—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Suddenly, they were asking me to choose who I wanted to partner with?
What was going on?
I was about to sneak a cookie from Rain’s stash when they returned, catching me completely off guard.
I froze, stuck in mid-reach.
Seriously, my body locks up whenever I get flustered.
Feigning nonchalance, I asked, “Can I have a cookie?”
“Sure. Help yourself to ‘my’ cookies, and then tell me your answer.”
Rain replied, emphasizing the word ‘my’ for some reason.
Was that a bribe?
Permission granted, I grabbed a cookie and savored the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
“Rooooon!”
As I enjoyed the familiar taste, Sola came charging at me, engulfing me in another hug.
What happened to her?
Why was she acting like a child again?
I patted her head, and she giggled.
“You like petting my hair, don’t you, Ron?”
“Yeah, it’s soft.”
“If you choose me, I’ll let you pet my hair as much as you want. And I’ll teach you some useful magic… I’ll make sure no monster can even get close to you.”
“That’s a bit overprotective, don’t you think? But thanks for the offer.”
“So, Ron.”
Rain interjected, “if you had to choose between me and Sola for this labyrinth exploration, who would you pick?”
I removed my hand from Sola’s head.
Did they really need me to spell it out for them?
“I was thinking of going al–”
“Absolutely not!!”
Rain cut me off, her voice raised in protest.
Her outburst, a rare occurrence, left me speechless.
Shaking her head, she reiterated her stance.
“No. Absolutely not.”
Why not? Well, if I had to choose… Sola was the better option.
“I’ll go with Sola, then.”
“…What? Why…?”
“Well, I already went with you a few days ago?”
Rain slumped back in her chair, her golden mana practically dripping onto the floor as if she had lost all will to live.
I felt a twinge of guilt, but my decision was for the best, both for her and for me.
If I went with Rain, my self-loathing would only intensify.
And Rain wouldn’t want to see me hurting myself.
It was better to go with Sola, to avoid inflicting further pain on each other.
Even with the bandage, those old feelings were resurfacing.
If it came off…
I could already imagine the chaos, me clawing at my face, Rain desperately trying to stop me.
With Sola, I didn’t experience the same level of self-loathing.
I had given up on magic long ago, realizing I had no talent for it.
And Al Sola… she was leagues beyond me, a prodigy I could never hope to match.
So, I had given up before I even started, knowing it was a pointless endeavor.
With Rain, it was different.
I felt like I could almost reach her level, but that small gap between us fueled my self-loathing and jealousy.
Maybe it was because we had been together the longest.
“Hehehe. I knew you’d pick me.”
Solar purred, rubbing her face against me like a cat marking its territory.
I told her I’d see her tomorrow and headed for the cafeteria.
The academy stocked a wide variety of labyrinth exploration supplies, since conquering labyrinths was part of the practical training.
Rain personally inspected the inventory, ensuring that everything was top quality, so it was a good place to stock up.
“Ron, right? What brings you here today?” The cafeteria owner greeted me warmly.
“I need some supplies for labyrinth exploration.” I replied.
He raised an eyebrow, noticing the unusually large quantity I was purchasing.
“Going to a Demonic Labyrinth? You’re buying a lot.”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
“Haha, not at all. I’m just curious because you usually buy bread, and today, you’re buying everything but.”
“Ah, you’re right. Can I have two loaves of bread, please?”
“Such a big spender. Where does all your money come from?” he teased.
“It’s a secret… but I come from a wealthy family…”
“You’re not getting away with that excuse again. Anyway, here’s your bread. The one with cheese, your favorite. I saved it just for you.”
This was what I loved about making friends – the perks. …
Wait, I meant, the joy of human connection!
I piled my basket high with supplies, feeling someone’s gaze on me.
It was nothing new. I was used to being stared at, given my unusual attire.
It was probably some upperclassman, thinking, What’s that weirdo up to now?
“Have a good day!”
“You too, kid. And come back in one piece.”
I chuckled at his parting words.
Don’t worry, I’m going with the Seven Stars.
I’m not going to die.
I spent the rest of the day lounging around.
I almost got dragged into another training session with Tolman, but I managed to escape by claiming I had an important errand to run.
His parting words, “I was going to focus on your legs today.” sent shivers down my spine.
Thank you, Rain, for inviting me to the labyrinth.
If it hadn’t been for you, I would have been crawling back to my dorm room on all fours.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day, I woke up, slung my carefully packed backpack over my shoulder, and headed for the headmaster’s office.
Sola was already there, waiting for me.
“Where’s Rain?” I asked.
“She said she’d go ahead. Come on, let’s go.”
She held out her hand.
“We don’t need to hold hands to teleport, do we?”
“Come on, why not? We haven’t seen each other in a while. A little hand-holding won’t hurt.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
I grinned and took her hand.
She squeezed mine, as if trying to memorize the feeling, before beginning her chant.
The familiar, unsettling sensation of weightlessness engulfed me, and the hard floor beneath my feet was replaced with soft earth.
“Woah…”
The first thing that hit me was an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Three incredibly powerful auras pressed against my skin.
The Seven Stars… they were something else.
“…Who’s that?”
A deep, masculine voice boomed. It must have been the Earth-Shatterer.
“I’m not sensing any mana… How is that even possible?”
The Raging Arrow’s voice, filled with disbelief, followed.
“Did you bring him, Solar? Why is this…”
“Everyone, be quiet.”
Solar silenced the Learner just as he was about to speak.
She seemed pleased with their immediate silence.
“He’s one of my students. He wanted to experience labyrinth exploration firsthand, so I brought him along as a porter. He might not have any mana, but I can vouch for his abilities.”
“E-even so… bringing an unproven student into a Demonic Labyrinth… especially one without mana…”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“N-no, of course not! We all trust your judgment, Sola… but…”
Sola cut off the Raging Arrow with a single word.
Her gaze swept across the others – the giant man, the woman with long, silver hair, and the woman with her hair tied back neatly.
Odrox, Lian, and Rain.
I could sense their presence, even if I couldn’t see them.
I felt a flicker of excitement at the prospect of seeing them again.
But it was quickly replaced with concern as Odrox and Lian stiffened, their movements jerky and unnatural.
Were they paralyzed or something?
“I-I… um…”
Lian stammered, her voice saccharine sweet.
“Could you… could you excuse us for a moment?” Odroc asked the others.
“We need to have a private conversation with Sola.”
They must have felt it was impolite to refuse, especially in the presence of the original hero party.
Or maybe they were hoping the others would intervene and talk some sense into Sola.
Whatever the reason, they complied, retreating to a corner of the room.
Rain waited until they were gone, then Sola, who had discreetly cast a tracking spell on them, gave the all-clear.
The moment the words left her lips, Lian ran towards me, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“Ron!!! Ron!!! Where have you been?! Why did you leave?! Waaaah!”
Lots of hugs lately, huh?
Wait, was she crying?
Was she actually crying?
“Goodness, why are you crying, Saint?” I asked, bewildered.
“I don’t know, you jerk… sniff…”
She lightly pounded my chest with her fists, her punches lacking any real force.
I wanted to shout, Look, I made the Saint cry!
But I was a man who understood social cues.
Patting her back seemed like the appropriate response.
As I raised my hand to comfort her, she wrapped her arms around my waist, clinging to me as if she never wanted to let go.
“Let go, Lian.”
Sola, with a wave of her hand, forcefully separated us.
Lian, sent tumbling to the ground, her white robes covered in dirt, whimpered in pain.
For all her divine power, the Saint was rather physically frail.
I had carried her on my back more times than I could count.
“Are you alright?” I asked, concerned.
“…Don’t fall for it.” she said, her voice strained.
Don’t fall for it?
What was that supposed to mean?
She accepted my outstretched hand, her gaze never leaving mine as she pulled herself up.
Odrox, watching us from afar, seemed to be vibrating with joy.
No one spoke, as if waiting for me to break the silence.
“It’s… it’s been a while.” I mumbled, feeling a wave of awkwardness wash over me.
Lian, as if to confirm I was real, squeezed my hand.
“What’s with the bandage?”
“Yeah, what happened to your eye? Can you even see with that thing on?”
“It’s good to hear your voice again, Odrox… I can see just fine. I’m wearing it because… well, it’s a long story.”
A simple, casual conversation, like any other reunion with old friends.
There was no anger, no resentment, no conflict.
Right.
We defeated the Demon King and parted ways without any drama.
We hadn’t had any conflicts, had we?
We had ended our story on a perfect note, hadn’t we?
We had chosen our own paths.
They must have forgotten all about me.
They wouldn’t harbor any lingering feelings towards me, would they?
This… this overwhelming attention must be nothing more than excitement and curiosity over seeing a long-lost friend.
Right.
Everything would go back to normal soon enough.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He (almost) said the thing!!!!