episode_0013

This time, it’s Isabella Kshatri’s letter.

In her letter, the patterns and sentences, which seem to have been engraved one by one with magic, are impressive.

My connection with Isabella began the latest among the other four heroines.

Ah, the first meeting itself was quite early.

That’s because I first met her during the test to measure each individual’s magical aptitude, which we took as soon as we entered the Magic Department.

The memory of the colossal illusion magic she showed is still vivid.

The blue sky and vast field that suddenly appeared in the stone-built testing ground naturally captured everyone’s attention,

and it was more than enough to make everyone realize that the girl in front of them was a genius.

It also brings back the bitter memory of taking the test with immense pressure because she was right before my turn.

If my memory serves me right, the look she gave me wasn’t different from the look she gave all other students except herself.

A cold expression mixed with contempt and boredom.

It’s truly surprising now that I somehow managed to form even a slight connection with her, who was like that.

Of course, it’s strictly just a friendship, nothing more, nothing less.

I confirmed that the feeling she shows towards me is friendship as merely a friend, and I unfolded the letter she had sent me once again.

‘To my dear friend, Ropel Teufel’

Behind the sentence, the words ‘Consider yourself honored!’ were written small.

I thought it was truly an introduction to a letter fitting her personality.

‘Ropel, I just heard the news that you have arrived at the Academy.

I believe there are still about two weeks left until the start of the semester, but you returned quite a bit earlier than I expected.

Did you perhaps come early because you wished to see me quickly? Hahaha.

Then that’s unfortunate. I am currently at the Magic Tower.’

Honestly, when I first heard that Isabella was at the Magic Tower, I couldn’t help but be quite surprised.

Of course, one might ask why it’s strange that she, the daughter of Shangri Kshatri, the Master of the Magic Tower, stayed at the Magic Tower during the semester break.

However, when she became a second-year student at the Academy, Isabella Kshatri had experienced a major conflict with her father, the Master of the Magic Tower.

As far as I know, it was a problem that erupted due to accumulated dissatisfaction with the directions of magic they pursued and their family relationship,

and because of this, Isabella had been staying holed up at the Academy instead of returning to the Magic Tower.

This was an event that also occurred in the original game, where you could build favorability by helping the Master of the Magic Tower persuade Isabella.

There was one small problem… The truth was, at that point, before I had regained my memories, I ended up getting involved in her problem.

Being overly meddlesome, I ended up talking to her when she was feeling down alone, and as we talked, we somehow became ordinary friends.

Anyway, whether that was a butterfly effect or not, while Mark Biss, who had been asked by the Master of the Magic Tower, did persuade Isabella as in the original work, for some reason her actions continued differently from the original.

That is, she ultimately refused the Master of the Magic Tower’s proposal and decided to become independent from the Magic Tower.

Of course, one might think this is a great catastrophe where I, an extra, significantly interfered with the scenario progression.

However, in the original work, even if you failed to persuade Isabella during that event, there wasn’t a major penalty.

At most, a few event scenes you could see with her would decrease, and there was no significant change related to favorability either.

Rather, whether you succeeded or failed, her favorability would steadily increase at a slow pace.

That’s why I didn’t pay much attention to the above incident even after regaining my memories from my previous life.

‘Yes, to you, these words might sound surprising.

That I, who grumbled about that place being so boring and tedious to you, and even raised my voice to the Master of the Magic Tower, who is my adoptive father, have returned to the Magic Tower.

Well, that fact that I became independent from the Magic Tower won’t change, though.

Still, I also thought quite a bit.

Although it was a problem that you, Ropel, resolved, it was a place I didn’t even want to look at after that past incident…

However, since this is also a problem that I must settle someday, I thought there would be no harm in doing it quickly.’

Ah, I should add here that, unlike in the original work, Isabella is not the biological daughter of Shangri Kshatri, the Master of the Magic Tower.

While she is indeed of Kshatri lineage, she is a descendant from a distant branch family, and Shangri Kshatri, who noticed her magical potential, raised her as his adoptive daughter.

This fact is not only unknown to the public but also a secret known by only a handful of individuals within the Academy,

but for some reason, she herself directly told me this fact.

Well… at that time, she was emotionally agitated, which was unlike her usual self, so I assume it must have slipped out by mistake.

‘Even so, it was just as distressing.

To have to stay here for several days and face that Master of the Magic Tower, even though there is a reason for it.

Every time, Ropel Teufel, I don’t know how much I thought of you.

I missed so much the times when you would open your arms and embrace me, just like at the Academy.

It’s embarrassing, but right now, as I am writing this, I wish to be embraced in your broad chest.

Then, you would gently stroke my head…

I wish to fall deeply asleep in your arms, not even realizing the day has ended.’

Ah, you must not misunderstand anything just by reading this part of the writing.

After our connection was formed and meetings continued, she made a slightly peculiar request.

It was a request containing content that she would absolutely never say if she were the Isabella from the original work.

Of course, at the time, even without the memories of my previous life, I was inwardly startled.

However, at that time, her appearance as she was going through difficulties seemed somehow pitiful and pathetic, so I ended up granting that request.

Ugh… I can’t express how startled I was when she, with the mouth she normally used to look down on others, inadvertently called me in a slightly childish tone.

Isabella must have liked that experience, as she would occasionally make the same request afterward.

Ah, of course, even so, the fact that she and I are merely friends doesn’t change.

‘As I was talking about various things, I ended up excessively wasting the margins of this expensive paper.

There is a mountain of stories I wish to write more of, but regrettably, I must quickly get to the main point.

Ropel, actually, while you were back in your hometown, I sent a small letter.

The content of that letter was none other than something related to Ropel, your marriage proposal.’

Not only Seraphina Serion and Elizgio Gremrina, but even Isabella Kshatri too.

Why do they all want to interfere with my marriage proposal so much?

‘A reply from your father returned faster than I expected.

He said that you are scheduled to have marriage talks with other noble young ladies immediately after graduating from the Academy.

Following the head of the family’s command, you will meekly marry the person chosen by the head of the family for the sake of the family.

Well, for ordinary low-ranking noble students at the Academy, that might be a natural progression.

But upon hearing that news, I was a little disappointed.

Isn’t it Ropel, you, who tells me that my own thoughts are important?

Therefore, I do not believe that you made this decision yourself.

It must surely be a choice made out of necessity due to the combination of several external factors.

Therefore, in the current situation, one year before graduation, I recommend that you seriously discuss matters related to marriage with me.

Then you will also know what choice you truly must make.

Since there is a mansion of the Kshatri family’s honor that I used as a dormitory substitute at the Academy, it would be good to talk there, just the two of us.’

Ah, so that’s what it is.

Perhaps she was worried that I would simply follow my parents’ words, the head of the family’s command, regardless of my own opinion.

Since she not only despised but loathed passive attitudes in everything, that would be natural.

She doesn’t want one of her close friends to act in a way she dislikes.

So, she wants to persuade me that I must decide on marriage by thinking for myself.

Well… naturally, I have already found a marriage partner, Lilith Tistina, so it’s a problem that’s already resolved.

Still, I should probably explain how I resolved it separately.

Since she directly invited me anyway, I thought it would be good to tell her then.

‘Then, with this, I shall conclude the content of the letter.

I hope to hear a positive statement from your lips when we meet again, I shall look forward to it.

Your friend, Isabella Kshatri

P.S. Recently, the atmosphere around that ignorant wench from the Knighthood Department and the gloomy glasses stuck in the Research Lab is unusual.

You should definitely be careful as you don’t know what those girls might do.’

…Is she talking about Seraphina Serion and Elizgio Gremrina?

Certainly, both of them are very interested in my marriage proposal.

Seraphina even came to see me directly, and Elizgio even recommended what kind of woman I should meet.

Well, including Isabella, the answer I can give them will all be the same, but

anyway, I read Isabella Kshatri’s letter again like this.

This time too, my thoughts after reading Isabella’s letter are the same.

She clearly doesn’t think of me as anything more than a friend.

If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason to emphasize the expression ‘friend’ from the introduction of the letter.

In other words, this is no different from an act of firmly drawing a line, stating that her relationship with me is merely a friendship.

Thus, I finished reading both Elizgio’s and Isabella’s letters.

Both were friendship letters that would be expected between ordinary friends, nothing special.

Well, since I’ve read the letters, it’s only natural to reply to them.

I picked up the pen I had used to write the letter home and sat at the table.

As my father had said, I wrote carefully, taking care not to create any strange misunderstandings.