Aspilia dil ven Orgonia
I stared at her, unable to hide my bewilderment.
Why is she here?
Silver-white hair that seemed to glow with its own light, skin of the exact same pale shade, and eyes that shone a vivid blue. Her cold expression, utterly devoid of emotion, reminded me of ice itself.
Even so.
Despite that frigid face and emotionless demeanor, her beauty remained undiminished.
As if to prove she truly was one of this world's protagonists, her otherworldly looks seemed to radiate light even in the shadows.
But that wasn't why I was shocked.
Her name was Aspilia dil ven Orgonia, one of the main heroines of the game.
Among the so-called Golden Generation, she was considered to possess the most perfect talent of all those geniuses.
And yet...
'A stubborn romantic with the bullheadedness of an ox...'
She was also a vanguard who became practically invincible the moment she picked up a proper weapon.
'Yep, that's Dil Ban for you.'
But in the last timeline, she had stubbornly clung to a weapon that never suited her until the very end.
"...Hello."
When I simply stood there gaping at her sudden appearance, she looked at me with a slightly sullen face, as if offended that her greeting had been ignored.
Noticing this, I quickly returned the greeting. Only then did she give a small nod, seeming satisfied.
Of course, her actual expression didn't change in the slightest. I could only tell from the subtle shift in her overall aura.
Even though I'd suddenly made contact with one of the heroines, I couldn't simply feel happy about it.
'...What the hell is going on now?'
Instead, my head just started to throb.
It made sense. No matter what chaos the player caused, there was simply no way to get entangled with this stubborn ox of a woman at this particular moment.
It hadn't even been that long since the first timeline began, yet I already felt dizzy from the future changing twice. I looked at Aspilia.
"Who are you? Do you know me?"
I decided it was best to pretend I didn't know her.
Besides, to figure out why she had suddenly taken an interest in me and why the future had gone off track, I needed to act according to the original story.
"I am Aspilia, eldest daughter of Orgonia."
Orgonia.
A prestigious swordsmanship family renowned for its exceptional vision sword arts across generations. One of the empire's mere three ducal houses, it held immense political influence despite being a martial lineage.
Since their ancestor had been a member of the imperial family, they possessed the perfect justification of never rebelling against the throne. A flawless house in every sense.
Aspilia, the eldest daughter of that very Orgonia, had been born with talent so perfect for the sword that it was almost unfair. But because of a certain wrong book she read as a child...
'The crazy bitch who thinks double-edged axes are the pinnacle of romance...'
Just meeting her—one of the most difficult and stubborn heroines—already made my head ache.
"Orgonia, you say...?"
I narrowed my eyes and began examining her.
She didn't seem to mind my reaction at all, simply giving a small, cool nod with that same icy expression.
It was only natural for her to receive such gazes, and in a way, she seemed completely uninterested in others. I let out a small sigh of relief inside.
'...At least her personality hasn't changed.'
If something different happened every time the timeline reset, that would be a problem.
But judging from Aspilia's current state, that didn't seem to be the case. I widened my eyes at her confirmation and let out a small hum.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Aspilia."
"Speak comfortably. This is the Academy, after all."
Aspilia spoke to me in a flat tone, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I pondered her words for a moment before nodding and letting out a small breath.
"If that's more comfortable for you, then I will."
I answered while still maintaining a cautious attitude, but without lowering myself too much.
What came next was the most important part. From what I could see, Aspilia had clearly taken an interest in me. Not a romantic one, but a human one.
Even that was an enormous deal.
Aspilia was the type of person who could be said to have zero interest in others. That was precisely why I needed to figure out exactly which part of me had caught her attention.
In response to my question, Aspilia tilted her head slightly before staring straight into my eyes.
"Earlier. During the test. You reacted first, didn't you?"
"...Ah."
Aspilia had definitely been sitting in the very front row.
Since all the heroines originally sat in the front, she must have been there too... or so I had thought.
But she noticed my movement?
I had started moving the instant the faint wave of mana spread out, all to catch Elcia's attention.
Being able to sense such a tiny amount of mana was impressive in its own right, but it wasn't exactly special. It was simply unusual.
Any of the heroines could have done it easily.
The difference between them and me was that I had realized it was a test, while they had simply thought it was part of the entrance ceremony.
But even that was only possible because I already knew this test existed in the original story.
Of course...
'It would look different to everyone else.'
Still, what was even more surprising was that Aspilia had noticed me doing all that.
That fact astonished me more than the fact that I, someone who had possessed the game, had done it.
"Y-yeah? Well, I didn't actually manage to do anything, though."
"How did you do it?"
Aspilia asked without seeming to care that I hadn't actually accomplished anything.
Looking closely, I could see her blue eyes sparkling brightly.
"...That's a bit difficult to explain."
It wasn't difficult at all. But there was no need to show my hand so easily.
If Aspilia had taken even a small interest in me because of this, I needed to use it to keep her attention tied to me.
"......"
Disappointment flickered in Aspilia's blue eyes. Seeing the sparkle fade into disappointment, I could only offer an awkward smile.
No matter how much it was for clearing the game, seeing her look so downcast made a pang of pity rise within me.
But that was only because of her appearance.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked at her with a firm expression.
'I can't let myself be swayed.'
If I fell for her beautiful, emotionless face, I'd never be able to break this girl's ridiculous romantic delusions even if I died and came back to life.
When Aspilia used a sword—especially a greatsword—her firepower was incredible. But when she used the double-edged axe she considered romantic, she could only utilize about two-thirds of her talent.
Even with just two-thirds, she was strong enough to be called a genius of the highest caliber. Still, it wasn't nearly as impressive as when she used a greatsword.
'No, more importantly, where the hell did the nonsense that double-edged axes are romantic even come from?'
Double-edged axes being romantic? I'd never heard that in my life.
Maybe Aspilia was actually from a tribe of savage warriors or barbarians?
Anyway, according to my expectations, she should have backed off after this much.
I had caught her interest for just a brief moment, but that didn't mean she would cling to me.
However.
'If these small moments of interest keep piling up, the day will come when Aspilia becomes curious about me as a person.'
I had decided to step forward and get entangled with the heroines. Inevitably, that meant I would catch Aspilia's eye, and if situations like this continued, she would eventually take interest in me again.
Her curiosity would build and build until she could no longer hold back. This was the standard, textbook way to approach Aspilia in the game.
She was the classic cat-like heroine—approach her and she pulls away, pull away and she approaches.
'There's no need to rush.'
Contrary to my earlier thought that I had completely botched the first event, I had actually gained the interest of one of the important heroines.
And of all people, it was Aspilia.
Thinking that, I was about to bid farewell to the departing Aspilia when her next words made me freeze.
"How... can I get you to tell me...?"
"...Huh?"
"What do I have to do... to learn your secret...?"
Contrary to my expectation that she would back off, Aspilia didn't retreat. Instead, she tilted her head and asked with innocent curiosity.
The moment I saw curiosity appear on her usually emotionless face, I forgot I was standing right in front of her and clutched my head.
'...Fuck. Just what the hell is going on?'
I thought I'd simply put the first button in the wrong hole, but it felt like I'd put on an entirely different shirt.
The feeling that this was no longer the game I knew was slowly starting to give me a headache.
I raised both hands and rubbed my face once before looking back at Aspilia, who was still staring at me. She tilted her head at my behavior, observing me carefully.
Even so, her face remained completely expressionless. This was definitely the Aspilia I knew. I let out a deep sigh at the sight of her and nodded.
'Let's just think that good is good...'
I had no idea where or how things had gotten twisted, but this was an opportunity.
.........I decided to just think of it that way.