"What Do You Mean You Need Me By Your Side...?"

"W-What do you mean you need me by your side...?"

Millije's face turned a brilliant shade of red.

Hmm. Come to think of it, I have this grand goal of defeating that damn rude monster of a stepsister with her strength of 20 and becoming the marquis myself.

But right now, I lack the raw power to beat her, any justification, any righteousness, and any faction to back me up.

That's right. Faction. What I need is a faction that will serve as my party and my limbs—a support base, in other words.

Reina and Kalen don't quite feel like they're fully my people. They'd happily help with a light favor, but if I asked them to tackle something tough together, they'd probably say, "Ah, sorry, that's a bit..." and turn me down. A friendly relationship, let's call it.

Reina would puff out her cheeks and say something like, "I'm hurt that you thought of me that way, Adrian!" but there's nothing to be done about it. Even if she's on my side, her family isn't.

In that sense, this Millije Heilo is the perfect first recruit for my comrades.

First off, she's a character who exits the main story early. Beneath her utterly ordinary appearance lies tremendous talent. And yet, she doesn't even realize she has it—plus, she's currently trapped in trauma ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that prevents her from using magic.

In short, she's in the ideal state to exploit. I'll use what I can use and make full use of what I can. Even if it makes me seem like a villain toying with a girl's heart, I have no choice. This isn't the time to be picky about hot or cold water.

"Millije, are you all right? Your face is quite flushed."

"Ah, yes? Y-Yes?!"

She suddenly snapped to attention like a soldier at full alert.

"I-I'm fine! B-But why me...?"

"Isn't it the duty of a senior to help a struggling junior?"

"......"

"Salenium isn't so harsh a place that we can't manage that much."

Well, putting aside the fact that she'll be a huge help to me down the line.

Even if it was painful because of all those bad endings that kept cropping up, the Salenium in my memories was always a place of joy.

Even if my save files got corrupted or a playthrough went to hell.

Even if my early game start sucked and I had to do manual labor for cash, or if I couldn't afford food and had to fill my stomach with tap water.

I never gave up midway or deleted my files. No matter how tangled things got, I saw every ending. Even on bad end routes, I researched ways to pivot to a normal ending.

A passing character's casual "Hang in there today!" A gift from a companion on a rare adventure. Encouragement from a reliable senior.

Poor but fun travels with friends. Hunting monsters, then camping around a fire, grilling meat, and stargazing.

They were just bits of data, but to me, they were living, breathing people—and the driving force behind enjoying the Salenium saga.

That's why I can't just let someone who hasn't experienced that joy yet walk away like this.

If you never had a senior, comrade, or passerby like that, then this time, I'll be that person for you.

But first, there's one thing we absolutely need to address.

"...Millije, you said you can't use magic anymore—what was your classmates' reaction?"

"...Ah."

Her face clouded over in an instant.

"I-It was all the same. They all pitied me to my face, but behind my back... they'd say stuff like, 'There's that idiot who can't even use magic anymore'... They called me trash..."

It's no wonder. Her will stat is a measly 5. There's no way that wouldn't leave a mental scar.

From what I can tell, she's the type who hates burdening others. Even if unintentional, she caused a massive accident that injured a ton of students. And now she can't even use magic because of it—add in classmates badmouthing her like that, and of course her self-esteem and pride would plummet.

Her voice began to tremble as tears ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠welled up.

I stared straight at her and spoke.

"Millije, are you frustrated?"

"......"

"All those words coming at you make you furious and heartbroken, but you can't refute them, so you're running away. You feel like the worthless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trash they say you are, and you've decided fleeing from them is your only option?"

"......"

I continued to the silent Millije.

"Pathetic. If that's truly how you feel, I'll find someone else."

"...N-No, that's not it."

Her previously flushed face gradually turned serious.

"The truth is... I don't want to give up. I want to try challenging it. Even with that unfortunate incident... I came to Salenium because I love magic. But in my current state..."

"So that's your true heart."

Looking into her eyes.

"If a mage can't use magic, the solution is simple."

I extended my hand to her atop the hill.

"I'll make you able to use magic again."

"Huh?"

"Follow me. I'll fix you."

I'll fix you.

Millije stared blankly at my outstretched hand for a long moment before speaking in a quavering voice.

"S-Someone like me... Can I really trust you, Senior?"

"You'd better."

"Do you... really think I can use magic again?"

"Of course. Isn't that obvious?"

At my words, she fell silent for a bit, then said with a slightly reddened face,

"Honestly, my heart is telling me not to trust this. It's the devil's whisper... You're being tricked right now. If you accept this offer, you'll never escape."

But, she added, looking at me with a soft smile.

"With you, Senior... I think it'd be okay to get fooled once."

"I don't lie."

"Not in that sense, but anyway..."

With that, Millije—who'd been lugging that enormous bag—took my hand...

"S-Senior?!"

Ah.

The moment I grabbed her hand, I couldn't withstand the weight—like a promotional balloon caught in a gale—and faceplanted.

"...A-Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Even saying that with your face planted in the dirt... Pfft. Senior, you're really such a good person."

Millije beamed radiantly, tears still in her eyes.

"See you this weekend then!"

For now, Millije headed to the central district first, saying she'd formally withdraw her resignation.

No doubt about it—she'll be an insanely useful addition to the party once recruited. With that ridiculous talent potential, if I kit her out head to toe with the best gear, I was already excited to see what kind of monster—no, performance—would emerge.

Of course, if we don't fix her trauma, the party's dead in the water.

And to fix the trauma, there's one thing I need to do first.

"First things first."

I glanced down at the worn diary in my hand.

The item from the ghost quest at the library. If I take this diary back during the time the ghost appears and hand it over, she'll whisper a location in my ear. Dig there, and a grimoire pops out. That's how it goes.

...And.

Like all quests.

"This one has an exploit too."

In the original, it's not a direct handoff quest, so there's a bug.

There's no rule saying you have to send her off first.

So if I deliver this diary, send her off, and already know the grimoire's location from the start, there's no need to send her off first.

Of course, just digging there without it won't yield a grimoire. In the game's system, the 'grimoire' spawns in the ground the moment you pick up the 'diary.'

Go there and dig with no diary? Nothing. With the diary? All triggers met, grimoire appears.

Whether that formula holds in this real-world version, who knows.

But aren't veterans always up for a challenge?

I headed to the grimoire spot I remembered.

"This must be it."

The spot marked with an X in twigs. A time capsule on a soot-stained memo: If only it could be opened in ten years.

Of course, its owner—the ghost—is long dead, and the grimoire she buried to reminisce about the past is now mine.

I set the diary aside and carefully dug with a wooden shovel.

"Hm."

Soon, something snagged, and an iron box emerged.

There it is.

Opening it revealed a shabby book with a red cover.

Jackpot.

I immediately opened the book.

"...Does it work?"

The book emitted a brilliant light, and the pages flipped on their own.

Chirarararak—.

A message appeared before me.

Perfect. Now I have two spells at my disposal: 【Fireball】 and 【Wind Blade】.

Here's a fun fact. The Salenium saga has an elemental synergy system.

When you can cast magic from different elements like this, you can combine them.

Like that male student trying to use water and ice together against Professor Walnut's barrier.

Cast Fireball and layer Wind Blade on top...

That's exactly why I had to acquire 【Fireball】.

Kwaaaaaa—!

The fireball hovering over my fingertip fused with compressed wind, exploding outward.

The wind blades spreading in all directions, illuminating the darkness, were laced with flames.

If I'd picked a different low-tier elemental spell, I couldn't have hoped for this synergy effect.

"Perfect."

I can learn other spells after Act 1. This is plenty to deal with Melwood.

Shovel in hand, I turned around.

In the distance loomed the grand silhouette of Salenium Academy.

"Now, onto the next task..."

Two days later.

"H-Hello, Senior!"

"Looks like the withdrawal went smoothly."

Millije, in her uniform, stood before me, bashfully twirling her hair.

"Alright, first let's properly diagnose your symptoms. You can't deploy magic right now, correct?"

"Y-Yes."

In other words, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠straight-up couldn't cast.

Well then, I've got just the thing.

"Millije. Do you know where we are?"

"Um, the forest? The entrance to the forest, right?"

"Correct. This is the West Forest. An exploration field."

Even if the game became reality, the Salenium saga's original is still a game.

So naturally, there are hunting grounds—fields—for slaying monsters and growing.

South: desert. West: forest. East: jungle. North: snowfield.

Plus spots like the Grave of the Departed or volcanic zones.

These ecosystems surround Salenium Academy.

We're at the West Forest now. A low-level zone, basically.

Nothing visible yet, but venture deeper, and rabbits or raccoon-like critters start hopping around.

Simple reason for coming here.

"Here, take these."

"This is...?"

A robe, a light dagger, and two lowest-grade potions.

Millije took them, eyeing them curiously, then—as instructed—belted the dagger and pocketed the potions.

"Let's head out."

"Yes!"

Here we go. Adventure time, heart pounding.