Ch.55How to Cross the Desert (2)

The academy continues to run busily.

Although it hasn’t even been two weeks since the midterm exams, the atmosphere at the academy hasn’t relaxed at all.

Rather, the atmosphere was burning with competition.

Gallimar, the continent’s finest educational institution.

As a facility where only the elite gather, it was a place where a moment’s carelessness could lead to being overtaken by others.

That’s why students didn’t carelessly let go of their tension.

At least until the day of the field trip arrived, the harsh atmosphere seemed likely to continue.

Another intense day had passed.

“……”

In the evening after all classes had ended.

Lezia was walking along the path toward the dormitory.

Perhaps due to an unfavorably twisted schedule, the girl was returning to her room at a rather late hour.

There was no one beside her.

Trudge, trudge-.

She takes steps calmly.

Her pink hair flutters in the passing breeze.

Though her bangs kept obscuring her vision, the girl simply moved her feet without any reaction.

She seemed lost in very deep thought.

“……”

Lezia had been in this state all along.

A dazed, absent-minded state.

Since the incident during the last midterm exam, she had been standing powerlessly more often than usual.

It was because of memories that remained like a kind of trauma.

-Hey, commoner! Can’t you summon that precious familiar of yours this time either?

-You’re nothing but baggage!!

-Forget it! Stop getting in the way and move aside!

The voices from that time lingered in her ears.

Unconsciously, her breath caught.

-Run outside right now.

-I’ll try to buy some time here… at least you should get out alive.

A tense situation where life and death hung in the balance.

She couldn’t do anything.

Even when other children were struggling to survive, Lezia was of no help to them.

Because of her terribly weak nature.

‘I almost ruined everything again……’

The girl bit her lip firmly.

She was afraid of death.

But not to the point of being crushed by its weight.

What made Lezia despair more was the frustration that she had almost lost precious people due to her own incompetence.

A terrible sense of powerlessness circled through her entire body.

‘They all could have died.’

It could have been a total annihilation.

It was difficult to shed her own responsibility.

If only she had been able to properly control her abilities, they wouldn’t have been pushed back so helplessly.

Surely escape would have been possible.

‘Because I was foolishly weak… I put everyone in danger.’

Self-loathing crept up.

At times like this, her mother’s words felt like the correct answer.

Those whispers full of hatred.

-A useless girl like you… should never have been born in the first place.

Sharp fragments pierced her lungs.

Groaning so as not to be heard, Lezia soon stumbled on her perfectly fine legs.

She felt dizzy.

It was like motion sickness.

Memories of powerless moments and childhood memories that remained like scars mixed together.

They carved long, deep wounds in her heart.

Lezia maintained her balance simply to avoid falling.

“Haa, haa…”

Ragged breathing.

It was while she was sinking into depression.

“Miss Lezia.”

A voice came from somewhere.

Despite clearly not sensing anyone’s presence, the shadow was already standing behind the girl.

When she turned around, a familiar face appeared.

“I’ve been waiting.

“……Young Master?”

Neatly arranged golden hair.

A calm, lingering atmosphere, and narrowly opened eyes.

“Shall we walk together for a while?”

Once again, it was none other than the snake who caught the girl at the end of her depression.

***

“Shall we walk together for a while?”

The protagonist walking with her soul gone.

Having waited until classes ended, I appeared behind the girl and said so.

Lezia seemed flustered but nodded.

So we walked together on the path back to the dormitory.

“……”

Even while walking, the girl didn’t open her mouth at all.

An atmosphere where only heavy silence lingered.

Lezia was merely moving her feet, following my steps one by one.

It felt like watching a doll whose soul had escaped.

“You seem to be lacking energy.”

“……Pardon?”

“You’ve been looking unwell lately. Are you perhaps sick somewhere?”

“Ah, no… I, I think it’s just because I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“You must have had trouble sleeping all week then.”

“……”

In the end, I spoke first.

Lezia rolled her eyes as if looking for an excuse, then mumbled in a shrinking voice.

“I’m, I’m really fine… It’s just that studies have been hard lately, so, so I guess fatigue has built up without me realizing.”

“Hmm~ Is that so?”

“Yes, yes…”

The protagonist nodding timidly.

The girl was saying she was fine, but I knew it was a flimsy lie.

She was visibly quite down.

‘It must be because of what happened in the abandoned laboratory.’

She must be feeling disgusted with her powerless self.

It was a common occurrence in the original work.

The weakness of not being able to properly handle her abilities.

Despite having the power to protect others, she couldn’t produce results due to her fragile nature.

It was like giving a master sword to a scarecrow.

[I couldn’t do anything.]

The coward blamed herself every time.

She was a child who found it easier to hate herself than to shift responsibility to others.

It was her nature to live in wounds for her entire life.

This time seemed no different.

The girl was blaming herself.

That due to her own incompetence, she had almost put those around her in a terrible situation.

Bad thoughts gnaw at the heart.

‘She must be afraid.’

Lezia had hardly grown.

This was also true.

After all, she had avoided most of the tragedies that occurred in the original work.

The villainess’s bullying was now virtually gone, and she wasn’t living as an outcast, unable to adapt to the academy.

She wasn’t dragged away by monsters during the midterm exam.

And since she didn’t go to Belzen, she didn’t build the tragic relationship with Anne.

It was truly a smooth flow.

‘Perhaps it was because of me.’

Pain accelerates growth.

In other words, growth always requires a certain amount of pain.

The protagonist needed an opportunity.

An opportunity to stand up from pain on her own.

‘If such an event is needed… I can find it for her directly.’

This world ultimately flows according to the choices of the protagonist’s group.

Though I can control many aspects now, concluding the story at the end is their role.

This is something even the liar’s ability cannot touch.

Therefore, my role was that of a guide.

A guide helping wanderers walk on the right path.

“Miss Lezia.”

I smile gently.

If you want to change, I was willing to find you an opportunity.

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?”

“Huh? P-plans?”

“I was wondering if you’re busy.”

“Nothing special. But, but why suddenly ask about plans…?”

“You said you’re stressed because of studies. How about getting some fresh air together? As a change of mood.”

“Pardon…?”

There was a place we could go together.

An event where I could expect Lezia’s growth.

I smile mischievously.

“I’m asking you on a date.”

Let’s see if I can help the protagonist grow a bit.

***

A few days later.

We met each other on the academy street.

Despite coming out earlier than the appointed time, Lezia was already looking around.

We exchange light greetings as our eyes meet.

“You’re already out?”

“You came out early too, Young Master.”

“I was really looking forward to today. Time spent alone with Miss Lezia is always good.”

“Ugh… sh-shall we go then?”

Lezia lowered her head as if embarrassed.

She seemed nervous.

I smile unconsciously at that innocent reaction.

Taking the restless girl’s hand, I lead the way as if telling her to follow.

“I’ll guide you. I know this area well.”

“Ah… yes, yes!”

We crossed the plaza like that.

As we walk along the extended path, we soon leave the familiar academy scenery behind.

It transforms into a new atmosphere.

Gallimar doesn’t just have academy buildings.

With a scale comparable to a decent-sized city, there were numerous commercial areas and facilities centered around the main building.

Shops, restaurants, theaters, blacksmiths, and more… various entertainments existed.

It was precisely a part of the academy called the “outer district.”

“Wow…!”

Lezia marvels at the splendid background.

It seemed this was her first time coming to the outer district.

“Shall we fill our stomachs first?”

“Yes!”

“Let’s have a simple lunch. I know a good street vendor, and I hope Miss Lezia likes it too.”

“If, if it’s a place Young Master goes to……”

“It’s right there.”

In the direction I pointed, there stood an old shop.

It was a street stall run by a white-haired old man.

Lezia tilts her head as if surprised.

“Is that… Plania skewers?”

“Do you know what kind of food it is?”

“I do. When I was traveling the continent alone, I came across it in a village I happened to visit.”

“Oh.”

We each held a skewer in our hands.

It looked similar to chicken skewers.

A dish made by thoroughly grilling a bird called Plania, then finishing it with a sweet sauce.

It was a food difficult to find in the Empire.

“……”

The well-cooked flesh of the Plania.

Lezia, who had been standing still, soon brings the warm skewer to her mouth.

Crunch-.

“……!”

Her eyes widen as if surprised by the taste.

Does she like it?

I, who had been watching her reaction, take a bite as well.

Crunch-.

The well-cooked skin breaks with a loud noise.

Immediately after, rich juices burst out.

The meaty aroma lingering at the tip of my nose, and the uniquely stimulating sauce wrapping around the tip of my tongue.

It had a strange texture.

The skin was clearly like that of chicken, but the flesh was closer to pork.

Especially, the greasy flavor was excellent.

‘It’s delicious even though it’s my first time trying it.’

It was a street stall that Lezia from the original work frequented like a regular.

I brought her here thinking she might like it in reality too, and it seemed to be a great success.

It even matched my taste.

“How is it, Miss Lezia?”

“It’s, it’s delicious…! Much better than the Plania skewers I had before!”

“I’m glad.”

The girl munching with a relaxed expression.

A warm smile forms naturally.

I unconsciously stroke her pink hair and order a few more Plania skewers.

Seeing how much she liked it, I wanted to feed her plenty.

“After eating, shall we go somewhere else?”

“Yes…!”

We walked around the wide streets.

Although it was an outing aimed at a growth event, I also wanted to spend time together.

After all, it was the first time we came to the outer district together like this.

“There’s, there’s so much here.”

“Hehe… shall we experience them one by one?”

It seemed quite enjoyable.

We watched theater performances, browsed items in shops, and even purchased weapons displayed at the blacksmith’s.

Time passes like an arrow.

“I knew about the outer district, but… I didn’t know there were so many things here.”

“Learning something new is always enjoyable.”

The sky is already turning to evening.

The scenery gradually turning red.

I realize it’s about time.

I led the girl to today’s final destination.

It was a path in a somewhat remote part of the outer district, where people’s footsteps didn’t reach.

“Shall we look at this place last?”

An old shop located in a secluded area.

The building, bearing traces of time, stood alone in the empty surroundings.

It felt somewhat eerie.

“There’s a shop even in such a remote place…?”

“It seems like there might be many good items.”

Inside, various odds and ends were piled up.

Items displayed more neatly than expected.

It looked as if someone had managed them one by one.

We look around for the shop owner, but there was no sign of anyone.

“It seems like no one’s here…”

“They must have stepped out for a moment. Since we’re here, shall we look at the items?”

There were many miscellaneous items.

It seemed more like a shop selling antiques rather than a general store.

Old magical tools, emblems with faded patterns, crackling crystals worn with age, and more.

There didn’t seem to be any particularly valuable items.

Until Lezia picked something up.

“What’s this…?”

The girl fiddles with a book as if entranced.

It was a book covered in old leather.

On the cover, the title [How to Cross the Desert] was engraved in golden letters.

“Miss Lezia?”

As expected.

So you choose that.

“This book… feels strange somehow.”

“What’s strange about it?”

“I, I don’t know exactly. It feels like the mana is faintly trembling……”

Summoners are basically sensitive to mana.

The concept of summoning itself required delicate manipulation.

Due to this characteristic, the book seemed to have caught her eye.

Lezia, who was stroking the cover as if scanning the mana, soon unconsciously turns a page.

At that very moment.

Beeeeeep-!

“……?!”

Along with an intense ringing sound, light begins to pour out from the book.

The scenery turns brilliantly in an instant.

The flashing light not only engulfs the shop but also completely covers the children’s vision in white.

There wasn’t even time to react.

“Young, Young Master…!”

A panicked voice rings in my ears.

I mutter, realizing my consciousness is drifting away in real-time.

‘Is it starting?’

The growth event.

I slightly twist the corner of my mouth.

The opened page draws us into the story.

I willingly surrender to that flow.

‘There’s only one chance.’

Following that.

My vision went dark.

***

When I regained consciousness.

What greeted us was the sun beating down hotly.

“Wh-where in the world is this…?”

Lezia frantically looks around.

Sand that hadn’t been brushed off yet clung to her sleeve.

I mutter quietly.

“……It seems we’ve arrived properly.”

Hot heat.

The texture of sand felt through the floor.

Scenery covered entirely in gold.

We had fallen into the middle of a desert.

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

-The door that opens to the sky, the boy who watches the stars-

It was the beginning of a hidden episode.