[V3C12] The Right to Refuse Love
Translated by Jodas 3: The Fateful BrothersWren was stunned by the sight before him.
After class had ended, and the Instructors had left the classroom, Wren had intended to strike up a conversation with Tia once he’d finished cleaning up his desk.
The reason Tia was having trouble controlling her mana was probably due to the fact that Tia was a Monster. So, he thought they should try to talk through a solution to that problem.
However, before Wren could start that conversation, Julius called out to Tia and Ella.
Julius said something sketchy like he’ll teach them mana control techniques if they become his friends, then he gave Tia a bracelet—This dumbass. Do you really think you can make friends just like that? Wren secretly snickered at him.
Surely, Tia would be befuddled after being told such ridiculous things.
Regardless, knowing Tia, she’d probably just take him at face value and go “Okay!” with a big nod. Then I’ll have to butt in and warn her not to be deceived by shifty invitations like that. ……As he thought such things, Tia screamed.
“I hate people like you! Hate! Hate! Hate!”
Tia jumped at Julius and slammed the bracelet he gave her on the floor.
He never thought that Tia could be so filled with hate.
“How dare you put something like this on me! I don’t want it! I don’t want it! I don’t want it!” Tia, who always smiled so brightly, lifted the corners of her eyes, bared her teeth, and showed her anger for the world to see.
“I don’t want it! I don’t want it! I don’t want it!”
Tia stomped on Julius’ chest with one leg and screamed.
“I don’t want ‘friends’!!”
That line made Wren’s thoughts stop cold.
(Eh…..)
His next thought refused to come.
While Wren stood in place like an idiot, Sevil was much quicker to act.
“Tia! Stop it!”
Hissing with each breath, Tia turned to look at Sevil who had grabbed her shoulders.
Her wide-open eyes and raised eyebrows slowly returned to their usual positions.
With a face that said ‘crap,’ Tia’s amber eyes started to dart around nervously.
She looked like she’d just realized she wasn’t doing a good job of pretending to be human.
“…………………piyo………”
Tia stood up, and fled from the classroom. She waddled away, without bending her knees.
I have to follow her, he thought. Nevertheless, Wren’s feet refused to move.
Chills ran through his whole body, as if he’d been dunked in ice water.
—I don’t want ‘friends’!!
Tia’s bloodcurdling scream continued to echo in his head.
After running out of the classroom, Tia continued on out of the First Spire and ran outside.
As she ran, the wind buffeted against her cheeks, reminding her a little of the sensation of flying.
She ran harder. She wanted to fly. She wanted to fly through the sky. She wanted to fly, but she didn’t have the wings for it.
(It’s all their fault. It’s all their fault. It’s all their fault!)
A sword swung down on Tia’s wings. Her wings were cut so easily, she couldn’t believe it.
Ordinarily, a Harpy’s wings would grow back no matter how many times you cut them. However, these would no longer return. Her instincts knew that with certainty.
(Givethemback, givethemback, givethemback, give me back my wings!!)
She was collared, blindfolded, and taken somewhere.
When the blindfold was removed, there was a young girl sitting there in a white dress…….
—Oh, what a cute little birdie!
I’ll kill you, she thought.
“Uuu………..Uuuu, u……..”
Tia groaned as she walked. Then, she stopped and sat down where she stood.
She folded her knees in and brought them close to her body—this style of sitting allowed her to bury her head in her knees, which was good.
After all, she was definitely not doing a good job of pretending to be human at the moment.
(…..Wren and Sevil were surprised. I was wrong. I can’t pretend to be human.)
She stayed like that for who-knows-how-long.
The weather was nice, sunny and warm, so she considered just falling asleep right here until she felt something soft resting upon her head.
“…..Piyo?”
She smelled the scent of grass and flowers. Fearfully, she grabbed the thing off of her head. It was a ring of flowers weaved from nearby wildflowers.
Behind Tia stood Sevil.
As Tia looked up at her, Sevil smirked.
“It’s called a flower crown. I thought something like this would fit you better than a metal bracelet.”
“Sevil…..”
“What do you think? Isn’t it made surprisingly well?”
Tia’s heart clenched as she saw Sevil’s hands stained with grass oils.
Tia placed the flower crown back on her head and looked at Sevil.
“…..Can I hug you?”
Sevil sat down next to Tia and spread her arms wide.
“Come here!”
Tia jumped into Sevil’s arms and held on tight.
Her chin latched on to Sevil’s shoulder, and she sighed “pefuu.” Sevil gently patted her on the back.
“Do you have distasteful memories regarding friends?”
“The girl who kept me as a pet always said it. She said I was her ‘friend’.”
Sevil muttered “I see,” and stayed quiet for a bit.
Still grunting “Pefuu, pefuu,” Tia rubbed her chin against Sevil’s shoulder. Sevil smelled good. She smelled of makeup, but also of the grasslands.
“Tia, there are many varieties of ‘friends’ in human language.”
“Varieties of friends?”
“There’s best friends, school friends, friends who are a bad influence…….Personally, I would consider you a ‘comrade’ who I’ve fought alongside.”
“Comrade……”
“If it displeases you, I shall avoid using the word ‘friend.’ However, keep in mind that I already think of both you and Wren as precious comrades of mine and my beloved companions.”
Tia frowned.
Because once again, a word that unsettled her came up.
“Beloved…..Pevuuuu…..”
“Does love displease you as well?”
“That girl said it all the time. She said ‘I love you’ to me.”
“Is that so. Regardless, Tia….”
Sevil leaned her body a little away, and looked Tia in the face.
Her beautiful face fixed the Harpy in front of her with a serious gaze.
“You are under no obligation to accept the love of the one who trapped you, nor to accept the love I give to you. You have the right to refuse any love that’s directed towards you.”
To hammer the point home, Sevil repeated quietly.
“You decide what it is that you accept. If it displeases you, you are allowed to reject that love.”
Tia reflected on the words Sevil spoke.
Humans always speak of ‘friends’ and ‘love’ as wonderful things. To refuse those things would be considered rude and hurtful.
However, Sevil said it was okay to refuse an ‘I love you.’
Tia thought through it slowly.
She directed her questions to her chest, and fearfully confirming the movements of her heart, she muttered.
“….I don’t hate it when Sevil says ‘comrade’ or ‘beloved’ to me.”
Sevil’s composure shattered.
“You lovely little rascal!”
Saying that, Sevil rubbed Tia’s cheeks, and Tia made a delighted “Pefufu” noise.
She didn’t hate being called a ‘lovely little rascal.’
(The words humans make are hard.)
Each short word contains many meanings and interpretations.
Monsters could imitate human language, but they could do no better than imitate it well without understanding the true meaning.
(Maybe I could understand it better if I studies a lot more. I wonder if I’ll ever understand the difference between a bad-feeling ‘I love you’ and an ‘I love you’ that I don’t hate.)
“Excuse me….” Then, a hesitant voice spoke from behind them.
Tia and Sevil turned around, still attached to each other.
Standing behind them was a short, black-haired young boy. He was short, but wasn’t skinny, with a slightly stocky silhouette. He wore only a simple tunic and pants.
Sevil was moderately surprised by his presence.
“You’re Finn Nohl, yes? We haven’t talked much.”
Finn was one of the Apprentices, just like Tia. He was only thirteen years old, making him one of the youngest alongside Sophie.
Weak-willed Finn shrunk under Sevil and Tia’s gazes.
“I, have something I’d like to ask……”
Looking at the ground, he mumbled his words without opening his mouth much.
“I don’t want you to hate Julius…..”