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Charlotte banged her head on the desk. The impact caused a few papers to slide off the pack and into the marble floor.
A lot of problems kept circling around her, killing what little focus she had left.
First was guilt. She attacked her own squad when she was possessed by an elf. No one was angry at her, as they all understood that what happened was out of her control, but she couldn't help herself to feel horrible.
The Captain of the elegant Blue Rose Knights, losing control and composure of her own body?
Charlotte wanted to smack herself. If her grandmother, a former Blue Rose Knight was here, she would've beat her to it. She did really smack herself really, but not until Sol barged in her room and stopped her before she was satisfied with her method of atonement.
Groaning, she leaned against the plush chair and closed her eyes.
Second problem was an oblivious, dense, dumb, unaware, idiotic barbarian, namely, Yami Sukehiro.
The fragments of memories coming back to her were of them being in each other's close proximity and them working together. For a while there, Charlotte wanted to thank, for that part only, the elf who possessed her.
"I'm not as awkward as the owner of this body."
Her eyes squeezed shut as she remembered how the elf indirectly exposed her feelings towards the man. Maybe she wanted to strangle her too.
Minutes of thinking, sighing and pondering stretched into an hour and Charlotte groaned, pissed that she didn't do anything productive and just thought about something... unimportant.
Oh. Saying that word left a bitter taste at her mouth.
A knock on the door shut off her train of thought and Sol entered.
"Big Sis, what do we do with the papers from the library?" Sol said, holding up an envelope. Charlotte rubbed her temple. She stayed up all night, looking for scrolls and documents regarding weg, anything to help Yami and the Black Bulls.
Darn love, making her put too much effort.
"My head hurts. Can you deliver those to the Black Bulls base? Also, call me captain."
Sol frowned, "You want me to go to that squad overrun by men?"
"It's just to deliver," Charlotte spoke, shaking her hands, "it's not like it'll take long, Sol." Besides, I can't see Yami right now.
Sol clutched the envelope to her chest and sighed, "Okay, Big Sis!"
Sol decided to use her broom to go, since using her golem would take longer travels. She flew for half an hour towards the weird, misshapen building aka Black Bulls base.
Setting herself down, Sol scanned the base. It confuses her on how the weird cluster of rooms can balance itself. It looks like a heap of a child's wood blocks.
Knock knock. No answer.
Knock knock again. No answer.
A tick mark formed on her forehead as she raised a leg.
"Hey, who's knocking?" Vanessa said from the sofa, chugging a wine bottle. Luck laughed. "Magna, open the door!"
"No way!" Magna said, squinting. "I've been run over by that door whenever Captain Mereoleona knocks! Maybe it's her again."
A series of bangs sounded from outside and no one but him paid attention. Scoffing, he stood up and marched towards the door, "Who the hell are you?! Don't you know that this is the Black Bulls base," he opened the door, "home of the Cap-thrnk!" A sandaled foot landed on his face and he fell, butt first on the floor.
"Oh, Funglasquent." Sol said, putting her foot down. Magna glared at her and held his bruised cheek, "What the hell was that for, Giant Woman?! And why are you here?"
"Hey, men are not allowed to curse at me. Especially ones not as beautiful as Big Sis." Sol quipped, holding out the envelope. "Is your captain here? I need to give him this." She waved the envelope in Magna's face.
He snickered, "Captain Yami's in the toilet. If you still want to live, best not bother him."
"Geez," Sol huffed, her eyebrows together. "Can I give this to your vice captain, then? I'ts an emergency."
"Finral's at the capital, maybe looking for dates. Wait for him if it's such an emergency." Magna said and something hit the back of his head. He turned around and went face to face with Luck who then threw another glass bottle at his direction, now with his lightning.
"Seriously," Sol muttered, "I'd rather braid Big Sis's hair than stay in this weird base. I wanna go-"
Magna ducked and made a fireball in his hand, but he saw Luck's mouth form an 'o'.
"What's with the face, Luck you bastard?" Magna took out his bat, ready to strike in case Luck was trying to fool him, but the latter pointed by the door.
A passed out Sol, forehead bruised, nose bleeding and the glass bottle almost shattered beside her.
"Well," Magna said, "this might be a problem."
Luck pouted and walked towards them, looking at the girl. "Do you think the Blue Rose Knights will kill me?"
"They will murder you, I think."
"Oh! I'm gonna fight them? Cool!"
"You crazy bastard."
Magna put one arm under Sol's legs, the other on her back and lifted her up.
Huh, she's surprisingly light. Magna thought. Carrying her inside, he set her down on the sofa and wiped the blood off her nose. Charmy and Vanessa neared them and squinted their eyes at her situation.
"This is bad, la." Charmy said and ordered her cooks to make a mana-restoring drink.
"No one here has healing magic, though." Vanessa, a bit sober, said.
"Someone has to take her to the capital and to the infirmary."
Charmy handed Magna a glass and the boy raised his eyebrow, "What is this for?"
"It's a mana-restoring drink, la." Charmy said, pointing at Sol, "Look at her, she's faintly glowing. Meaning her magic must be trying to heal her but can't control itself because the user is out of commission, resulting in wasted mana, la." She explained, nodding.
"Okay okay, but what am I supposed to do with this?"
"You give it to her, la."
Magna opened Sol's mouth slightly and tried to find an opening to pour the liquid.
"That's not how it works," Vanessa said in a teasing voice. "Have you ever read any romance novel, you virgin delinquent?"
"I'm not a delinquent!" Magna shouted, "And what the heck are you talking about? What does this have to do with romance novels?"
"You put in in your mouth and pour it in hers!"
"Huh? What the heck does that even mean?!"
"So she won't choke, la." Charmy shook her head slowly.
Luck laughed, "Means you have to kiss her!"
"What?!" Magna shrieked, eyes wide, "I am not doing that!"
"Oh?" Is it your first kiss, virgin delinquent?" Vanessa cooed, nudging him. Magna's face flared in embarrassment, "S-Shut up! So what if it is, huh?! I am not spending it on a fluke!"
"Eh, you're no fun." The witch pouted, "Luck, you do it, then."
"La/Huh/What?" The other three in the room staggered out in response. Luck tilted his head, and lit up after a few seconds. "Eh? Why does it have to be me?"
"For starters, you're the reason she's hurt, la." Charmy reasoned, holding a piece of bread.
"Oh." Luck took the drink from Magna's hand and stared at it and then at Sol. "Well, it can't be helped. Maybe she'll agree to fight me when she wakes up." He positioned the glass on his mouth, ready to drink when Magna held out his hands. "W-Wait!"
Luck stopped, "Oh?"
"You're gonna electrocute her, dumbass." Magna pointed out, squinting. "Give me that." Magna snatched the glass from him. He met Vanessa and Charmy's scrutinizing, wide smiles.
"Tch." With a flick of his hand, a firewall appeared around him and Sol.
"Hey, no fair! We want to see!" The witch pouted. Magna shouted at him. "Shut up!"
Facing the unconscious woman, he poured the compound in his mouth and leaned closer.
Darned woman, he thought.
Pinching her cheeks to open her mouth, Magna's lips connected with hers and the drink dripped to her mouth. Magna tilted her neck to make her swallow. Once her unconscious state took in the drink, he let go of her neck and set her down on the sofa again. The firewall dissipated.
Vanessa, Luck and Charmy were met with a non-glowing Sol and a flustered Magna.
"Congratulations, devirginized delinquent!"
"I-I'm not a delinquent!" Magna said, wiping his lips slightly, "Take her to Owen now."
"I'm so drunk, I can't even stand." Vanessa fake slurred, laying on the sofa.
"I need to eat, la." Charmy said, "Luck, go with them. One of you also needs to inform the Blue Rose Knights of her."
"You can set her down in your Crazy Cyclone, Magna!"
"Are you stupid? She's gonna fall!"
"No worries, no worries!" Vanessa waved her hand, and a thread wrapped itself around Magna and Sol. A tick mark formed on his forehead.
"You're leaving me no choice, lush!"
"Oh whatever. The thread will fade once you reach the hospital."
Charmy wrapped a cloak around unconscious Sol. "For hiding purposes, la. Luck, you notify her squad, okay?"
"On it." Lightning coated his feet. Magna, snickering, sat down on his ride, fixed Sol's position on his back and flew.
"This is so uncomfortable." Magna muttered to himself, taking note of how Sol was pressed onto his back like a sack. Glancing at the sleeping woman, he muttered. "You owe me lots, Giant Woman."
Once the Crazy Cyclone reached the hospital, the thread disappeared. Magna carried Sol, still wrapped in a cloak so no one would recognize her, to where Owen was.
"Oh, Magna from the Black Bulls!" Owen greeted, setting down a book, "Who may that be?"
Magna put her down on the hospital bed and removed the cloak. "She got caught up in a fight and got hit in the face."
Owen nodded, casting a spell, "A Blue Rose knight, I see. She appears to have a broken nose. Have you notified her squad?"
"Luck's going there now." He felt a familiar mana, "Speaking of bastard, he's here now." On cue, Luck entered and behind him followed Charlotte Roselei. The captain sighed at the sight of Sol and turned to the two bulls. "I see. But why is her mana not draining?"
"Magna gave her a mana-restoring drink!" Luck cheered and Magna threw a fireball at him. Charlotte narrowed her eyes and saw a faint trace of liquid on Sol's lips. She smiled. "I'll take it from here. Thank you for your help. Also, give your captain the envelope." The two nodded and went outside.
"So," Magna started, "did the knights try to kill you?"
"No, they ran when they saw me." Luck laughed and Magna rolled his eyes. "Obviously."
"Also, I told them that you kissed the woman!"
"Obviously I'm gonna kill you." Magna threw a fireball at Luck, who dodged and it crashed a wall of the infirmary. "Try and catch me!"
"Come back here, bastard!"
Yami opened the envelope he found on top of the counter. It was stamped with a rose, so he knew what it meant.
A heap of pages, all about the curse and what he needed met his eyes. He grinned. "You're not so bad, Prickly Queen."
The next day, Sol went unconscious again.