Ch.162About Daily (3)

“……”

I stare at the person across from me.

Ruska Venatti.

The boy who suddenly came to warn me was just glaring at me silently.

His cold, deep blue eyes resembled some distant winter.

His gaze leaked hostility, whether he realized it or not.

‘What an uncomfortable atmosphere.’

A rippling silence.

While fidgeting with my teacup, I kept my attention fixed on him.

Given his sudden visit, I couldn’t let my guard down.

The boy had barged in without any prior notice.

“I must… warn you about something.”

“It’s about my sister.”

And he even added such meaningful words.

I couldn’t just ignore this.

‘In the end’

A deserted alley.

We were facing each other on the shadowy ground.

We had moved to a place without eavesdroppers.

There was no better environment for a confidential conversation.

I lightly begin the conversation.

“So, what is this warning you wanted to give me?”

“…I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing.”

Ruska couldn’t answer right away.

He only furrowed his brow.

Perhaps he needed time to organize his thoughts.

The boy took several deep breaths before finally beginning to speak what he had been holding back.

His voice contained a slight tremor, unlike his usual tone.

“There’s no point in dragging this out.”

“If you’re hesitating this much… it must not be a trivial matter.”

“Right. I’ll keep it brief since someone might be listening.”

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

Flickering pupils.

The boy speaks while our gazes cross.

“Our family has started taking notice of you.”

“The Venatti family, you mean…?”

“Yes. But not in a positive way.”

“I don’t believe I’ve done anything to earn hostility from the Duke’s family.”

“That doesn’t matter. What’s important is that your name has been added to the registry.”

“What registry? No, before that… what exactly do you mean by ‘taking notice’?”

“I can’t answer that right now.”

Ruska closes his mouth at the crucial point.

It seemed to be due to restrictions placed by his family.

I had expected this from the beginning, but I asked just to confirm.

After all, I already had a rough idea of what the boy wanted to convey.

‘If they’re taking notice… has the time come for them to make their move already?’

I mentally piece together the situation.

The original story rapidly replays in my mind.

Meanwhile, the boy, who had turned pale, continued speaking calmly.

I simply kept pretending not to understand the situation.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because my sister is involved.”

“The young lady…?”

Ruska’s way of speaking had an irritatingly peculiar aspect.

He would throw out serious-sounding bait, only to clam up about the core details.

Probably because of the restrictions.

‘His way of speaking oddly reminds me of the headmaster.’

It was fortunate that I knew the original story; otherwise, I would have been incredibly frustrated.

I asked a question while feigning calmness.

“Then, what would you like me to do?”

I ask for his intentions.

If he was bringing up such a serious matter, it meant he wanted me to play some role.

Ruska’s pupils dilated at my question that precariously hit the mark.

After briefly breaking into a cold sweat, he soon answered.

“…Protect her.”

The boy’s blue eyes trembled with transparency.

His gaze was infinitely sincere.

“Please, protect my sister.”

I couldn’t help but sense it.

A story with dangerous cracks forming.

The butterfly effect I had carelessly set in motion was finally returning as a storm.

An invisible tidal wave was approaching the world ahead.

***

My head was complicated.

Was it because of Ruska’s sudden warning?

I had to remain lost in thought for a while.

A cool tension circled my spine.

‘The Venatti family… so something is happening after all.’

It was quite a headache-inducing topic.

Even with my knowledge of the original story, the future ahead was largely unknown.

Even I, with thousands of playthroughs of experience, couldn’t be certain.

The official history had been severely distorted to predict tomorrow.

‘The butterfly effect.’

The original story had diverged significantly from the current point.

Originally, half of the characters should have died, and the academy should have collapsed.

Moreover, the [Usurpation War] that took place in the underworld should have been in full swing by now.

I had been breaking these major plot threads one by one.

It would be strange if there wasn’t some reaction coming back.

“Our family has started taking notice of you.”

And amid all this, I received such a meaningful warning.

It was something I couldn’t ignore.

Moreover, the Venatti Duke’s family was a force that appeared as villains in the original story.

I needed to combine the given information and deduce what lay ahead.

As I walked lost in thought, suddenly someone’s voice caught my attention.

It was none other than the summoner.

“Young master? Are you alright?”

“Ah… Miss Lezia.”

“I, I noticed you haven’t been looking well for a while.”

“I’m fine, of course. Thank you for your concern.”

We were crossing the academy street.

Beside the fluttering pink hair stood the narcissist and the fox as well.

We were returning to our respective dormitories after attending class together.

The imperial sisters had gone back earlier, saying they had other business, and the teacher was busy handling work.

So only the four of us were on the way home.

‘How should I put it.’

It was a composition reminiscent of early last year.

A time when everything was still awkward.

Back then, we always spent academy life as a group of four.

It was amazing that a whole year had already passed.

I casually murmured to the summoner.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“Y-yes… it feels like the entrance ceremony was just yesterday, but we’re already second-years…”

“Well, happy days always pass by quickly.”

Light small talk.

As we chat briefly, something sparkling suddenly catches my eye.

It was a ring on the summoner’s ring finger.

Recognizing what it was, I unconsciously say:

“The ring… you’re still wearing it.”

“Oh? Y-you remembered…?”

“Of course. After all, I’m the one who put it on you.”

A few months ago.

It was a ring that dropped as a reward after completing a side episode.

I had no particular need for it, so I gave it to her.

It seemed she had been wearing it faithfully since then.

[EP???. How to Cross the Desert]

-A door opening to the sky, a boy watching the stars-

A stage notorious for its hellish difficulty.

The reward was worth it, though.

‘Accessory, Ring of Connection.’

An item that could block one attack directed at the player, regardless of its nature.

Although it had the drawback of disappearing after use, in the original story, it was powerful enough to withstand Judas’s [Liar].

It could be considered the ultimate consumable item.

Lezia blushes as if embarrassed.

“W-well… it’s a gift from you. I always treasure it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

How does she speak so beautifully?

I pat her pink hair with an appreciative feeling.

The girl accepts my touch obediently, though flustered.

“Y-young master…?”

“Please keep it with you from now on. Don’t forget it, and don’t lose it.”

I add a few requests.

We’re now approaching the final chapter.

At a time when anything could happen, it would be good to have even one contingency plan.

Especially since Lezia was the weakest in terms of combat ability, excluding her summoning magic.

She needed measures to respond in case of emergency.

In other words.

“Because someday, it will protect you.”

This ring was a minimal safety measure.

The girl, who had been listening blankly, soon nods with a bright expression.

I don’t know how she interpreted my request, but her expression was bright.

Judging by the blush on her cheeks, she seemed quite flustered.

However, the girl only fidgeted with the ring on her finger.

“Yes…! I definitely will!”

“You really are admirable.”

Our voices exchange gently.

As I enjoy her innocent response, I suddenly feel sharp gazes from both sides.

They belonged to Amelia and Irene, who were returning home with us.

I had forgotten about them while focusing on my conversation with Lezia.

They were glaring at me with cold eyes.

Their expressions clearly showed dissatisfaction.

“Hmm… sounds like an interesting conversation? Already receiving such a gift.”

“I didn’t expect you to be ahead in this area.”

A ring.

And a ring placed on the ring finger.

Moreover, a ring that I personally put on her finger.

It was enough to attract attention.

I had to offer an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse, with an awkward smile.

The coldly sinking atmosphere chilled my spine.

“There’s a slight misunderstanding here…”

“If you’re trying to gloss over this as a misunderstanding, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Surely you wouldn’t do that. That would mean you were just playing with a commoner, right?”

“Even a pervert wouldn’t say something like that.”

“He’s not that terrible a person, I’m sure.”

“……”

Damage dealt without pause.

Honestly, there was a lot to feel wronged about, but I didn’t dare open my mouth.

I knew that doing so would only make me more entangled.

I just continued with a bitter smile.

“B-but… if he put a ring on your finger, d-doesn’t that mean…?”

“The quiet cat climbs onto the stove first, as they say.”

So that’s what they’re interested in.

Lezia’s face, watching the situation, was burning hot.

Just as the girl was about to step forward to explain, the fox suddenly approached and cut her off.

“Wait a moment! This isn’t what it looks like…”

“I don’t mind either way.”

Grab-

Suddenly Irene seizes my arm.

I tilt my head in confusion.

“Miss Irene…?”

A questioning call.

What followed was something no one expected.

She took my hand and brought it close to her lips.

Then her closed mouth slowly opened.

And then.

Chu-wet…

She hides my finger in her mouth.

A moist sensation.

It was exactly where my ring finger was positioned.

The sudden wetness, hot temperature, and soft texture of her tongue were directly transmitted.

Even with her lips completely covering my finger, the fox maintained eye contact calmly.

Her eyes curved in a bewitching smile.

Nibble-

Her hard teeth gently bite my finger.

A sensation of pressure as she carefully presses on my ring finger.

Additionally, her tongue, softly wrapping around it, was moving as if licking candy.

The saliva playing stickily at my fingertip made the girl’s presence vividly real.

It was an addictive warmth.

“”……”

Silence flows around us.

While everyone is unable to process the sudden situation, Irene soon pulls out my finger as if nothing happened.

A watery thread stretches between her tongue and my fingertip.

My ring finger, which had been bitten for quite some time, bore clear teeth marks.

Like a ring had been engraved on it.

It was truly a blasphemous sight.

The girl simply smiles leisurely.

“This is enough for me.”

Teeth marks imprinted like a ring.

She seemed to be saying this was a substitute for the real thing.

The fox wipes the saliva from her lips.

“……”

At this point, I had to wonder.

Was she really a beastkin?

Perhaps she was closer to a demon from mythology, or a succubus.

Her seductive voice left everyone dumbfounded.

A silence descends amid somewhat impure heat.

What broke it was none other than the narcissist who had been frozen all this time.

She cried out as if horrified by Irene’s behavior.

Her white face was completely flushed.

Her trembling blue eyes reproached the person before her.

“Y-you…! H-h-how could you! Such i-indecent behavior in p-public…!”

“Does it really matter? There’s no one around but us anyway.”

“Even so, h-how could you be so u-unrefined…!”

Amelia was even stuttering.

Perhaps because her mind was in chaos, even forming sentences seemed difficult.

Her forehead, hot enough to boil, gave the illusion of steaming.

Perhaps it was because she was from a noble family.

She always lost her composure when topics like this came up.

Sometimes she seemed even more hopeless than Lezia.

“Ugh, uwaaa… finger, tongue, t-teeth marks…”

Of course.

Lezia wasn’t doing much better either.

Her similarly reddened complexion clearly revealed her agitation.

The fox, facing such reactions, simply smiled as if victorious.

I could only let out a quiet sigh.

“…Pfft.”

A slight laugh follows.

I shake my head as if to say “what can you do.”

It took quite some time to calm down the two confused individuals.

***

Meanwhile.

In the labyrinth located beneath the academy.

In the space where shadows fell ominously, several footsteps were crossing the path.

They were all figures with blood-red robes fluttering behind them.

The Demonic Energy spreading stealthily hinted at their existence.

‘Baob.’

Otherwise known as black mages, or cultists.

The eerie air flows between the walls.

As they move forward, a sudden question is heard.

It was directed at the robed figure leading the group.

“Tomb Keeper. We’ll arrive at the destination soon.”

“Acknowledged. Base camp. Set up. Around here.”

“But… isn’t this too close to the academy building? The faculty might notice something.”

“Impossible. Absolutely.”

Tomb Keeper (gardien d’une tombe).

The man called by that name expresses firm denial.

He was asserting that they would never be detected.

This might seem arrogant, but it wasn’t necessarily wrong.

Even if the faculty had noticed the existence of the labyrinth.

It would take time to understand its internal structure.

Especially if they wanted to discover the ‘hidden paths’ that they were using, it would take at least half a year.

The cultists themselves had found these paths after nearly 100 years of digging.

“None. Of the faculty. Can see through. The labyrinth.”

The Tomb Keeper’s assertion wasn’t limited to the faculty.

It would be impossible for anyone on the continent.

Because this place wasn’t just a simple labyrinth.

It was a product of ancient construction, of destruction and records.

Since its structure differed fundamentally from modern magic, spatial interpretation itself couldn’t be established.

There’s a reason why ancient artifacts are called ‘mysteries.’

The member nods at the Tomb Keeper’s explanation.

“In a few days. Operation. Execute.”

The dark red curtain flutters.

The Tomb Keeper rummages through his sleeve with trembling hands.

Then he unfolds a piece of parchment.

“Everyone. Identify. The target.”

It was a drawing.

A portrait depicting a student’s face.

The Tomb Keeper murmurs coldly.

“The power of the dragon… this child will soon. Become the substitute for the Four Dragons.”

In the picture they had stabbed with a knife was a girl with pink long hair.

None other than Lezia Pillots.

She was the protagonist of this world.

“The collapse. Of Galimar. Will be but a moment.”

The robed figure hums a bizarre tune.

That melody was a funeral dirge for the dead who would soon rise.