episode_0024

‘Hm? Did I see wrong? Yes, it must have been a mistake…. Yes… it has to be…’

After Ray shook off Aris’s hand, Aris was still heading to the professor’s private room, intending to stay with him.

Even as a precious connection that would have existed if Ray hadn’t been there passed her by, Aris didn’t notice it, thinking only of one person.

She didn’t even spare a glance for anyone else.

‘I… I first….’

Shining for everyone.

Her sun-like hair thought only of him.

He had embraced her infinitely, and for her, who had come here and continually suffered, Ray was a precious friend, more than that.

Her heart couldn’t stay still when she thought of him.

Despite being blind, he did his best in everything.

He must have been busy taking care of himself, yet he embraced even her, another person, and Aris couldn’t help but lose her heart to him.

But then,

“Ray! Don’t go on ahead like th—”

Aris found Ray standing in front of the private room and was about to run to him.

However, as she saw the person next to him more clearly, Aris stopped her running steps, walked slowly, and briefly eavesdropped on their conversation.

“…Do you happen to have some time?”

On the opposite side, Savior, who had vivid red hair like the color of blood, cautiously asked Ray.

“Ah, not right now… Hm… Let’s meet after dinner then…”

‘No… Even so, he was forced to say something like that….!’

Aris looked at Ray’s face with such expectations, but contrary to her hopes, Ray’s face was bright.

And just like his kind words, his face was openly generous to Savior.

“Then I’ll be waiting at the sword training ground. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

It was no different from the kind words he had bestowed upon Aris.

He was generously giving that kind voice, which had slowly healed her trauma, to another person as well.

Not only for her.

Her brightly shining gaze.

Her gaze, which had been kind to everyone, gradually lost its vitality because of Ray.

For the time that Ray’s smile towards Savior didn’t fade,

only a stifling feeling persisted in her heart.

‘Evening… evening..? That’s absurd….’

Aris’s thoughts delved deeper and deeper,

‘Ray is… mine… something only I… can protect… mine alone..’

Aris, without noticing her eyes gradually turning a vivid black and her healing power, which originally shone with a bright color, also turning dark,

simply staggered from the shock and slowly approached Ray, who was looking towards her.

***

[Sub-Quest Error]

-Friedrich Aris

[$%#% #$%/#$%]

[Ah… I’m screwed….]

‘I’m screwed….’

For the first time, my thoughts and the system’s thoughts aligned perfectly, not a single word off.

‘I’m sure I was careful…. Could it be that she saw me talking to Savior just now….’

Aris was approaching me from not far away, exuding a slightly ominous magic towards me.

Her face, eyes, and voice were shining brightly, but her magic was the exact opposite of her usual magic.

A bright face.

With the same bright face she usually showed me, she approached, linked her arm in mine, and then in an even more terrifyingly calm voice,

She spoke to me as if lamenting something.

“Are you… close with that person called Savior?”

“Not that close.”

“Where did you go at night with someone like that?”

‘So that’s what the system’s warning meant…. I’ve become oblivious… I can’t believe I didn’t notice something like that…’

I subtly gazed at Aris’s face.

That unwavering face only instilled more fear in me.

Of course, who would dislike such a beautiful person obsessing over them and saying they like them? But,

My plan to build a proper connection with the heroines was utterly shattered.

“Answer.”

Aris’s eyes had lost their vitality.

Her voice was low and deep.

Her neck was also slightly tilted, instilling even more fear in me.

“Aris… Just calm down for a moment…”

Aris stared for a moment at my flustered reply, then repeated her previous question.

“Ray, what am I to you?”

“A very good friend… I think… we….”

The moment I uttered those words, my body began to lose strength.

[The system says you’re on your own now.]

[It says there’s nothing it can do for this quest.]

“Is that so? But Ray….”

Aris supported me as I slowly collapsed, her voice calm and unwavering.

She whispered to me, purely in that tone.

“I like you, you see.”

It was the most terrifying confession in the world.

***

“Hmm… He should be here by now…”

Savior, sitting alone in the sword training ground, was twirling her sword, waiting for someone.

The red flames emanating from her body moved about restlessly, as if bored themselves.

“He definitely said he’d meet me sometime after dinner…”

After all classes ended, the time before students had to return to their dormitories was usually called “evening” at the academy.

Savior, wanting to spar with Ray, had come here as soon as all her classes finished and was waiting for him.

Delighted by the thought of his swordsmanship and seeing him, she swung her sword through the air.

Her flames also moved more fiercely, as if pleased to face an invisible technique.

She waited for a long time.

“Should I just go to the dormitory…”

Savior, perhaps tired of swinging her sword through the air, was now swinging it at a dummy.

Although the dummies in the sword training ground were said to be stronger than those in regular practice areas, they were falling senselessly before her flames.

The sight seemed to represent her expectations, which were being miserably shattered.

She waited for a long time again.

Now, it was time for Savior to return to her dormitory.

There was no one left in the sword training ground.

The instructors nearby were now telling Savior to go back to her dormitory.

“Haa… Well… he’s human, so he might have forgotten…”

With that, she went outside, where the glittering stars and moon shone down on her.

‘Still… I really wanted to see Ray… It’s always so interesting whenever I meet him… I’ve never met anyone like him before…’

For her, coming from a distinguished knight family, the only people who approached her were for business reasons or those trying to pick up crumbs from her.

However, Ray, who approached without any ulterior motives, was different.

‘Well, I can just go find him tomorrow…’

Thinking so simply, she made her way to her dormitory.

***

‘[Anti-Heal]… The protagonist of this route only has one option…’

Anti-Heal,

It’s her unique skill that manifests when her mind is significantly affected.

It’s the opposite of [Heal], a skill that can apply various debuffs.

Perhaps my actions towards Savior greatly affected her mind, allowing her to use [Anti-Heal] like this.

‘Simply choosing Aris. Meetings with other heroines weren’t even permitted…’

“Hm…?”

I realized I was lying somewhere and tried to get up, but both my hands were tied to something.

As I struggled, a voice was heard.

“Ray, you’re awake? Unfortunately, it’s already heading towards dawn outside… You weren’t able to meet the person you so wanted to see, were you…?”

Aris’s calm voice reached my ears, and I immediately began to make excuses.

“No, that’s not it, Aris, that’s….”

However, she didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to my excuses.

“You’re someone who must be cared for…. Blind, you say… You shouldn’t be alone here… Absolutely not… Only I can take care of you…..”

“Aris… Can you just calm down for a moment…? Let’s talk….”

Aris’s warm hand touched my face, as if representing her feelings.

“I can love you… Understand…?”

‘System, can’t you save me… Like an option to turn back ‘time’….’

[The system turns away.]

‘Why isn’t there a save file or something here….’

Even before the world’s clock struck 1 o’clock, the worst-case scenario continued to play out in my mind, as if I would remain tied here by Aris indefinitely.

In my complicated mind, Aris’s calm voice continued to torment me.

“Ray… I like you… I like you so much…”

Just as I was losing my mind, a bold move came to mind.

A bold move that could break through this situation and allow me to meet all the heroines, as long as Aris didn’t ‘catch on’.

“Ray….”

Aris was still caressing my face with those warm hands.

‘Mind Sword’

Very quietly, I cut the ropes with a Mind Sword.

After that, I embraced Aris, who was caressing my face.

“Aris, I like you too.”

‘A counter-fire.’

[The system is astonished.]

[However, it is intrigued.]

[It brings popcorn.]