Free Web NovelChapter 29: Transformation
Academy Dormitories, Celestia’s Room
Celestia opened her eyes and woke up early, for she had important things to do today. But before getting up and going to the bathroom, she sat silently for a little while, staring at a single point.
In her mind, only yesterday’s thoughts revolved—about Ruthless, about that same person in the mask, and others.
But the most surprising thing was that after she cried yesterday, she began to feel an emptiness, yet a happy one, where all negative emotions and thoughts had evaporated, leaving only a girl who would now do what she wants, no matter what.
After a few minutes of silence, she finally got up and went to the bathroom.
She looked into the mirror.
"I feel a bit lousy and my eyes are kind of red. It must be from yesterday’s crying."
FLASHBACK
"It’s just that you looked very sad..."
"I often see such people who blame themselves all their lives, who suffer.... You want to scream... not just scream, but scream at nature itself when there is rain or thunder: simply go outside and scream out what is clutched in your chest and challenge nature itself. But I want to tell you this: sometimes you need to let your emotions free. Let yourself weep, let yourself scream — you have the right to do so. We are humans and we have free will, and we should not just hold everything inside just because society has taught us so. Just allow this within yourself..."
***
"After those words, it was really hard to hold back...."
She washed her face and looked in the mirror again, but now she saw a girl ready to step into the unknown, and this gave her more motivation.
She returned to her room and began to change, removing her clothes gently and carefully, folding them neatly, and after she was left in her underwear, she began to look at her body.
There were a few scars on her body from battle; even after people treated them, the scars didn’t leave the body—it took time. But these same scars reminded her of what generally needed to be done and also of the turning point.
After that, she began choosing her clothes: A red dress, or would it be better to wear pants?
She had to go for an important conversation now, so she chose a red dress with various patterns to look elegant and aristocratic.
’There is nothing wrong with this. From now on, I must do as I myself want. I am not obliged to listen to others. To be human is to have freedom, he said. I am starting to understand this now.’
’One day, I will inevitably face my sister, and then I must show resilience. That is when everything will be decided, because no matter what monster comes for you, it still won’t be as scary as a childhood trauma and a person’s nightmare.’
She left her room; it was morning, so almost none of the students were visible, and since classes start at 9, she had plenty of time to take care of her business.
"Hello, Princess Celestia, the carriage is here; do you wish for anything else?" said the maid, who was also dressed in a beautiful dress, which was surprising, since they are usually all in maid’s clothing.
"No, thank you," she said, getting into the carriage with the maid, and they began speeding toward the required direction.
"Princess, I have a question; may I ask it?" the maid asked suddenly.
"Yes."
"Why are you helping this country—I mean, finding the killer? Wouldn’t it be good to let the killer do what he wants so that we can simply conquer this continent later?" she said in a serious tone.
"If looked at from the perspective of war or even my sister’s, you are of course absolutely right. But in our world, and for a human in general, there exists the concept of morality. And what’s more, we have the ancient gods."
"Do you really believe that the ancient gods still exist? And if we want to scale our potential, then we need to cut out the concept of morality."
’Typical servant of my sister.’
"If you want to cut it, then go ahead, I’m not stopping you, but don’t you dare tell me what to do. I am free to choose what I want and fully have the right to ignore external triggers that impose changes on my values."
"Forgive me if I sounded stupid, but allow me to say one thing: doesn’t it work the other way around as well?" the maid asked a quite pertinent question.
"You’re right, but it’s always worth thinking before accepting, and having thought about it, I’ve decided that your strategies are not for me. For me, this is a primal law. But don’t think that people can use this to control me," she said, looking at the sky through the carriage window and hearing the people beginning to gradually open their bazaars.
"You have changed greatly," saying these words, the maid looked directly into Princess Celestia’s eyes.
’Yes, I have rewritten my values, and now I am truly ready,’ she noted to herself, but outwardly answered nothing.
The carriage finally arrived at the required location.
"Miss, we have arrived at the business center as you wished."
Celestia began walking toward the business center but told the maid to simply wait in the carriage, as she didn’t want anyone else present at all.
Inside, an atmosphere of overwhelming luxury and strict minimalism reigned: high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows revealing the silhouette of the city, and the cold gleam of polished marble.
"Welcome, Princess Celestia," with these words, the silhouette of the Princess of this city, Lysandra Lurius, appeared ahead; she was, by the way, dressed in strictly black clothing.
’Maybe she still hasn’t forgotten Ruthless’s death? This proves she was close to him.’
’Since she was close to him, she can give us the necessary information to find the killer.’
"Hello, thank you for accepting my offer for a talk."
"Oh, not at all, it is an honor for me to speak with you personally."
The two girls went to a room to talk personally; who knows, even in the hallway, there can always be ears. And in the room, it’s at least safer.
They entered the room and closed the door behind them. The room was quite small and very beautiful, which was perfect for a conversation; also, two chairs and a table were present here. On the table already lay tea and various sweets. Apparently, the Princess of the city, Lysandra, had prepared everything in advance so as not to call anyone later.
They sat on the chairs, and without a second’s delay, the conversation began:
"First, I would like to say that I am very sorry that Ruthless died; he was a really smart and obedient boy," Lysandra began.
"Yes, I am very sorry too, especially since he was also kind," Princess Celestia replied, then continued, "But I heard that you were somewhat close; is that true?"
"It’s true," Lysandra answered without hesitation; it seemed she had already guessed the conversation would be about Ruthless, as they had nothing else to talk about.
"Alright, then let’s get down to business. Before Ruthless’s death, did you notice anything strange about him?" she asked.
Lysandra immediately stood up and went to a shelf where a few documents lay—relatively few for such a shelf. Celestia assumed she had prepared the necessary documents in advance and was glad there was at least some information for the investigation.
After placing the documents on the table without opening them, Lysandra sat back down and spoke:
"Before his death, he asked about a strange matter that did not concern him..."
’Strange matters? Could this be related to the killers?’
"What kind of strange matters?"
"He asked about the thieves’ organizations, of which we have two large ones here in the city of Syoga," she said.
’Wait, if he was asking about them, doesn’t that mean he had some business with them? But then why did he tell me no back then? Did he actually lie?’
"And before answering, I asked him why he needed such information, as it’s not right to tell such things to just anyone. He replied that it was related to his past." Saying this, she began pouring tea, realizing the conversation might be long.
’So that’s it. I heard that his parents died when monsters attacked. But was it really monsters that attacked him?’
’If he has a connection with them, then it’s logical to assume they knew him, while at the same time, he must inevitably know them. But why then...’
Before she could finish her thoughts, Princess Celestia suddenly felt her body flare with pain from the wounds left behind in battle.
Lysandra immediately realized that Princess Celestia was unwell, as it was all written on her face, and to help in some way, she suggested:
"Princess Celestia, I see your body is currently injured and in need of some rest. Therefore, I have a suggestion: let’s go to the bathhouse and have a little fun as two girls, and we’ll discuss everything else there," she suggested with a smirk on her face.
’I don’t like how she is looking at my body.’
