I'll Only Show You My Secret Base
The patriarch gazed out the window.
What lay beyond the glass was his own ambition—the future he was about to seize with his own hands.
Behind him, an elf in an elegant uniform approached without a sound and dropped to one knee.
"I bring my report. The applicant tally for the Heavenly Spirit Hall is complete. Two hundred in total—not a single discrepancy. Among them… the name of Ruby Scarlet has been confirmed."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
The patriarch let out a short, intrigued murmur and lifted his teacup.
The fragrant aroma of black tea curled around his nose, yet the eyes that peered over the rim glittered like those of a predator that had just locked onto its prey.
Clink.
He wet his throat lightly, set the cup down, and twisted his lips into a thin, venomous smile.
"At last, the chance to erase that stain has arrived."
"……."
"And the 'finest elves' I designated? Are they prepared without issue?"
The subordinate bowed his head deeply.
"They have already infiltrated, disguised as ordinary participants. The moment you give the order, she will vanish before she ever sets foot on the floor of the Heavenly Spirit Hall."
"Hoh…… Now that is something to look forward to."
The patriarch's gaze drifted far beyond the window, toward a colossal structure that glowed faintly in the distance.
The spires of the Heavenly Spirit Hall thrust upward as if to pierce the night sky.
It was a sacred ground handed down from antiquity, the gateway through which the continent's most renowned elves proved their worth.
Yet in the eyes of the Silverrain Patriarch, the place was nothing more than a lavishly decorated slaughterhouse.
A stage where, under the noble pretext of proving strength and talent, the blood of countless youths was spilled.
An unfortunate accident during a heated duel.
No other venue made that tired excuse land quite so perfectly as the Heavenly Spirit Hall.
It was a mad arena where even death itself was wrapped in the name of honor.
Ruby Scarlet. Your death, too, will be recorded as a regrettable accident. A thoroughly wretched, tragic accident.
The patriarch's eyes sank into cold stillness.
"The sooner we deal with it, the better. We carve out the family's filthy shame, and we claim the Ignis we have so long desired. There is no more perfect scenario than this."
"……Most wise. No house is more worthy of being the master of Ignis than the Silverrain family."
At the subordinate's flattery, the patriarch let out a short, deflated laugh.
"Keh-keh…… Is that so? You've got quite the silver tongue."
"I merely spoke the truth, my lord."
"The truth, is it…… Well, it is pleasant to hear."
By the time a proper chill had settled into the night air, Ruby Scarlet suddenly announced mid-session that she had somewhere to show me and yanked me along by the sleeve.
The place she led me to was a dilapidated pavilion overgrown with weeds, far from any foot traffic.
A crude spot, completely detached from the glittering academy buildings. I glanced around and asked,
"Where is this?"
"Here…? Hmm."
She perched herself with familiar ease on the dusty old railing.
Her gaze was fixed downward, on the glittering nightscape of the city that never slept.
"My secret base. A hideout nobody else knows about. Ever since I was little, whenever I wanted to disappear, I ran here."
The usual sharp venom was gone from Ruby's voice.
She felt like a balloon that had lost its air—completely deflated.
Was it because her affinity had climbed to twenty?
Unlike the rage-management disaster she usually was, the face of an unexpectedly gentle girl peeked through.
"Hey, Teacher."
"Yes?"
"Catch."
She casually tossed something from her coat.
Whoosh—
Thud!
I caught it on pure reflex. Stamped across the surface of the can was the crude logo WAR Beer.
Even in a game world, a beer can managed to look uncannily real.
The cold aluminum pressed against my palm.
"Haha, something this precious… I'll gladly drink it."
"Hmph… It's not like I brought it just for you or anything."
She snapped back curtly, but I saw right through her.
The way she whipped her head away, the tips of her ears faintly flushed, and the faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Pssht, crack!
With a cheerful pop, Ruby cracked her can open first and took a long pull.
"Aah…! That's cold. You drink too."
"……Ah, yes. Thank you."
I opened mine as well and swallowed a mouthful.
The sharp fizz of carbonation and the bitter barley aroma.
It was unmistakably beer.
I quietly stepped up beside her and leaned against the railing.
"The air is nice here."
"……Yeah, it is."
Whether it was the alcohol or the atmosphere, Ruby's eyes as she gazed at the city lights looked especially deep.
A warm night breeze stirred, teasing her crimson hair and scattering it gently.
Hair that usually blazed like fire now held the soft moonlight and lay quietly still.
After a stretch of silence, Ruby toyed with the can in her hand and spoke abruptly.
"Hey, Teacher."
"Yes, Ruby."
She slowly lifted her head and looked up at the night sky.
Countless stars were reflected in her eyes, yet the light in them was somehow wet.
"I know what they whisper behind my back. That crazy arsonist bitch who's neither pointed-ear nor human… crawling into the Heavenly Spirit Hall without knowing her place. Defiling the sacred hall. That's what they'll say for sure."
Ruby gave a bitter smile.
Moonlight cut across her face at an angle.
The expression revealed between her red hair was not the fearless Ruby Scarlet the world knew, but the bare face of a wounded loner.
"Be honest with me. Do you really think I… belong there?"
The can in her grip trembled as if it might crumple.
"Maybe I shouldn't be putting on airs… and should just stay quietly crushed where I am."
— Crackle-crackle-zzzt.
Psychological Insight
A deep tremor reached me.
True, I was the one who had goaded her with "What, you scared?" and pushed her into entering the Heavenly Spirit Hall, yet she still doubted her own identity.
Ruby Scarlet.
Combining the profile from White Mage Galum with everything I had seen of her myself: a hybrid who was neither human nor elf. The Witch of Flames. A calamity.
A woman who had lived her entire life under pointing fingers.
What she needed right now was not another provocation.
She needed fuel to burn away the self-loathing eating her from within—in other words, certainty.
I gazed at the nightscape and let a lazy smile curve my lips.
"Ruby Scarlet."
"……?"
I set the can down on the railing and turned to face her squarely.
"Qualification is not something other people grant you."
My voice was low, but firm.
I spoke each word carefully so the night wind would not scatter them.
"Just as a flower needs no gardener's permission to bloom, if you have decided to stand there, that alone is enough. Is your blade not far sharper and brighter than their idle tongues?"
"……."
Ruby's pupils wavered.
I did not look away from her red eyes.
"The reason they chatter is because they are afraid."
"……Afraid? Of course they'd be afraid."
She let out a short, incredulous laugh and sighed.
"……The worst calamity in history. A cursed hybrid elf who commands fire……."
"That is not what I mean. Being afraid of you means…… they are terrified that the talent of the Ruby they mocked as a 'half-breed' will shatter their outdated prejudices."
"What……?"
I drove the point home with absolute conviction.
"The Ruby Scarlet I have seen is more worthy than anyone to be the master of that hall. Not a 'crazy arsonist,' but the flame that will light the world."
In that instant, Ruby's eyes went round.
She stared up at me blankly, and her cheeks flushed a deep red.
Whether it was the night wind or the alcohol, I could not tell.
"……Ha."
She hastily turned her head and gulped down the rest of her beer.
"You… sure know how to talk. Anyone listening would think you were a professional counselor."
The sniping tone was still there, but the edge from earlier was gone.
She crushed the empty can and rose from her seat.
"Th-that's enough. Let's head down. I have to get up early tomorrow."
As if trying to escape my gaze, Ruby spun around and took the lead.
Was it my imagination that the tips of her pointed ears, bare under the moonlight, looked especially red?
The path down was darker and steeper than the way up.
The weed-choked stone steps were slick with moss, yet Ruby's stride was faster than usual.
As if something were chasing her.
"Ruby, the path is rough. Please go slowly."
"I'm fine. I've walked this road with my eyes closed."
She answered curtly and strode on with long steps.
Just when I thought she looked unsteady—
"Uh…?"
The edge of an old stone step crumbled, and Ruby's ankle found only empty air.
Her body pitched forward, center of gravity gone.
"Ah!"
My body moved before thought.
Thud.
An instant before she hit the ground, I shot out an arm and snagged her around the waist.
At the same time I yanked her hard toward me.
Momentum carried her body flush against my chest with a soft impact.
"Hoo…… See? I told you to be careful."
When I looked down, Ruby's face was right in front of mine.
Her trembling red eyes filled my entire field of vision.
"……!"
Close enough that our breaths touched.
Through the arm still wrapped firmly around her to keep her from falling, her body heat seeped straight through the thin fabric.
A faint shampoo scent mixed with alcohol teased my nose.
The body in my arms had gone rigid as stone.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Ah, uh, y-yeah……."
Normally this would have been the moment she yelled "Let go already?!" yet for some reason her voice had shrunk to a mumble.
Up close, her long lashes were quivering.
Panic was written all over her.
"Um…… you can let go now."
When Ruby muttered the words, I finally took a polite step back.
But I did not release her completely.
I kept a light hold under her arm for support.
"The night path is dark. I'll steady you until we reach the bottom."
"Ha, seriously. Who's supporting whom here? I'm an elf, you know? Nocturnal, you know?"
Ruby made a show of raising her voice, yet she did not shake off my hand.
After a brief hesitation, she quietly tightened her grip on my sleeve.
"……If I fall, you're the one who'll have a hard time, so I'm specially allowing it."
I felt the strength in her fingertips.
And so we walked slowly down the mountain path under the settling moonlight.
Looking at her small hand clutching my sleeve, I thought that at least for tonight, it had been a pretty decent night.
"Hey…… Counselor."
"Yes?"
"……."
She called out to me out of nowhere, then sealed her lips shut.
Why call me if she had nothing to say?
"What is it? Did you twist your ankle earlier after all?"
"……It's nothing."
She only hung her head low.
Then a translucent system window rose before my eyes.
Ding.
Ruby Scarlet's affinity has increased.
Ruby Scarlet's affinity has increased by 10.
Current Affinity:30 / 100
Oh……
Climbing steadily, I see.