Chapter 53: The First Letter (53)
Chapter 53: The First Letter (53)
It was a pleasant afternoon with a gentle breeze fluttering through the air. Lazy sunlight spilled over the Academy. It was the time of day when students gathered in small groups, already debating what to have for dinner.
Normally, I would have been blended into that mundane routine as well. However, I had a rather special errand today, which is why I had stepped away from the bustling main street.
A girl with chestnut-brown hair stood before me. In the deserted clearing behind an abandoned lecture hall, it was just the two of us.
The blue sapphire eyes of the girl wearing a pointed hat wavered sorrowfully. She stole glances at me, but the moment our eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze downward.
Clutching her pointed hat tightly, she trembled from head to toe. To any observer, she looked utterly terrified of me. Perhaps because of her lovely appearance, the scene made me look like a villain and her like an innocent victim.
From my perspective, it was absurd. The girl standing before me was Elsie Lainella, a prodigy from the prestigious magic house of Count Lainella.
She was a powerhouse who stood out even among the Academy’s seniors, a woman famous for a cruel temperament that stood in stark contrast to her doll-like looks. In fact, I had just stopped her while she was in the middle of bullying another student.
And yet, here she was, trembling piteously just because I had shown her my hand axe.
Still, her stubborn streak hadn't vanished completely; she hadn't come along quietly at first. She had screamed "N-no!" in a final act of defiance, but as soon as I stepped closer to "persuade" her, she immediately threw in the towel.
It didn't even take a few seconds for Senior Elsie to start following me like a lost puppy. The student she had been threatening was released safely, and the two hulking goons escorting her were forced to leave with awkward expressions.
It was almost laughable. Just as Senior Elsie had boasted to that scrawny man earlier, if we were to fight again, the odds were ten to one that I would lose.
I had only managed to suppress her back then by taking advantage of a surprise attack. If we clashed now, even in a one-on-one duel, Senior Elsie held the upper hand. While my skills had been growing rapidly of late, I wasn't yet at the level where I could go toe-to-toe with a top-tier fourth-year like her.
Nevertheless, the memory of that day remained driven into her mind like a wedge in stone. She couldn't even bring herself to resist me now.
Senior Elsie looked at me with a precarious expression, as if she might shatter at the slightest touch. Her eyes were welled up, looking as though tears might spill over at any moment.
Those who had been bullied by her might have thought she was getting what she deserved, but for me, it felt a bit bitter.
Regardless of everything, she was my senior, and I wasn't someone who enjoyed violence. Granted, I had developed a tendency lately to pull out my hand axe whenever things went south, but ultimately, I rarely used force for anything other than protecting myself and those around me.
At most, my recent duel with Senior Delphine was the only exception. Seeing the results of the violence I had wielded visualized so blatantly made me feel uneasy.
Of course, that didn't mean I regretted it. Senior Elsie had threatened me, and I had simply returned the favor with the price she deserved.
I called out to her with a sigh in my voice.
"Senior Elsie."
"……H-hic?!"
At my low call, Senior Elsie flinched as if she’d been electrocuted. She looked up at me with eyes drenched in terror.
This was problematic. I was in a position where I needed to ask her for help. To be honest, I had intended to use her fear to my advantage, but that only worked if the fear was kept at a manageable level.
If she was this terrified of me, I couldn't even ask her to come with me. She trembled just by being near me; logically, no one would want to accompany someone they feared that much.
She would likely refuse desperately. Furthermore, in combat, a relationship of trust—at least enough to watch each other's backs—was essential. A forced alliance was nothing more than a poor fallback.
Unfortunately, Reto’s advice hadn't taken such a complex situation into account. The plan he had given me was as follows:
‘If she’s uncooperative? Then just pull out the hand axe first.’
He spoke as if that would solve everything. While that advice had been effective until now, I had to assume it wouldn't work from here on out.
"Hmm," I let out a troubled hum, resting my chin on my hand. Even that small gesture seemed threatening to Senior Elsie, as her body flinched again.
Come to think of it, I felt like I had been the only one talking so far. Senior Elsie was so busy trembling she couldn't even answer properly. Perhaps if she started talking, the tension would ease?
So, I spoke to her gently.
"Senior Elsie, don't be so scared, just answer—"
"—Eek! N-no, I mean, y-yes, sir!"
The moment she heard the word "answer," she snapped to attention, her body stiffening. She looked like a soldier shouting a watchword. My hand instinctively went to my forehead.
Even Senior Elsie seemed embarrassed by this, as her face flushed bright red. It must have been humiliating to show such a reaction to a junior.
"N-no… I, I mean… u-uh! W-what! What is it!"
She tried to mimic a confident tone, but an unmistakable tremor bled through. It seemed she wanted to salvage some dignity after that shameful response.
I didn't bother pointing it out. If I did, it looked like she might just break down completely.
"Do you know why I asked to see you alone?"
Senior Elsie froze. Her complexion turned deathly pale. A look of agony crossed her eyes.
It seemed there were far too many things weighing on her conscience. She quickly pulled her pointed hat down further to avoid my gaze. Stuttering words spilled from her lips.
"W-well… I, I don't… w-w-why did you want to see me……"
Her blue pupils couldn't find a place to rest. Her voice trailed off, becoming barely audible.
My heightened senses were sharp enough to read her words no matter how much she slurred them, but out of habit, I reflexively took a step forward.
I wanted to hear her more clearly. However, Senior Elsie seemed to interpret the movement differently.
She let out a short shriek and crouched down on the spot. Then, she began to rattle off her sins at random.
"I-I-I'm sorry! I-I won't act up again. I won't call you 'that bastard,' and I won't say I'd win if we fought again, and, and also……"
I stopped in my tracks. It seemed the psychological trauma I’d left her with that day was quite severe. I hadn't imagined she would be this terrified just by me approaching her.
It was likely the first time in her life she had experienced such humiliation. Begging for her life was probably a foreign concept to her.
Even before that, Senior Elsie hadn't exactly had a good reputation. Since she had many enemies, I could guess, even without hearing it, how difficult the past few days must have been for her.
The memory of that day her life was threatened, the public humiliation, and the vicious rumors and slander that must have followed her for days.
All of it had carved a deeper wound into the valley of her emotions. She wouldn't be reacting like this otherwise.
This is bad, I muttered to myself for the second time.
Part of me wanted to just let her go. Coldly speaking, it wasn't my business whether she went around bullying people or playing the "little villain." I would stop her if I saw it, but anything beyond that was outside my responsibility.
Seeing someone broken to this extent was disconcerting. I could have just cut ties with her here and hoped that time would heal the wound.
The problem was, I was also quite desperate right now.
The Hunting Festival was approaching. Whether it was to save the world or for Seria's sake, I had to hunt a named-class demonic beast and win. I didn't even need to calculate how much of an asset someone of Senior Elsie's caliber would be.
I had to recruit her. If I could.
Unaware of my deep contemplation, Senior Elsie's confession was still ongoing.
"I-I never intended to tarnish your honor… Y-yes! 'Bedwetter'! I won't say anything even if you call me a bedwetter. I'll be the 'Bedwetter,' so please, s-stop… hic, p-please stop……"
I let out a long, heavy sigh. It couldn't be helped. I couldn't think of any other way right now. There was only one thing I could do.
My halted steps resumed. There was no hesitation in my stride as I walked toward her. Sensing my approach, Senior Elsie curled into an even tighter ball, shivering violently.
Tears pooled in her eyes. The words coming out of her mouth were now nothing short of a plea.
"W-why are you doing this… why only to m-me! Hic, I-I apologized! I said I was sorry, I said I'd even be the bedwetter! Sob, d-don't come any closer! S-spare me! I mean, p-please spare me! Eeeeeek!"
As my hand reached her, Senior Elsie screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. Her trembling body told me exactly how tense she was.
And then, in the next moment.
"……?"
Pat.
My hand landed on top of Senior Elsie's hat. Then, I began to stroke her head. To be honest, I couldn't feel much through the pointed hat.
Nevertheless, it was enough to prove that I had no intention of using violence. Senior Elsie's violent shivering gradually subsided, and her blue sapphire eyes stared up at me blankly.
I gave her a bitter smile.
"……Senior Elsie."
With as much comfort as I could muster, I spoke to her.
"You've had a difficult time, haven't you?"
It was a bit ironic that the source of her misery was the one offering comfort, but it couldn't be helped. I had to soothe her first if we were ever going to have a conversation.
Senior Elsie's tearful eyes remained fixed on me for a long, long time.