Ch.148Chapter 148. Final Chapter (2)

“It’s Representative Elaine Sinclair’s turn from the first year!”

*Clap clap clap clap-*

Along with the announcement from the unnamed professor serving as the MC, particularly enthusiastic applause erupted from the first-year section.

Elaine casually greeted the students as she climbed onto the stage.

The small event Professor Amillion mentioned was exactly as Elaine had expected.

It was literally a drawing.

Representatives from each year—the top and second-ranked students—would participate in the drawing to win prizes for their classmates.

The prizes were just desserts, so nobody was taking it too seriously. It was a perfectly moderate event.

The atmosphere remained pleasant throughout the proceedings.

It was an appropriate bit of entertainment to refresh the unsettled mood after vacation as part of the opening ceremony.

Elaine moved to the transparent box at the center of the stage and confidently reached her hand inside.

Whatever she drew didn’t really matter much to her.

While the students below the stage watched with anticipation as Elaine picked up a ball, Elaine herself wasn’t particularly invested.

Unlike others, Elaine believed she alone couldn’t forget and return to normal life.

“Miss Sinclair has…!”

*Click-*

With the MC’s words, the ball Elaine was holding made a sound and split in half.

And written clearly on the paper inside was:

Sixth place.

‘Bad luck here too.’

*Snicker-*

Elaine couldn’t help but let out a small laugh when she saw the paper marked “6th place.”

She hadn’t expected much, but she certainly didn’t think she’d draw sixth place out of the five remaining balls.

Just as Elaine was thinking that she really was unlucky and was about to hand the paper to the MC…

‘Huh…?’

Something felt strange.

She couldn’t explain it clearly, but it felt like space was twisting.

The kind of sensation that made her think, “So this is what it would feel like if spacetime distorted.”

Feeling this strange sensation, Elaine reflexively grabbed the Black Shadow Sword at her waist.

Though no enemies were visible, Elaine’s instincts told her something was wrong.

With the feeling that something was about to happen, Elaine sharply focused and surveyed her surroundings.

Her senses had become much keener than before.

“Ah, sixth place…!”

Regardless of Elaine placing her hand on her sword and scanning her surroundings, the MC professor continued speaking.

The moment the word “sixth place” left the professor’s mouth with a hint of disappointment.

The students below the stage sighed with disappointment.

*Whoosh-*

And something changed.

Elaine, unable to ignore the alien sensation she suddenly felt, drew her sword.

“Huh…?”

No, she tried to draw it.

She was certain she had kept her guard up with her hand on the sword, but that wasn’t the case.

Elaine’s hand was grasping at empty air.

‘What is this…?’

She hadn’t lost consciousness, and she couldn’t sense any mana fluctuations, yet it felt as though she’d been caught in an illusion spell.

Confused, Elaine reflexively looked around.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Elaine?”

“Wh-what…?”

She was certain she had just gone up on stage and drawn a ball, but somehow Elaine was now behind the stage.

She hadn’t taken a single step of her own volition.

‘Is this an illusion spell? But…’

Wondering if she’d fallen victim to an illusion spell, Elaine quickly checked if her internal mana flow had been disturbed, but her mana remained calmly ordered.

Besides, she couldn’t have been caught off guard.

With Satan gone, there were no enemy forces capable of breaching the academy’s tight security.

“Elaine?”

“Oh, well…”

Emily called Elaine’s name again, looking concerned.

“Are you uncomfortable going out first? Should I do it all?”

“Wh-what?”

Hearing Emily’s words, Elaine realized something even stranger.

“What did you say?”

“The drawing, I mean. If it’s hard for you to go out, I can do it alone. I’ll tell the professor.”

‘I just…’

The events that had just occurred replayed in order in Elaine’s mind.

She had been waiting backstage, heard her name, gone up on stage, and drawn a ball.

She drew sixth place, thought about her bad luck, and then felt something strange and tried to draw her sword, but…

“Wh-what?”

“…Elaine?”

Emily looked at Elaine with genuine concern.

A single impossible possibility flashed through Elaine’s mind.

She had gone back in time.

For a very brief moment.

And at that moment.

“Or should I do it?”

A voice was heard.

A voice she thought she’d never hear again.

“Huh…?”

A sensation of goosebumps all over her body.

Elaine slowly turned around to the voice coming from behind her.

She opened her eyes wide, wondering if she was dreaming.

Black hair and that characteristic mischievous expression.

“Ryu!”

“Ryu…?”

Unlike Emily, who shouted happily, Elaine’s voice trembled excessively.

The person who suddenly appeared backstage was Ryu.

The Black Shadow Corps leader Ryu, who had sacrificed himself for her while fighting Satan.

Elaine’s body trembled uncontrollably at the unbelievable sight.

**

It was empty.

Is there a more appropriate word to describe this space and my current state of mind?

<Main Quest (5) “Sudden Disaster” completed!>

<Quest clear reward will be given.>

<Title “Hero of the Continent” has been granted.>

Even the quest completion message informing me that Satan had been sealed wasn’t welcome at all.

What good was completing a quest?

I was trapped in this space with no way out.

When I threw myself into the severed space along with Satan to save Elaine, I thought I would lose my life immediately.

But my life was tougher than I expected.

Or maybe it was because this wasn’t my first time entering this space.

Satan lost consciousness as soon as he entered the spatial rift and disappeared somewhere.

But not me.

Thanks to my increased resistance and familiarity with the space, I remained intact even in the severed spatial rift.

Of course, I still couldn’t move my body.

All I could do here was “think.”

Just in case, I tried searching for an exit using wind magic, but no exit was visible.

I thought I would starve to death, unable to move and just floating around, but that was also an unfounded worry.

The spatial rift was a place where the flow of time stopped.

My physical body had been in a state of suspended time since the moment I entered this place.

Being in a purely soul state with no physical sensations was more painful than I had imagined.

If I hadn’t been able to freely view my status window or quest window, I probably would have gone mad from boredom.

After entering the spatial rift with Satan, the system message informed me of the quest completion while I was in a daze.

Strictly speaking, I hadn’t sealed Satan, but the system seemed to consider this situation as a seal.

Thanks to that, I earned the title “Hero of the Continent” and gained stat points.

However, the problem was that this didn’t mean I could leave this place.

When the quest completion message first appeared, I was quite excited, but ultimately nothing changed.

How much time had passed like that?

My sense of time disappeared, and I was starting to have dark thoughts about whether it would be better to just die, when:

<Main Quest (6) “Luck Is on My Side”>

Objective: Draw 4th place or higher prize at the opening ceremony event.

Description: Peace has returned to the continent, and a new semester has begun at Crescen Academy. Bring joy to your classmates at the opening ceremony event.

Reward: 5 Stat Points

Penalty: Play Reset [Penalty reduced due to increased difficulty]

Just when I thought it was all over, a ridiculous new quest notification appeared.

And it was such a trivial and happy-looking quest.

Considering that the previous quest was about sealing a resurrected demon, this was literally child’s play.

It made me think that the Arcaria Continent had found peace—everyone except me.

As expected, nothing changed even with the new quest.

I couldn’t even participate in the drawing, let alone draw 4th place or higher.

‘Ahhh.’

It felt like false hope.

This just made me think about the academy and the world outside this space.

Was Elaine rescued safely?

How were Addy and the other Black Shadow Corps members doing?

They wouldn’t have forgotten about me by now, would they?

‘But it’s only the second semester opening now?’

Thanks to the new quest, my lost sense of time returned somewhat.

I thought decades had passed, but it had only been a few months.

I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

While I was lost in these not-so-important thoughts:

<Quest clear failed.>

<Penalty will be applied due to quest failure: Play Reset>

‘Huh…?’

These messages suggested something was about to happen.

The quest failure was one thing, but the message that followed gave me even greater hope.

That somehow this terrible situation might change.

<All data recorded after Main Quest (5) “Sudden Disaster” will be reset.>

*Whoosh-*

And my prediction was spot on.

“Wow.”

My body moved, and my voice came out.

I couldn’t believe it, so I jumped on the spot.

It was quite awkward, but my body definitely moved according to my will.

“Holy shit.”

I was back.

And what I saw before me was Elaine.

Elaine Sinclair, tilting her head with her golden hair flowing.

*Grin-*

I couldn’t help but smile.