And It Was Not Simple at All
And it wasn't simple at all. I had completely underestimated night hiking.
To move in secret, I didn't use the established hiking trails. I doubted anyone would be climbing a mountain at this hour, but then again, here I was doing exactly that for certain reasons. So, to avoid any prying eyes, I forged my own path up the trackless mountain. It was a foolish idea. The dense undergrowth made it incredibly difficult to walk, and I tripped and fell countless times over protruding tree roots and sudden sinkholes.
I stumbled constantly, slipping on loose pebbles, damp leaves, and unstable dirt, while low-hanging branches scratched at my skin. When I took a wrong turn and tumbled down a steep ravine, I was utterly dumbfounded. If I hadn't been a supernatural ability user, I probably would have broken a leg or two. It might have been manageable if I could at least see where I was going, but the pitch-black night made visibility nearly zero. I had brought a flashlight, but the batteries were practically dead, casting only a pathetic, flickering glow. Forcing my way up a pathless mountain relying on nothing but a dying light... honestly, it would have been weirder if I didn't get hurt.
I was too rushed, and my preparation was sorely lacking. But then, whether before or after becoming Lucia, I had always been completely ignorant about hiking, so I suppose it couldn't be helped. I had been far too complacent, relying solely on my superhuman physical abilities. Thanks to that, I got to experience firsthand exactly why people accidentally fall to their deaths while mountain climbing. It was a miracle Lucia's body was so durable; otherwise, I'd probably be stranded out here waiting for a rescue team right now.
But that wasn't the only problem. I should have realized it when I spent ages wandering around just trying to find a hardware store. As it turned out, the current me had an absolutely atrocious sense of direction. No proper trail, terrible visibility, and zero sense of direction—it was a perfect storm of disasters. I was completely, utterly lost...
Wait, this ravine? Didn't I just pass by here? Or did I? Is it just a similar-looking spot?
I had that exact thought countless times. I was genuinely terrified that I was just walking in circles.
Making a mockery of the clean shower I had taken earlier, I eventually ended up looking like a drowned rat covered in dirt and grime. Forget burying the corpse (not actually a corpse), I hadn't even found a decent spot to bury it before the sun began to rise in the east. Staring at the dawning light, my face fell in utter exhaustion.
This wasn't how this was supposed to go...
"Let's just go back for now. I have to go to school..."
I had been far too sloppy. I acted on pure impulse without any preparation. Sigh, let's cool my head and rethink this from the very beginning. Since it felt like a waste of all the time I spent climbing up and wandering around, I decided to forage some mushrooms as a souvenir before heading down. There weren't many that caught my eye, so I only managed to gather a few. Some were pure white, others a vibrant, blood-red—mushrooms I had never seen before in my life. They looked quite pretty with their colorful caps. I should roast them with a bit of salt and try them. He-he, I'm sure they'll be delicious. In more ways than one.
When I first left, it was the dead of night and there wasn't a soul around, but by the time I returned to the dormitory, quite a few students were out and about. Waking up early to exercise... everyone was so diligent. Then again, the most important thing for the Academy's students was improving their combat strength. Constant, disciplined training was an absolute necessity.
Tossing my bag aside and throwing my dirty clothes into the washing machine, I quickly hopped into the shower. The bathroom was still thick with the scent of blood. Because I had been too busy to clean it up properly, the metallic, fishy odor stung my nose. I really need to do a deep clean... but I'm too busy right now, so I'll do it later. What should I do with the mushrooms I picked? Will they spoil if I just leave them out? Should I put them in the fridge? Ah, whatever. I'll just leave them be for now. Surely they won't rot that quickly. And even if they do, it doesn't matter. What's important is what's inside the mushrooms... Ah, look at the time!
I hurriedly dried my hair and changed into my school uniform. My hair was just too long... It took way too much time to dry. Ah, shoot. I forgot to put on a sports bra. If I don't wear one, my chest bounces around like crazy later, which is really annoying. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now~ No time! Just as I finished getting ready and grabbed my school bag, a polite knock sounded at the door. Phew, thank goodness. I managed to make it in the nick of time. I swung the door open and spoke cheerfully.
"Good morning, Aris!"
"Y-Yes... G-G-Good... m-morn...ing..."
Not long ago, Aris and I had started walking to school together. She was actually the one who suggested it. I had been in the middle of brushing my teeth in the morning when she suddenly showed up, which caught me quite off guard. She must have squeezed out every ounce of her courage, because her cheeks were flushed bright red, making her look incredibly adorable. Frey had undoubtedly egged her on. In fact, the suggestion itself was probably Frey's idea. There was no way the current, emotionally stunted Aris would have ever thought of doing something so bold on her own. Since then, walking to school together had become an unspoken promise. Whoever finished getting ready first would head over and knock on the other's door. This was exactly why I had been rushing; I wanted to be fully prepared before Aris arrived.
"Shall we go, then? I'm in your care again today."
"Y-Yes!"
Her kitten-like movements brought a natural smile to my face. I could see why Yujin fell for her... Wait, is that bastard a lolicon? Uh, is this really okay? Can I actually trust him with Aris? Now I'm getting worried... I knew exactly what kind of person Yujin was, so I knew he was trustworthy. But seeing him in person was vastly different from reading about him in a novel. The more time I spent with Aris, the more my worries grew. To think he'd fall in love with a girl like this as a romantic partner... Aris is practically a baby. She needs to be protected. You shouldn't be looking at her as a woman; you should be protecting her! And besides, doesn't Aris resemble Yujin's younger sister? Is that guy a siscon? Ah, wait, he actually is a siscon. Well, let's look on the bright side. If they truly love each other, I suppose none of that matters. And in the first place, those two are destined to end up together. It wasn't my place to worry. After all, love is a grand and noble emotion. It can even work miracles. So, it would be highly problematic if those two didn't fall in love. The world would literally end. Seriously.
Throughout the entire class, my mind was completely elsewhere. Specifically, on how to dispose of the "corpse" (not actually a corpse) currently sitting inside my bag. If I wasn't careful, I could easily be mistaken for a gruesome dismemberment murderer. If I wanted to avoid such a ridiculous misunderstanding, I had to get rid of them, but no plausible method came to mind. Now that I had cooled my head and thought about it, burying them in the mountain wasn't a great idea either. During my dawn hike, I had spotted some wild animals. There were even wild boars. If I buried them in the ground, wouldn't those beasts catch the scent and dig them up? What if they ate my limbs and developed a taste for human flesh? A man-eating killer boar attacking people... I really don't want to be the cause of some third-rate horror movie plot.
And what if a severe typhoon or heavy rain caused a landslide? What if my buried limbs (or what used to be my limbs) were exposed to the elements? And what if someone found them? It would spark a massive uproar over a dismemberment murder. Surely DNA testing exists in this world too, right? It would be highly problematic if those severed limbs were identified as mine. If they asked me why I cut them off and why I buried them, I'd be completely at a loss for words. Sure, I had an excuse. I did it to train my Super Regeneration! Something like that. But I didn't want to make a scene. I didn't want to reveal that Lucia was a masochist, either. I didn't want to leave even the slightest clue that I might be one.
In Dawn Swordsman, only a select few, including Yujin, ever realized Lucia's true nature. Therefore, I had no desire to let anyone outside of that tiny circle know about my preferences. Even to them, I wouldn't reveal it until the right moment came. Although my early friendship with Aris had already caused the "original story" to drift slightly, my resolve remained unchanged. I would follow the path of the "original story" that led to a happy ending. That had been my sole focus from the very beginning. So, I had to minimize variables as much as possible. Which meant, unfortunately, I couldn't ask Aris for help. A beam! One powerful blast! The firepower of the Academy's top tier! She could vaporize my limbs without leaving a single trace! But I can't ask because of Frey's extreme paranoia! Aris would believe whatever I say, but Frey definitely wouldn't!
There were others with incredible firepower besides Aris and Yujin. The Academy was a gathering place for young superhumans. Abilities that summoned lightning or triggered massive explosions were dime a dozen. Naturally, I couldn't ask them for help either. As I mentioned before, I didn't want to give away any clues regarding Lucia's abnormalities. In the end, I had to solve this on my own. The lack of a proper solution was giving me a headache. Should I just mash them into a pulp and feed them to the wild boars? Completely crushing the bones so they couldn't even be recognized as human limbs. That way, they'd be digested in the boars' stomachs, leaving absolutely nothing behind. Perfect destruction of evidence. Lucia's limbs becoming nothing more than a quick meal for wild beasts.
"..."
Don't swallow your spit. Don't do it. Gulp. I swallowed it. Eu-he, but it was just so hot. I want to be eaten alive... Wait... hold on. Eaten? Digested? ...Actually, that's not bad? What if, instead of wild boars... I feed them to monsters?
The upcoming field training. If a monster devoured my severed limbs then, wouldn't that be a foolproof way to destroy the evidence? It started as a joke, but it was actually a surprisingly viable method. I could keep them in my bag and just throw the whole bag at them. It's not like a monster is going to unzip the bag, check the contents, and then eat them, right? The only problem was that there was still some time left before the field training, and by then, the limbs would probably rot and smell absolutely horrific... Couldn't I just solve that by putting them in the fridge? Is that a bit much, though? Opening the fridge only to find a severed arm and leg staring back at you. Whoa, what is this, a bizarre murder case? Are there any other preservation methods... Well, yes, there is one. It's just a bit crude.