Chapter 92
Extra 2: The Otome Game’s Ending
Carna: “Razé! Welcome! I’ve been waiting for you! Come in!”
Razé: “Thank you for having me over…”
On one day during a holiday, Razé went to visit the Mortens Residence with a paper bag full of sweets from a famous store and a magic stone that she had harvested herself as souvenirs. She was wearing the finest clothes that she could find in her closet.
When she reached the mansion, the butler led her through a large gate to the entrance hall with a bright chandelier. Carna stood there in a dress with a big smile on her face.
She wears dress at home too…
Perhaps she didn’t notice it before because they used to live together until a year ago at the academy, but seeing Carna now made Razé realized that they lived in a different world.
Razé glanced down at herself and looked at her attire. She did have an evening dress but it didn’t seem right to wear it for this occasion, so she chose to wear a pair of pants and shirt. Besides, she felt awkward to dress up in front of people who knew she was a soldier.
Razé reset her mind and held out the paper bag to Carna. “This is a souvenir for you. Thank you for inviting me today.”
Carna: “Oh. You don’t have to bring anything.”
Razé: “It’s nothing. Just some sweets and magic stone.”
Carna: “Magic stone?!”
Carna gave the paper bag with sweets to the butler and looked at another small paper bag in surprise. She didn’t think that someone would bring something so expensive for being invited to a friend’s home.
“Can I open it?” Carna asked timidly.
Razé: “Of course. It’s yours.”
Carna took out a black display case from the simple white paper bag. Inside the display case, there was a magic stone with the same color as Carna’s eyes.
Carna: “It’s so pretty…”
Razé felt relieved to see her positive reaction.
I originally thought that sweets should be enough, but these people already know the visitor today is Wolf Fang…
She was relieved to see the surprise reaction from the butler and maid waiting near Carna. She felt she needed to do this much to avoid losing face as a soldier.
Razé: “That magic stone is made from solidified flower nectar. I’m glad you like it.”
Carna: “Isn’t that a very rare item?”
Razé gave an assent and just smiled at Carna.
Carna: “You never fail to impress me. Thank you, Razé. I’ll treasure it.”
It had been a month since Carna and the other members graduated from Centrior. She forced a smile after realizing that Razé had been doing her job diligently as always.
Carna: “Oh, right. We shouldn’t keep standing here chatting. Make yourself at home.”
Razé: “Thank you.”
Razé was led by Carna to a room inside the mansion that looked like a castle. They sat on a fluffy sofa and relaxed while having a cup of tea that was personally brewed by Carna. She looked so happy while munching the cookies made by Carna. Then she saw Carna laughing elegantly with a hand covering her mouth.
Razé: “?”
Carna: “Fufu. You look happy as always.”
Carna was looking at her with gentle eyes making her feeling shy. Razé swallowed her food and relaxed her shoulders when she saw the maid had left the room.
Razé: “Carna-sama, you look even more prettier than before.”
They had been keeping in touch through letters and she knew that Carna was taking lessons as preparation for her wedding. She was working harder to improve herself as the future empress.
Carna: “I’m doing my best because I want to be a woman who can support Prince Ruben.”
Razé blinked her eyes repeatedly when she heard the words.
She never thought about her future with Prince Ruben when we were at the academy because she was too afraid about her tragic ending. She has changed.
Carna had succeeded in avoiding the game plot and escaped from her role as the villainess. Her eyes were full of confidence.
Carna: “The game plot no longer exists, so I must make my own path. Don’t you think so?”
Razé: “You’re right.”
The otome game Blue Orchid was a love simulator game with Centrior as its stage. The students at the academy had already graduated and no longer bound by its curse.
Carna: “In the end, what’s the connection between this world and the otome game…?”
Carna lowered her long eyelashes and stared at the teacup in her hand. She had invited Razé today because she missed her and also because there was another subject that she wanted to discuss with her.
Razé: “Personally, I think this world is a parallel world with the world setting inside the otome game.”
The only element that could determine that this world was from a game was Centrior which happened to be the stage of the game. For Razé, the overlapping element was too small considering how huge the world was.
Razé: “Well, it’s very unlikely that we will find out the origin of this world while we are alive. It would be wiser to just accept it as it is.”
“… I think you’re right.” Carna gave a dry laugh and shrugged her shoulders.
Razé: “For someone who didn’t know about the game like me, it’s simply a matter of reincarnators like you had a precognition ability, while the other matters are in accordance with the norm of the world.”
To put it bluntly, Razé personally felt that it didn’t matter whether this world was related to a game or not. Although they both had memories of their previous life, Razé didn’t know about the game. Furthermore, the way they remembered their previous life was ambiguous.
It was like someone on earth entered an academy and found out that it was a stage of an otome game. If the person was not related to the game, then it was hard for them to truly feel it.
Carna: “…I can imagine. I only realized now that I’ve been too obsessed with the game plot.”
Razé: “It can’t be helped. It was a matter of life and death for you.”
Razé felt that she was able to stay calm because she was a mob that had nothing to do with the game. If she was one of the game characters, she felt she might spend her days in the academy while being frightened like Carna.
Well, my life was still indirectly at risk even though I was a mob…
Although she had nothing to do with the game, she still had to be careful about it. She had no knowledge about the otome game, so she was glad that the person she should protect could understand her feeling.
Carna: “Hmm? Wait a minute.”
Razé: “What’s wrong?”
Carna looked at Razé with a puzzled face. It seemed like she had noticed something.
Carna: “Did you say reincarnators?”
Razé frowned. “There is another reincarnator who know about the game, just like you.”
Carna: “What?!”
Razé thought Carna already knew about the matter but it seemed she hadn’t heard about it yet.
Razé: “The Clairvoyant Miko in Magenda is a reincarnator too.”
Carna: “Seriously?!”
Razé just smiled after seeing Carna bewildered face. “She tried to get Magenda on her side by using her knowledge. She’s quite bold. Hahaha.”
Carna had a perplexed look on her face. “I didn’t know…”
“I managed to find out about this information because I’m a soldier.” Razé drank her tea and put the cup onto the saucer gracefully. She maintained her table manner just like when she was dining with the higher-up.
Carna puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction after looking at her nonchalant attitude.
Razé: “Just in case, I asked the Clairvoyant Miko about the otome game when I saw her in the prison. I thought you would be interested.”
Carna: “You never cease to amaze me. Is there anything that you can tell me?”
Razé couldn’t ignore Carna’s request when she was looking at her cutely. “I have some information but it’s not a big deal, though. I asked her about the ending of the otome game. I was concerned if there was any additional information after you had passed away in your previous life.”
Razé recalled the girl’s haggard look sitting on the other side of the prison bar. The girl was crying profusely when Razé spoke to her in Japanese. The girl had asked her for help considering they were both reincarnators with the same origin. Razé had no choice but to told her to pay for her crime. She was unsure whether the girl would be willing to provide any information, but surprisingly she answered her questions honestly because she said it was all in the past now.
Razé: “According to the miko, although there was a hidden route released afterwards, the plot concluded after the story within the academy ended. The only thing that makes me curious is the fan disc[1], but it didn’t involve the villainess Carna because the part happened after she met her tragic ending.”
“I’m not sure whether I should be happy or not when you said it like that.” Carna looked confused at first. But after a while, she leaned her back on the couch. Perhaps she realized she was no longer involved with the game. “You’re right. I’m no longer involve with the game.”
Razé nodded her head. “Yes. All you need to do now is to be happy with Prince Ruben.”
Carna covered her cheeks with her hands while her face turned red. She stared at Razé. “You were teasing me, aren’t you?”
Razé: “Of course not. I’m serious. I hope you can be happy for my sake too.”
Actually, Razé was having fun watching Carna looking shy but she just gave her a grin.
Carna: “I know you’re doing a lot of things behind my back.”
Razé: “It’s part of my job.”
Razé used to hide about it before. But considering Carna still treated her the same way like she used to even after finding out her true identity, Razé decided to be her natural self.
Carna fanned herself using her hand and changed the topic. “Fan disc… It makes me curious too.”
“According to the miko, the fan disc consisted of additional contents about what happened to the love interests that couldn’t get together with the heroine. This is my note.” Razé gave her notes to Carna, just like how Carna had given hers to Razé before.
Carna: “I only knew about the additional story for Adis-sama. It seems all other members had their happy ending too. I feel relieved…”
Razé: “But there’s no guarantee that it will happen. Based on the game, Adis-sama joined the Knights after graduating from the academy.”
Carna: “Oh, you’re right…”
It was obvious that Carna didn’t pay attention to other people except for Ruben. Razé watched Carna with gentle eyes while she read the notes.
Carna: “It seems this note may not be reliable anymore since I didn’t meet my tragic ending according to the game plot.”
Razé: “Exactly.”
Razé knew that the friends that she had spent so much time with had the strength to overcome the plot of the game.
Razé: “We don’t need this anymore.”
Carna: “You’re right.”
Razé took the note from Carna and throw it into the crackling fireplace. She lit the notebook using magic and it turned into ashes in no time.
Carna: “Fufu. Is it okay to burn it? Maybe there will be a time when the soldier needs to do her mission.”
Razé turned to Carna while sitting on the couch. Of course, she might be able to do something if she knew it beforehand. But strangely, she had no regrets for burning the notes.
“Of course, I will help them if they’re in trouble. But next time, it will be as a friend.” Razé narrowed her brown eyes smiling.
Carna laughed happily seeing her carefree smile. “Hmm. That sounds great.”
It was an event on a certain day during the spring when only a few winter waves remained.
[1] Fan disc: Not a full-blown sequel, just a mini sequel/an additional content by game developer. Wiki.
Orenji: Thank you for reading Female Soldier. See you next time |•ᴗ• )੭⁾⁾ﾌﾘﾌﾘ
