"Did you fight with Elodie?"
"Why?"
"Her expression turns grim whenever your name comes up."
I couldn't deny or affirm his statement.
Since I had told Elodie 'I'm going to Tyburn,' I hadn't seen her.
Usually, Elodie would come to me, so it was natural not to meet unless I sought her out. However, it was strange not to see even a glimpse of her.
I wondered if Elodie was ill and couldn't come to Constel. That's how much she was missing.
But considering what Aster, who is in the same class, said, there was only one conclusion.
Elodie was avoiding me.
"Hmm, we didn't fight. Elodie never really liked me much in the first place."
"What...?"
Aster's head tilted quizzically.
His expression seemed to say, 'What nonsense are you talking about?'
///
-No, I'm going to Tyburn.
Frondier said this with a peaceful face.
There was no change in his languid expression, so much so that Elodie momentarily wondered if 'Tyburn' was some famous holiday spot.
Tyburn, of all places.
As if willingly walking into a real-life hell.
"What are you thinking."
Elodie is currently on the rooftop of a building in Constel.
Just a short while ago, she had eradicated a massive horde of monsters here at his request.
That fight had been Frondier's request. She had tried to understand Frondier through that battle, but now, she was even more confused.
Elodie's mind slowly went over Frondier's actions since the monster attack.
Fireworks..., final exams..., the combined attack with Aster...,
...Manggot.
The ominous resonance of Manggot didn't leave her mind.
She couldn't understand all of the contents of what she had overheard in the infirmary, but it was clear that something was wrong.
However, Frondier was the same as always.
It was with this sameness that Elodie realized something. She knew absolutely nothing about Frondier.
Elodie had never guessed the depletion of mana, Manggot, or even Tyburn from always seeing the same face.
Because the face of someone who had experienced so much still looked the same as always, she was confident that the Frondier she knew was still there.
...She knew nothing.
The Frondier she knew might as well have never existed.
Creak—
Clang.
The rooftop door suddenly opened.
But Elodie wasn't surprised. Although unexpected, she knew who it was.
“I was looking for you.”
It was Frondier, as expected.
“What for.”
Elodie asked bluntly. It's not that she didn't want to see Frondier right now. In fact, she hadn't wanted to see him for the past few days.
“I wanted to receive a farewell from my childhood friend.”
“Who's the childhood friend.”
Though accurate, she was in the mood to deny anything right now.
Hmm, Frondier made a troubled noise.
“I'm going to a dangerous place.”
At that, she couldn't hold back any longer.
Whirl! Elodie turned around, her eyes blazing with fire. Literally, as the activation of ‘Agni’ caused flames to dance in her eyes.
“And knowing that, you're going to such a place!!”
Her voice roared like a lion's, assaulting the eardrums, and something streaked past beside Frondier.
A long trail that raced right next to Frondier from Elodie turned into a path of flames.
Frondier blinked and saw the flames flickering to his left. Indeed, it was an attack he absolutely couldn't dodge at this moment.
Elodie walked up, her arm guard hissing and emitting smoke.
So, the flames just now were also the result of controlled output.
Frondier was genuinely scared.
"Tyburn? Tyburn?! What are you thinking going there? Do you take the 'outside' as a joke?! You think you're unbeatable because you've improved a bit recently?! Wow, I really, I've been trying to understand what you've been doing with superhuman patience, you know? But really, I just can't anymore! Hey! What kind of childhood friend is a childhood friend only when you need them! You never start with the important stuff!"
As Elodie poured out her heart, she felt an indescribable emotion.
Until she vented, her mind was a whirlwind, and she was clueless about her own feelings, but shouting it out seemed to organize her thoughts a bit.
Elodie, who had approached Frondier closely, already had a face like she was about to cry. Indeed, tears were about to start spilling from her eyes, but they evaporated in an instant due to the immense heat.
It was somewhat less embarrassing.
"You said we're alike!"
Elodie said, remembering the words Frondier had once said.
As 'Rishae', as 'Inies', he had been a small pillar of support for her, who would bear loneliness as the shadow of her life.
"How are we alike! I don't understand at all! I don't know anything about you!"
Elodie hit Frondier in the chest. The flames had died down, and there was only a girl left.
"I don't know. You, I don't know where you're going, what you're trying to do."
As she spoke, Elodie realized what her true feelings were.
Elodie was worried about Frondier. It wasn't just because he wanted to go to Tyburn. That was merely the trigger.
Elodie thought Frondier was constantly courting danger. What his purpose was, and if, indeed, it became truly dangerous, or worse, something happened.
"Elodie."
Hearing her outcry, Frondier calmly said her name.
"Why, you moth to a flame."
"I meant it when I said we're alike."
"Not in the slightest."
"It's because I'm not as strong as you."
Elodie lifted her head in surprise. Frondier spoke as if stating the obvious.
"You don't need to rush. You're strong enough, and your talent will lead you as a beacon. But not me. I have to do whatever it takes to overcome, and I will. Tyburn too. It's definitely risky, but it's worth the risk."
"Why are you in such a hurry all by yourself? Everyone else in Constel is diligently training on their own, why do you have to go to such extremes?"
Watching Frondier during the finals, Elodie was convinced.
Frondier had clearly begun to surpass the average skill level of Constel. Considering it started after he broke free from his laziness, it was an incredible rate of growth.
That's why Elodie believed Frondier would now be satisfied. She thought his previous recklessness was because he was behind the other students.
But Tyburn?
"It's something I need to do. That's all."
"Just that, and you're prepared to die?"
"Who's dying?"
Frondier said calmly, as if stating a mere fact.
"I'll return without a problem."
