Their Letters, Part 2
Next was Isabella Kshatri's letter.
The patterns and sentences on it were striking, looking as though they had been meticulously engraved one by one with magic.
My connection with Isabella had started the latest among the four heroines.
Well, our very first meeting had actually been quite early.
It was during the exam to measure individual magical aptitude, which we took right after entering the Magic Department.
I still vividly remembered the massive illusion magic she had demonstrated back then.
The blue sky and vast fields that suddenly materialized inside the stone-walled testing hall naturally captivated everyone's attention.
It was more than enough to make everyone realize that the girl standing before them was a genius.
I also recalled the bitter memory of taking my exam under immense pressure, as she had unfortunately been right before me in the testing order.
If my memory served me right, the look she gave me back then was no different from the way she looked at every other student besides herself.
A cold expression mixed with contempt and boredom.
It was truly surprising to me now that she and I had somehow formed any kind of connection at all.
Of course, it was strictly a bond of friendship—nothing more, nothing less.
Confident that the feelings she harbored for me were purely platonic, I unfolded the letter she had sent.
To this lady's dear friend, Rofel Teufel.
(Be sure to feel honored!)
I thought to myself that it was an opening very characteristic of her personality.
Rofel, I have just heard the news that you arrived at the academy.
I believe there are still about two weeks left before the start of the semester, yet you returned much earlier than expected.
Could it be that you came early out of a burning desire to see this lady as soon as possible? Fufufu.
If so, what a pity. This lady is currently at the Magic Tower.
To be honest, I couldn't help but be quite surprised when I first heard that Isabella was at the Magic Tower.
Of course, one might ask what was so strange about the daughter of the Magic Tower Master, Shangri Kshatri, staying at the Magic Tower during the break.
However, around her second year at the academy, Isabella Kshatri had experienced a massive conflict with her adoptive father, the Magic Tower Master.
From what I knew, the issue arose when their differing pursuits in magic and accumulated grievances regarding their family dynamic finally boiled over.
Because of this, Isabella had refused to return to the Magic Tower for a long time, holed up at the academy in protest.
This was an event that also existed in the original game. In the original story, the player could build affinity with her by helping the Magic Tower Master convince Isabella.
There was just one small problem... At that point in time, before I had regained the memories of my past life, I had ended up getting involved in her troubles.
Being naturally meddlesome, I had approached her while she was feeling down, and after talking with her, we had somehow become ordinary friends.
Anyway, whether it was a butterfly effect or not, even though Marc Visus had tried to convince Isabella at the Magic Tower Master's request just like in the original game, her actions took a different turn.
She ultimately rejected the Magic Tower Master's proposal and decided to declare her independence from the Magic Tower.
Of course, one might think this was a major disaster where an extra like me had heavily interfered with the progression of the scenario.
However, in the original game, failing to convince Isabella in that event didn't carry a significant penalty.
At most, it just reduced the number of event scenes you could view with her, and there wasn't even a major change in her affinity.
In fact, whether you succeeded or failed, her affinity would steadily rise at a slow pace regardless.
That was why, even after regaining my memories of my past life, I hadn't paid much attention to the matter.
Yes, this news might sound surprising to you.
After all, this lady, who grumbled to you about how boring and tedious that place was and even raised her voice at the Magic Tower Master—who, though my adoptive father, is still who he is—has returned to the Magic Tower.
Well, that does not change the fact that I have declared my independence from the Magic Tower.
Even so, this lady pondered over it quite deeply.
Although it was a problem you, Rofel, resolved for me, it was a place I did not even want to cast a glance at after what happened in the past...
However, since this is a matter that must be settled once and for all eventually, I decided there was no harm in dealing with it sooner rather than later.
Ah, to add to this, a fact I hadn't known in the original game was that Isabella was not the biological daughter of the Magic Tower Master, Shangri Kshatri.
While she did carry the Kshatri bloodline, she was a descendant of a distant branch family. Shangri Kshatri, recognizing her exceptional magical talent, had adopted and raised her.
Not only was this fact kept from the public, but it was also a secret known to only a handful of people within the academy.
Yet, for some reason, she had personally revealed this truth to me.
Well... at the time, she was in an unusually emotional state, unlike her usual self, so it was probably just a slip of the tongue.
Even so, it has been painful nonetheless.
Even if I have business here, having to stay in a place like this for days and face that Magic Tower Master...
Every time I had to do so, Rofel Teufel, you cannot imagine how much I thought of you.
I missed the times when you would open your arms and hold me, just like you did at the academy.
It is embarrassing to admit, but even now, as I write these words, I wish to be held in your broad embrace.
If I were, you would gently stroke my hair...
I want to fall fast asleep in your arms, completely forgetting the passage of time.
Ah, one must not read this part and misunderstand.
Sometime after we became friends, during one of our meetings, she had made a rather unusual request.
It was a request that the Isabella of the original game would never, ever have made.
Of course, even though I didn't have the memories of my past life at the time, I had been utterly shocked.
However, because she had looked so pitiful and vulnerable while going through her struggles back then, I had ended up giving in to her request.
Ugh... I couldn't even begin to describe how startled I was when she, who usually looked down on everyone, accidentally spoke to me in baby talk.
Perhaps Isabella had taken a liking to that experience, as she would often make the same request afterward.
Ah, but even so, it didn't change the fact that she and I were merely friends.
Chatting about this and that has caused me to waste too much space on this expensive parchment.
Though I still have a mountain of things I wish to write, unfortunately, I must quickly get to the main point.
Rofel, the truth is, while you were away in your hometown, I sent a small letter there.
Its contents were none other than a query regarding your marriage prospects.
First Seraphina Serion, then Elisio Gremlina, and now even Isabella Kshatri?
Why on earth was everyone so eager to get involved in my marriage talks?
Your father's reply arrived much faster than expected.
He stated that you are scheduled to enter marriage talks with other noble ladies immediately after graduating from the academy.
Obeying the head of the family's command, marrying whoever they choose, all for the sake of the house...
Well, for ordinary students from lower noble families at the academy, that might be the natural course of action.
However, upon hearing that news, this lady was somewhat disappointed.
Was it not you, Rofel, who told me that my own thoughts and feelings were what mattered most?
Therefore, I do not believe you made this decision of your own free will.
It must have been forced upon you by a combination of various external factors.
Thus, with only one year left before graduation, I suggest we sit down and have a serious discussion regarding marriage.
If you do, you will surely realize what choice you truly ought to make.
This lady owns a Kshatri family honorary villa near the academy, which I used instead of the dormitory. It would be best for us to speak there, just the two of us.
Ah, so that was it.
She was probably worried that I was blindly following my parents' words and the family head's orders without regard for my own wishes.
Since she despised, and even loathed, passivity in all things, it was only natural for her to feel that way.
She simply didn't want one of her close friends to act in a way she detested.
So, she wanted to convince me that I should make my own decisions when it came to marriage.
Well... of course, this was already a resolved issue since I had already chosen Lilit Tistina as my partner.
Still, I would have to explain to her how it had been settled.
Since she had personally invited me, I figured I could just tell her then.
With that, I shall conclude this letter.
I look forward to hearing a positive response from your lips when we meet again.
— Your friend, Isabella Kshatri
P.S. Lately, the behavior of that ignorant wench from the Knight Academy and the gloomy girl with glasses who holes herself up in the laboratory has been rather suspicious. There is no telling what they might do, so you must remain on your guard.
...Was she referring to Seraphina Serion and Elisio Gremlina?
Indeed, both of them were highly interested in my marriage prospects.
Seraphina had gone so far as to visit me in person, and Elisio had even recommended the kind of woman I should meet.
Well, the answer I would give them—including Isabella—would be the same.
In any case, I finished re-reading Isabella Kshatri's letter.
Once again, my thoughts after reading her letter remained unchanged.
It was clear that she, too, did not view me as anything more than a friend.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to emphasize the word "friend" right from the beginning of the letter.
In other words, this was her way of drawing a firm line, establishing that our relationship was strictly platonic.
And so, I had finished reading both Elisio's and Isabella's letters.
Both were typical letters of friendship, containing nothing out of the ordinary.
Now that I had read them, it was only right to write back.
I sat down at the table, picking up the pen I had used to write to my family.
Keeping my father's advice in mind, I began to write, taking extra care not to cause any misunderstandings.