Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Unforeseen Encounters
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Chapter 70
The southern tip of the continent.
Unlike the east and west, where various nations and races mingled, or the north, where the queen who ruled the demi-humans resided, the south had only faint traces of humanity.
The Naströnd Plains blocked the way to the north.
Lush jungles teemed with monsters.
It was a place where all manner of superstitions and heresies ran rampant.
The only inhabitants were rare races like Lizardmen, Naga, Sirens, and Harpies, along with a small number of humans.
Through this land, which contained only a few cities, a group was making its way through the undergrowth.
“Is this the right way? If you’re wrong again, I might get a little angry, you know~?”
“I-It should be, Lady Skaina.”
At her subtly annoyed pressure, the mage who had volunteered as their guide trembled.
“I should have just stayed in my lab. Why did I have to volunteer? If it wasn’t for his damn coaxing… haah.”
He had said it was a chance to observe the changes in the demonic energy firsthand.
‘There’s not a trace of it.’
Months had passed since they began tracking the signs of demonic energy that had appeared on the continent.
At first, they had made a fuss, wondering if it was a sign of the Demon Lord’s arrival.
“The lingering traces of demonic energy are here.”
As the head of the dispatched investigation team, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been deceived by Barden.
“If you’re wrong this time, I’ll smash that damn magic tool to pieces.”
“…I will guide you correctly this time, I swear.”
Berit clutched the artifact and answered with determination.
No one sympathized with him.
It was partly because of his arrogant attitude, lording his status as a disciple of the Magic Tower of Light over them, but also because most of the party’s nerves were frayed from the months-long journey.
‘When will I be able to go back?’
Francisca rubbed her tired eyes.
She shouldn’t have acted so impulsively.
Having waited for the prophecy to be fulfilled, she wanted to return to the Reinhardt domain. Then, she recalled the person who had made her come here in the first place and made a disgusted face.
Huis Arona, grandson of Grandell, the Master of the Wind Magic Tower.
‘If only that trash hadn’t approached me back then.’
To brazenly approach her as if nothing had happened, after pulling something like that when they were children.
Feeling like she might do something drastic if she stayed near him, she had avoided him by volunteering for the investigation team.
The result was months of hardship, which only deepened her hatred for him.
‘But, still…’
*Rustle—*
As she reached into her tunic, she felt the distinct texture of the crumpled paper she had read countless times.
‘I was able to confirm that he is the one from the prophecy.’
She had also ascended to the 5th Circle thanks to the results of her chimera research, and she had received occasional lessons from Skaina, the head of the School of Transmutation.
Just as she was about to continue her thoughts, the man in the lead shouted.
“I found it! It’s here! The demonic energy is thick in this place… what’s a woman doing here…?”
Snapping back to reality, she looked ahead and saw a woman lying collapsed amidst the blackened earth and devastated terrain.
“Are you alright!”
“A civilian here…?”
“Wait a minute!”
The mages began to approach, as if mesmerized. Skaina’s shouts were useless. Only Skaina and Francisca remained where they were.
“What is it, Lady Skaina!”
“There’s no way a civilian would be out here…!”
“Ugh… Mmm?”
As if she had been waiting for them, the woman’s eyes fluttered open the moment they drew near.
Skaina immediately grew wary at the sudden change.
The woman looked around fearfully, a pitiful expression on her face.
“Where… is this?”
“How are you feeling! Are you injured anywhere….”
Her helpless gestures and innocent face.
Combined with her torn clothes, as if she had been attacked by something, and an indefinable, poignant atmosphere, she stirred their protective instincts.
“We’re an investigation team from the Magic Tower….”
“Berit! You son of a bitch!”
As Skaina approached, her face contorted in fury at Berit’s rash actions, he flinched.
“We don’t even know who she is, and you reveal our identity? Have you completely lost your mind~?”
“B-But she really looks like a civilian….”
“Shut up and get back. I’ll handle the questioning from here.”
“Yes, I-I understand.”
The man who had tried to protect her quickly came to his senses at the sight of her cold eyes.
He was merely a disciple of the Magic Tower of Light, while she was the head of the School of Transmutation. He was no match for her.
“So… what’s your name~? Where are you from? Or, do you remember what you were doing just a moment ago~?”
“I am….”
The woman, who had been watching their argument with a frightened expression, finally opened her mouth at Skaina’s question.
“My name is Lilith, I think… it was Lilith.”
“It *was* Lilith?”
At the gathered stares, the woman, Lilith, quickly lowered her gaze and spoke.
‘……?’
Watching her, Francisca felt a sense of unease.
“Yes… Other than that, I can’t remember anything.”
Yes, it was… a faint, subtle feeling that only she, who was used to accommodating everyone else, could perceive, but….
“…I’m so sorry that I don’t know anything.”
Francisca thought her eyes looked like they were smiling.
She was sure of it.
***
Whaaaaa-!
At the massive roar of the crowd, I looked down to see two figures in the wide training yard, clashing swords with a harsh, grating sound.
More accurately, one side was being pushed back.
“Is that all you’ve got, Benjamin!”
“Serves that commoner bastard right for acting so high and mighty.”
“He got cocky just because he had the Vice President behind him… It’s over.”
Three days after the rumors spread through the academy, the duel took place as announced.
The location was the official dueling grounds in the main building.
Just as it was written in the black book, the future he knew was unfolding.
No restrictions. No outside interference.
A grim duel where one could literally decide the fate of the other.
…Which was why most had expected a fierce, close-fought battle.
Benjamin gritted his teeth and blocked the attack.
“Senior, why’d you have to pick a fight, huh?”
“Kuh…”
The result was the complete opposite of what had been expected.
A swift storm of sword strikes imbued with lightning rained down.
From top to bottom diagonally, then from bottom to top left.
He never thought the feel of the sword he had practiced with every day could feel so foreign.
“You acted all high and mighty as a senior. Serves you right.”
“Yeah, you should’ve known your place.”
“But isn’t he in the supplementary class? Looking at his skills… he’s top-tier.”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
He had intended to show his skill as a senior and give a warning to the new students who hadn't yet shed their outside habits.
“Senior, you’re not all that. I really wonder why you strutted all the way to the supplementary class.”
He had only wanted to show the other commoner students in the academy that they could do it too.
“Did you look down on the supplementary class? Or did you see this as a chance to put a noble in their place? Huh?”
“…That wasn’t my intention.”
“Tell me the truth. I might go easy on you if you do.”
“No, I really didn’t….”
*Boooo—*
The words died in his throat.
A barrage of condemnation.
From behind the opaque barrier covering the dueling grounds, a torrent of anonymous jeers filled his ears.
“Is that what they’re saying? I heard you were famous, Senior. For picking fights left and right.”
“……”
Benjamin let out an empty laugh.
Though he may have had his reasons, to those who didn’t know the full story, Benjamin’s actions were nothing more than those of an arrogant commoner, flaunting his rank.
“…Then just come at me, you bastard.”
“Showing your true colors now, are we? Then, let’s get serious….”
At Benjamin’s non-confession, Julius revealed a smile and unleashed the lightning he had been compressing.
“Here I come.”
*BOOM—*
A blue thunderbolt flashed.
In response, crimson prana burst forth.
***
The duel was over.
The victory went to Julius, who had maintained the upper hand from start to finish.
The moment the duel ended, Benjamin was moved to the infirmary right next door.
‘Through this incident, that guy will become a true enemy of the student council.’
On the surface, everything had gone as Allen had wished.
No, even if he hadn’t intended it, it was destined to happen this way.
Hadn’t the same thing happened in the past?
But….
“……Not like this, the result wasn’t like this.”
*Glance—*
Hearing a low mumble, he turned his head to see the distorted expression of the Second Prince.
“How, how could you do this…!”
“Mr. Vice President, no, Your Highness…”
Benjamin gave a bitter smile.
“You knew something like this would happen eventually, did you not? Although this wasn't the result I wanted….”
“It was all for the good of the academy.”
“My own selfish desires were mixed in as well.”
Allen stared at the man, who was breathing with difficulty.
“Even so, isn’t this too much!”
He was in terrible shape.
His body was covered in wounds, his face pale.
Critically, the state of his prana circuits was far too severe.
“Even if this heals, I doubt he’ll recover even half of his strength…. Perhaps…”
The healer examining him trailed off.
A permanent injury.
Though he didn’t say it, his life as a warrior was as good as over.
Perhaps he would never be able to hold a sword again.
“That kid probably didn’t mean for it to go this far, haha….”
Benjamin hid his trembling hands deep under the blanket.
A dark, gloomy atmosphere settled over the infirmary.
Allen watched it all from a step away.
‘…Could I have stopped this duel?’
Or could he have at least prevented his injuries?
He and Benjamin were not close.
The first and last time they had spoken was three days ago.
Logically thinking, Allen knew that even if he had told him this would happen, the same future would have unfolded.
If it hadn't been him, someone else would have suffered the same fate.
‘Is that really true?’
Did he just stand by because it was convenient for them to become Julius’s enemies?
Was it really so difficult to produce a different outcome?
A jumble of thoughts tangled in his mind.
He had no connection to Benjamin, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch a person’s life be ruined.
However, to stand against Julius, his sacrifice was essential.
Wasn’t it arrogant to think he could face everything Julius represented on his own?
He needed allies, and he needed a cause.
Guilt, avoidance, blindness, self-justification, and hypocrisy.
This was not a wavering of such emotions.
‘This was something I had steeled myself for long ago.’
What mattered was how he responded afterward.
He had fully experienced the limits of facing him alone before his regression, and the consequences. He had hesitated because he wasn't sure how to act.
Now that it had happened….
‘It’s time to move.’
This was a rare opportunity.
Allen turned away from the infirmary, a new resolve in his heart.
The light pouring into the corridor was starkly divided.
-Whaaaaa
From the other side of the corridor, where darkness had fallen, cheers crashed like waves.
“Julius, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere….”
“You did great! I was worried since he was a senior, but of course, Ju….”
“I never thought you’d actually win. For a delinquent like you….”
*Unlike the typical protagonists found in novels, Julius felt a sense of relief at having decisively eliminated any future trouble.*
*Step, step—*
*Now this was satisfying. He had thoroughly broken the guy’s spirit, so he wouldn’t come at him again. He had no intention of being a pushover and showing mercy.*
Outside the dueling grounds, Julius was surrounded by several girls.
“Ah, Brother! Over here! Where have you been!”
“I was watching from a distance. You fought well.”
Allen found him, the boy who could laugh and chat so casually after destroying another person’s life.
“Haha, you were watching.”
He was repulsive.
“Yes. Congratulations on your victory.”
“If I’d known you were here, Brother, I would have fought even harder. Hahaha.”
Unbearably so.
***
Allen walked without a destination.
He could have returned to the dormitory, but… today, he wanted to walk and clear his head.
Walking down a deserted alley, Allen suddenly spoke.
“Do you think my methods were wrong?”
「How should I know? It’s already in the past.」
“…Already in the past, huh.”
「The future is unknowable. Nothing truly exists in the present. Don’t make such a gloomy face and think about what to do next. If you regret the past, just do better in the future.」
For some reason, Vestla was quite talkative.
「Oh, right. That scabbard! Now that you’re settled into academy life, how about getting me a new one? You know, when you give a gift, it makes both the giver and the receiver happy! What was her name, Sindri? She seemed pretty skilled, so have her find a scabbard that suits me. That’s good for you too, right? Right?」
“Thank you for the comfort.”
「Huh? That wasn’t my intention.」
*Hmph—*
A small smile appeared on Allen’s hardened face.
“Then let’s just say it was.”
「……Hey, that really wasn’t my intention, you know? Like I’d do anything for your sake. Seriously.」
His heavy footsteps felt a little lighter.
‘Right, I can’t control everything.’
Hadn’t he already decided how to act?
“Shall we head back, then… I’ll polish you with the highest-grade sword oil. It’s your reward.”
「…Some reward.」
Vestla grumbled, feigning annoyance.
Just as he was about to turn back.
*Meow—*
A ball of brown fur darted out from an adjacent alley.
“Do stray cats live in a place like this too….”
Did one of the students raise it and then abandon it?
He paused for a moment to look at the cat, then resumed his steps.
“……?”
“…To think I’d meet you here.”
The woman who called herself the Descendant of the Hero.
A beauty with hair as white as snow and a blank, expressionless face that betrayed no thoughts.
“…Hello.”
Maria Caritas.
She walked slowly out of the alley.
“Hello.”