༺ Ring (2) ༻
“…”
“…”
Atalante and I faced each other without a word.
The gaze we exchanged contained a profound sense of pity for each other.
Of course, I roughly understood why she was looking at me like this.
“I guess I look haggard, huh?”
“…You seem to be aware of it yourself.”
“You say that, but you aren’t any better yourself, Headmistress.”
“…”
Well, in my case, it was natural since I was using all my focus and efforts to avoid Eleanor these days.
I never expected to see Atalante in such a half-dead state, though.
“…Anyway, this is the result of your request. It’s a list of students selected for the Exchange Students event.”
The methods for the selection test were quite simple.
They chose the students based on their ‘superior performance’ compared to their competitors.
From their exceptional crafting abilities, combat abilities, resourcefulness; Anything was fine, as long as the selected individuals had outstanding abilities. It was quite the fair method to open the doors of opportunity for everyone.
Of course, as was the case of everything in the world, some people were just treated ‘more fairly’ than others.
I glanced through the list of students that Atalente had handed me.
All the names of the people I had ‘recommended’ were there.
Iliya, Yuria, Lucia, Talion.
‘The Exchange Student Event lasts a total of ten days…’
As soon as we arrived at the Forge of Struggle, we would be busy running around everywhere, so there wouldn’t be a time where we would all gather as a group. However, certain individuals still had to be placed in their respective ‘position’.
And that was especially true for people whose presence was crucial to overcome this chapter.
“…You even managed to put Riru on the list?”
As I spoke to Atalante as such, she responded with a ghostly smile, as if her soul had left her body.
Almost as if the main reason she had ended up in her current state was related to that.
“…It was a diplomatic nightmare.”
Atalante wiped her face as she spoke.
“You roughly know about the Tribal Alliance’s situation, right?”
“…They said that they just recently had a regime change by coup d’état, right?”
“It’s a bit much to call it a coup d’état. After all, this is a common occurrence in their country.”
Befitting of the term ‘Alliance’, the Tribal Alliance was essentially a republic that was led by a gathering of War Chiefs from various powerful tribes.
Among the War Chiefs, the most powerful would reign as the Chieftain and this was decided by duels between candidates elected through votes.
“…Is it okay for a country with such power to decide their politics with duels?”
“It’s their tradition, so it can’t be helped. After all, they are more closed-minded and stubborn than any other group on the entire continent.”
Atalante chuckled as she replied.
Of course, the fact that their country was still thriving was because no matter which War Chief was chosen as the Chieftain, they were all capable individuals who could pull their weight. However…
“…”
This time was an exception.
The current Chieftain was someone that would chaos throughout the entire continent unless he was quickly ‘dragged down’.
“After defeating the previous Chieftain Kasa Garda, Alan Ba-Thor, the War Chief of Black Wolf, was inaugurated as the new Chieftain.”
Atalante, who mentioned such a name, let out a deep sigh.
Her reaction seemed to imply that it was excruciatingly tiresome just to recall his name.
“…I heard he was originally a docile and considerate man, but lately, he seems to have completely changed. I had to cash in all the connections I could find to be able to send Riru Garda as an exchange student.”
“…You must have had a hard time.”
I was being sincere. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Atalante, persuading that person as he was ‘now’ would have been close to impossible.
Cutting off three of Kasa Garda’s limbs, ‘falsely accusing’ Riru Garda and expelling her from the Tribal Alliance along with Kasa, and even exterminating her entire clan.
All those events happened because of him.
“…”
To be more precise, it was due to the ‘person behind-the-scenes’ manipulating him.
As Atalante had mentioned, the Alan I knew from the original game was not someone who would do such things.
The reason why he did this was because he got involved with those fucking Devil Worshippers.
“Putting that aside, how are you?”
Atalane let out a sigh.
“You told me Lady Tristan was preparing a ring, right—”
After seeing me break out in cold sweat, the Headmistress instantly closed her mouth.
“…Are you sure you don’t need any help? The reason why I haven’t been doing anything is because you’ve been refusing my help…”
“If anything, you helping me would be counterproductive.”
There was no way she could be of any help.
How was she going to prevent Eleanor from delivering that ring to me without pissing her off and making her go berserk?
“I heard you have been avoiding Lady Tristan lately, but the problem won’t be solved just by—”
“—I know better than anyone that it won’t.”
For now, I knew for sure that I had to solve it no matter what, but…
My current situation was no different from desperation.
To the point where even the skill that shared the same name could not help me in this case.
Either way, it’d spell my death.
And the reason I was running away recently was because I couldn’t think of a solution regardless of how hard I tried.
‘…It’s also a problem that she has fused with two Fragments.’
The difference between a Devil’s Vessel possessing two Fragments instead of one was like the difference between heaven and earth.
With one Fragment, all they would do is berserk and reveal themselves only in emergencies.
But from two Fragments onwards… The ‘unspoken connection’ between the Devils and their Vessels became stronger.
In essence, it was possible for Eleanor to gradually make contact with the Grey Devil’s ‘will’, albeit weakly.
And even I did not know what actions she would take and how she would take them.
‘…She was always nice to me, though.’
Although the Grey Devil had always displayed steadfast favor to me…
If I completely rejected it…
Or if I went one step further and ‘cheated’ on her, then, well…
Even I didn’t really know whether she would forgive me, you see?
“…For now, I just need some time. If I think about it for a few days, I’m sure a good method would come—”
!!!!!!!!!!! Devil Alert !!!!!!!!!!!
[ ‘Devil-Related’ Emergency Event Occurred! ]
[ This is a critical event! ]
[ If you do not take the correct actions within the time limit, you will die! ]
[ Event related to target ‘Eleanor’! ]
[ Return to the dormitory right away and prepare yourself! ]
“…”
‘The fuck?’
Eleanor glared at herself with fierce eyes as she inspected her appearance.
She had meticulously adorned herself to a state of perfection.
She had been inspected multiple times by Beatrix, took almost the entire day grooming herself to reach such an appearance, and had even spent an entire fortune on her and that man’s matching ‘tokens of promise’, made by the most famous designer in the Kagenoff Institution.
After ensuring her preparations were perfect, she confidently walked into the dormitory.
“Oh my, President~? What brings you to the freshmen dormitory~?”
“I came to meet someone, Dame Ophelia.”
As Eleanor spoke with a voice filled with determination, Dame Ophelia cocked her head.
“Is it Dowd again~? Since he didn’t really have any scheduled classes today, he’s in the dormitory, but it might be better not to disturb him, you know~?”
“Is there a reason?”
“No, he just seems to be in a really bad state today~ When I saw him earlier, he looked completely pale and sweating profusely~”
“…”
Indeed, when it came to that man, his wits had always excelled in certain aspects and sorely lacked in others; it was a difference of heaven and earth.
This time, there was no doubt that he had already noticed why she came and what she had resolved to do.
“…Thank you, Dame Ophelia.”
Eleanor nodded solemnly.
“But today, I must meet him.”
Her subsequent actions clearly reflected that very will.
After striding towards Dowd’s room, instantly arriving in front of his door, Eleanor took a deep breath.
“…”
Her heart pounded. Her entire body felt like it was on fire.
Despite showcasing her excellence in a majority of fields since the moment she could remember her first actions, at this very moment, there was an overwhelming anxiety that she couldn’t suppress.
“…”
She raised her hand to knock, but…
The will that had brought her this far seemed to falter, as she ended up hesitating.
‘W-What if…’
‘For whatever reason…’
‘Dowd ends up rejecting this ring…’
“…I don’t want that.”
Her teary voice flowed out as tiny as a thread.
Just imagining such a scenario made her feel like a huge hole had been pierced through her heart. Her nose started to burn as tears started to come out of her eyes.
“…”
And because she had such thoughts…
The hand she had raised to knock the door froze in its place.
She wanted to run away. Perhaps this could be the catalyst that would shake the very foundations of their relationship.
Wasn’t she happy just with this? Wasn’t she happy just watching him from the sidelines?
Wasn’t this just her own greed? Wasn’t she too unilaterally placing a burden on him?
After all, seeing how he kept running away from her, it was absolutely clear that he was not satisfied with her actions.
So…
Rather than doing something he disliked…
Wasn’t it better to, like how it was now, just….
Continue like this fore—
[Are you satisfied with just that?]
Her body froze.
The voice in her head was so clear that it made chills run down her spine.
It felt like the ‘insidious energy’ that had been confined within her heart had now climbed all the way up to her head.
Almost as if what had once been ‘one’ had not become ‘two’.
Was it her own inner voice? Or was it ‘something else’ speaking to her? She couldn’t clearly tell.
After all, she had never experienced anything like this before.
However, one thing was certain.
Those sentences had an aura that made it impossible for her to refuse.
[Even if that man embraces another woman, can you endure it?]
[No, right?]
[Then you have to do it.]
[Make that man yours.]
[And if he doesn’t become yours—]
At the same time that voice echoed…
“…”
Eleanor knocked on the door as if possessed.
Knock Knock Knock.
“Dowd.”
“…”
There was no response.
Once again, Knock Knock Knock.
Swallowing dryly, she continued.
She had knocked as if driven to by something, but she was still as nervous as before.
“Dowd. Are you listening?”
There was still no response.
However, Dame Ophelia was not someone who’d lie to her. Dowd was inside, there was no doubt about it.
“I already know you’re inside. It would be wise to obediently open the door.”
“…”
“I have already inquired with Dame Ophelia, the dormitory supervisor. She said you did not have any scheduled classes today.”
“…”
There continued to be no response.
Eleanor gritted her teeth.
“Fine. Are you planning to ignore me until the end?”
Since she had come this far, there was no turning back now.
She gripped her longsword.
“Then I will cut it open and enter.”
One strike.
The door of the dormitory split wide open.
Inside, Dowd sat with a petrified expression.
“…Isn’t this a violation of the school rules?”
“The Student Council is the one who enforces punishment for rule violations. Incidentally, I happen to be the current Student Council President.”
Eleanor replied nonchalantly as she sheathed her longsword at her waist.
“I came because I have something to say. Haven’t you been avoiding me lately?”
“…”
“You’ve been doing it for around… Thirty two times, right?”
“…Why are you even counting each and every one of them?”
‘Why do you think?’
Her time, her heart, and her body were all no different than mortgaged to this man.
Every single moment she spent with him was a precious memory that she couldn’t carelessly throw away.
“…”
She slowly took out a ring from her clothes.
“I’m sure you know why I have come all the way here.”
Step by step, she approached him.
She barely suppressed the trembling of her entire body. Had she ever been this afraid of something in her entire life?
“I ask you, Dowd Campbell.”
While trying to calm her constantly choked throat, she continued speaking.
“Will you marry me?”
“…”
With that…
The die was cast.
Unbecoming of her, Eleanor bowed her head and tightly closed her eyes.
After all, she couldn’t bring herself to look directly at this man.
Silence persisted.
It stretched continuously.
“Eleanor.”
The silence that felt like it would last forever was broken.
And finally, Dowd slowly began to speak.
“This doesn’t seem right.”
-…
A chill settled in her heart.
“How could you just suddenly give something like this to me without saying anything beforehand?”
“…”
Her heart was torn apart.
With just that one sentence…
It was as if it broke into a thousand pieces.
Her legs wobbled because she couldn’t even stand properly. Her throat tightened. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“You should at least give me a chance to choose, right?”
“I-I-I—”
She didn’t even know what to say.
Her head was spinning.
‘It hurts.’
It hurted her so much that she felt like she was dying. She couldn’t breathe.
Her chest hurted so much.
“…”
Even amidst the sensation of her entire body being torn apart, the sentence she had just heard pierced her mind.
Choice? What choice?
A different woman other than her?
[And if he doesn’t become yours—]
That voice echoed in her mind.
It was the voice she had just heard.
However, it echoed much louder than before.
It was to the point where her consciousness seemed to leave her body. It was so strong it felt like her rationality was being completely devoured in her mind.
If she were to truly yield to such words, if this man didn’t become hers, then she would rather—
“The size doesn’t fit.”
“…?”
Eleanor opened her eyes wide.
‘This man…’
‘What did he just say?’
“See? Look at it. It’s hard to put it on.”
As she hastily raised her head to examine Dowd, there he was, struggling to push the ring onto his finger.
“Aren’t we usually supposed to go and choose this kind of thing together? Why did you get it made after only doing a simple eye test?”
“…”
Her mouth hung wide open.
She still didn’t know what to say.
However, her silence had a completely different meaning from earlier.
“Let’s go together sometime later, Eleanor.”
Dowd smiled brightly.
“Things as important as this are originally chosen together by the prospective marriage couples.”
“…”
Ah.
This man.
Was this real?
“…Dowd.”
She gave Dowd a slap.
With a ‘Keuk’, Dowd rolled on the floor, but instead of apologizing, she blushed while huffing.
“D-Don’t tease me!”
“…”
“I-I… T-This time… You… R-Really were… T-This is real, right–?!”
As she spat out the last words, she had grabbed Dowd, who was wriggling on the floor, and was practically swinging him around in the air.
And while doing so, Eleanor’s face was filled with ‘genuinely bright laughter’ for the first time in her life.
It was not the faint and subtle expression that sometimes trickled out.
She was feeling a level of joy that felt like it could change her entire life.
“Let’s go, then! Let’s just go right now! I’ll go wherever you say! Just say it!”
“…E-Eleanor, please let g–, if this continues, I’ll di—”
“I’ll let everyone back at home know as well! T-There’s a lot of things to take care of so I’ll see you soon!”
With that, she threw Dowd back into a corner of his room.
There was indeed a lot to take care of after all.
A smile that she couldn’t hide continued to form on her lips.
“Oh my, Eleanor~ Did you come out ear—?”
It was to the point where Dame Ophelila, who was at the entrance, was so astonished that her jaws dropped.
“E-Eleanor? Uh, W-Why is y-your face like that? Did something happen~?”
“Dame Ophelia, the world is truly beautiful.”
“…”
“Life is worth living!”
After only conveying such words, Eleanor ran out of the dormitory at tremendous speeds.
‘Indeed, life was worth living.’
‘To think that a person could be this happy!’
“…Has she finally gone crazy?”
She was so happy that she ended up ignoring the muttering that came from behind her.
As cold sweat trickled down, I glared at the window in front of me.
System Message
[ Time Remaining ]
[ 00: 00: 03 ]
System Message
[ Corruption Value of target ‘Eleanor’ decreases from 122% → 0%! ]
[ Successfully resolved the ‘Eleanor’ related event before the time limit! ]
[ Death is canceled! ]
Dowd Campbell.
Miraculously succeeded in returning alive at a point where only 3 seconds remained before death.
Since the system called it the ‘correct action’, I pondered what kind of bullshit that was for a long time.
In the end, it seemed that my last action was the correct one.
If I didn’t accept the ring just now, I would have died right then and there.
It was a sudden event, but I managed to resolve it somehow…!
“…”
However, it wasn’t like I could rest easy.
Why, you ask?
!!!!!!!!!!! Devil Alert !!!!!!!!!!!
[ ‘Devil-Related’ Emergency Event Occurred! ]
[ This is a critical event! ]
[ If you do not take the correct actions within the time limit, you will die! ]
[ Event related to target ‘Yuria’! ]
[ Find a way to survive! ]
System Message
[ Time Remaining ]
[ 12: 00: 00 ]
Dowd Campbell
Remaining lifespan extended from 3 seconds to 12 hours.
“…”
‘Yeah, to put it simply, I’m fucked.’
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