I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 94

I had never regretted my vow to save Reina.

The future had changed, and because of that, I heard Aike’s warning that more difficult trials awaited us.

I thought I should prepare myself.

I increased my training time, visited Michelle for a conversation, and sought help from Ender Dean.

And the result was.

“This is tantamount to a declaration of war. We cannot remain idle.”

“Let’s start by locating their base.”

“They must regret to their very bones that they’ve made an enemy of the Empire.”

It resulted in the deaths of Ender Dean and Ellyn.

Reina and Michelle were alive.

Thanks to Ender Dean and Ellyn who risked their lives to protect them.

Two lived, two died.

This was the outcome of the future I had chosen.

I increased my training time, visited Michelle for a conversation, and sought help from Ender Dean.

So what?

Was that the best I could do?

Despite promising myself that I didn’t want anyone to die, in the end, two people who could have lived did not.

Can I truly say I did my best?

That it was only natural for those two to sacrifice themselves to save Reina and Michelle…?

“There’s no way I could have thought that…!”

Why did I think I could handle everything when I couldn’t even take responsibility for it?

What could a disabled person who had spent their entire life bedridden accomplish that filled me with such confidence?

Why hadn’t I realized that with my talent, saving even Reina would be a daunting challenge?

I should have fled.

I should have understood the situation on the first day I was reincarnated and turned my back.

I should have persuaded Reina to leave the Empire, just the two of us.

This was punishment.

The price I had to pay for boasting that I would save everyone without knowing my place.

Please, someone tell me.

“Why in the world did you choose to reincarnate someone like me!!!”

I slammed my fist on the floor and shouted, but no answer came.

I heard the funeral for Ender Dean and Ellyn had ended.

Numerous mourners had visited Ender Dean, coming from all corners of the Empire, while Ellyn was attended by many people she had helped as well as priests from the Martires Order.

I did not attend that gathering.

Or rather, to be precise, I went but fled less than five minutes later.

I couldn’t stay there upon seeing Sophia and Anna in tears, and Charlotte standing there with a vacant expression.

The guilt of not having the right to mourn those two in front of them was almost enough to make me sick.

And now, I lay on my bed in the dormitory, staring at the ceiling.

It wasn’t that I was tired.

I just felt as if something might burst out from within me if I tried to move.

I wondered when this emptiness would fade away.

When that emptiness disappears, how will I react?

At this moment, I couldn’t even imagine it.

★

“Aike, are you there?”

Before I realized how much time had passed, someone knocked on my door and called for me.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I would like to talk for a moment.”

A locked female voice.

I could easily guess who it was.

“I’m sorry, but I’m busy right now.”

“Don’t worry. I have a more pressing matter.”

At that moment, the door opened.

I was certain I had locked it.

“I said I wanted to talk.”

“Sounds more like an order than a suggestion.”

“You understood well. Even if you say you don’t want to, I’ll force you to talk.”

With her sky-blue long hair and gray eyes.

The woman in the white shirt and black pants didn’t have the playful air I remembered from last year.

She was Charlotte Izolde, Ender Arcana’s apprentice and the master of the Magic Tower.

“It’s been a while, Charlotte.”

“Yeah. It’s been a while, Aike. Or is it not so long since you just stopped by for the funeral?”

Charlotte entered the room, closed the door again, and silently glared at me.

The atmosphere she exuded was different from when I had seen her at the funeral.

In her sharp gaze, there was a clear objective that I didn’t possess.

“You look a bit freer than you claimed to be busy.”

“Actually, I am free.”

“I see you’ve become quite the talker in the time we haven’t met.”

Charlotte smirked as she sat at the table, sending me a look.

A signal to get up immediately.

If it were up to me, I’d prefer to just lie there, but of course, that wasn’t possible.

Even if she barged in, she was still a guest, and more importantly, she might be as troubled as I was.

In the end, I rose from my bed and sat across from her at the table.

“So, what’s this about?”

“I’ve heard your story from Reina. Since that day, you’ve been holed up in your room.”

“It’s not exactly true.”

“Well, let’s consider it that way. You might have heard, but it has been decided that I will be the next Arcana Dean after my master. Henceforth, I will be Charlotte Arcana instead of Charlotte Izolde.”

That was the first I had heard of it.

In truth, I might have heard but simply overlooked it.

“And the first thing I plan to do as Dean is to have an extended break.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. The recent events have clarified Avatarara’s intentions, and we also learned that they are targeting Arcana students. For now, we need to focus our time on education.”

In the original story, Arcana eventually goes into a temporary indefinite hiatus.

However, that was by no means a good choice.

Even for a noble house, Arcana wasn’t exactly well-fortified.

After all, there were nobles in the original who did not cooperate with the Empire because their children were held hostage by Avatarara.

“Since it has the Emperor’s permission, there’s little we can do to oppose it.”

Should I tell her everything?

That this was by no means a good choice?

But what if I speak this truth and the future becomes twisted again?

If that leads to Charlotte’s death, could I withstand it?

…I don’t know.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m planning to send all of you back to your family homes.”

“…Yes?”

“What do you mean by yes? Of course, I’m saying this. Just because you return home doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be safer than being in Arcana. Does your home provide better safety than the barriers I’ve placed in Arcana?”

“Well, no, that’s not the case.”

“Right. Moreover, it has been revealed that they are also targeting students. So, I plan to keep you all in Arcana and train you. Some might say they don’t want to fight, but they won’t be able to say that when the blade is at their own neck.”

It’s different.

While the outcome of Arcana having an indefinite hiatus is the same, the direction it takes afterward is different.

This is already evidence that the future has become twisted beyond my control.

“Of course, I don’t intend to send you all into the battlefield. But I believe that when they attack, you at least need the strength to defend yourselves. And for those who still don’t want to stay in Arcana after I explain this intention, I’ll make arrangements to send them home.”

So what do you want to do? Charlotte’s question left me unable to answer right away.

I wasn’t certain what the correct answer was.

“I should warn you that if you stay in Arcana, I’ll plan to lead you into battle.”

“Isn’t that contradictory to what you just said?”

“You have your reasons.”

“Reasons?”

“Yeah. You won’t be the type to just stand by and watch when others are hurt. Even if I tried to stop you, I believe you would be the first to jump in.”

“How well do you know me?”

After all, we had only met once in the Magic Tower.

We didn’t even have many lengthy conversations then.

How could someone like her know anything about me?

“Well, that’s true. I don’t know you well. But the people who know you do.”

“People who know me?”

“Sure. Arvain mentioned that after you returned, you would definitely get stronger. He thinks the next time we meet, we can have a good match.”

That statement was false.

I had no talent.

Arvain would likely be disappointed when he met me again.

“Master said you resemble Ados Duke and would support everyone around you.”

That I resembled my father, the Duke Ados?

That couldn’t be true.

My consciousness was ultimately Aike Akses, and I am not an impressive person like my father.

Rather, wasn’t it true that I was just flailing because I didn’t know my place?

“Crown Prince Leon has always proudly said you are a friend from whom he can learn a lot.”

I was the one struggling to catch up to Leon. There was no way he could learn anything from me.

That was nonsense.

“Lastly, Reina has always said that your diligence is admirable, and though you may appear blunt, you are kinder than anyone she knows.”

…I’m not kind.

I simply keep my distance because I’m awkward with people.

I’ve never done my best.

If someone who knew the future did their best, Ender Dean and Ellyn would surely not have died.

“I think I’ve gathered enough to evaluate you. So, I’d like to hear your answer.”

“…I will go back home.”

“Is that so?”

If someone like me stayed, the situation wouldn’t get any better.

On the contrary, it would probably worsen.

So, let’s return home.

Like the original Aike, who was a minor character, I should wait until the situation is settled and not involve myself.

That would surely be…

“What are you so afraid of?”

“Yes?”

“You learned about Avatarara’s information before anyone and have worked hard to stop them. You’re not a criminal. The culprits are Avatarara themselves. So why do you feel guilty?”

…Wait a minute.

Charlotte just—

“How do you know that, Charlotte?”

“It was all written in a letter left by my master for contingencies. Along with a message saying to help you if you were wallowing in despair.”

“So that’s it.”

“Yeah. So I’ll ask again. What will you do next? Are you really going to just sit back and wait for everything to resolve itself?”

It was astonishing to realize that Ender Dean had considered such measures even up to his death.

But.

“…Yes.”

What would change if Charlotte learned my secret?

It wouldn’t bring the dead back to life.

My twisted future wouldn’t return to its original state.

Having suddenly reincarnated into this world.

To save Reina, I stabbed my own heart.

To save Anna, my whole being fell apart.

Fighting Rex whom I should only face in the final battle episode.

Dueling with Leon.

Because of that, I became isolated in the social world.

In the fight against Es, my ribs were fractured, and my lungs turned to ruins.

In the end, my senior, the aspiring knight Andrew, lost his right arm, and Ender Dean and Ellyn died.

Having gone through all that, I was already too exhausted.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I understand.”

In response to my answer, Charlotte finally nodded, stood up, and quietly looked down at me.

“It turns out everyone who evaluated you was wrong. That’s too bad.”

And I said to that.

“What does that mean?”

“Isn’t it true? Everyone who believes in you praises you as an amazing person, yet in reality, you are just a coward who doesn’t even believe in yourself. It’s truly a pity for them.”

“…What do you know?”

“Huh?”

“What do you know!!!”

Something that had been building up inside me finally burst out.