Even Throw a Punch

Returning to Modiste, I could see Estelle, in a businesslike guild master appearance I’d never seen from her before, drafting documents. She was quite focused, her lips pursed and her eyes fixed on the papers until I approached the desk.

Belatedly lifting her head and meeting my gaze, Estelle gave a faint, comforting smile, as if she’d noticed something.

,”Judging by your expression… it seems you didn’t get what you wanted?”

I thought I’d sorted out all my emotions, but apparently traces still lingered on my face. I shook my head with a bitter smile, dispelling the lingering thoughts, and answered in a firm voice.

“I achieved my purpose.”

Estelle was probably secretly monitoring me. Even if she treated me as a guest, I have the same face as Ross, who caused a huge problem at the academy. To prevent Modiste from getting caught up in unnecessary trouble, and for the sake of future safety, monitoring was only natural.

Estelle stared at me silently for a while, her eyes locked on mine, then pouted with a dissatisfied expression.

“…Is that so? Then that’s a relief.”

Since she didn’t find anything unusual while monitoring me, she seemed curious about my purpose. I had no obligation to answer, so I turned and headed for the guest sofa in the corner.

The slime mage, who had been waiting for my return, removed the slime attached to my face and put it back into the empty bottle. I wiped the slightly sticky residue off my face with a towel soaked in warm water that Ember handed me. Even in another world, Ember’s sense hasn’t disappeared.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

As the man and Ember, having packed their bags, said goodbye to Estelle and me and left the room, Estelle gestured for me to come to the desk. I got up from the guest sofa and sat across from Estelle, who took out a document from the desk drawer and presented it to me with a face that seemed to anticipate my reaction.

“This is the information you requested about the Transcendence students.”

“Faster than I thought. I expected it would take some time.”

“Transcendence Academy is where the most talented prospects in the continent gather. Especially if they’re current students, we update their information without missing a single one. Information about Transcendence can always fetch a premium price.”

It’s common for students who graduate from Transcendence to become famous knights, scholars, and mages. It was only natural for those in the business of selling information to pay attention. The Estelle in my world also smiled broadly, saying she was making a decent income from Roel and my information.

I received the documents Estelle handed me and slowly checked the contents. The four-page document contained the information about the Messiah members I had requested.

A life’s narrative contained on a single sheet of paper. But I couldn’t help but think that if it were Jin Sian, it wouldn’t even fill half a page. Except for his unfortunate family situation, his life had no particular distinguishing features.

“Two of the four students you requested have already died, by the way. Were you aware of that?”

As she asked, observing my reaction, Estelle’s eyes watched me as if scrutinizing me, and I gave a wry smile.

“…I suspected as much.”

Ending with that short answer, I focused on reading the contents written in the document. Estelle didn’t disturb me any further and picked up her fountain pen. Listening to the rustling sound of her drafting documents, I read through the paper containing Lacar’s life with a strange feeling.

As expected, Lacar was killed by the Chimera that attacked the cafeteria during the dark wizard’s academy raid. If that’s the case, then Lacar’s sister, Lamine, must have been seduced by Professor Dwin, a spy for the Order, and is probably heading to the Order by now. To become Rene of the Iron Blood, the third of Confession, the owner of the Spear of Destruction.

Stroking my chin, I checked the next page. Kane Van Yousef. His academy life was uneventful, and he didn’t join any clubs. Looking at the date of his death, it hadn’t been long. The cause of death was suicide.

There’s no way Kane, who wore the mask of laziness his whole life and was biding his time to avenge his mother by using his own life, would suddenly give up on revenge and choose suicide.

The last line of the article about Kane. The fact that his body was cremated on the same day without any special investigation made me want to shake off an ominous feeling, and I let out a long sigh, hoping Kane’s end wasn’t painful.

Luna and Aria were continuing their normal school lives. Aria had even joined the cooking club. For Aria, who loves to eat, it was a very fitting choice. Since I had seen Luna’s changes with my own eyes, there was nothing particularly striking.

I put down the documents and leaned back against the backrest. As I was organizing my thoughts for a moment, I reluctantly opened my mouth at Estelle’s persistent gaze, which felt like it would pierce through my face.

“…You seem to have something you want to say.”

I regretted saying those words immediately. Estelle’s eyes had changed. Seeing her eyes shining with blatant desire, I wanted to leave my seat for no reason. As if trying to seduce me, Estelle smiled, pretending to be demure.

,”Yes. There are so many things I want to ask. If the story about coming from another world is true, then there must be information that we can use to our advantage.”

I thought about Estelle’s words for a moment. According to Jin Sian’s explanation, this world was already trapped in a cycle, and its ending was predetermined. Even if I caused a huge butterfly effect by using future information, I wouldn’t be able to avoid the predetermined destruction. Even if I created a typhoon in a teacup, I wouldn’t be able to escape the teacup after all.

But even though I knew it was a meaningless act, I explained to Estelle, even briefly, what would happen in the future. Just like everyone eventually meets the result of death, but people live each day to the fullest. Even if we face a predetermined destruction, I wanted to help them so that they could at least throw a punch towards that destruction.

The long explanation was over. Estelle, who had been listening to the explanation with an unbelievable face, quietly met my eyes. Her pupils were shaking violently. She seemed to have realized, even vaguely, the sincerity contained in my words.

Silently looking around and lowering her gaze, Estelle looked up at the ceiling and let out a big sigh.

“…It’s a story I don’t want to believe.”

I sympathized with those words. If I had been given this explanation just a few weeks ago, I would never have believed it. Even if I diligently explained what I had experienced to someone, there wouldn’t be that many people who would sincerely believe me. There’s a difference that can never be narrowed between experiencing something directly and hearing it through words.

I shrugged my shoulders with an indifferent expression and said.

“That’s why I’m going to change it in my world. Because I don’t like the ending.”

Looking at me like that, Estelle smiled slightly and asked.

“To a happy ending?”

“Of course. Gloomy stories don’t sell, you know.”

We looked at each other silently before bursting into laughter.

***

Estelle provided me with accommodation since I had nowhere to go. I was going to have dinner with her, but seeing Estelle’s determination to change the predetermined ending by using the information she received from me, I walked the streets of the capital alone.

The temperature dropped sharply because the sun had set. I went into a pub that caught my eye and had a lot of customers, and I had dinner alone in the corner. Looking at the runic letters on my wrist, it seemed like it would have to be tomorrow morning before I could cross over to the world a few years later.

I got up from my seat, thinking of having a warm coffee and checking my plans for the future. As I was heading to the cafe I had gone to with Luna, following my memory, I stopped at a sound that I heard.

“…Ross.”

Wearing a mask at night would attract people’s attention, so I was wearing the hood of my robe deeply. So someone might have recognized me by looking at my face. But when I looked at the alley, I couldn’t see anyone. Only the voice remained in the alley like an afterimage.

I could have thought I was hearing things and passed by. But it was clear that my name was heard in my ear. The alley without a single light looked eerie, but I moved my steps without hesitation.

As I entered the alley, I felt a strange sense of alienation sweep over my body. As I walked through the alley, raising my vigilance, something came into my eyes. Someone was leaning against the wall and collapsed. It was a strange woman I had never seen before. And she was a pregnant woman who was about to give birth.

There was no one else in the alley. There was nowhere to hide, so it was highly likely that this woman was the one who called my name. Seeing the woman’s appearance of closing her eyes and breathing heavily, as if something was wrong with her body, I approached her, knelt down, and checked her condition.

“Are you alright?”

At that question, the woman who had closed her eyes opened her eyes with difficulty and lifted her head to meet my gaze. She looks old. Maybe she’s in her early 30s. The woman, with my image filling her eyes, suddenly smiled.

“That’s right, Ross.”

Peo-pok!

The woman’s body, her head pierced by the spear of shadows, slowly collapsed. Crushed brain fluid and blood colored the alley. I quietly got up, pulled up my magic power, and looked around. Even though the woman was dead, I didn’t feel any special signs. What the hell kind of trap is this?

There’s no need to wait for an enemy that doesn’t appear. The moment I turned around and tried to get out of the alley, I heard a sound from behind. When I looked back over my shoulder, I saw the woman whose head had been pierced getting up. Her head was bent backwards, but her pregnant body, soaked in blood and brain fluid, was facing me.

“Your greeting is too violent, Ross.”

I realized a beat late.

The voice that called my name was coming from her stomach, not the woman’s mouth.