Conquest (1)
We stared at the text in silence for a while.
[EP???. How to Cross the Desert]
-The Boy Who Stays Up with the Stars, and the Door that Opens in the Sky-
The fairy tale, long if long, short if short, had ended.
What remained afterward was a moment of contemplation.
After spacing out for a while, we soon started walking back to the dormitory.
It was already dark evening.
Whoosh-
A sudden gust of wind.
The scenery of the Academy remained unchanged.
Although we spent ten days in the book, it seemed like it wasn't that long in reality.
At most, a few hours must have passed.
'Everything's back to normal.'
The shoes covered in sand, the coat stained with scorpion blood, the loosened tie, everything was back to the state it was in before we left.
As if all those scenes were just a dream.
We just remembered them vividly.
About a very old boy who went on a long journey to meet a girl.
'I wonder if they met well.'
I suddenly look up at the sky and think.
Stars twinkling against a pitch-black background.
Surely, two of them must be living on one of those countless stars.
As I wander among the starlight that's about to pour down, a faint smile soon stains my lips.
'They should have arrived safely.'
Did they succeed in their reunion?
Did the boy really swim and swim through the vast sky and reach the girl safely?
There was no way for us to know.
Only when we think they embraced each other, the stars smile at us.
On the contrary, when we think they didn't, they hold back tears.
The world looks completely different depending on what we imagine.
I still believed that the sky was beautiful.
[Trivia: Author has recently mentioned that the “How to Cross the Desert” arc is also based on The Little Prince fairy tale, with Josh Clarker = Little Prince and Rosalyn Meriar = Rose]
"······."
As I walk, lost in thought for a while, there's a voice that suddenly comes from beside me.
It was none other than Regia.
"······It really feels like I had a dream."
"Certainly, it was an unbelievable experience."
"I don't think anyone would believe it."
"It will remain as a memory only for the two of us."
"I guess so."
A calmly extending voice.
The pink-haired girl mutters as if she's reminiscing about a certain moment.
"I feel like I've learned a lot."
It seems she's learned a lot from this journey.
An unusually serious expression.
I smile faintly.
'That's good.'
I was satisfied if it helped the protagonist's growth.
That's what I prepared this journey for in the first place.
I hoped she would grow well without going astray like this.
Lost in my own pleasant thoughts, I soon gently held out my hand to the girl.
"Miss Regia."
"Yes?"
"Can I hold your hand for a moment?"
"S-suddenly···?"
Regia tilts her head for a moment, but soon obediently holds out her hand.
I carefully place my hand on her white skin.
"Y-young master···?"
"It was a date, in a way. Although we got caught up in something strange in the middle."
Warmth.
Beyond her transparent pupils, only the blond boy is reflected.
Looking at the protagonist who has stopped breathing, I show her what I've been hiding in my hand.
It was a ring with a green glow.
"This is a gift."
A reward from this episode.
I was handing over one of the two items that had dropped.
Actually, it was an episode we cleared together, and she carried the latter half alone, so it could be considered her rightful share.
But it feels good to give it like this.
Besides, I was too lazy to explain the reward.
It was easier to say it was a gift I prepared.
And it also helped gain favor with our protagonist.
I shamelessly lie and put the ring on her slender finger.
"I put some thought into choosing it, so I hope you like it."
The ring fits the girl's ring finger as if it were a lie.
Regia, who was standing there in a daze, soon stammers in embarrassment.
"Y-young master? W-what is this···?"
"I told you in the desert, didn't I? That I will always be by your side, Miss Regia. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"I-I remember! But what does that have to do with the ring······."
"Think of it as a token of our promise."
Although it looks like an ordinary ring at first glance, it's an item that boasts deceptive performance. Originally, it was the item with the lowest drop rate.
I guess I was lucky.
Accessory, Ring of Fate.
An item that can block 1 attack directed at the player, regardless of the type of attack.
Although it disappears after use, it was a great accessory that could even withstand Judas's [Liar] in the original story.
It could be considered the best item in the consumable category.
"Always carry it with you. If the day comes when I can't keep my promise, this little friend will protect you instead."
"B-but it looks expensive at first glance! I can't accept something like this······."
"It's alright."
I gently stroke the girl's hair.
A soft, soothing voice.
"You deserve it. Miss Regia is my most cherished friend."
"M-most cherished···?"
"Please don't refuse."
"Uh, uhm···."
The girl lets out a small moan and then nods her head timidly.
Her face is flushed as always.
She lowers her head as if embarrassed.
It seems the word "friend" is still awkward for her.
"······Th-thank you. I'll accept it gratefully."
The girl replies quietly.
She tries to regain her composure, but her fingers tremble restlessly.
I chuckle softly at her cute reaction.
"Hehe, it's getting late. Shall we really go back now?"
"Ah··· Yes, yes!"
Hands that don't let go of each other.
We walked side by side across the night sky like that.
***
We returned to our Academy life.
In fact, the time we were gone was only about 2 hours, but for us, it was close to ten days.
Naturally, the Academy remained unchanged.
Peaceful air lingered in our daily lives.
"Young Master Judas!"
"Miss Regia."
I lightly wave my hand at the approaching girl.
"I'm late. The lecture ended later than I thought."
"I'm fine! I didn't wait long."
"You're such a good girl."
As I stroke her head as if she's commendable, her bright expression gradually melts away.
Her warm body temperature stains my palm.
'She seems to be in a good mood lately.'
If there was a change, it was Regia.
After returning from the desert.
I should say that the psychological distance has narrowed a lot.
When she called me, she used to address me with my title, but now she calls me by my name.
Wouldn't it be okay to think that she has opened her heart to me to some extent?
She no longer seemed afraid of my touch.
Even if I stroked her hair like now, she would just stand still instead of running away.
It felt rewarding, like taming a scared cat.
I wasn't the only one who noticed this change.
Emilia, who was watching us, asks a question as if it's strange.
"The atmosphere seems to have changed in just a few days··· Did something happen between you two?"
"Hehe, I wonder."
"You're suspicious."
Her blue eyes scan us.
Her gaze, which was darting around, soon fixated on one point.
It was Regia's ring finger.
"Commoner? What's that ring on your finger?"
"Ah, this is···."
To be precise, it's the accessory I gave her.
The pilot hesitates, as if embarrassed, and then confesses the truth in a trembling voice.
"It's a gift from the Young Master."
"Yes···?"
"We had a promise a few days ago. We were walking around the outer district together, and he gave it to me as a token of our promise."
"That's right. It was a pleasant date."
"D-d-date?!"
Thump
Shaking pupils.
The girl, who was momentarily frozen as if in shock, soon shouts at me.
Her white face is flushed.
"You lecherous···!"
"Hmm?"
"After doing such a shameless thing to me! Are you hitting on other girls too?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"And you even said you liked me?!"
"Of course I like you."
"What does that···!"
"I like both you, Lady, and Miss Regia, equally."
Why is she so agitated again?
Her scornful gaze was impressive.
I put my hand on her blue hair to calm her down.
Inadvertently, I ended up in a very funny position, stroking both of their heads.
Is this what being a cat mom is like?
"······You're the worst."
Emilia slowly turns her head away.
However, she doesn't avoid my touch.
Perhaps she's remembering the contents of our contract, as she can't bring herself to resist.
I let out a chuckle.
The boisterous atmosphere breaks apart with the summer breeze.
As we spend our peaceful days like this, a sudden remark breaks the silence.
"Come to think of it, the school trip is just around the corner."
School trip.
It was a school event that was already a week away.
"I should go to the library. I need to finish preparing for the next exam before the school trip."
"C-can I come with you···?"
"Do as you please."
It seems the children will focus on their studies until the event.
"Unfortunately, I'll have to sit this one out. I have something else to do."
"I-is that so···?"
With a week left until the school trip.
If you ask me what I'm going to do during this short period, I already have a plan.
"First, I need to meet someone."
I mutter meaningfully.
***
A few hours later.
I was having a private meeting with someone in the professors' research lab.
"This is unexpected. I didn't think student Judas would come looking for me."
Sitting in front of the desk was none other than Selena Drunkard.
The professor in charge of Class A, which I belong to.
Her red pupils stare at me.
The woman, who was blinking her eyes nonchalantly, soon fiddles with the bottle of alcohol in her hand.
Her flowing purple hair sways gently.
"I'm curious about your business."
The thick smell of alcohol wafts through the air.
I reply.
"I'd like you to do me a favor."
The accident that happened during the midterm exam last time.
Selena owed me a personal debt.
Despite being in charge of supervising the exam, she failed to prevent us from getting caught up in the accident.
That's why she promised us.
That she would grant us one favor each while we were enrolled in Gallimard.
"You're not going to pretend you don't know now, are you?"
"Of course not."
"I heard you were stripped of your position as head professor because of that incident. Are you alright?"
"It's not a problem."
The woman tilts the bottle of alcohol nonchalantly.
As if she doesn't care much.
After drinking for a while, Selena asks with her faintly glowing red eyes.
"Haha··· So, what is this favor?"
"It's not a difficult request."
I smile ominously.
It's about time.
A future where countless incidents occur.
In order to suppress the incomplete dangers, it was necessary to gain power within the academy as well.
The power to easily crush ordinary students.
"I want you to appoint me as the chief assistant."
A position I demand confidently.
It was time to take over the Academy.
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He just really propose to her just like that, huh?
ReplyDeleteDamn.. I have to admit, this got me giggling and kicking my feet up like a little girl.. hehe