A Lucky Day (2)
The rain began as a light drizzle, tiny droplets pattering down, but soon thickened into heavy sheets. The clear sky had vanished behind a blanket of dark clouds, and the once-brilliant sun no longer shone on us. The weather turned gloomy in an instant, and the downpour from above began soaking everyone out on the streets. As Elisha and I pushed through the rain toward the academy, she spoke up, her voice cutting through the roar.
"Vern…! What about the gate…!! That explosion looked pretty big…!! What if it destroyed the gate?"
"I don't know either. But it'll be fine. Even if the gate's wrecked, the barrier…"
The barrier. The one enveloping this entire academy city, sustained through multiple mediums. In both the original game and this world, it had never once been broken. If it were ever to fall, it would only happen once, in the final chapter. But if it had been broken…
It's fine. Even if the barrier's down, that's the direction that guy headed. So I need to focus on something else. What exactly are the Requiem bastards after?
In truth, I had a pretty good guess. I just lacked confirmation. Ha, I don't know where they dug up that kind of information so early, but it's getting interesting. Looks like they're stepping onto a completely new route. Only a handful of people in the academy even know about it, but deep beneath this place lies a book left behind by the Sage. Yes—the final book written by the very Sage who founded the academy.
At any rate, the Requiem must be targeting that book. It was an item you couldn't obtain directly in the game, but according to players who'd datamined the client, it was described as the book containing every truth in this world. You couldn't view or acquire it in-game, yet it definitely existed as an item.
Ha, for that kind of information to be out already… This is troublesome.
With everyone's attention now fixed on the gate, they were probably trying to sneak into the academy and steal the thing. But they couldn't have taken it yet. No, that was impossible. An item that even dedicated players had only uncovered through datamining couldn't be found so easily. Even if they'd somehow made it underground, they wouldn't have located it.
Still… a book containing every truth in the world? It sounded even more dangerous than the Devil's Grimoire.
"Elisha, let's hurry to the academy—"
"V-Vern!"
I was about to urge her forward when someone's shout cut me off. A voice that loud in this chaotic street—who could it be? I turned around to see someone racing toward us at incredible speed. Even through the pouring rain, her vivid pink hair and deep blue eyes stood out clearly. In one hand she clutched a white paper bag as she ran.
"Elin?"
…
For some reason, the academy was closed today. On a day like this, I wanted to meet Vern and talk with him, but… he hadn't shown himself lately. The rumors said he was following some girl around everywhere. But Vern wasn't that kind of person. I hadn't known him that long, but I could tell. He wasn't the type to chase after women. He might be clumsy at expressing his feelings, but he was incredibly kind. I knew that better than anyone.
So if such rumors were spreading, it was probably because he'd been helping that girl. And if Vern really had shown interest in someone, there was no way he'd abandon a fiancée as beautiful as Elisha. She was the most stunning person I'd ever seen. Skin as white as snow, hair that gleamed like silver, and features so perfect they looked sculpted by the gods themselves. Even another woman couldn't help but stare with her mouth open.
Compared to Elisha, I was… just a girl with ridiculous pink hair that everyone teased me for, a timid personality, and no talent whatsoever.
The rain had stopped a while ago, but my heart still felt overcast. Having such stupid thoughts was making everything feel bleak.
Slap!
I smacked both cheeks hard to snap myself out of it.
"Haa… Thinking like this won't change anything. I'll take a walk and clear my head."
Right. It wasn't like Vern was avoiding me. Taking a stroll to cool off seemed like the best idea. So I'd come outside to buy some snacks when—
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted from the direction of the gate.
Wh-what… what's happening..!
Was it that crazy cult, the Requiem? Had they done this? I'd heard they'd shifted their target from the mainland to the academy, but wasn't this a bit too aggressive?
Sh-should I run back to the dormitory?!
But there were probably lots of people near the gate…! What if someone was hurt…!
What would he do? When I was injured and couldn't even move properly, he'd carried me on his back. He never treated me like a burden. Even though I was a commoner, he'd been kind to me. He'd listened to everything I said in silence. It must have been exhausting to carry me around all day, yet he'd still gone around rescuing people. What would Vern do?
If it was Vern…
Drip. Drip.
While I stood frozen in the middle of the street, unable to decide, something landed on my shoulder. Droplets. Thick drops of water were beginning to fall from the sky. The number of droplets increased, and soon it was raining.
Shaaaa—
The rain poured down endlessly, as if the heavens themselves had been pierced. As I stared up at the darkened sky, a familiar scent passed right beside me. I couldn't describe it exactly, but it was warm and comforting. My sense of smell was sharper than most people's, so I recognized it immediately.
It was Vern.
…
"Vern…!!"
"Elin? What are you doing here?"
"Haa… haa… I smelled you… so I followed. But, Vern, what happened to your face? Are you hurt…?"
Smelled me? What smell was she talking about? Did I smell? I'd definitely showered and slept last night.
"Anyway, Vern!! There was a huge explosion over there…!!"
"I know."
"Then let's go to the gate and help evacuate people!"
"No. We're heading to the academy."
"Elin, we don't have time for this. We need to get to the academy as fast as possible."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Even if the gate was destroyed, as long as the barrier remains, it'll be fine."
"B-but still… With an explosion that big, people might be hurt! We should at least go help…!"
"Even if the Requiem bastards got inside, it'll be okay. Someone reliable went in that direction."
"R-reliable… someone…?"
Yeah. I'd seen Ian heading toward the explosion earlier. So even if the Requiem had broken through, he'd take care of it. The protagonist was strong, after all. We'd leave that side to the protagonist and focus on what we could do.
…
An explosion, huh. Did it have something to do with that woman I saw last time? The one from the Requiem. A terrorist cult. That direction… it was toward the gate. Something about it felt unpleasant. I knew they were a terrorist group, but weren't they being way too obvious with the bait? Anyone could tell the explosion was meant to draw attention.
Drip. Drip.
Raindrops began falling on my head one by one.
"Rain… is it."
Let's not worry about it. This academy city had quite a few skilled people stationed here. They'd handle an explosion on their own. By now the academy had probably already sent people over. Hmm, the academy sending people… That feels a bit off somehow. Maybe I should just head back to the dormitory. This place was called the greatest academy in the world. Its security must be insanely tight.
Sigh. Why am I even worrying about anyone? Lately one person had caught my interest, but I was still sick of this place. Well, I'd ended up making a Soul Oath by accident, joined a club, and it wasn't bad talking with people after so long, but annoyance was still annoyance. Everything felt tedious and boring.
Still, that black-haired guy was interesting. Maybe I'd hold off on killing everyone. Even though he was half-demon, he treated me like a person despite knowing I was a blood-sucking monster. That bothered me a little. Watching him a bit longer wouldn't be so bad. After all, the oath meant I couldn't die anyway.
Ha, why did I accept the oath written that way back then? Even now it makes me regret it a little.
While I was lost in thoughts about the past, a familiar face appeared before me. A guy with black hair and black eyes. The same guy who'd been bothering me constantly lately was now standing in front of me.
…
"It's Luna, right?"
What day was this? It wasn't often everyone ran into each other like this.
"What are you guys doing?"
"We're heading to the academy right now."
"No, I mean, why's there another girl with you? Weren't you two on a date?"
"Vern? You were on a date with Elisha…?"
"Wh-what are you talking about, Elin…!! And you, black-hair! What are you saying? We just bought some clothes together and… ate a meal… that's all…"
"That's what a date is. If that's not a date, what is?"
"S-so… that's why Vern's been avoiding me lately…"
"That's not the issue here. We need to get to the academy immediately. The Requiem is targeting the academy right now. They're robbing the place while it's empty."
"Vern, didn't you break off your engagement with Elisha…? Is that why you've been avoiding me?"
"Wow, he's a total player. Tsk tsk. Trying to juggle all these girls. Poor pink-haired girl."
"Hey, black-hair! What are you saying! And Elin, this is a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding. It's true that Vern and I broke our engagement. This is just…"
"We don't have time for this. We need to go—"
Hey. Elin, why are you looking at me with those eyes? And Silia, what's with you too! This is putting me in a tough spot. Hey? Guys, I'm telling you we're getting burgled while the house is empty right now!