episode_0032

Fighting――

The square, which had been boiling with madness, became quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.

The people there were paying attention to a girl standing tall in the middle of the crowded crowd.

Heidiera Icedel.

The name was unfamiliar to many.

Although she was quite striking in appearance, with a body over 180 cm tall and black hair that was wavy, her presence within the academy was extremely dim.

No matter how unique one’s appearance is, if one does not get along well with others and does not communicate well with others, one will be forgotten by students.

That’s why, even though there were people who saw her walking around the academy, most of them had no idea what kind of personality she had or what kind of voice she had.

Most of the students gathered here were hearing the name Heidiera for the first time.

I just thought he was a typical loner, quiet and shy.

But their thoughts were completely turned upside down by the brief commotion that had just occurred.

A word that shakes space, like a voice from heaven.

A cloud of footsteps that can bring the ground down with just one force.

And confident amethyst eyes that seem to fear nothing.

Heidi, who showed her true worth by exploding with anger and sadness, made everyone in the square realize that she was truly an extraordinary person.

I was the same way.

I’ve never seen her look so fierce.

“Heidiera… ”

Amethyst eyes looked back at me with regret and sadness.

“I’m sorry, Lord Erto. I won’t stop now.”

Heidiera, who approached Celdianne with a fierce glare, stood up straight in front of the person she usually ignored and was afraid of.

Seldianne covered her mouth with her fan, looking embarrassed at the intimidation coming from her tall stature.

“What are you trying to do now, Miss Isidel?”

“I want to reveal the truth. But I need your cooperation for this. Elconza.”

“Your lady’s… cooperation?”

One of Celdianne’s eyebrows twitched.

“Hey! This isn’t something an outsider like you should be meddling in!”

“Where would a noble from a remote region with no reputation dare to go!”

Miyu and Juri, who were standing at the back, raised their voices sharply,

[Shut up you rascal!]

Quaaa!

The two people covered their mouths in fear at the overwhelming spirit that Heidiera emitted along with her words.

Heidi, who had made her subordinates retreat, looked at Celdiane again.

“You know that your crystal mirror has the ability to reflect other people’s memories, don’t you?”

“No, how did you… Our family’s vision… ”

To the astonished Celdiane, who was folding her debt, Heidiera grabbed her shoulder and said.

“I need that mirror now to clear the name of Lord Erto. Will you cooperate with me?”

“Why should a lady do something like that? The story is already over!”

“Wake up, Lord Elconza!”

Heidiera shook the shoulder she was holding and shouted.

“I’m not asking you to save Lord Erto! But everyone here must see the truth! I can tell you the truth. But the means must be through your power!”

At that rebuke, Celdiane turned her head away and laughed.

“Huh, hmph! How funny! You are standing here as a representative of the nobility! But why do you have to participate in the act of protecting those commoners?”

“Is that what you think nobility is?! Lord Elconza!”

Kuung!

A pitch-black magic arose from Heidiera’s body.

“Even though the truth is in your hands, is it noble to just wield power and force without unfolding it? Can such a being really be called noble?”

Seldianne hesitated and took a step back at the words that hit the nail on the head.

“Ma, I told you! You can’t do anything for that commoner!”

Heidi let go of Celdiane’s shoulders as she walked away, and spoke to her in a calm voice.

“This is not just for Erto’s sake. If you are truly a great noble who wants to be a role model for everyone, you must protect the right to know the truth for all the students here. I will not ask you to judge anything. What happens after the truth is confirmed is up to all of us.”

“The right to know the truth?”

“Yes. You can prevent everyone here from committing an irreversible sin by judging Erto without knowing it. So please… I beg you.”

“… !”

Trembling crimson eyes, filled with confusion and nervousness, turned to my face.

I looked at her face with eyes that contained no expectations.

The choice was entirely hers.

“… Ugh.”

Seldianne looked at my face for a long time, then swallowed as if deciding on something.

“Joe, good!”

And he shouted, pointing the fan at Heidiera.

“Isidel, as a representative of the noble union, I will accept your proposal! Let’s reveal the truth here! If the people here are of the same opinion after that, I will not tolerate any more stubbornness!”

“That’s enough. Thank you very much. Lord Elconza.”

Heidiera nodded heavily and looked back at Tirisia with cold eyes.

“Brewed Ball.”

“Ah, yeah… ”

Tyrissia answered the call with a stiff expression.

There was a look of fear in her emerald eyes, a hint of possibility.

Heidi was humming a low warning note there.

“You too, now you must bear your fair share of the burden that Erto has borne.”

“Miss Isidel… What the heck… ”

“Just stay there and watch.”

Heidiera stepped back and showed her palm to Celdianne.

“Okay, then let’s begin. Elconza.”

Seldianne sighed and stepped into the center of the crowd.

“I never thought I would reveal my family’s vision in front of the entire school… But, since this is a decision made by Elkonza’s mouth, let’s see what you want to show!”

Paa-!

Golden magic burst out from Celdiane’s body as she raised her fan to the sky.

The magical power that had turned into grains of light gathered in the sky above the plaza, creating a crystal structure.

“Memorialscope, the eyes that reflect memories!”

The small crystal absorbed Celdianne’s magic power and grew in size in an instant, and began to take on a large circular shape with a creaking sound.

“Please make it as large as possible so that everyone here can see it clearly!”

“I know even if you don’t say it!”

Kkieeeing!

Eventually, the mirror rose above the square, emitting a brilliant golden light, and was completed in such a large size that it resembled a large screen.

Celdianne, enveloped in a golden aura, extended a hand toward Heidiera.

“Come here, hold the lady’s hand and think of a memory you want to show her!”

“Okay. Okay… ”

Heidiera held Celdianne’s hand, closed her eyes, and shouted to everyone in a loud voice.

[Everyone, open your eyes and watch! This is the true heart of Lord Erto that you have overlooked!]

and-

The mirror floating in the sky began to reflect her memories with a dazzling light.

*

It was an after-school academy filled with a quiet and stillness.

It is a familiar space where I spend my days, but the walls and floor are dyed in the sunset light coming down from outside the window, creating an unfamiliar and alien atmosphere that is different from usual.

There a man was walking down the hallway.

Not very tall and has black hair.

An ordinary back view with no noticeable features.

The man reflected in the mirror is none other than―

“It’s me… ”

It was Erto.

That very day,

That was me, Erto, that day.

That familiar sight, that familiar scenery.

I could tell at a glance what the scenery reflected in the mirror was.

How could I forget?

How can I shake it off?

I’m talking about that day when I lost my loved one in the worst way possible.

“Erto… ?”

Tirisia also covered her mouth as she recognized her reflection in the mirror.

Step by step – step by step –

He was walking down a deserted hallway after school, heading somewhere.

It was as if someone had called me.

Someone could tell right away through his own mouth.

[Tirisia… Why did you call me to a place like this?]

I was suddenly called by my girlfriend and headed to the classroom where she was.

But there was one strange thing.

“Who the hell is this point…?”

The Erto reflected in the mirror was a third-person perspective, that is, a perspective of myself seen by others.

If this is a person’s memory, then it means that at this moment, there was someone watching me from behind.

And the owner of this memory was… Heidiera.

I looked at the black girl standing under the mirror.

Heidiera closed her eyes and concentrated her consciousness.

Why is it that her gaze is watching me that day?

Even though I couldn’t understand English, the memories in the mirror continued to advance toward the predetermined future.

[huh…?]

As I approached the lecture room, which was the meeting place, a faint voice began to flow out from inside.

It was the voice of a woman breathing heavily.

[Tirisia…?]

Erto senses something strange and approaches the front of the classroom with quickened steps.

The closer you get, the louder the panting sounds become.

Eventually, Erto reaches the classroom door and clearly recognizes whose voice it is.

[Ugh… Ugh…]

Erto’s breathing became labored and cold sweat formed on his forehead.

He hesitates for a while and finally places his trembling hand on the doorknob.

The master of memory is watching this series of events from behind.

[Ugh… Ugh… Ugh… !]

Taking a deep breath, Erto opens the classroom door to the side.

And the view inside is visible.

That day, my eyes were filled with

It left a huge hole in my heart,

The image that was engraved in my mind and that I could never forget was finally revealed in the mirror.

omg-

Everyone in the square held their breath.

Neither Celdiane, nor her subordinates, nor the nobles, nor the commoners, nor Lucica standing in the corner,

I was staring into the mirror with eyes that were filled with disbelief at the sight.

Something was happening inside that shouldn’t have happened.

[Open it – Boyfriend.]

Kelg Durakal sitting on a chair, and Tirisia sitting on top of him, facing me.

The two bodies were connected as one,

Tirisia was born in the same form as before, without a single thread of clothing.

“Kelg Durakal speaks to me, holding that jade-like body in his arms.

[I’m sorry about this, your girlfriend is mine now.]

Erto in the mirror lets out a voice that seems like it might break at any moment.

[Tea, Tirisia…]

I reach out my trembling hand as I watch my loved one become one in the arms of another man.

That vain gesture seems to be a grab for something that is just out of reach.

[Erto…]

The woman in the mirror answers her boyfriend with a face that has melted from the memory.

[I’m sorry… I… If it weren’t for this person…]

Erto’s body sways.

As if he was having a hard time controlling his consciousness, he stepped out of the classroom with hesitant steps, touching his forehead.

[iced coffee…]

He hesitates, letting out a sound that is not yet complete in language, and then runs away from the place with all his might.

Knock knock knock!

The view in the mirror also follows the back of the person.

A voice laughing at him is heard from behind.

[Kyahahaha! You cowardly little punk! Your girlfriend will eat it deliciously!]

―

That was the extent of my memory.

Kwajik!

Because the ice wedge that flew in from the ground shattered the mirror into pieces.

“Whoa?!”

“Huh?!”

Celdianne and Heidiera let out a surprised noise as the magic was cut off.

“?!”

Everyone in the square looked at the person who threw the ice.

“Ugh… ! Ugh… !”

There was Tirisia, breathing heavily, with a pale face and one hand outstretched.

“Tirisia… ”

Trembling emerald eyes looked into my face.

An expression of extreme fear at what is about to happen.

A look of asking for help, looking at the only person he can rely on.

but-

I shook my head quietly, as I could no longer offer her any excuses or defenses.

Everyone at the Academy vividly witnessed the scene that day.

As if it were a memory he had personally experienced.

“In the end…this is how it turns out.”

I smiled bitterly, self-deprecatingly, and muttered quietly to myself.

The bucket is now completely spilled.

Nothing can be picked up.

Now everyone here had to move towards a future that no one could have imagined.

[Have you all seen this? This is the truth.]

Heidiera shouted to everyone in a confident voice.

[Duke Bruard betrayed Duke Erto and committed adultery with Kelg Durakal!]

“Okay, wait a minute…!”

Tirisia tried to say something with astonishment in her eyes, but Heidiera ignored her and shouted at the crowd.

[Duke Erto did nothing wrong! Do you now know that he was a pure victim?!]

At that shout, Celdianne asked in shock.

“Okay, wait a minute…! Miss Isidel, how come you have such memories? Something is strange! Those are definitely Erto-kun’s memories!”

[It is also a shame that I must endure to expose this truth, so I will reveal it here.]

“What…?”

[The magic that my family uses includes the ability to project consciousness onto shadows. That memory is the image of my consciousness being embedded in the shadow of Lord Erto.]

shadow.

After hearing that, I finally understood.

The point of view looking at me in the mirror was always connected to my shadow.

But it was still a mystery why Heidiera’s consciousness was present at that moment.

“Heidiera… What have you done?”

When I asked with a blank expression, Heidi lowered her head to me with a gloomy face.

“I’m sorry, Lord Erto. That’s just the kind of person I am. I can’t control my feelings of longing, so I watch my partner whenever and wherever I want… That’s the kind of sinister stalker I am.”

“That’s why you were always in my shadow?”

“That’s right… It was unexpected that we ended up witnessing such a situation together. What I did was a horrifying crime, so I won’t make excuses, but I think it’s fortunate that I shared your memories with you for now. If you want to resent me, then resent me.”

“Ah, no… Wait a minute… My head can’t keep up… ”

As I was barely able to sort out my complicated feelings, Seldianne joined the conversation again.

“There’s a more important question! Why, Erto, did you hide this fact? What on earth did you do that for!”

“Don’t you know? Elconza Gong.”

“in…?”

Heidiera came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

“Even though Erto suffered such a terrible betrayal, he tried to protect the honor of Duke Bruard! As her childhood friend! As someone who loved her! He held onto his torn heart and bore the ugly truth alone!”

“That’s…! Ah… ”

Celdianne put her hand to her forehead with a shocked expression.

Heidi continued to shout as if she was pushing Celdiane.

“How could someone like that hold a grudge and devote himself to training? If he wanted revenge, all he had to do was expose the truth in that mirror! But Lord Erto chose a different way, he simply wanted to prove his worth and show that Lord Bruard did not love a worthless person!”

――

The square suddenly became noisy.

“Everyone! Now do you see how this judgment is a staged play? The one who forcibly took away the lover of the Duke of Erto has now wielded great malice to erase even the remaining position as a friend! Open your eyes! This is the truth! Judge for yourself who is truly guilty! ”

Heidiera, who had been shouting at the crowd, approached me and snatched my resignation letter.

“The person who should swear on this paper is not Lord Erto!”

She walked over to Tirisia, who was standing there with her head bowed, and held the paper up in front of her face.

Her amethyst eyes sparkled and a cold voice flowed from her mouth.

“Duke Brewerd. You have betrayed your lover and committed an impure act that should not be committed within the Academy. You are the one who does not deserve to be here. Am I wrong?”

“I, I… I… ”

“I will not force you to do what I say. But as I said before, you will now have to shoulder your fair share of the burden that Erto has shouldered.”

Boohoo!

Heidiera tore the paper with both hands.

Boohoo! Boohoo! Boohoo!

She tore the resignation letter into small pieces and scattered them in the air, and spoke to the crowd.

[The play is over! If you are no longer dissatisfied with the continued existence of Erto at the Academy, then go away! Everyone should think carefully about what happens next!]

―

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah… ”

At those words, the gathered students hurriedly left their seats.

Students disappear into groups, each chattering away about something.

Having witnessed such a shocking sight, he must have felt it was best to avoid the place.

“… ”

Celdianne also had a thoughtful look on her face.

She closed her eyes tightly, let out a sigh, and opened her fan as she shouted at the students of the Noble Union who were still there.

“Going back! This issue seems like it will require a bigger meeting in the future!”

“Yes, yes! Elconza!”

So the students of the noble union also left―

There were five people left in the empty square.

“Lotto Ball… ”

Heidiera came up to me, who was standing there blankly, and bowed politely.

“I sincerely apologize for spying on your life. Please punish me.”

“… Sorry, leave me alone for now.”

So many things happened today.

My mind couldn’t bear the fatigue any longer, so I wanted to go home right away.

“I see, I understand. Now go back and rest.”

“… Heidiera.”

Before I left, I gave her a forced smile.

“But I’ll say this. I don’t hate you. I still think of you as a precious friend.”

“Ah… ”

A moist aura surrounded her amethyst colored eyes.

“Thank you, Lord Leto.”

“Haa… I’m really having all kinds of trouble today. Oh, my head hurts.”

Senior Perjena, who was standing next to me, frowned and tapped her head.

I smiled at her too and bowed my head.

“Senior, thank you so much today. If you weren’t here, I would have heard a lot more harsh words.”

“Oh, okay. Anyway, I’m glad I stopped dropping out. But… ”

The senior opened his eyes and looked at the silver-haired girl standing in the middle of the square.

“What… Now you have to figure it out yourself. I’ll go too.”

“Yes, go in, senior.”

After sending my senior away, I approached Tirisia, who was standing there as if she was nailed to her seat.

“Tirisia… ”

“… ”

Tirisia, who was standing with unfocused eyes, checked my face and said,

“읏.”

Phew―

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from his seat.

Heidiera, who was watching, tapped my shoulder.

“Leave it alone, Lord Leto. This will be discussed extensively within the Academy anyway.”

“Ah… Yeah… ”

Looking at the now completely empty square, I could finally start walking home.

And as I was about to leave, I saw one last person standing before my eyes.

“Lucica… ”

“Haa… Haa… ”

Lucica Rapisle, gasping for breath, covering her mouth with both hands.

She looked at my face with trembling eyes filled with astonishment,

“Ugh―”

I hurriedly turned around and ran towards the academy.

I didn’t even think about holding on to it.

Now, everyone will be chewing over this from now on.