Beyond the Line
by Afuhfuihgs
I got advice from the Demon King on how to enhance the Shadow Spear, but Raelran left a warning to keep my meeting with the Demon King a secret, so I explained what I heard, excluding the part about the Demon King. Ellie, who had been listening quietly, swept her shoulder-length hair back and gave an intriguing smile.
“I also remember you obtaining the Shadow Spear.”
Ellie, starting with those words, asked me cautiously.
“Just like the Author’s Essence did with Uricus, can you also seal demons that didn’t appear in the novel with your power?”
“…I don’t know. It might be possible if I materialize the Author’s Essence, but honestly, I haven’t fully grasped my abilities yet. But it should be possible.”
Ellie pondered with a serious face at my uncertain answer.
“Thinking it might be possible is dangerous. If you can’t seal the demon, several problems will arise. You might end up prioritizing subjugating the demon instead of enhancing the Shadow Spear.”
She’s right. Talking with Ellie made me feel like I had planned things more vaguely than I thought. Ellie, seeing me rubbing my forehead with my fingers, said.
“Anyway, to confirm if you can do it, you still have to fight a demon at least once.”
“That’s right.”
“Then, do you know any information about the remaining demons?”
At Ellie’s question, I reflexively scratched my head.
“…No, I don’t know exactly because they didn’t appear in the novel. But the remaining demons were called the Four Cardinal Demons along with Uricus.”
The Demon King clearly advised me to absorb the remaining Four Cardinal Demons to enhance the Shadow Spear. So, excluding Uricus, who was in the eastern part of the continent, that leaves the North, West, and South. Wait… if it’s the North, isn’t there already a demon I know? I suddenly muttered the name that came to mind.
“…Eguin.”
“Huh?”
“Eguin must be the one in the North among the Four Cardinal Demons.”
Ellie tilted her head slightly at my words, then her eyes widened as if she remembered what the name Eguin was.
“…The demon sealed in the basement of the temple where you got the God’s Fountain Pen?”
When I nodded, Ellie sighed and wiped her face once. I tilted my head at Ellie’s serious expression, even though she had found out the demon’s identity.
Realizing my questioning gaze, Ellie gave me a wry smile.
“You destroyed the lighthouse that lights the way to the temple, you know.”
“…Ah.”
I hadn’t thought that far. Ileid completely destroyed the lighthouse and the cliff so that no one else could find the temple. Could it be that there’s no way to get to the temple…? As I also made a serious face, Ellie smiled as if to say it was okay.
“There must be a way. Magic can make the impossible possible.”
I reluctantly nodded at Ellie’s consolation. After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Ellie said, resting her chin on her hand.
“Let’s exclude Eguin in the North for now and look for information about the demons in the West and South. Information about ancient demons can definitely be found in the forbidden section of the Academy Library. If we find information and get help from Modest, we can find the location where the demons are sealed.”
That’s a reasonable opinion. But I couldn’t nod right away. If I meet Ariana or other Messiah members in the library… things could get quite complicated. When I hesitated to answer, Ellie asked why and easily came up with a solution when she heard my concerns.
“It’ll be okay if you disguise yourself with a different face using the slime mask you got last time.”
“…Ah.”
After killing Aria’s parents, I had forgotten about the slime. I had unconsciously tried not to remember the incident, so I had forgotten that I had entrusted the slime, which wasn’t in the space warehouse, to Ember.
“…You seem to know me better than I know myself.”
When I said that with a chuckle, Ellie nodded slightly as if it were natural and gave a pretty smile.
“Of course, I have your memories in my head. It’s also fun to observe your thoughts and perspectives while recalling your memories.”
“…You’ve developed a strange hobby.”
In the end, I decided to head to the Academy Library according to Ellie’s suggestion. I asked Ember to temporarily hand over the slime that Amy was feeding and raising like a friend. Ellie said to me as I was wondering whose face to imitate.
“How about Jin Sian?”
“My face?”
“Yeah, anyway, no one in this world would recognize Jin Sian. It would be a bit embarrassing to disguise yourself as someone else and then be greeted by someone who knows the person you’re disguised as.”
That’s right. I nodded and immediately disguised myself as Jin Sian using the slime. Looking at my old face through the mirror… I felt a strange awkwardness. Is it because I’ve adapted to Ross’s face? As I was stroking my chin, Ellie suddenly came close and brought her face close to mine without any distance.
“….”
With cat-like eyes, the expression ‘intently’ suits her eyes, which resemble obsidian, as she stares at me. Thanks to that, I unconsciously twitched my nose at the sweet strawberry scent that stimulated my nose after a long time. Even at my reaction, Ellie observed me, who was frozen like someone appraising the value of a work of art, for a while before drawing a deep arc in her eyes with a fox-like smile.
“It suits you well. Is it because this is also your face?”
“…Maybe, it is.”
Ellie gave a strangely happy smile at my answer.
***
I arrived at the Academy Library with Ellie. Several friends who recognized Ellie came up and greeted her with a fuss, forgetting that it was a library. There was no one among them who was close to me. When I think about it, aside from the members of the club, the only person I could call a friend at the Academy was Navia.
While Ellie was greeting her friends, I passed by her as if we weren’t together. Ellie wouldn’t care much, but if I were by her side, rumors would spread that she was dating another man besides Roel. There were many people at the Academy who enjoyed spreading vile rumors. I didn’t want Ellie to be misunderstood.
I immediately moved towards the forbidden section, but the moment I crossed the red line on the floor, I was thrown back. Fortunately, I regained my balance and didn’t fall, but I was flustered because it was the first time I had experienced this. I belatedly remembered that I had given the club key and the badge I received as a gift from Nelson to Lacar. Is it because I don’t have a badge that allows me to enter anywhere in the Academy that I can’t go to the forbidden section?
While I was scratching my head, Ellie, who had finished greeting her friends, approached me. She looked at me standing in front of the forbidden section and asked with a puzzled face.
“What are you doing, not going in?”
When I explained that it wasn’t that I wasn’t going in, but that I couldn’t go in, Ellie shrugged as if it was okay.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll bring the books from the forbidden section, so wait in the general section.”
“Sorry, I’ll ask you a favor.”
Ellie moved towards the forbidden section, but I waited quietly outside the line. The Academy Library always had plenty of seats, no matter how many users there were. Whether that was the magic of the library or not, there was no need to grab a seat, so I decided to wait for Ellie. I was thinking of at least carrying the books when she brought them.
I slowly followed Ellie along the clearly divided line between us. When she disappeared behind the bookshelf, I waited quietly and moved along when Ellie appeared. Ellie happened to approach a bookshelf near the line. Ellie, smiling at me across the line, turned her body and looked at the books.
Looking at her back, I suddenly became curious.
“How is it with Hyung-nim?”
At the sudden question, Ellie looked back over her shoulder and smiled.
“It’s still good.”
At that answer, I suddenly had a question. Before asking the question, I already knew the answer Ellie would give. Roel and Ellie’s love is a setting that won’t change until the end of the novel. But why did I ask the question to hear that answer? Was it an impulse to reconfirm what I already knew? Or was it the vile heart created by Ross’s setting, hoping that my prediction would be wrong? I don’t know, but one thing is certain. I didn’t want to know the reason.
“He didn’t object to me entering the labyrinth. Of course, I didn’t tell him that I was going with you. He was a little worried that I was being impatient because of Master-nim’s death, but… he respected my will and ended up cheering me on. Isn’t that like Roel-oppa?”
Is she thinking of Roel? Looking at Ellie’s face with a faint smile on her lips, I suddenly felt an impulse and opened my mouth.
“If Roel, whom you meet by chance in the labyrinth, asks you to join him… what would you do?”
As if she didn’t hear my question, Ellie moved her lips, silently muttering the names of the books on the bookshelf. I, who couldn’t cross the line and had no choice but to wait for an answer, could only hear Ellie’s low voice after a long time.
“…I promised. I’ll definitely climb to the 10th floor with you.”
Ellie answered as if she were making a resolution. Quietly waiting for her to return beyond the line I couldn’t cross, I only thought that.
I’m glad she chose me, not Roel.
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