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On the way to the magic tool production lab, Keran gave me an apology that was not an apology. He recognizes that he was mean to me with the marshmallow bunny thing, and he was reflecting. However, since it was caused by the aforementioned ‘phenomenon of becoming an idiot when Florence Belle is involved,’ he said that I should expect plenty of unjust things to happen to me in the future.
“You know, I think you would better learn from your aide how to apologize.”
“Has the Marquis done anything wrong to you? I don’t recall you two ever exchanging words.”
“In my world. Come to think of it, you were the cause of that too, by making him my partner so suddenly.”
“Partner? Banquet partner? That’s interesting, even if it’s a made-up story.”
Hearing his excited voice, my desire to speak disappeared completely, and I shut my mouth. One of the best ways to piss someone off is to stop talking.
Thanks to that, I achieved my goal of making Keran Illestia pissed off. He was still smiling, but his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth were twisted grimly. Those, combined with his light blonde hair, made him look like a very well-groomed dog. A very big dog. But even though he’s all grown up, I still think he’s a puppy.
“Ah, by the way…”
I hesitated a bit in front of the moss-covered wall because I remembered how Keran in the other world had done it.
“We need to hold hands first.”
As expected, Keran in this world showed disbelief.
“I swear to Salamander’s rainbow scales, I’m not trying to trick you; that’s the only way to get through.”
“This wall?”
“It’s not a wall. All right, just give it.”
I grabbed his hand, and as I slipped my fingers into his, he flinched slightly, which made me chuckle. He almost kissed me earlier, but look at him now…
“Use your divine power.”
As warm energy flowed through my hand and spread throughout my body, I felt a familiar sense of comfort. Since divine power is the power of healing, does it affect the mind as well? I never really asked because I used to get nervous whenever I held hands with Keran.
When the light gathered in his fingertips, they hit the bricks to create an arch. After the momentary magical effect delighted my eyes, a dimly lit corridor appeared before us.
“I heard that this corridor causes those who have not been blessed by the gods to wander, so I have to use tricks like this.”
“Who told you that?”
Keran asked, his brow furrowed. He sounded dubious. I felt extremely unfair and tried to say that it was him, Keran Illestia, who told me that, but I stopped, fearing it might cause an unnecessary misunderstanding.
When asked why he was curious, Keran Illestia replied with a shrug after hesitantly tapping the walls and floor.
“Because I’m an ‘Illestia, If there’s any divine power around, I can sense it. That was the case in the magic tool production lab earlier, but not here.”
‘Illestia’ means ‘Followers of Stia’ in ancient language. Stia. Illestia, according to what I had learned in history class, was a nation founded at the beginning of time by an apostle chosen by the god Stia and sent down to earth, riding a unicorn with six pairs of wings. The imperial family was the descendants of the said apostle. Whether this was true or not, no theologian on the continent could deny that they did indeed possess great divine power and excelled at wielding it.
If that’s what Keran Illestia said, it will not be wrong. However, it was also Kellan Illestia who told me the opposite in the first place. It was very confusing.
“I swear by Salamander’s rainbow scales, whoever it is, he tricked you.”
Keran laughed briefly and walked past me. I let go of his hand, and as a test, I walked a little, but I didn’t feel any hindrance to my sense of direction. The path didn’t seem to get farther away or disappear. Perhaps what Keran of this world said was true. Then what about him? What about the Keran Illestia I left behind in my world?
I didn’t have much time to dwell on that, though, because a far more astonishing sight soon unfolded before me.
“Is this it?”
“Yes, it is, but…”
The secret room we finally reached wasn’t as I remembered it. The old-fashioned fireplace, the rustic vents, and the high, curved ceiling were still there, but there was nothing else. Where have all the log tables, chandeliers, and bench chairs gone?
And the moment I realized that tremendous heat rushed up my spine. Thunderbolts of pain shot through every joint in my limbs, and the back of my neck felt like it was being scraped with a rake. No way. I managed to remember something before my consciousness was consumed by screams and jumbled words.
But it’s ridiculous; there’s just no way…
XXXX.XX.XX 23:11:54 [ERROR] com/attis/core/loader/ConfigurationLoader: OutOfMemoryException – Exception of type ‘System.OutOfMemoryException’ was thrown.
XXXX.XX.XX 23:11:54 [INFO] com/attis/core/loader/SaveFileLoader: validate savefile – /app/savefiles/autosave.sav
XXXX.XX.XX 23:11:55 [INFO] validation has been completed. initialize savefile…
***
The Chamber of Secrets was said to be already decorated when Kaitlyn the Great found it. Aside from the bulky furniture, the garland around the fireplace, decorative plants, and even the small mat on the floor by the entrance were things only I could pick out. I knew that the person who brought them into the room was Ariel Dalton—from memory, I can’t remember. It wasn’t a guess. I just knew.
In Florence Belle’s world, the Chamber of Secrets was empty. There was little room to think. Could that be from my distorted memory?
I felt hot inside, my bones tingling. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be an herb on a witch’s shelf, finely crushed one day. My eyelids were heavy, as if they had been weighed down, and my ears were stuffy, like they had just heard an incredibly loud sound. Above all, the state of my throat was a mess.
I barely said ‘water’ when something cold touched my lips. The hand movements were shaky and clumsy. I could feel the water trickling down my chin from my lips. The dampness on my chest irritated me. I wasn’t one to boss people around, but I felt I had to say something.
“Wipe… it.
Then a dry piece of cloth pressed firmly against my chin. It was especially careful when wiping my neck and chest. I raised the corner of my mouth in satisfaction, but suddenly something else fell on my collarbone, which had just been dried. It was a lukewarm drop of water.
This…
“Do… properly.”
I tried to fuss and complain, wanting to act like Dalton’s little devil. It was a nickname I earned when I used to misbehave, intoxicated by the position of ‘the beloved only daughter of an aristocratic family’. It was something I often did, but it was hard to do.
“Sorry….”
A small voice rang in my buzzing ears. It was a man’s voice, strained and choked with uncontrollable sobs, carrying merciless agony. Listening intently, I recognized it as Kyle’s voice. My precious childhood friend, who cannot be exchanged for anything.
“Hey, stop crying…
I stretched out my arm, still feverish, and felt a stiffness in my elbow. I struggled but finally reached and felt Kyle’s wet cheek. I rubbed it, repeating the words “don’t cry” like a broken voice recorder and playback machine. He’s always been a crybaby who has to be soothed every day.
There were times when he cried when I got angry after getting caught up in the prank he played on me. It was funny how he twitched his lips and held back as he argued that it was petty to get upset over such a small matter. Little Ariel Dalton was a little devil, but little Kyle Villard was cute.
A river of tears flowed through my fingers. It seemed that all the consolation I squeezed had the opposite effect. My God, Kyle. I tried to open my mouth, but something got caught in my throat. I coughed violently. Kyle was startled and couldn’t move.
Just like when I was pushed to another world, I returned without any warning, and at my bedside was Kyle.
I had a feeling that this was the moment I could get what I wanted from him. This time, I thought I could get the answer to all the mysteries. I had so many questions. About me, about him, about the Student Council, about Rosemary Blossom, and now questions about Florence Belle and her world would be added to that.
But my body was in too much pain. He wrapped me in a quilt as I shivered, but even the feeling of the soft bedding was painful. I have to go to sleep right now. Sleep would make me forget the pain. If I wake up and feel a little better, you’re all dead.
***
I woke up feeling strangely refreshed. My body ached, and my throat hurt even more, but my fever seemed to have gone down. My eyes fluttered open. The ceiling was made of wood, but it wasn’t a completely unfamiliar place. It was a private hospital room attached to the infirmary, which was set up to separate malingering patients from patients who needed real rest.
Pranksters who had just become wizards didn’t know that floating magic was different from flying magic or that a reinforcing spell on the soles of your feet didn’t mean you could walk on fire. Of course, neither did I, so I often found myself in the hospital wing. Thanks to this, I got acquainted with Professor Chapman, who is in charge of healing and the general manager of the ward.
He was my favorite professor. Professor Chapman’s healing skills were vaguely poor, and the students he cured often left the hospital with funny after-effects (for example, in my second year, Kyle botched a transfiguration spell and ended up looking like a centaur, and thanks to Professor Chapman’s “proper” measures, he still made a “clip-clop” sound whenever he walked after he left the hospital for a while).
My condition was less than a quarter of its usual level, according to the screen hanging by my bedside. But why do I feel so refreshed? I looked around in wonder, then I saw Bree, who was carefully carrying a small vase with a few flowers in it, suddenly creating a commotion.
“Ah, merciful and compassionate Stia, you have heard my prayers!”
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