Chapter 17
Silence hung in the air for a while. I could not understand Seria’s intentions.
Was she angry? In a sense, I had dragged her into my personal fight. Seria and Emma had no connection, after all.
Or perhaps it was simply a question. That was entirely possible for Seria. She was indifferent to most things besides the sword, and even more inept when it came to matters involving human relationships.
Unable to find a clear answer, I hesitated for a moment with my gaze turned aside. But in the end, what slipped from my lips was an honest feeling stripped of all pretense.
“……I don’t know either.”
That was my true feeling, spoken with a sigh.
To be honest, I did not know. I did not know why I had become so obsessed with the letter from the future.
It might have been a sense of duty, or perhaps a sense of responsibility. But none of those motives was entirely pure. Perhaps I had been ruled by such feelings from the moment I heard that Emma had collapsed.
Guilt, and beyond that, anger.
It was the only act of atonement that could wash away my guilt toward the beast that had hurt Emma.
It was revenge.
Of course, it was a foolish judgment. Killing the magical beast that emerged from the forest would not guarantee that Emma would rise again.
Perhaps things would be different if I offered a valuable sacrifice and received a miracle from the god Arus. But Emma, her father, and I had no room for anything of the sort.
I knew. I knew perfectly well that it was a meaningless emotion.
But how could I pretend not to know? I had failed to stop Emma, failed to protect her, and failed to warn her more firmly about the contents of the letter.
If I had done so, perhaps things would have turned out less horribly. But the scene from that day was still vivid in my mind.
The sight of the wailing villager—Emma’s father screamed as though his last hope had been torn from his grasp. That memory overlapped with the gentle smile Emma always wore.
It would be a lie to say I was not suffering. No, I was still suffering even now. My chest prickled, and a heavy guilt seemed to press quietly down on my lungs.
I quietly bit my lip and took a sip from my canteen. Only a little water remained inside.
“But it’s true that I came all the way here to look for the magical beast. If it attacks the students again, there could be casualties.”
“So is that why you chose me?”
Another question, tossed at me as she stared intently.
That was probably the question Seria had truly wanted to ask. Bold, and even arrogant.
Seria was a skilled swordswoman. That meant she would be a tremendous asset when facing a magical beast. She would certainly be more useful than Selin, who was only around my level.
Since the word ‘friend’ was unfamiliar to her, she questioned it once more and reasoned out the possibilities.
For a woman who would one day stand in a high position, that was a virtue as well. But today, it was a needless suspicion.
I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. My plan had never involved fighting.
“Of course not. I know my limits. Facing a magical beast with my current abilities would be dangerous. And I have no intention of forcing you to take that risk either.”
If that had been my plan, I would have explained it to Seria beforehand and politely asked for her understanding. No matter how skilled a swordswoman was, facing a magical beast was a matter of risking one’s life.
Our opponents were monsters filled with hostility toward humanity. One misstep would naturally mean death.
Yet Seria still seemed hesitant. With difficulty, she parted her lips.
“……But just now, you said you didn’t know.”
“I do want to kill the magical beast.”
I said that as I rose to my feet. It was almost time to end our rest. When I patted down my trouser cuffs, the fluff-like seeds clinging to them scattered.
“But wanting to do something and being able to do it are different. Someone like me has to distinguish between the two if he wants to survive.”
Seria still looked unconvinced by my answer. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment before asking me,
“Is it because we’re friends?”
I did not ask, “What is?” It was fairly obvious whom she was referring to.
She meant Emma. To explain why I was so obsessed with the magical beast in the forest, Emma’s existence was indispensable.
Seria was looking to Emma for the cause of my feelings. Of course, my circumstances were a little more complicated.
If there was a love letter from the future, Emma had been attacked exactly as described in that letter, and another attack was scheduled for today’s practical session?
I did not want to experience regret again. I was tired of sitting blankly beside the bed of an injured friend hovering between life and death.
I could not explain that entire long story to Seria. If she listened to me, she might reach the same conclusion as Leto and Selin—that there was something wrong with my mind.
So I merely asked Seria in return,
“What do you think?”
“……?”
Seria seemed startled by the question thrown back at her, and stared at me without a word.
Her eyes asked what I meant, so I gave her a slight smile and asked again,
“What do you think would happen if a magical beast attacked me? And if I were severely injured and left hovering between life and death?”
Only then did Seria seem to realize what I meant. With a small “Ah,” she fell into thought.
She tilted her head this way and that with her eyes closed. It was an adorable side of her she had never shown before. Perhaps she had never been so deeply lost in thought in front of me.
It was that difficult a question. Seria remained lost in thought for a long while before finally saying,
“……I think I’d be a little angry.”
It was an answer that pleased me. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was calm yet chilly.
That look answered for her. As though I had expected it, I walked on and patted her shoulder a few times.
“Right. That means we’re friends.”
“Being friends……”
Seria looked dazed, as though she had only just realized it. The words ‘being friends’ spilled from her lips again and again.
It was the first proof of friendship she had ever received. Perhaps it felt new to her.
Of course, she would grow accustomed to it with time. Seria was an exceptional woman in appearance, ability, and background. If she only developed some social skills, people who wanted to be her friend would line up.
I watched Seria like that for a moment, then subtly turned my gaze away and looked around us.
The forest was still quiet. It was only midday, yet I could not even hear the chirping of insects. It was enough to make me doubt the letter’s claim that a magical beast would attack us.
Would it really come?
Perhaps I had been overreacting. Even so, a letter from seven years in the future? Wasn’t that taking a joke too far?
Emma’s incident might also have been nothing more than a coincidence.
As the Hunting Festival approached, the number of magical beasts appearing in the forest increased. It was possible that one of them had simply attacked Emma by chance.
A cowardly part of me hoped that was all it was.
I was merely the second son of a rural viscount. I had neither an impressive background nor remarkable abilities. Talk of the world ending, or of a friend being injured because I had failed to tell her the contents of the letter in advance, was far too heavy and painful for me.
Yet another part of me was waiting for the magical beast attack with every sense on edge.
This was beyond logic, rationality, or reason. An animal instinct was telling me that I must not ignore the letter—and that was why Emma had collapsed like that.
Which of the two was right would soon become clear.
A tiny rustle.
My senses had grown sharper since I lost my memories, and I had also been keeping my nerves taut, which was why I could detect the faint disturbance. But the moment I sensed it, my heart began pounding wildly.
It was stalking us. That movement meant it had already noticed Seria and me. Otherwise, it would never have approached with its breathing held so carefully.
Seria was still muttering the word ‘friend’ and had just begun to smile softly, so I jabbed her in the side.
Poke. My finger sank into her soft skin. Seria jumped and looked at me in surprise, but when I raised my index finger to my lips, she quickly closed her mouth.
Her gaze grew serious. As she closed her eyes and spread out her sense of presence, her expression gradually darkened.
“So far, I don’t sense anything unusual…… No, one? Two? Four?”
With each word she spoke, the number she uttered grew larger. A chill ran through me as I listened.
There was more than one. They were magical beasts, yet they were acting as a group.
They must have devised the audacious plan of attacking the academy students. There were several of them, while the students in today’s practical session were moving around in pairs.
Even if she had been distracted, Seria was still Seria. Since even she had initially been unsure of their presence, most of the students participating in today’s practical session would not notice the magical beasts at all.
There was no need to imagine what the outcome would be.
It would be a bloodbath. Perhaps Seria had reached the same conclusion as I had, because she lowered her voice and moved her hand toward the sword at her waist.
“Senior Ian, should we strike first?”
It was an eminently reasonable suggestion. The enemies had noticed us, but they had not realized that we had noticed them as well.
If we were going to fight, striking first would always be advantageous. The forest was already an unfavorable battlefield. We had to do whatever we could to tip the scales, even slightly, in our favor.
Seria had participated in magical beast subjugation operations several times. Her judgment was sound.
That is, assuming the goal was to exterminate the magical beasts.
I shook my head.
“No, there’s no need. There are too many of them. Even you could get hurt.”
Seria, who had looked ready to spring forward at any moment, stopped short. Her puzzled gaze turned toward me.
“But then, what should we……”
“We should run.”
It was an answer without even a hint of hesitation.
That only made Seria stare at me even more blankly. It was the absurd expression of someone hearing an option she had never even considered.
But to me, it was an entirely rational decision.
Why should we take the risk unnecessarily? I immediately tried to persuade Seria.
“I told you there’s no reason for me to take a risk. We have no reason to fight those magical beasts. They’re still some distance away, so we can run quickly and tell Professor Derek.”
That would be the end of it. After that, Professor Derek would step in, and the legendary magical beast hunter would demonstrate his considerable skill by chopping off the beasts’ heads one after another.
The risk was low, and the effect would be certain. There was no reason not to choose this option.
Seria seemed to think my proposal was right as well. Her lips moved as though she meant to argue, but then she pressed them shut.
With a gaze that still could not entirely dispel her hesitation, she merely murmured,
“But……”
“Seria, this isn’t the time to protect your pride.”
Running away was shameful for a swordswoman, regardless of the era or region. But what else could we do? Pride could not be exchanged for one’s life. That was common sense as well.
Seria could not easily shake off her hesitation. But the moment she met my eyes, filled with firm resolve, she had no choice but to nod as though she had accepted that it could not be helped.
No one could get hurt. That was the only wish I had left.
“……I under-stand.”
She still looked displeased, but Seria seemed to have decided to follow me for now.
From far away, I could feel the presence of the magical beasts drawing closer. Seria and I began running with our presence suppressed.
The magical beasts failed to notice our movement for a while. But at some point, perhaps deciding that too much distance had opened up between us, they began a full-fledged pursuit.
By then, we had already put considerable distance between ourselves and the beasts. No matter how fast they were, the forest had finite boundaries. If we kept running like this, Professor Derek would notice us soon.
All we had to do until then was act as bait so the magical beasts could not attack the other students. That would complete my plan.
An incident in which no one was hurt, and which would become nothing more than a story to tell over drinks in the future.
That was how it should have been.
“Ah, ngh……!”
If Seria, running beside me, had not stopped with a faint groan.
She clutched her ankle. The spot looked strangely familiar. I immediately recalled the scene I had witnessed several days ago.
Seria twisting her ankle and being unable to move properly.
My heart turned cold.
No matter how many healing potions she used, the fatigue in her joints would not disappear completely. I had told her that was dangerous several times.
A curse nearly escaped my lips, but Seria’s condition came first. I hurried toward her with a desperate look in my eyes.
Seria had collapsed to the ground, groaning. The pain she could not hide was written plainly across her face.
“Seria, are you all right?”
“Go on ahead, ngh…… Go on ahead, Senior Ian.”
I stared blankly at her for a moment. What was she talking about?
Telling me to go on ahead meant that she could no longer move any faster. It was her way of saying she would not become a burden.
But the problem was that if her injury was severe enough to prevent her from running, she would have to give up her mobility in a fight as well.
There was no need to explain how disadvantageous it was to move unnaturally. And in that condition, she intended to fight not one magical beast, but several?
It was impossible. It was no different from saying she intended to die. I shouted in frustration,
“Are you crazy? Even you can’t fight if you can’t use your leg……”
“It’s my fault.”
Seria’s answer was unnaturally calm. That made me fall silent.
Her eyes looked resigned. Even so, her hand groped for the hilt of the sword at her waist, as though she would not simply let them kill her.
“I suppose I have to take responsibility. I have that much decency, Senior Ian.”
In its own way, it was a fair point.
I had warned her that using healing potions would put strain on her ankle joint. But Seria was the one who had ignored me and continued to overexert herself in training.
She was already a swordswoman. Naturally, she had to take responsibility for what she had done. It was a valid argument, but I could not bring myself to leave her.
No, was it truly her responsibility?
Come to think of it, wasn’t I the one who had dragged her into this?
A chill ran down my spine. Emma and her father flashed before my eyes. Regret and guilt.
And revenge.
Like a fuse being lit, a flame of emotion devoured memories stained with remorse. I was desperate. Hadn’t I taken up my sword and come here so that I would not regret anything again?
My eyes quietly fixed on the path ahead.
I could feel it. They were gradually drawing closer.
There was no time left.
“Seria, can you walk?”
“If you put on a splint, somehow…… So don’t worry too much……”
“Go on ahead.”
My subdued voice left Seria speechless. She frowned slightly and asked again as though she had misheard me.
“……What?”
“I said go on ahead. I’ll stay behind as bait.”
But I had already made up my mind. There was no tremor in my voice. I was merely steadying my breathing and gauging the presence of the magical beasts approaching from far away.
Seria stared at me blankly for a moment, then shook her head. She meant that she could not do it. Her voice grew urgent.
“I can’t do that. It’s my fault! I’ll take responsibility too……”
“Seria.”
I rose and walked toward the direction from which the magical beasts were approaching.
If I had to fight, I needed to strike first. This was the first time I had ever risked my life in battle. Even so, my heart was strangely calm.
It made no sense. Ever since I received that letter, everything had been thrown into chaos.
Who had I been while I was missing my memories? Why had my senses grown sharper? And why was my heart so peaceful even with a fight to the death approaching?
Leaving all those unsolvable questions behind, I turned my head slightly and looked at Seria.
She had forgotten even the pain in her ankle and was waiting for my answer. I decided to remember that dazed expression for a long time.
“Friends don’t say things like that to each other.”
With those words, I started running straight ahead. The magical beasts were approaching. I had to secure a suitable position.
I heard Seria calling my name from behind, but I ignored her. She would soon realize that the best thing she could do was flee and tell Professor Derek about what was happening.
Before facing the magical beasts, I reached into my coat.
I felt it. The firm texture unique to a potion bottle.
I thought of Emma once more. And of her father, who had collapsed as though crumbling, his face pale.
The magical beasts were drawing closer.