After a lunch break filled with countless thoughts,
We checked the school map and began moving to our next class.
“…Huff… Huff! “
“……….”
“…Ugh… Ah, fu*k! Why the hell is this damn academy so freaking huge?!”
“…We haven’t even been walking for ten minutes.”
“That’s plenty! …Shit, my legs hurt.”
A new fact I learned today:
Kiana Edenweiss had even worse stamina than I had expected.
Since the game always focused on her death scenes, I never really noticed. But every time I discovered little details like this, it felt strangely surreal.
“Hey, what the hell are you laughing at? You think this is funny?”
“…I wasn’t laughing.”
“Bullshit! Move your hand away from your mouth, you little shit!!”
Thwack! Thwack!
…Her stamina is garbage, but why the hell does her punch hurt so much?
“You wanna get hit again?”
“I sincerely apologize.”
Perhaps she lacked the energy for more bickering because, after raising her fist, she simply lowered it again and started walking.
And once more, only the sound of her ragged breathing echoed between us.
With stamina that bad, she was bound to suffer for a while.
“…Haa, seriously! When the hell are we gonna get there?!”
“Mm, I’d say about five more minutes?”
“That’s way too fu*king far!!”
With every step she took, she kept cursing under her breath.
It was a relief that the weather was at least chilly. If it had been summer, she would have already been a cold corpse.
“Haah… haah… This place is seriously just needlessly huge…”
“Well, at least the facilities are great. There are pros and cons. Aren’t the alchemy tools here all state-of-the-art?”
“…Hehe, yeah, I really liked that part.”
Look at that.
The moment alchemy was mentioned, she grinned like an idiot—
“…You just insulted me, didn’t you?”
“……No?”
Thwack!
…Did she learn mind-reading or something?
Seriously, was she really incapable of using aura? It felt like my bones had cracked.
***
After what felt like an endless walk, we finally arrived at the research building where the alchemy class was held.
From the entrance alone, an array of cutting-edge magical tools was on display, leaving us gaping in awe as we stepped inside.
As we passed through the alchemy-dedicated section, Kiana who had looked utterly exhausted just moments ago suddenly lit up with excitement.
Before us stood a brilliantly displayed plant.
“…Holy shit! That’s a Kikilain flower! They say it’s grown in only a handful of places in northern Eldon! Just one of these is worth five platinum coins!”
“One flower costs five platinum coins…? This is a Kikilain flower?”
“Mhmm! It’s the highest-grade ingredient used in mana recovery potions!”
The flower had green-tinted petals intertwined like tangled stems.
I knew about Kikilain flowers as well. In the game, they were a key ingredient in crafting potions, which were one of the most valuable consumables in the late stages.
The problem was that in the game, there had never been an illustration of this flower, so I had never actually known what it looked like.
And now, I was beating myself up over it.
Shit, if I had known this would happen, I should’ve just accepted it when that elf bastard tried to give it to me as a gift…
Back then, he had gone on and on about it being a farewell present or whatever, making a whole dramatic scene, and I had flat-out rejected it, saying I didn’t need it.
I absolutely loathed my past self for pulling such a stupid stunt.
The image of all the riches that had slipped through my fingers haunted me.
Five platinum coins… that’s 5,000 gold coins… or 500,000 silver coins? Fu*k my life.
With that much money, I could’ve at least paid off about ten percent of the debt I owed Professor Chen Xi.
“Hey, Ain! Hurry up! If we don’t move, class is gonna start!”
I swallowed my regret along with unshed tears and reluctantly forced my unwilling legs to move at Kiana’s urging.
***
[History and Foundations of Magical Engineering]
The words were boldly inscribed on the classroom door, confirming that we had arrived at the right place.
Judging by the sounds of movement beyond the door, quite a few students had already taken their seats.
Kiana who had been walking ahead reached for the door.
At that exact moment, someone else placed their hand on it as well.
“Huh?”
“…Ah, I’m sorry.”
The person flinched the moment their hand brushed against Kiana’s before hastily pulling away while apologizing.
With their hunched shoulders and trembling posture, they looked exactly like a frightened little hamster.
…And they had a very familiar face.
The blazing red hair was a clear symbol of the imperial family.
Still shaking like a leaf, she locked eyes with me who had been standing behind Kiana.
Her expression instantly froze.
“…….”
“…….”
“…Huh?”
An awkward silence, one I had unfortunately grown used to, briefly settled over us.
Kiana who was caught between the strange tension flowing between us glanced back and forth between me and her before tilting her head in confusion.
“What the hell is—hey, Ain!”
I quickly walked past her and entered the classroom first.
Ignoring Kiana’s voice as she reluctantly followed me inside, I slipped into an empty seat to avoid any further awkward encounters.
As expected, Kiana plopped down right beside me.
“Hey, Ain. What the hell was that just now? Wasn’t that lady the princess? Don’t tell me you two actually know each other…?”
“……….”
“Oh, come on, why are you playing mute again? Seriously, don’t tell me you and the princess—”
“It’s been a while, Ain.”
A familiar voice cut through Kiana’s questioning.
It was soft and gave off the same untainted innocence I remembered from the old days.
And yet, what made it distinctly different from back then was the faint hostility laced within it.
“…I don’t believe we’re on terms to be exchanging greetings.”
“……That’s… true.”
“……….”
“……….”
And just like that, our conversation fizzled out.
The princess had always been timid and not much of a talker, and with Kiana sitting right beside me, I found it difficult to speak freely as well.
If I were alone, it might have been a different story, but with Kiana’s presence, it was an awkward situation where even putting on a façade felt tricky.
The weight of two gazes lingering on me was more suffocating than I would have liked.
Creak—!
“Hello, everyone~ I’m Hallen Einers, and I’ll be your Professor for Magical Engineering from now on.”
A middle-aged woman I was familiar with stepped through the classroom door once more.
It was Professor Hallen, the professor in charge of our class.
Perhaps it was a butterfly effect from the death of the Fourth Prince, but for some reason, the professor teaching Magical Engineering had changed to her.
After greeting the class, Professor Hallen scanned the students before her gaze inevitably landed on us.
“Hmm, well, since today is the first day… let’s start with a simple group activity, shall we?”
.
.
.
Wait, what?
“Pair up in groups of three with the people closest to you! For now—”
At those words, I quickly lifted my head and glanced around.
However, no matter how I looked at it, the only ones sitting in this secluded corner were the three of us.
…I seriously fu*king hate this.
Uncomfortable encounters like this had never once gone my way.
***
Kiana Edenvice felt incredibly uneasy about the current situation.
She had been enjoying the Magical Engineering class well enough, but the heavy awkwardness pressing in from both sides was impossible to ignore.
With her personality, there was no way she could just sit back and tolerate this suffocating atmosphere.
What the hell is up with these two? They’re staring at each other like mortal enemies.
Even someone as brash as Kiana could pick up on certain things.
They seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, but there wasn’t even a hint of a warm reunion.
And yet… it doesn’t feel like they completely hate each other either.
Ain was always hard to read since he rarely showed his emotions, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking.
But at the very least, the emotions the princess displayed were unmistakable.
She kept sneaking glances at Ain. Her eyes were filled with longing and sorrow, yet at the same time, betrayal and hostility coiled around them.
It was enough to make Kiana’s suspicions run wild.
…Wait. Ain, you bastard. Did you seriously cheat on the princess or something?
But was that even possible? A commoner and a member of the imperial family…. how could they have had any kind of romantic entanglement in the first place?
At that moment, a story her mother had told her as a child suddenly resurfaced in her mind. An old story about an adventurer’s forbidden affair with royalty.
And once that indecent story took hold, she couldn’t help but picture Ain in the role of the shameless, womanizing rogue.
A shameless, cheating, beast of a man.
…Oh, come on.
Kiana’s face flushed red before she even realized it.
“Ain.”
“…Mhmm?”
“You’re an absolute piece of trash.”
“…Huh?”
***
Rustle—rustle—
The sound of pages turning filled the room.
Other than that, only the faint scribbling of a pen could be heard.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“Mm~ It’s me.”
“…Ah, Lady Lily.”
The door to the headmistress’s office opened, and a familiar silhouette stepped inside.
She crunched a piece of candy and strolled forward with her blue hair swaying with each step.
“Ugh—geez! Ugh, there’s a mountain of papers on my desk.”
“…Lady Lily, please don’t sit on the desk.”
“Oh, come on. It’s my office anyway, and it’s just you here, Sharine.”
“…….”
Sharine started to say something but pressed her lips together instead.
No matter what responsibilities she handled, the real headmistress wasn’t her; it was Lily.
And no matter how much she pointed it out, Lily had no intention of changing her ways.
“Anyway, Lady Lily. Did you find everything you wanted to confirm?”
“Hmm~ well… most of it?”
“In that case—”
“Yeah, before long, the Demon King will be born.”
“…Again?”
At Lily’s words, Sharine tightened her grip around the pen in her hand.
The Demon King’s rebirth. That meant the inevitable clash between the Heroes and the Demon King was drawing near.
Vivid memories of the horrific sights she had witnessed over her centuries-long life as a witch resurfaced in her mind.
“…Once again, everyone will be hurt. Both the Heroes and the Demon King.”
“Yeah. When the real trash that needs to be taken out is someone else entirely.”
“…….”
Sharine quietly watched her master, who was leisurely licking a piece of candy.
“…? Lady Lily, did something good happen?”
“Hmm? Not really. Why?”
“Your smile seems even brighter than usual today.”
What they had just discussed was by no means a lighthearted matter.
Even if it was something beyond their control, her master would normally have been endlessly contemplating alternative solutions.
And yet, for some reason, she seemed unusually carefree today.
At Sharine’s question, Lily let out a small chuckle, pulled out a new piece of candy, and spoke.
“Well, who knows? Maybe this time will be different~?”
“…Huh?”
“I saw a possibility. In a certain child.”
She put the new candy in her mouth and remembered him—
The one and only boy who wasn’t bound by the laws of the world. The one with the potential to defy fate.
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