[Hilda Pov]
There he is, fighting again, facing danger again just so we can survive, there's my boyfriend...
There's Paul...
How did it all end up like this? We were supposed to get married and have a happy life. He would be Lord of the Notos brand and I would be his wife and we would have children...
But that accident happened... I was kidnapped and lost my first time because of some bandits, I felt dirty, I felt repulsive, I felt disgusting.
When he rescued me from those slavers...when he took me out of that cage...I couldn't contain myself and I cried myself to sleep.
I thought he would look at me with hatred or contempt, after all I had been defiled, I had been raped, my virginity had been stolen, the most important thing for a lady had been taken away from me by some scumbags...
But Paul...he never looked at me like a dirty rag, he just looks at me with those eyes of his...so full of love, full of empathy and respect.
Every time he looks at me...I feel like I'm melting.
Since he rescued me the first time in the capital I fell in love with him...but now, now I love him with all my heart.
And with each passing day and with each action he does for me or for our group, he makes me love him more.
He took care of me those first days when I woke up in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep because of nightmares.
He always comforted me with his hug and his words, even though he is two years younger than me, I feel like I am the younger one in the relationship.
I thought my life was over with those slavers, that my fate had already been sealed, but as always, Paul came to me like my guardian angel, just remembering him even after almost a year makes my heart skip a beat.
Even though neither of us had ever been in a situation like this, he didn't lose his desire to fight like I did. He left his comfort zone and so we began to travel the world.
He even made enemies with an entire country just to save me... nothing I do in my entire life can ever repay everything he's done for me, nothing.
But he never stopped there, he is always kind, caring, He supports me in everything and always knows what to do.
For that same reason he is the leader of our group, Even with the fact that there are three adults in our group, He is the leader even when he is the youngest of us all.
Honestly, I don't know what I did to deserve it. Paul is simply too much for a woman like me. I will never forget how stupid I was those days when I tried to seduce him on my father's orders.
He should have hated me for that, but he still saved me and is now my boyfriend and future husband jejeje...
Ahem!.
But even with all this, there is a problem...
A problem that was indirectly caused by me, I know that he would never blame me for it nor anyone in my group, but I can't help but feel ashamed knowing everything Paul has gone through because of me.
The first time was just as we left Millis, we were ambushed by a Water King swordsman.
But contrary to all my expectations, Paul fought, he fought until the end, he fought even knowing that he wouldn't have a chance...
He fought so we could escape and he emerged victorious against all odds.
That's when my love for him increased so much more.
But he didn't stop there, we were attacked two more times and the third time almost made me faint from worry.
He was lost for three days, we were ambushed by twenty swordsmen and again...Paul faced them without hesitation giving us time to escape.
He never hesitated, never showed fear, never backed down, he faced danger head on and emerged victorious.
I remember crying like never before when we found him on the road. He was weak and hurt, he could barely walk and he fainted just when we found him.
He was passed out for a whole day and I cried on his chest.
"It's not fair...why are you doing this? What will I do if I lose you?!" I sobbed into his chest as he lay unconscious.
Never in my life have I felt so terrified and relieved at the same time, but for Paul...it was just another day.
Even after his friend had betrayed him, even after he had fought to the death several times...
He never changed, he remained the man I fell in love with and that made me love him even more.
And compared to me...what have I done?
He has always had to save me, I have always had to be the damsel in distress, I know nothing about magic, much less the sword.
I have no talent for fighting so I can't support Paul like that...but I can support him when he comes back, like the shoulder he can lean on, like the pillow he can hug while sleeping.
I can help you as his wife...I can help him as his life partner, that's what I can do...
Obviously he has never demanded anything from me.
"My only concern is that you stay safe" was what he told me.
It's not fair...if you tell me that, it only makes me love you more...
There have been days when he wakes up with a start in the middle of the night...and whenever I ask him what's wrong, he says it was just a bad dream...
I knew what he was going through, he loves his mother and his little brother more than anything.
And I know what he thinks, I've seen it in his eyes...he's anxious, he's scared and desperate to know what happened to his family.
You don't have to be very clever to realize this, even I miss my mother...
My father, on the other hand...he ordered the murder of my father-in-law and almost killed my boyfriend, his death only caused me temporary melancholy.
I had even gotten the idea that we were just heading to a completely desolate terrain according to the rumors...
I was never very attached to my family and they tried to use me to manipulate Paul, I don't owe them anything.
But that would be fine, right?, Even if the entire capital is destroyed, even if we can't become nobles again, even after all that we'll have each other.
Paul could become a gentleman in some northern city and I would dedicate myself to taking care of our children...we would live a modest life, but we would be happy, I have dreamed about this very often lately...
Months passed and now we were traveling towards the lower jaw of the Red Wrym and where Paul received devastating news...
Darius was still alive...that bastard is still alive, the bastard who ordered my kidnapping and the bastard who ordered my father-in-law to be killed, He is still alive and now wants to kill Paul using his own mother as decoy!!
There can't be a more despicable being in this world!!
But even with this news, even knowing that we had enemies waiting for us in the capital, he did not despair, he simply took care of the problem...
And he came back to me that same night as if nothing had happened.
Honestly my worries seemed useless when I thought about them my Paul is the most resilient person I know, nothing can bring him down, that's another thing I love about him.
And that same resilience was put to the test today...
It was supposed to be just another day, This was supposed to be the last hurdle before getting home, after this the trip was supposed to be a piece of cake...
But once again fate is never kind to my poor boyfriend...
It was in the middle of a peaceful moment, my breath caught, my heart started beating like crazy and an enormous fear invaded me.
I've never felt so scared in my entire life... not even the two times I was kidnapped, not even when those guys raped me, nothing compared to this day.
To my surprise, Hilda and Flute were just as terrified as I was, and when I looked ahead, Laws and Roxy were too...
But why? Why do I feel this way?...
My gaze focused on the man who is my comfort zone...Paul
He was confused, he looked at us as if we had gone crazy, Why isn't he scared? And why are we scared in the first place?!
All those questions answered themselves when that man emerged from the fog...
It was like seeing the devil himself come out of the darkness. I couldn't breathe, my heart was pounding in my chest, and I peed myself...
Even in the face of such a humiliating scene, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the man who seemed the embodiment of evil, a face that gave me nightmares for all my life...
But Paul...he remained impassive, with his hand on his sword he challenged the gaze of the Demon in human form and even approached him.
"Paul Notos Greyrat...you shouldn't be here" the demon's voice echoed through the rooms and I practically curled up into a ball.
He knows Paul?!, but when did Paul meet this person!!
"Roxy Migurdia...Laws DragonRodad...Hilda Zephyrus Greyrat...Lilia and Flute Greyrat...None of you should be here...not yet," The man-shaped demon muttered in a stern voice and I only shuddered even more.
"h-how do you know my name!!"
"How do you know mine too?!!!"
Two voices echoed, but I couldn't identify who they were. I was so scared I couldn't think of anything, and when I realized...
Paul was already fighting that demon!!
The fight can only be described as humiliating...Paul was no match for him, at that moment I thought we were all going to die, but a black-haired woman approached Paul.
I wanted to scream but my voice never came out, I wanted to move but my body stayed glued to the place where I was...
I could only close my eyes and wait for my fate...
And...the woman started talking to Paul in a language I didn't understand, even after all this time I'm still amazed at how Paul learned 3 languages in such a short time...
That helped him talk to the woman, who apparently spoke to the demon in human form, and they both left...
Paul just stood there as he watched them leave.
"P-Paul!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and with all my willpower I started running towards him with concern.
...
[Paul Pov]
Oh shit...that was stressful...
"Paul!!!" Hilda's voice flooded my ears, scaring me slightly.
When I turned around a red ball crashed right into my chest and gave me a tremendous hug.
"hic..hic...hic...(Sniff)..."
Without saying a single word, Hilda began to cry into my chest while shaking heavily.
"P-Paul!! Are you okay?" Roxy and Laws arrived next as I looked at them with worried and relieved faces.
"Yes, I'm fine, it was just a big misunderstanding and I was able to fix it, they won't bother us anymore" I declared with a small smile, stroking the head of the sobbing Hilda.
"D-Do you have any idea who the hell they were!?..." Laws asked anxiously as he looked in the direction where Orsted had gone.
"Apparently their names are Orsted and Shisuka...they are just travelers" declared after looking in a mirror for five minutes
"Simple travelers?!, one of these bastards knows us all!!!, how is that possible!!" Roxy screamed in fear.
"...I don't know, he didn't tell me," I declared seriously, but the fear was palpable on my face.
"And what did you talk to that black-haired girl about? I don't know that language," Laws asked.
"Uh...that's the language of the SkyFolks! Yes, that's it," I said nervously and Laws nodded without asking any more questions.
"How is it possible that you could remain so calm in the presence of that monster!!...Y-you know how scared I was! When he defeated you I felt like I died right there!!" Hilda screamed between sobs and her hug became stronger.
Everyone present had complicated faces, Flauta and Lilia had already arrived and had equally worried faces.
"Apparently that man has some kind of curse...he didn't say it explicitly but apparently it makes all the creatures in this world hate him and fear him" I declared while hugging Hilda.
"A curse? B-but then why didn't it affect you? And the other girl didn't seem affected either?" Flute asked curiously.
"I-I don't know that either" I said with a worried expression and doubt formed among my companions.
"Whatever it is, we have to get out of here, let's not wait until that bastard comes back" Roxy said and so we started walking back to the wagon.
In the following days nothing happened at all, it would be a two-week trip through the lower jaw so it was.
But the mood of my group changed radically from cautious to paranoid...
I really underestimated the power that the damn Orsted had over my group members, even Flute volunteered for the night watches from that day on and Hilda has become more clingy with me...
Roxy and Laws on the other hand remain more cautious than usual always on guard on the road in front of us.
Even after explaining to them that Orsted wouldn't hurt us, Hilda and Roxy complained about me bonding with him, according to their words.
It was obvious that the attack had affected us all differently, with Laws and Roxy becoming much more aware of the dangers we face.
Hilda, Lilia and Flute were much more dejected than before.
And I...feel like I opened my eyes.
I feel like I've really opened them this time, I had unconsciously become complacent, after all even when facing death so many times I have always emerged victorious in one way or another.
But against Orsted...even after so many days, after analyzing the fight with every attack I gave, every move I made...
I could never defeat him, that was a reality I accepted immediately.
No matter how hard I try, how much I train... I'll simply never be able to catch him, he's on a different level of strength, that's the reality.
Thank goodness I told him I didn't know Hitogami, or else he wouldn't even be here right now, that thought makes me shudder with fear every time I remember it.
I need to train, get stronger, less stupid, I need to focus...
I need to become better.
And I already knew where to start.
In my left hand I was creating magic and using my right hand to disturb the mana coming out of it
This was the magic Orsted had used, it doesn't have a name so I'll just call it "disturbance magic"
Just before the mana took shape as it gathered in my hand, I used different mana currents to disrupt and disperse it.
It was simple and didn't cost much mana, but also was an incredibly difficult technique.
Most of the time the magic still took shape, albeit imperfectly, it was extremely difficult to completely nullify it the way Orsted had done, but it could still be used how a brake, even in its imperfection, had actually taught me something quite useful.
"Paul, what have you been doing all this time?" Hilda asked suddenly.
We were still in the lower jaw of the Red Wrym halfway across.
"I try to imitate the magic that Orsted used against me" I declared.
"...I've never seen that guy use magic," she muttered from her seat in the wagon.
"No, but I use a special kind of magic and I'm trying to replicate it," I replied.
Hilda stared at my hands, to my left, I had made a small, misshapen stone cannon that fell to the ground with a small thud.
Another failure...it almost felt like I was playing rock, paper, scissors with my hands.
No matter how I tried, I kept letting my left hand win...
Hmm...this wasn't going to work if I was being careless about it.
In other words, there were some rules for disrupting magic, did that mean if I could unleash magic according to these rules I could nullify its disruptive magic?
The possibilities were increasing.
But that would be for another day...