Episode 143
I wandered around every nook and cranny of the Academia with Erica and Lilian.
Thanks to the festival, the Academia was transformed into something quite spectacular, decorated from head to toe.
The floating city, of course, was adorned with magic. Most of the decorations were shapes created from existing magical applications.
Ice sculptures shaped like pegasi flew through the sky while golems served food and did odd jobs.
As I strolled through a variety of food and mystical attractions, I felt once again that I was truly in a novel.
…It seemed Lilian and Erica were more interested in the food than the attractions. I knew from the original work that Erica had a sweet tooth for cakes and such.
But when she actually took a bite of a sweet treat, her eyes sparkled like a child who just saw a shooting star, and her expression changed dramatically, which was particularly impressive.
The reaction was even greater than what Barghan had in his memories.
If I were to hypothesize, I’d say the shock and stress from the incident with Barghan had made her indulge in sweets, leading to some kind of addiction.
As I watched her in wonder, Erica flinched, trying hard to act nonchalant.
She took a huge bite of a cream-filled pastry with her tiny mouth, and the fact that not a speck of cream touched her lips confirmed that she was definitely a noble.
…
As the day began to darken, Lilian spoke up.
“I’m so tired. I’m sorry, but I think I’ll take my leave now. You two keep enjoying your date.”
As Lilian said this while touching her head, Erica furrowed her pretty brows, looking serious.
No matter how much she was bothered by the curse of her voice, she could tell that Lilian was trying to disengage from the situation through her tone, expression, and gestures. But when it came to her family’s matters, she seemed oblivious to everything.
There was a reason Lilian was trying to exit.
“Erica, my little one. Don’t worry and go watch the parade with Barghan. Mom is just a little tired.”
The first day of the festival featured a dazzling parade using visual magic and familiars.
The parade wasn’t organized by an external party but was a collaboration among several research societies within the Academia, and the name of Plum, who had helped me during the Class Battle, was listed among the visual magic contributors.
Don’t know who Plum is?
He’s a classmate who helped grab everyone’s attention with visual magic when the Class Battle started.
His appearances might be as rare as dust among supporting roles, but he’s indeed showing a different path than in the original.
However, that guy seems to be taking a different path from the original.
Maybe feeling confident after performing well in the Class Battle, it seems he is definitely carving out his own field as he moves forward.
“…She is pretty, though.”
That was Erica’s first remark as she watched the parade.
After Lilian returned to her lodging, she left without wanting to engage in any conversation with me, walking away with a click of her heels.
The parade, utilizing the sky, meshed beautifully with the night sky, giving it an even more aesthetic appeal.
The scene, which couldn’t be replicated with the technology of my world, is also exciting even for the noble of the Portlet Family with high standards.
Soon, she noticed my gaze and narrowed her eyes to glare at me.
Without saying a word, she easily conveyed that if I had something to say, I should just say it.
…It might seem sharp at first glance, but this is pretty mild.
If this were early in the story, she wouldn’t be here with me and would have left already.
I smiled lightly and said, “Are you going to hold my hand, then?”
“…No thanks.”
“Have you already held my hand several times, and now you say no?”
“Since we’ve already held hands several times, I don’t want to hold them anymore.”
“My fiancée, you are truly a difficult woman. Just to hold hands, I need to have a valid reason.”
“…….”
As Erica turned her head away without answering, I spoke up as if I just remembered something.
“Erica. Do you remember the sensation of mana flowing from you and Alicia to me during the first selection?”
“…Why do you ask that?”
“You must already know, but you, I, and Alicia are able to share mana and spells at a pretty good quality and speed through our last training.”
Before I could finish speaking, Erica’s sharp eyes shot at me. She must have instinctively caught on.
“…What are you planning to use me for this time?”
“Use you? That’s not the case at all. It’s more like mutual assistance. Besides, this will be needed in the future, not just now.”
“Then why are you talking about it now?”
“It’s a reservation. I do need your strength this time, but I don’t require resonance or sharing with you.”
“…I’ve been saying this for a while, but I really don’t know what you’re thinking nowadays, Schugenharz.”
I didn’t reply, only smiled, and Erica’s eyes, now back in their place, reflected the parade.
Her clearly blue eyes, already see-through, glimmered with the waves of mana, making them stand out even more.
Erica didn’t speak out even though she knew I was watching her.
Instead, the words she uttered surprised me considerably.
“Hey, Schugenharz….”
The surprise wasn’t just from that line.
I caught a glimpse of her expression, which seemed to avoid looking at me.
Too delicate to call tough.
Too tough to be called delicate.
“After this, can I borrow some of your time?”
*
After the parade ended.
Erica and Vargan headed to the most luxurious bar inside the Academia.
The place, dazzling right from the entrance, required at least a few days’ reservation to enter, yet Erica’s name was casually on the reservation list.
The interior of the store was the same.
Having grown accustomed to luxury items and decorations, there was little excitement, but the overall balance was not bad.
Entering the room and taking off her outer clothes, Erica said, “Is there something you want to drink?”
“Is there anything?”
“……”
“If there isn’t, I’ll just order whatever I want.”
Erica ordered a regular red wine.
Well, it might be a wine that easily costs hundreds of thousands, but considering her family, it’s pretty ordinary…
“I didn’t plan on stopping at one bottle, so I thought I’d keep it light. Is that okay?”
Erica proved her statement right.
As soon as the deep red liquid was poured into her glass, she downed it as if it were water.
Without savoring the aroma or the taste, like she had some purpose.
She raised her empty glass, wearing a fading smile.
“Can you pour me another glass?”
Erica wasn’t maintaining even the basic decorum expected of a noble.
Considering the strict rules of the Portlet family she grew up in, this was quite the contrast.
I let out a chuckle and filled her glass.
To match her speed, I emptied my own glass and watched the freshly poured red wine.
Erica spoke.
“We’ve known each other for quite a while, but we’ve never had alcohol together.”
“……”
“Well, that’s understandable. After I could drink, we weren’t together anymore, right?”
Erica didn’t stop and downed her second glass.
I watched her actions closely and swallowed my wine.
As I filled Erica’s empty glass, I said, “Are you trying to boast about how much you can drink?”
“I’m glad you think I’ve improved.”
“Cut the nonsense. Make this your last glass unless you want to collapse and have me drag you away.”
“…I’d really rather not do that.”
Despite what she said, Erica filled Baragan’s glass and once again downed it in one go.
Then she casually filled her own glass as if nothing had happened.
“Up to here is fine. I’ll make this my last one.”
“…….”
After downing her third glass in a row, Erica finally paused for a moment.
Gently swirling the wine in the glass, she opened her mouth.
“Schugenharz. You know how I feel about you, right?”
That phrase was definitely not something positively directed toward Baragan.
“Yeah, I’ve heard it so many times that I know well.”
In response to his reaction, Erica said coldly.
Baragan was already aware that she would know.
“Right, I find you utterly repulsive.”
“……”
“Just being around you is disgusting and torturous.”
“But it was you who brought that very opponent here. Erica. If it weren’t for your proposal, we wouldn’t even be drinking together like this now.”
Erica’s answer didn’t come right away.
Perhaps it was due to the buzz from the hastily consumed alcohol, or maybe she just wanted to enjoy a moment of silence.
She began to swirl her wine glass.
Then, the glass suddenly stopped.
“Well… how did this happen, Schugenharz?”
Erica lifted her gaze to stare at Baragan.
Baragan felt the same sensations from her expression as before.
As if asking if she could buy herself some time, or questioning her current actions.
All of it was drenched in sadness like fabric soaked by a heavy downpour, but with a stain that couldn’t be erased.
That stain was the emotion of ‘fear.’
Erica was attempting to face her feelings with relative calm.
“…Why am I drinking with you?”
“Am I really drinking with you?”
Her eyes weren’t on Vargan, but on her reflection seen in his eyes.
“The one who mercilessly killed Laila… the one I despise the most… you….”
Her question began to morph slowly.
“Just being with you makes my skin crawl and leaves me breathless…”
What originated as a question gradually took on a clearer hue.
The doubts, which had been lumped together like crushed clay.
“How is it that I can be here with you right now…?”
It changed into reproach.
“Listen, Schugenharz. I’m sitting here calmly with you. …Before that, I suggested we drink together. …Before that, I booked this place to be with you.”
“……”
“That’s not all. Even in the first selection… No. When you came to our mansion. No, no. Since before that… I… ”
Erica condemned herself as she saw her reflection in Vargan’s eyes.
How could you do this?
How… how could you be in front of the one who killed your loved one.
“That’s not how it should be.”
“Erica….”
“I should want to tear you apart and kill you right now. I should want to give you the pain I received… No, at least the pain Laila received.”
With a sudden change in emotions, the alcohol hit her all at once, and Erica’s eyes shook more than the wine in her glass.
“Isn’t that right…? Isn’t that right…?” Somewhere, trembling, her lips repeated the same words.
Then, from deep within Erica, from dark, musty places that hadn’t let anything out,
a phrase emerged, barely making its way up through the pumping of alcohol.
“It would be too cruel for Laila if I didn’t.”
She feared forgetting the wounds related to Laila.
The painful memories she didn’t want to forget.
And the ‘malice’ she left behind toward Vargan.
“……”
Vargan silently gazed at her.
Even in the novel he read, Erica’s true feelings had not been revealed. It had ended without him knowing.
Covered up without being shown.
He had only speculated.
He couldn’t comprehend the full depth of it all.
As Erica tried to stabilize her anxious breath, she spoke again. Her eyes turned cold, frozen.
“You owe me a debt. …Maybe that’s why.”
Erica, who was extremely reluctant to express her true feelings,
gathered her thoughts and spoke plainly.
“What you did in the theater. You healed my mother’s illness.”
Vargan somehow guessed what she was about to say. He understood why she had arranged this meeting.
“That debt confuses me. It’s taking Laila away from me.”
Though the processes were different, the conditions were not the same,
their desired outcomes aligned perfectly.
“When I’ve paid back all my debts and have nothing left to repay you… then…”
Erica, she showed her own heart being sliced open with her words.
“Schugenharz, will you annul our engagement?”
Vargan already knew that line from the original work.
