Sherry von Patrick (1)
A few days had passed since the 2v2 sparring match ended.
During that time, no major incidents caused by the butterfly effect had occurred.
The only thing worth mentioning was that the Breed family had, as expected, attempted to retaliate.
'Well, I asked Dale to handle that separately and clean it up.'
No matter how much of a count's family they were, turning Edin Academy into an enemy was an incredibly stupid move.
When you considered the professors and the chairman at the academy, it was practically suicidal.
'Honestly, even the imperial family wouldn't dare guarantee victory against them. What could a mere count possibly do?'
At any rate, nothing that would create a major variable had happened.
What I needed to do now was prepare for the large-scale episode that would occur soon.
I opened my status window to check my current condition.
Mind's Eye(★★★★★)
Composure(★★★)
Divine Archer(★)
High-Speed Movement(★)
Cash Shop(???)
Magic Power Application Lv. 2
Archer Mastery Lv. 3
I really had grown a lot.
Before entering the academy, my level had been a mere 6 at best. Now look at me.
I was already level 17.
'Still, the higher it gets, the harder it is to raise.'
For an early-game start, this wasn't bad at all.
On top of that, my Archer Mastery had reached level 3 thanks to the recent rewards.
Of course, my level was still nowhere near that of the main characters or the protagonists.
'Even so, my traits let me hold my own to some extent.'
Anyway, that was that.
I took out a silver arrow from my subspace pouch.
I immediately activated Mind's Eye while looking at it.
◈ When it strikes the target's heart, it removes any and all status abnormalities.
◈ Warning: Deals no damage. Single use only.
I never expected to receive this as a quest reward.
It was the reward that appeared after the 2v2 sparring match ended.
Of course, I had also received points and experience, but those were somewhat expected.
However, they had given me a unique consumable item just because my gauge hadn't dropped even halfway.
I was at a loss as to where I should use this.
'Well, I'll probably find a use for it later.'
Thinking that, I put the arrow back into my subspace pouch.
It was then.
-Hmm. It looks like it might work after all.
Miroel pushed her face close and stared at me intently.
“What might work, Master?”
-I'm talking about Possession.
“Pardon?”
Her completely unexpected words made me ask again without thinking.
She continued her explanation.
-The Bow of the Beginning possesses a unique ability called Possession, unlike the other primordial weapons.
It seemed that because my Archer Mastery had leveled up from this reward, I could now access other abilities of the Bow of the Beginning.
While I was nodding to myself in understanding,
-Yes! Since my soul is sealed inside the Bow of the Beginning, it's the only ability I can offer!
She placed both hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.
I played along and asked a question.
“As expected of you, Master. So what kind of ability is it?”
-Hmph. It allows you to use my power from when I was alive.
“?!”
I couldn't help but flinch in shock.
Miroel—one of the heroes who had sealed the Demon God.
Being able to use her power was nothing short of an absurd ability.
-Ah, of course, since your current strength is still lacking, you'll only be able to use about 1% of it. Even then, ten seconds will probably be the limit.
“Ah…”
Of course it wasn't that easy.
If I could fully use Miroel's power, it would be far too much of a cheat from the start.
Even for a myth-grade weapon, that would be an excessively shameless ability.
Still, even using just a fraction of her power would grant me an absurd amount of strength.
-Hmph. Why do you look so disappointed, my disciple?
She narrowed her eyes and leaned her face even closer.
Feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my head. Miroel pushed her face even nearer.
-This won't do! Let's become one right now!
“Wait, why are you saying something that could cause such a weird misunderstanding?!”
It was a relief that only I could hear her voice. If anyone else had heard that, they would have definitely misunderstood.
-Hurry up and become one with me!
Saying that, she pounced on me.
That day, I tried the Possession she had mentioned, but unfortunately, my strength was still insufficient and it failed.
***
Today's training had come to an end.
I wiped my sweat with a towel and began walking.
-Now that I think about it, your bandages don't get wet, do they?
At that moment, Miroel looked at the bandages covering my eyes with a puzzled expression.
I put the towel back into my subspace pouch and answered.
“They are specially enchanted bandages.”
-Ah, so that's why you never take them off.
“Exactly. With normal bandages, I'd have to change them frequently…”
As I answered her and left the training grounds,
-Pitter-patter!!
It was raining outside.
It hadn't been raining when I was about to leave the training hall, but now the rain was pouring down.
'Good thing I brought an umbrella just in case.'
I took out my magic-powered umbrella from the subspace pouch.
The moment I channeled mana into the handle,
-Vwoong!
A small barrier made of mana appeared.
It had the exact same design as modern umbrellas.
The only difference was that mana appeared instead of fabric.
'Better hurry before it gets worse.'
Just as I was about to step outside the building,
“Hmm?”
I suddenly sensed a presence.
When I turned my head, I saw Sherry standing there, looking lost because of the rain.
'Ugh. We ended up running into each other.'
After the 2v2 spar, I had been avoiding her.
I didn't want to cause any unnecessary butterfly effects in the upcoming practical evaluation episode.
Besides, every time I saw her, the old version of myself from the past somehow came to mind.
So I had kept my distance, but I never imagined we'd meet like this.
'I thought she had already left since she wasn't in the training hall.'
While I was inwardly groaning,
'Ah. She noticed me.'
I must have been staring too obviously, because Sherry turned her gaze toward me.
Then, suddenly, she made a slightly gloomy expression.
'Huh? Why is she making that face?'
Was it because she didn't have an umbrella?
Thinking that, I walked over to her.
“Miss Sherry. Did you not bring an umbrella?”
“Ah, yes… I didn’t expect it to rain.”
“Then shall we go together? I will escort you to the front of the dormitory.”
“Eh?!”
For a brief moment, her eyes widened in surprise.
What? Why is she reacting like that?
“Do you dislike the idea?”
“N-no! I’m actually grateful! I was stuck here because of the rain!”
“That’s a relief. Then please come to my side.”
The next moment, she clung tightly to my side.
Miroel narrowed her eyes and stared at the back of my head.
-My disciple is too nice to women. That’s your problem.
Miroel’s resentful voice reached my ear, but I pretended not to hear it.
***
Somehow, Sherry ended up walking under the same umbrella as Baran.
She rolled her eyes and quietly glanced at him.
'He must be very disappointed in me…'
Back at the café, Baran had acknowledged her.
The man who had shown the greatest performance in the entire academy had acknowledged her.
So, to repay that acknowledgment, she had tried to defeat Luden this time.
However, contrary to her expectations, she had lost.
And overwhelmingly so.
As a result, her father had reached a point where he no longer even felt disappointment.
But that part didn’t matter.
Being a disappointment to her father was something that happened all the time.
What she truly couldn’t bear was because of Baran.
It was right after the sparring match, when she was feeling disappointed in herself.
By chance, she had spotted Risa and Baran in the spectator seats.
After seeing the result, Baran had left the arena without even looking back.
That sight had looked exactly like her father being disappointed in her.
'Sigh…'
After that, Baran had avoided her.
As if he had lost all interest in her after being disappointed.
While she was feeling depressed during her usual training, she happened to spot Baran at the training grounds.
Feeling awkward, she had decided to finish training early and leave.
But by some twist of fate, it started raining outside.
Because she was wearing a white shirt, if she got wet, her underwear would show through.
So she had no choice but to wait until the rain stopped.
It was then.
'Baran must have finished training too.'
The heavens truly had no mercy.
She had left early to avoid him, yet here they were, face to face.
And while she had been standing still inside the building to avoid the rain, no less.
She had thought Baran would ignore her again this time, but—
-Miss Sherry. Did you not bring an umbrella?
Contrary to her expectations, he had spoken to her first.
It was so unexpected that she had been completely stunned.
Who could have predicted that the person who had been avoiding her all this time would speak to her first?
Up to that point, she could understand.
But then—
-Then shall we go together? I will escort you to the front of the dormitory.
She had never imagined he would offer to walk her all the way to the female dormitory entrance.
So surprised by his words, she had unconsciously accepted the offer.
And that was how she had ended up in this situation.
“Miss Sherry? Are you alright?”
Baran’s voice, full of concern, pulled her from her thoughts.
Sherry quickly shook her head to clear her mind and nodded repeatedly.
“Y-yes!”
“Hmm. The umbrella is a bit small, isn’t it?”
“N-no, not at all!”
She shook her head vigorously at his question.
In truth, the umbrella was quite small for two people.
But she couldn’t possibly say that.
After all, because of her, Baran’s right shoulder was already getting wet.
'Ugh. Because of me…'
Seeing such consideration made Sherry’s heart pound wildly.
Was it because the umbrella was small?
His arm kept brushing against her shoulder.
-Thump, thump, thump.
Her heart was racing as if it wanted to burst through her chest.
She had never felt this way before, so she didn’t know what this feeling was.
But one thing was certain—it wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
“Mister Baran.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll link arms with you for a moment.”
Saying that, she linked arms with a determined expression.
The next moment, her large chest pressed against his forearm.
Unaware of Baran’s inner panic, Sherry pressed even closer.
Then she asked,
“This way, your shoulder won’t get wet anymore, right?”
“Yes…”
Baran slowly nodded at her question.
And so the two of them walked arm in arm.
-Plop, plop.
-Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Silence hung between them.
The only sounds reaching their ears were the clear patter of rain and the frantic beating of a heart.
No further conversation passed between them.
Then, a short while later.
“Ah…”
They had finally arrived in front of their destination.
There was still some distance to the building entrance, but at this point, they no longer needed the umbrella.
Just as she was about to unlink her arm,
“I’ll walk you to the front of the building.”
Baran spoke in a kind voice.
Normally, she should have refused.
It was ridiculous for a male student to walk a female student all the way to her dormitory.
But for some reason, she wanted to stay like this a little longer.
'Still, I shouldn’t…'
She couldn’t burden him any further.
He was already disappointed in her. Causing him any more trouble would be unacceptable.
Just as she was about to refuse,
“Hmm? A male student all the way here? What’s the occasion?”
The female guard stationed at the dormitory entrance tilted her head.
Baran smiled softly and answered.
“Ah, it’s nothing special. Miss Sherry didn’t have an umbrella, so I escorted her. Would it be alright if I walk her just to the front of the building?”
“Hmm…”
The female guard looked Baran up and down.
Her gaze eventually stopped at his bandages.
“If you’re a student, it should be fine. Hurry and come back before the other girls see you.”
“Yes, thank you. Then let’s go quickly, Miss Sherry.”
“Yes…”
Unable to refuse, she followed him inside the entrance.
'Good thing there’s no one around because of the rain.'
She breathed a small sigh of relief inwardly, when Baran suddenly stopped walking.
Sherry quietly turned her head toward him.
“Is something wrong?”
“Uh, um… It looks like we have a bit of a problem.”
“Pardon?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
“Why is Baran here?”
A familiar voice reached her ears.
She looked forward.
The next moment, Luden came into view, staring at the two of them with a puzzled expression.
It seemed he was seriously misunderstanding the situation.