Misunderstanding
It was a typical dawn. The only difference was the rain falling outside the open window—pitter-patter, pitter-patter. The sky hung heavy and gray, thick with clouds. This was no gentle spring shower; the rain poured down in relentless sheets. No birds sang. Only the steady rhythm of rain filled the quiet air.
Before possessing this body, I never paid much attention to rain. But after becoming Vern Flame, I found rainy days unwelcome. Maybe it was because this body wielded fire—wet days left me feeling drained, like all my energy had been leached away. If today had been a weekend, I would have stayed slumped in this chair and rested. But it was Tuesday. A weekday. Soon enough, I'd have to prepare for class.
I sat by the window, sipping cool water, when I noticed Shady pacing restlessly through the living room. Maybe the dorm felt strange to her, or perhaps her situation weighed too heavily on her mind. Whatever the reason, she kept circling the space, her movements setting my nerves on edge.
"Stop fidgeting. You're driving me crazy."
"Ah... right. Sorry."
"Shady, I'll say it once more. When Elisha wakes up, you will apologize properly."
"...Understood."
She couldn't seem to settle after nearly being killed yesterday by Naidus—the purple-haired demon who served as the strategist for her team. The memory kept her pacing like a caged animal.
Still, I can understand why.
She had joined Requiem seeking revenge, enduring every dirty job they threw at her. When the organization finally promised to help her cause, she came to the academy. Personal feelings surely played a part, but to ensure the mission's success, she'd absorbed too many shadows. The power overwhelmed her, triggering a rampage. And as if that wasn't enough, she ended up defeated by me—left completely incapacitated.
She failed her mission and fell to a mere student. To Requiem, she no longer held any value. The consequence of her actions had nearly gotten her executed. The moment when her own team leader decided she was expendable and came to kill her... well, it was brutal. I'd barely managed to block that dagger, taking the injury myself to keep her alive.
But the fact that she'd been abandoned by Requiem remained unchanged. She must have understood it on some level. The attack hadn't killed her, but the message had been crystal clear: from the beginning, she was nothing more than a disposable piece on their board. Her revenge had never mattered to them. Retrieve the item from the academy and all would be well. Fail, and they would silence her permanently. A truly cruel existence.
Her actions had been undeniably wrong. Yet if she had never walked that dark path—if her family hadn't been slaughtered during the war—wouldn't she be living happily with them right now?
But none of these thoughts could change what had already happened. The die was cast. She had chosen her path, and now she alone must bear responsibility for it. That didn't mean she deserved death, though. Death was final. No atonement, no reflection—just an end. She couldn't be allowed to die. She had to live. Somehow, she had to survive and make amends. Live, and correct her mistakes so she wouldn't repeat them.
Anyway, Act 1 was complete. I might have stolen the protagonist's chance to grow stronger through that event, but the protagonist remains the protagonist for a reason. Even without my interference, he would find a way to become strong. In the end, the protagonist always wins. If necessary, I could drop him hints about the hidden pieces. Building a relationship with him would come first, of course.
It was five in the morning. Most people would still be asleep. We were the strange ones for being awake. The incident had only wrapped up after midnight, and we'd barely made it back to the dorm. Once inside, I'd used the emergency medical supplies to treat the wounds on my face and hands. That had been around one o'clock. After that, I borrowed the power of the Soul Oath to have Shady wash Elisha. Using wet towels, we cleaned away the blood and grime, then dressed her in spare clothes from the room. The outfit she'd been wearing was ruined beyond repair.
Shady, however, seemed deeply shaken by her abandonment by Requiem. She kept zoning out, unable to focus. By the time we finally laid Elisha in bed, it was already past three. Being cast aside by Requiem also meant her revenge could never be fulfilled... In any case, that was how we'd spent the night.
After helping Elisha, Shady remained in that dazed state. It was hard to believe this was the same boss I remembered from the game. ...Well, I suppose I have to understand. Even if we call her Shady, she's only just turned nineteen—a kid, really. For now, it was best to leave her alone.
I couldn't sleep, so I'd been resting in the chair when a voice drifted from the room where Elisha lay.
"Mmm... Where... am I...?"
Elisha was awake.
...
"Here. Some warm water."
"Thank you, Vern... I'll drink it slowly."
First, I needed to cool my head and organize my thoughts.
"So... everything that happened yesterday was real. This woman belongs to Requiem. She attacked me after losing control from the side effects of black magic?"
"Correct."
"Eek... I-I'm sorry."
When I fixed the demon woman with a hard stare, she immediately offered a sincere apology. She even looked deeply intimidated. Just what had happened while I was unconscious? Was this really the same person from yesterday?
But we weren't finished yet.
"And this woman was nearly killed by her own comrade. You saved her, Vern? That's why your hand looks like that?"
"More or less."
"Haaa..."
I couldn't make sense of the situation at all. No matter what, I couldn't trust this woman.
"Vern, no matter how you look at it, this demon woman tried to kill us. I can't trust her. We should hand her over to the academy immediately."
I expected him to agree. Instead, his response caught me completely off guard.
"I'm sorry, but that's impossible."
"Wh-what? Vern? What are you saying?"
"..."
I stammered, thrown into confusion. What the hell was he talking about? This was the woman who tried to kill us! Not to mention she belonged to Requiem—the very group that attacked the academy! I wanted to shout all of that, but his expression stopped me. His usual stoic face had begun showing subtle emotions lately. Others might still see it as blank, but I could tell the difference. It might just be my imagination, of course. Still, it made me want to ask even more urgently—what exactly was he hiding from me?
"Haa... Vern, I have one question."
"Go ahead."
"What exactly are you hiding from me?"
...What was I hiding? Too much. So much that I didn't even know where to begin. That might be exactly why it was so difficult to tell her.
Elisha was a good person. Kind, beautiful, excellent in her studies, and talented in magic. She had a genuinely good heart and got along well with everyone. She was simply... good. That was probably why she'd been hesitant to get involved with me—or rather, with our family. I wasn't sure about my siblings, but Jeron Flame was undeniably dangerous.
She claimed she didn't know much about him, but I had a fairly good idea of what Jeron was plotting. I just lacked solid confirmation. After hearing Naidus speak yesterday, however, the pieces had started falling into place.
Which was exactly why I shouldn't get her involved. And yet... I was torn.
What I was hiding. Why I kept avoiding her. If I didn't tell her now, our relationship might be completely destroyed. I didn't want her in danger. Yesterday's events had made that painfully clear. I never wanted to see her hurt again.
But the story had already begun to change, and she had been exposed to Requiem. Perhaps staying silent would cause more harm to both her and me?
Having reached my decision, I finally opened my mouth.
"Yes. I'll tell you everything. Shady, step outside for a moment."
"...Understood."
With that, Shady quietly closed the door and left the room. The realization that her revenge could never be fulfilled seemed to have drained her resistance. She must have suspected as much already. She simply hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. If even her revenge was taken from her, what reason would she have left to live?
She had probably known on some level, but this incident must have made it undeniable. Her revenge could never be achieved. That was why, in the original story, she became so broken after the assassination event. The rage and hatred that followed—born from losing her purpose—would naturally turn toward Requiem. After all, they had deceived and used her. It was only natural.
From what I've experienced in life, sometimes the truth is more toxic than any lie. That's why people deceive themselves to escape reality. The methods differ, but everyone wants to flee from painful truths.
Shady's way of running away had been to join Requiem and deny reality itself. This was something I couldn't help her with, no matter how much I wanted to. She had to overcome it on her own.
For now, I needed to focus on Elisha.
When I turned back to her, she spoke first.
"Huh? You're really going to...? Ah, no—wait, wait, don't say anything yet...!! J-just hold on...!"
I ignored her frantic pleas and continued.
"Elisha, I was avoiding you because of my family."
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
"..."
"W-wait. Vern, Vern...!! Please, just wait...!"
"You probably sensed it already from what happened yesterday. That our family—no, that the head of our family—is connected to Requiem."