Chapter 94: The Lord is With Us (15)
Chapter 94: The Lord is With Us (15)
Before I knew it, Emma had piled up dozens of potions in her arms. She looked as if she wanted to give me every single one of them.
It was a bit overwhelming. For one, they would be difficult to carry, but more importantly, Emma was a commoner.
Those potions were likely one of her primary sources of income. I couldn't just take them all for free.
I decided to try and reason with her first.
"Emma, don't you think this is... a bit much?"
"Huh? But isn't it better to be over-prepared?"
Emma tilted her head as she asked. It was a valid point.
However, I still had my own reasons.
"I can't accept this many. It’ll be hard to carry them all during combat, and besides, you earn your living by selling these."
"……It’s okay."
Emma carefully set the potions down on the desk.
Despite the desk being quite large, it struggled to hold the sudden avalanche of glass bottles. A few began to roll toward the edge. I quickly reached out and caught them.
Emma, who had also reached out to stop them from falling, gave me a small, grateful smile at my quick reflexes.
She placed a hand over her heart. Then, with a proud expression, the girl spoke.
"If I get hungry, I can just forage for mushrooms! I know a few mushroom colonies in the Southern Forest……."
"No."
I cut her off firmly. Perhaps because my tone was so blunt, Emma looked at me with startled eyes. Nevertheless, I didn't budge.
I shook my head vigorously, my gaze sinking with gravity. I wanted her to know I was serious.
"Absolutely not. Are you crazy? Don't you remember what happened to you with the demonic beasts there?"
"B-but that was because of the abnormal phenomenon……."
"Still, no."
At my repeated refusal, Emma’s shoulders slumped. Usually wise and clever, she seemed incapable of making a rational judgment right now.
It was likely because her mind was filled with the single-minded desire to help me. While I was deeply grateful for the sentiment, I had to decline her favor.
Skipping meals just to be of help to me was going too far.
Besides, it wasn't as if that would make me feel good. If anything, I’d feel guilty every time I used a potion.
I didn't want to take away Emma's meals. I wasn't the kind of person who would sacrifice a friend's well-being just to ensure my own safety.
Emma was my first commoner friend. Wasn't I the one who brought her back from the brink of death?
Though it had cost me tens of thousands of gold in the process, I didn't regret that decision for a second.
Because of it, two lives were saved.
Emma and her father.
The happy future of the herbalist and his daughter was only just beginning. Yet here Emma was, trying to throw that hard-won life back into the gutter.
And all to help me. A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.
"Emma, you promised me. You promised to be happy."
"B-but... I'm happier when I'm being helpful to Ian……."
Her voice was dejected. Her pale green eyes flickered toward me, searching my expression—a sight that would make any man's heart soften.
I spoke again, my tone much softer now, almost coaxing.
"Emma, think about it. Do you think I’d feel good knowing you’re out there eating mushrooms as meal replacements?"
"……Mushrooms have been my staple food since I was little, though?"
Ah. That was a comment that lacked sensitivity toward the life of a commoner.
If I were a feudal lord, my approval rating among the common folk would have plummeted after a blunder like that. Breaking into a cold sweat internally, I hurried to fix it.
"I'm not saying mushrooms are bad. I'm saying I don't want you going into the forest and risking your life for them. To me, your life is precious."
Perhaps because I spoke with as much sincerity as possible, Emma’s face flushed red.
Her green eyes, which had been staring blankly at me, quickly darted away. She let out a shy, awkward giggle and avoided my gaze. Fortunately, she didn't seem offended.
If anything, she looked a little happy. Though she couldn't meet my eyes, she nodded in agreement.
"I-I see... I guess if it's p-precious, I have no choice……."
She was acting a bit differently than the Emma I knew. She usually took pride in being calm and sharp-witted, but now she was showing a rather ditzy side.
I wondered if it was a side effect of her encounter with the demonic beasts, but there was no way to know for sure.
I simply tilted my head and tucked that suspicion away in a corner of my mind. Seeing an opening, I immediately brought up the main topic.
"And there are plenty of ways to help me besides just giving me potions."
"……Oh? Like what?"
"Your knowledge."
As Emma tilted her head back at me, I lowered my voice and asked.
"Do you remember what we talked about last time? About whether a letter could be sent from the future."
Emma tapped her lips for a moment, lost in thought. Then, as if realizing something, she let out a soft "Ah!"
The spark of intelligence had returned to her pale green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Back then... I think we were talking about Delphirem and the Seven Stars?"
"Right. Tell me more about that. And also, is it possible for a soul, not just a letter, to return to the past?"
"Hmm..." Emma’s brow furrowed slightly. She stood up and walked toward a corner of the workshop. With a signal of mana, bright blue lines began to draw themselves in the air.
It was an Astronomical Chart—an essential tool for mages and alchemists that recorded all the stars in the sky.
"As I said before, it's not impossible. Information has no physical form, so it faces relatively less resistance. If it takes the form of a letter, it's just a single piece of paper moving through time, so the burden is small. But a soul is different."
Emma waved her hand. The center of the Astronomical Chart magnified, and seven particularly brilliant stars filled my vision.
The stars that symbolized the Seven Sins committed by Delphirem.
Those Seven Sins were also the first crimes of humanity. Thus, it was said that the stars representing these sins were kept under surveillance at the point closest to Arus's eye.
When the moon reached its zenith, the seven stars stood around it like attendants. Since they were positioned at the center of the night sky, it was an inevitable arrangement.
And the time when the moon sat in the center of the Seven Stars was also when the power of the Evil God Omeros was at its strongest.
This was also why the terrifying power of those seven stars could not be borrowed. Since Arus did not permit it, no one dared covet the power of the stars.
Not humans, not demonic beasts, not even the Evil God.
There was only one being for whom it was possible. The rightful master of those seven stars.
Delphirem, the Traitor to Humanity.
I unconsciously muttered the name I had heard repeatedly in my dreams.
"Even if information faces less resistance when crossing the timeline, if the amount becomes vast, it inevitably places a massive burden on the world. Naturally, the mana required to correct this would be astronomical. And it goes without saying for a thought-form like a soul, which contains an infinite amount of information."
"Then a soul can't return to the past?"
At my question, Emma shook her head. She continued, her voice deep in thought.
"No, it just means there must be limitations. It's not like a letter where you just deliver information and that's it. For example, maybe they can only appear during specific times……?"
As she added the explanation, Emma shook her head as if it were a futile hypothesis. A bitter smile played on her lips.
"But even that would only be possible if one could borrow the power of the Seven Stars. Unless that condition is met, it's impossible for either a letter or a soul to cross into the past."
"……Is there really no way at all?"
"None. Except for two possibilities."
In other words, there was a chance. As my face brightened, Emma gave me a piece of advice, her bitter smile still present.
"Don't get your hopes up, Ian. They're both completely absurd possibilities."
"What kind of possibilities are they……?"
"The destruction of humanity."
My mouth shut instantly. As if she had expected that reaction, Emma shook her head.
"Or the annihilation of Delphirem. One of those two must be met. In the former case, Arus would lose his power, and in the latter, there would no longer be a reason to hold back the power of the Seven Stars."
Emma clearly thought neither was possible. And for good reason.
A mythical being suddenly vanishing, or humanity facing the brink of extinction?
In an era like this, such things were unimaginable. However, as soon as I heard those words, a certain sentence came to mind.
'If you cannot protect the future, the world will perish.'
The scribbled words left on the back of the first letter.
I remained silent, thinking of the chilling future those words implied.
Even as it came time to leave the workshop, my mind was a tangled mess. I tucked the few potions Emma had packed for me into my coat and prepared to head out, when Emma asked as if she had just remembered something.
"Ian, what do you think? Do I look any different?"
It was a tricky question. My head was already full, so I struggled for a while without finding an answer.
Seeing me like that, Emma let out a small giggle. With a twinkle in her eye, she spoke.
"Actually, I used a perfume called 'Love Potion.' They say it makes you look more attractive to the opposite sex... or something……?"
Before she could even finish her sentence, I leaned in and pressed my nose toward the crook of her neck.
Taking a sniff, there was definitely a peculiar scent. It was sweet, yet it had a quality that made my heart flutter.
I nodded instinctively. It was an effect worthy of the name 'Love Potion.' As I slowly pulled away from Emma, she stood frozen, holding her breath.
Only her beet-red face testified to the fact that she was still alive. I shrugged and complimented her.
"It definitely seems effective. It's a nice scent."
"……Y-y-y-yeah."
Emma stammered her reply and looked away from me. She began fanning her flushed face with her hands.
Her pale green eyes flickered toward me and then away again. Emma left me with only one final, bashful sentence.
"Yeah, it’s... r-really effective... even on m-me……."
With that, I left Emma's workshop. I still had one more person to meet.
It was Senior Elsie.
Surprisingly, Senior Elsie was easy to find. As someone who always traveled with a posse, a mountain of eyewitness reports poured in the moment I asked about her whereabouts.
As usual, Senior Elsie had taken over a quiet clearing and was sitting there. With a boastful look on her face, she was proudly recounting her exploits to the followers surrounding her.
"Do you know what kind of face that bitch Delphine made back then? She was lying there looking like the world had ended, the idiot! I should've turned her into mincemeat right then and there……."
One of her followers let out a hollow laugh at her words. He spoke up to her.
"Hey now, mincemeat is a bit much, don't you think?"
"……I guess so? Anyway, that fucking bitch!"
I couldn't help but sigh as I listened.
No matter how many times I heard it, her way of speaking was a stark contrast to her doll-like appearance. The Lainella family was a prestigious house, yet their young lady used such foul language.
I briefly felt the urge to pull out the hand axe at my waist just to see her reaction, but I restrained myself. I was the one here to ask for a favor today.
Instead, I raised my hand and gave a normal greeting.
"Senior Elsie!"
"She was begging for her life, crying... Huh? What!"
Senior Elsie, who had been in the middle of her story, jumped up from her seat the moment she heard my voice. She came hopping toward me.
She seemed far more glad to see me than I had expected. With a wide smile, she asked.
"You, you……! What brings you here? You haven't visited in ages!"
"I just missed seeing you, Senior Elsie."
It was mere flattery, but Senior Elsie seemed incredibly satisfied by it. She crossed her arms with a haughty expression.
"Hmph, really? For an arrogant junior, you've finally learned how to speak properly. As a reward, I shall grant you the right to pat my head."
The way she looked at me with a hint of anticipation was actually a bit cute. She seemed a bit too full of herself, so I considered teasing her, but I decided to let it slide since she was, at least, visually adorable.
As I patted Senior Elsie's head, she made a face like a cat having its favorite spot scratched. She looked very pleased.
Thinking this was the right moment, I decided to bring up the main point. I spoke carefully.
"Senior Elsie, do you have your schedule set for the next practical yet?"
"……Huh? No, I'm still thinking about it."
"Then, would you like to go with me?"
"Hmm..." A lazy hum escaped Senior Elsie's lips. Since I was still patting her head, her eyes were quite dazed.
"Heh," she smirked, tilting the corner of her mouth. She gave me a haughty look.
"Hmph, me? Why would I go with a weakling like y— Eek! I'll go! I'll go, okay!"
In the end, unable to take it anymore, I had slowly moved my hand toward the hand axe at my waist. That brief action was all it took to finish persuading Senior Elsie.
It was so simple; I don't know why I bothered trying to use words.
Blaming my own foolishness internally, I placed the hand I had intended for the axe handle back onto Senior Elsie's head.
She had been trembling, her hat pulled down low, but she finally seemed to regain some stability.
"It's because I really need your skills, Senior. As you know, it's hard to find a mage as talented as you……."
"……W-well, that's true! I am a pretty amazing mage!"
Realizing she didn't have the right to refuse anyway, Senior Elsie was now desperately trying to find reasons why she should follow me. It was her way of saving face.
She didn't want the stigma of following a junior because of a threat.
Also, my praise had worked. Senior Elsie seemed to quite like being complimented. She regained her boastful expression and said,
"After all, you've only got me, right? I'm the only fourth-year senior you can trust and follow!"
I fell silent for a moment.
A senior I could trust and follow? There were many question marks surrounding that statement, but I didn't feel like pointing them out. However, I did need to inform her about the group composition.
Since Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie were famous arch-enemies, I hesitated before speaking.
"Actually, there's one more person."
"Heh, of course it's just m— Huh? There's someone else?"
Senior Elsie tilted her head. She looked genuinely curious. Her expression said, 'How could someone like you know another fourth-year?'
It was a face that was cute yet annoying. So, I spoke a bit bluntly.
"Yes. Senior Delphine has decided to come along."
Upon hearing those words, Senior Elsie froze solid, even as I continued to pat her head.
Her wide, staring eyes testified to her shock. In that gaze, I could even feel a sense of profound betrayal.
She looked like she wanted to ask "Why?", but she was already trembling. In her eyes, which resembled blue sapphires, a clear sense of indignation was evident.
It was the beginning of a rivalry that would last throughout the entire practical.