Chapter 153: Side Story – Escape IF (Academy)

Chapter 153: Side Story – Escape IF (Academy)

“Lucy. You can relax now. We’re only about a minute away from outside the forest!”

I patted Lucy excitedly in a voice full of excitement.

Tiny Lucy giggled.

I hurried my steps, wondering if Scarlett would follow, and ran forward.

Finally.

A wide-open plain caught my eye.

Standing tall was the bright moonlight.

It felt like it was smiling at me.

For some reason, tears welled up.

****

“Unnie, Unnie.. Wake up..”

“Hmm..? Uh, ugh..”

A gentle breeze brushed against my nose.

I heard something, a voice.

I thought I misheard and lifted my head.

The first thing I felt was the cold touch of a wall.

I was sleepy. My eyes still felt a bit dry.

And then, Lucy’s pretty face was in front of me.

“Unnie.”

“…Lucy?”

“Yes! It’s Lucy!”

What is this? Lucy didn’t have a tongue.

I wondered what it was and pulled my cheeks, but this wasn’t a dream.

Then, I remembered what happened yesterday.

I had definitely escaped from Scarlett’s mansion and ran wildly across the plain.

Ran, and ran again.

Until I collapsed from exhaustion.

In front of my eyes, the campfire, still burning, radiated heat.

Of course, it wasn’t a normal fire.

It was white and quite warm.

It was hot enough to feel warm if you stayed in it for a long time. It was protecting me and Lucy’s body temperature.

I rubbed my eyes and silently grabbed Lucy’s face.

The touch was clear. It wasn’t an illusion.

Then, I spun my fingers and tested it again.

Sparkling powder scattered into the air.

Hmm. As expected. Nothing was wrong even when I did this.

If so, the current Lucy was perfectly real.

And the place I was in wasn’t an illusion, but a real place.

That meant I had successfully escaped.

Drip, drip-

As I thought that far, tears welled up for some reason.

Just tears, without a single sob.

When I suddenly started crying, Lucy panicked and fiddled with her hands.

And then Lucy hugged me tightly.

“It’s, it’s okay, Unnie. We escaped safely. We’re outside.”

I couldn’t say anything.

I just wanted to fully feel the joy of this escape.

I shed tears endlessly and hugged Lucy’s body tightly.

And then, I pulled my face away.

Feeling a bit tired, I continued.

“But.. Lucy, what happened to your tongue..?”

“I’ll just say it’s a dragon’s secret!”

The answer was an ambiguous ‘secret,’ but.

Such trivial things weren’t important.

I exhaled lightly and wiped my eyes, calming my mind and body.

Perhaps it was because I had only been in the mansion.

This wide-open scenery felt so unfamiliar and thrilling.

Now that I’m out, it’s time to move towards the destination village.

I don’t know how far that crazy Scarlett chased me.

She has a carriage, so her mobility must be several times better than mine.

I need to find the village as soon as possible to ask for help or hide.

“Hoo.. Anyway, thank goodness.. Let’s move for now. That crazy bitch Scarlett might be chasing us any second..”

“Yes! Unnie, can you ride on me for a bit?”

“Ride on you..?”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what Lucy was saying.

Then, she turned her back to me and patted her back, and only then.

I realized she literally meant ‘get on my back.’

Get on her back?

On Lucy, who is only about 140cm tall?

“Um.. Lucy? Isn’t it a bit difficult to carry me..?”

“It’s okay. I can carry someone like you, Unnie.”

She really intended to carry me.

Well, it’s worth a shot.

To be honest, if Lucy, a dragon, can carry me, my mobility will increase exponentially.

With a rather awkward movement, I hugged Lucy from behind.

But then.

Given my height, it didn’t really look like ‘carrying.’

It just looked like I was hugging Lucy.

Since it looked a bit strange, whether I was riding on her like a horse or hugging Lucy.

Lucy, unable to stand it, lifted me with both hands.

“Uh, uaaah!”

“Hehe.. This is comfortable. Then, here I go!”

Thud thud thud thud-

Lucy ran off with a cheerful voice.

I felt an immense sense of speed and my eyes widened.

The world was flying by at high speed.

****

“Hehe.. Excuse me.. Madam. Do you perhaps need any help?”

“I don’t need any.”

“Please don’t say that.. You won’t find a worker like me anywhere. If you provide lodging and meals, I’ll take less money-“

“Ah, I told you I don’t need it! Get lost right now!! Honestly. Coming from the slums, you’re quite persistent..”

CRASH!

The hand that pushed us away raised its middle finger, and.

The inn door slammed shut forcefully.

I didn’t expect this.

Holding Lucy’s hand tightly, I stared at the firmly closed inn.

No matter how much I knocked and pleaded, the door wouldn’t open.

‘We’re screwed..’

The location was definitely correct.

The appearance, structure, and road of the inn.

It was the inn where I decided to find lodging.

However, unfortunately, the innkeeper had been replaced.

When I asked where the previous owner went, they only replied, ‘He sold the place due to debt and moved elsewhere.’

Damn it. No, in the game, they ran a successful business and lived happily ever after.

Why is it like this when I come here?

I feel so wronged and annoyed that I can’t stand it.

In the end, all I could do was stand outside in the cold night air, carrying Lucy.

Her body temperature was surprisingly high, so it wasn’t that cold.

“What do we do now..?”

“As long as I’m with Unnie, I’m happy anywhere.”

“No.. That kind of thinking makes you an easy target. We have the right to live in a better place..”

Compared to me, who was completely despairing, Lucy was quite cheerful.

It wasn’t bad that she seemed happy just being with me.

But still, I told Lucy I’d take her with me, and I was the one who spoke first.

What would happen if I couldn’t take responsibility?

“Sigh..”

I sniffled slightly in the cold air and let out a faint sigh.

What do I do now?

Wandering outside in the cold, or finding a job that provides lodging and meals, is not something to do.

Since I can use magic, I won’t have trouble making a living once I find a place.

But finding that place is a big problem.

I feel like I’ll freeze to death before I even find a place.

I held back tears and patted Lucy.

It feels like I’m a girl head of household who lost her home.

Perhaps it would have been a better choice to destroy Scarlett and take the mansion.

While having such trivial daydreams, I was wandering around the village.

Tap-

“Hiiik..!”

Someone grabbed my shoulder.

At the same time, goosebumps rose all over my body.

Was it because I hadn’t fully realized that I had ‘escaped’ yet?

I quickly shook off the hand and put a lot of distance between myself and the presence.

“Ah..”

At the same time, a small sigh escaped from where the presence was heard.

It was a woman’s voice.

I swallowed dryly and turned my head.

“…Who is it?”

Blue hair caught my eye.

Her eyes, half-closed, held a strange aura.

She looked to be in her early twenties.

Wearing a robe, I could roughly guess her origin.

‘Magic Academy..?’

Magic Academy.

A state-accredited institution that trains and graduates various mages for the kingdom.

I couldn’t forget the design of the white, crisp robe.

Even so, I stared at her, not letting down my guard.

“You.. seemed lost.. Sorry if I startled you.”

My first impression was that she was quite timid.

“..It’s okay. I’m not lost, so you don’t need to worry.”

Then, after a brief reply, I continued on my way.

It was unnecessary meddling. I didn’t think she would help us in our situation, so I quickened my pace, but.

“Hey, wait! Wait a moment..”

She didn’t give up on me.

Why is she so desperate to catch me?

Besides, it’s strange for someone to talk so casually to a stranger.

She keeps calling out to someone who says they’re fine.

I stared intently at her with a slightly sharp gaze.

“Do you have any business with me?”

“Uh.. well. Earlier, I saw you being kicked out of the inn by the madam. Do you have nowhere to go..?”

“..Wh-why were you watching that.”

I acted coy again, and she saw it all.

My face turned slightly red with embarrassment.

I fiddled with my hands, then lowered my head.

The woman smiled awkwardly.

“Ahaha.. I didn’t mean to watch, I just happened to pass by and couldn’t help myself..”

“But.. what does that have to do with you calling me?”

“Ah, well.. Do you.. know how to use magic?”

“Magic?”

Of course, I do.

But I didn’t understand why she was asking now.

In this world, it’s not uncommon for ‘moderately weak mages’ who can use magic to be captured and used as mana batteries.

Therefore, it was inevitable that I would be suspicious.

I subtly gathered my mana and stepped back.

My stored mana was full. I could deliver one powerful blow.

However, she didn’t seem to have that purpose.

She smiled awkwardly, moving both her hands behind her back.

“M-my apologies! My question was too suspicious.. I know.. I, I.. I’m not good at asking questions.. Sorry..”

Her repeated apologies made me feel a little guilty.

I let out a faint sigh and shook my head.

“…No. Why are you asking that?”

“Ah, well, you see.. from you.. um. How should I put it.. I saw something strange..”

‘Something strange?’

For a moment, I didn’t understand what she was saying.

But then, I nodded in understanding at her explanation.

“I can see people’s mana.. with my own eyes.. what kind of magic they can use.. a little..”

She’s a Mana Eye wielder.

As explained, Mana Eye is a natural talent that allows one to see mana or magic with their eyes.

It’s an incredible ability, considered a gift from the gods.

That woman possessed it.

“Um.. so, first.. can you take this..?”

The woman timidly handed something from her embrace.

It was a business card, and when I took it, my eyes widened.

‘This is..!’

-Professor Adela Remsey, Hecylia Magic Academy

That’s right.

It was a professor’s business card.

For a moment, I couldn’t believe it, and my eyes widened.

She looked no older than her early twenties.

A professor with that appearance?

“Th-this is..”

“Ehehe.. Ah, you don’t believe me? That someone with a clumsy impression like me.. is a professor.. Well, surprisingly, it’s true! Ta-da!”

At my reaction, the woman laughed pitifully and spread her arms.

And then, as if realizing her joke wasn’t effective.

She adopted an extremely dejected expression.

“..Sorry.. I, I was just trying to lighten the mood..”

“No.. it’s okay. But, why are you, an Academy professor, here for me..?”

“Well.. I’ve been doing ‘raw material discovery’ lately..”

“Raw material discovery, you say..”

In response to my question, the woman smiled with half-closed eyes.

“Full scholarship, the best dormitory accommodation.. meals are handled by the Academy’s exclusive chefs.. and as for money.. I can help you earn as much as you want..”

“W-wait a minute. Is that really..”

“You.”

For the first time, she exuded a sharp aura.

She was no longer the timid and apologetic woman.

“Won’t you come with me?”

Her charismatic words silenced me.

****

“This year’s scholarship recipient is Cecil! Cecil Constantine!”

All eyes turned towards me.

Hundreds of gazes made my head spin, and the uniform I was wearing felt particularly stiff.

I sighed and stood up from my seat.

Then, I walked onto the podium and stood with other noble-looking children.

Sitting in a chair in front of the podium was a blue-haired woman with a timid expression.

It was Adela.

“Ce, Cecil! You’re amazing.. My student..!”

Cheers erupted from all directions, and Adela called out to me in a timid, small voice.

Sitting in the distance, giggling, was Lucy.

She was wearing the same uniform as me, and she had grown a little taller.

“Hooouuuu..”

How did things turn out like this?

Of course, it’s definitely not a bad thing.

When I escaped from Scarlett’s mansion, I became Adela’s student.

She took me in, with my unclear background and status, taught me various magic and how to handle mana.

She fed and housed me in her magnificent mansion and even paid me a small salary.

When I asked why she was doing so much for me, whom she had only known for a short time.

She said she was a ‘pervert excited by talent.’

She, the only daughter of a noble family, was working as a professor and trying to nurture a great mage comparable to herself through ‘raw material discovery.’

That’s when she discovered me.

Through her recommendation, I was able to enroll in Hecylia Magic Academy.

As a scholarship student, I even received a perfect score in the interview before admission.

Lucy also had considerable talent in magic thanks to her dragon heritage.

Thanks to that, both of us were admitted to the Academy with high scores.

And I ended up on the podium with the outstanding scholarship students.

Perhaps about a month had passed since then.

Time flew by just learning magic and understanding theories.

Fortunately, whether it was because my brain was good or not.

I didn’t find any theory difficult to understand.

The problem was that there was so much to memorize.

“Before we proceed with the entrance ceremony, we will hear testimonials from the scholarship students! Cecil, please come forward and give your speech!”

Lost in thought for a moment, I snapped back to reality.

I looked at the students and professors sitting with tense expressions.

Then, I let out a faint sigh.

Honestly, when I first escaped the mansion, I felt relief, but also more anxiety.

Could I survive properly here?

Such thoughts vaguely crossed my mind.

But still, there was no way a person would die.

In the end, I survived, and found a way to live as a disciple of a genius professor.

Even if Scarlett found me, I have strong backing and the Academy.

Now I can truly relax.

“Ahem, ahem. Hello. My name is Cecil Constantine.”

I cleared my throat and then spoke.

How could I, who was Scarlett’s slave just a month ago, have survived and come out so well?

I was lucky.

And the people were good.

So, I slowly and calmly gave my entrance speech.

My second life had just begun.