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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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I might have been hiding my face behind a bandage, but it wasn’t because I was ashamed or embarrassed by the scars.
Whenever my vision cleared, I would feel this irresistible urge to claw at my face, so the bandage served as a preventive measure.
Besides, too many scars would make me look scary – and people had reacted badly to them in the past.
So I decided to lean into the mysterious look.
Of course, I tried my best to hide them from Rain, Solar, Lian, and Odrox, but I wouldn’t have refused if they asked to see my face.
They would have to bear the consequences, though.
Look, Rain’s face had gone pale as snow.
Her pupils were dilating as if he were witnessing a human transforming into a monster, just like the ones we saw at the border of Felburn.
She gently caressed the skin around my eyes, her touch lingering on each scar.
After examining each one in silence, her expression unreadable, he closed his eyes for a moment, as if collecting herself, before finally speaking.
“Never again.”
She whispered, her voice strained, as if he were holding back a torrent of emotion.
“…. ….”
“What? I didn’t catch that.”
“It’s nothing. I didn’t say anything.”
I guess some thoughts are better left unspoken.
There was something different about her.
The air of righteousness and nobility that had always surrounded her seemed to have diminished.
It might have been my imagination, but her aura reminded me of Remideon, the demon we had fought all those years ago.
According to Rain, Remideon possessed the ability to manipulate emotions, particularly jealousy.
He enjoyed toying with us, pushing our mental limits.
He was a dangerous foe.
None of us expected our party, bound by years of camaraderie and shared experiences, to crumble so easily.
It started with Lian.
Always kind and gentle, she gradually began to ignore Rain and Sola, growing closer to me instead.
My role kept me at the forefront of every battle, while she remained at the very back.
This meant that the closer she got to me, the more danger she was in.
Rain, Sola, and Odroxs sensed it too, and they cautioned her.
Well, Rain and Sola’s warnings were a little less… tactful.
I distinctly remember them telling her to “stop being so annoying” and to “back off.”
It was unlike them, this hostility, especially after all we’d been through.
Looking back, I realized that Rain, Sola, Lian, and Odroxs had all fallen prey to Remideon’s magic.
They had become jealous of me, their comrade.
Odroxs envied me for “stealing” the affections of three capable women.
I envied them for their strength, a strength I lacked.
And the three women?
They envied each other for the affection I showed them.
The situation escalated quickly.
It wasn’t every day that three powerful women, each capable in their own right, engaged in a jealous brawl.
And Odrox, our usual buffer, had lost all motivation, which only made things worse.
Rain wasn’t under any magical influence right now, and yet, here she was, her reaction mirroring that fateful day.
My vision, no longer obscured by the bandage, allowed me to see her every expression with perfect clarity.
Just as I was about to say something, the mana stone on his desk began to pulse.
“Rain, you have a call.” I said, breaking the tension.
Rain, despite her obvious annoyance at being interrupted, reached for the dust-covered stone.
She seemed more accustomed to sending written messages than making calls, and fumbled with it for a moment before activating it with a jolt of mana.
The stone, which had been a dull gray, glowed with a golden light as the communication magic connected, projecting an image into the air.
A middle-aged man with a receding hairline, dressed in luxurious red robes, materialized before us.
Wasn’t he the duke… or was it baron… of Hidin?
I couldn’t recall his name, just his status as someone important.
“Yes, I can hear you.”
“My apologies.”
“It’s nothing. Just a slight cold.” Rain replied curtly.
Her response, clipped and dismissive, made the man flinch.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he quickly stated his business.
“[Anyway, Hero, I would like to request your presence at the Dukedom tomorrow or the day after, if possible.]”
“…May I ask what this is regarding?”
“Do you not have enough manpower?”
“[The moment the labyrinth was mentioned, the number of volunteers plummeted. As it stands… summoning the Seven Stars might be our only option…]”
“Are the academy graduates not offering their assistance?”
His voice wavered, revealing his anxiety over summoning Rain.
He needn’t have worried.
Rain, who valued peace above all else, would have agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
“Contact me again when you’ve gathered all Seven Stars.”
And with that, Rain abruptly cut off the connection.
It was a rude gesture, especially considering her position as headmaster and the status of the person he was speaking to.
But Rain was also the original hero, so I suppose it was understandable.
Even so, it was unlike him to be so callous.
Then again, her curt demeanor wasn’t entirely unexpected.
She had already saved the world once.
She was no longer a hero; she was a headmaster now, burdened with responsibilities.
It was only natural for her to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Besides, this wasn’t a world-ending crisis, like the Demon King’s revival, so it was understandable that she wasn’t particularly thrilled about being summoned for every minor inconvenience.
“Ha…” Rain sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Look on the bright side.” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s all in the name of peace, right?”
Easy for me to say.
I had tossed my adventurer’s license aside ages ago, never bothering to renew it, let alone earn the right to be called one of the Seven Stars.
“Ron, do you… Do you want me to go?”
I wasn’t sure why she was asking for my opinion, but as long as it contributed to world peace, I didn’t see the harm.
Although, they should probably address the academy graduates’ fear of facing the labyrinths head-on instead of relying on the “Hero” title to solve their problems.
I nodded in response.
Rain turned to me, her gaze intense.
“And if I succeed… if I conquer the labyrinth… will you… Will you stay by my side?”
The question caught me off guard.
What did conquering a labyrinth have to do with anything?
I was about to refuse, politely of course, when my gut screamed, “Don’t you dare say no, you idiot!”
So, I nodded again.
Rain, with a newfound determination in her eyes, nodded back.
It was like watching a knight pledging his loyalty to his lord before riding into battle.
“…Are you… Are you coming with me?”
“Huh?”
“I-If you don’t want to… it’s okay… I was just wondering…”
Her question, hesitant and almost shy, gave me pause.
I hadn’t exactly been kind to myself lately, and the lack of physical release had left me on edge, my body practically buzzing with nervous energy.
I had almost exposed myself to Tolman, of all people.
Maybe venturing into a labyrinth would provide a welcome distraction from the monotony of academy life?
I doubted the locals would appreciate my presence, but it wasn’t the worst idea.
“Sure, I’ll go, if you’ll have me.” I said, figuring I might as well join her.
“R-Really?!”
“Why are you so surprised? I thought you didn’t want me to get hurt?”
“W-well… that’s true, but… if I… if we’re together… it’ll be fine, right? It’s better than being alone… and… I wanted to relive the old days…”
Her rambling was cut short as I reassured her that I didn’t mind accompanying her.
Even if her request was a bit selfish, there was a lot I could gain from this experience.
Rain, surprised by my easy acceptance, grabbed my hands, her expression filled with relief.
Her hands glowed with a golden light, and I felt a warmth spreading through my fingertips as she healed my broken nails.
It was the same healing magic that Lian used, the one granted to them by the Goddess of Light.
Rain rarely used it, though, since her healing paled in comparison to Lian’s.
But these wounds… they would only heal superficially.
Even now, just thinking about Rain made my hands tremble, my entire body thrumming with a restless energy.
“So… I’ll meet you here tomorrow after class, then?” she asked, her voice filled with a hopeful lilt.
“Sure. I’ll leave a note explaining my absence. Let’s do this… together.”
I left her office, Rain’s genuine smile, a rare and precious sight, etched in my mind.
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Her words filled me with a sense of nostalgia.
I remembered the way she used to charge headfirst into battle, her demeanor confident and unwavering.
He might have aged, but he was still the same dependable, composed, and righteous Rain I knew from all those years ago.
The only difference was the way her composure crumbled when she was around me.
Her golden mana, brighter and more powerful than I remembered, pulsed with life.
Even her divine power, if anything, had only grown stronger over time.
And then I saw myself reflected in her eyes, my face marred with self-inflicted wounds.
I saw the darkness that had taken root in my own gaze.
Despair, icy and relentless, washed over me.
I allowed my mind to atrophy, seeking instant gratification to numb the pain.
This, in turn, brought forth a wave of self-loathing and jealousy I had tried so hard to bury.
I punished my body in an attempt to quiet the noise, to forget, but the cycle only perpetuated itself.
I was jealous of Rain.
That’s right; it was all her fault.
I was inadequate, and she… she was everything I wasn’t.
It was pathetic, blaming my shortcomings on someone who had always been there for me.
The realization filled me with disgust.
I brought my hands to my face.
I dug my nails into my skin, my eyes squeezed shut.
I raked at the tender flesh beneath my eyebrow, dragging my nails across my cheekbone, stopping just before my ear.
It burned, the pain searing through me like fire.
And yet, it also brought a sense of relief.
It was the only way to silence the noise, to focus on something other than the gaping chasm of my own inadequacy.
I wiped away the blood, wincing as I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window.
I wrapped the bandage tightly around my eye, my vision blurring around the edges.
I glanced back, but Rain was gone.
Her clear, blue eyes, filled with such unwavering resolve, were hidden from view, swallowed by a haze of red.
This… this felt more familiar.
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Huh, isn’t this one supposed to be unlocked?
Fixed