The Extra's Academy Survival Guide Chapter 112: Excuse Me, Miss Yennekar (4)
No matter how unexpected the situation was, you could never panic.
You had to calmly assess the situation and take the most appropriate action.
Whether it was while living in the wild, in the middle of a fight, or dealing with events related to the storyline, that was a principle that I could never forget.
After living that way for over a year, I was never taken aback—regardless of the situation—and I could skillfully deal with the majority of issues, but…
"..."
I felt as if my brain had suddenly turned off and on for a moment upon hearing Yennekar's sudden fastball. Right now, I need to find a reason to buy some time for me to organize my thoughts.
Fortunately, there was an easy excuse right here. My thumb was dripping with blood.
After setting the knife aside, I used a leftover piece of cloth to wrap my finger like a bandage. That would give me time to come up with a placeholder answer for the time being.
While I was applying first aid to myself, Yennekar didn't move one bit.
She had her face buried in her lap, not caring about the smoke from the campfire that was going her way. Judging from her reaction, it seemed that she herself knew the meaning of what she had said. At the very least, you couldn't possibly say that I was the one who had misunderstood what she had said.
After I finished first aid to my finger, it was time to once again face the problem.
"I guess, first off… It's probably something that you had already thought about as well, but… I still need to point it out."
I threw the leftover piece of cloth into the campfire, burning it. Then, after wiping off the excess blood with a handkerchief, I continued talking.
Since it was something she had told me after deep consideration, it was something I had to listen and respond to as sincerely and calmly as possible. All without showing the slightest bit of panic or absurdity. That would only be polite.
"…I wonder if there's really a need for me to say this out loud but… I like you quite a bit. It's not just me, but everyone else thinks the same. You're truly kind, sincere, and an overall good person."
That was just a cushion before I brought up my main point. But when Yennekar heard those words, she suddenly buried her head further into her lap as her shoulders trembled. Seeing her start breathing so fast and heavily, suddenly I was also struggling for air.
I started to peel the remaining skin from the apple as I took a bite out of it. I had cut off all the blood-stained parts and thrown them away, but it still felt a bit uncomfortable to give this one to Yennekar to eat.
After taking some time to calm down, I spoke to Yennekar, who was trying to calm her breathing.
"…But I still can't just not point this fact out. I'm a guy."
In this situation, the more calm, realistic, and objective you are the better.
"Listen, Yennekar. I'm not sure what you think of yourself, but… You're definitely very attractive. You are quite beautiful. So for an average person, someone like you…"
"S-Stop…"
I was left literally speechless at her sudden declaration.
Was my effort to speak calmly, in a low voice without an expression on my face, to the best of my ability… all meaningless?
With her head in her lap, Yennekar's face had already reddened quite a bit.
There were even some tears on her face, as if she had just been subjected to some kind of harsh bullying.
"S-Sorry… I-I couldn't breathe, so…"
"..."
"No… I still can't catch my breath… Wait… Can I catch my breath for a moment…?"
She was still speaking politely…? Was she really going to keep being stubborn about this…?
"…Alright."
Should I just stay quiet and sit down, then…?
For a while, we just listened to the sound of the campfire. Well, to make any progress it was best to take a break. Once she started to feel a bit better, then her heart would also calm down… The fact that the two of us kept repeating this precise sequence of actions with each other, it felt like we were trying to dismantle a bomb or something.
I picked up two wooden mugs and filled them with cold water. I handed one to Yennekar as I took a few sips from the other one.
As if she was thirsty, she quickly gulped down all of the cold water in one shot.
The atmosphere then started to pick back up as she let out a "Fwuaaah" noise.
Without a particular reason, the atmosphere that was heating up between us seemed to have calmed down once again… So, I brought the topic back up.
"So, let's start talking about living together again…"
When I said those words, it once again felt as if the atmosphere had heated up, the temperature soaring high into the sky. Yennekar lowered her head again as her face started to turn red.
It seemed that she had started to think about what I was going to say again. At that point, no matter how many times the mood calmed down it won't be of any use.
It would be more important to just bulldoze through my part than to have her jump to her own conclusions. If we continued having to take breaks, I'd never get to say my piece before the night ended. Also, didn't Yennekar still have to go back in time for Dex Hall's curfew?
However, a good thing was that my composure was still being well maintained.
Yennekar's fastball remarks made me stumble for a bit, but it was a matter that I still could deal with rationally.
Being the one that had the most common sense, I needed to steady my heart and tell her what I needed to.
Thinking of building up a wall around my heart, it would be like a huge iron fortress.
No matter how much it was bombarded, as long as I kept my rationality, it wouldn't easily collapse.
During the past year of my hellish lifestyle, hadn't I already become used to calmly maintaining my rationality in any situation?
And the person I was dealing with was Yennekar. No matter what the situation might be, she was still Yennekar.
She might have made an unpredictable fastball remark for a brief moment, but she was still a reasonable person. As long as I could say what I needed to from a reasonable standpoint, it should be fine.
"Right now, I can be considerate of you and treat you like a gentleman as much as possible, but…
No one knows how things will turn out if we start doing something like living together under one roof. I always want to be considerate towards you and respect you, but… Strictly speaking, at the end of the day men are all the same. Thanks for believing in me, but still… Never forget that the only person capable of protecting yourself is you, Yennekar."
Saying things piece by piece would only backfire on me, so I ended up saying my entire piece all in one go.
Glancing over at Yennekar, who was tightly holding onto her knees, it seemed that she had listened to what I had to say.
I was proud of myself for having been able to maintain my reason to the end.
With that, there shouldn't be any more explosive remarks from Yennekar.
However, as if trying to prove that my thoughts were merely me being complacent, she started to make eye contact with me as she said…
"Still, if it's with you, Ed, that doesn't matter…"
Yennekar words, which she sort of muffled, completely stopped me from saying anything else.
After a bit of a pause, Yennekar's reaction suddenly returned to her. As soon as she realized the meaning behind the words she had just said, her shoulders began to tremble, goosebumps crawled across her body, and her once calm face started to rush with blood.
The term 'speechless' was the perfect way to describe her.
She opened her mouth to try and say something, but nothing came out.
"E-Edddddd…."
As if trying to say 'Ed', she bit on her tongue before taking another deep breath.
She then looked at me, covering her mouth with both hands. Regardless of what she just did, she was already running out of breath because of the unnecessarily heated atmosphere. But after making a seemingly equivalent mistake, she seemed to be completely embarrassed.
As for me, I was busy scratching my chin while trying to grab onto a string of reasons.
Unfavorable factors had stacked up.
Normally, I would have been able to respond well to anything she said—but ironically, all sorts of variables were starting to stack on top of each other, pulling my string of reason to its very limit.
After the difficult and exhausting student council president election, I had come back to the camp feeling a bit more liberated and relaxed, but… now that was happening.
It felt like I'd been constantly putting myself in extreme situations. The days of just surviving in peace seemed to have come to an end. With the basic infrastructure of the camp already taken care of, the amount of labor I needed to do has been considerably reduced, putting me at ease.
Yennekar and I talked to each other politely for a bit, so things had started to feel a bit stranger than usual. However, it was still all familiar to me… Like a tug-of-war verging on the border of familiarity and the strange unknown.
The bright moonlit sky. The moonlight gently lit the camp. The crackling flames. The sounds of the bugs in the grass… It all sounded sentimental to me.
Then there was the girl whose face was entirely red because she couldn't handle the words that she had spit out semi-impulsively.
Thinking 'Will I survive from this? Can I even survive from this?', those words seemed to be crying out to me… I slowly closed my eyes.
At that point, strangely enough I ended up actually feeling more relaxed.
"Yennekar."
Even just by calling her name out softly, her shoulders began to tremble… It wasn't very comfortable for me to say this either.
Still, there were things that needed to be pointed out.
Even if you were to bring hundreds of men from all across the world and ask them the same question, they would all immediately accept her offer with no questions asked, losing all sense of reason. But still, until the very end, there was something that I couldn't ignore.
And that was the circumstances as to why Yennekar had even said such a thing.
I was taken aback for a moment by the shock of her sudden fastball-like comment, but I still couldn't make the mistake of not being able to see the underlying reason behind the matter. All because I had simply been swayed by the situation.
So, I asked her bluntly.
"…Are things that difficult for you these days?"
As if cold water was completely covered in the words I spoke… The blood rushing to Yennekar's face had suddenly calmed. And I could guess from the deflated look on her face in an instant.
Even though Dex Hall was just a regular dormitory, it still was not worse than living a life in the wild. On the contrary, I heard that living there was pretty decent.
Still, the reason she had suddenly come to my camp, saying she wanted to live there, was obvious. Mentally, Yennekar had already reached her limit.
While living a life with others at Dex Hall, it's been nearly a year of having to constantly befriend and hang out with the other students her age.
Expectations, favors, and respect. For some, it acted like a driving force, pushing them to go further. But for others, it was like a poison.
"..."
Then the silence returned.
However, it was distinctly different from the silence from before.
Yennekar hugged her knees as she started blankly at the campfire, smiling bitterly.
"There really is nothing you don't know, Ed."
I was used to her bright smile and laugh. The lively expression she had on her face as she walked around the school and greeted her friends.
Her smile was always sincere, so many people wouldn't be able to understand the strange burden that was hidden deep in her heart.
In short, Yennekar was probably…
"I must have wanted to run away. I just missed the days living alone in my private room back at Ophelis Hall. Don't you think I'm stupid?"
Rather than directly answering her… I just shook her head. Who in the world would ever criticize her for being stupid?
"How can I say it? This camp… It feels like an escape to me. So, I guess as much as possible, I wanted to run away and escape here. Of course, hearing this must be quite burdensome for you, Ed."
"After all, this camp is the product of the hard work you put into it over the past year… It's proof that you have been living fiercely and passionately out here in the wild. It would be ridiculous for me to suddenly come in claiming it as mine…"
Since this was Yennekar, she knew it all too well.
The sweltering heat that comes in the summer could make you collapse from overworking. And the brutal cold of the winter that would make your entire body constantly tremble.
Also, just how special the camp was to me. It was something I had built up while directly dealing with the various issues of survival… She was a girl that understood that better than anyone else.
She must have thought of herself as being extremely shameless to suddenly invade my space and bring up her own emotional problems as if it was nothing…
However, she also seems to have misinterpreted part of her own problem due to her strong temperament. And that was the action of 'running away'.
"This isn't something that's going to be solved by running away. Rather than running away from your problems, you should think about fighting them face to face. Yeah. For a while, I was also weak."
As I spoke, Yennekar nodded her head. The saddened look on her face was still there.
"You're right, but still… I just wanted to ask you once, Ed. I knew it would be a burden for you, but still…. I don't know why I did it."
After saying that, she sniffled as she stopped talking.
We both stared at the campfire for quite some time, sharing a moment together.
I then looked up at the starry sky with my elbows on my knees.
All kinds of constellations were shining brightly, but on the ground beneath them was only darkness… Right now, I couldn't even see what was beyond the grass. Life was normally like that. And for Yennekar, it must also be the same.
I tossed the remaining core of the apple into the campfire.
"Certainly, it was burdensome."
I spoke bluntly about it. Seeing how serious Yennekar was, I couldn't deal with her by lying.
Completely saddened by my words, Yennekar put her head on her lap as she let out a bitter laugh.
"Overall, what you're saying is right, Yennekar. Suddenly hearing that you want to come and live in this camp, I was taken aback at first too. It was only natural that I had no idea how to respond to you."
"…Haha, I guess so."
It hurt my heart to hear her voice growing wet, so I decided to finish what I was saying without beating around the bush any longer.
I dusted off my clothes as I stood up from my seat, moving over to sit down next to Yennekar. Sitting next to her, I started to realize just how petite her body really was.
"I'm not going to talk politely anymore."
"Heuk."
As if Yennekar was suddenly stabbed she quickly gasped, her breath catching. Had that completely meaningless stubbornness she suddenly had finally shattered?
In fact, I felt like I finally started to realize why she was like that. The reason she tried to widen the distance with me by talking politely was because she had recognized her reality.
Whether it was the expectations or the admiration, Yennekar faced constant pressure… And because of her sincere and strong personality, the more there was, the higher chance there was that she was trying to take everything head on.
If that was the case, whether it was the existence of the camp—which she had always run away to—or the existence of me… Even if she thought it was the right thing to try and distance herself from it all, she couldn't help but do the opposite. She must have been caught up in her own obsession with the idea that running away wasn't the right answer.
She might not understand it well because she was still young and inexperienced.
Reality was strangely different from fairytales. In times of hardship, more often than not the answer was to just run away.
I'd seen a lot more people find their happiness through finding a different path in life instead of piling the scars over their hearts, forcing themselves to face it all head on.
However, considering her life—where she has only received sincere respect and goodwill from others—it was highly likely that running away while ignoring her issues wasn't an option at all. That was the problem.
"By the way, Yennekar. Strictly speaking, the reason I'm burdened is a completely different issue."
"What?"
"Let's not be arrogant. In life, people live by burdening others, and bearing the burdens that others place on them. By that logic, there isn't a person out there that can live a life not being indebted to others. We continue to live while relying on each other."
"..."
"And right now, I'm in a position where I don't just owe you for one or two things."
Elementalism classes, helping while I lived out in seclusion, and more… I already owed Yennekar a lot. That was why my next goal in magic engineering was to make a wand for her. There was nothing better that I could give to her.
For that girl, even me simply repaying her in such a natural way would only act as another debt in her heart.
It was truly heartwarming to be born with such a kind and beautiful heart, but sometimes it could also act as a burden.
"Then…"
"…Still, I think it will be too burdensome to live under one roof. With that in mind, wouldn't it be fine to just build another cabin?"
At those words, it felt as if Yennekar's eyes had subtly widened.
Speaking politely, re-establishing our relationship, going back to our somewhat awkward relationship—there seemed to be a valuable meaning behind all of that.
It was rather refreshing and eye-opening to see each other in such an awkward and strange relationship. There were many different things that I had felt.
For Yennekar, no matter how close she was with someone, if they needed help she would gladly step forward and lend a hand.
If she were to see someone in pain collapse on the street, she would try to help them before even checking to see if they were a beggar or a robber. Even though it was a bit awkward and strange to ask… she would still put the weight on her shoulders and approach them, asking, 'Excuse me, do you need any help?'
However, there was no rule that said the world would always be fair. After all, not all goodwill was returned.
Even though she constantly went out of her way to help others… That didn't mean there would always be someone on her side, even when she was in pain.
How depressing was it that even when someone sat there on the sidewalk, crying out, no one would bear the weight on their shoulders to call out in concern saying, 'Excuse me?'
However, in the end someone wouldn't be able to bear it, placing their hand on their shoulder. That was the difference between those that have lived a life of giving.
After I finished speaking, I also started to feel a bit awkward, so I quietly looked up at the sky.
I thought that with Yennekar's personality, she would be happily running around… But surprisingly, she was responding calmly.
She wrapped her arms around my shoulders as she sat next to me, hugging me tightly. She then spoke with a teary voice.
"Thanks…"
"..."
While holding onto Yennekar, stroking her hair with one of my hands… I looked up at the sky quietly.
The night at Acken Island was vast and bright.
***
[Good morning, young master Ed…! I don't know if this situation might seem a bit sudden to you, but this worthless Mugg will explain it to you slowly…!]
After sending Yennekar back off to Dex Hall, I slept—before suddenly waking up to a strange sight… All different types of spirits were filling my camp.
At the center of them was the high-ranking fire spirit Takan. It was a bit difficult to see him without using any resonance.
"..."
[Oh, you woke up, Ed Rothstaylor.]
Seeing him lead the army of spirits, waving his massive tail back and forth, he truly looked like the commander of the corps.
[I need your advice. I have no experience building a cabin. If possible, I want it to give off a similar feeling to your cabin. Cutting the wood and trimming it down is possible with the cute little hands of a spirit, but still… Architecture is a much more delicate job than I had thought.]
"…First off, can you slowly explain the situation to me a bit…?"
[You might not be able to tell, but right now, we're building a cabin.]
As for Yennekar, after staying in my arms for a while last night she had gone back to the dorms blushing.
How she would move into her life at the camp in the future, when she should submit the application for her leave at Dex Hall, and the details of how to build a cabin. I was planning to deal with all those things slowly later today or tomorrow.
[We'll explain the details later on. To be honest, I'm also a bit exhausted.]
"What?"
[Yesterday, I stayed up all night in the Spirit Realm partying… Well, there's really no point in telling you all of that. Anyway, since we're so inclined, we should do what we have to right away.]
He didn't tell me a single specific detail.
[So, I finished selecting the site for the cabin, but, well… I think it would be really good to put it on the opposite side of the campfire. There will be a romantic feeling in the air the moment you both open your doors and see each other in the morning. Well, I also don't think it would be all too bad to build it right next to yours, either… Still, wouldn't that feel too stuffy? And we should keep at least a minimum level of privacy… Hmm… Maybe not…? In the end, if we're going to build it right, we should build it as close as possible…]
"It's only been one night but you've already done this much…?"
[I'm sorry, but without my momentum pushing me I'm basically slow as a slug.]
Maybe he still had a grudge against me after his head was cut off in the 1st Act.
Seeing the enormous fire lizard laughing and giggling like that nearly gave me goosebumps.
[The overall plan will take about ten days, Mr. Takan. This worthless Mugg will act as the field commander and make the most efficient schedule…!]
[Ten days…?]
[Yes…! After considering the change of schedules between the low-ranking spirits and creating a schedule for breaks, I deduced that it would take that long. To further reduce the amount of time it will take, we would first have to look at the progress of the schedule and…]
[Breaks…? Why would you take any breaks…?]
Takan opened his terrifyingly large eyes and… spoke in a low voice.
[I really can't understand. Why would you take any breaks…?]
[Excuse me…?]
[When I was young, I used to run around alongside an elementalist for three days and three nights in a row. Even when I had to cross through the snowy mountaintops for an entire week, it was normal to go straight into combat the next day. Either way, the number of Elementalists has increased and making contracts has become easier, so it seems the discipline of low-ranking spirits has also hit rock bottom. You all only think about eating your fill and taking your breaks every single day. Acting like this, when do you plan to raise your status, aim for becoming a mid-ranking spirit, and meeting a proper high-ranking Elementalist to make a contract with…?]
Mugg's ability to read the room at a glance was amazing. He had goosebumps hearing Takan talk at first, but now he couldn't stop nodding his head in agreement.
[Th-Then, we will pull up the schedule as much as possible… And in a week, we can…]
[That… shifting of schedules you mentioned… can't we push the schedule up further by just getting rid of it…?]
[Excuse me?]
[Do you know just how much Yennekar is bearing these days? And if we decide to finish it in a week's time, do you know just how much her heart will pound each night in anticipation as she sleeps? Can't you fathom just how she might feel…?]
Mugg's face started to lose its energy, as he wasn't sure what to do as Takan continued to skillfully speak.
[Finish it in five days. For advice on architecture, just go and ask Ed Rothstaylor.]
[Yes…! I understand…!]
After speaking, he wagged his giant tail as he left to do his business.
[This… Suicidal schedule… how… Just how…]
Looking around the camp, all different kinds of spirits started to sweat profusely as they moved pieces of wood.
[If that's what he says… then that's what we have to do… This worthless Mugg… will do it… I have to…. I have to do it…!!]
Come to think of it, I was the cause for all of it.
After Takan left, looking at the frustrated Mugg, who was sitting on a tree stump… I offered him a silent prayer.
Really… I'm so sorry…!! Mugg…!!
It wasn't on purpose… Really…!!
-x-X-x-
Adele, the keeper of the torch.
When Saint Clarice lived in the Holy Capital, she was a girl that came to her bedroom window every day, playing the lute.
"Isn't the joint combat practice pretty soon…? That means I will be dueling against a second-year upperclassman…?"
The night before at Ophelis Hall, Kylie sat on her bed looking out the window. Saint Clarice recalled her memories of when she lived in the Holy Father Building.
The songs Adele played for her and her longing for freedom made her secretly cherish a new dream. Without Adele's influence, Clarice wouldn't have come to Silvenia to ask for the chance to learn.
So, after Adele left the Holy Capital, Clarice continued to greatly look forward to seeing her again.
However, even though it had been quite some time since she entered the school, she still hadn't had the chance to see Adele.
"..."
In the center of the Holy City Karpea, the sacred land of the Telos Religious Group and the largest city-state on the continent, there was a towering and magnificent cathedral.
The cathedral was a place where the followers of the Telos Religious Group, spread out across the continent, all passed through. It was called The Holy Father Building, as it was a place where the Holy Father Eldane lived, preaching the will of god.
The cathedral was so massive and magnificent that it occupied the entirety of the huge hill. It was a space of land where two or three castles could fit. And the height of it naturally extended extremely high into the sky.
If you were to climb the clock tower that was erected in the center, at a glance you could see as far as the Lamelin Mountain Range in the north or the Denkin wetlands of the Kroel Empire in the south.
At the very top of the clock tower, there was a torch that was constantly burning in honor of Telos, the one that constantly gives.
There, a girl sat down, maintaining the torch while constantly looking out at the vast world beneath her.
The girl looked down upon the world from a higher place than Clarice, who boasted the highest level of nobility beneath that of the Holy Father Eldane.
As for Clarice… She really wanted to meet the minstrel Adele.
But Clarice was only a first year, while Adele was a second year.
It wasn't that there weren't any opportunities for her to interact with the second years, but it was rare for Adele to show up to such occasions.
In the first place, Adele would constantly disappear and reappear suddenly in the east and west, so even among her classmates there were barely any people that knew her whereabouts.
She couldn't break into the classroom in the middle of class, or visit her at the dormitory, so Clarice could only say 'I'll see her when the time is right.' And with that, she spent her time focusing on her school life.
However, even though she was slowly getting used to her life at school, there still wasn't any sign of being able to see her. At that point, Clarice began to feel a little downtrodden.
Clarice had personally thought that her relationship with Adele was quite special. But even though Adele must have heard the news of a saint entering the school, she didn't come to visit her even once.
She briefly started to think as such, but… she then immediately shook her head.
Right now, Clarice's position was quite unique. Rather than the identity of Saint Clarice, she was living her school life as Kylie, an aristocrat from the outskirts. Adele would probably be confused by that, unaware of the situation. She might have noticed that the person acting as the saint currently was just a fake.
It was a slightly precarious situation. But right now, Clarice decided to not make any hasty decisions.
Relationships were like the drifting wind. If it was a close relationship, wherever in the world you met up, you would be able to see each other again with a warm embrace. That was what Adele had said.
Clarice thought those words were right as she looked up at the moon, smiling. Since they were both living in Slovenia, they would surely end up meeting when their fates aligned.
She prayed that their fates would quickly align so their regrets of the past could be resolved.
***
Lucy Mayreel sat on the roof of the cabin with her round eyes half open and her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.
Sitting there, she could see the entire camp. But what she was witnessing wasn't very pleasant to her.
The view of all sorts of spirits gathering together, cutting and carrying well-trimmed pieces of wood to make a cabin… From Lucy's point of view, it felt like uninvited guests were invading the camp.
Although in actuality, it wasn't Lucy's camp. That was why Lucy, also being an uninvited guest, wasn't in the position to complain.
Still, the feeling wasn't pleasant. All she did was sit there with puffed up cheeks, grunting heavily and twisting her hair. It was quite a dramatic reaction from Lucy, who rarely showed her emotions.
And the girl that was the cause for it all… Yennekar Palerover sat by the campfire in the center of the camp with her legs stretched out.
The cabin, which was originally scheduled to be completed in five days through overworking the spirits, had been pushed back after Yennekar got a critical strike on Takan's forehead with her wand.
The low-ranking spirits, especially Mugg, clapped loudly with tears coming from their hearts.
The cabin's construction plan, which had been reverted back to the original plan, was progressing well.
By the third day, Yennekar was rather satisfied after seeing the cabin make decent progress. Now, she sat at the camp the entire day as she hummed.
Sitting on the roof of Ed's cabin, Lucy wasn't at all happy watching her. In fact, even if it weren't Lucy, anyone would tilt their head upon seeing Yennekar's current appearance.
She sat on a tree stump near the campfire, stretching her arms and legs out for a moment. She then took a glimpse at the camp, looking at her cabin and smiling widely. Her smile was so innocent that it looked as if a flower was blooming.
Afterwards, she went to go read her book, but halfway through she started to look at her cabin again while smiling. Then, when it seemed like she was going off to get firewood, she would suddenly turn around to look at her cabin and smile again, before going back to walking. When she thought of doing some spiritual resonance training by herself, after looking at the cabin again she fell into a deep thought with a smile on her face.
Seeing such a scene made Lucy feel nauseous. At some point, Lucy had completely forgotten to take her nap as she sat there with her cheeks bulging out.
"..."
After about five or so minutes, Lucy got up to eat some jerky that was drying on the drying rack as she flew near the campfire.
Tak!
Lucy landed beautifully on a rock next to the campfire. Patting her clothes a few times, she then stood up straight.
Looking in front of her, she could see Yennekar sitting on a tree stump folding the corners of her book as she was lost in her rosy imagination. She looked really ridiculous.
"Ah…"
Yennekar then met Lucy's eyes.
The innocent Yennekar almost instantly went to greet her. However, intuitively she knew that Lucy wasn't the person to do such a thing to.
She was an opponent that she had already gone through a war of nerves with back at Ophelis Hall. However, for Yennekar—who didn't want to become enemies with anyone—she was an unwelcome opponent.
She didn't want to hurt her or say anything hateful, but she couldn't afford to just lose to her either.
In the end, Yennekar sat back down and looked back at her cabin. With her hands on her hips, she pushed her chest out as if to brag. It looked as if she was trying her hardest to act arrogant with that smile on her face.
Lucy opened her half-closed eyes as she showed off a beautifully bright smile. She then quietly patted her clothes. It was surprising that such a perfect and bright smile was meant to be sarcastic.
***
I left the student library with a couple pieces of jerky in my mouth, and my hands full of elemental studies textbooks.
Thanks to constantly borrowing books and making sure to return them before they became overdue, I could now borrow quite a few books all at once. Since I personally knew the librarian, Elka Islam, there were some things that I could get away with.
"Whew…"
With a bunch of books in hand, I went down the hill that the student library sat upon. I headed straight to the eastern plaza of the education district.
The reason I borrowed so many elemental studies textbooks was to finally complete my training in intermediate magic.
It had been a while since I'd mastered the intermediate magic Point Explosion, but the fact that I could only use one intermediate magic spell was a bit of an issue.
The firepower of Point Explosion wasn't that much different than beginner magic. Rather, it was simply the fact that it was easy to cast, good for surprise attacks, and difficult for opponents to deal with.
Having such a strategic advantage was a big help for my combat style. Still, I thought that it would be crucial for me to also learn a magic that had tremendous firepower. After all, you never know when or how a battle would unfold, so it was only natural that I should have one.
I had a strong resonance with the fire and wind elements. Originally, if possible, I was going to try and learn an intermediate wind magic, but… I quickly changed my mind.
Most wind-type magic was useful in controlling a battlefield or assisting with combat, but relatively, there were very few spells that actually had pure, strong firepower.
For me, since I already knew how to utilize magically engineered equipment as well as elementalism, I already had various different methods to turn the tides in a fight. So, in order for me to become dramatically stronger, the most effective method was to train with absolute firepower.
That was why I borrowed all those books on elemental studies—to help search for a magic that I could set as my next goal.
The number of books I borrowed were so great that I needed to hold them with both arms. I then walked across the East Square with the mindset that it was all just physical training.
From the central plaza, where the Student Center and Obel Hall were located, if you walked along the road stretching towards the east you would eventually find the eastern plaza.
The size of it was relatively small compared to the central plaza. Still, it had everything a plaza would need. There was also a decently sized clock tower in the middle, benches set up here and there, and a fountain that looked quite decent.
"♪ ♫ ♪"
Seeing a girl sitting on the other side of the fountain playing the lute, I suddenly recognized the owner of that familiar face.
She gave off an impression that matched the word 'free' more so than anyone else.
It was still during the middle of classes, and seeing her wear comfortable clothes, I wondered if she had already finished all her classes for the day.
Her pleated skirt that reached her thighs was nearly spread out. The cuffs on her blouse were also open, which was the exact appearance I remembered. A bouquet-shaped ornament was tied to her waist, extending down her side.
Her hair was beautifully braided to one side with various beautiful flowers, including lilies, daffodils, baby's-breath, surprise lily, and freesias, braided into her hair. Perhaps it was because her pale-yellow hair wasn't all that strong in color, but their beautiful appearance showed even more.
"It looks like you're busy today as well, Ed."
As I was about to pass by, Adele was the first one that who spoke to me. That was another unexpected situation, so I couldn't help but tilt my head.
Adele, who was playing the lute, made eye contact with me as she smiled. We weren't exactly close enough with each other to greet each other like that.
Adele Cerise was a colleague of Taylee McLaure, the protagonist of Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster.
As a bard that can freely use all sorts of enhancement-type magic, she had been constantly making appearances since Act 1, bringing attention to herself… But until the final battle of Act 3, she doesn't particularly come forward to take an active role.
In the first place, even though she had a finger in every pie, she didn't seem to properly participate in any battle until the final battle of Act 2. But after that, she didn't particularly try to do anything else.
Until then, Adele would just appear in random places playing her instrument. I thought that perhaps that was a choice on the writer's part to emphasize her free-spirited nature.
No matter the urgency of the situation, she was a girl that would play her instrument without losing her freedom.
The reason she could always be so calm was because she has the 'prophetic temperament.'
"...."
Sometimes, Adele could see the future through the holy power of Telos. It was not a power that she could freely manipulate—rather, she recited the future as if she were possessed by a sudden revelation.
That was only possible because of her unrivaled resonance to Telos' holy power from her birth. That was why she was in a position where she was treated well in the Holy City. She was a person that even had her name considered as a candidate for the position of Saint when she was young.
"Are you talking about me…?"
"I often hear stories from Taylee and Ayla. It seems the two of them have quite a bit of a complicated relationship with you…"
"Yeah… Though, it's not really any of my business."
It seemed that Taylee, the protagonist of this story, was still on a roll.
His talent in swordsmanship was so great that by the time Act 4 came around, he boasted a completely overwhelming level of strength. Since the storyline had already passed the middle of Act 3, he might have already started to slowly stand out.
As for me, since I was in a different school year than him and I'd subtly separated from him ever since the incident so that I didn't really have much contact with him… Well, I already knew all too well that Taylee's growth wasn't something that would easily be hindered.
If he continued to grow with the highest level of efficiency, without wasting a single moment, then by the time the next joint combat practice event arrived he could defeat not just Wade, but even Ziggs. Of course, that was only possible if a completely skilled player like me was playing the game.
Normally, even defeating just Wade proved to be quite difficult, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
"Would you like to hear a song? I am a minstrel that has traveled all over the continent. Though, now I am staying here in Silvenia."
"…It's fine."
"Oh my, what a shame."
I'd never personally met with Adele before, so I didn't know why she was treating me so warmly.
Maybe it was because my reputation as a student at Silvenia had recently improved quite a bit? Or maybe it was just because stories of me had been circulating around Adele?
I was already holding onto a crazy number of elemental studies textbooks. It was a sign that went without saying, but I was already having a hard time carrying so many heavy books and I wanted to go home and get rid of them quickly. Adele was disappointed, but smiled as she bowed her head and bid me farewell.
I then turned back around as I headed towards the North Forest.
The storyline was already halfway through Act 3. The main timeline, which had become twisted little by little, had already begun to deviate greatly when Tanya won the student council president election.
The storyline had flowed similarly to the original up until Act 1. By Act 2, it began to become rather scattered—but by Act 3, it was no longer possible to control the direction it was heading towards.
Still, the overall flow was still as I remembered, so the future knowledge I had would still prove to be useful. However, the deviated flow of things would likely soon lead to an unknown result.
It was like a straight line following across a dotted line.
If you were to follow the dotted line without shaking one bit, a perfect straight line would be drawn. But if you begin to shake even the slightest bit, a twist in the angle would occur. At first, that slight difference might seem fine, but as the line continued it would only stray further and further away from the dotted line.
In the first place, I didn't have any big ambitions and my only goal was to graduate. I just wanted to survive. But at the same time, it was arrogant for me to think that everything would go according to my will.
In the end, the world ended up becoming like that. At that point, just quietly watching from the sidelines wouldn't solve the problem.
The original timeline had begun to deviate greatly from the original path.
And in the end, the only way to deal with it… was to get Krepin.
However, as he was now, Krepin didn't have any political weaknesses. He was also strong and had many loyal followers throughout the empire, so killing or subduing him now would only be an act of treason that would ruin one's life.
In the first place, a little bit more time to grow was necessary before Krepin could be fought. And even if I were to go ahead and get someone's help, I couldn't take his life without just cause.
But that didn't mean I don't have a card to play. There was Tanya, who was an insider of House Rothstaylor. There was also Princess Penia, who was currently hostile towards him as well.
When it was time for Act 4 and Nebula's manifestation neared, Krepin would surely show his true self. Then, during that moment, that guy would surely show an opening.
You had to know the perfect timing to go for your opponent's throat. When his evil plans started to show, I needed to be fully prepared.
"Ed."
Suddenly, as I was about to head back, Adele called out to me.
I turned around with a bewildered expression, but Adele was cheerfully playing the lute and not even looking towards me.
The pleasant notes of the strings harmonized with the sounds of the pouring water in the fountain. It all resonated perfectly here in the square in late spring.
"Someday, when you take the throne to your House, you will have to kill the person you respect the most with your own two hands."
It wasn't an omen, but rather just an insinuating remark.
"Just bear in mind that if you hesitate at that moment, you will be the one to die."
"..."
I was going to ask her more questions, but there wouldn't be much of a point. In the first place, Adele played one last note of her lute and created a beautiful sound, then stood up and took a few steps before quickly disappearing.
I continued to watch Adele leave from afar as I held onto my elemental studies textbooks.
I then took a deep breath.
Adele, the keeper of the torch. Romantic Adele. And the prophet Adele.
Her prophecies weren't always true, so it was hard to pay any particular meaning to them… but in any case, her ability to make a person's heart uneasy was excellent.
There were many different scenes that came to mind when I thought of Adele… The first one that came to mind… was her death.
Act 3 of
One of them was the minstrel, Adele.
The overall flow of the story was still flowing in the same direction as the original timeline, but in many different ways a major twist had already occurred.
Knowing what she said, what stance should I take now?
In the first place, Professor Glast's death was out of my hands. No matter what I did, he would have taken control of the Seal and taken over the entire school. Either way, as a mere student it wasn't like I could influence him.
And with Adele, there wasn't any guarantee that I'd be able to do something. Regardless, now that I was aware of those unpleasant words from her… In more ways than one, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
I racked my brain a few times as I tightly held onto my books, heading towards the North Forest.
First off, I needed to go back to the camp, finish organizing the books, and prepare to make the wand… Those were the immediate tasks I needed to take care of.
Still, there were all sorts of thoughts that I needed to sort out as well… Too many of them.
***
"No."
It was a firm and clear answer.
Lucy, who was chewing on some jerky by the campfire as she fiddled with her knees, looked to be in a foul mood.
"..."
That was an unexpected reaction.
After cutting two branches off of The Guardian Tree of Merilda, I asked Lucy to cast lighting magic on them to make a wand.
The amount of magic power that Lucy used to cast lighting magic was massive, so it would have a pretty good direct effect on the performance of the wand.
I told her that I was planning to make two 'thousand-year-old wooden wands struck by lightning' with these two branches. One for Yennekar and one for me.
From Lucy's point of view, it wasn't a difficult request to do. That was why I had thought it wouldn't be a problem, since she was relatively good at accepting requests from me in the first place… But today, Lucy felt particularly strange.
"Can you just make me just one?"
It was quite refreshing to see her stick her lips out as she hugged her knees, grunting. Was she really the same Lucy that was always sleeping and looked completely disinterested in everything?
She still looked a little dazed and still gave off the impression that she was a little out of it, but it was the first time I had ever seen her puff her cheeks out like that. I couldn't get used to seeing her make such colorful facial expressions these days.
Though, when I thought about it, there were only a few patterns of it.
"Making one or two of them, it shouldn't matter right…? Either way, you only have to cast magic one time."
"..."
"Phew, alright… Well, if you say so there must be a reason for it. Ahh my head hurts."
After saying that, I quickly turned my head away from her. Lucy then started to float through the air to see what was bothering me so much.
"If I make one… who is going to use it…?"
"I have to give it to Yennekar. She's the person that can use it better than me, after all. I still need to train in Elementalism a bit more anyway."
"Eughk…"
Feeling bothered by my disappointed expression, Lucy began to mumble as she muttered something as she bowed her head.
Then, with her lips clenched, she quickly stood up from her seat and walked furiously toward the tree stump where I was sitting.
I stood still, wondering if she was going to stick close to me like usual. Lucy lowered her eyes as she sat down with her butt on my lap, tightly holding down on her hat.
She then pushed her back into my chest as much as she could, but since she was so light, I didn't feel any weight at all. She was only slightly heavier than the pile of books I was carrying before, using the muscles on my arms.
"Fine, I'll do it. Both of them."
And then she added on something else.
"But there's a condition. It's nothing that great."
"Condition?"
"There's a place I want you to go with me."
It was strange for Lucy to say such a thing, but since I didn't have a choice, I only nodded my head curiously.
-x-X-x-
The Archmage Glockt was a character from the past, but his name was mentioned quite often throughout
He'd made various achievements in his research and had been recognized by various academic societies—whether it be in the field of elemental studies, monster ecology, herbal medicine, operation of magic power, principle of resonance, elementalism, or others. He was also a royal magician leading the extermination of monsters, worked a few years as a mercenary, saved city-states located out on the frontier, and even subjugated the ultimate fire spirit Theorpis and the ultimate water spirit Friede at the same time… He truly lived the life of a hero.
After retiring, he inherited the will of his teacher, the Great Sage Silvenia, and devoted his effort to nurturing future generations. He also invested all of the assets he had accumulated throughout his life to fund research in the field of education and other different types of academic societies. It was said that he spent little to no money on himself.
Traces of that still remained at Silvenia Academy.
There was Glockt Hall, which was one of the three buildings of the Student Center. There was the Glockt Scholarship Foundation that I was indebted to. And even Glockt's magic theories had remained a constant within the curriculum.
If the Great Sage Silvenia was the one that founded Silvenia Academy, then one could say that it was Archmage Glockt that was the first contributor to the success and development of said academy, turning it into the world's best education institute.
That was all information that I read in the settings book of the game, as well as all the stories I heard and remembered of him since I arrived in that world. After all, he was one of the most important figures in the history of magic.
However, nothing was known about his final years. At the very least, not in the history books.
Still… I knew a little bit about it. That was because
After he felt that all his assets were gone and he did all that he could… he hid in the massive Lamelin Mountain Range, northwest of the continent.
There, he found Lucy abandoned in a monastery.
Taking her in and raising her, he quickly started to recognize her talent with magic. She also had the Blessing of the Stars, which allowed her to grow quickly.
But if there was something unexpected… You could say that it was the fact that Lucy's talent with magic was far greater than Glockt had thought.
Even if she had been left alone, she would have come to understand her magic power on her own, making a name for herself as a magician. But she just so happened to meet a teacher that was considered a great Archmage that would forever go down in history… Possibilities and coincidences met, causing a chemical reaction. That resulted in a gemstone with tremendous talent.
Regardless, the Archmage Glockt spent his twilight years deep in the Lamelin Mountain Range.
He lived his life while keeping himself interested in his hobbies. He took up writing, did the chores necessary to survive in the wild, and honed the jewel of humanity known as Lucy Mayreel… But eventually, that life of his came to an end.
A rainy day in a shabby cabin.
Archmage Glockt had become completely worn out, to the point that his past as a legendary man that once commanded the world and led the history of mankind was no longer visible.
His back was hunched over, and wrinkles were all over his body. Half of his face couldn't be seen because of his shaggy beard, and his frail, white hair had become rough, without any life to it.
There was no family to watch over him. His wife, whom he met when he was still young, had lost her life while subjugating Theorpis. And all of those whom he could call his comrades had already died.
After becoming one of the greatest men in history, all the people he began to meet were those that either feared him, or tried to take advantage of his fame. After all, the person that sat at the top would always be lonely.
He lived a long and difficult life.
His life was so full of so many ups and downs that, if weaved into a book, a massive action-adventure epic could have easily been made.
Still, there was still someone at the end of his life that would carry on his will. That fact alone was enough for him to believe he had lived a fairly successful life.
A night, where the sound of the heavy rain fell against the cabin's roof.
And just like that, a magicians' journey had come to an end.
"And so, my journey began. But now here it ends."
"It ends…?"
At sunset.
A time that connected the lively daytime of Acken Island to the calm night.
The sky was dyed red, ready to face the long night that was about to come.
Around the time the eastern sky was slowly accepting the darkness, Lucy and I went walking for quite some time.
Lucy grabbed one of my arms as she led the way. I continued to walk while keeping a moderate stride.
If she were to fly around using any sort of weight-lightening magic, or if she were to utilize her magic power a bit more aggressively, she could travel long distances with Spatial-type magic. She even had a history of flying to Ophelis Hall from the North Forest in an instant after she became furious, pouring out her magic power.
And yet, Lucy was choosing to walk unnecessarily slowly. It seemed that she wanted to keep pace with me and tell me about something as we headed to the destination.
"For now, you can stop holding my hand and walk normally. I'm not going anywhere."
We stepped out of the North Forest, passed through the commercial district, and were nearing the western coast. That meant we had been walking for quite some time.
As we continued to walk, passing through the commercial district, the people around us kept on staring—making me feel on edge.
That was because the sight of Lucy grabbing my arm while dragging me around was quite strange to all those around us.
Lucy was known as the top student in all of Silvenia and a once-in-a-generation, legendary magician. Although her face might not be well known… there were still going to be people that recognized her. Especially among the students at Silvenia.
It was rather uncomfortable, having to receive the strange glances of people as we passed through the commercial district. And my arm was getting numb from having been stretched out for such a long time.
"It feels like I'm being dragged along. So, you can stop."
As I said that, Lucy looked down at her arm and then looked up at my face.
Her eyes were still blank, yet I somehow felt more emotion from them than before. Whatever the case, it was said that after knowing someone for a long time, you were bound to open your heart to them somehow. It was just surprising that such a little girl, who looked like a talking doll, was slowly starting to look more like a human being.
Lucy then let go of my arm and started to twist the ends of her white hair for a moment. She then pulled down on her large witch hat as she nodded her head.
"So, where are we going…? Can't you just tell me where we are going first…?"
"The West Coast of Acken Island. We are almost there."
"Isn't that just a seashore? Did you suddenly want to see the ocean? Though, I don't think that's the case."
"...."
Lucy was about to say something, but as if it was going to be difficult to explain, she just shook her head.
Then, flapping the excess of her sleeves, she waved her hand in the direction we were heading. There wasn't a need to say anything, so I just nodded my head as I continued to follow Lucy.
"Do you know where that old man's hometown is…?"
"The archmage Glockt? I think it was mentioned that he came from the lawless zone of Kohelton to study in a private school?"
Lucy shook her head.
"That's just the place where the old man spent his childhood."
"What…?"
"The history book was wrong."
That was also strange. The fact that a person that could confidently say the history book itself was wrong was right in front of me.
It must have been a story that Glockt had personally told Lucy, so Lucy was probably right.
"Then…?"
"Here, in Acken Island."
"....."
Lucy looked up at the vast early evening sky while fixing her hat.
A few birds were disappearing into the distant forest, under the setting sun.
From that moment on was a territory that was completely outside of the storyline. And it was even a story outside of the history books.
It was not in the setting book for
"When the old man was going around studying, there weren't any major schools here on Acken Island like this. Just a few indigenous villages and monster tribes."
"That would have been the case back then. In the first place, only after the massive subjugation of the monsters here on Acken Island was Silvenia Academy able to be established."
"Actually, back then there was a Silvenia Academy. But it was very small in size and… It was embarrassing to even call it a school. I was told it was just a singular private building that held classes."
A school established by the Great Sage Silvenia on Acken Island. A time where it wasn't famous yet and they couldn't afford to recruit studious students.
What kind of childhood did Glockt have when he met Silvenia on Acken Island… Neither Lucy nor I knew.
'Silvenia Academy is a treasure that my teacher, Silvenia Robester, devoted her entire life to for the advancement of academics.'
'Here in this precious treasure, there are many predicted ordeals that will eventually arrive. Of course, only Silvenia herself, who was a researcher of Celestial Magic, could properly see it.'
'After the rain falls, the ground will harden. Most of the ordeals that arrive will be overcome by Silvenia Academy itself… But an ordeal that cannot be overcome without the help of your strength will also surely come.'
'When that time comes, for the sake of this old man… Could you please lend your strength…? Lucy.'
"I don't know what was so great about it, but that old man only talked about the days he spent here at Acken Island, learning. And until the moment he died, he continued to worry about this school. He was a real stupid old man."
"..."
"The place that old man considered to be his true hometown was here, Acken Island… So, there's nothing else I can do."
Nothing I can do? Just what in the world was she talking about? I wanted to ask, but I was completely speechless.
When I started to imagine what she meant, I couldn't help but worry about it.
As I said before, from that point on it was completely unknown territory.
It was a story that wasn't told in the storyline or in the history books… That was why I couldn't help but worry about it.
Archmage Glockt had met the end of his life in a cabin up in the Lamelin Mountain Range, northwest of the continent. And Lucy was the one that was by his side, watching over him.
She was saddened by the loss of the old man, who was like her own father and teacher. But life continued to flow. All that was left for Lucy was a shabby cabin without an owner, and a cold, lifeless corpse.
There came a time when one had to choose their own life. A time where the cradling and protection of oneself came to an end.
So, what was the first thing that Lucy wanted to do? First off, her teacher's body needed to be taken care of.
It was a terribly sad thing to do, but it wasn't difficult. At that time, Lucy must have already raised her skills in magic quite a bit. So, she should have been able to cautiously use her magic to gently bury her teacher in the ground.
However, she didn't do that.
After that, I listened to Lucy's explanation.
"..."
Walking along the west coast, Lucy told her story. I continued to listen to her story while only occasionally responding.
She covered his body with a blanket, then tied him up with a leather rope as she cast freezing magic to stop his body from decaying. And by using floating magic, even though the magic power efficiency wasn't great, she could still carry him quite easily.
However, after keeping it up for an hour most magicians would have already been completely exhausted. But since she was Lucy, it was possible.
She quickly gathered all the food and other junk from the cabin into a leather backpack. And with that, she left Lamelin Mountain Range.
Her destination… the southernmost point of the continent, Acken Island.
Goosebumps began to run down my spine.
Even if you were to open up a world map, pick up a quill, and draw a line straight down… It was still a distance that would take quite a while to reach.
From the Lamelin Mountain Range all the way to the southernmost point.
Passing through The Great Forest of Urekle and The Great Lakes of Alka to get to the land of alchemy, Krett, and then through Meylan Plains to get to the Holy City Karpea. From the Denkin wetlands until finally reaching the border of the Kroel Empire. Then, continuing downstream along the Telden River to reach the Commercial City of Oldek, Countess Aolin's territory, Baron Islam's territory, Countess Sale's territory, Duke Rothstaylor's territory, Marquis Feder, and Countess Tess' territory. Passing through the Zenit Mountain Range and crossing through Dres River, and then southwest of Zahul's frontier territory, going through the Great Forest of Kranfell, traveling through the empty plains for a long while before finally Mexes Bridge, which connected to Acken Island, coming into view from a distance.
During that journey, she continued to use magic to preserve her teacher's body, as well as floating magic to carry him. She also needed to maintain the magic on herself so that she could move. She endured it all, until the very end.
"…How long did it take?"
"Three months. I got a little lost."
By the time she arrived… it must have been hard to say that she even looked human.
The place Lucy was guiding me to turned out to be a coastal cave, which had to be entered from the far-off outskirts of the western coast.
It was a cave that only showed itself when you got close to the cliff, after walking along the coast for quite a while.
Going inside with Lucy, I was surprised to see how large it was. I didn't know if it was a naturally large cave or if Lucy had widened it.
I called it a cave, but light from the outside seeped in through the cracks of the broken rocks. Because of that, the inside of it was rather bright.
After walking around inside for quite some time, suddenly the wide-open landscape started to show itself again. The outer wall had been completely torn down, so you could easily look out at the open sea.
It was a place where the sun shone, and the cool sea breeze blew in. It was a place that was always cool. The flowers that bloomed among the rocks swayed with the wind.
Next to the grave, there was a roughly-made tombstone created from the rocks that were sticking out.
And in front of the tombstone were all sorts of miscellaneous things. Probably things that the owner of the tombstone owned when he was still alive.
"This place…"
"It was difficult to find, since I could only go off the fragmented stories that he told me a long time ago… But I still searched the entire island for a week just to find it. And in the end, I somehow managed to."
Lucy walked past the tombstone as she sat facing the sea.
"This is the place where the Archmage and the Great Sage exchanged teachings and trained."
The cave that overlooked the sea was a place of deeply buried memories of the dead Archmage.
Was it the place where his final memory took place? Rather than when he was actively traveling across the continent, was it there, where he trained in magic while arguing with his teacher?
At least for Lucy, it seemed that way. All that was left was a tombstone nestled in an open cave.
The wind blew. It was a damp sea breeze.
Lucy's hair, which was beautifully tied into two sections, danced in the wind as it glistened a strange red color to match the red sky of the late evening.
I calmly walked towards the tombstone as I looked at all the relics that were lying around. It was all sorts of junk, like a shabby wand and an old robe.
"..."
However, a book caught my eye.
A regular person…. Wouldn't have been able to hold in their gasp.
[Introduction to Celestial Magic – Author, Glockt Elderbane]
"..."
I didn't bother unnecessarily showing my emotions. However, if you studied even a little bit of magic, you would know about it.
Celestial Magic… there was no such thing as an 'Introduction' to it.
It was a field of magic in which a clear system had yet to be established, even though countless genius magicians had studied it for a long, long time. It was an area of magic research that was like a mountain that had yet to be conquered.
Until the moment the Archmage Glockt died… He was writing a book that established a system for Celestial Magic. Although it wasn't published in the end, a draft of it had already been completed to some extent, seeing as it was in the form of a book.
The value it held was indescribable, even if you were to convert it into monetary value as well.
The old memoirs Glockt wrote as he visited the southern continent and studied the magic of their region. Those alone had sold for about 7000 gold coins.
He had said that his trip to the southern continent would be his last book. But was he really preparing for a final posthumous work, using his last remaining bit of strength?
If that posthumous work of his really was a book that contained an explanation of Celestial Magic… At the very least, I was not in a spot where I could measure its value.
"You can take it. Either way, I already know how to do it, so I don't need it."
Lucy, who was sitting on her knees and looking out at the sea… slowly spoke.
That book was a keepsake of Glockt. I understand just what that meant to Lucy, so I couldn't just respond to her half-heartedly.
However, Lucy continued to look up at the sky as she carefully spoke.
"This is where my journey ends."
From the Lamelin Mountain Range to Acken Island.
Just imagining it, it was a hellish journey. But the reason she was able to finish it in the end must have been because of the regret she had towards her teacher that was left behind.
"However, I still haven't even lived half the life I have been given. So, I might start another journey, or maybe I will just stay like this until the end. Still… I plan to keep the promise I made with that old man."
"The promise that if a crisis befalls Silvenia, you will protect it at least once?"
"That is my last obligation."
The question of how she knew that would happen never came back up. It was because I had already heard of the will that Glockt left behind for Lucy.
That last promise was the reason Lucy had yet to leave Silvenia. It was also the last thing stopping her from moving on with her life.
Only after keeping that promise would she be able to completely let go of Glockt…
"I'm afraid of the 'emptiness' that will come after I take care of all of this."
Lucy had a lot to say.
However, her voice had lowered. She looked completely dazed as she sat there.
On the other hand, the sky she looked up at was still as peaceful and beautiful as ever.
Lucy, who must have lived while watching Glockt's twilight years up close, must have realized just how frightening it was to be thrown into the vast wide world without any reason to live.
She knew it herself. That she was born with an incredibly strong power.
If she decided to become the best magician on the entire continent, she might even be able to surpass Silvenia and Glockt at their peak, both of whom were known as legendary magicians.
But what was the meaning of life if all that remained at the end was emptiness?
That's why the girl was searching for a reason to live. Was she going to run away from the void for the rest of her life, just like her teacher had done?
Her teacher had memories of that coastal cave as well as with Silvenia. There were quite a few memories he had to reflect on at the end of his life.
But what about Lucy? Sometimes she had excitement about things, but sometimes she also had a fear that weighed heavily on her chest, putting her to sleep.
That was why she couldn't help but be lazy.
She couldn't do anything but lose interest in the world and continue living with the flow.
After coming to Acken Island and burying her teacher, the first journey of her life had been completed to some extent.
At that point, the girl's world had been gradually becoming colorless.
After coming to this grave, had she started to feel depressed?
The girl sniffled as she hugged her knees. Not to the extent she was crying, but just because she was a little down. Because that was all in the past.
Lucy spoke in a soft tone of voice.
"It's not a very pleasant story, and it's not that fun to listen to. But it would be troublesome to come back to this place again…"
Behind her, sitting quietly in front of the tombstone, I quietly listened to her without saying anything.
"I just wanted to show it to you."
For the girl that was looking up at the sky, there was only one ordeal left for her.
After that, she would be able to live her own life, completely free from the shadow and restraints her teacher had placed on her.
However, a life without direction was like a ship lost in the current.
Because I didn't know that feeling at all… I just sat there with Lucy for a long time.
The sun was setting in the western sky.
The occasional sound of the crashing waves echoed against the walls of the cave.
Thanks to the cool breeze of the late spring, even after sitting for a long time it was neither too cold nor too hot.
That was quite fortunate.