.｡.:✧ Chapter 2 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm.”

Seeing my dorm room after all these years felt nostalgic. A decent bed and a desk stacked with books for studying—it was surprising to find all these items here. As I looked around, I noticed some of my belongings that I hadn’t seen in a while, which added to the strange feeling.

“Wow, this sword… it’s a real blast from the past.”

I took a moment to admire the sword my sister had given me as a gift when I entered the academy. Back then, I used to simply treasure it and it was left unused, However after I had been expelled I had lost it.

“Anyway, in the end, it’s all real,” I mused.

I pinched my cheek, feeling a sharp pain. How many times had I pinched my cheeks today? They were reddened from the repeated abuse. In this situation, holding on to conventional standards seemed like futile resistance. I had to stop thinking and accept it. I had returned to my 18-year-old self, the moment when I was expelled from the academy after being stabbed in the heart by the Commander of the army of death and my childhood friend, Rin.

“Plus, I threw insults at him.”

I cursed at him. I had never used such language before, but it had been an impulsive move. The look on the Dean’s face at that time, though, was something else. The feeling of exhilaration that surged through me was unique, like a tidal wave rushing up from my toes.

Back then, when he yelled at me in a high-pitched voice, I had still thought it was all a dream. I had tried to refute him with various arguments, and the Dean had given me a chance to prove it.

“Just show me the evidence, then,” he had said.

Just one week. Within that time, I had to gather evidence to prove my innocence.

“If my memory serves me right, it probably started with… well, academic underachievement.”

Missing practical exams, assaulting fellow students, and sexual harassment of female students. Most likely, these were the accusations.

Missing the practical exam was because the environment was so disruptive at the time that I couldn’t even make it to the exam hall. As for the assault on fellow students and the sexual harassment accusations, they were undoubtedly unjust labels.

“My head is already hurting just thinking about it.”

While the academic aspect could potentially be resolved to some extent, the other two issues were more problematic.
“Alright, time to start thinking.”

At first, I had thought that being expelled wouldn’t matter much, but my perspective slowly changed. Why had Rin become the Commander of the army of death, bringing ruin to the world? Even after I had been expelled and all connections with Rin were severed, I was certain. No matter how much time had passed, it was her.

Ten years had gone by since that day, and Rin hadn’t aged a day. Her appearance hadn’t changed, and the tears streaming down her cheeks had given me certainty.

“I have to stay at the academy, even out of curiosity.”

I was 18 now, and it had been ten years since my expulsion. In just ten short years, the girl who had been kind and lovely to everyone had turned into the deadly scourge of the continent, causing the death of all living creatures. I had to prevent that.

“For Eris.”

Yes, even if only for Eris, who had proposed to me for the last time.

As I thought about it, a sharp pain shot through my chest. If I didn’t become a Sherpa in the Forest of the Abyss, would I never meet her again?

“But becoming a Sherpa will have to wait.”

If I became a Sherpa in the Forest of the Abyss after my expulsion, I could meet Eris. However, that would mean Rin would bring ruin to the continent. Becoming a Sherpa could wait till I graduate, or if not, I could go to Yggdrasil to meet Eris. She might not remember anything, but it didn’t matter.

“More importantly… I’m in great shape.”

After becoming a Sherpa, I had continued to train for survival, so my body had ached from various injuries. But now, I was a healthy country boy who had lived a life of exercise. In other words, I was in my prime.

Despite that, my mental state was weak. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself while sweating in my room, having taken off my shirt and moved my body around.

Then, a knock came from outside. I quickly wiped off my sweat and opened the door to find Rin, the girl with flowing black hair, standing there.

“Oh? Were you working out?”

She didn’t seem surprised at all. As my childhood friend, she had probably seen me work out without a shirt countless times.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I heard about your expulsion. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She didn’t react with any dramatic surprise or embarrassment, probably because she had seen me work out shirtless many times before.

“Uh, yeah.”

I accepted her offer, my expression softening as I realized that Rin had come to help me, despite everything.
I tried to handle it calmly, but it seemed like my unease was written all over my face as Rin approached me with concern. I took a step back and scratched the back of my head. Despite my efforts to stay composed, I eventually turned my gaze away and said, “Hey, would you mind leaving for now?”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t really feel like seeing anyone today.”

“Oh…”

Rin’s expression hardened as she lowered her head, responding in a gloomy voice, then she left my room. She had probably thought that I was feeling overwhelmed due to my expulsion, but it wasn’t really about that.

In reality, I had no idea how to emotionally react when the face that had stabbed me in the heart just a few hours ago was right in front of me.

“Ugh, geez…”

Moreover, my breathing hadn’t calmed down yet. Just the sight of the Commander of the army of death who had instilled fear throughout my body, made me feel dizzy and prevented me from taking deep breaths. I had to force myself to suppress any harsh words. I didn’t want to accidentally escalate things and hasten her transformation into the Commander of death.

I had been working out a bit excessively in my room to distract myself from the recent events when I heard another knock, this time louder.

I hadn’t even opened the door, but it swung open, revealing a slightly taller, handsome, blonde boy entering my room.

“Daniel! Rin told me everything. You’re having a hard time…”

Ares, my childhood friend, like Rin. Unlike me, he was well-liked, excelling both academically and socially. However, I remembered that at the time, he didn’t acknowledge knowing me in front of others.

“That was a bit painful back then…”

Though he often came to my room late at night for conversation, we rarely spoke at the academy. At the time, I thought that was the way to protect my friends. Being disliked and scorned by the nobles, I figured pretending not to know Ares was the best way to avoid any trouble. ‘Back then, it felt like the right thing to do.’

Now, I wondered if that was really friendship. Although we were close childhood friends who spent a lot of time together, I couldn’t help but question if I had really been a good friend.
Ares and I occasionally met during the nights when no one else was around, but we kept our meetings short.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Hmm, no. I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

I didn’t expect Ares to react so strongly to my firm response. I felt a strange sense of nostalgia, realizing it had been a while since we’d had a conversation like this. Ares had a talent for making even confusion look handsome. I chuckled inwardly; regardless of what Ares did, he always managed to make me look pathetic.

Ares could have been of assistance in various ways. He was surrounded by countless women, and if he said something, all sorts of information would be exchanged through word of mouth. But I didn’t need that kind of help anymore. He and I were no longer close friends.

“Also, in the future, it would be better if you didn’t come like this. If you want to talk, do it at the academy. Don’t sneak around like a thief only at night.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I don’t want to beg for friendship out of guilt.”

I gestured for him to leave with a dismissive wave of my hand, and Ares, flustered, responded, “Let’s talk later.” Then he closed the door and left.

I continued my exercise routine for a while, but the knocking persisted. Irritated, I opened the door roughly and demanded to know who was there.

“Ah! What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

Before me stood a blonde female student I’d never seen before. Well, it wasn’t entirely accurate to say I’d never seen her before; she was somewhere in my memories, but I couldn’t recall her exact appearance or name.

“Hey, why are you coming to my room like this? The girls’ dormitory is upstairs.”

“Y-you should put some clothes on first.”

“I don’t want to. If you don’t have a reason, I’m closing the door.”

As I moved to close the door, the female student panicked and grabbed it, then composed herself, cleared her throat awkwardly, and regained her composure.

“You’re, uh, quite bold compared to what I’ve heard. Alright, I’ll tell you my business.”

She crossed her arms and tilted her head, attempting to act calm, but her frequent awkward coughing betrayed her true nervousness.

“Well, tell me what you want, and make it quick.”

While folding my arms and glancing at her, I continued to rack my brain, trying to figure out who she was.
Who could she be? The memory teased me, on the verge of recollection but not quite there. It was frustrating, like having a piece of meat stuck in your teeth, almost within reach but not quite.

“In the past few days, why has Ares been looking for your room, especially at such odd hours?”

“What?”

**”At the academy, you two don’t even exchange words, so why would he come to your room at the dorms, and why would you reject a date?”**

Ah!

Aha! Now it all makes sense!

She’s one of the girls caught in Ares’s web! She had that level of friendliness that felt a bit too rebellious, making her subtly jealous of the girls around Ares.

“What was her name again?”

Unfortunately, her name didn’t come to mind at all.

But considering it’s a memory from ten years ago, this level of detail should be enough, right?

‘Poor thing.’

I may not have known exactly how things turned out for her and Ares after I got expelled, but it probably wasn’t a happy ending. Ares had a way of capturing the hearts of many girls in the village, but he rarely reciprocated their feelings.

He used to be different, but it seemed that he developed a Casanova streak as he began to attract more attention from women.

Now that I think about it, I felt a bit sorry for her. She stared at me with wide eyes, perhaps believing I saw her as an obstacle to my own love life. She seemed both innocent and somewhat immature, a mixture of fresh and awkward.

“Hey, don’t even think about dating someone like that. Go and focus on your studies.”

I gave her the best advice I could offer and closed the door.

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