Rage Against the People

Without hesitation, Charlotte lunged toward the hero.

One of the branches on her left arm turned into a sharp sword.

The hero dodged her easily.

The people sighed with a mixture of amazement and indignation, then they shouted at Charlotte.

“What are you doing, you dumb kid?”

“Why is she attacking the hero!?”

“Leave him alone!”

The crowd's boos and jeers soon drowned the silence of the night.

Their anger grew so much that some people, including children, threw objects at Charlotte. For her part, she didn't react. Her eyes were fixed on the hero.

“Are you really willing to attack me in front of my people?”

“Yes, I don’t care if I become the bad guy…” She paused to catch her breath. “If that's what it takes to protect them.”

“So, be it, Charlotte Armelier—”

Before he could finish, Charlotte attacked again.

This time, she placed her hand on the ground.

Thousands of roots shot up from beneath the hero.

They trapped him.

The people who had gathered around the hero scattered, shouting in fear.

Charlotte lunged toward the hero once more.

She raised her hand toward him.

Roots sprouted from her arm once more and reached out toward him.

Charlotte planned to trap him.

With a touch of desperation, the hero broke free.

He leaped away from Charlotte.

Her attack had failed.

The hero positioned himself behind her. He kept a good distance between them.

Charlotte turned to look at him.

The pain in her leg immobilized her again.

“Face it, Charlotte Armelier, you’re not capable of defeating us.”

Charlotte blew smoke out of her mouth as she exhaled. She smiled.

“That's the thing... I don't plan on defeating you.”

The hero tilted his head.

“You’re afraid,” she continued. “You've seen what my arm is capable of, and that's why you avoid me at all costs.”

He remained silent.

“A simple touch… and I’ll set you free…”

The hero's jaw tightened.

“Leave him alone!”

A crowd gathered around Charlotte. They were carrying pitchforks.

“We won’t let you hurt him.”

The hero smiled cynically.

“You lost.”

Charlotte didn't touch her heart. She raised her left arm into the air.

Thousands of roots shot out toward the people.

Without harming them, she disarmed the villagers.

Enduring the pain in her leg, she lunged toward the hero.

This time, a root grew from her hand and reached out toward the hero.

It wrapped itself around his arm.

The hero tried to cut that branch, but more branches grew and tied him up again.

Caught off guard, he felt a force pull him forward. He almost fell to the ground.

It was Charlotte pulling him toward her.

His feet slid as he used all his will to resist.

“Keep your damn Magica away from us!”

Charlotte ignored his screams.

“We swear we will kill you!”

Charlotte kept bringing him closer and closer.

“That’s enough!”

The hero whistled.

In the darkness of the night, two beasts emerged.

They let out deafening howls muffled by a strange gagging sound, as if they were choking.

They began attacking the people around them.

In a split second, everything descended into chaos.

Charlotte kept pulling the hero toward her.

If I stop him, those things will definitely go away.

The hero smiled at Charlotte again.

“Choose again, Charlotte Armelier!”

The people's screams reached Charlotte's ears.

“Please help us, hero!”

“Help us!”

“They're attacking the children!”

No matter how hard she tried, she could no longer move the hero.

She tried and tried, but it was in vain.

Unable to help herself, she looked around.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two people about to be attacked.

It was a little boy and his mother, who was protecting him.

The beast got closer to them. It raised its hand, made of rotten wood, and twisted it into thorns.

The crying little boy closed his eyes.

The beast attacked.

“Pure Magica. Nullify You!”

The beast turned into flowers.

The little boy opened his eyes.

Charlotte stood in front of him. Wounded and bleeding, she stood firm. The moonlight shone upon her. Her face wore a genuine, serene smile.

She knelt and stroked the little boy’s head.

“Everything is fine.”

The boy's eyes lit up.

“T-thank y-you…”

His mother, a little confused, ran off.

Another scream rang out nearby.

Another beast was about to attack a group of people.

Charlotte extended several roots from her arm to catch it.

She slammed it into some rubble.

“Go away now!” She ordered.

Everyone looked at Charlotte in amazement.

Without saying another word, people began to flee the area.

The hero whistled again.

Some tigers, made of roots and rotten wood, appeared. Beneath its bear mask, enormous fangs shaped as sharp root-like sabers protruded. 

One of them charged at a family. The man tried to protect his wife and their newborn baby.

Without a moment's rest, Charlotte lunged toward them.

She turned the branches and roots of her arm into a shield.

She took the vicious bite instead of them.

Charlotte clenched her teeth to keep from screaming.

With great force, she flung the tiger far away.

“Go away now!”

She looked at her arm. The wood on it was splintered from the bite.

“Y-yes…” The man paused. “T-thank you so m-much!” he said through tears.

The second tiger lunged at two elderly men.

With barely any time to spare, Charlotte turned her hand into a crossbow. She fired several stakes.

They struck the tiger and wounded it.

The elderly men barely had time to escape.

The tigers and the humanoid beast recovered.

They tried to go after the people, but Charlotte created barriers of roots to trap them.

Little by little, the place emptied.

Only the hero, Charlotte, and the beasts remained.

“You’re ruining everything, Charlotte Armelier… Don’t you understand this is for a better future?”

Charlotte remained silent.

“You forced us into this.”

“You don’t have the right to harm people,” she said.

“They are already being harmed, and they will be harmed even more in the future.”

The tigers attacked her.

She turned one of the branches on her hand into a sword again.

They tried to bite her.

Charlotte used her sword to protect herself.

She struck one of the tigers, sending it flying through the air.

The other one opened its huge jaws to bite her.

Charlotte thrust her sword straight into its mouth.

“Pure Magica. Nullify You.”

She was so exhausted. Charlotte could barely keep her eyes open.

The hero launched an attack.

He struck Charlotte.

She managed to block the blow with her arm, but it was badly injured.

He attacked her again.

She was knocked over and crashed into a merchant's stall.

Charlotte lay defeated on the ground.

She gasped for air, and the starry sky began to look blurry.

“We almost feel sorry for you, but you brought this on yourself.”

Charlotte couldn’t speak.

“It's a shame you'll die here all alone. But don't worry… We’ll save this world.”

Tears rolled down Charlotte’s cheeks. Her life flashed before her eyes. Her father, her friends, where it had all begun.

In her mind, she saw it all clearly, but little by little it began to fade.

The evening breeze gently brushed her face.

Her ears rang, and the hero's voice sounded very far away.

“This is the beginning of a new era…A new—”

Almost faded away.

Suddenly, she felt a warmth spread throughout her body.

Her vision cleared.

Her right arm, which she hadn't been able to move until then, regained its strength.

The sharp pain in her knee disappeared.

Even the roots and branches in her arm returned to their healthy state.

She slowly got to her feet.

Without warning, Zoe hugged her. She couldn't stop crying.

“I'm so glad you're alright... I-I...”

Tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes again.

“I’m so happy you’re okay too, Zoe.”

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone… I’ll never leave your side… I’ll always protect you… I promise, Charlotte.”

“Okay, but on one condition.”

“Huh?”

“I will protect you, too.”

Zoe laughed through her tears and nodded.

Then Sybill arrived and hugged her, crying as well.

Charlotte looked around.

Leif, Gerald, and Alysia were attacking the hero and his beasts.

Arthur finally arrived, and he was also happy to see Charlotte.

“Sorry for the delay, Miss Charlotte,” said the prince.

“Don't worry. Let's do this together.”

The prince nodded. “Did you find a weakness?”

Charlotte smiled. “Yes.”

“So what do we do now, Charlotte?” Zoe asked.

“I need to activate my Magica by touching him.”

Arthur and Zoe looked at each other, confused.

“Trust me… Let’s do this like we always do… As a team.”

“Understood.”

The final battle began.