I finally managed to pull myself together and come back.
—
Looking back on it now, it feels foolish how worked up I got just because Mirnel and Evan were hugging.
—
It’s not exactly something that could reasonably happen… but even so, it wasn’t something that should have surprised me to this extent.
—
I continued with what amounted to self-brainwashing until I calmed down, and then I returned to the class.
—
“Oh, you’re here.”
—
“Are you okay?”
—
What is this?
—
It was chaos just moments ago, but somehow everything has quieted down already?
—
I looked around for Mirnel, wondering if something was off, but she was sitting in her seat, spaced out.
—
She probably hasn’t given a second thought to what she just did, has she?
—
The thought makes me irritated, though there’s nothing I can do about it in this moment.
—
Still, from the atmosphere, it seems Evan has already said something, so there’s no need for me to step in and talk.
—
I returned to my seat.
—
…
—
…
—
Huh?
—
Wait a moment.
—
“Something feels off…”
—
Now that I think about it, we’re in our second year—so why is she in our class?
—
We didn’t even go through first year together, yet here she is boldly sitting in our second year class as if it’s completely natural, and I didn’t even notice.
—
“What… is going on?”
—
I glanced at Mirnel, my expression betraying my confusion, but she seemed disinterested in me, keeping her gaze fixed on Evan instead.
—
Just then, the teacher entered, starting the first morning assembly since the opening ceremony.
—
“And, speaking of which, we have a new student joining us. So… Mirnel Halvord?”
—
At this, Mirnel silently raised her hand.
—
The professor nodded briefly, then dismissed the class to prepare for their next lesson and left the room—ending the introduction with surprising brevity.
—
Of course, given the nature of our group, it made sense. We aren’t all taking the same lessons together; this is simply a class of students grouped by skill level. For the most part, we’re only nominally in the same class, as we each choose our respective departmental courses.
—
“Well, this is my first time at the Academy, so I’m looking forward to it.”
—
“O-oh, really?”
—
“Hero, you’re in the Swordsmanship Department, correct?”
—
“Well… yeah.”
—
That elf…
—
Why does it feel so irritating how she’s ignoring me, Stella, and Uriel while chatting with Evan like nothing’s wrong?
—
I’ve never felt this intense anger as a Saint in all my life—only shock when I first saw her. But now, after calming down and seeing her act this way again, I’m genuinely angry.
—
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Stella and Uriel moved close to me, complaining about how disrespectful Mirnel, this elf, was being.
—
Even kind-hearted Uriel looked sad, wondering why she was ignoring her. It was almost like…
—
She was playing her role perfectly according to the game’s setting.
—
After all, she was notorious for being rude even in the game.
—
Though, when the player character was the Hero, she’d often approach me to show affection instead. Considering Evan is the Hero here, her behavior aligns with the character’s established personality—she’s acting in-character.
—
While that makes sense based on the game’s lore, it doesn’t stop me from feeling annoyed by her arrogant attitude.
—
Honestly, I wanted to punch her so badly.
—
But it’s not a good idea to be against her. Among everyone here, she’s the strongest by far. Even though she may not be as powerful as Arhen, her strength isn’t something to be underestimated. If we go by the game’s mechanics, the most powerful class was actually the Magician, so this fits perfectly.
—
Though Evan will soon surpass her, she is indeed the strongest right now. And since she can provide invaluable help for our Hero party, it’s best to let her have her way for now.
—
“By the way, I’m also in the Swordsmanship Department. Shall we go together?”
—
“Uh, could you… give me some space?”
—
“Hmm? As I mentioned before, there’s no need to worry about others’ gazes. Wouldn’t it be better for you?”
—
“Well, but I—”
—
Evan glanced at me, hesitating whether to say something or not.
—
Realizing I’m watching, Evan looked surprised and tried to push her away more firmly, but Mirnel persisted, clinging onto him like a leech.
—
“Let’s go already.”
—
“Please, just back off…!”
—
—
—
“Wow… she’s seriously insane…”
—
Stella muttered under her breath, and Uriel nodded slightly.
—
You’re right.
—
She’s completely insane.
—
I feel like I need some world tree root stew to calm down.
—
Are the people trimming the branches carpenters or something?
—
“Aria… you seem upset.”
—
“Of course I’m upset. My boyfriend is about to be stolen.”
—
“[I’m not anyone’s boyfriend!]”
—
What is she even saying?!
—
Stella laughed slyly, pointing out that maintaining composure in this situation would be stranger, and I snapped at her for making ridiculous comments.
—
But Stella pushed back, asking why I was getting mad about Evan if I had no romantic feelings for him. Shouldn’t I be happy if one of my friends found love, she teased.
—
—
—
Not… Not quite the same, though…
—
I’m…
—
Hmm…
—
It is…
—
“It’s… when a close friend finds happiness, you feel… um… unhappy… sort of…?”
—
“Aria… you know that statement makes no sense… right?”
—
“I…”
—
Damn it, this hurts my image!
—
It feels like all the effort I’ve put into maintaining an image of selflessness is collapsing in one go.
—
“You’ve always strived for the happiness of others. It doesn’t make sense for you to think that way.”
—
“That’s…!”
—
“That’s called love, dummy.”
—
Aaaaaaah!
—
I screamed internally when Stella so confidently said it like that.
—
I didn’t expect her to outright declare it like that.
—
Of course, I knew it all along.
—
Whenever I watched romance movies and didn’t understand why someone didn’t realize their feelings for another person, I’d always wonder: How could someone be so dense? But here I am, in the same situation.
—
There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize what this feeling is.
—
But I’ve refused to acknowledge it until now.
—
How can I admit something like this?
—
Even though I knew it intellectually, I couldn’t accept it emotionally.
—
Logically, there’s simply no other explanation—it’s clear why I’m reacting this way. But Stella’s confident declaration left me completely unable to counter.
—
Meanwhile, Uriel, who had been listening from the side, tilted her head and asked Stella if Aria really liked Evan.
—
Ironically, Uriel had no idea what the fuss was about despite being in the middle of it.
—
Ugh.
—
Damn.
—
How did this even happen?
—
I only wanted to move efficiently, defeat the Demon King, and return home. For that purpose, I didn’t hesitate to use others’ feelings if necessary—acting like the conniving villain I was.
—
—
—
But the truth is…
—
I already knew.
—
This is the real world.
—
A world modeled after the game—a genuine, living world. If I gave up here, the world would face a catastrophe—a true apocalypse caused by the Demon King.
—
The incomprehensible horror known as “unknown terror”—the Demon King was nothing short of a calamity in itself.
—
An inescapable doom that devours everything in this world.
—
Perhaps the reason I didn’t want to acknowledge the truth until now was to avoid dealing with such feelings.
—
“I… I’ll go to class.”
—
It’s not enough to sort out my thoughts. Am I really falling for Evan, or is this just admiration for a favorite character?
—
Even though I still understood intellectually… I simply refused to admit that I might be falling for someone.
—
That’s all there was to it.
—
“Aria…”
—
Stella looked back at me with a sympathetic gaze as I turned toward the Department of Sacred Studies.
—
I wish I could talk to someone about this.
—
But I’m in no position to confide in anyone—I’m the one who needs advice.
—
All I could do was sigh.
—
It’s all because of that infuriating woman.
—
