Why Did You Leave Me Behind?
"Leave it to me."
An old abandoned house.
In a dilapidated room bearing no trace that anyone had ever lived there, a girl wept alone. It was a suspicious situation by anyone's standards, but Loraine strode toward the girl with confident, unhesitating steps.
*Sob, sob.*
The girl was still crying, face buried in her knees. Loraine stopped a short distance away and spoke up with a soft smile, the kind designed to dissolve wariness.
"Hello?"
The crying stopped.
"What are you doing out here? Where are your mom and dad?"
*……*
A silence settled over the room like the stillness before a storm.
Simon swallowed hard and watched. Every fiber of him wanted to grab Loraine by the collar and drag her back right now, but if she was telling the truth—if this really was a castaway—then she had to be rescued.
*Why.*
Then the girl's mouth opened.
*Why did you leave me behind?*
"……What?"
Loraine's expression shifted to something grave.
*Why did you leave me behind? Why did you leave me behind? Why did you leave me behind?*
A bone-chilling voice echoed through the room like a reverberating specter. Simon's face went rigid, and Loraine hesitated a moment before asking carefully.
"Did your mom and dad leave you here?"
*……No.*
"Then who did?"
The girl's head snapped up from her knees.
"You did! You left me behind!"
KreeeeeeeeeEEEE!
Her mouth tore open like a monster's, and her fallen eyeballs spun wildly in a full 360-degree rotation.
'!'
They said terror struck you speechless. Simon felt his body and mind freeze solid in an instant.
'A wraith undead. I have to counter—!'
At that exact moment, Simon felt something soft press against his body.
'?!'
He looked down and saw the top of a dark head.
'L-Loraine?'
Simon's soul nearly left his body. She had apparently lunged in without even realizing it herself, and she was so startled she immediately leaped back. Then, eyes squeezed shut, she grabbed Simon's wrist and started to run.
CRUUUUMBLE!
The house was collapsing. The two of them burst outside and threw themselves clear just as the abandoned building came crashing down behind them.
"Hah! Hah!"
"Whewww."
Cold sweat dripping, the two stared at the wreckage.
'What was that……'
Everything felt like it was slipping loose from reality.
Seeing a ghost.
Loraine clinging to him.
It all felt like a dream.
"Loraine, that……"
Just as Simon tried to speak, she shouted urgently.
"Run!"
A huge hand burst up out of the rubble. It pressed against the ground, and the girl from before—now transformed into something like a zombie—rose into view.
*Why did you leave me behind? Why did you leave me behind? Why did you leave me behind?*
"Run, Simon, hurry!"
Simon sprinted after her in a blind rush. When the cold night wind slapped his face, a measure of composure finally returned.
'If it's a wraith, I can catch it with my Chaos!'
Chaos Spear was Simon's only means of attacking a spirit entity.
But it took time to prepare.
"Simon! Go on ahead!"
Suddenly halting, Loraine thrust her hand into her own shirt. She quickly found the padlock dangling from the end of her choker necklace and drew it forward.
"I'm worried about Esh and Toto! I'll handle this!"
Click!
She broke the padlock's seal. A crimson light rippled in her ruby eyes, and her hair surged into the air along with a wave of jet-black darkness streaked with blood red.
'She's decided to use her power!'
A Loraine using her power wasn't someone to worry about. Simon readied his Chaos and turned to go.
"I'm counting on you!"
"Mm."
Simon ran, glancing back once, while Loraine drew a single dagger from her sub-space.
It looked like an ordinary weapon, but an eye was embedded in the blade—a genuine, living summon.
She channeled her power into the dagger.
Ssssssssssh!
The dagger burst into scarlet flame. Loraine adjusted her grip with an elegant, economical motion and fixed her gaze on the approaching evil spirit.
"Hah!"
Shring!
Dropping low, she swept the dagger through the air, carving a blood-red arc across the void.
It was enough.
The evil spirit's body was cleaved along the blade's path and shattered on the spot.
"No way……"
As she watched the spirit's remains dissolve, Loraine's expression hardened into something frightening.
Simon was running flat out. Even in the middle of all this, he forced his concentration higher and loaded his body with Chaos, then pushed through the brush.
"Guys!"
But at the rendezvous point, no one was there.
They'd sworn to wait here no matter what. Simon scanned the area and shouted.
"Toto! Esh! Where are you?"
From somewhere far away came Esh's scream—Kyaaaaaaak—!
"Over there!"
Simon wheeled around and bolted toward the sound.
Sssssss—!
But before he'd gone far, he threw himself to a halt. A girl's silhouette burst out of the undergrowth.
*Why.*
The very same girl from the abandoned house.
*Why did you leave me behind?*
Simon yanked a Chaos Spear from his hip and hurled it without a flicker of hesitation.
Rough thunder shook the air, and the violet lance punched clean through the girl's phantom form.
"Got you—!"
Fwap!
Simon's vision plunged into pitch black.
Without a sound, a pair of hands had crept up from behind him and covered his eyes.
*"Why did you leave me behind?"*
Simon let out a startled yelp and tore himself free. Just as he drew his next Chaos Spear to counterattack—
Pfft—
—he found himself face to face with a woman struggling to hold back her laughter.
AHAHAHAHA!
Simon's face, which had been stretched tight with fright, flushed crimson in an instant.
"Serne!"
It was Serne. She shook her velvet hair every which way as she laughed, then mimed wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
"That was hilarious. The second-best Simon expression I've seen all year. Oooh."
"What is all this?! This prank is way out of line!"
Instead of answering, she flashed a little-devil smile and glided closer, stepping lightly as if she were walking on air.
"Hehehong~"
Then she took hold of Simon's hand—the one gripping the Chaos Spear—and stared at it intently.
"So this is the famous Chaos."
"……What?"
"Throw it. Go on."
Having said something so brazen, she simply stretched her hand toward the forest.
"There's a target right there, isn't there?"
The very ghost-girl who'd scared the daylights out of him was wandering around nearby.
"……"
Simon heaved a long sigh. The spear was already drawn and would have to be spent regardless.
Regripping the lance of Chaos, he hurled it in that direction.
KWAAAARUNG!
Violet lightning shot out and struck the girl's body, and with an impact that scattered shimmering feathers, the phantom vanished.
"……Satisfied now?"
"Simon."
Serne stepped close without warning and looked him dead in the eye.
"You can use Divinity, can't you?"
"!"
The blood drained from Simon's face.
Serne gave a meaningful smile, then clasped her hands behind her back and strolled away lightly.
"To be honest, I've been wondering ever since first year—ever since we fought the Saintess together."
She swayed a slender index finger side to side.
"How on earth did you take the Saintess's Sacred Flame head-on—her attack, of all things—and walk away unscathed?"
"……"
"Any ordinary necromancer would have been burned to ash in a single blow. So why were you the only one fine?"
This was dangerous.
Being able to use Divinity was a completely different problem from being outed as a Legion Commander. Simon forced calm into his voice.
"……I really have no idea what you're talking about all of a sudden."
She saw the Chaos, but there's no way she jumped straight to Divinity from that.
Only a trace amount of Divinity went into the Chaos formula, blended together with blood besides. She was fishing, clearly. Whatever "Divinity" she was talking about had no real evidence behind it—
"Actually, Future Simon told me."
For a moment, Simon wanted to bury his face in his hands.
"Future Simon said it, just like this! Chaos is nothing but the toddling first step before Void."
"!"
Simon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"Teach Chaos order. When Jet-Black and Divinity fuse purely, with no other elements involved—"
She spread both hands as if conjuring something, then clapped them together at her center with a sharp crack.
"—a miracle is born."
"……"
"That technique's name is Void. And apparently, Future Simon can even alter its properties."
She giggled, hehe.
"Am I right?"
He couldn't deny it.
And Future Simon would never have told Serne all of that for no reason.
Simon quietly inclined his head.
"I figure it's a hint that 'Future Simon' is giving to 'Present Simon'~ He must have wanted to send that message through me."
Her cheeks had flushed a faint pink as she pressed her palms together with a snap.
"That must mean he trusts me that much, doesn't it?"
"……You put on this whole show just to tell me that?"
"That's part of it."
She stuck her tongue out and did her best ghost impression.
"Ebebebe~ Why did you leave me behind? Consider it payback—I was a little mad too."
"……Professor Aaron told us to move in our own groups, you know."
"My group is just so boriiiing. I'd much rather stick with Group 10."
Shring!
At that moment, Serne tilted her head lightly to one side. Something red seemed to ripple through the space she'd just vacated, and the tree behind it split apart with a thunderous crack.
Serne arched her sly, fox-like eyes.
"Oh my~ If you throw that power around carelessly, won't Mommy spank you?"
Thud. Thud.
Loraine was advancing out of the darkness, wreathed in scarlet power.
"……How dare you deceive me."
"I enjoyed the rare show just now, by the way."
Serne strode up to Simon and hugged him firmly against her chest. Simon's face went red as a beet.
"Mwah~ mwah~ like this, was it? All that bravado in front of Simon, and look at her. What a sorry little sight……"
Sparks practically flew from Loraine's eyes.
"You—!"
"Loraine! Simon!"
Just then, Esh and Toto's voices rang out. Loraine, who had looked ready to lunge on the spot, let out a strangled "Kuh!" and bit her lip. Then she withdrew her power and locked the padlock back in place.
A moment later, the two of them burst out of the brush.
Twigs were stuck in Toto's hair and leaves clung to him—the pair had clearly been through their own ordeal.
"Is everyone alr— whoa?"
Toto and Esh both went bug-eyed at the sight of Serne, who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Ta-daa~"
Serne clapped her hands together with a snap.
"A training camp needs a courage test, doesn't it? Fun little event, right?"
She waved her arm, and ghost shapes popped up all around, comically miming sob, sob tears.
The two stared blankly for a moment before finally collapsing in relief.
"I-I can't believe how scared I was."
Toto clutched his chest and exhaled.
"Wow! It was ALL an illusion? Hahaha! Scary, but so much fun!"
Esh bounced up and down—apparently this was exactly her brand of entertainment. Loraine was clearly irritated, but with the other students watching, she held it in.
"Serne! Let's bring the rest of our department tomorrow! It'll be hilarious! They'll fall over from fright!"
"Oh my, that does sound fun."
Remarkably, even Esh was chatting Serne up without a hint of fear. Simon marveled at her sociability—or perhaps Serne had simply grown a touch more merciful than before.
"Well then."
Serne stretched out her hand.
"By way of apology, I'll guide you to the real village. Shall we?"
And so the five of them arrived at a genuine village in the Frigod Autonomous Region.
Even at this hour, the village's night market was bursting with life. The wares on offer were varied, and the Dark Alliance's currency was accepted freely.
There was, of course, one small problem.
"Ɫⴠⴄⴅ!"
"ⴄⴆⴂ?"
Nobody could understand a word.
Esh marched up front to try her hand.
"I'd like to buy some carrots—which way should I go?"
"ⴘⴠⴅ!"
"Excuse me?"
"ⴆⴶⴘⴘⴠⴅ!!"
"Hey, why are you getting angry at me?!"
Loraine, laughing, scolded Esh roundly. Serne plucked a single feather from her hair.
"There's a very easy way to fix that."
"……Don't."
Simon said with a sigh.
It looked like they'd have to buy their ingredients through sheer hand-waving and charades. Beyond that, they intended to procure the minimum supplies needed for the Dullahan work here as well.
"Oh! Over there!"
Toto thrust out his arm.
"It's Asseraz's group!"
"Really?"
Every head turned.
Sure enough, Asseraz's 8th squad could be seen heading back toward the market. And for some reason, White was there with them too.
"Looks like everyone's come to this village."
Toto murmured that, then glanced at Simon.
"What's wrong, Simon?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
Simon answered that way, cold sweat trickling down his back.
Because just behind Asseraz's passing group, he had caught sight of a blue-haired boy.
'What does that idiot think he's doing?!'
A man who looked exactly like Simon himself was following White through the crowd.