The eldest son of the Blaise viscount family, Luke, is said to have shown remarkable talent in fire magic from a young age, befitting someone from the Blaise family, a renowned house of flame magic.
Securing second place in the Academy’s practical entrance examination was proof of his talent.
The first place… let’s not talk about that monster.
Anyway, Luke was the heir to the Blaise viscount family, possessing the incredible credentials of being a genius in fire magic, and naturally, at the beginning of the semester, many people approached him…
But I still can’t forget his famous words that I overheard as I walked through the corridor.
-Huh? What? Did you say you’re not going to a place with good water?
-Shhh! Lower your voice!
“Good water place… Ah! Are you talking about the beach!? Such weather does indeed suit a refreshing beach!”
Incidentally, this incident happened in early January, during a record-breaking cold wave.
The noble young lords who were tired of Luke asking if they could bring their younger sisters hastily ended the conversation and ran away.
Then, all alone, he muttered to himself.
“This is the cold practice for coldness. Indeed, an attitude to emulate! Hmm!”
…That’s what kind of person he is.
His peculiar behavior didn’t end there.
Last summer, a rumor began to spread about a ghost appearing on the rear mountain of the Academy.
As the rumor grew, an investigation team was formed, led by the Student Council, to track down the ghost. It was revealed that the ghost in question was none other than Luke, who was running up the mountain in the height of summer for what he called “mental discipline.”
The strange tales about him were like an onion, with more layers to uncover, but summarized: Luke Blaise. He is…
“What are you talking about? How can a cat talk? Aren’t you mistaken about something?”
“Is that so? Then that must be it! I must be hearing things because I’m hungry!”
…He was foolish.
Lilith sent me a glance that clearly said “What on earth?”.
“I apologize, but I have no way to explain this…”
Apparently, the men of the Blaise family are always born with this kind of temperament. Fortunately, the Blaise family always produces a daughter shortly after a son’s birth, and this daughter is said to be exceptionally intelligent, unlike her brother.
The saying “God is fair” was proven by the Blaise family. A foolish but powerful older brother and a sharp but physically weak younger sister. A truly remarkable balance.
And the protagonist of the rumors about surpassing the highest intellect in the history of the Blaise family is none other than Luke himself. Of course, this is sarcasm.
“I’m hungry. What happened to the food in your backpack?”
Glancing at the backpack hanging from his back, it seemed slightly deflated… Could it be?
“I ate it all! It seems the Chancellor had something mixed up. He said it was food for a day, but it only contained food for one meal.”
…It seems the rumor that Luke eats five portions in one meal is true.
“Arthur! I’ve been looking for you!”
“Me? Why?”
“As far as I know, you’ve topped all the written exams so far, right?”
“…So?”
“Great! Arthur, would you become my brain?”
“…What?”
What in heaven’s name does that mean…
He places his hands on his hips and proudly declares.
“I’m stupid!!”
“…?”
Did he say that himself?
“Therefore, I need someone smart to help me! My sister said so. If you don’t know something, just grab a smart person first! And she also said that I’m the kind of person who’ll starve to death perfectly fine anywhere.”
“…”
“I’m actually hungry right now!”
I genuinely thought Luke was incredible.
‘Wow… How did my head start hurting after talking to him for just a few minutes?’
Is this a talent?
Holding my pounding head, I asked Luke.
“Luke… Do you know what kind of place this is?”
“Hmm? Not at all!”
…Of course not.
It’s not just Luke. According to Lily, this isn’t where we were originally supposed to go.
‘The test is cancelled. It’s impossible to continue here.’
Therefore, my current goal must be rescuing and escaping with the students.
However…
‘I have to explain this to Lily before I can explain it to them…’
Imagine this.
-Kids, take a look! This cat, my familiar, is actually from outside…
…Would they believe it?
I doubt I would believe it either.
Then…
“Luke, what do you think a true man is?”
A random question, but Luke seriously pondered it.
“Hmm! A true man… I think someone like my dad is a true man!”
Luke’s father, the current head of the Blaise family.
Naturally, I haven’t met him in person. But given the characteristics of the Blaise family, Luke probably resembles his father. Then…
“Does your father help his friends if they are in danger?”
“Of course! Because he’s a man!!”
“Right! This dimensional rift is a very dangerous place. Of course, students could lose their lives.”
“Hmm… But the Chancellor said he would rescue us if it got dangerous.”
In normal circumstances, that might be true, but the current situation feels like a runaway train. No one can predict what will happen.
“Maybe not. The Chancellor is human too. What if a student gets hurt while he blinks?”
“That’s true! That’s a reasonable point!”
At that moment, I mustered all the sadness hidden inside me.
The first thing that came to mind was the dream where Lily disappeared.
Soon, my tear ducts were stimulated, and my eyes began to tremble.
“Luke, I think I would be extremely sad if my friends were severely injured or lost their lives. Don’t you think so too?”
It might not be that sad, but it’s true that I want to save them.
“…Arthur.”
Luke, after hearing my words, suddenly became serious and came closer.
Uh-oh, I gave my all in that performance. Did it not work?
When Luke approached me, he grabbed my shoulders and…
“You’re a true man! Arthur, helping friends in trouble is a noble deed. Right! Test scores aren’t important! That’s the…”
Luke took a deep breath and shouted with all his might.
“Romance!!”
Phew, it seems to have worked.
Though my eardrums hurt a bit, sacrifices like this are necessary…
“Then, Luke, would you like to help me save our friends in danger?”
The extended hand was swiftly grabbed by Luke.
“Of course!”
Wow, he’s really easy to persuade.
—
Thus, we formed an alliance and began traversing the forest.
Thick trees stood densely, making it hard to tell where we were, but fortunately, we had the best guide.
Lilis, sticking her head out of my arms, was leading us precisely in the direction where she could find other students.
“Oh! What a cute cat! I had heard the rumor about you obtaining a familiar. This is the first time I’ve seen it in person, though I’ve been too busy with family matters.”
“Her name is Lilim.”
“Lilim! It suits her perfectly!”
“Nyaa…”
Lilis seemed drained by the overly energetic Luke.
Following the direction Lilis indicated, we suddenly…
– Arthur.
“Wha?!”
“What’s the matter? Is it an enemy?”
A voice suddenly resonated in my head. It wasn’t entering through my ears but directly vibrating in my brain, leaving an unpleasant sensation.
-It’s me.
The voice was unmistakable, though the transmission method was different.
I bowed my head towards my arms.
“…Lilis?”
A small nod confirmed it.
-Fortunately, it worked. I was worried it might not. Arthur, don’t respond out loud. Only you can hear this voice.
“Arthur! What’s the matter!”
“Ah, sorry. I must’ve stepped on a tree root.”
“Be careful! The tree roots are sticking out everywhere in this area.”
“Uh, yeah…”
I lifted Lilis slightly and whispered into her ear.
“Is it magic?”
-Indeed, the monkey-like human over there makes communication awkward.
…Calling him a monkey is too much!
-This magic works both ways. Once activated, you can also communicate with me mentally. Try thinking it as if you’re yelling inwardly.
‘Think inwardly… Surely it’s not…’
-Of course not.
-Oh, you’re doing well.
…It works?
After several tests, I soon became accustomed to having a mental conversation with Lilis.
Soon after, an hour into our journey through the forest, we found a wide clearing.
In the clearing, several vines hung with colorful fruits.
“Wow! Those fruits look delicious. I was just hungry, what a relief. Let’s grab one…”
“Hold on!”
I quickly stopped Luke as he reached for the vines.
“Don’t forget. We’re inside a dimensional rift. Those fruits could be poisonous.”
“That’s true! You’re clever indeed. My sister definitely said not to eat anything random too!”
Oh, this unnamed sister of Luke’s, what kind of battle have you been through…
I suddenly admire Luke’s sister.
I carefully examined the fruits hanging from the vines.
‘This is toxic. This is edible…’
Most of them were familiar, so distinguishing them was easy, but the issue was how to convey this information to Luke.
Saying it directly might raise suspicion about how I know.
Just as I thought of an excuse…
“Mnom!”
Lilis plucked a fruit and ate it.
Then she glanced at me.
‘Aha!’
“Luke, follow whatever fruits Lilim eats. Those will be safe ones.”
“Wow! Cats are amazing!”
As Luke followed suit and picked fruit eaten by Lilim, his delighted thumbs shot up after tasting it.
“Sweet and tangy! Delicious! Arthur, you should try it.”
The fruit Luke handed over was indeed sweet and tangy, quite tasty.
“We’d better collect more, just in case. Fruit is an excellent way to replenish water and vitamins!”
While Luke was filling up his bag with fruits, Lilis came closer to me.
-I found them.
-How many are there?
-11 people, 80 meters away.
-…What?!
11 people?
The shock didn’t last long, as Lilis’ next words stunned me even more.
-Hold on, now it’s 10…
The number is decreasing…
“Damn! Luke!”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“80 meters away, there’s a battle going on! One of them has already taken a hit!”
“What?!”
Throwing away the fruit he’d picked, Luke abruptly stood up.
“Where?”
As a flame erupted from his body, Lilis pointed to a direction, and Luke darted off, trailing flames.
Following the same direction, I hurried forward, and the metallic, pungent odor hit my nose.
The smell of blood! I’ve grown accustomed to this smell after Louis’ harassment.
Speeding up my pace, the sounds of battle grew louder.
“Die, you monster!”
“Coming! Move!”
What caught my eyes through the tall trees was…
…A giant?!
It was a grotesque creature with pink skin covered in shaggy fur wearing it like clothing.
