Ch.63Control (1)

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

-The Door Opening in the Sky, the Boy Who Watches the Stars-

The fairy tale, long or short depending on how you look at it, had ended.

What remained afterward was a moment of contemplation.

After spacing out for a while, we were now walking back to the dormitory.

The time had already shifted to a dark evening.

Whooosh-.

A sudden gust of wind.

The academy landscape remained unchanged, without the slightest difference.

Though we had spent ten days inside the book, it seemed not much time had passed in reality.

At most, perhaps a few hours had gone by.

‘Everything’s back to normal.’

The shoes that had been covered in sand, the outer clothes stained with scorpion blood, the loosened necktie—everything had returned to its state before our departure.

As if all those scenes had been nothing but a dream.

We simply remembered it vividly.

About an old, old boy who embarked on a distant journey to meet a girl.

‘I wonder if they met well.’

I suddenly look up at the sky and think.

Stars twinkling against a pitch-black background.

Surely, on one of those countless stars, the two of them must be living.

As I wander among the starlight that seems about to pour down, a faint smile soon colors my lips.

‘I hope they arrived safely.’

Did they succeed in reuniting?

Did the boy, swimming across the vast sky again and again, safely reach the girl?

We had no way of knowing.

But when I imagine them embracing each other, the stars smile down at us.

Conversely, when I think they might not have, the stars hold back tears.

The world looks completely different depending on what I imagine.

I still believed that sky was beautiful.

“……”

As I walk lost in thought for a while, a voice suddenly comes from beside me.

It was none other than Lezia.

“…It really feels like I just woke from a dream.”

“Indeed, it was an unbelievable experience.”

“I don’t think anyone would believe us.”

“It will remain a memory known only to the two of us.”

“I suppose so.”

Her voice spreads out gently.

The pink-haired girl murmurs as if reflecting on a certain moment.

“I feel like I learned a lot.”

It seems she gained various insights from this journey.

An unusually serious expression.

I smile faintly.

‘That’s good.’

I was satisfied if it helped the protagonist grow.

After all, that was the purpose of this journey from the beginning.

I hoped she would continue to grow well without going astray.

As I was savoring my private thoughts, I gently extended my hand toward the girl.

“Miss Lezia.”

“Yes?”

“May I have your hand for a moment?”

“S-suddenly…?”

Lezia tilts her head in confusion but soon obediently extends her hand.

I carefully place my hand over her fair skin.

“Y-young master…?”

“It was a date of sorts, wasn’t it? Even though we got caught up in strange events.”

A warm sensation.

Through her transparent pupils, only the blonde boy is reflected.

Looking at the protagonist who stands frozen, holding her breath, I reveal something I had hidden in my hand.

It was a ring with a greenish glow.

“A gift for you.”

The reward from this episode.

I was giving her one of the two items that had dropped.

In truth, since we had cleared the episode together, and she had carried the latter half alone, it could be considered her rightful share.

But it feels better to receive it this way.

Besides, explaining about the reward would be troublesome.

It was easier to just say it was a gift I had prepared.

And incidentally, earn some favor with our protagonist.

Shamelessly telling a lie, I slip the ring onto her slender finger.

“I chose it with care, so I hope you like it.”

As if by magic, the ring fits perfectly on the girl’s ring finger.

Lezia, who had been standing in a daze, soon becomes flustered and stumbles over her words.

“Y-young master? W-what is this…?”

“I told you back in the desert, didn’t I? That I would always stay by your side. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“I-I remember! But what does that have to do with a ring…?”

“Think of it as a token of my promise.”

Though it looked like an ordinary ring at first glance, it was an item with rather extraordinary performance.

It was originally an item that dropped with the lowest probability.

I should say we were lucky.

Accessory, Ring of Connection.

An item that could block any attack directed at the player once, regardless of the type.

Although it had the drawback of disappearing after use, in the original work, it was an accessory excellent enough to withstand Judas’s “Liar.”

It could be considered the ultimate consumable item.

“Always keep it with you. If a day comes when I cannot keep my promise, this little friend will protect you in my place.”

“B-but it looks so expensive! I can’t accept something like this…”

“It’s fine.”

I gently stroke the girl’s head.

My voice rings softly.

“You’re more than worthy of it. Miss Lezia is my most cherished friend.”

“M-most cherished…?”

“Please don’t decline.”

“Ugh, mmm…”

The girl makes a small groaning sound for a moment, then timidly nods.

Her face was unmistakably flushed red.

She lowers her head as if embarrassed.

It seemed the word “friend” was still awkward for her.

“…I’ll accept it gratefully.”

The girl answers quietly.

Though she tries to regain her composure, her fingers are trembling nervously.

I chuckle softly at such a cute reaction.

“Hehe, it’s getting late. Shall we head back now?”

“Ah… y-yes!”

Hands that don’t let go of each other.

We crossed the night sky side by side.

***

We returned to our academy life.

In reality, the time we were gone amounted to only about 2 hours, but for us, it had been nearly ten days.

Naturally, the academy remained unchanged.

An everyday life surrounded by peaceful air.

“Young Master Judas!”

“Miss Lezia.”

I wave lightly toward the approaching girl.

“I’m late. The lecture ended later than expected.”

“I don’t mind! I haven’t been waiting long at all.”

“You’re such a good girl.”

“Heh, hehe…”

As I pat her head as if she’s done well, her bright expression gradually melts.

The warm temperature colors my palm.

‘She’s been in a good mood lately.’

If anything had changed, it was Lezia.

Since returning from the desert.

The psychological distance between us had narrowed considerably.

Even when calling me, whereas before she used my surname, now she called me by my first name.

I could probably assume she had opened her heart to me somewhat.

She no longer showed signs of fearing my touch.

Even when I stroked her head like now, instead of running away, she simply stood still.

It felt satisfying, like taming a timid cat.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed this change.

Ameila, who was watching us, asks with a puzzled expression.

“The atmosphere seems to have changed in just a few days… Did something happen between you two?”

“Hehe, I wonder.”

“You’re suspicious.”

Blue eyes scan us.

Her gaze, which had been moving around, soon fixes on one spot.

None other than Lezia’s ring finger.

“Commoner? What’s that ring on your finger?”

“Ah, this is…”

It was the accessory I had put on her.

The pilot looks embarrassed and hesitates before revealing the truth in a trembling voice.

“It’s a gift from the young master.”

“Whaaaat…?”

“We had an appointment a few days ago. We went around the outer area together, and he gave it to me as a token of promise.”

“That’s right. It was a pleasant date.”

“D-d-date?!”

Thump.

Wavering pupils.

The girl, who had frozen for a moment as if shocked, soon shrieks at me.

Her pale face was flushed with heat.

“You lecher…!”

“Hmm?”

“After doing such sh-shameless things to me! Are you going around touching all other women too?!”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“What happened to when you said you liked me?!”

“Of course I like you.”

“What do you mean…!”

“I like both Lady Ameila and Miss Lezia equally.”

Why is she getting so excited again?

Her look of contempt was impressive.

I place my hand on her blue hair, signaling her to calm down.

Inadvertently, I found myself in the ridiculous posture of patting heads on both sides.

Is this what they call a cat mom?

“…You’re the worst.”

Ameila turns her head slightly.

But she doesn’t avoid my touch.

Perhaps remembering the terms of our contract, she seemed unable to resist.

I let out a small laugh.

The bustling atmosphere breaks apart with the summer breeze.

As we spend such peaceful days, a sudden remark is heard.

“Come to think of it, the school trip is just around the corner.”

School trip.

An academy event that had already approached to just a week away.

“I should go to the library. I need to finish previewing the next exam material before the school trip.”

“C-can I come with you…?”

“Do as you please.”

The children seemed intent on focusing on their studies until the event.

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to pass. I have other things to do.”

“I-is that so…?”

With a week left until the school trip.

If asked what I would do during this short period, I already had a plan.

“First, I need to meet someone.”

I murmur meaningfully.

***

A few hours later.

I was having a private meeting with someone in a professor’s research office.

“This is unexpected. I didn’t think you would come looking for me, Judas.”

Sitting at the desk was none other than Selena Drunkard.

The professor in charge of Class A, to which I belonged.

Red pupils look at me.

The woman, who had been blinking indifferently, fiddles with the bottle of alcohol in her hand.

Her long purple hair that had fallen down sways gently.

“I’m curious about your business.”

The smell of alcohol wafting thickly.

I answer.

“I’d like you to grant me a favor.”

The accident that happened during the last midterm exam.

Selena owed me a personal debt.

Despite being in charge of supervising the exam, she had failed to prevent us from getting caught up in the accident.

That’s why the woman had promised us.

That during our time at Gallimar, she would grant each of us one wish.

“You won’t pretend not to know now, will you?”

“Of course not.”

“I heard you lost your position as head professor because of that incident. Are you alright with that?”

“It’s not particularly a problem.”

The woman indifferently tilts the bottle.

As if she doesn’t really care.

After drinking for a while, Selena soon asks with dimly glowing red eyes.

“Pahh… So, what is this favor?”

“It’s not a difficult request.”

I smile ominously.

The time had come.

For the many incidents that would occur in the future.

To suppress the incomplete dangers, I needed to gain power within the academy.

Power that could easily crush ordinary students.

“I’d like you to make me the head teaching assistant.”

Boldly demanding the position.

It was time to take control of the academy.