Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Ciel Ifrit (2)
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'Why are you coming out from there.'
I was in quite a flustered state.
For one thing, I hadn't even imagined there'd be someone up in the tree.
And of all people, it had to be Ciel Ifrit—her. I definitely hadn't expected that.
'The first meeting with Ciel in the game wasn't supposed to be here....'
In the game, there were several set routes for your first encounter with Ciel.
The first was the next morning, naturally running into her in the magic department classroom.
But that was too ordinary, just the basic route with nothing special, so I'd skipped it from the start.
The second was the afternoon elective class route.
In the game, you just went to whatever subject she chose, but in reality, schedules were fixed.
It didn't overlap with mine, so I passed on that route too.
And the last, third one was the slightly unusual route I'd originally planned to take.
Meeting her by chance in the academy garden late in the evening.
Choosing that route had the advantage of starting with a slight boost to Ciel's favorability from the beginning.
But now, out of nowhere, I'd run into her.
'Things are messed up from the start.'
It was an unpredictable variable that arose when the game became reality.
In the game, there wasn't even an option to sit idly on a bench after lunch was over, so I had no way of anticipating that Ciel would show up here at this time.
'Haa....'
She was an NPC full of variables even in the game, and now this in reality too.
With a complicated feeling, I looked up at Ciel.
Then, curiosity flickered in her golden eyes.
"I'm Ciel Ifrit—from the magic department. And you—?"
"...Jeron Airgia. I'm in the magic department too."
At that, Yuria, who was beside me, jumped in surprise.
She must have realized the other was the new cadet from the Magic Tower. She hurriedly greeted her.
"Um, I'm Yuria Isolde from the magic department too! Nice to meet you, Cadet Ciel!"
"Mm—."
Ciel glanced back and forth between us a few times, then tilted her head.
"By any chance, are you two lovers—?"
"N-No?! Ah, n-no, we're not! W-We’re just...!"
Yuria's face turned as red as a ripe tomato in an instant.
I let out a sigh and calmly corrected her.
"We're friends."
"Hee—okay then—."
Ciel showed no sign of apology whatsoever as she stared at us openly.
Still slightly flushed, Yuria cautiously asked.
"Um... by the way, what were you doing up there, Cadet Ciel...?"
"Sunflower-ing—."
"Sunflowers...?"
"Yeah—. Mages need sunlight like plants to grow their mana—."
"......"
Of course, that was nonsense.
Mana doesn't grow just because you bask in the sun like some kind of photosynthesis.
Yuria and I stared at her in disbelief, but Ciel paid no mind, stretching her body out and yawning.
"Yawn. Keep reading the book. Sounds nice—."
It was a brazen attitude, as if we'd been reading to her from the start.
Yuria hesitated for a moment but soon turned back to the book.
Perhaps embarrassed that someone above was listening, she began reading in a slightly quieter voice than before.
"...The sixth demon, 'Wrath,' could not control its anger and struck the ground. Thus, what was once a single mass split into continents and countless islands...."
Following Yuria's voice, the book's contents flowed into my ears.
The story of [The Tale of the Seven Demons] wasn't complicated.
Long ago, there lived seven demons named Gluttony, Pride, Greed, Envy, Lust, Wrath, and Sloth, and through their various deeds, the current world was formed—that was the legend.
But the scale of what they did was enormous.
The demon of Gluttony swallowed entire stars, the demon of Pride dreamed of becoming a god and incited rebellion, and so on.
However, the last, seventh demon was a bit special.
"...But the seventh demon, 'Sloth,' was different. Sloth had no interest in destruction or domination or anything of the sort. While the six demons turned the world upside down, Sloth simply lay on the most comfortable cloud, watching the world go by. Especially fond of watching humans."
'...Hm.'
Unlike the other demons, which had lengthy descriptions, the tale of the demon of Sloth ended there.
I mulled over what I'd just heard.
'The demon of Sloth, huh.'
It inevitably reminded me of my unique trait, [Sin of Sloth (Myth)].
But the seven demons, including the demon of Sloth, were beings I'd never once heard of in the history of [Stella Academia] as I knew it.
If such transcendent existences had really been around, they surely would have been mentioned at least in passing in the game.
'Are they real beings? Or just made up for this book.'
As I was lost in those thoughts,
"That's a Myth Era story. You two interested—?"
Ciel, who had been listening from the tree, spoke up.
'The Myth Era...?'
I was puzzled.
As far as I knew, the oldest era in [Stella Academia]'s history was the 'Ancient Era.'
Artifacts like my [Rune of Regeneration] and ancient relics were from that time.
But the Myth Era—was that even before the Ancient Era?
"Myth Era? What's that?"
I asked Ciel, but Yuria beside me tilted her head instead.
"Huh? Jeron. You've never heard of the Myth Era?"
"...?"
She looked puzzled, but I was even more baffled.
Sure, Ciel was a bit eccentric, but Yuria knew about it too?
And yet, I—a veteran of [Stella Academia]—had never heard of it once?
Ciel looked at me with interest and began explaining.
"Myth Era—. The era when gods, angels, and demons lived. It's treated as pure myth now. No clear evidence, so not recognized as history—."
She shook her head as if utterly fed up.
"People say if you can't prove it, it doesn't exist—. Totally boring—."
She added,
"But I believe it—. My intuition's never wrong—."
It was right then.
Ding!
A quest window popped up before my eyes.
[■■■■■'s quest has occurred!]
[Investigate Traces of the Myth Era]
"?!'
It was.
A type of quest window I'd never seen before.
Not even in the game.
'There are only supposed to be three types of quests...?'
Main quests handling the main story.
Sudden quests from specific events.
And hidden quests.
But this quest didn't fit any of those categories.
On top of that, the front part of the quest was blacked out, like there was noise interference.
[Investigate Traces of the Myth Era]
Objective: Investigate the forgotten era.
1. Acquire the 'Shadow Cloak'
2. (Locked)
3. (Locked)
Reward: Myth-grade skill unlock
"...!"
A Myth-grade skill?
I swallowed hard at the information floating before me.
Since I had the Myth-grade trait [Sin of Sloth (Myth)], I'd vaguely wondered if Myth-grade skills or items might exist too.
But no matter how I checked the Sloth Shop's list, the highest grade was Legendary.
And now, it pops up out of nowhere like this.
'As expected... there must be something there.'
The sudden appearance of this mysterious quest, the complete lack of info in the game.
It was certain the Myth Era hid secrets I didn't know.
Anyway, a Myth-grade skill.
Its performance must be insane, just from the look of it.
I have to get this no matter what.
'The first objective is the Shadow Cloak, huh.'
Shadow Cloak.
Fortunately, it was an item I knew.
And one I'd been planning to get eventually, so this worked out perfectly.
'Alright, next goal: obtain the Shadow Cloak.'
Of course, I couldn't neglect following the main story that's about to kick off in earnest soon.
For that, I need to join ‘that club’ first....
"Jeron? You okay?"
Then, Yuria's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
She was looking at me with worried eyes.
"You've been staring blankly into space with a dazed look since earlier...."
"Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just spaced out for a sec."
I brushed it off casually.
Since I often showed odd behavior even normally, Yuria didn't dwell on it, but Ciel looked a bit impressed.
"Ooh. Zoning out mid-conversation—. Pretty advanced technique—."
"...?"
The point she's impressed by feels off somehow.
"I've felt it since I first saw you—. Jeron, you give off a vibe kinda like me—."
Ciel's eyes sparkled.
Uh... should I take this as building some favor somehow?
I was unsure. It was a reaction I'd never seen in the game.
"Ah, um...! Jeron, Cadet Ciel. Lunchtime's almost over! We need to head back!"
Yuria spoke up then.
'Ah. Time passed that fast already.'
Listening to Yuria's reading made lunch fly by.
And so, Yuria and I headed to the academy main building for our afternoon elective classes.
Hop!
Ciel, apparently off to her own elective, lightly jumped down from the tree and followed behind us.
I thought that was the end of my first meeting with Ciel.
But.
'...How far is this girl gonna follow?'
Even after splitting from Yuria, passing corridors, climbing stairs, and finally reaching the doorway of my classroom—she was still trailing right behind me.
You're not in this class......