The preparations to kill Belial were going smoothly.
– “It seems like it’ll be tomorrow, roughly.”
– “Roughly isn’t good enough…”
Using Yellody, we figured out Belial’s movements.
– “You want to occupy the magic tower that’s farthest from the academy? Why exactly?”
– “I… I don’t know!”
– “Alright. I’ll help you, kid.”
Scarlet and Dustin, who seemed to have a lot to say to me after the Markosias incident, cooperated without hesitation.
No one could understand my plan without some background explanation, but once I mentioned Umberto, things progressed somehow.
And now…
I was welcoming a guest at Sellafi Hall after a long time.
“Melissa and Aveline… they probably hate me, right?”
Right in front of me was the knight of azure, Edwin Gwynn.
We were having a conversation while watching the sunset.
“Not particularly?”
“What…?”
“Why would they hate you? If they had a conscience, that wouldn’t be the case.”
“…”
It seemed Edwin still couldn’t forget Melissa and Aveline.
Well, they were the only ones who talked to me when I was practicing alone since the semester started… I could understand that feeling.
“Lev, you’re amazing. You’re straightforward about everything.”
“Well…”
I thought about how I was walking a tightrope between Aria and Yeriel as I responded.
“You and I both have foolish sides. Especially you, you’re more frustrating than I am.”
“…”
“But, conversely, isn’t that what makes you a protagonist?”
“Eh?”
As Edwin stared at me as if to say “What do you mean?”, I quickly changed the subject.
“If those two come back, they’ll definitely seek you out again.”
“…!”
It was probably obvious. It was Edwin’s indecisive nature that left room for possibilities.
“How you take that is up to you… but when you think about it, it’s all because of the demons, right? It’s one thing that Caeran became a demon, but Melissa and Aveline making those wrong choices… well.”
“…True.”
Edwin’s tightly sealed lips opened.
“I really want to… defeat the Demon King.”
“Right, so…”
“Remember what I said earlier? I want you to keep that in mind.”
“…Okay.”
I asked Edwin for a hypothetical situation.
It had to be Edwin who would cut off Belial’s lifeline.
After Belial was dead, the demon armies might come forth.
And there was even the possibility of me… losing to the Demon King.
Trials make characters stronger.
Especially heroes.
Of course, that process might become quite torturous, but if I said this in advance, the story would go a bit smoother.
“You never give up on anything.”
“Thanks, Lev. I’m glad I consulted you.”
“Is that so…?”
At that moment.
– “Reev~ Come eat~!”
From the entrance of the Black House dormitory, Lily’s voice rang out.
.
.
.
Dinner time has returned.
Yeriel, who was in charge of dinner, asked me.
“Hey? Lev, where’s Edwin?”
“He went back. He wants to train.”
What a tough guy.
He readily accepted my request, and perhaps spurred by enthusiasm, he headed straight for the training quarters.
“Still, he should at least eat before leaving…”
“Right. But what about Aria?”
“Nothing yet… By the way, Lev, come sit down…!”
“Okay.”
What could it be? Was it because of what happened yesterday?
Yeriel turned away, her face turning red as she looked at me.
Then, a cold voice approached from behind.
“What’s going on between you two?”
With her arms crossed, the elf archer Selena was staring at us with sharp eyes.
“What?”
“I haven’t seen you both since yesterday. What were you up to?”
“…”
As we fell silent for a moment, Selena smirked in disbelief.
“I already knew Lev Denec was a flirt, so that’s not surprising…”
Some unfathomable muttering passed through her lips…
“Yeriel, I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Huh…?”
“Aria Bluebell confessed first. Isn’t it polite to wait until their relationship is confirmed?”
“No…! I just…!”
Lily was looking around, trying to gauge the situation, and as Yeriel couldn’t find any rebuttal, Selena laughed triumphantly.
“Good, that’s settled. I’ll now play by my own rules.”
-!
After making that meaningful statement, she looked at me and commanded alluringly.
“After dinner, come to my room, Lev Denec.”
“…Uh…?”
“Fairly, I would like to borrow you for a bit.”
.
.
.
After dinner, in front of Selena’s room.
‘I didn’t see this coming…’
I hadn’t expected her to show this much interest in me since she moved into Sellafi Hall.
Things like the betrayal of her clan or her connection with Dalian…
I did help her, but elves are proud and it’s hard to win their hearts easily.
But I couldn’t avoid it forever.
There were many misunderstandings from Selena’s perspective.
– Knock knock.
I lightly knocked and stepped into her room.
-…
It seemed slightly disorganized since she had only just moved in, but reflecting her usual habits, everything was neatly arranged.
She sat in the center of the bed with her legs crossed, arms folded…
Looking at me with an air of disdain and arrogance.
“You come before me, my lord.”
“Selena, it seems there’s a misunderstanding…”
“Shut it.”
No room for discussion…
-!
She grabbed my collar and kissed me.
– Chilly.
The kiss with Selena started transparent and soft, turning into a rough dance of exploration.
Selena’s lips seemed to draw nearer to consume me, pulling back briefly before moving again.
“How is it, my lord? Do you feel nervous when you’re with me?”
“Well…!”
Men are weak to beautiful women, and a sudden kiss… I couldn’t deny her question.
– Chilly.
The kiss continued again.
And shortly after… our lips parted, connected by a thin thread of clarity.
“Why? You could just pin down a haughty fairy like me and teach me a lesson.”
I wiped my lips with the back of my hand, trying to say something.
But I couldn’t.
“…”
“You playboy.”
“…Sorry.”
“Flirt.”
Selena gazed at a corner of the room with sad eyes and then murmured.
“I know. I’ve realized that I’m late.”
She made me sit on her bed and continued.
“I’ve held mistrust towards humans until now.”
“…”
“I was taught that the history of elves isn’t made up of bright narratives…”
“…”
It was a scene rarely seen even in games where she shared her past.
“Simply because my father is a human, I’ve faced discrimination, and that bad feeling was projected back onto humans, creating a vicious cycle.”
“That’s not your fault, Selena.”
“…Huh?”
“I trust you. You’ve changed now.”
At my words, Selena smiled subtly and whispered in my ear.
“It’s because of someone, isn’t it…?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I won’t give up easily. This is what I mean.”
“That’s an honor for me.”
I just turned my head and flashed a smile before leaving her room.
*
At the Circulation Train platform.
“…How do I go back?”
Even after more than ten years, the innocent girl, Aria Bluebell, could not bring herself to walk away.
The actors were Yeriel and Lev, Selena and Lev…
Yet Aria found herself lacking the courage to face them.
She pulled out a diary filled with a checklist of things to do when she had a partner, placing a small pen in her mouth as she checked it.
.
.
.
—————————————————
– Call by a nickname (v)
– Directly treat to delicious food ( )
– Have the lover sleep over (v)
– Directly say “I like you” (★) ( )
– Hold hands while walking ( )
—————————————————
So far, she had succeeded in only two things after declaring her love.
She had called Lev her ‘lover’ and had asked him to let her sleep over.
But…
“I thought the lullabies were highly rated…”
That night when she was getting patted on the back by Lev in the same bed, she had slipped into such a sweet sleep after a long time.
She thought their relationship had advanced in many ways…
She had been too naive.
– “My lord.”
– “Lev, come here…”
The others had already taken several steps ahead of her.
Of course, she hadn’t observed everything in detail since that was their private matter…
But to the now-adult Aria, the stories ahead were plain as day.
– Dory dory.
The silver hair shimmered.
As Aria turned her head away to shake off her discomfort, she murmured.
“Lev is a man too, after all.”
That was natural.
She thought it was entirely normal for people who loved each other to act like that.
But for her?
Would he treat her the same way?
If there were the slightest difference, would she be disappointed? That frightened Aria the most.
– Whoosh.
As she shrank from the slightly chill wind, suddenly,
– Rustle.
– ?!
The familiar scent of a student uniform jacket draped over her shoulders.
A warm energy envelops Aria instantly.
“Miss, I’ve been looking for you…”
“Lev?”
“Why are you running away?”
“Why the sudden formal address…? More importantly…! I… I…!”
As Aria flustered and panicked, Lev snatched away her diary, flipping through a few pages.
“Let’s see… With your lover…”
“Please give it back…!!”
Despite Aria’s frantic attempts to retrieve it, he read it with a serious face and said,
“How many will you fill today…?”
Saying that with a somewhat bitter smile.
“If you just stay by my side, I’ll fill it quickly, you know?”
He spoke casually, as if it were nothing…
That ash-colored-haired man.
