The Weight of a Line
After a powerful explosion, the rising dust cleared, and as the landscape beyond was revealed, I wore a victorious smile.
"...Well, your offensive power is even greater than I expected." Leon, looking dazed, unclasped his hands from behind his back and held the broken staff with both hands.
I cheered inwardly. Yay! I won! Maybe I really have gotten a bit stronger than before?
As I was basking in that strange, pleasant thrill, Leon cleared his throat with a cough and asked.
"Ahem. Say, young lady. I have a question. Just how strong are you compared to the other first-years? I suppose the strongest would be young Yoon Siwoo, who joined us recently. But even including him, you must be in the top three, right?"
"Top three? I don't even make the top five."
I mentally counted down the original main cast, ticking them off on my fingers. First, Yoon Siwoo was the undisputed number one. Sylvia and Dway would probably fight over second and third. Below them, there was Flone, the monstrously strong girl who was a heroine candidate in the original novel, and Marine, who controlled ice and water. Counting just them, I was definitely below fifth place.
When I answered, Leon muttered with a shocked expression, "...We were called the golden generation in our day, but what on earth is wrong with kids these days...?"
After muttering to himself, Leon shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at me.
"Young lady, to be honest, I don't quite understand why you're so desperate to get stronger. If you just steadily hone your physical control and abilities at the Academy, you'll easily become one of the top Heroes in the future. Just how strong do you want to be?"
Although Leon was highly evaluating me, I still felt incredibly lacking. Just thinking of the original plot, this level of strength would be woefully insufficient for the future. And now, with Witches—who never even intervened directly in the original story—beginning to make their moves... With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I voiced the words I had kept locked inside.
"Strong enough to fight a Witch."
Leon burst into laughter. "Ahahaha! Young lady, I love that you set your goals high."
He chuckled for a moment, but when I remained deadpan, his smile slowly faded. He stared at me, his expression hardening. "...Surely you aren't being serious, are you?"
When I nodded, Leon's face filled with bewilderment.
"...Young lady, I've fought on the front lines and faced High-grade Monsters several times. At that level, even a whole squad of ordinary Heroes would be completely wiped out. And a Witch is a monster several times stronger than even those beasts. Do you realize you're saying you want to be strong enough to fight monsters like that?"
I simply nodded without a word.
Leon seemed to ponder for a moment, then walked over to the weapon rack. This time, he pulled out a razor-sharp spear, not a training weapon. Swinging it, he drew a long line across the dirt floor of the clearing. Then, with eyes far more serious than I had ever seen from him, he spoke.
"Since I promised to help you grow stronger, I will take you seriously. If you are truly in earnest, I will do everything in my power to help you. But first, show me your resolve. If you truly wish to become strong, cross this line."
Leon pointed to the line he had carved with his spear. I nodded and walked toward it. Even as I drew close, Leon did not move. One step. Two steps. Three steps. And finally, I lifted my foot and crossed the line.
The moment I crossed, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly nodded with a solemn expression. "Very well. I keep my promises, so I will help you. Now then—"
Just then, a phone started ringing. It was my phone, which I had set aside for training.
"Ah... that's mine. Excuse me for a second..." I raised a hand to ask for a brief pause, then answered the call.
When I pressed the button, Sylvia's bright, cheerful voice echoed from the receiver.
"Ah, Scarlet! I happen to have some free time this afternoon, so I was wondering if we could go on that shopping trip we talked about?"
Startled by the sudden proposal, I looked around and replied in a small voice, "Uh... right now? Right now is a bit..."
When I hesitated, Sylvia's voice turned deeply disappointed.
"Ah... I guess you're busy with something... I understand. Then instead of shopping, how about we take a bath together this evening...?"
Hearing that, an emergency siren blared in my head. Wait, what? If I don't go shopping today, I have to take a bath with her? Absolutely not!
"W-wait! Come to think of it, today is actually perfect!"
"Wow! Really? It'll take me about thirty minutes to get back, so let's meet at the mansion in a bit!"
"Got it! See you at the mansion in thirty minutes!"
Hanging up, I bowed deeply to the bewildered onlookers. "I'm so sorry! Truly sorry! Something urgent just came up, so I have to go!"
"Huh? Oh, sure... If it's urgent, you should go..."
"I'm so sorry! See you next time!"
Apologizing repeatedly to a dumbfounded Leon, I bolted toward the mansion. If I'm late, I'm doomed!
May, who had been watching Scarlet run off in a daze, shook her head to clear her mind. She turned to Leon Lionil, who was standing quietly in the middle of the clearing, staring down at the line he had drawn.
"...Um, is something wrong?"
"Ah... sorry. I forgot you were here for a moment. I just have a few things on my mind..." Leon replied, but his attention still seemed entirely elsewhere.
May stared at the line on the ground and asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, but is there something special about that line you drew?"
It seemed like Leon had been trying to test Scarlet, but since Scarlet had crossed it so effortlessly, May had been burning with curiosity.
At May's question, Leon pondered for a moment before offering a faint smile. "...It's a sort of test. Would you like to try it too?"
May tilted her head, then nodded slightly. She began to walk slowly toward the line, just as Scarlet had done.
Step by step, May walked toward the line without hesitation, but suddenly, a strange sensation washed over her.
One step. A sudden chill crept down her spine, even though the sun was blazing overhead.
Two steps. Her hands and feet began to tremble involuntarily. Before she knew it, cold sweat was trickling down her neck.
Despite the inexplicable dread urging her to stop, she took a third step. The chill turned into a violent shiver, making her teeth chatter.
It was cold. Freezing. And terrifying.
Terrifying? Of what?
Looking past the line, May realized exactly where the terror was coming from. The man standing on the other side. His entire being screamed a single message: Cross this line, and I will kill you.
Even though she had seen him stand perfectly still, the killing intent radiating from him was so thick and suffocating that she felt certain her head would be pierced by his spear the instant her foot crossed the threshold. It was far more intense than what she had felt when facing that massive beast in front of the gymnasium.
I'll die. If I cross this line, I will absolutely die.
Her breathing grew shallow. Even though her mind knew it was just a test, her body refused to move. It was as if her feet were shackled, her instincts screaming, Are you crazy? You want to cross this? Her desire to cross clashed violently with her body's survival instincts.
Scarlet did it, so I can do it too.
She willed herself forward, but her limbs remained frozen. She wanted to follow in the footsteps of the friend she admired and aspired to be like, but she couldn't take that final step.
Frustrated and deeply saddened by her inability to overcome the fear, tears began to well in her eyes. Just then, a voice spoke.
"That's enough."
Instantly, the suffocating pressure vanished. As May's tension snapped, her knees buckled, but Leon quickly caught her before she hit the ground.
"I... I couldn't do it. I couldn't cross it... but Scarlet did..."
"That young lady is the anomaly. You are the normal one," Leon said with a bitter smile, looking down at the trembling girl in his arms.
Honestly, he had never imagined anyone could cross that line so carelessly. No matter how strong a person's willpower was, overcoming the primal fear of death was no simple feat. Yet Scarlet had crossed it as if she didn't care if she died at any moment.
Was it a desperate desire to get stronger, or was it something else entirely?
Regardless, a promise was a promise. Nurturing talent, huh... He wondered when the Academy's temporary closure would end. Perhaps he should ask the other division captains to help out as well.
After pondering for a moment, Leon looked down at the girl who had fainted from sheer exhaustion in his arms. He let out a heavy sigh and muttered, "...My daughter is going to skin me alive."
And just as he predicted, Leonor, furious at what he had done to the poor girl, smacked him on the back more times than he could count.