episode_0155

“… It’s been a while, Mr. Aira. ”

I gave a humble greeting to Aira, who suddenly appeared and jumped into my arms.

However, Aira did not respond to my greeting.

Instead of answering, he just buried his face deeper in my arms.

Like a whining child.

Although that behavior was a little embarrassing, I didn’t step in and take Aira away.

Even though she didn’t say anything, the tremors in her body let me know how she was feeling right now.

That’s why I just looked down at Aira with a bitter smile and didn’t make any special gestures.

instead.

“Ira Niem… … ?”

Rachel was quite concerned about Ira.

The face and voice pretended to be calm, but there was an unknown pressure there.

It was a different kind of pressure than one might feel from an outstanding martial artist.

However, for some reason, I was feeling more pressure from Rachel than even a Ten Sword-level warrior.

but.

Although it didn’t seem to work for Aira, to whom those gazes and voices were directed.

Some time passed in that delicate and complicated state.

All this time, Ira didn’t move, and eventually Rachel took her gaze away from Ira and looked at me.

“… Really, you are alive.”

Rachel, who had somewhat regained her usual mood, spoke to me.

After thinking about those words for a while.

I said with a sheepish smile.

“I was lucky.”

It’s not about humility.

If I had been a little unlucky, I would have definitely died.

When he was fatally wounded by a swordsman and fell off a cliff.

At that time, I saved my life thanks to Bella, but I probably wouldn’t have met her if heavenly luck hadn’t been there.

He either died in the water before he could reach the shore, or even if he somehow reached the shore, he died before receiving help from Bella.

So, in the end, it was thanks to heavenly luck that I was able to return here alive.

“… sorry. Originally, I should have announced that he was alive, but I couldn’t contact him because I couldn’t estimate how far the empire’s surveillance would be.”

I looked Rachel straight in the eyes and apologized.

In fact, I didn’t contact anyone because I thought there was a possibility that my acquaintances were being watched.

… To be precise, it is surveillance by the Empire and the Church, but there is no time to explain it now.

“I understand. Because I would have done the same.”

Rachel calmly nodded and accepted my apology.

Even though it was a reasonable thing to say, it was enough to make me feel sad, but Rachel simply accepted my apology.

Feeling grateful for that fact, we talked for a while longer.

Even during the conversation, Ira didn’t think about leaving me, and Rachel would look at Ira with strangely intense eyes.

I smiled bitterly at that situation.

As for Ethan, he was quietly stretching his body a few steps away.

Perhaps they are doing this out of consideration for us, who haven’t seen each other in a long time.

Normally, a person who would have complained a long time ago was so quiet, and I felt grateful to him.

It was in the meantime.

“Hmm?”

Ethan suddenly raised his head and looked in one direction.

I also looked in the same direction as Ethan.

Because I felt a few signs coming this way from that direction.

just as expected.

Not long after, several figures appeared from that direction.

and.

“… Huh?”

A familiar face to me.

The group that included Alexis and Cedric.

***

“… Wade Heblon is alive.”

Alexis even opened her eyes wide and seemed quite surprised.

Cedric on the other hand.

“… He was alive.”

I ended my review with a short statement.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t surprised.

On rare occasions, he even looked at me blankly with his eyes wide open.

However, the speed at which the surprise was resolved was quite fast.

Since he was a guy who didn’t have a lot of emotional range to begin with, it was only natural.

The agitation shown by Alexis and Cedric was considerably quieter than the agitation shown by Rachel and Ira.

If it was natural, it was natural.

To begin with, I feel like I’m just an acquaintance rather than a close friend with these guys.

Since I don’t like the guys saying goodbye to each other again with tears in their eyes, this was just the right amount.

After the somewhat calm reunion, I then turned my attention to the guests standing behind Alexis and Cedric.

“Ah, you are Wade Heblon.”

A man with clear green eyes and an obviously bright appearance, but you can’t read them at all.

“Hmm. Are you Wade Heblon?”

A man with blazing golden eyes that gives the impression of arrogance beyond arrogance.

The guy with green eyes is the disciple of the lord of the Cold Mage Tower, and the magical genius Chris Pale, who is already being mentioned as a candidate for the next lord of the Mage Tower at such a young age.

It is no exaggeration to say that the arrogant-looking man is the best player on the continent, Wilhelm Eisenberg, the youngest grandson of the ‘Golden Hand’ leader.

I knew their faces.

There was also a reason why they were both famous people within the Academy.

The fundamental reason is that they are one of the male leads that appear in the novel.

Because of my intervention, the future of this world has changed significantly.

Because of that, I thought that those two might not be involved with Mary.

However, should we call it unexpected or the power of fate?

In the end, those two became involved with Mary, and like they did in the novel, they developed feelings for her.

That’s roughly what happened right before I left the academy.

Because the timing coincided strangely, I never really said hello to those guys.

So, officially, this was our first meeting.

But they know me… Well, it wasn’t anything strange.

From the beginning, I was famous in my own way at the academy, and because of the prince’s murder incident that happened afterwards, there was probably no one inside the academy who didn’t know me.

If you think about it, there is something strange.

I haven’t cleared my name yet, but their reaction is calm even when they see the culprit who murdered the prince right in front of them.

However.

I can almost guess why those guys are so calm.

It’s probably due to the fact that they continued to stick around Mary’s side.

Considering Mary’s personality, she would have defended me every chance she got, and they would have gotten sick of it.

… Well, in addition to that, there will also be an influence of their personalities.

Anyway, I was fortunate because it was much better than reacting violently or making a fuss for no reason.

“But why did you come here?”

After a brief greeting.

I asked Alexis, who was standing in the lead.

Why did they appear here in this situation?

The reason I chose Alexis and asked about her was because out of all these people, I was the only one who was close to her, and out of all these people, she was the one I could communicate with the best.

In response to my question, Alexis looked serious.

“… Because I think this is the source of this commotion.”

… He said.

At those words, I slowly nodded.

It is not difficult to realize that this mountain is the center of this series of phenomena.

If you have a basic level of insight, you will be able to recognize it right away.

So, if you think about it, there is nothing strange about them gathering here.

So, I decided to move straight to the next question.

Because there was something else that was really important to me.

“… Mary, are you okay?”

There was no way these guys would abandon Mary when something like this happened.

He probably ran to Mary as soon as this situation occurred and ensured her safety.

Or maybe they were around in the first place.

So, the quickest way to check on Mary’s well-being would be to ask these guys.

merry.

In this world, the heroine of the novel, and my childhood friend.

Mary and I grew up together almost from the moment we were born.

So, if you think about it, Mary was the person whose personal safety I was most concerned about within the academy.

Mary’s thoughts about me probably aren’t much different.

It’s funny to think about the size, but Mary was probably the person I was most worried about after the news of my death spread.

No, Mary was probably just as distressed as her father.

Adding to that, I was very worried about Mary’s well-being.

So, even though it was a bit urgent, I asked Alexis how Mary was doing.

but.

“… We were unable to confirm Miss Mary’s well-being.”

A completely unexpected answer came back from Alexis.

In response to that answer, I was dumbfounded for a moment, then opened the door again and asked.

“… Did you come straight here?”

I thought it was unlikely, but it makes sense if they came here straight away without checking on Mary.

An uneasy premonition passed through my head.

I hoped Alexis would nod her head vertically.

I hoped you would answer my question positively.

Please, I hope this answer is correct.

He just rushed here without even having time to check on Mary’s safety, so that’s why he doesn’t know any news about Mary.

however.

Despite my earnest wish, Alexis’ head did not nod vertically.

Alexis opened her mouth with an extremely grave expression.

and… … .

“… With the cooperation of others, we searched the academy to the extent possible. but… Miss Mary was never found.”

The extremely heavy truth was conveyed to me.