That Time a Bookworm Got Ascended in Tensura

Ch.68 Heating Up to Cool Off

Tuuli's pov: 

The weight gripping on my wrist had disappeared, and I looked down to see the bracelet I was wearing before this had disappeared. "I-i.. That was not as bad as I was expecting..." I closed my eyes for a moment to take in the feeling of my skin against the air, and breath in. The pungent stench of acid had faded away, and my skins horrid burning had stopped. Opening my eyes again and making sure, all my injuries had gone now. "D-did I win?" I thought aloud as I looked around a bit and Rimuru came into view with a small smirk that I thought looked a bit mechanical along with the stage, the screen presenting the party's progress was behind me now. I could see the magicules flowing through it behind me, and turned immediately to see what it displayed. 

The scene in front of me showed the massive serpent I could again see in full light, it was lying limply on the ground of the cavern with its head having gotten a few meters away from the scorched neck. My eyes widened a bit as the scene sunk into my mind like a hammer hitting against my doubts. "I did that?" 

I moved my hand down to try and grip the hilt of Nahenlicht, and for once, my hand simply touching nothing but air and then suddenly the empty opening of the scabbard. My stomach sank as I began inspecting the screen immediately, laying on the ground there was Nahenlicht between the two severed halves of the serpent. "Nahenlicht!" My eyes tightened and my pupils shrank a bit, while trying to maintain focus on it. 

Suddenly it was nudged and moved off of the ground, a hand was holding it with an almost sinister looking smile adorning the face of that petty knight. My vision filled with red seeing them take my sword, they even had something to say. "Serves her right, something like this should only be in the hands of a noble." My pupils tightened to their height as I stared at the screen in front of me, everything else zoning out of my mind. 

The noble waved Nahenlicht in the air, seeming to try to use the magicules within, but they made a grave mistake. The gem of the hilt began to glow brightly with a white light while the handle turned an almost molten looking red as it burned into the man's hand. A sickening Sizzling sound ensued as the skin up his arm and onto his chest and neck began to bubble visibly even through his armor, spreading to his mouth it shone brightly through every orifice of his face before small cracks began forming in his skin and armor as it was torn apart by the flash of light causing the noble to blast into pieces which promptly turned into little orbs of light to get carried right in front of me to reform into the man who dared to touch my sword. 

I could see the magicules raging inside me like a torrent of a strong fire, they almost buzzed off my skin and raised every hair on my body as I felt my skin get hot and beg for relief. I clenched my fist tightly as it began to glow a bit from within my palm, and without giving it any further thought I slammed my foot into the ground to launch myself toward the man and held my fist out as I closed my eyes, tightly. 

I felt my hand hit into something soft as all my momentum was stopped in an instant and I almost got flung forward but then stopped in my tracks, opening my eyes I could see golden eyes in front of me with soft sky blue hair, and a knowing grimace filling those perfect lips and adorning that perfect nose. "Cool it, I would have given Nahenlicht back to you the moment he got back here." Rimuru yanked me to the side and I could see his aura flash a bit almost as a threat for me not to speak, before I was standing quite a way's away from the noble. 

My heart sunk into my chest almost to the pit of my stomach, but one sight filled that void. Those purple eyes filled with fear staring at me like some kind of monster, the man who had tried to take something from me. His face beaded with little drops of sweat with his brows furrowed up as if ready to take a direct hit to the face. 'Let him think of me that way, he deserves it.' 

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Rozemyne's pov: 

The stage was sort of tense, and I could see an expression from Tuuli I'd never seen before, it was something else in my mind. It was ticking forward like a clock, just ticking back and forth trying to figure out the situation. I was stopped by another sight in front of me, Masayuki had reappeared holding Tuuli's sword now, he immediately ran over and gave it to her. Having treated the sword like a hot potato that was about to explode at any moment before frantically getting away from Tuuli like a scurrying cockroach. 

A comment came from someone near me, "That sword is something else, I can understand his fear of it." The voice was Ferdinand's and I could see his cute little cheeks moving along with the words using my senses. 

"I understand her anger, but this will cause issues." Karstedt had appeared to say this next part, I had not even noticed him  before now with the concentration of magicules on the balcony from all the demi-spirits. I wondered what he meant by issues while hoping Tuuli would come back up here to talk with me, it took me several moments to realize I did have a way of talking to her. 

'TUULI! Are you ok?' I immediately shouted into her mind in a frenzied rush. 

'Rozemyne? I am fine. Sorry if my show worried you, I was simply angry.' She had a dismissive tone inside her mind, and I could feel something else behind it. Not something I could decipher, however. 

'Tuuli... After you are let off the stage go home, please.' I forced my mind into a calm state as I said it. 

I could almost hear a sigh across our connection as she responded to me. 'Very well.' 

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Lutz' pov: 

Tuuli was really really cool, like some kind of monster she stood up to a noble in front of a massive group of people. She hadn't even seemed remotely scared while doing it, hell I think she would have won easily if they had actually gotten to fight.

That was unimportant at the moment though, those weapons and items in the Labyrinth. So many monster materials that could be used for products, maybe it was a trap for tourist, but for us I could see the utility. I shot Benno a little smile from next to us as I believed I had the perfect idea for a new way to get the materials for products. 

Benno received my little smile with a knowing gaze, and then pat me on the head before pulling on my ear a bit and whispering into it. "You better think this through a bit more, before you rush into anything. We are up against Mjöllmile here, boy." That stern biting tone bashed into my skull like a chisel, but I welcomed it. 

"I'll give it my best." A quick response, I tried to make it snap back at him. 

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3rd pov: 

Hinata stood there, having watched the show inside the Labyrinth with a deep smile, a bit of sheen in her eyes having finally seen the girl show her best. 'Her potential really is something else. Even if she burst out in rage, I understand why.' The thoughts flowing through Hinata's mind continued like this for some time while she stood there almost completely silently, along with the rest of the knights.

Some of their faces were completely agape like they had just seen their jobs disappearing over night, 'Is this girl real? Is this what Hinata-sama did when she was starting out?' Arnaud in particular had his mind racing, while his gut sank 'I fear what Luminas-sama plans to do with her.' 

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Gunther stood, having just watched Tuuli, tearing up a bit there but trying to keep it discrete not to draw too much attention. "Show em.." 

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Fuming inside as the storm of magicules raged inside and made her skin almost visibly heat up, Veronica sat watching the situation play out. 'How was I supposed to know that idiot wouldn't be able to handle the sword? She can just fine.' 

Attendants buzzed around her like a swarm of busy bees as she was fuming in her little personal bubble without any of them having been aware, in the slightest. 

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Rozemyne's pov: 

I stepped onto the steps in front of the house, having immediately floated away from Damuel at high speeds the moment I passed the anti-perception barrier. I could not have enough time, it was not long before I threw open the door with a quick spin of the knob and closed it with the force of an avalanche behind me. After that I flew right up the stairs, right over my father and to our room. I just hoped she was there, and when I opened the door she was. Laying there alone. 

A little twitch worked it's way up the back of the ball of huddled Tuuli mass as I saw a little glimmer of the hilt of Nahenlicht sticking out from past her shoulder as she was hugging it tightly in a really baby like, close to fetal position. 

I immediately went to lay next to her while almost hopping onto her for a hug. "Hey.." She did not move a muscle, she simply accepted the new weight of myself. 

A slight jitter finally happened as she turned a bit and glanced at me over her shoulder. "You didn't even change.." She was smiling a bit with a bitter twitch to it, as she quickly  looked away again. 

"You are more important." I whispered to her resolutely, while thinking for a moment how to get her to start talking. 

A soft long exhale came out of Tuuli as I fell a bit forward as her chest shrank a bit. "You need to be more responsible sometimes." I really shouldn't have been, but I could see her grimace clearly as she was turned away her face tightened and stringy using my [Magic Sense]. My chest sunk seeing her like this, as I tried to pat her hair softly. 

My mind idled and I paused for a moment before just voicing it, "C-can you talk about all this?" My voice was shaky and had developed a brand new hoarseness that was previously not present. Despite my desire though, no tears formed in my eyes and the feeling in my chest was waning. 

"You don't deserve the trouble, it is things I've gotten myself into. I will get myself out of them." Her voice was calm and steady, flowing like the river next to Ehrenfest city. Her body still shuddered though, every little shake and jitter pounding into my heart when I sensed them. 

It was my turn to let out a long extended breath, which quickly turned into a sigh. Resigning myself to a long and big hug for my sister, while thinking about whatever I could do to help her discretely. 

She softly gripped my hand over her shoulder, while staying turned away. "Stay here, please. That is all." 

I felt the pit in my chest rise a bit as I stayed at the back of Tuuli's head, her perfect green hair. She deserved to get a matching braid with mine, I reminded myself to make sure to help her make them as well. I laid into an even deeper hug while gripping her hand back a bit. 

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--2012 words--

(AN: What character does this chapter belong to? You decide.