The Engagement Is Broken

I smoothed down my disheveled hair, changed into fresh clothes, and stepped outside. It was early dawn. Because it was spring, the sun had yet to fully rise, leaving the sky a deep shade of blue. The morning breeze felt refreshingly cool—perfect weather for a workout.

“Alright, let’s start with some warm-ups and then go for a run.”

…

Besides Vern Flame, there was another person practicing magic in the park at this hour: the silver-haired beauty Elisha Isis. As the youngest daughter of the Isis family, she came to the park every single day to train.

Her father, Cain Isis, had distinguished himself greatly during a massive war in the past by wielding ice magic with devastating effect. For his contributions, he received generous rewards and a high position. He had believed he would live out his days happily with his wife Carla and their children. But not long after their third child was born, Carla succumbed to the Curse of Wasting.

Just before she passed, Carla gave the newborn baby the name Elisha. As she gently stroked the infant’s lovely face, she left behind her final words.

With those words, Elisha’s mother left the world.

True to her final wish, Cain raised Elisha—who so closely resembled Carla—with utmost devotion. Her older siblings also poured their love into their youngest sister so she would never feel the sorrow of growing up without a mother. Though she had lost her mother, Elisha grew up beautifully surrounded by the affection of her father and siblings. To repay their love, she had trained in magic and studied relentlessly from a young age, eventually earning admission to the finest academy in the land.

Even after entering the academy, she never neglected her training and maintained strict self-discipline. Elisha possessed outstanding talent, impeccable self-management, and a kind personality, which made her relationships with her peers nearly perfect. Inheriting her father’s aptitude for ice magic, she excelled in frost-based spells and secured the top spot in her second-year class.

As the most popular girl in the entire second year, she seemed as pure as untouched white paper. But even she had a single scratch on her otherwise flawless record.

That scratch was Vern Flame—her fiancé.

There was nothing she lacked, yet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perhaps the Curse of Wasting that had afflicted her mother had passed on to her as well. Born with a frail body like Carla’s, she had barely survived death many times during her childhood. The family’s power began to waver under the strain of supporting her. If they could not recover their strength, it would only be a matter of time before they were devoured by their rivals.

With no other choice, when Elisha turned six and had recovered enough to live normally, Cain arranged a fiancé for her. It was, quite literally, a political marriage meant to restore the family’s influence.

Having grown up wise beyond her years, Elisha understood the situation completely. And the person she met through that arrangement was Vern Flame.

He had not always been a scoundrel. When they first met, he was shy and shorter than her. He listened well and treated her like an older sister, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so the two of them had grown up almost like siblings.

That changed when he turned ten—the year his mother died from the same Curse of Wasting that had taken hers.

A curse. Quite literally a disaster and misfortune given human form. At the time, no one knew why people were afflicted by them or whether there was any way to lift them. Even now, much about curses remains unknown.

After his mother’s death, Vern began to change little by little. He shut himself in his room for months and refused to come out. When he finally emerged, he was a completely different person. The gentle, smiling face had vanished, replaced by an expressionless, shadowed countenance.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Vern Flame’s personality did a complete one-eighty after losing his parents. The boy who had never once raised his voice at the servants began beating them simply for making eye contact. He once hurled flames at a cook, claiming the man’s tongue was defective because the food tasted bad.

He gradually transformed into someone else entirely, until he was left completely alone. The boy who had been warmer than anyone toward his own family had become a notorious scoundrel to both his relatives and the servants. Eight years had already passed since that transformation began.

At first, Elisha had tried to comfort him and bring back the old Vern. But all she received in return were harsh words and contempt. Knowing the pain of losing a parent, she kept trying. Yet no matter how hard one tries, people eventually grow exhausted when nothing changes.

Eventually even she turned away, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Vern Flame was left utterly alone. Although they attended the same academy, they had not shared a proper conversation in over a year. If they happened to cross paths, they would exchange only the barest formal greetings before parting. She would occasionally hear news of his latest scandal and let out a small sigh. That was all.

He wasn’t like this in the beginning…

Elisha sometimes found herself thinking that if only she could turn back time, she would comfort him. She wanted to hold him, to ease his pain and sorrow. Those thoughts would cross her mind.

But it was already far too late. Their relationship had drifted beyond the point of no return.

It had been a political engagement, a union forced by circumstance, yet she had once believed it could end well. Now even that hope belonged to the distant past. Elisha was exhausted to her very core, and any happy ending with him had become an impossible dream.

So she no longer thought about changing him. Her family mattered far more to her than that.

It was while she was lost in those thoughts that she encountered him.

“Vern?”

…

While circulating mana and running, I ran into Elisha.

I knew she practiced magic early in the morning, but I didn’t expect to actually bump into her like this.

Elisha Isis, Vern Flame’s fiancée. A second-year top student who specialized in ice magic. Her silver hair shimmered like snow falling from the sky, and her eyes sparkled as brightly as the clear blue heavens. Her delicate, refined features were beautiful enough to slap the faces of most celebrities multiple times over.

Although this was my first time seeing her in person, she somehow felt strangely familiar, as if I had known her for a long time. As I stared at her, she spoke first.

“Vern? What are you looking at?”

Oh crap.

I had only ever seen her in illustrations before. Seeing her in real life, she was so stunning that I had unconsciously frozen and stared. Had I been staring too obviously?

“Well, it’s just that…”

Before I could finish, she cut me off.

“Never mind. By the way, I heard you got suspended again for beating up a student. Isn’t it about time you came to your senses?”

“You’re tarnishing the family name with your behavior,” she added.

Yes, from her perspective, Vern probably looked like a reckless fool dragging the family through the mud. But there were reasons behind it all.

If I told her, “I’m doing this to escape the family,” she would clearly think I had lost my mind—especially considering everything Vern had done up until now. And for her own sake, it was better that she didn’t know.

If I told Elisha, she would only end up in danger alongside me.

Here, I had no choice but to respond coldly, just as Vern would.

I kept my usual blunt, expressionless face and spoke to her.

“Come to my senses? Worry about your own behavior first. A parasite clinging to my family because yours has no power—know your place.”

At my words, Elisha looked visibly shaken. I continued while watching her reaction.

“Know your place.”

Ah, that came out harsher than I intended.

I hadn’t meant to speak that strongly. As that thought crossed my mind, I noticed Elisha’s face had turned a deep shade of red.

“What did you just say? Vern, you…!!!”

She was furious. Her normally pale skin had flushed bright red like a tomato. It looked like she might explode at any moment.

To be fair, I would be angry too. After barely speaking to each other since entering the academy, hearing something this vicious would make anyone furious.

Well, that was that. First, I needed to get out of here.

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be on my way.”

I felt a twinge of guilt toward her. I hadn’t meant to be so harsh, but it seemed Vern’s original personality was leaking out bit by bit. Maybe that was why my speech patterns were becoming increasingly strange.

“Oh, and one more thing. We’re finished. The engagement is broken. Take care.”

Even if I was leaving, I had to say what needed to be said. Announcing a broken engagement the moment we met might seem absurd, but there was no helping it. Continuing to be tied to me—no, to the Flame family—would only bring her harm.

That was probably why the original Vern had chosen to walk the path of solitude, so that no one else would get hurt. Because he loved his fiancée more than anyone.

“What are you talking about…? Vern!! You…! The first thing you say when we meet is…!! How could you… how could you……”

“…Why are you reacting like that? Wasn’t this what you wanted? After all, this relationship was never one we chose for ourselves, was it?”

“……”

Elisha fell silent. Whether from shock at the sudden declaration or from rage, she said nothing. So I drove the nail in deeper.

“I’m erasing your one and only flaw, yet you have so much to say. We are far too different, and we’ve already drifted too far apart. Besides, Elisha, wasn’t this engagement originally for the sake of your family? How truly insignificant.”

“…B-but! Still… I… I……”

“The decision to break the engagement will not change. It’s over. You’re free now. In any case, from now on, do not even think about approaching my family.”

With every sentence that left my mouth, the rims of her eyes grew redder. I knew. I knew very well. That every word I spoke was hurting her.

But this was something that had to be done. I knew better than anyone how hard she had tried for Vern’s sake. That was exactly why—for Vern’s sake, and for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hers—I had to cut her off. Even if it left a scar on her heart that could never be erased.

With that, I pulled the ring from Vern’s finger—the one that had been placed there with such care—and hurled it to the ground.

“……”

I glanced down at the ring lying on the ground for a moment before continuing.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Who could have known that such a short phrase would feel this bitter? Still, I had no regrets. The water had already been spilled, and spilled water could not be gathered again.

I looked at Elisha while tasting the sharp, unpleasant bitterness on the tip of my tongue.

“……”

Once again, Elisha said nothing. She simply stared down at the ring that had been thrown to the ground with a lonely expression.

“……”

The sight was so pitiful that I immediately turned and left. If I stayed any longer and met her eyes… I wasn’t sure I could hold on.

Elisha had been one of my favorite characters, even if not my absolute top. She was the only character who, even after Vern died as the mid-boss, continued to honor him alone until the very end of the game without ever opening her heart to anyone else.

Even the player was no exception. No matter how much she suffered or how miserable she became for the sake of her dead fiancé, she would always prepare flowers for his grave on his memorial day. Even when others cursed the villain and insulted the deceased Vern, she alone would silently tend to his grave.

When no one else remembered him or paid their respects, only she continued to remember. Even after her fiancé’s death, she remained by his side until the end. Wasn’t that cool? There was no reason not to like her.

Maybe that was why, even though I was the one who had spoken those cruel words to her, I felt a stinging pain somewhere deep in my chest.

Still… there was nothing I could do about it. This was all because I was weak. I could barely control my own body. How could I possibly protect Elisha as well?

So even if it meant breaking the engagement with harsh words, even if it meant leaving her with an unhealable wound, I could not stay by her side.

“……”

Still, the bitter aftertaste was unavoidable. It’s because you’re too kind, Elisha. You’re so kind that you meddle too much when you shouldn’t… That’s why I had no choice.

“……”

Hey, if you keep acting like that, you’ll end up in danger. If you stay near me, the sparks will fly toward you too, you know? Everything I’m doing is for your sake. So… I hope you don’t get hurt too badly.

“……”

With that uneasy feeling lingering behind me, I left the park.

…

What a sour start to the morning. I hope she wasn’t hurt too much… No, there’s no way she wasn’t. She must have been devastated. I’m sorry, Elisha! I’ll explain everything when the time is right!

“Still… she really was incredibly beautiful.”

To think that Vern became the mid-boss despite having such a beautiful fiancée… Just what kind of life had this guy lived all by himself? How lonely.

Working out any more today seemed impossible. If I kept running and ran into Elisha again, it would be too much to handle. The training rooms only opened after classes ended, so that was out. That left me with too much free time…

I guess I should head back to the dormitory and practice circulating the mana inside my body.

After finishing my workout, I returned to the dormitory, took a quick shower, and changed clothes.

“Haa… Circulating mana while running drains my stamina so quickly.”

This pathetic, garbage-tier stamina. The thought that this frail body would one day become such a vicious boss sent a shiver down my spine.

“For now, I need to master basic mana circulation.”

Mana circulation. The act of drawing refined mana from the Mana Core within the body, spreading it throughout every limb, and cycling it. It was a fundamental skill that improved one’s ability to control mana and slightly strengthened the body.

I had tried circulating mana while running earlier, and it was no joke. It felt like my stamina was being consumed twice as fast. Part of it might be my own lack of skill, but this body was simply too weak to begin with. Its stamina was low, and the Mana Core—which determined how much mana could be refined and stored—was also small.

The capacity of a Mana Core does grow slightly over time as mana is depleted and replenished repeatedly. However, that method is extremely inefficient. My plan was to obtain a hidden piece that would increase the core’s capacity.

The academy located on this island, commonly known as Oasis Academy, was home to countless dungeons. Just the nearby mountains and forests alone contained more than five dungeons.

I intended to head to one of them.

“Time to gather my supplies, then.”

It was time to conquer a dungeon.