Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume14 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 7===

Amidst complete darkness...

In the depths of the abandoned hotel where even moonlight did not reach, this cramped venue appeared to be a linen room. Covered with a tattered blanket that was left there, Lilyhowell was sitting on the floor with knees drawn to her chest.

Nothing but silence all around. Apparently... The crash course was starting the next day. Those people had already gone home.

This could very well be the first time she had spoken so much ever since ''that day'', Lilyhowell thought. ''That day''. ''That day'' when they had invaded Taishyuu High. ''That day'' when Neto was defeated. Then&mdash;

"...!"

She placed her hand lightly on the abdominal wound where she had been pierced on that day, the stitch scars remaining after she hired a black market doctor for treatment. Thanks to several months' worth of time, together with the life of the girl who had acted as her shield, pierced at the same time, Lilyhowell almost felt no more pain from the wound. However...

She felt that this was tantamount to forgetting, a contemptible act of oblivion.

Hence, she reached her hand beneath her shirt, stroking the wound with her fingertips. Slight pain reawakened. Prompted by this, the memories of ''that instant'' dominated her mind. Their overlapping bodies, the warmth of the abdomen, the hair of the back of her head waving before Lilyhowell's eyes. Fragrant strands of hair. When embracing her, burying her nose into there, smelling that fragrance, Lilyhowell had experienced bliss concretely. She originally thought this bliss would persist forever&mdash;

However...

She pierced the wound with her fingertip. The density of the scenes that must not be forgotten instantly rose. At this time, she no longer had thoughts to spare on the taste. That girl's sorrowful scream. Those words conveying the wish to protect the knight before her, putting the worth of her own existence on the line. While listening to that, what had she felt?

With Nirushaaki in front of her, what had she felt?

(Admit it, Lilyhowell Kilmister.)

Confronted with the enemy's overwhelming strength...

Confronted with the enemy's overwhelming vigor...

(You! Felt it... Terror...!)

Cursing herself, she allowed her fingertip to go deeper. A sense of numbing pain. But that girl's pain was nowhere near this trivial.

(Laurica... Sorry...)

Back then, she had betrayed Laurica.

Shamefully, she had betrayed Laurica who had believed her to be a true knight.

Hence... Hence&mdash;

Surrounded by cramped darkness, Lilyhowell panted lightly as she withdrew her finger from under her clothing. She licked it to find the slight flavor of blood. This flavor also helped her to recall her abject state back then, sprawled on the ground.

(Having survived, there is only one remaining meaning to my existence. Namely, to avenge you... To atone for the terror I felt at the time. Hence, watch, Laurica. No matter what I do, no matter what means I take. Indeed, even if this body will be cursed&mdash;I will definitely kill Nirushaaki&mdash;!)

She could feel cold, black flames burning in the depths of her heart. The name nurturing such paradoxical flames must surely be vengeance. Frozen like the ice of permafrost, these flames were absolutely impossible to melt. But just like the flames of purgatory, all that they touched shall be incinerated until nothing remained.

(Soon. It will be soon...)

She closed her eyes lightly, pondering what was to come.

In order to kill Nirushaaki, preparations were progressing step by step. The assistance of Fear-in-Cube's faction, as well as the few lies she had told them&mdash;These two factors shall led her towards the one and only desired result.

However, Lilyhowell felt that one of the lies was truly insignificant. Nothing to do with her, it only concerned them. They had asked whether «Bartolomey Oblivion» possessed a reset function. Her answer: "No idea, because I only teamed up for the first time with Laurica on that mission." &mdash;However, those were teammates whom she had trusted with her life. Upon forming the knight squad, Lilyhowell had read their profiles at least.

In other words, she actually knew that ''the mask did not have a reset function at all''.

Naturally, she had lied because she was worried they would lose their goal as a result and even give up fighting alongside her, turning to ponder other methods instead. She did not think she had done something bad. Uninterested, unconcerned. So long as her one and only objective could be achieved, it was enough.

Amidst hazy thoughts before descending into the realm of dreams, she pondered with interest. She was surely going to kill Nirushaaki. That woman shall die embracing the delusion known as strength&mdash;But after that, how was the situation going to develop?

There were probably two factors that would dominate the situation after Nirushaaki's death.

One, because no solution could be found, ''Muramasa's memory would remain unrecoverable even after Nirushaaki's death''.

Two, if everything went according to her deductions&mdash;


''By that time, Yachi Haruaki would already be dead''.


Then the remaining development was going to be mutual slaughter.

Kotetsu and Muramasa seemed to respect their master's strength sincerely. They might very well adhere to the warrior's spirit of bushido and avenge their master. Even if not for revenge, they were probably going to continue fighting, in accordance with their traits as cursed tools, as swords and battle maniacs. For the sake of satisfying their curses&mdash;to view fresh blood, to drink fresh blood, they were going to continue fighting.

On the other hand, having lost Yachi Haruaki, Fear-in-Cube would probably retaliate without hesitation. Lilyhowell did not think she would be able to withstand the shock. Fear-in-Cube would probably fall into insantiy and retaliate, not stopping until she had killed everything in sight.

In other words, the end result would be limited to one out of two options.

Either the destruction of Muramasa and Kotetsu, or alternatively, the destruction of Fear-in-Cube.

(Ho...)

Lilyhowell smiled for the first time in a long while. Precisely because she was surrounded by darkness without any outsiders, precisely because she was just about to succumb to dreams, only now could this smile of resignation surface. It was also possible that she was simply smiling within a dream and that her face had not even moved in reality.

No matter which result came to pass, it had nothing to do with her after killing Nirushaaki.

Furthermore&mdash;

Because having accomplished this objective, she would most likely be dead already with extremely high probability.
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