A Comrade's Trust
The moment I heard it, my mind went blank and my body stiffened. I desperately tried to collect my emotions and frowned. "You too? What's your reason?"
"My reason?"
"Yeah. You met Scadia just now, so you should know the rumors are false."
"Strictly speaking, only the part about the rape incident and the culprit being Luan has been proven false. The rumor that the masked man with silver eyes is a transmigrator hasn't been disproven."
"……."
I was at a loss for words. Deborah was right. Only part of the rumor had been proven false; the rest remained unverified. But believing it and confirming it were two different things. Without admitting my identity, I probed her thoughts. "Fine. Let's say that rumor is true. Still, the culprit could have been disguised. There's no proof it's me, right?"
"That's correct. But there is other evidence."
"Other evidence?"
"Yes. My eyes."
Deborah pointed to her eyes with her index finger. Her transparent purple pupils occasionally sparkled like jewels, emitting a radiant glow. They reminded me of stars in the night sky. I understood what she meant.
"…The fact that you can't see my future is proof I'm a transmigrator?"
"Yes. Actually, when I first met Luan, what I saw wasn't Luan's future—it was my own. I saw myself being raped. That's why I was so calm in the cave. I already knew it was coming. I just thought, 'So it's finally here.'"
"Haa… So?"
"After that, I was curious. Why couldn't I see the future? So I tested it a little. I took out my lenses and observed other people. Without exception, I could see everyone's future. Even priests blessed by the gods couldn't evade my eyes. Of course, a few individuals might be able to handle it."
Deborah's Eye of Prognostication possessed the power to read the movements of the heavens through the blessing of the stars. In other words, powerhouses who had reached Level 400 or higher, capable of interfering with fate itself, could escape her foresight. High-ranking clergy could also completely block it using divine authority. But I didn't fall into either category.
"Still, I don't get it. Is that enough to conclude I'm a transmigrator?"
"It's the most definitive evidence. Above all, Luan, the Eye of Prognostication sees the future. It applies to anyone who reaches the domain of the stars that blessed me. So if the Eye doesn't work on someone, it means they came from outside the stars' domain. Am I wrong?"
"……."
There was no room left for excuses. If she was this certain, anything I said would be meaningless, and I didn't feel like desperately denying it either. Letting out a long sigh, I finally admitted that Deborah's prediction had hit the mark. "You're right. I'm a transmigrator, just like you said."
"I knew it!"
"So what are you going to do now? Are you going to report me to the Church?"
I wondered how the Saintess would react if she learned my identity. As I briefly imagined a future that hadn't arrived yet, Deborah shook her head.
"No? Why would I? I won't do something like that."
"Really? Even though I might help the Dark Cult plunge this world into darkness?"
"There's no way you'd do that!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because the Luan I know isn't that kind of person. I only believe what I've seen with my own eyes!"
There was no wavering in Deborah's eyes. She looked straight at me as myself, without being swayed by public opinion or rumors. That unwavering faith and trust pushed away the anxiety that had been buried deep in my heart. A warm feeling made me smile.
'At this rate, I might fall for her.'
Maybe I already had. I suppressed my foolishly pounding heart and pretended nothing was wrong. "Then why bother revealing that you noticed? If you're not going to do anything anyway, you could've just kept it a secret."
In response to my question, Deborah clasped her hands together nervously, fidgeting as she brought up her reason. "…There's something I want to ask."
"Something you want to ask?"
"Yes. I heard that transmigrators know the future. Is that true?"
"…I know the major events."
Too much had already changed from the game, so I wasn't sure if the future developments would be the same. Even so, there was still plenty I knew. At the very least, events planned before the transmigrators appeared should remain unchanged.
"Then… do you know about my future too?"
"Yeah. What do you want to know?"
"For example, the people around me. Like my master…"
So that's what she wanted to ask? Having instantly read Deborah's intentions, I cut her off mid-sentence. "I know. I know that Roxana Sprouse dies in the future."
"Ah… So you do know. You really do know the future."
Deborah's eyes trembled. Relief. Anticipation. Joy. Sadness. Various emotions crossed her face. The belief that she would never receive empathy because of her Eye of Prognostication had just been shattered. I was the only person she could confide in about the worries she'd carried in her heart for over ten years. She forced down her surging emotions and asked in detail.
"Do you know the exact timing too? When… and in what incident Master will die."
"…Roughly. But so much has already changed that the timing could shift at any moment. Of course, even so, it should at least be next autumn."
"Autumn… There's only a year left now."
Since it was an incident involving Roxana's death, everyone connected to it was formidable. Three Apostles alone would be mobilized, and there would be countless others below them. To turn the tide, one would need at least Level 300. However, reaching that level in just one year was realistically impossible. After finishing her calculations, Deborah made a firm decision.
"Then I need to evacuate Master before that happens."
There's a saying: if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. It means that rather than agonizing and searching for a way out, it's better to relax and enjoy yourself, which helps more in solving the problem. But conversely, it also means that if you can avoid it, you absolutely should. Now that she roughly knew when the incident would occur, Deborah intended to persuade Roxana to avoid getting involved altogether. However, that was the wrong approach.
"Deborah. That won't work."
"What? Why not?"
"Because you'll have to face it someday. This isn't an incident limited to just Roxana. It's something that concerns the fate of the entire continent. So even if you avoid it now, it'll come back as an even bigger disaster later."
Next autumn would be after the Dark Cult invaded the sanctuary and both Kain and Verdan Roosevelt died. By then, the conflict with the Dark Cult would be intensifying in earnest. For someone of Roxana's caliber to flee just to save herself would be a major problem. It wouldn't just invite criticism—she could even be branded a traitor to humanity. After hearing my explanation, Deborah despaired.
"That can't be. Then does that mean I have no choice but to let Master die? Is that her fate? Do I… just have to stand by and watch?"
The sense of powerlessness at being unable to do anything even when a loved one was in mortal danger was enough to crush anyone. Watching her precarious figure that looked ready to collapse at any moment, I grinned and placed my hands on her shoulders. "We'll stop it."
"…How?"
"Somehow. One year? That's plenty of time. Just trust me."
"Luan…"
Faced with my confident expression, the darkness gradually faded from Deborah's face. Her eyes sparkled with hope. "Can you really do it, Luan?"
"I told you I can. Speaking of which, do you have time this weekend?"
"This weekend?"
"Yeah. Both days. There's somewhere I want to go together."
Since my identity as a transmigrator had been exposed anyway, and I needed to save Roxana too, it seemed like a good idea to accelerate Deborah's growth. With the vast amount of information in my head, that much would be easy. Deborah's face flushed at my suggestion. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been in despair just moments ago.
"Don't tell me we're staying overnight?"
"Probably. Why, don't want to?"
"W-we're not doing anything weird, right?"
Her sidelong glance was cute. My mischievous side suddenly surged, and I whispered teasingly into her ear. "What do you mean by weird?"
"Y-you know. That."
"What 'that'?"
I shrugged with an expression that said 'I have no idea what you're talking about,' and Deborah turned bright red all the way to her neck before quietly opening her mouth. "Ugh… S-s-s… sex."
"What? Sex? You want to have sex with me?"
When I deliberately emphasized it with strong pronunciation, Deborah shook her head desperately. "N-no! That's not it!"
"Then why are you thinking that? Obviously we'll get separate rooms. Of course, if you want, we can sleep together."
If a beautiful girl like Deborah offered herself, I'd be willing to pound her a thousand, ten thousand times. Not that it would happen, though.
"I said no! Besides, you shouldn't do that, Luan! Do you want to get scolded by Master?"
"Master?"
"Yes! If you keep this up, I'll tell her, okay?"
Was Deborah an extreme fan of her master? The way she brought up Roxana at every turn suggested she relied on her quite a bit. I quickly backed away. "Hey, calm down. Relax. It was just a joke. Anyway, I have somewhere to go this weekend, so clear your schedule. Got it?"
"If you try anything weird, I won't let it slide."
"Got it. I won't lay a finger on you. Then I'll head out first. See you tomorrow!"
Leaving those words behind, I left the women's dormitory without waiting for Deborah's reply. As I walked along the path, I was lost in a strange feeling.
'From now on, Deborah and I are together?'
Back at our first meeting, I never would've imagined this. Before I knew it, we'd become this close—close enough to share each other's only secret. I wondered what kind of things we'd experience from now on.
*
On Saturday afternoon, Deborah and I arrived at our destination after three hours of leaving the Academy. The area was surrounded by vegetation, and behind us lay a clear lake. If we weren't here to conquer a dungeon, it would've been charming enough to go camping. When I pushed aside a large rock, an entrance was revealed.
"Is this the place?"
"Yeah. It's the dungeon of the hermit mage."
Inside were illusion magic traps and familiars resistant to various types of magic. For Deborah, it was practically a counter, but that was exactly why it was the perfect place to break through her limits. Today, Deborah would grow here.
"Before we go in, let's eat lunch first."
"Okay. Let's go over by the lake."
We moved the rock back to cover the entrance and sat down near the lake to start our lunch. The breeze blowing gently was cool.
"Luan, can I ask you something?"
"What is it."
"What kind of world did you live in?"
As I was picking up a side dish from my lunchbox, I looked at Deborah. Her purple eyes, full of goodwill, reflected my desolate face.
"It was a world without magic."
"Without magic?"
"Yeah. Maybe I just didn't know about it, but most people didn't even know magic existed. There was no one who could sense mana itself."
"Really? How did they live without mana?"
Deborah tilted her head. On the Lephentia Continent, mana was the very substance that composed the world. Building a civilization without utilizing it was no different from creating something from nothing in her eyes. It wouldn't be wrong to say that mana was a combination of petroleum and electricity from Earth. If anything, it was even more severe.
"Instead of magic, something called science developed."
"Science?"
"Yeah. It was about establishing theories for all phenomena that exist in the world. And then using those theories to create desired phenomena. That's how they advanced civilization."
"That's amazing. Why doesn't the Lephentia Continent have that kind of technology?"
"Because there's no need for it."
If everything could be done with mana, was there any reason to pursue science? It would be arrogant and a waste of time to look elsewhere when they hadn't even mastered mana itself yet. I picked up a side dish and took a bite. But Deborah still seemed to have more questions and asked another.
"How did you end up coming to this world from there?"
"…Why do you want to know that."
"Because I want to know more about Luan. Is that not allowed?"
I fell silent for a moment. 'This is dangerous.'
Deborah's goodwill made me so happy that I found myself wanting even more. I was growing attached to her. Without a word, I chewed and swallowed my side dish, then stood up.
"…Let's go. It's about time we started conquering the dungeon."
"Ah! Are you ignoring me right now? Answer me quickly."
"I don't want to."
"That's mean! Do you know how much Master teased me because of Luan? It was hard keeping it a secret!"
If a disciple who usually stayed holed up in the magic tower was going to be away for two days, it was only natural for her master to be suspicious. She must have questioned her thoroughly. Seeing her genuinely aggrieved expression, I decided to give her a chance.
"Then you answer first."
"What? Me? …What are you curious about? I'll answer everything!"
She seemed quite interested in me, as she looked ready to tell me anything. I asked something she absolutely couldn't answer. "Have you ever masturbated after having sex with me?"
"W-what? Why would you be curious about that? I can't answer that! Ask something else!"
From her reaction, it seemed like she had. Last time at the training camp, I'd heard she had never masturbated in her life, but apparently having sex with me had awakened her sexual desires. I put on a disappointed expression and turned my back. "What, you're not going to answer? You're the same as me then."
"That's different from this! Luan? Luan!!"
Then, ignoring Deborah's words, I headed toward the dungeon. And so, the conquest began.