Because Pushing Didn’t Work, I Decided to Pull Away

The next moment, I was slammed against the wall. I hit the chairs and the lights behind me. Severe pain ran throughout my entire body, I didn’t even know where it hurt.

At the edge of my field of vision, I could see my long, pink, hair fluttering. It seemed that I suffered many lacerations. The stinging pain spread.

“…Ugh, ooh…”

“Sherry, does it hurt? But my heart hurts even more.”

After he said that, Cliff grabbed my hair and lifted my head as it was. There was a tearing sound, and clumps of my hair fell off. The pain was too much, I started to cry.

When I looked up at Cliff while moaning in pain, I saw a bird-shaped familiar flying around him with strange movements. Apparently, he was about to induce a magical explosion.

Wizards lost control when their emotions were high, as such, their magical power could run out of control. As it was, his magic would go berserk to the point of destroying the entire mansion. I’d surely be killed. In the corner of my head, which had gone crazy with pain, I wondered if I had a chance to escape, even a small one.

Even under such circumstances, I still hadn’t given up on escaping. I was sure that it was because from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to see Noel once again.

“For the rest of my life, I will love Lord Noel! I can’t love anyone but him! I hate you, I hate you!”

After I had shouted that, I was hit in the face and fell to the floor. At the same time, I saw his familiar. As expected, in was in its berserk state, and it was approaching with tremendous speed. Maybe that was because it shared Cliff’s feelings of wanting to kill me.

Immediately before that, I released all my magical power and enveloped myself with water. I couldn’t do anything earlier because I was caught by surprise, but I should had been able to protect myself to some extent.

However, in the end, I couldn’t.

Due to the overwhelming difference in magical power, I was blown away along with the walls of the mansion and lost consciousness.

***

How long had passed since then?

After regaining consciousness, I found myself in the woods. I kept wandering in search of an exit. I was lucky that I hadn’t come across a demon until now, but before I knew it, the sky was pitch black. My despair increased when I recalled that the demons became more active at night.

“…No…”

Both my mind and body were already at their limits. No matter how much I walked, the scenery just wouldn’t change. I kept dragging my legs, which were as heavy as lead.

I felt that my ribs were broken due to the impact of being hit against a wall. My left arm had already doubled in thickness, probably because it was also broken.

It hurt everywhere, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt—

—I was about to lose my mind.

If Cliff were to find me, I’d surely be killed. At the same time, I didn’t feel like I could escape very far.

Rather, I’d like to praise myself for having escaped as far as I did.

I wanted to meet Noel, that was all.

Otherwise, I’d have given up at that place where I first regained consciousness.

—even if it’s for one last time, I want to see Lord Noel.

I’m so sorry for having hurt you, I want to tell you how much I love you…

It was hard to even sit down, so I fell to the ground as I was. Little by little, my eyelids grew heavier. I felt sleepy.

At that moment, when my consciousness felt fleeting, I suddenly felt a floating sensation and a warmth that made me feel nostalgic.