“I’m sorry. I should have come right away.”
“It’s fine. You must have had a hard time too.”
Andrew-senpai, lying on the bed, was smiling.
Of course, his right arm could not be treated, so the right sleeve of his patient gown hung limply.
“Andrew-senpai.”
“Yeah?”
“I really am sorry.”
“What do you mean, Aike-kun?”
As I bent at a right angle to apologize, Andrew-senpai frowned in disbelief.
“If I had been stronger, you wouldn’t have been injured.”
“…That’s a strange apology.”
“It’s not a strange apology. I couldn’t perfectly follow your movements…”
“Aike-kun, if we’re being technical here, shouldn’t I be the one apologizing? As your senpai, I had the duty to protect you all. But due to my lack of skill, everyone, including you, got heavily injured.”
Of course, the injuries we received at that time were not light either.
But.
“I can heal all my wounds, and you’ve lost your right arm…”
“What’s important isn’t that. So you don’t need to apologize. Didn’t I tell you before? The reason I wanted to become a knight was that I wanted to protect something precious. So I have no regrets about my choice. Ender Dean would feel the same, I’m sure.”
“…Thank you.”
“Yeah. Don’t say such a strange apology that brings the mood down. Ender Dean wouldn’t want that either; he would prefer gratitude over an apology.”
“…That’s true.”
Andrew-senpai waved his right sleeve playfully, smiling, and I quietly nodded along.
Right.
Charlotte said so too.
She doesn’t want to shame her resolve.
Then, I must do the same as well.
“…Aike-kun.”
“Yes?”
“You will surely become stronger.”
Andrew-senpai’s sudden words were a genuine encouragement, not mere flattery.
No, even if it were empty words, that would be fine.
I would make it a reality, no matter what.
“I will be much stronger than someone like you. It’s a shame that I won’t be able to fight alongside you moving forward, but I’ll be cheering for you. So work twice as hard for my sake. Then I’m sure both I and Ender Dean will smile.”
As he said this, Andrew-senpai placed his left hand on my head and beamed.
Senpai is strong.
Even after losing his right arm and being unable to fulfill his dream of becoming a knight, he can still smile. He is definitely much stronger than someone like me.
“No matter how hard I try, I don’t think I could surpass you, senpai.”
“…Isn’t that right? After all, I was super strong! I could have become an advanced knight and even joined the central knight order; it’s a real shame!”
Indeed, there are so many good people around me.
“Ah, right. This time, my father heard the news and came to visit. He scolded me like crazy, saying, ‘What if a future knight loses an arm?’ Isn’t that too much? I got hurt like this as his son.”
“Indeed.”
“But really, what should I do now? Becoming a knight is out of the question, and what I wanted to at least try being was a merchant, but my father views that unfavorably.”
“I think you’d be good at being a merchant too.”
“Right? Well, I understand since I’m the eldest son of the family, but I didn’t expect him to reject me outright. Aike, help me persuade him later.”
“Understood.”
And so, yet another precious bond was forged.
★
“You came later than expected.”
“Did I?”
“Well, given how long it took, I thought you’d be here in two days.”
Charlotte said with a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.
She must have done that on purpose to provoke me.
“I didn’t expect to arrive on the last day. If that was intentional, it’s in poor taste. I even worried about what I would do if I didn’t show up at all.”
“I apologize for that.”
“Since you’re here, it’s fine.”
We exchanged light greetings and then took our seats facing each other.
“Alright. Before we get into the main topic, shall we talk about something else for a bit?”
“Yes.”
“Aike. Just like you, I can never forgive that organization, Avatarara.”
Charlotte’s eyes had no trace of wavering as she said this.
But it was only natural for her to feel that way.
In the original setting, the former saintess Selene was a savior to Charlotte.
Ender Dean was her lifelong mentor.
And recently, she learned that Ellyn was like a sister to her as well.
And all three had been killed by Avatarara.
In that sense, Charlotte was the greatest victim of Avatarara.
“Avatarara is evil. Even if there were circumstances, this fact will not change for me. They killed my benefactor, my mentor, and my sister.”
But then, Charlotte continued.
“However, I shouldn’t let anger and resentment drive my actions. Losing one’s reason means exposing vulnerabilities. So I’ll calmly and thoroughly understand the situation before I strike back at them.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I don’t have an immediate plan. Our biggest weakness is information. Until that’s all filled in, we can’t move easily. That’s why I mentioned it to you.”
“Is what you need the information that I know?”
“Exactly. Don’t tell me you’re going to refuse to provide it? If you want to keep the information you provide secret, I’ll keep it hidden for you, so you don’t need to worry.”
“…That’s not the concern.”
Just how much will the information I know be applicable in this world now?
That was my biggest question.
Even this time, I didn’t foresee that such a situation would occur.
I didn’t even know that Ed Cruel, one of Avatarara’s executives, had the ability to control magical beasts.
I wanted to avoid a situation where I provided uncertain information that could lead to problems.
“Are you worried about the thing you mentioned before, about knowing the future?”
“Yes. If what I know has changed entirely, then that would definitely pose a problem.”
“…You really need to stop worrying about unnecessary things.”
Charlotte sighed.
She looked at me with a genuinely exasperated expression.
“Do you think I would be careless enough to trust all the information from you without preparing for it?”
“That’s not it.”
“What’s important for us right now isn’t the accuracy of the information. The information itself is the most crucial thing. Assessing the truth can only happen when we can differentiate things clearly. Do you understand?”
“…Then I will prioritize organizing and sending over the information that is unlikely to have changed.”
“That’s fine.”
Charlotte continued to speak while eating the macarons placed on the table.
“Shall we move on to the main topic?”
Charlotte’s eyes were infinitely serious.
That was surely a gaze that was evaluating me.
“The fact that you came to see me like this means you’ve changed your mind about returning to your family. Is it okay to understand it like that?”
I felt a pressure that made me almost nod instinctively.
But I maintained a calm expression and shook my head.
“No. I am planning to return to my family.”
And Charlotte responded.
“What’s the reason?”
“Because I want to become stronger.”
“Right. That’s the correct answer.”
She covered her mouth and chuckled at my response.
The serious atmosphere that had just been present dissipated in an instant, turning into light laughter.
“If you had said you wanted to stay with Arcana while saying you would get stronger, I would have scolded you. What a pity.”
“I’m glad that my answer was correct.”
“Alright, the discussion ends here. Then let’s prepare to return a little faster.”
“Understood.”
I slightly bowed my head in greeting and quietly got up from my seat.
“Aike. Tell me one last thing.”
“I’m listening.”
“You are strong. This is something I can guarantee as a sage. It doesn’t mean you can become a strong knight. Do you know what I mean?”
“…Isn’t that an overestimation?”
“My eye for people is quite accurate. …Anyway, it’s okay to regret. But don’t sit back down out of lingering attachment. Nourish your forward path with your sorrow. I believe that’s what your mentor would want too.”
“I was planning to do that even without you saying it.”
At my sharp answer, Charlotte smiled once again.
“Right, this is much better than the look you had last time when you seemed like you would cry.”
“Thank you.”
“Yeah. Let’s meet again.”
“Yes.”
The past doesn’t change.
No matter how difficult things were, the events that occurred in the past do not disappear.
But the future can change.
The question remains whether to overcome the past and move forward or to stop and sit back.
Depending on what choice is made, the future will definitely change.
And I am moving forward to change that future.
Because I have everyone who believes in me.
Because I believe in all those who believe in me.
★
“Dean Charlotte. Is it okay for me to come in?”
“Ah, yes. Come in.”
The one who entered the office was Reina.
Surprised by the sudden and unannounced visit, Charlotte did not reveal her shock.
She knew that her mentor, Ender, would smile and welcome any student who came to visit, no matter the situation.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to make a request.”
Reina’s violet eyes were filled with firm resolve, just like Aike’s when he visited Charlotte a few hours earlier.
“Please teach me magic.”
“…You want me to teach you magic?”
“Please make me your apprentice.”
Reina bowed deeply with her request, and Charlotte couldn’t hide her surprise.
Though Charlotte had earned the title of sage through Selene and Ender, she had never taken on a disciple.
The reason was simple.
Since Charlotte was fundamentally a sensory genius, she struggled with teaching someone else, and generally, the other person couldn’t keep up with her methods either.
When Reina and Sophia had come to the magic tower, hadn’t they given up on theoretical lessons and moved straight to practice?
‘But.’
The girl standing before her now.
Charlotte felt that Reina Rozelia would be different.
No, Charlotte was certain.
This girl named Reina Rozelia would grow just by following behind her.
“…I don’t mind, but first, let me hear your reasoning. As far as I know, Reina, you decided to stay with Arcana. Isn’t that enough?”
Staying with Arcana meant that she aimed to train to at least protect herself when Avatarara attacked again.
But now Reina’s request was aimed at something beyond that.
In other words, it indicated her intent not merely to protect herself but to fight them.
“If you become my disciple, you will probably, no, for sure, be fighting on the frontlines. Tell me the reason why I should send someone like you into battle.”
“…I want to become stronger.”
“What?”
“I’m weak. When the time comes to fight, I can’t do my part unless I’m protected.”
“That’s fairly normal for a mage.”
In fact, it’s Ender or Charlotte, who can fight robustly even on the frontlines, who are abnormal.
Reina certainly understood that fact, but right now, that wasn’t what mattered to her.
“The person I cherish said they would become stronger to protect everyone. Then I can’t just sit back. I have to become even stronger than I am now. I swore that I would stand by that person and support them.”
It was easy to ascertain that the person she spoke of was Aike.
“Then please, take me as your disciple…!”
Reina bowed deeply with her request, and Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh.
“They say people who like each other tend to be similar.”
“Yes?”
“I asked you to tell me why I should send you into battle, and you’re saying nonsense instead.”
“Oh, that’s…”
“Alright, I’ll take you as my disciple. Sorry, it’s not negotiable. Follow me with the determination to risk your life.”
“Ah, understood!”
“I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do.”
After sending Reina back to the dormitory, Charlotte sighed.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how talented or determined someone was, knowing Ender’s wishes, Charlotte would not have considered taking Reina as a disciple.
But.
‘I don’t only know the information on Avatarara. I may not be a prophet, but I know the future of this world. I know the reasons for the war with those guys and the outcome as well.’
‘And in that future, Reina is not there.’
‘I don’t want that. Why does she have to die? She’s cold-natured, inflexible, and strict, but she works harder than anyone and is kinder than anyone else. Why does she have to become a villain and die!’
The words Aike had shouted in despair the other day.
Although she thought them nonsensical, it was a possibility she couldn’t overlook.
That’s why she accepted Reina as her disciple.
If Reina truly had a fate of dying, then at least being close to her would make it easier to protect her.
“…So how should I guide her?”
As Charlotte spoke those words, she was certainly smiling.
