Chapter 37: The First Letter (37)
Chapter 37: The First Letter (37)
The Academy at midday was always bustling. It didn't matter if it was a weekday or the weekend.
Located right in the heart of the Academy grounds, the area around the Central Library and the Student Union Building was particularly crowded. Not only was it the center of the campus, but the Student Union also housed all sorts of shops for the students to enjoy.
The tea I was currently sipping through a straw was from one of those very shops. At the small tables set up outside the building, students were gathered in small groups, chatting away.
In the midst of this peaceful moment, Reto sat across from me, as usual.
"……So, you just left those two there and came back?"
Reto looked at me with a face full of pathetic disappointment. It looked like he was about to click his tongue at any moment. I let out a sigh and scratched my head vigorously.
"I mean, what else was I supposed to do? They were both worked up, and I was starting to get really annoyed too."
Reto started to say something, looking utterly dumbfounded, but then he seemed to give up, turning his head away with a look of resignation.
The lonely sound of him sucking on his drink through the straw echoed between us. Finally, Reto threw up his hands and lamented.
"Fine, fine. You've graduated. You may descend the mountain now."
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
At my bewildered reaction, Reto looked even more incredulous.
"I mean, how can I call you my disciple when the two loveliest flowers of the Academy's second year are fighting over one guy? And you told them not to look for you for a while?"
"Wow," Reto shook his head in mock admiration. Then, his expression crumpled.
"You're really playing hard to get, aren't you? But you bastard, no matter what, you shouldn't have treated Celine like that."
Was I too harsh? I felt a slight pang of regret.
Actually, after returning to my room and thinking it over, I realized it probably wasn't something to skip breakfast and get that angry about. In particular, the image of Seria looking so restless and unsettled was still burned into my mind.
She was someone particularly unskilled in human relationships. I was worried she might have taken my words as some kind of declaration that our friendship was over.
I clicked my tongue and took another sip of my drink. The refreshing scent tickled the tip of my nose. It felt like my head was clearing up a bit.
Seeing my troubled expression, Reto let out a deep sigh. He looked like he didn't know whether to scold me more or not. After a moment of silence, he seemed to decide to look on the bright side.
Suddenly, he started snickering. I turned to him with a questioning look.
A mischievous glint, like that of a prankster, sparkled in Reto's green eyes.
"No, no. Come to think of it, you've rarely ever gotten that mad at Celine, have you?"
"Well, that's true."
We had argued in the hospital room before, but that was ultimately due to a minor misunderstanding, and Celine had been the one to get angry in the end.
I had never been the one to get angry at her so one-sidedly like I did today. Perhaps that was why I remembered Celine looking at me with such shocked eyes.
Thinking of that expression made my heart ache again. Seria was one thing, but Celine was a friend who had gone through life-and-death situations with me. Since we had just fought, I couldn't help but be bothered by it.
That's how friendships are. If it's a shallow connection, you can just cut it off, but the stronger the bond, the more empty and uncomfortable you feel when it's strained.
However, unlike my complicated feelings, Reto was just enjoying himself.
"Man, this is going to be a sight to see."
"What is?"
At my short question, Reto replied without wiping the smirk off his face.
"How Celine is going to act, obviously! She must be dying of anxiety right now. A rival appears, she gets into a heated argument and ends up being hated..."
"How could I ever hate Celine?"
"That's what you think, but right now, Celine is probably biting her nails in agony."
I let out a short laugh and tried to deny Reto's words, but I had to shut my mouth at his next sentence.
After all, Reto was like an older brother to Celine; he likely knew her better than I did.
Even so, I couldn't easily believe him. That bold, social Celine was feeling anxious?
I couldn't imagine it. I could only shake my head with a skeptical look.
As if he expected that, Reto didn't try to force me to believe him anymore. He just left me with one request.
"Hey, stay glued to my side today. I'm going to see exactly how Celine reacts, I swear."
His voice as he said that was incredibly cheerful. It was a voice full of determination to tease Celine. Despite everything, it seemed Celine's misfortune was his happiness.
Of course, if Celine were ever in a truly serious situation, he would be the first one to turn pale.
That's just how family is. I decided it was time to change the subject.
"More importantly, Reto."
"Yeah?"
At my casual tone, Reto responded just as casually. But inside, I was feeling a bit anxious.
It was because I knew what I was about to say would sound like complete nonsense. In fact, when I had mentioned it to Reto before, his reaction hadn't been great.
But it was impossible for me to carry this heavy burden alone. I needed at least one trustworthy ally to share my worries with.
If so, there was only one person I would confide in first.
A close friend who was smarter than me, knew more than me, and had a wide network to hear all sorts of news.
Reto Einstein. There was no one else.
"What would you think if... a letter came from the future?"
"Huh?"
Reto, who had been holding his straw in his mouth, let out a confused sound as if I'd said something bizarre. He frowned and fell into thought for a moment before putting his drink down.
He looked at me as if I were crazy.
"Are you talking about that thing you said in front of Emma's bed last time? Are you still not over the shock?"
"No, Reto. I'm serious. Here, look."
With that, I pulled out the love letter I had been cherishing in my coat. Elegant handwriting on high-quality stationery. It was a letter that clearly looked like it had been written by a refined noble lady.
Even if I wanted to lie, I would have had to go to great lengths to recreate something like this. And as Reto knew well, I wasn't the type of person who enjoyed pranks to that extent.
Reto frowned and looked at me as if to ask what I was doing. I gestured toward the letter I was holding out.
"What? What do you want me to do?"
"I'm telling you, just take this. This is the letter from the future..."
At that, Reto's face turned serious. He looked back and forth between my hand and my face, then let out a sigh and leaned back against his chair.
He spoke with a voice laced with a sigh.
"There's nothing there."
What are you talking about? Just as I was about to ask that.
Reto sat up and leaned forward. Then, he waved his palm over the hand I was holding out.
Reto's hand passed right through the letter. It was as if he were waving through empty air. My eyes widened.
This was something I couldn't understand with my common sense. An object that had physical substance to me was not there for others?
It was only natural that Reto's face hardened. He spoke in a grave voice.
"Hey, I think you really need to get a psychological evaluation. I guess the shock from when Emma was attacked was bigger than I thought..."
"No, it's not! Look, the demonic beast subjugation last time—I did that because of what was written in this letter. Because it said a demonic beast would attack!"
I scrambled to make excuses in my panic, but Reto's expression went beyond serious and was now bordering on sorrowful. At this rate, I was going to be forced into counseling.
I was frustrated too. Was this really the truth? Or was it a hallucination created after the fact? Even I hadn't completely cleared those doubts.
However, the demonic beast attack during the swordsmanship practice was not something I could have predicted. It wasn't a coincidence, and I still had vivid memories of the nightmare I had that day.
Those blood-soaked golden eyes.
That gave me a strange sense of certainty. That I must not ignore this letter. But now, even the person who could help me the most didn't believe me.
I couldn't convince him with past events. So, I recited the future contents mentioned in the letter.
"Listen, Reto. You might not believe me now, but according to this letter, a powerful demonic beast is going to appear at this year's Hunting Festival."
"The Hunting Festival? Oh, come to think of it, I heard the fourth years who were out on dispatch are starting to return because of the Hunting Festival."
"……?"
I fell silent again at Reto's reaction. When I looked at him in confusion, Reto stared back as if wondering what was wrong.
In my frustration, I jumped out of my seat and recited the contents of the letter again. A little louder this time.
"I'm saying a powerful demonic beast is going to appear at this year's Hunting Festival!"
"And I'm saying the Hunting Festival is coming up soon. I know that; is there any Academy student who doesn't? What does that have to do with anything?"
No way. I lost my words and slumped back into my seat.
There was a strange gap between what I said and what Reto heard. Whenever I tried to convey information from the letter, it seemed the story was being substituted with something similar but entirely different.
How was that possible?
Actually, the fact that a love letter was coming from the future was already impossible, but seeing this level of distortion happening right before my eyes left me feeling utterly confused.
As I stared blankly down, Reto let out a low groan with an increasingly serious expression. He seemed to be debating whether I had lost my mind or if he should take my words seriously.
He soon let out a sigh. As if he had made up his mind, he spoke.
"Listen, Ian. If what you're saying is true..."
"……I'm telling you it is true."
When I snapped back with a slightly agitated voice, Reto nodded as if telling me to calm down. He continued in a low voice.
"If that's the case, there's a high possibility that time has been distorted specifically around you."
I looked at Reto with eyes that couldn't understand. Reto clicked his tongue. It was obvious what he was thinking without him even saying it.
'This is why the Swordsmanship Department is hopeless.' He began to explain to me slowly.
"Distorting spacetime is difficult even with magic. Maybe only the highest level of magic could do it? And even then, the range is limited. But the fact that a letter flew here from the distant future means that information has been transmitted."
"Information was transmitted, so what?"
Reto took a sip of his drink. He still seemed to be debating whether it was right to listen to my story seriously. But since he'd already started, he continued his explanation.
"Just the fact that information was transmitted from the future causes a massive distortion in the world. For example, you said you subjugated that demonic beast because of what you saw in the letter, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then in the future that letter came from, how did they subjugate the demonic beast? By reading the letter again?"
"I... suppose so?"
At my uncertain answer, Reto shook his head. It meant I was wrong. He spoke again.
"Time isn't that simple. In the first place, if there's no past where you read the letter, the future where you subjugated the demonic beast doesn't happen. Then the event of writing the letter in the future and sending it to you wouldn't happen either, right? The causality of the event itself gets trapped. Like a circle."
"……?"
I could only look at Reto with eyes that still didn't understand. Reto let out a small curse in frustration, then rubbed his temples and said to me:
"You don't really need to understand it. Just think simply... the point is, that single piece of information alone creates an enormous distortion. The mana required to compensate for that is even more enormous. So, to minimize the scope of that distortion, the range of the time regression was limited, and that limit became you as an individual."
"Is that even possible?"
"You said a letter flew here from the future; does that make sense?"
My mouth shut instantly. Reto still looked at me with suspicious eyes, but he shared the conclusion he had reached in that short time.
"So, if what you're saying is true, no matter how much you want to show me that letter, you can't. Because if you did, the scale of the distortion would grow, so it was blocked from the start. Of course, there might be a way to bypass it, but..."
"Hmm," Reto fell into thought, tapping his index finger on the table. But that was only for a moment; he soon scratched his head and shook it vigorously.
"I can't think of a way right now. Anyway, that's how it is. I'll look into it too, so don't push yourself too hard. Though, if I had to make a bet, I'd bet on you being crazy."
"Don't be like that, seriously. I'm being for real..."
In the end, the facts I learned from my conversation with Reto that day were as follows:
The love letter only comes to me. And no one else can see it. It's also impossible to convey the contents of the letter because that would mean passing future information to the past.
It was a despairing reality. Did this mean I had to carry the contents of this letter all by myself?
My mind became a mess. My shoulders felt heavy. Up until now, it was fine. Even the Hunting Festival—maybe I could manage somehow if I pushed myself. But what if the contents of that love letter were true?
What if I had to stop the end of the world?
Was that even feasible? I was just the second son of a rural viscount. That was the limit of my capacity.
And yet, to suddenly be told to stop the end of the world... I couldn't even muster a hollow laugh.
It was while I was trudging along like that.
I suddenly noticed a presence. Actually, I had noticed it a long time ago, but my thoughts weren't organized yet, so I couldn't bring myself to call out to her.
But now, I was in an alleyway where people were scarce. It was probably time to talk.
"……Come out, Seria."
Then, from behind a building a short distance away, a girl revealed herself, hesitating.
It was Seria. She was looking at me with a tense face.
Her eyes were full of desperation.