A New Path

"Mister. I'm going to enlist."

In an instant, my mind became a tangled mess. All sorts of thoughts flooded in at once. Had there been any warning signs? Was there something I had missed? Like a madman, I sprinted to my office, dumped out the carefully stored letters, and began reading them again.

Was it then? Was that when he got sulky? It was true that whenever the boy mentioned wanting something, I had sent him plenty of money. Yuri had hated that. So afterward, we compromised on a regular monthly allowance of one hundred thousand larks. Whenever there was something he wanted as a gift, I tried to send the item itself rather than money. I thought things had become friendly again after that.

...Or so I thought. True to being the protagonist, Yuri had displayed superhuman sociability and returned. Well, at least the party incident was resolved nicely. So what had been the problem?

Was it this one? After receiving this letter, I had grown curious about why a boy would be so obsessed with pajamas and searched the entire area in front of the academy gates. The result? Only one shop. A store that sold women's pajamas.

After sending that reply, the letters stopped for a while. Ah. So that was it. Of course. He could simply enjoy wearing women's pajamas. It was my own narrow-minded perspective that had prevented me from respecting Yuri's preferences.

"That said, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did send another letter after that."

Just as I was trembling with self-satisfaction at having found the answer, I discovered another pile of letters from later dates and fell into deep thought. What exactly had been the problem? Why had Yuri suddenly cut off the sponsorship and chosen to enlist?

"Haaah..."

We were getting along so well. Why is this happening all of a sudden? Can't you at least tell me what I did wrong? My vision began to blur.

"It must be that..."

Pressing my fingers to my brow, I leaned my head back. I had checked the letters to see if I had made any mistakes, but I had known from the beginning that I was looking in the wrong place.

"The rumor Irene spread..."

The cause was obviously the rumor that had spread about me and the children. The timing matched, and it was a situation Yuri would naturally be furious about. His precious friends—girls, no less—being forced into marriage by some scoundrel. How could he not be enraged?

"I have to stop him...!"

Enlistment was out of the question. Absolutely not. How could I prevent it?

After reading the final part of the letter that had just arrived, I tightly shut my eyes. No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one way. It was a method I really, really didn't want to use... but I had no choice.

"Sylvia!"

***

Academy life is enjoyable. After such a long time, and after denying it for so long, Yuri had no choice but to admit it. At first, he had only enrolled because he had no other option. Since he lacked the strength to storm into Belmont Manor right away, he had thought of it as nothing more than a temporary passage to learn magic and grow stronger.

But then the unexpected sponsorship arrived. Living a far more affluent academy life than he had anticipated, Yuri gradually found himself adapting and growing accustomed to this place.

"Y-Yuri! You're here! Sit here. I prepared a cushion, some bread, and drinks..."

His classmates were all incredibly kind and good-natured.

"Junior Yuri! Huh? That spot where you got hit? Hahaha... It doesn't hurt anymore... Really... But do you need the exam notes? Want the study guide for first-year Introduction to Magical Arts?"

The seniors were proper guides who led their juniors down the right path.

"Y-Yuri... I'm truly sorry about the grade tampering last time... Still, exceeding the set credit limit violates academy rules... but! I'll figure something out! Don't worry!"

Even the professors were people from whom he could learn a great deal.

It was enjoyable. For the first time since leaving the orphanage, Yuri felt happy.

'This isn't right...'

Even now, Charlotte and Julia were trapped in Belmont Manor as slaves. He shouldn't be enjoying himself. He shouldn't be smiling. He should be gritting his teeth and planning their rescue instead!

'It's all because of that Pitch-Black Mister.'

The reason he had grown ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so relaxed was because of the Pitch-Black Mister. The man had gotten him into the academy, replied to every letter no matter how troublesome, and sometimes supported him to an excessive degree... Because of this person, Yuri kept finding academy life enjoyable.

Should he cut off the sponsorship entirely? Yuri had considered it, but...

"No... I want to know who he is..."

He gave up immediately. The man had promised to meet him after graduation. If Yuri didn't graduate, he would never see the Pitch-Black Mister's face. They would only exchange letters until their relationship was severed forever. He didn't want that. He desperately wanted to find out who the man was. He wanted to meet him, look him in the eyes, and say thank you.

With that thought, Yuri knew he could never leave the academy.

'Right. Let's be honest with my feelings. There's nothing wrong with being happy. Charlotte and Julia wouldn't want me to suffer the whole time either.'

It's not like rushing would let him skip the curriculum anyway. Yuri decided to ease his mind a little. He would enjoy what he could enjoy and smile when he wanted to smile, while never letting thoughts of Charlotte and Julia leave his mind.

Thanks to taking classes indiscriminately, Yuri had been able to attend every single combat magic course available. It was still only at a basic level, but once he moved on to the second semester, finished the fundamentals, and learned practical magic next year, he would become at least twice as strong as he was now.

Just as his heart was fluttering with such thoughts, a disturbing rumor reached his ears.

Newspaper headlines. And the whispers circulating among the students. The moment he first heard the rumor, it felt as if his breath had been cut off. What Yuri felt at first was a boiling rage.

"Aslan Belmont! That son of a bitch...!"

Filthy beast! Disgusting pervert! How could a grown man look at Charlotte and Julia with such lecherous eyes...! The more he thought about it, the more his teeth chattered, and his anger rose without end.

"Aaaaaah...!"

But what soon enveloped Yuri's body was despair. He was this furious. He was going mad with the desire to kill Aslan. Yet the helplessness of being unable to do anything came crashing down on him. He had only just begun learning magic. The haphazard mana manipulation method he had awakened to as a child had become more efficient. If he advanced just a little further, he might possess strength comparable to a Sword Expert. Just a little more...!

"You want to take second-year classes early? I'm sorry, Yuri, but that seems difficult."

"Headmaster, please! Isn't there any way?"

"There's nothing I can do. We're nearing the end of the first semester now. There's no way you can take second-semester classes... If you complete all the required credits and prerequisites, skipping a year might be possible, but attending second-year classes right now is impossible."

Ah! He had to wait until next year! A situation where Charlotte and Julia could become Count Belmont's wives as early as tomorrow wouldn't be strange at all! Time was of the essence! He needed a way to grow stronger as quickly as possible, in the shortest time!

And that method was closer than he had expected. Yuri's gaze had, at some point, turned toward the recruitment poster he had never paid attention to before.

"Ugh... I wanted to graduate..."

The fastest way to learn practical combat magic was, after all, to become a soldier. Holding back tears, Yuri picked up a pen.

"Thank you for everything... Sniff. I hope it doesn't look like I'm running away after taking everything I could get and making up some excuse..."

His relationship with the Pitch-Black Mister would end here. It was truly regrettable, but now he would never learn the man's identity. As Yuri wrote the letter, he felt both his regret and his resolve growing stronger. This was the best way to save Charlotte and Julia. Becoming a soldier really was the only option. He wasn't wrong.

"Khh..."

He sent his final letter to his sponsor. The next dawn, Yuri quietly bid farewell to the Imperial Magic Academy. Just as he was adjusting his backpack, sniffling, and about to leave the dormitory—

"Special delivery! Are you Yuri Brussels by any chance?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Here's your special delivery letter. Delivery complete!"

Someone had arrived on horseback, handed over a single letter, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quickly disappeared. Yuri recalled being shocked when he once overheard the special delivery fee at the post office. Who on earth had sent him a letter by special delivery?

Confused, Yuri examined the letter.

"Pitch-Black Mister...!"

Seeing the sender's name, color returned to his face. At least he could read the man's final letter before leaving. With a rustle, he unfolded the letter. He had expected it to be some kind of farewell, but the completely unexpected content made Yuri's eyes widen.

"There's a way to grow stronger!?"

Huh?

"An acquaintance of mine is about to open a security company. I'll introduce you so you can work there as an employee. That way, you can grow stronger without having to drop out!?"

A new path had opened.