Chapter 55
The academy was still running busily.
Though it hadn't even been two weeks since the midterm exam, the academy's atmosphere hadn't relaxed at all.
Rather, it was an atmosphere burning with competition.
Galimar, the continent's top educational institution.
As it was a facility where only elites gathered, one could be overtaken by a long way with just a moment's carelessness.
Therefore, students didn't carelessly let go of the tension.
It seemed the harsh air would continue at least until the school trip day arrived.
Another intense day passed like that.
"......"
In the evening after all classes had ended.
Regia was walking on the path towards the dormitory.
Perhaps due to a poorly twisted timetable, the girl was returning to her room at a somewhat late hour.
There was no one beside her.
Trudge trudge-.
She took steps calmly.
Pink hair fluttered following the brushing wind.
Though her bangs kept obscuring her vision, the girl only moved her feet without any reaction.
She seemed to be lost in very deep thought.
"......"
Regia had been in this state all along.
A state of being blankly out of it.
Since experiencing the accident in the last midterm exam, there were many moments where she stood especially powerlessly.
It was due to memories that remained like a kind of trauma.
-Hey commoner! Can't you summon that great beast of yours this time either?
-You're completely useless!!
-Forget it! Just get out of the way if you're going to be a hindrance!
The voices from that time remained in her ears.
Her breath caught unknowingly.
-Run out the door right now.
-I'll try to buy time here... At least you survive and get out.
A tense situation where life and death crossed.
She couldn't do anything.
Even at moments when other children were struggling to survive, Regia was of no help to them.
Because of her terribly weak nature.
'I almost ruined it this time too......'
The girl bit her lip tightly.
She was afraid of death.
But it wasn't a weight heavy enough to be trampled.
Rather, what made Regia despair was the frustration that she had almost lost precious people due to her incompetence.
A terrible sense of powerlessness lingered throughout her body.
'They all could have died.'
It was almost a total annihilation.
It was difficult to shake off her own responsibility.
If only she could properly control her ability, they wouldn't have been pushed back so helplessly.
Surely escape would have been possible.
'Because I'm foolishly weak... I put everyone in danger.'
Self-loathing creeping up.
At times like this, her mother's words felt like the correct answer that fit perfectly.
Those whispers full of hatred.
-A useless girl like you... should never have been born in the first place.
Sharp fragments pierced her lungs.
Regia who had been groaning so as not to be heard soon staggered on her legs that had been fine.
She felt dizzy.
It seemed like motion sickness.
Memories of powerless moments and memories of childhood remaining like scars mixed together.
It carved a long, deep self-inflicted wound in her heart.
Regia just maintained her balance so as not to fall.
"Haa, haa..."
Breathing becoming disordered.
As she was sinking into depression like that.
"Miss Regia."
A voice was heard from somewhere.
Though no presence had clearly been felt, the shadow was already standing behind the girl.
When she turned around, a familiar face was seen.
"I was waiting."
"...Young Master?"
Golden hair neatly arranged.
A calmly lingering atmosphere, and narrowly open slit eyes.
"Shall we walk together for a moment?"
This time too, it was none other than the snake who caught the girl at the end of depression.
***
"Shall we walk together for a moment?"
The protagonist walking in a daze.
I who had been waiting until classes ended appeared behind the girl and said so.
Regia seemed flustered but nodded her head.
Like that, we walked together on the path returning to the dormitory.
"......"
Even while walking, the girl didn't open her mouth at all.
An atmosphere where only heavy silence lingered.
Regia was just moving her feet following my steps, step by step.
It felt like seeing a doll whose soul had left.
"You look low on energy."
"...Pardon?"
"You've been looking unwell constantly these days. Are you perhaps sick somewhere?"
"N-No... I think it's just because I haven't been sleeping well."
"You must have had trouble sleeping for a whole week then."
"......"
In the end, I opened my mouth first.
Regia rolled her eyes as if looking for an excuse, then soon mumbled in a shrinking voice.
"I-I'm really okay... It's just that studies have been hard lately, so fatigue has built up without me realizing."
"Hmm~ Is that so?"
"Y-Yes..."
The protagonist nodding her head timidly.
Though the girl was saying she was fine, I knew it was a poor lie.
She looked quite down even at a glance.
'It's probably because of what happened in the abandoned laboratory.'
She must be feeling disgusted with her powerless self.
It was a frequent occurrence in the original work too.
The weakness of not being able to properly handle her ability.
Though she had the power to protect others, she couldn't produce results due to her fragile nature.
It was truly like giving a famous sword to a scarecrow.
[I couldn't do anything.]
The coward blamed herself every time.
She was a child who found it easier to hate herself than to shift responsibility to others.
It was a nature destined to live in wounds for life.
It seemed to be the same this time too.
The girl was blaming herself.
That she had almost caused those around her to suffer terribly due to her own incompetence.
Bad thoughts gnawed at her heart.
'She must be afraid.'
Regia had hardly grown at all.
This was also true.
Because she had avoided most of the tragedies that occurred in the original work.
The villainess's bullying had all but disappeared now, and she didn't live as an outcast unable to adapt to the academy.
She wasn't dragged away by the monster in the midterm exam.
She didn't build a tragic connection with Anne because she didn't go to Belzen.
It was truly a smooth flow.
'Perhaps it was because of me.'
Pain promotes growth.
In other words, growth always requires a certain amount of pain.
The protagonist needed an opportunity.
An opportunity to stand up alone overcoming pain.
'If such an event is needed... I can find it directly.'
This world ultimately flows according to the choices of the protagonist's group.
Though I can control many parts now, it was their role to conclude the story at the ending.
This is something even the liar's ability can't touch.
Therefore, my role was that of a guide.
A guide helping wanderers walk on the right path.
"Miss Regia."
I held a bright smile.
If you want to change, I was willing to find you an opportunity.
"Do you perhaps have any plans for the weekend?"
"Huh? P-Plans?"
"I was wondering if you had any busy matters."
"Nothing special. But why are you suddenly asking about plans...?"
"You said you're stressed because of studies. How about going out for some fresh air together? As a change of mood."
"Huh...?"
There was a place we could go together.
An event where I could expect Regia's growth.
I smiled mischievously with my eyes.
"It's a date request."
Let's try raising the protagonist a bit.
***
A few days later.
We met each other on the academy street.
Despite coming out earlier than the promised time, Regia was already peeking around.
When our eyes met, we exchanged light greetings.
"You were already out?"
"You came out early too, Young Master."
"I was looking forward to today too much. Time spent alone with Miss Regia is always good."
"Uugh... Sh-Shall we go then?"
Regia lowering her head as if embarrassed.
It seemed she was nervous.
I smiled unconsciously at that fresh reaction.
I took the hand of the girl who couldn't stay still and led the way as if telling her to follow.
"I'll guide you. I know this area well."
"Ah... Y-Yes!"
We crossed the plaza like that.
As we walked along the long stretching path, we soon left behind the familiar academy scenery.
It soon transformed into a new atmosphere.
Galimar doesn't just have academy buildings.
As it had a scale comparable to a decent-sized city, there were also numerous commercial areas and convenience facilities centered around the main building.
Shops, restaurants, theaters, blacksmiths, etc... Various entertainments existed.
More precisely, it was part of the academy called the 'outer district'.
"Wow...!"
Regia marveling at the splendid background.
It seemed to be her first time coming out to the outer district.
"Shall we fill our stomachs first?"
"Yes!"
"Let's have a simple lunch. I know a good street stall, I hope Miss Regia likes it too."
"If it's somewhere Y-Young Master goes......"
"It's right there."
In the direction I pointed, there was an old shop standing.
It was a street stall run by a white-haired old man.
Regia tilted her head as if surprised.
"Is that... Plania skewer?"
"Do you perhaps know what kind of food it is?"
"I know. When I was traveling the continent alone, I came across it being sold in a village I encountered by chance."
"Hooh."
We each held a skewer in our hands.
It looked similar to chicken skewer on the outside.
A dish made by grilling a bird called Plania thoroughly, then finishing by brushing on a sweet sauce.
It was a food difficult to find easily in the empire.
"......"
Plania meat grilled to a golden brown.
Regia who had been standing still soon brought the warm skewer to her mouth.
Crunch-.
"...!"
The girl's eyes widened as if surprised by the taste.
Did she like it?
I who had been watching her reaction also took a bite.
Crunch-.
The well-cooked skin shattered with a loud noise.
Right after, rich meat juices burst out.
The dense meat aroma lingering at the tip of my nose, and the characteristic spicy sauce wrapped around the tip of my tongue.
It was a strange texture.
The skin was clearly that of chicken, but the meat was closer to pork.
Especially the rich flavor was excellent.
'It's delicious even though I'm eating it for the first time.'
It was a street stall that Regia in the original work frequently visited like a regular.
I brought her thinking she might like it in reality too, and it seemed to be a great success.
It even suited my taste.
"How is it, Miss Regia?"
"It's de-delicious...! Much better than the Plania skewer I ate before!"
"That's good."
The girl chewing with a relaxed expression.
A pleased smile formed involuntarily.
I unconsciously stroked her pink hair and ordered a few more Plania skewers.
I wanted to feed her a lot since she liked it so much.
"Shall we go somewhere else after the meal?"
"Yes...!"
We walked around the wide streets.
Though it was an outing aimed at a growth event, I also wanted to spend time together incidentally.
It was the first time we had come out to the outer district together like this.
"Th-There's so much."
"Huhu... Shall we experience them one by one?"
It seemed to have been quite enjoyable.
We watched a theater performance, browsed items in shops, and even bought weapons hanging in a blacksmith's.
Time passed like an arrow.
"I knew about the outer district, but... I didn't know there were so many things like this."
"Learning new things is always enjoyable."
Before we knew it, the sky was in the evening.
Scenery gradually dyeing red.
I realized it was about time.
I led the girl towards today's final destination.
It was a path untouched by people, located somewhat on the outskirts of even the outer district.
"Shall we look at this place last?"
An old shop located in a remote place.
The building with traces of time clearly imprinted on it stood alone in the empty surroundings.
It felt somewhat eerie too.
"There's a shop even in such a remote place...?"
"It seems there will be many good items."
Various odds and ends were piled up inside.
Items displayed more neatly than expected.
It looked as if someone had managed them one by one.
We peeked around looking for the shop owner, but no particular presence could be found.
"It seems no one's here..."
"They seem to have stepped out for a moment. Since it's like this, shall we look at the items?"
There were many miscellaneous items.
It seemed to be a shop mainly selling antiques rather than a general store.
Old magic tools, emblems with erased patterns, crystals crackling from age, etc.
There didn't seem to be any particularly precious items.
Until Regia picked up something.
"This is...?"
The girl fiddling with a book as if bewitched.
It was a book covered in old leather.
The title [How to Cross the Desert] was engraved in golden letters on the cover.
"Miss Regia?"
As expected.
So you choose that.
"This book... feels strange somehow."
"What do you mean by strange?"
"I-I don't know well either. It feels like mana is faintly trembling..."
Summoners are basically sensitive to mana.
The concept of summoning itself required delicate manipulation.
It seemed the book caught her eye due to this characteristic.
Regia who had been brushing the cover as if scanning the mana soon unconsciously turned a page.
Right at that moment.
Beeeep-!
"...?!"
Along with an intense ringing in their ears, light began to pour out from the book.
The scenery dyed brilliantly in an instant.
The flashing light not only swallowed the shop but also completely covered the children's vision in white.
There wasn't even time to react.
"Y-Young Master...!"
A flustered voice rang in my ears.
I muttered while feeling my consciousness drifting away in real time.
'Is it starting?'
A growth event.
I slightly twisted the corners of my mouth.
The opened page drew us into the story.
I obediently entrusted my body to that flow.
'There's only one chance.'
Following that.
My vision blacked out.
***
When we regained consciousness again.
What greeted us was a scorching sun beating down.
"Wh-Where on earth is this...?"
Regia looking around hurriedly.
Sand not yet shaken off was still stuck to her sleeves.
I muttered quietly.
"...It seems we've arrived properly."
Hot heat.
The texture of sand felt on the ground.
Scenery covered entirely in gold.
We had fallen in the middle of a desert.
[EP???. How to Cross the Desert]
-A Door Opening in the Sky, A Boy Spending the Night with Stars-
It was the start of a hidden episode.