I dreamt a dream.
“Thank you.”
It was a dream where Aike Akses was thanking me.
I thought to myself, why on earth would I be receiving gratitude from myself?
But I knew without needing to speak.
He must be the original Aike Akses.
“Thank you so much for saving that child.”
I wanted to ask,
If you truly are Aike Akses, then why did you just stand by and watch Reina die?
You should have been her ally, shouldn’t you?
But I couldn’t voice it.
In my dream, I was the version of myself that was barely breathing, reliant on a ventilator.
“It should have been my responsibility as you think. However, I couldn’t do it. Even if I hear your resentment, I have no words to say.”
Aike Akses bowed his head in apology.
Maybe it was the dream, but I could tell his apology was sincere.
…Should I consider it fortunate that he is even aware of this?
“And I have something to convey.”
Something to convey?
“Thanks to you, the future where Reina faces execution for opposing Miss Sophia has vanished. However, as you know, it has altered the future.”
I already knew that, of course.
Changing the future was precisely what I wished for.
“This means that the number of opportunities where you can use your knowledge of the past has decreased significantly.”
It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Now, Avatarara will begin to move.”
….
“They will aim to bring destruction to the Empire in a far more brutal and dreadful manner than you anticipated.”
So, Aike Akses continued,
“Now is the time to swiftly appoint Miss Sophia as the Saintess at the Martires Central Church.”
That makes sense.
In the fight against Avatarara, the key is undoubtedly Sophia.
However, since Sophia has already passed through the Trial Room at the Magic Tower, an alternative approach must be found.
“Don’t overthink it. The answer is much closer than you realize.”
Closer, huh?
“Unfortunately, I can’t teach you more than this.”
The body of Aike Akses began to fade gradually.
“This conversation between us will likely be the first and last.”
Though I never spoke, so it feels hard to call it a conversation.
“Please take good care of Reina.”
With those final words, Aike Akses vanished, and my consciousness became hazy.
Am I about to wake up from this dream?
In this sensation of almost losing my mind, I quietly thought,
Even without you saying, I’ll do my utmost.
And somehow, it felt like Aike Akses was smiling.
★
“Already a second year, huh?”
“In other words, it’s been half a year since that duel.”
“Right? I never would have thought Aike would turn out this way after that day.”
“Really, it’s a pity. I miss you, Aike. I’ll definitely make Reina happy.”
I wondered why.
After about two months, Helen and Leon were making strange jokes.
“I’m doing well, and I’m getting along fine with Reina.”
“Ah! I think I hear Aike’s voice from somewhere!”
And then Atal butted in.
“Is that so? Are you blessing us from there, Aike?”
What on earth is this concept?
My head started to spin.
Just as I thought it would be easier to ignore them and turn away.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
Her voice rang out.
“Long time no see, Miss Reia!”
“Long time no see, Miss Reina.”
After two weeks apart, Reina was looking at me with a kind smile.
“Hello, Reina.”
“It’s been two weeks, Aike.”
And she naturally moved beside me to take a seat.
Since that duel,
there had certainly been a lot of commotion.
It was only natural for rumors to spread, and many students began to avoid Reina and me.
In light of the Crown Prince’s duel and broken engagement, the honor of the second ducal family didn’t dare show its face.
However, when Leon made a bold decision, things began to shift a little.
Leon brought out all the documents he had been preparing for the annulment and revealed that he had orchestrated the duel himself.
Of course, that alone didn’t wipe the rumors away.
In the rumors, Reina was seen as the fiancée who couldn’t properly fulfill her role as the Crown Princess.
I was tagged as the madman flirting with Reina, the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
Leon had become an ignorant, naive fool trying to disrupt the balance of factions.
But seeing the fact that Leon revealed these truths and continued to associate closely with us started to gradually shift public opinion.
Of course, the impact wasn’t widespread, but it was confined to within Arcana.
Still, we concluded that was enough.
What mattered most to us was the opinion inside Arcana that we had to navigate until graduation.
And it was absurd to think such a major scandal would simply vanish.
“Everyone! It’s really been a while!”
“Oh, Miss Sophia. It’s been nearly four months.”
“Hope everyone has been well?”
“Yes. It’s a relief to see you looking healthy, Miss Sophia.”
In fact, when the rumors first started spreading, we had tried to distance ourselves from Sophia, Helen, and Atal.
It was inevitable that our current situation would not calm down easily, and being associated with us would naturally draw the attention of gossip.
But when we conveyed this intention,
‘If you’re nobility, it’s only natural to be involved in scandals. Consider it a way to get accustomed to it.’
Helen playfully remarked.
‘I want to believe in the time we’ve spent together rather than the rumor.’
Atal said with a benevolent expression.
‘There are things more precious than reputation that we understand.’
Sophia said with a kind smile.
The secret was that Reina had secretly shed tears behind this.
In any case, we managed to spend the entirety of the second semester together without actually drifting apart, and this also greatly influenced the shift in public opinion within Arcana.
“Aike, Rupert told me to convey that he read the book you recommended last time.”
“That’s good. I was worried he might find it boring.”
At that moment, Reina and I were seen by everyone around us, including the social circles, as being in a practical engagement.
It was just a matter of deferring the engagement to after the scandal subsided at the advice of Leon.
My mother was urging my father to set a date quickly, ideally within a year.
“I’ll be on my way now.”
Leon glanced at his watch, smiled, and stood up.
By now, it was 9 o’clock. Time for the opening ceremony to begin.
Leon, who had confidently secured the top spot in the second semester exams, was naturally the representative for the second year.
“Silence!”
Ender Dean was now standing on the podium of the auditorium.
All the students aligned themselves and turned their gaze towards him.
“From the day after tomorrow, you will face a new academic year.”
“….”
As Dean Ender’s speech began, Reina quietly took my hand.
Feeling heat rise to my face, I swallowed and turned my gaze away, only to see that Reina’s face was also beet red.
I feel bad to say it to my mother, but honestly, I found this distance with Reina quite delightful.
That sensation of slowly narrowing the gap with the girl I first fell for.
These moments that made my heart flutter from nervousness were enjoyable.
“Some will become seniors for the first time while others will race toward their final days. You all…”
“…seniors.”
It still didn’t feel real.
What will the new students think when they enroll tomorrow?
“You all are aware of the recent turmoil. But you are here to learn how to overcome such challenges. I hope you don’t forget that…”
I wasn’t quite sure about that.
★
“Hmm.”
After reading the letter the dormitory manager delivered, I quietly crumpled it and tossed it into the trash can.
It was Anna’s letter.
And it contained information about Avatarara.
It has been about three months since I dreamt of the original Aike Akses.
“They will aim to bring destruction to the Empire in a far more brutal and dreadful manner than you anticipated.”
Of course, it might just be a simple dream.
But that warning inexplicably lingered in my mind and I couldn’t just brush it off.
So I chose to ask Anna to gather information.
Of course, Anna didn’t have a proper understanding of Avatarara.
She only regarded them as a simple assassin organization.
But I believed that anyone who knew even a little about Avatarara should be the informant.
Thanks to that, I had to reveal some information about Avatarara to Anna, which led to her suspicions.
“…It’s definitely not just a simple dream.”
In the original story, Avatarara begins their activities from the end of the second semester of the first year.
To put it simply, that’s about five months ago.
However, they initially started off with minor incidents disguised as accidents, so even the Empire wasn’t fully aware of Avatarara’s existence.
At worst, it was just an assault incident that was subdued by the guards.
Yet from a certain point on, they began to cause chaos throughout the Empire and ultimately began to conscript students who could be mobilized immediately at Arcana during the final battle.
That turning point was precisely the assassination incident of the Arcana students that I had resolved in advance.
But with that included, many futures have already changed, and according to Anna’s letter, the name Avatarara has already begun to be mentioned throughout the Empire.
Originally, it should have been around two months before Avatarara’s name started to spread properly.
The chaotic words that Dean Ender mentioned during the opening ceremony must have been aimed at this as well.
“Then tomorrow, I must meet that guy.”
Whether meeting that guy will provide the key to the resolution remains unknown, but it was evident that idleness was not an option.
★
“Are you perhaps a second-year senior?”
As she looked at the silver ribbon attached to my uniform, I quietly nodded.
In front of the auditorium after the opening ceremony ended.
Finding her was an easy task.
The woman with black bobbed hair accented with several white highlights was the only one.
“Nice to meet you, senior. I’m Michelle Basil, a special admission student this time around.”
She, Michelle, bowed respectfully.
Michelle Basil.
A special admission student from a merchant family who ranked third in this year’s entrance exam.
And the woman who belonged to Avatarara, who had bloodied Arcana.
