Chương 225: Chapter 12: “Yu Talks a Little About the Past”

'Kill me.' Why.

'Yu. It's you. If only you weren't here...! Hikari wouldn't have died!' Why.

'I... didn't intend... for this...!' Why.

'Because it's fate.' You are.

'I merely lent a hand.' You alone.

'Choose the life of your friend. Or choose everything else. It's a simple binary choice.' I won't forgive you.

'Let's see—I'll call myself Al for now.'

"......"... Again. The worst awakening. My whole body feels sticky. I was drenched in night sweats. It seems I kicked off the blanket in my sleep. But that didn't matter. The sunlight streaming in through the window was dazzling, so I covered my eyes with my arm. Somehow, I felt like staying like this forever. But it's always at times like this. I heard the sound of knocking on the window glass. A woman's voice called from outside.

"Hey. Yu. Wake up."

"... What. It's Teacher Inea. This is the boys' dorm." Besides, the window you're knocking on is on the third floor.

"Don't 'what' me. Good grief, you. Someone came all the way to invite you, and you're so cold."

"If it's an invitation for a date, I refuse."

"Unfortunately, I have someone I hold dear."

"That's news to me." I didn't feel like moving, so I used magic to unlock the window. She entered without hesitation. I felt lethargic, but I managed to sit up. After looking around the bleak room with almost no belongings, she faced me. Suddenly, her expression changed to one of concern.

"What's wrong? You look pale."

"It's nothing. It's always like this when I wake up." Then Inea chuckled softly as if exasperated.

"You seem good at reading others' hearts, but bad at hiding your own."

"Seems so. I thought I was good at it, but lately, there are many who barge in with muddy shoes." Like you and Alice.

"Why don't you be more honest?"

"I think I'm doing it honestly enough." Inea sighed and sat down next to me on the bed. Putting her hand on her knee, she stared at my face.

"You should rely on your master." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I'm not good at being stared at. I inadvertently looked away.

"Besides, I never acknowledged you as my master."

"You should learn how to be spoiled a little more."

"I forgot how to be spoiled."

"Shall I remind you?" Suddenly, she embraced my shoulders and pulled me close. My face was buried in her chest. The warmth of human skin. Mixed with the scent of a woman, there was a faint scent of the forest. Touching her, my strangely rough heart seemed to calm down. It's unfair. Creatures called women. Because they can give comfort just with this.

"... What are you doing?"

"Speak. You can pretend you're talking to a wall."

"Quite a meddlesome wall."

"Say what you want." Rejection here would be rather pathetic. Without raising my face, I began to speak in that state.

"Just a little. I was remembering the past."

"Hoh."

"I had two best friends." Mirai and Hikari.

"We were together all the time. I had no family or relatives left, but I was happy when I was with these two." I thought I could go anywhere with them. But.

"Both died. I killed them."

"You mentioned that. Why?"

"I had no choice but to kill them. If I didn't... the one who would have died was me." Inea said nothing. Instead, she pressed her face against my shoulder and hugged me with both arms. I clenched my fist tightly.

"There is a guy who toyed with fate." As if confirming my feelings again, I said.

"There is a guy I want to take revenge on no matter what."

"Yu... You are..." I made a self-deprecating smile.

"It's in the past. I haven't been able to meet him since then—and the opportunity to meet him is gone." While saying that, I thought of a possibility.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"No. I thought maybe he might be a FabL too." An atmosphere extremely far removed from ordinary people. A cruel and cold heart. Al. He couldn't be an ordinary human. There was something that made me think so.

"I see... Then, the reason you seek power is..." I shook my head vaguely.

"Maybe I'm scared." Always. Uncontrollable power. Fate. Slipped through the hands I tried to grasp.

"Becoming a FabL is one thing. But I feel like some great fate is controlling me. I have such a feeling." Surely, a terrible fate. I pulled away from Inea.

"Let's stop here. You shouldn't get too involved with me either. You'll get dragged in."

"Even so, it's my will. You don't have to worry about it."

"I do worry." It was a word that slipped out, but she didn't miss it. She smiled somewhat happily.

"Fufu. I feel like I understand you a little better." I'm troubled if you think you understand on your own. Good grief.

"Can I talk a little about myself too?"

"Do as you please."

"I am. A half-breed of Nesla and human. An Abomination." I've read about it in a book. Nesla is a race that values insularity and pure blood. Half-breeds who cannot feel the voice of the forest are hated as abominations.

"Exiled from the village at a young age. In the great nature, I should have died helplessly alone. The one who appeared in such a place and trained and raised me from scratch was my master." She seems to be recalling those days with her eyes slightly downcast. Perhaps due to my ability, a vague image is transmitted. A large man with black hair. Jilph Arise. The figure of her as an innocent girl with braids, being led around the world by his hard, rugged hand. Gradually growing up into a healthy girl.

'Master! I caught a fish! Let's eat together!'

'Master! I finished ten thousand swings! What should I do next?'

'Master. How is this outfit? Does it suit me...'

'Master. I tried cooking, won't you try it?'... Or rather, you were this cute. Why are you so tough now?... I'll keep silent.

"But Master went missing along with the sinking Edel—and I was alone again."

"I see. So the person you hold dear is."

"Heh. After all, I'm a woman left behind. But even someone like me found a place in this town. Though it took time." Having said that, she had pride based on her own experience.

"Yu. Try interacting with people more. Time might solve some things."

"Maybe." I don't know if this wound will ever heal.

"I can lend you my chest anytime."

"Leave me alone." I feel like the conversation has derailed quite a bit before I knew it.

"By the way, what's your business?"

"Ah. That's right. You know about the Sacris Swordsman Corps, don't you?"

"Sort of." In Sacris, something like a vigilante group has existed since ancient times. The Magic Corps and the Swordsman Corps. They are popular employment destinations for graduates of the Sacris Magic Academy and Sword Academy, respectively. In peacetime, they patrol the city and conduct training every day without fail. During big events like the Stardust Festival held annually in this town, they also engage in security. Of course, in times of emergency, they take the lead in dealing with the situation.

Naturally, it's not as large as the total military force of the capital, but numerous nobles, starting with the Ozbein family, Argus's birthplace, provide human resources and funds, making it a considerable scale for a single town to maintain.

"Actually. I'm occasionally asked by the Swordsman Corps to go teach Qi Sword Art."

"Heh."

"Their memory isn't very good, but they are quite motivated fellows. They're cute." Rather than their memory not being good, I feel like it can't be helped. Qi Sword Art is a power comparable to magic, but the difficulty of learning it is considerably high. It seems Sacris Sword Academy used to be a Qi Sword Academy in the past, but due to its extreme difficulty, popularity concentrated on magic, which can be learned easily.

In the end, it has mostly died out now, and the situation is such that only Inea's Qi Sword Art Department remains.

"And so."

"And so. Today is that instruction day. Since we're at it, I thought I'd like you to come teach Qi Sword Art too."

"Huh?"