A Simple Favor
As I had mentioned before, Aspilia was originally basically indifferent to others.
Because of that, she was rather weak to the emotion of curiosity.
She had never experienced the feeling of curiosity toward others, so the moment that emotion arose, she could not control herself.
From my perspective, Aspilia currently held curiosity toward me.
Understanding that fact alone with my head was impossible, but looking at the current situation, I had no choice but to think that way.
Anyway, I felt a slight pang of guilt using such a protagonist's personality, but I only convinced myself that everything was for clearing the game.
"...There's one thing I'd like you to help me with, and if you do, I'll tell you."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"... "
Aspilia accepted my proposal without the slightest hesitation, and for a moment I was left speechless.
'She's really the perfect type to get scammed anywhere.'
Of course, that personality was a benefit for me, but it was still a bit too much.
'Well, I can just help her from the side.'
Moreover, openly trying to scam the eldest daughter of a ducal family like that would not be common in the world anyway.
"Do you have time after the entrance ceremony ends today?"
"Date request, sorry."
"It's not like that, you don't need to worry about that."
"......That's that, it makes me feel bad."
Well, what am I supposed to do.
She spoke so flatly even though she wasn't offended at all.
I looked at Aspilia with incredulous eyes, then continued to stare at her expressionless face and let out a small sigh inside.
If I get angry, it's only me who loses.
"Anyway, what do you say?"
"......As long as you tell me the secret, it's fine."
Honestly, if it were just me, I might have been in a tight spot, and I would have had to spend some money, but with Aspilia helping, the situation changed.
I nodded with a satisfied smile at Aspilia's cheerful answer.
This should be enough.
With me knowing all the information about the future and strategy, and Aspilia's genius talent combined, there was nothing to fear.
Aspilia, who had been staring at me, tilted her head after seeing my satisfied smile, then finally turned her gaze to the stage.
I also turned my gaze to the entrance ceremony continuing on stage and began calculating inside.
Perhaps because I was too deeply immersed in thought, I didn't notice.
That Aspilia next to me was still paying attention to me.
And at the same time.
That many more people than I expected were looking at my conversation with Aspilia with dissatisfaction.
"Ugh......"
I stretched my stiff body to loosen it up, then let out a long breath.
The long and boring entrance ceremony had ended.
In truth, the reason I participated in the entrance ceremony was only to take part in the first event, so the time after that was unbearably boring.
Although I didn't stand out in the first event, there was still some harvest, so it was fortunate.
Thud, thud.
Thud, thud.
I glanced at Aspilia walking behind me and began to move my feet in silence.
Even with that emotionless expression, Aspilia was the eldest daughter of the ducal family.
And at the same time, her entrance exam ranking was second place, and.
Of course, she was a presence that drew everyone's attention.
No, rather, because she always had that emotionless expression, she might be attracting even more gazes from others.
Well... just walking together like this made me a little uncomfortable because people's attention was drawn, but I had to endure it to get her help.
'Thanks to this, my money is solid too.'
In truth, I thought spending money would have been fine, but spending it would have definitely cost a lot.
As someone who didn't care about means or methods to get involved with protagonists, money was also an important factor.
Since there were so many things I could do with saved money, enduring a bit of attention like this was more than enough.
"So, where are we going?"
"......To a place no one knows?"
In truth, it was vague to say where we were going.
After all, even if I said so, we would just move within the academy.
By the way, asking that now.
"But, aren't you being a bit too trusting?"
"......What?"
With a complete lack of suspicion, when I asked while worrying, Aspilia tilted her head as if she didn't understand and replied.
"You don't even know the purpose, yet you're following me without suspicion."
"Could it be dangerous?"
"......Probably not dangerous."
With me and Aspilia around, there probably wouldn't be any dangerous things.
Of course, I couldn't completely relax my heart.
"Then what could be the problem......?"
"So, how am I supposed to believe your words...... This is what I'm saying."
Looking at Aspilia blinking slowly, I felt embarrassed for worrying unnecessarily.
As I thought, even if I gave my all, I couldn't beat Aspilia.
Of course, I had no intention of challenging her.
Look now.
That enormous and beautiful double-edged axe strapped to her slender body.
If it just brushed against it, it wouldn't be a normal cut, but an arm or leg would be torn off.
Or if it only tore off one arm or leg, that would be fortunate.
Even if she had her own weapon that suited her,.
And even if it was stronger when she used a gauntlet,.
The territory Aspilia had trained with double-edged axes since childhood was beyond imagination.
'......At this point alone, a gauntlet without skill would be lower than a double-edged axe.'
"Somehow annoyed, but I understand."
"......What?"
"Nothing."
Aspilia's appearance of not thinking I would put her in danger made my pride sting a little, but there was nothing I could do about it.
The difference in level between me and Aspilia was like heaven and earth, so I needed Aspilia's strength.
I took Aspilia toward the fountain in the academy plaza.
From the viewpoint of someone who had to operate special devices, the fountain in a crowded plaza could draw attention, but I didn't care about the gazes around me at all.
After all, the moment I activated it, no one would see us.
Even now, as we got close to the fountain, the people walking by seemed to not realize that we weren't originally there.
'Thanks to the recognition blocking magic.'
Those who approached the plaza fountain and satisfied the specific conditions could activate the recognition blocking magic.
I arrived at the plaza fountain with Aspilia and moved to a corner of the fountain with my familiar steps.
In the game, you could head inside the dungeon by approaching the fountain and interacting if certain conditions were met, but in reality, it wasn't like that.
Fortunately, because I had experienced going astray horribly in the first playthrough, this time I could find the entrance to the dungeon without getting lost.
I started stepping on the protruding bricks under the bench outside the fountain in order.
'Left, down, up, right.'
As I pressed the bricks in sequence like pressing buttons, magic began to burst from the center of the fountain.
Even Aspilia, who was watching me open the dungeon with astonishment, was surprised enough to make me smile as I pointed to the center of the fountain slowly splitting open.
"Here."
This was the dungeon where the weapon I was looking for was located.
@
Aspilia looked at the boy sitting beside her with a strange gaze.
He nodded with a satisfied face, then smiled on his face while looking at the dungeon that had appeared in front of him.
'......That, kid.'
In truth, Aspilia had lied to him.
From the very beginning of the entrance ceremony, she had been looking for him.
She was aware that this world had once been destroyed and time had returned.
Because of that, Aspilia had been showing interest in him since before the entrance ceremony event started.
However, no matter how much Aspilia was, she knew that approaching him with nothing would make him think she was strange, so she had only quietly waited for the right moment.
As someone who was approaching people for the first time, she couldn't help but be cautious about approaching him.
'......Amazing.'
Aspilia, who had seen him up close, couldn't hide her astonishment.
The aura he emitted was extremely weak, yet he had been the first to notice the event.
Also, how that weak boy at the entrance ceremony had become so strong was unfathomable.
Look now.
Despite there being so many people passing by here, he had opened the door naturally as if he already knew this mysterious place that no one had known.
So, I created a reason to forcibly stay with him.
I approached him while bringing up a reason I couldn't even understand myself, but he only understood and moved on.
That was also strange.
Since Aspilia had been that kind of personality since childhood, she was indifferent to others and at the same time others were indifferent to her.
To put it precisely, the expression that people who approached her only because of her beautiful appearance grew tired of her personality and left quickly was accurate.
She was so blunt and indifferent to others, and she didn't try to hide it, so people who approached her couldn't possibly not notice.
But the boy in front of her was different.
At first, he might have been a little surprised to learn that Aspilia was from the ducal family, but after that, he continued the conversation in an extremely comfortable manner.
Aspilia knew well that that was not to win his favor.
'In my past life, I didn't even try to approach him.'
Because there was no connection in my past life.
If there had been opportunistic people overflowing around her, she wouldn't have approached him in the past life.
'......Still amazing.'
Amazing.
It was the first time she felt such emotions while meeting someone, but somehow feeling comfortable, Aspilia unconsciously smiled a little.
"......Let's go."
The door completely opened, and the boy turned to look at Aspilia and said.
Aspilia nodded slightly at his words and began to walk behind him.