promised her we would be friends forever. What kind of friend wouldn’t accompany her in becoming a demon? It’s my way of taking responsibility for what I’ve done to her.
– China-chan, what do we do? (Kouya)
– One or two people make no difference. However, I’ll be back to being a little kid soon. I hope you can protect me until I’m back to normal.
– Worry not. I swear I’ll protect you. (Kouya)
I’m having trouble digesting all of this, but if this is her decision, I won’t stop her.
The Royal Capital will undergo a lot of change after this. And as one of the guardians of the demon world, I’ll be involved in that change somehow.
Member of the representative guild of Bay Road, member of the most prestigious guild in the Royal Capital, disciple of the Sage of the Forest, guardian of the demon world, and savior of Shimazu. What else does the future have for me?
– Now what, leader?
– …What?
Rizerotta called out to me.
– What? Why the weird face? We need a replacement for Raviola, right? (Rizerotta)
Replacement?
Oh no…
– Come on. You were working with the demon king behind the scenes, you exposed our enemy’s identity, and then you managed to solve all the problems. Who else could be the leader but you?
– I agree. Takaya, I cannot stress how much you underestimate yourself. You might not be a warrior, but you have the courage and wit to lead any army to victory. (Raviola)
– Uhh, come on, you’re just saying that…
– I can… be your assistant… if you want… (Akane)
Everyone else turned away. Which means, no one objects to this decision.
– Isn’t it great to be so important? (Kouya)
– It sure is. I can already feel the responsibilities weighing on me as if Zezekiel was using her magic.