The Explosion
12 - Explosion, and Then? Lewis Goldson. Born as the second son of the Goldson Marquis family, he possessed talent that stood out among his peers. The powerful backing of a marquis household, the innate ability to surpass others without much effort—he could always hold the upper hand wherever he went. Of course, upon entering the academy, he encountered people with even stronger families and greater talents, but Lewis could accept that. He understood that others could possess the same blessings he did.
Except for one person. Someone he simply could not tolerate. A guy who couldn't even use magic, who only dragged others down, and on top of that, a commoner orphan with no connections whatsoever.
"Did you hear? The one who got a perfect score on the written exam is a commoner."
How dare he... beat me?
----
"Hey, Troll. What are you doing here?"
"Just out for a walk."
"Oh, really? Where's your leash?"
"......What?"
"A beast like you shouldn't be walking around alone. Where's your master?"
"......"
Ah, this is insane. Of all places, of all times, of all days—why did I have to run into Lewis? Normally, I'd just give a half-hearted reply and take a few hits. But today, right beside me......
"Arthur. Who is this?"
Lilith was there. Her disguise was flawless. Lewis didn't even glance at the woman standing next to me. Because of that, he seemed to think we were alone and pressed me even harder.
"What, a stray dog? Then I can pick him up and use him, right?"
Lewis raised his hand. I tried to stop him.
"Wait, Lewis!"
But the spell was already complete.
-Clink clink clink clink
Chains flew out and wrapped tightly around my neck.
"Guhk!"
My breath caught, and my vision shook.
"Arthur! That bastard dares—!!"
Lilith moved to lunge at Lewis immediately.
"Stop!!"
"Huh? Since when do you speak formally? You always just glared at me without any manners."
It wasn't directed at you. Lilith froze with her hand still at Lewis's throat.
"......Arthur. Give me one reason why I should let this live. I really can't think of any."
"No killing."
Lewis, misunderstanding that I was talking to him, looked incredulous.
"Who said anything about killing? I was just going to play with him nicely—"
"Shut your mouth!"
At my shout, both pairs of eyes stared at me in shock.
"Arthur......?"
It was the first time I'd raised my voice like that in front of Lilith. Even I was a little surprised at how forceful I'd become, but I quickly steadied myself and met her red eyes.
"I don't want to see you killing someone."
"But this guy—"
"Don't say it like that!"
The words burst out before I could stop them, driven by an emotion so sudden that even I was startled after shouting.
"......Arthur?"
"Ah, no, I mean......"
As I scrambled to explain under Lilith's wide, surprised eyes, a voice echoed in my mind.
-Why are you trying to explain?
The thought disrupted my flow. This—Lilith didn't see Lewis as a person. No, from Lilith's perspective, from an Outer God's viewpoint, humans were no different from insects. The gap between an Outer God and a human was far greater than that between a human and a bug. That single word made the distance between us—between human and Outer God, between me and Lilith—feel painfully real.
"......"
Lilith opened and closed her mouth, looking bewildered by my outburst. She clearly didn't understand what had made me angry.
"This is getting ridiculous!"
Lewis yanked his arm, and the chains tightened around my neck.
"Hey, have you gone crazy? You're doing all sorts of crazy shit by yourself. Did you think I'd just—"
-Thud!
"—let it slide?"
Lewis's fist slammed into my stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs in an instant.
"Arthur!"
"Kuhk...... kek...... kek......"
The chains made breathing difficult. With the air knocked out and not returning, dizziness set in and the world began to blur.
"Arthur! Stay with me!"
Lilith pulled her hand away from Lewis's neck and rushed to me, trying to undo the chains.
"N-no...... don't......"
I grabbed her hand. If Lilith removed the chains here, Lewis would retaliate even more severely. I was terrified of what Lilith might do if she saw that. It was better to end it like this.
As oxygen failed to reach me, my mind grew distant and my eyelids grew heavy. Just seconds away from losing consciousness—
"Tsk. What am I even doing with a guy who's about to get expelled anyway?"
The chains loosened with a slither, and air rushed back into my lungs.
"Hahk! Keck...... kuhk! Hoo...... kelok...... kelok......"
"Hey, Troll. You know the practical exam is coming up soon, right? Look forward to it. I'll make sure you get expelled as a cripple."
Lewis stomped hard on my hand before walking toward his dormitory.
"Kelok kelok!"
'M-my breath......'
Left alone, I gasped through coughs as sudden air flooded back in.
"Arthur. Open your mouth."
I wasn't alone. At Lilith's words, my body reacted on its own and opened my mouth.
"Haa...... up!"
Lilith took a deep breath and pressed her lips to mine. She held my convulsively coughing body tightly and slowly shared her breath with me. Thanks to the carefully measured amount of air, my coughing gradually subsided.
"Haa...... haa...... haa......"
Once both the coughing and my breathing stabilized, Lilith pulled away.
"Are you okay, Arthur?"
Her tone carried a carefulness I'd never heard before. She was still thinking about my earlier outburst. Now that oxygen was returning to my brain, I felt like I might die for an entirely different reason.
Ah, this is the worst. What did I just say? The last thing I saw was Lilith's worried face before my vision went black and consciousness cut off.
----
When I opened my eyes, I was in the dormitory bathroom. Staring blankly at the sink, I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. Looking in the mirror while washing up, I saw a truly pathetic reflection.
"......Damn it."
The cold water seemed to bring some clarity. The dazed feeling lingered, but it was much better. Looking back, what had happened earlier was the worst possible situation born from multiple factors colliding. Already anxious about the gap between Lilith and me, seeing how she treated Lewis made that anxiety feel real. On top of that, I couldn't think straight because I couldn't breathe, so I'd lashed out without realizing it.
"......Stupid bastard."
I stared at my reflection in the mirror with contempt. This was Lilith, who cherished me so much. Just moments ago, she'd given me artificial respiration when I was on the verge of suffocating. And I'd yelled at her.
'Yeah. Even I think it's pathetic......'
Since washing my face wasn't enough to clear my head, I took a full shower. While drying off, I made a decision.
'I need to apologize to Lilith.'
My mistake had been avoiding the question out of fear of the answer. This was my chance to hear her answer properly. I prayed it wouldn't be what I'd feared.
Leaving the bathroom, I immediately called for Lilith.
"Hey, Lilith. I have something to say...... Huh?"
My body froze instantly. Because of the dormitory layout, stepping out of the bathroom gave a full view of the room. But nowhere......
"......Lilith?"
Lilith was gone. My heart dropped, and my vision spun dizzily as I looked around. Huh? Was the chain tightening again? Reflexively, I scratched at my neck, but there was nothing there.
......Then why was it so hard to breathe?
-Scratch scratch scratch scratch
I couldn't breathe. My throat...... No. My heart. My heart hurt. I scanned the room again with blurry vision, but Lilith wasn't there. Had she been disappointed in me? Had she come to hate me? So she...... left me?
And the moment that realization hit—
"Huuuugh......"
A groan of pain escaped on its own. My heart...... No, more precisely, my heart. It hurt so much.
'Idiot, moron, fool!'
I hated myself so much. The thought that I'd pushed away my one and only ally consumed me as I clawed roughly at my neck.
"A...... aa...... aaaa!"
'I'm sorry.'
'I was wrong.'
'I'll do better.'
'Please...... please just give me one more chance.'
'I won't let go this time. Please!'
'.........'
'......'
'......'
'Please, anyone...... anyone, help......'
At that moment—
-......Really?
'!!!'
The eerie voice piercing my mind made me stop crying and freeze my scratching hand.
-You really want help?
It was a bizarre, chilling voice, like nails scraping across a chalkboard. The atmosphere it carried was so gloomy and filthy, as if every negative emotion in the world had been gathered together.
"Ugh!"
Just hearing the voice made nausea rise up.
'W-who......?'
-Me? I am ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
The grotesque voice listed incomprehensible words, and just listening to them was enough to drive me mad.
'S-save me......'
"A......"
'Anyone!'
"Plea—!"
-Come here. Let's go together.
'Lilith!'
"Arthur!!"
"Arthur! Wake up, Arthur!!"
"Hahk?!"
The shock of someone slapping my cheeks made my eyes fly open.
"Arthur?"
"Hahk...... hahk......"
Gasping for breath, I focused on the blurry silhouette in front of me. As my vision sharpened, the owner of the silhouette came into view.
"Are you okay, Arthur?"
It was Lilith.
"Coffee, or—no, I'll get you some honey water—kyah?!"
I threw the blanket aside and lunged straight at her. Then came the warm, cozy feeling. Emotions poured out like a waterfall at that now-familiar sensation.
"I'm sorry for getting angry."
"I...... I was wrong."
"I won't do it again......"
"Please...... huu...... please......!"
I buried myself deeper into Lilith's embrace and pleaded.
"Don't abandon me......"
It wasn't just emotions that flowed out. When I felt Lilith's dress growing damp—
"!!!"
I felt Lilith's gentle hand stroking the back of my head.
"I will never, ever abandon you."
Lilith's voice was soft, yet filled with firm resolve.
"You don't believe me?"
"Huu...... No. I believe you...... I'll believe you no matter what......"
Then came the strong hug that squeezed me tightly, and I couldn't help but burst into loud sobs.
'Thank you.'
'Thank you for giving me another chance.'
'I won't do it again.'
'......'
'......'
Then, in a voice so small and faint that even I could barely hear it, but filled with honest feeling, I whispered.
"I love you, Lilith."