elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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No, you don t!
Dorothea s sword had come rushing toward me faster than the eye could see, but stopping it was Manaria s own blade.
Manaria Sousse. Your weakness is your inability to abandon the ones you love.
That s very much fine by me if it means I m not like you! Manaria lunged forward and parried Dorothea s sword, causing the latter to move back.
Tch
Lady Manaria!
Rae! Heal me, quick
It s futile. All futile. Dorothea raised her sword above her head. Now you re all going to die for me.

***

The summit descended into chaos. It was clear none of the soldiers had been informed this would happen, as they seemed at a complete loss as to what to do. In contrast, our three-nation group responded quickly, with noncombatants falling back while those who could fight encircled Dorothea, who held her sword at the ready, completely still.
Those who value their life may flee she began. Or, that s what I originally intended to say, but the circumstances have changed. Forgive me, but you must all die.
Not if we can help it! said Claire, launching a flame spear a single massive one, just like the spell she d fired at Ralaire s mother all that time ago.
However
Do you wish to be the first to die, Claire Fran ois? Dorothea rushed forward, ignoring the flame spear and appearing before Claire.
Ah! Claire exclaimed.
Pitfall! I collapsed the ground under Dorothea s feet, ruining her balance. Her blade swung a hair s breadth short of Claire. Be careful, Miss Claire. Magic doesn t work on Dorothea.
How could I have forgotten? This isn t going to be an easy fight
I agreed. Dorothea s immunity to magic left us with little in the way of options. Indirect tactics like the pitfall I d just made had worked, but direct attacks like flame spears or ice bullets had no effect whatsoever. The same went for Claire s Magic Ray, of course.
Protect His Majesty!
Somebody heal the queen!
The escort soldiers quickly scrambled, but none of them dared to carelessly approach Dorothea. One false move meant death. They surrounded her instead, swords and spears pointed inward toward her.
You think common soldiers are worthy of being my opponents?!
There was a gleam of black light as her pitch-black sword glided through the air, dropping the soldiers like flies, one after another.
Rae, heal Sister, quickly! Claire yelled. She s the only one who can match Dorothea s sword!
Her wounds are deep! I need more time! I snapped.
Dorothea was sly. She knew the only one who could hold their ground against her, Manaria, had a weakness. That was why she d attacked me.
This is enough. Let me go.
Lady Manaria I can t. You
My soldiers are dying. As their ruler, how can I turn a blind eye and do nothing? Manaria gripped her sword with her left hand and stood. It seemed her dominant right arm wasn t working.
You can t, Sister! You re in no condition to fight her! Claire protested.
Even so, I must. Dorothea was right. The moment she attacked, I prioritized Rae s life over my own. In the grand scheme of things, that was clearly a mistake.
As queen of Sousse, Manaria should have prioritized herself over me. But she hadn t. She had thrown herself into harm s way for my sake.
I won t make that mistake again. So, Claire. You need to protect Rae for me.
Sister
Take her and run. I ll buy you two some time. Manaria s face was pale, yet she smiled. It was a weak smile, so very unlike her.
Wait, Lady Manaria, I said. It s too early to give up hope.
Always cracking the whip, Rae. Got another plan up your sleeve?
Yes. But we ll need to buy as much time as possible.
I d received some important news before the summit that I hoped would prove useful. The odds were against us, but what other choice did we have?
Is your little strategy meeting done? Dorothea slowly paced toward us. Countless bloodied bodies littered the floor behind her.
Her eyes suddenly darted to the side. I followed her gaze to see an imperial official leave the room.
Strange For the first time ever, I feel like Dorothea s full of openings.
Now, Miss Claire!
Back me up, Rae!
What followed was a blur. I did what I could to support Claire as she fought Dorothea directly. Claire s martial arts experience showed in her movements, and she empowered her sword with her magic, all while Manaria provided cover but even all that wasn t enough. Dorothea was just too strong.
It s over, Rae Taylor, she declared like a judge passing sentence, or the grim reaper itself. Claire and I were battered, our magic power almost depleted. Manaria, already drained of magic, now lay unconscious.
There was nothing more to do. But that didn t mean we could just kick the bucket without getting a few words in.
Haaah haaah I panted. You re strong I ll admit that, Dorothea.
That goes without saying, she replied.
But to be blunt, you re third-rate at best.
What was that?
Haaah haaah What Rae s trying to say is for an individual, you are strong. Perhaps among the strongest in history, Claire said.
I don t need your flattery.
But that s ultimately only a single person s strength, Claire went on. There s so much more to being strong than you understand.
Hah. What nonsense. You wish to say the masses have strength? Laughable. It s because they are weak that they swarm together. Dorothea sneered contemptuously.
You only see people as sheep. That is your weakness, Dorothea.
The words of a sore loser. Pathetic.
Dorothea only believed in the strength of the individual. I admit, she was strong. But there was so much more to people than that.
You re wrong, I said. There s a power that connects people. A power called bonds.
How childish. You believe you can defeat me with these bonds?
Oh? Have you forgotten already? I teased.
What?
I clasped Claire s hand and felt her squeeze back. A steady warmth came to life between our connected palms and flowed into us. You tried stirring internal conflict within Bauer, remember? How did that end again, Miss Claire?
Hee hee We overcame it using the bonds between us and so many more people.
Bonds were not imaginary or fantastical. They were real.
I ll admit, that plan failed Dorothea said. Yes, I should have crushed Bauer in the aftermath, right then and there.
Are those the words of a sore loser? I asked impishly.
Dorothea s eyebrow twitched. It appeared she didn t like having her own insults used against her.
Enough. It s time you two died. She held her sword high.
I felt magic gradually seep out of Claire s hand as she entrusted the last of her power to me. There s a saying where I come from, I said. It ain t over til the fat lady sings!
I used the last dregs of our magic to cast what would truly be our last spell. Dorothea deflected it with her sword and backed away.
So you kept a secret weapon tucked away. But such cheap tricks won t She stopped mid-insult and looked toward the entrance of the room. Faintly, the echo of footsteps could be heard. The footsteps grew louder, and it gradually became more apparent that they belonged to not one person but a group.
Thank goodness. They made it.
Have you realized it yet, Dorothea? Claire asked.
What?
You lost long ago. Long before this summit. In the very moment you released that girl. Ha ha Ha ha
If she were so inclined, Dorothea could have closed the distance and cut us down in an instant. There was no way we could have fought back at that point. Claire was terrified. Hell, I was terrified. Even so, my beloved proudly declared our victory with that resounding laugh of hers.
Oooooho ho ho ho ho!
What are you doing? Dorothea clicked her tongue in irritation.
That was when our savior arrived.
Haaah haaah I made it!
Bursting into the room and panting heavily was
Philine ? Dorothea murmured.
Indeed.
The one and only, supposedly exiled, Philine Nur.

***

Haaah haaah I ve returned, Mother.
Philine? Why are you here? Dorothea looked doubtfully at Philine, who fought to catch her breath. Her confusion was understandable; Philine was probably the last person she d expected to appear.
Please wait, Lady Philine!
Princess Philine!
A crowd of people poured in behind her. Many of them wore military uniforms more specifically the uniform of the soldiers-in-training.
You re Adelina Reiner, Otto Reiner, Hildegard Eichrodt, and Friedelinde Eimer? murmured Dorothea.
We ve come to make an appeal, Your Majesty.
Hey.
Forgive me, I just couldn t say no to the Princess.
I ve come to avenge my homeland!

No, you don t!

Dorothea s sword had come rushing toward me faster than the eye could see, but stopping it was Manaria s own blade.

Manaria Sousse. Your weakness is your inability to abandon the ones you love.

That s very much fine by me if it means I m not like you! Manaria lunged forward and parried Dorothea s sword, causing the latter to move back.

Tch

Lady Manaria!

Rae! Heal me, quick

It s futile. All futile. Dorothea raised her sword above her head. Now you re all going to die for me.

***

The summit descended into chaos. It was clear none of the soldiers had been informed this would happen, as they seemed at a complete loss as to what to do. In contrast, our three-nation group responded quickly, with noncombatants falling back while those who could fight encircled Dorothea, who held her sword at the ready, completely still.

Those who value their life may flee she began. Or, that s what I originally intended to say, but the circumstances have changed. Forgive me, but you must all die.

Not if we can help it! said Claire, launching a flame spear a single massive one, just like the spell she d fired at Ralaire s mother all that time ago.

However

Do you wish to be the first to die, Claire Fran ois? Dorothea rushed forward, ignoring the flame spear and appearing before Claire.

Ah! Claire exclaimed.

Pitfall! I collapsed the ground under Dorothea s feet, ruining her balance. Her blade swung a hair s breadth short of Claire. Be careful, Miss Claire. Magic doesn t work on Dorothea.

How could I have forgotten? This isn t going to be an easy fight

I agreed. Dorothea s immunity to magic left us with little in the way of options. Indirect tactics like the pitfall I d just made had worked, but direct attacks like flame spears or ice bullets had no effect whatsoever. The same went for Claire s Magic Ray, of course.

Protect His Majesty!

Somebody heal the queen!

The escort soldiers quickly scrambled, but none of them dared to carelessly approach Dorothea. One false move meant death. They surrounded her instead, swords and spears pointed inward toward her.

You think common soldiers are worthy of being my opponents?!

There was a gleam of black light as her pitch-black sword glided through the air, dropping the soldiers like flies, one after another.

Rae, heal Sister, quickly! Claire yelled. She s the only one who can match Dorothea s sword!

Her wounds are deep! I need more time! I snapped.

Dorothea was sly. She knew the only one who could hold their ground against her, Manaria, had a weakness. That was why she d attacked me.

This is enough. Let me go.

Lady Manaria I can t. You

My soldiers are dying. As their ruler, how can I turn a blind eye and do nothing? Manaria gripped her sword with her left hand and stood. It seemed her dominant right arm wasn t working.

You can t, Sister! You re in no condition to fight her! Claire protested.

Even so, I must. Dorothea was right. The moment she attacked, I prioritized Rae s life over my own. In the grand scheme of things, that was clearly a mistake.

As queen of Sousse, Manaria should have prioritized herself over me. But she hadn t. She had thrown herself into harm s way for my sake.

I won t make that mistake again. So, Claire. You need to protect Rae for me.

Sister

Take her and run. I ll buy you two some time. Manaria s face was pale, yet she smiled. It was a weak smile, so very unlike her.

Wait, Lady Manaria, I said. It s too early to give up hope.

Always cracking the whip, Rae. Got another plan up your sleeve?

Yes. But we ll need to buy as much time as possible.

I d received some important news before the summit that I hoped would prove useful. The odds were against us, but what other choice did we have?

Is your little strategy meeting done? Dorothea slowly paced toward us. Countless bloodied bodies littered the floor behind her.

Her eyes suddenly darted to the side. I followed her gaze to see an imperial official leave the room.

Strange For the first time ever, I feel like Dorothea s full of openings.

Now, Miss Claire!

Back me up, Rae!

What followed was a blur. I did what I could to support Claire as she fought Dorothea directly. Claire s martial arts experience showed in her movements, and she empowered her sword with her magic, all while Manaria provided cover but even all that wasn t enough. Dorothea was just too strong.

It s over, Rae Taylor, she declared like a judge passing sentence, or the grim reaper itself. Claire and I were battered, our magic power almost depleted. Manaria, already drained of magic, now lay unconscious.

There was nothing more to do. But that didn t mean we could just kick the bucket without getting a few words in.

Haaah haaah I panted. You re strong I ll admit that, Dorothea.

That goes without saying, she replied.

But to be blunt, you re third-rate at best.

What was that?

Haaah haaah What Rae s trying to say is for an individual, you are strong. Perhaps among the strongest in history, Claire said.

I don t need your flattery.

But that s ultimately only a single person s strength, Claire went on. There s so much more to being strong than you understand.

Hah. What nonsense. You wish to say the masses have strength? Laughable. It s because they are weak that they swarm together. Dorothea sneered contemptuously.

You only see people as sheep. That is your weakness, Dorothea.

The words of a sore loser. Pathetic.

Dorothea only believed in the strength of the individual. I admit, she was strong. But there was so much more to people than that.

You re wrong, I said. There s a power that connects people. A power called bonds.

How childish. You believe you can defeat me with these bonds?

Oh? Have you forgotten already? I teased.

What?

I clasped Claire s hand and felt her squeeze back. A steady warmth came to life between our connected palms and flowed into us. You tried stirring internal conflict within Bauer, remember? How did that end again, Miss Claire?

Hee hee We overcame it using the bonds between us and so many more people.

Bonds were not imaginary or fantastical. They were real.

I ll admit, that plan failed Dorothea said. Yes, I should have crushed Bauer in the aftermath, right then and there.

Are those the words of a sore loser? I asked impishly.

Dorothea s eyebrow twitched. It appeared she didn t like having her own insults used against her.

Enough. It s time you two died. She held her sword high.

I felt magic gradually seep out of Claire s hand as she entrusted the last of her power to me. There s a saying where I come from, I said. It ain t over til the fat lady sings!

I used the last dregs of our magic to cast what would truly be our last spell. Dorothea deflected it with her sword and backed away.

So you kept a secret weapon tucked away. But such cheap tricks won t She stopped mid-insult and looked toward the entrance of the room. Faintly, the echo of footsteps could be heard. The footsteps grew louder, and it gradually became more apparent that they belonged to not one person but a group.

Thank goodness. They made it.

Have you realized it yet, Dorothea? Claire asked.

What?

You lost long ago. Long before this summit. In the very moment you released that girl. Ha ha Ha ha

If she were so inclined, Dorothea could have closed the distance and cut us down in an instant. There was no way we could have fought back at that point. Claire was terrified. Hell, I was terrified. Even so, my beloved proudly declared our victory with that resounding laugh of hers.

Oooooho ho ho ho ho!

What are you doing? Dorothea clicked her tongue in irritation.

That was when our savior arrived.

Haaah haaah I made it!

Bursting into the room and panting heavily was

Philine ? Dorothea murmured.

Indeed.

The one and only, supposedly exiled, Philine Nur.

***

Haaah haaah I ve returned, Mother.

Philine? Why are you here? Dorothea looked doubtfully at Philine, who fought to catch her breath. Her confusion was understandable; Philine was probably the last person she d expected to appear.

Please wait, Lady Philine!

Princess Philine!

A crowd of people poured in behind her. Many of them wore military uniforms more specifically the uniform of the soldiers-in-training.

You re Adelina Reiner, Otto Reiner, Hildegard Eichrodt, and Friedelinde Eimer? murmured Dorothea.

We ve come to make an appeal, Your Majesty.

Hey.

Forgive me, I just couldn t say no to the Princess.

I ve come to avenge my homeland!