Chapter 36 – Too Late to Regret (3)
Low possibility.
It was hard to bring out the possibility that I couldn’t even believe in myself. But strangely, the nonsense story stuck in my head and I didn’t know it would come off. After thinking about it for a long time, a person’s name naturally came into my mind.
Erica.
It was a name I had never thought of before. Roger Liara was a woman who was obscured by her presence and stuck somewhere in her memory and did not roll off even by her mistake.
But Erica was also a variable that could never be ignored. Although her ability to cope with crises may have been weak, she was the one who showed her own charisma during her academy days.
And anyway, Erica was still student council president. She didn’t know if that still meant anything to her, but at least she had a distinct presence that made her different from the other students. Perhaps some students remember her title as student president Erica.
Besides, Erica was now one of the few people free from the academy bastards. She hadn’t seen her for the last time, and it had been quite a while, so she was at the point where if she did something, her influence would begin to appear.
Really, if you listened to what I said that day and started to do something really meaningful.
Of course, there was a high possibility that it was just hiding somewhere on the island. But even so, she was clear that Erica was in a rather special position for her. Given the circumstances, he might need her help now.
If they are hiding, where are they?
If you’re guessing where to go…
“Rope.”
“Yes?”
“So what is that possibility?”
When she looked up, everyone was looking this way. It seems that I have been immersed in my thoughts for quite a long time. I shook my head, not wanting to raise my expectations.
“No…It’s nothing. It’s just a thought.”
“So what is it? Can’t you tell me?”
“It’s not…”
It’s not something to hide. I’m just a bit curious as to what I should be doing.
But there was no reason not to do it at the same time. It’s not like there’s a pile of things to do right now. I quickly finished my thoughts and raised my head.
“Haru. Have you been to the place where we used to live, recently?”
“No. I brought everything I needed anyway, and I said there’s no need to go there because it’s close to the academy. Why?”
“On second thought, I think I need to go.”
“Really? Then what… Are you leaving right now?”
“…I guess so. If you procrastinate, the day will end.”
The early winter days were short. Suddenly, the westward sun pushed its butt in this direction, urging me to do something. In fact, the day was already drawing to a close. So, without delay, I got up from my seat.
“Rebecca, do you have any gloves left? Can you borrow them?”
“Yes. But it might smell a little like iron.”
“Ugh. Instead, you’d better wear your socks and go. Can I borrow yours?”
“Huh? That…If necessary, I can lend it to you too, Lope.”
“…Gloves are enough.”
Among the tearful sacrificial spirits, I chose the most acceptable option. The gloves Rebecca handed over had a slight iron smell, as she said, but perfectly covered the pattern. Of course, Haru hated it and held his nose.
“I’ll have to add an hour of hugging. Even if I don’t, I’m going to confuse Saya unni with the smell, but now I’m going to confuse her with that girl too.”
“That… So confused Haru? I didn’t know.”
“Rather than that, are you going alone? If you’re going to the academy, it could be dangerous, so would you like to go with me?”
“No. I’m not going that way.”
I shook my head. And after thinking for a while, he replied.
“But let’s all go together. It might not take long.”
The sound of eight footsteps echoed across the shadowy dirt floor. Previously, only two. At most, it was a path that only four feet could move, so even the ground that fell down seemed to feel awkward, so instead of flushing, dust was raised.
Of course, the situation wasn’t familiar either. Not too long ago, I was alone. Rebecca is in front of me now. A day after And Saya, who holds that hand, is following me.
The feeling of walking with others. The sense of incongruity of feeling unfamiliar with something that was routine to someone. These days, I can feel my heart beating because of those sensations.
And I even thought that such a sensation might be changing not just my life, but even the human being.
It all started with that elf girl after all. Unknowingly, I turned my head and looked at Saya. Unlike me, who had rotted away, she was still exuding pure and clean energy. Is it an unavoidable law of the world that muddy water yearns for clean water?
Could the feelings I felt earlier in Saya’s breath be a kind of longing?
My heart is still beating In a life lacking in many things, things that have not been felt are trying to hide their identity and keep coming in.
Then Saya, who noticed my gaze, tilted her head. Then she asked a question in her characteristic sweet voice.
“Lope. Why? Anything you want to say?”
“Uh… No.”
I evaded the answer to Saya’s question. Then, oddly enough, Haru shrugged her shoulders.
“You must have seen me. My junior who is always trustworthy. The academy who is second in rank is sad… No, the swordsman prodigy girl who is second in rank.”
“Hmm…But are you serious about that? Is Haru slightly inferior to Lope as expected?”
“No. Not really…”
“It’s like that. He can’t even wrestle, and above all, his reaction speed is a bit slow.”
“…At night I win.”
“You lose during the day.”
“I think I won the last time we fought…”
“I’d like you both to be quiet. More than that, Lope, is that over there? Where is your dormitory?”
At the moment when a childish war of nerves was about to break out, Rebecca appropriately intervened. Looking up, she saw a familiar landscape. My pitiful nest where I once stayed alone.
I wonder if the severed hand is still stuck in front of the door.
“Right. There he is.”
“So why are you here? Can I ask why?”
“I was wondering if there was anything left to take with me. And… There are things I want to check.”
We cautiously approached the dormitory. Soon, the tree where she first met Saya and the scenery in front of it unfolded before her eyes.
The bodies that were lined up on the floor on the day I had no choice but to leave were being moved to other places. I don’t know if they all survived and went somewhere, or if the survivors cleared the rest, but all that was left was a pile of dark red dirt. The wrist implanted there, like a nameplate, had disappeared somewhere.
Other than that, everything looked the same as before. A week since that day. No it’s more than that Not much has changed in the time that can be said to be short if it is short and long if it is long.
“It doesn’t look like anything has changed since the last time I came.”
“You can’t see.”
“Ah, it means that the smell or something hasn’t changed. So what should I do now?”
“They say nothing has changed… But just in case you don’t know, Saya and Haru check the outside. Me and Rebecca-san will look inside.”
“Yes. I understand. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
Saya nodded trustingly, then dragged the grumbling Haru away to the other side. I nodded at Rebecca once and went inside.
Soon, a familiar smell seeped into her nostrils. It was only then that Haru’s words that the smell hadn’t changed began to make sense.
Of course, like the smell, the appearance of the room didn’t change much either. Although the food pantry and the area around the bed were messy, it was clear that Saya and Haru had taken things. Other than that, nothing stood out.
Was it all in vain? Since this is where I last met Erica, I figured that if I left a trace, it would be here. I sighed as I kicked the canned food rolling on the floor.
“I guess not.”
“Are you looking for something?”
“Yes. I was wondering if there was someone looking for me…Or if there were even traces left. But I guess not.”
“That’s why you don’t know. Let’s keep looking. Should we look for traces of other people?”
Rebecca nodded his head and began to look around intently. Although her texture was a little different, she was similar to Haru anyway. It’s like trying to show favor to me somehow.
Now the world is too shattered to believe it was a mere favor.
…
Who will I go to the land of the elves with?
“Rope.”
While I was lost in my thoughts, Rebecca called my name. I sighed and answered without looking in that direction.
“As expected, nothing. It’s okay. I didn’t expect much…”
“No. That’s not it. It’s a little awkward for me to say this too… But someone left you a letter.”
“Yes?”
When she turned her head belatedly, she saw her squatting at the head of her bed. Feeling suspicious, I approached it.
“A letter?”
“It’s written here. 0…0…1. Dear Lope. Is it your scribble?”
“No. Not like that…”
Looking closer, there was a message left in clear letters on the wall in the corner where the bed was placed. It was a location that could be easily overlooked if you looked around, and the numbers were written in military terms, so it was hard to believe that it was directed at someone other than myself.
And it was also something that would be difficult to leave without Erica. Since he was the student body president, he probably took classes that were marginalized like military science. The message, which seemed to be pressed down with a crushed pencil, was clearly written that way. 001. Lope.
“001. What is that?”
“What immediately comes to mind…I think it’s a lake. The lake in the dormitory room.”
“Are you talking about number 001?”
“No…Student dorm room numbers always start with 1. 001 is the office number. And that’s…”
Underground storage for dormitories. A place to put away things you don’t want to keep on the ground.
Not a bad place to hide.
“I’ll have to go here. It’s a bit far, but it won’t take long.”
“I guess that’s why you came here.”
“That’s it. Buy! Haru!”
I called them right away. As if they were not far away, they ran straight here.
“Why? Did you find something?”
“I’ll have to go to the basement warehouse.”
“Ohh. You didn’t just come here, by any chance. Do I have to pull out my sword?”
“…There’s nothing to write about, but for now.”
Haru immediately pulled out his sword, and Rebecca and I also pulled out our own weapons. And with careful steps, I walked toward the warehouse.
Even though winter was coming, the overgrown grasses still did not know how to bow their heads. Every time I walked to a corner of the dormitory, to a remote place, the bushes brushed my ankles and made a bleak sound. Behind her, a nervous Saya swallowed.
In the meantime, the light was quickly fading, and night was beginning before anyone knew it. The darkness that descended amplified my needless anxiety. I wondered why Erica had left such a message, and she even worried about whether it was a strange trap.
But she didn’t think Erica would do such a thing. Soon, the entrance to the underground storage room was visible through the thick bushes. As soon as I saw it, I stopped for a moment.
“There it is.”
“Is it locked?”
“The warehouse is usually locked from the outside. If you see there is no lock, it will just be open.”
“Looks like nobody’s around, Lope. I don’t hear anything strange.”
“Hmm. For now, it doesn’t even smell. I think you can go.”
I only moved after Saya and Haru’s words had separated. As you can see from afar, there were no locks on the large warehouse doors. Rebecca looked at the cold metal surface and left a heavy impression.
“Is it a pulling door?
“No. I’ll try knocking first. If my predictions are correct, they were probably waiting for me.”
“Are you okay?”
“I do not know.”
There was no certainty. However, it was a path that had been leaning on the low possibility anyway. I hesitated a little, then knocked lightly on the door.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Erika. It’s me, Lope. Open the door.”
“…”
“Because it’s me, Erika. It’s Lope. Open the door.”
“…”
“Eri…”
…
Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was in a situation similar to when Erica came to visit me before. The only thing that has changed is the position of each other. Neither I nor Erica were sure that there was an opponent on the other side of the door. That’s why I called the name by leaning on the low possibility.
And at that time, Haru was standing with a sword on the other side of Erica’s door.
“… Back off.”
When an unpleasant feeling of déjà vu passed through my head, I raised my sword. An ominous aura hit the nape of his neck. Rebecca-san also raised her crossbow as if she had read my expression.
But at that moment, the door began to open from the inside.
“…”
The worn-out door slowly opened its crotch with its characteristic metallic sound. The speed was very slow, so I heard a strong impression that I was barely pushing it up from the inside. It was clear that there was someone on the other side who was clearly lacking in strength.
You shouldn’t be vigilant, but at least the possibility of becoming an enemy seemed low.
“Lope…?”
When I made up my mind and lowered my sword, the door finally opened and a thin voice crawled out from the inside. A voice that flowed without confidence pierced my ears.
But that wasn’t Erica. In the next moment, what I faced was not her, but the face of the girl she had saved from her annex that day.
“You…”
“Oh My God…”
“Why are you here…”
Having had an awkward reunion in the waning twilight, we both blurted out our words at the same time. Hearing his voice made me even more convinced. Although a little thin and emaciated, she was looking at me with the same expression as then.
Besides, she wasn’t alone.
“Uh… Is that the guy? The guy named Lope?”
“What about Erica? Where is Erica?”
“Who are the people around you? Esh? Is Ed with you?”
Other voices crawled out one by one from behind. It was difficult to judge the exact number, but it wasn’t just one or two. And among them, there were people who told me about Lena’s room in the annex that day.
“What the heck is this…”
I still couldn’t understand why, so I couldn’t speak. In the meantime, the girl in front of me started talking to me.
“That…Is that right? Lope…”
“Ah… Yes. That’s right.”
“Did you come after seeing the message the president left?”
“Yeah. More than that… What about Erika?”
I slightly turned my gaze to find Erica. However, her face was not visible in the eyes shining in this direction. The girl looked around her anxiously and answered cautiously.
“The president went to the academy. To save the people over there.”
“I went…To save it? How?”
“Because the president knows the structure of the academy well. He has good magic skills… Among them, there are people who have already escaped thanks to the president.
“I’m sure it’s Garzner. He’s good at magic too. He knows a lot of practical things.”
“Or maybe it’s Ash. I managed to get out… But she said she couldn’t come alone because of her little brother. Maybe I can come this time.”
“Wait a minute, be quiet…”
“Rope.”
In the middle of a chaotic discussion, Saya called my name. As she turned her head, she pointed a finger at her back.
“Someone is coming.”
I cast my gaze toward her fingertips. Then, in the distance, I saw the shadow of someone approaching through the bushes and trees.
But my damn eyes couldn’t effectively cut through the darkness of the night. Then a girl in the back chanted an incantation and scattered red light across the sky.
“…!”
Then, the opponent who was walking flinched for a moment, as if surprised. But thanks to that, I was finally able to capture the shape in my eyes.
Standing in the middle of the shadows of the forest was definitely Erika. A bent back with no confidence. Steps that try hard to look confident. I knew that right away the moment I saw it.
But she wasn’t alone. Although she couldn’t see clearly, there was one more person beside her. I frowned to find out who he was.
Soon, the figure of a girl standing next to Erica began to appear. And, the moment I saw her long hair scattered in a flash of red, I let out a sigh.
“…Damn it.”
