Love Letter From The Future

The forest at dawn was silent.

Unlike the larger forest located south of the Academy, it was on a slightly smaller scale. Positioned around the dormitories, countless students often visited this place.

Their purposes were varied.

The camping club chose this place as a campsite, and it was also a place where students who didn’t want to be seen practiced. Additionally, there were secret lovers whispering sweet nothings and many other things one could do in the forest.

Today, my purpose for visiting the forest was no different. I was heading to a clearing in the woods to practice swordsmanship with Ceria.

Walking through the gaps in the buildings of civilization and into nature gave a romantic feeling.

Even if it was nature tamed by countless visitors. I walked along the well-maintained path through the trees.

The first air of the day filled with a fresh scent filled my chest. A slight, moist feeling tingled my throat. Today, I had a good premonition.

That being said, I had been overwhelmed with work lately.

Out of the blue, I lost a week’s worth of memories, I was scheduled to duel the second-year top student, and a friend I knew was attacked by a monster and even hunted it during a lecture.

After that, right after I was discharged from the hospital, I busily worked to resolve the bullying incident involving Ceria, so I thought it might be possible to enjoy a peaceful routine for a while now.

However, there was still an unresolved issue. I still did not know who was behind Ceria’s bullying.

But now that the rumor of Tean getting wrecked by me was spreading, it would be impossible for anyone to openly bully Ceria again. While it might be enjoyable to act violently, the thought of it possibly turning back on them made the situation different.

Thus, I could say the only problem that remained for me was one.

The “Hunting Festival,” one of the Academy’s largest festivals, was now only two weeks away.

The Academy held festivals every quarter. Each represented spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The Hunting Festival symbolized summer among them.

Before the season of abundant harvest arrived, the Academy students formed teams of four to hunt monsters and pray for a bountiful harvest with their blood.

It was said to be a festival particularly loved by Aidalos, the legendary conquering emperor of the Empire and the one who added the title “Emperor of the Academy” to his name.

Naturally, it was a significant event for both the Empire and the Academy. Who could have imagined that terrible monsters would lurk in a place where such an important festival was held?

If the schedule allowed, it was a day when even the Emperor would personally come to watch. If such an incident were to occur, it would pose a risk not only to the Empire’s pride but also to the Academy’s authority.

Above all, it was too sad for the students who would fall victim to the monsters.

I had to stop it. No more victims like Emma should arise. Holding onto such resolve, I prayed that no additional problems would occur.

My burdens were already too heavy. The thought of named-level monsters appearing sent chills down my spine.

While thinking about many things, I stepped into the clearing in the forest, my destination.

The piercing sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the area. There sat a woman quietly meditating on a rock.

Her dark gray hair reflected the sunlight, casting a grayish sheen. Her skin was so translucent that one could almost see her veins, enhancing her alluring curves.

She was a beautiful woman. Even though it was just dawn, seeing her made it feel like the moon had risen.

She emitted a soft light, but on another day, if one looked up at her, the moon swayed mournfully in the wind.

Fearing that I might disturb her meditation, I walked quietly. Still, I could not deceive Ceria’s well-developed perception.

Her eyes slowly opened. Her eyes resembled aquamarine, and vitality gradually crept into her once-dull gaze.

And at that moment, when I reflected in her eyes…

“I-I-Ian, Sen, Senior… Uh, uh… I-Ian Senior!”

Ceria startled, immediately springing to her feet. Such a reaction was excessive for someone like me, just a mere second son of a country author.

Even though I hadn’t seen her for just two days, Ceria seemed very happy to see me. A faint blush appeared on her usually stoic face.

That meant she was quite fond of me.

We had become close in various ways, and any senior would think of a junior who followed them well as cute.

I chuckled and greeted her.

“How have you been?”

“No, not at all, I-Ian Senior was not here…”

Ceria answered with a worried expression but, as if she sensed something, suddenly shook her head in surprise.

Her cheeks turned crimson. Ceria, who usually had a notably subdued emotional expression, today seemed quite expressive.

“… I have, of course, been well. W-what about you, Ian Senior?”

Seeing her fidgeting with her fingers for some reason made me feel puzzled, but I soon dismissed the thought.

There was no need to pry into Ceria’s private matters. She had probably been suffering from bullying recently, and I thought I should treat her gently.

I responded in a calm voice as if to reassure her.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”

The added words were something I said because I thought she would have heard the rumors.

Even if Ceria was alone around her, it was a topic that involved her. I hadn’t heard in detail how Tean had handled the situation, but at least I could tell from the whispers I heard when seeing him.

That he managed to handle things decently in his own way.

Regardless, he was a guy who bullied Ceria, and many other victims were created by him. I didn’t want to acknowledge that much. Still, I thought he wasn’t a stupid guy.

He had managed to not bring our conflict to the surface and had moved as I intended while maintaining some prestige among his own group.

It seemed appropriate for someone from the Southern Kingdoms filled with jungles and swamps. I had heard that such places were rife with the survival of the fittest and the notion of the winner takes all.

And saying that Tean handled things “well” also meant that news of him getting wrecked by me had spread everywhere. Especially since it was because he bothered Ceria.

Ceria could not have missed it. She gasped and slightly lowered her head.

Her cheeks flushed once more. She fidgeted with her two index fingers and said to me.

“Th-thank you…”

“No need for that.”

However, I cut her off before she could say more.

Startled, Ceria sealed her lips, just as she always did. If she had more social skills, she would have denied it and expressed her gratitude again, but there was no way Ceria had such abilities.

That was what I was aiming for.

To be honest, I was indeed deserving of being thanked, but I had done so much for Ceria lately.

Ceria, who wasn’t used to human relationships, was offering significant amounts of money just because we had become “friends.” I feared that if this sense of debt continued to accumulate, who knows what would happen later?

The very thought of it was frightening. It was better to reduce the sense of indebtedness for the sake of a healthy relationship between us.

“I told you, this was something I couldn’t overlook. If you think about it, you ended up looking like you were hiding behind me for no reason, so there’s no need to thank me for something I did because of my stubbornness.”

“B-but still…”

But even Ceria seemed capable of such judgment, wanting to express her gratitude once more.

So, I decided to use a technique I learned from Reto. He said that if a woman doesn’t listen to you, do this.

I grasped Ceria’s arm. She looked at me in shock. Her eyes had widened, focusing solely on me.

Ceria’s breath caught. I said to her in a firm voice.

“Ceria, do you trust me?”

“… Yes, yes.”

With a face that seemed ready to burst from embarrassment, Ceria nodded as if she were hypnotized.

I felt satisfied and let her go. Certainly, Reto’s advice proved effective once more today.

Maybe it was because we were in the Magic Department, but I decided I would definitely pay close attention to Reto’s smart advice in the future. I said in a pleased tone.

“And we’re friends, after all. Naturally, we help each other when we’re in trouble.”

It was a remarkably obvious statement. As always, a formality checking our friendship.

However, Ceria’s response was slightly odd.

“So, because we are ‘friends,’ Ian Senior is helping me.”

With her head bowed, Ceria repeated that phrase softly. Her murmured words continued.

“If I’m in trouble… if I’m in trouble… then…”

Ceria’s almost chant-like repetition of similar phrases reminded me of a priest reciting scripture. No, it felt even more sticky than that.

From her voice, I could even sense a faint hint of madness.

I was caught off guard.

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