One hour later, inside the classroom where the basic swordsmanship class would be held.
Reina and I sat with a desk between us.
There was no one else around.
“Aike, your Highness.”
“…Sorry for talking about you earlier.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to people discussing me. You’re probably the same, right?”
“Not quite.”
Being the heir of the second duke house definitely makes one the subject of conversation, so I understood Reina’s point well.
“So, is that why you called me?”
“To hand this over to you.”
Reina reached into her pocket and took something out to hand it to me.
“A letter?”
“Yes. It’s a letter Anna sent to you when she left Rozelia.”
“…Anna?”
Reina quietly nodded her head.
In the corner of the letter, it clearly said, “To Aike.”
“Couldn’t she have just sent it through the magical mailbox?”
Anna’s departure was part of my training to expand my magical pathways.
In that case, she should have had plenty of time to send it.
“It was written in my letter that no matter what, I must deliver it to you in person.”
Could it be a letter that shouldn’t be shown to others?
The magical mailbox is a magical tool that can easily be interfered with by others.
Of course, such things are rare, but I couldn’t wholly dismiss the potential risk.
We always used honorifics in our letters, keeping that in mind.
“By any chance, Reina, did you read it?”
Reina gently closed her eyes and slowly shook her head.
“It also said that Anna strictly forbade me from reading it.”
A letter that even Reina shouldn’t read.
I instinctively felt that the reason Anna suddenly vanished would be written inside.
“I considered just disposing of it since I lost contact with you, but I didn’t want to regret that decision later, so I kept it. And now, I’m delivering it to you.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, it might turn out to be just a letter for a secret rendezvous.”
“That won’t happen.”
Reina’s joke caused a wry smile to creep across my face.
It didn’t quite feel like the old days, but was it alright to think that things had improved this much?
“I have to stop by the dormitory for a bit, so I’ll take my leave now. There’s still about an hour before class starts, but be careful; others might come in.”
“Got it.”
After lightly bowing her head, Reina exited the classroom.
I then tore open the seal of the letter Anna sent and slowly unfolded the paper.
The content of the letter was a story I had never imagined.
★
After the first day’s class ended, I headed straight to the Dean’s office without hesitation.
“Ender Dean, may I come in?”
“…Do come in.”
After a brief pause, his permission was granted.
I immediately opened the door and walked inside.
In the middle of the room was a table, and various snacks were laid out on it.
It was just as I expected; his office always welcomed conversations with students.
“So, it’s you, Aike. Did it help a bit?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you. It was a great help.”
When I spoke with Reina in the counseling room that morning, if it hadn’t been a completely isolated space, she wouldn’t have let her emotions out that way at the end.
In places where someone could suddenly appear, Reina always used honorifics, even if it was just the two of us.
“I’m glad it helped. How about Reina?”
“I don’t think she’s completely alright, but I believe she’s doing much better.”
Hearing my response, Ender Dean smiled gently.
I began to understand why he was called a mentor by other students.
“Did you come to report about that?”
“…There’s one more thing. May I ask a favor?”
“Let’s hear it. What’s the request?”
“Please grant me permission for a weekend outing this week.”
In Arcana, you can’t even have a light outing without permission.
And even this permission isn’t easily given.
Most problems could be resolved within Arcana.
The tremendous facilities on the grounds were designed to minimize the need for outings.
Arcana Academy, built for the solid training of talents.
The strict restrictions were to prevent leaks of academy facilities or the lobbying of nobles meeting from the outside.
The fact that the dean of Arcana becomes Raynen’s lord is also a measure to prevent such things.
“Aike. Do you know it’s not easy to go out from Arcana?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m directly requesting it.”
“What’s the purpose?”
“I cannot say.”
“Hah.”
Ender Dean sighed at my unwavering reply.
I knew he was someone I could trust.
But I couldn’t disclose this.
“Is it related to Reina?”
“It isn’t.”
That’s not a lie.
To be precise, it was about Anna.
The outcome just leads to something for Reina.
“Then it’s a no-go. If it were related to Reina, I wouldn’t allow it, and as it stands, there’s nothing to say.”
“I absolutely need to go out this weekend, no matter what.”
“Aike. No matter what you say, my answer won’t change. Even a small exception can bring down a house like a small hole can collapse a structure; one exception leads to the crumbling of the rules we’ve built up.”
Ender Dean’s words were entirely rational, and I couldn’t counter that argument.
But there was a way to obtain permission.
A truly unwanted method, though.
“Miracles come unexpectedly. It’s solely up to you to grasp them.”
As I uttered that phrase, Ender Dean gaped at me with wide eyes.
He looked as though he had witnessed something unbelievable.
“…Where on earth did you hear that?”
“Hmm. I cannot say.”
While deceiving Ender Dean like this, I had no other choice.
I knew I couldn’t get permission from him through ordinary means.
“If you were indeed related to that person, I would know. So, is it still something you can’t say?”
“Yes.”
Because it’s really nothing related at all.
I couldn’t say it was a relationship between a reader and a character.
“…I understand. I’ll grant you permission for a weekend outing just this once. If you are indeed connected to that person, then surely there must be a reason for your request.”
Ender Dean shot me a disapproving look.
I could almost hear the sound of my credibility sinking in his mind.
Feeling a twinge of regret, I bowed my head to Ender Dean and left the office.
In this world, there exists a religion called Martires.
It serves the Creator God Eos and holds immense authority as the sole religion.
Even the Astria Empire finds it nearly impossible to directly interfere with Martires.
And a saintess is a woman chosen by the Creator God Eos.
The phrase I just mentioned is something known by only a select few, and Ender Dean is one of them.
The future recognition of Sophia as a saintess begins with her carelessly muttering that phrase before Ender Dean.
Thus, I really didn’t want to resort to this method.
By uttering this, the future could be entirely twisted.
But I couldn’t stop because of that reason.
From the goal of saving Reina onward, my reason for wanting to go out on the weekend is fundamentally all about changing the future.
I could only guess how much the story would twist.
At the very least, I understood that my actions now could change a lot.
I didn’t feel guilty in the least.
It was only a worry that I might become a nuisance to Sophia.
Which was understandable.
What I was about to do was not only to save Reina and Anna.
Ultimately, it was to prevent countless lives from being lost within Arcana.
★
To Aike.
Hello.
I am Anna Magret, serving as Reina’s personal maid.
However, I believe I will soon be away from Reina’s side, perhaps for a long time.
Initially, I never intended to do this.
I planned to walk alongside Reina and repent.
It was a vow I could not break.
But now, I am contemplating breaking that vow.
The reason is a promise I made with you, Aike.
When I left Heros, you told me.
No matter what, you would protect Reina.
I have to choose between the vow to walk alongside Reina to repent and the promise to protect her.
As silly as it sounds, I must give one up.
To be honest, I wish I could choose both, but if anything were to happen to Reina, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
Therefore, I am going to break the vow.
Lastly, let me tell you a little story from the past.
I was part of an assassin group called Avatarara.
I know this is an abrupt topic.
But I believe you, Aike, reading this letter understands its significance.
Last month, when following you secretly on Reina’s orders in the market.
I was startled by the strong smell of blood coming from your body in a secluded alley.
And you had me report and judge the situation directly.
I was horrified.
Limbs were scattered everywhere, and the cut surface of the neck was so clean, it didn’t show any hesitation.
Initially, I thought it was a murder case.
I thought that you were buying time for an escape by telling me to judge for myself.
But when I saw the tattoo of a snake strangling a lion on the right shoulder of the corpse, I understood its meaning.
Honestly, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t suspicious.
I’m curious about how you, Aike, the heir of Akses Duke House, know about Avatarara.
I’m also curious as to why you mentioned Reina’s name there.
But I won’t ask any questions.
I will trust that you are doing this to protect her.
I plan to return to Avatarara from now on.
Whether or not they forgive me for betraying the organization, they have continued to make attempts on my life since I became associated with Rozelia.
Rozelia wasn’t going to crumble just because of those assassin attempts, but lately, the frequency has been increasing.
The quality of the assassins is also rising.
In this situation, I had no confidence that I could completely protect you.
If I return, I believe those attempts will stop.
I don’t know much about the information within Avatarara, but they surely view my abilities highly, so it should be enough for a bargaining chip.
So until I return, I hope you can protect Reina, Aike.
No matter what.
Anna Magret
