Chapter 30: See? I Saw? Oh, Right…
I opened my eyes to a bathroom clear of steam—I was shivering in the cold bath water.
Thud!
"..y! .i.ttl. du...!"
A vague sound echoed from afar, nagging me into coherence. Slowly blinking my eyes, I rubbed them and yawned as I sat up lethargically.
Thud!
"Get out already!"
Hilda's voice became clear to my ears, knocking me completely awake from my 'slumber'.
How long has it been?
Pushing myself out of the bathtub, the water dripped off my skin and splashed back in. The noise echoed along the tiles of the bathroom, reverberating alongside the constant, incessant voices.
"...Shut up already, how many times do I have to tell you-"
"Little dummy!"
Oddly enough, Hilda's casual tone was almost comforting amidst the millions of voices.
...Millions?
...
Oddly enough, Hilda's casual tone was almost comforting amidst the few nagging voices.
Those bastards can't help but talk, talk, and talk some more.
"Coming!"
Shaking them off, I dried myself and got changed into a fresh set of the same old frilly white shirt and dark pants. Putting on the familiar boots, I tapped my foot a couple of times on the floor to wipe off the vibrant brain matter sticking in the grooves and made my exit.
Squelch.
The slimy door handle squealed from the pressure as I opened the door-
"Finally!"
Hilda stood in front of me in her signature posture.
"Lady Esme asked if you'd like to go to have breakfast with her in the garden today!"
So you call Esme 'Lady' but me...
"...Oh, but I won't be having breakfast today."
"Eh? Why not? Breakfast is essential, you little dummy. Mommy always said to have breakfast or I won't grow as big as her!" Hilda cheekily puffed her chest up, whether she knew what she was insinuating or not...
Probably not.
"Not today."
Still, I had to decline breakfast for the day.
My throat is too crushed to physically consume food. Starving might be so horrible that even the forbidden act of cannibalism seems appetising when push comes to shove, but I couldn't let my body go untreated for too long.
If, perchance, this injury lasts-
"It might become permanent."
"Your dumb face is permanent! What are you even mumbling, you little dummy?!"
As Hilda and I stood in this standoff of sorts, the aurora lit the bedroom behind her; the room was clear of all debris, the bedsheets were clean, and the smell was fresh-
And, in the middle of this room, basking in the glory of light-
Bathed in chestnut colours-
Enveloped in a beige dress-
With oceanic eyes-
Staring at me from behind Hilda-
Looming over us-
Mother-
...
The bedroom looks neater than usual today.
Shaking my oddly dazed head, I cleared my thoughts and pushed past Hilda's nagging. Punishment is punishment, but it doesn't mean I have to endure the punishment in the same place.
Let her continue nagging me elsewhere.
"Little dummy! Did you take a big poop?!"
...
"Little dummy! Is it that time of the month?!"
...
"Little dummy-!"
...Mother, when's the next punishment?
-----
"Ohh... The little dummy isn't old enough for periods yet? Hehe! Little dummy is still a baby!"
She won't stop.
How did the conversation shift to talking about periods? I won't get perio-
...
Oh.
...
Right.
...
I'm also a woman.
...
71,429,983disgusting71,566,501
Ba-dump.
Tingles loomed over my neck, chilling my spine.
71,666,666thiscreatureisagirl71,999,999
72,000,000disgusting72,111,111
...
"Little dummy?"
A soft hand patted my back:
"Is anyone awake in that small head of yours?" Hilda tilted her head as she gazed down at me.
"O, oh, yes, I'm here."
Sweeping the demons away, I hurriedly responded with a smile, not that she could see it through the mask.
"Good!"
Hilda stepped away-
"Oh yeah, forgot to ask."
-and then stepped straight back into my personal space.
"What are we doing today?"
Hm.
"I don't know."
Question marks littered the sky above her ruby-red ponytail.
But that was my honest answer, I had no Idea what I had to do, nor where I needed to go to get the answers that I was looking for. Yulei was a start, but she barely said anything productive yesterday, so that will most likely end up as another dead end today.
Perhaps if I were to pester her, I'd receive some answers-
72,222,222butnoonedeservestobepesterdbythiscreature72,333,333
So, yes, I don't know.
"If so! If so! Little dummy! How about the training grounds?!"
That's a surprisingly good point from her.
"Okay then, let's go there."
Maybe I can figure out how combat in this world works this time around.
-----
"Papa~!" Hilda ran onwards, her crimson hair melting in the wind as it glistened with a faint orange light.
"Hilda?"
Thud!
Slamming into his chest, she grabbed onto his waist and spun herself around with a bright laugh, "I brought the little dummy to watch you guys!"
Confused but happy, the Commander rubbed her back and looked past her. He looked into my eyes, and again, he saw through the creature's facade.
"Greetings, Lady Alora. And while I'm at it, sorry."
He scratched his head with a wry smile. "My wife put her up for it the moment the offer came up. Sorry, again, for the second time."
Quietly nodding, I watched him apologetically catch Hilda mid-spin and safely slot her down onto the ground. He gently combed her messy hair and lightly tapped her head, plucking a gentle kiss on her forehead as he did so-
"You didn't force the Lady to come here, right?"
Hilda instantly denied the allegations. "No! The little dummy wanted to come!"
The Commander coughed, "Ahem, so, the Lady! Expressed the desire to watch us train?" He shot me a questioning glance laced with the hidden words:
[She's telling the truth, right? Please tell me she's telling the truth-]
I promptly nodded to ease his rising worries.
As much as he may disregard etiquette, there's a difference between that and antagonising the daughter of the Mistress.
"Phew!" Relaxing his tense shoulders, he swept his messy red hair aside.
"So, what do you want to take a look at, Lady?"
Perfect.
"Fighting, how do you fight with Blessings? And why do none of you have weapons except for Hilda? And when you do fight, how do Curses come into play? Do they hinder your capabilities, or are they an important aspect to keep hidden as a weakness?"
"Hold on! Hold on!" Scratching his head, he thought for a moment, then pointed backwards, at the reflective black curtain enveloping one of the partitioned arenas.
"How about I just showyou?"
My eyes lit up. "Please!"
-----
...Oh.
Blessings.
Their Blessing manifests in its optimal form based on the user's mentality, physical advantages and disadvantages.
At this very moment, before my very eyes, a dozen knights are clashing with Blessings.
Yet I cannot see.
I cannot lay witness to their Blessings—I can hear but not truly see, only the vague hints of Curses leaking from the depths of their bodies and weaponry.
I am incapable of seeing this manifestation of Blessings.
I turned to look at Hilda, her eyes were trained on this manifestation of Blessings. She was keeping track of each movement and diving into their wonders.
On the other hand...
I may never be able to see it.
What if, just what if-
I've been in the vicinity of this manifestation of Blessings already.
The soldiers on the walls, the training knights from yesterday, perhaps even further back in time, all the way back then in that nightmare room.
When they clash, it reveals the faint sparks of Curses; is that the only method by which I can observe this manifestation of Blessings?
If so...
That heavily complicates things.
I'd have to figure out how to manifest my Curses into a weapon through a wholly different method, not Cursed Flames, and learn how to keep track of other people's Manifestations.
I need to train my visual acuity, multitasking ability, and Manifestation.
I'm not even entirely certain if multitasking is a real concept in the first place.
This revelation begs another question: If I've been missing these hidden truths scattered around me this entire time, what else have I missed?
My mouth opened itself.
What else?
How many secrets?
How many truths?
How many blatant lies disguised as the truth?
What have I missed?
TellmemotherwhathaveImissedIknowyoustandbehind-
What?
Thevoicesofthelight-
Have?
Thevoicesofthenight-
I?
TellmeIcanseeyouroceaneyes-
Missed?
"Stop already!"
Eh?
Thud!
My mind was scattered into a million pieces once the impact of her sharp fist connected with my scalp.
Dazed, I clasped the back of my already fucked up skull and gently clicked the pieces together. Pushing my light-headed eyes upwards, and staring through the hazy veil clouding my eyes-
"You were getting really creepy, you little dummy!" Veins were popping on Hilda's forehead as she waved her balled fist around.
...What is she talking about?
Taking in deep breaths, the lingering scent of motherIcanseeyou clung to my nose. It helped awaken me from this fog clouding my mind.
...What was I thinking about again?
"Come on, follow me, Papa is planning on teaching you the different forms of Manifestation-!" Hilda grabbed my frail arm, dragging me along to the benches on the side where the Commander awaited us.
...Oh, right, I was thinking about what sort of Manifestation I would produce with Curses.
...
But I swear-
...
I saw.
...
Huh?
...
...See?
...
I saw?
...
...Oh.
...
Right.
I saw the Commander waiting for us on the benches.