ARC 2: Into the Past

 

 

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 When Alum and Amethely got back, it was apparent what happened between them. Noel wanted to celebrate and congratulate him. Hence, they’d hold a small party and since they had two days off. It became a perfect plan.

 Alum then told Luna about the happenings—as if it wasn’t obvious already. Regardless, Luna was happy he took the time to tell her personally. At that moment, Miu was also present, and she flashed him a sincere smile.

 He knew her well enough, and since Noel was her childhood friend—not to mention she’d been good all this time; he invited her as well.

 Ever since Noel mentioned the celebration, he’d wanted to invite Emely as well, but as it turned out, she had other plans—she was apparently friends with the delivery girl from a while back, and they’d go out for a drink together…

 That night, Luna brought her favourite snacks, the ones she knew Alum also liked. Miu cooked for them—Noel helped as well; perhaps it was the opposite since he did most of the work…

 Alum also mentioned that he wanted to join; he wasn’t allowed to. It was for obvious reasons, and when their eyes met, they screamed, “Please don’t go anywhere near a kitchen!”

 Rejected and a little disheartened, he waited in the room with Luna. But because two people were missing, and with nothing going on, both defaulted to how they usually spent time together.

 Luna lay on his bed—reading some books, especially the ones Alum found in The Great Library. While she was rolling around and getting into a comfortable reading position, Alum read a book about instruction magic.

 Despite finding it to be a massive hassle to memorise and learn, Alum wanted to know more about it—his dearest girlfriend is a researcher in the field.

 Unlike elemental magic, instruction magic was logic-based, but… Alum just couldn’t grasp what the logic behind it was based on. However… something he did seem familiar to him, and that was the striking similarity to programming—in a sense.

 But he didn’t know enough about programming to tell the discrete distinction between the two, so it may just be a hopeless comparison.

 Well, maybe not completely, since it works on input and output, which just made it more confusing because most things operate on that principle….

 “Hey, Luna, are you any good with instruction magic?” Alum asked.

 Luna rolled around, facing him, but she hadn’t answered just yet since she had given it some thought.

 “...I’m neither? I remember most of the support spells and daily life magic other than that… why not ask Saint Amethely if you’re interested in learning more? She’s an expert in the field, after all.”

 (Right… Luna has an affinity for most magic, so she doesn’t really need to use instruction spells.)

 “Mmm… I’ll be frank, I am interested, yet… I think I should develop the magic I can freely use…”

 Luna nodded in agreement.

 “Mm, I think so too, since instruction magic isn’t for everyone, and I think one should focus on their strength while also trying to cover some of their flaws, isn’t that right?”

 “I suppose.”

 While Instruction Magic was powerful and flexible, the more powerful spells were hard to remember and path-trace correctly.

 Besides…using tools was much easier as this type of magic was designed to be integrated into devices rather than the older Rune Magic, which required physical inscriptions by a rune stone. When Alum first heard about people capable of memorising complex instruction spells and using them without tools, he felt impressed and couldn’t help but adore Amethely more than he already did.

 Not only did they have to trace the spell path, but they also had to trace its key. Which just makes casting a whole lot more complicated. In the case of devices, one only needed to remember the key, and devices without keys are often regarded as dangerous since they could kill the user by draining all the mana out of them if the spell so required it. So, the key was mostly a safety measure.

 The keys that most people should remember are those of devices with daily applications, such as ovens, stoves and basically anything with a magic battery—It was essentially this world’s equivalent of electronics.

 While Alum pondered more about it, Luna glanced at him, looking somewhat lonely. “Hey… Al, will you spend less time with me now that you have Saint Amethely…?” she reluctantly asked.

 She was certain that he wouldn’t abandon her but felt uneasy by the fact he’d be taken away completely, which made her anxious since he was the first actual friend she ever made.

 She thought that if he had Saint Amethely, why would he want to spend time with her?

 After all… Amethely was better in every way. She was elegant, kind and intelligent, considered the most beautiful girl in the empire, and had an excellent physique despite using bandages to cover herself up….

 Alum couldn’t help but chuckle as Luna expressed this.

 “You don’t need to worry about that. I love her, I do, but… I’m my own person, and so is she. While I do want to spend as much time with her as possible, we have our own lives and different meaningful relationships outside ours.” Alum paused. “And I do consider mine with you to be just as important.”

 Luna fell utterly silent as she couldn’t help smiling like an idiot. She was so happy he thought of her that way.

 “I-I see,” Luna replied while stuttering. “Thank you, Al,” she said with a charming smile.

 “Ahaha, why are you thanking me? There’s no need, you know?”

 Luna shook her head.

 “Mm, I just wanted to, that's all:”

 Having her earnestly thanking him like this made him genuinely happy and embarrassed. He basically told her how important she was to him.

 Her response also made it clear that she, too, deeply cares for him.

 Shortly after their small exchange, Miu and Noel returned with a cart filled with food as the preparation was done; thus, they celebrated the successful confession!

 — :::: —

 On a peaceful morning, Miu had woken up before everyone else. The celebration of her crush getting together with another girl was just painful.

 But… she was happy for him nonetheless—because she knew he’d never look her way.

 (…I think I managed this pretty well.) Miu thought as she watched the other three peacefully sleep next to each other.

 Her body felt a little stiff, having slept in an armchair and all. Looking at the others, they seem to be relatively comfortable, leaning on Alum as they sleep.

 Upon waking up, Alum felt that his shoulders were somewhat stiff, and he noticed that Luna and Noel had been leaning on him as they fell asleep.

 (…These two….) Alum sighed a little inwardly and softly smiled. (...Really… you two fell asleep like this?)

 He then notices that Miu is looking at him. Their eyes met, and Miu smiled at him.

 ‘Good morning, Alum.’ she softly greets him in a gentle tone, not to disturb the other two.

 ‘Mmm, good morning,’ alum greets her back. He then asked, ‘Could you help me wake these two up?’

 Miu giggles at his question.

 ‘Are you sure? You’re usually soft-spoken, but it seems you want them to rest a bit more.’

 ‘...I suppose.” Alum replied, glancing to his sides.

 ‘Isn’t it kinda cute?’ Miu asked. ‘The two of them, I mean.”

 ‘I… suppose?’

 ‘Nyhi~hi~hi~ what’s that supposed to mean?’

 She could feel some pain in her chest—as if she’d been stabbed. But she wouldn’t allow it to show.

 She knew that Alum was sharp, not that it showed since his interest was elsewhere. But… she still needed to be extra careful.

 ‘...How’s Luna doing?’ Alum suddenly asked.

 (…Not gonna lie… I’m a little envious of Luna….)

 ‘Hmm~ she’s doing great! And has somewhat opened up to the girls—they adore her!’ she said, trying to keep her excitement down. She then asked, ‘How come you’re asking?’

 ‘Nothing special really, just that she’s efficient, that’s all…. How does she deal with the men then?’

 ‘Hmm~ as always? Oh! I suppose she’s not cold nor friendly with any of them, well… except Noel, since they throw some banter on the other now and then.’

 ‘...I’m glad,’ Alum said, then mumbled something, ‘They’re getting along just fine.’

 He was glad that his two friends got along. Even if they were slightly mean to each other, they seemed to care to interact, even when he was not around.

 ‘Thank you, Miu.’

 “...”

 For a moment, Alum noticed that Miu’s eyes widened in surprise as she had a somewhat pained expression. But it turned cheerful in the next instant.

 ‘Hi~hi~hi~ I didn’t do anything, really.’

 Alum shook his head, saying, ‘That’s not true.’

 ‘...We’ve never spoken like this, have we?’ Miu asked, changing the subject.

 The only time they would properly interact and speak to one another was when Noel was in the conversation.

 ‘..I suppose you’re right, now that I think about it,’ he said, looking at her, tilting his head and asking, ‘Are we friends?’

 “...” Miu didn’t expect him to ask, but… if she had to say….

 ‘Silly! Of course, we are!”

 — :::: —

 Inside room 777, Amethelt’s room. Chely and Keilyn were lying on a mattress each, sound asleep after their girl’s night, congratulating Amethely on doing her best.

 Amethely had to spill everything to the girls, though… she kept it somewhat short and vague.

 But… that was just part of it. Keilyn was just happy to get invited like this as it reminded her of the days when she was in academia with her. So… she couldn’t miss this opportunity!

 They stayed up late at night, chatting, and as Amethely recalls the night, having spilt the beans, she hugged her pillow, burying her face.

 Remembering the date itself made her heart go all mushy and silly as it danced along the jittery feeling inside of her. In other words, she was incredibly happy!

 As she made a ruckus, the other two girls woke up and laughed. Seeing her rolling around, they teased her as she turned completely red and covered herself with a blanket to go into hiding.

 Although being teased was embarrassing, she was incredibly happy that they supported her relationship with Alum.

 Amethely didn’t have anything planned with Alum today and wanted to ask if he wanted to eat lunch together.

 Later, she introduced Keilyn to him and his friends, but it seemed like they already knew each other.

 Leading to a plan to have lunch with everyone.

 The air around Alum and Amethely was warm and sweet, and they got teased about it by the others. The news was travelling so fast that, by today, everyone knew of their relationship. Surprisingly, no one seemed opposed to it.

 It could be due to Alum having a high potential due to his fast-learning nature and control over mana since they all witnessed the sorry state of the training field.

 Although… they can’t totally deny that they’re a bit jealous.

 After they had lunch, Miu and Keilyn surprisingly got along well, be it expected or unexpected. This then led to the girls making plans to go to a cafe. On the other hand, Noel and Alum would feel a little out of place, and they decide to walk around the city, hanging out.

 But on the way, Amethely walked beside Alum, holding his hand, and well… showing off? But… she was still embarrassed to cling to him as she did yesterday in front of their friends.

 Noel walked beside Chely, and the other three seemed to get along just as well as they teased Luna together. Though… it didn’t seem like Luna minded it.

 Alum and Amethely were in their own world, so teasing them wouldn’t lead anywhere, but… seeing them all, lovey-doney did make Chely and Noel conscious of one another.

 (…It’s all because of what he did yesterday!) Chely thought as she glanced at Noel. Who, at the same time, glanced at her as well.

 “...”

 It was a little awkward between them, maybe because they weren’t arguing. But watching Alum and Amethely did make them think of the other.

 “...They sure get along well, don’t they.” Chely was the one to break the silence. “Despite getting to know each other recently.”

 Noel nodded in agreement, looking at them and then at Chely.

 “They sure are,” he casually replied, sneaking a glance at her.

 Chely wasn’t wearing her usual armour, but some stylish clothes. She looked as mature as she portrayed herself, rather than her full-on confidence when she wore the armour.

 He was taught early by Miu that complimenting a girl when they do something, such as a nice change, was a must.

 In this case, though… he was unsure if he ‘should’ say something.

 After all, Chely seems to be the kind of girl who says, “Well, duh, that’s why I’m wearing it,” sort of girl. Well… maybe that was a bit harsh, but he sort of wanted to get his point across, albeit with a bit of exaggeration.

 In truth, Chely wasn’t used to weaning these sorts of clothes, but since her cute little sister and Keilyn had taken the time to pick them for her, she had no choice but to wear them.

 Whilst she didn’t dislike it… sensing Noel's gaze did make her feel embarrassed. And she couldn’t stand it anymore.

 “What is it…?” She somewhat coldly asked him.

 It wasn’t her intention to sound so cold, but she couldn’t help it since it just came naturally as she tried not to show how shy she actually was.

 “No, nothing much. I just thought it suits you.”

 “...”

 Chely didn’t expect him to be so frank about it, but it did make her happy despite her being a bit impolite with her tone.

 “Th-thank you…” she replied, as the mask that held her together fell off. “I… I wasn’t sure if it would suit me or not.” She later said.

 “...”

 Noel wasn’t expecting her to take the compliment like this, but it was cute nonetheless. Well… maybe from his point of view, she was a demonic instructor who gave him a harsh training regime.

 So… seeing her like this made him feel all ticklish on the inside.

 Although Chely was three years older than them, he found her to be incredibly cute despite her usual mature self.

 …Noel has never told a soul about his preference for women. But… if he had to say, it’s definitely a beauty like Chely.

 “Of course, it would suit you. After all, you’re cute, at least in my eyes.” Noel said.

 He was blushing a little since he realised that it was more embracing to put it into words than he anticipated.

 “...”

 Chely turned beet red, not saying anything so she wouldn’t slip up, ruining the moment.

 Of course… this moment was for them, as the others were walking ahead and unaware. So… the two walked in silence in a sweet mood.

 — :::: —

 A week later, Alum found himself in Rigeld’s office again, and there was an unusual amount of work, so the two of them needed some extra help.

 As they finished by midnight, Rigeld told Alum that the sword that Alum had requested had been crafted.

 Hearing this, Alum showed an unusual amount of excitement. After all, he had requested a short single-edge blade specifically designed for his needs.

 After all, Alum had told Rigeld that he wanted to study outside the capital as an adventurer to gain combat experience.

 Rigeld was, of course, against it since he wanted Alum to wait for them to have an expedition overseen by experts like Luna.

 But… that would be a month away. Alum usually did things in his own phase. Either way, he was independent of the others, so this was making him a little impatient.

 So… he pestered Rigeld, finally getting approval from him.

 “Sigh. This sword also serves as a catalyst, and you can store a powerful Instruction spell. Consider installing a defensive spell in case of emergency, okay? Or rather, it’s a requirement!”

 “...Understood,” Alum replied, a little hesitantly. Which made Rigeld stare at him.

 “You guys don’t know a lot about the world, and it may appear calm like in the cities, but… it’s extremely harsh, and you could consider yourself lucky that you guys didn’t encounter a monster when you first arrived through the spatial quake.”

 Alum nodded in agreement.

 (…From what I’ve read, we sure are lucky we didn’t encounter anything at all….)

 In fact, this is the reason Alum wanted to venture outside the city. He wanted to see for himself, not only because he was curious by nature but also because he didn’t want to become a burden in case of dangerous situations.

 He wanted to learn how to defend himself and others. And by putting himself in situations where danger could occur, he’ll gain experience.

 And having learned about the different types of dangers through archives, he’d need to learn about them in person.

 Many would consider Alum’s idea logical, but… it was stupid at the same time because: “Why would anyone deliberately put themselves through that?” Rigeld told him.

 And he’d be right. People of this world are educated about those facts and let the professionals handle them, and one can become a said professional if they do the right training and so on.

 Though… when the Adventures Guild first appeared, people called them insane, but they taught people so that harm was minimised.

 Alum didn’t think his idea sounded strange at all, but… considering others do, he had to admit that it sort of was.

 Still… he’s doing this because he doesn’t want to burden Amethely. If a case like the Selges beast appeared again, he wouldn’t be able to do much except not get in the way.

 He needn’t become the most powerful individual there is, but… he wanted to at least be able to cover her back.

 And for that, he needed to experience a real threat.

 He had to admit that he learned a lot by parring with Amethely, but the best he could do was to put up a good 1-second fight.

 So he wasn’t impressed by himself.

 In fact, he was already technically a D-ranked adventurer, the highest rank one could start with. Well… he was actually lucky since there was an S-ranked adventurer who tested him.

 They saw talent and potential, and Alum ‘did’ last longer than anticipated due to his quick-witted nature. Still… while he made a good first impression, it clearly showed that he was still inexperienced.

 And as much as they wanted to put him into C-Rank, rules were rules.

 Though… Alum later found out that that adventurer was a good friend of Rigeld and was sceptical about the evaluation he received, but… he was assured that the assessment of him was correct as they judged him like they did any newcomer.

 “...Aren’t you going to tell him?” Alver asked Rigeld, who looked at the door that was just closed.

 Alum had finished his work and left with his new sword, so he will probably test it out.

 “No… I better not. He will feel guilty or try to repay me the full sum if he finds out.”

 “...The metal we received was special indeed since even the engineers didn’t know how it was made even after I told them what Sir Alum told us.”

 Rigeld looked at Alver and laughed.

 “Ahaha, sure, it’s special indeed, and it destroyed a lot of the equipment, and he’s probably the only one who can make it. That’s why I want to keep it a secret, you know?”

 “...Even from him?”

 “Well, not that I think he’¨d make more and sell, but… that metal is dangerous. Even with the magic barriers we have, it still radiates elemental energy and cancels out the barrier’s effect. You do know what that implies, don’t you?”

 “...” Alver went completely silent.

 If this were to get into the wrong hands, even if they couldn’t make it, they would understand some of the concepts that may be the cause for negating the effect of anti-magic barriers.

 “Didn’t you pay out of pocket, though?” Alver later asked.

 “Well, the smith who worked on it enjoyed it as well, so I only paid half.”

 “...How much do you adore him? You even went as far as to give him a new access ring to store it.”

 Rigeld smiled.

 “Ahaha, well, let’s just say it’s present to him for helping me to move on. Besides, people will assume it's a divine weapon anyway.

 “...That’s true….”

 — :::: —

 The following day in UM.07, Alum was spending some time with Ametheply, per usual, getting beaten to a pulp….

 Alum had requested that she wouldn’t hold back, and Amethely was reluctant since she obviously dislikes the idea of injuring her dearest. Still… Alum was adamant about it.

 In this way, he could practise using healing magic, too, as he wouldn’t let Amethely heal him.

 He knew that she was feeling guilty, so he’d spend some quality time with her, reassuring her after each section as he was doing right now.

 He patted her on the head as she buried her face in his chest while being in a warm embrace. The two would stay like that on the cold training floor after each section.

 “...Al, why are you set on becoming stronger so fast? You can take your time… you know?”

 “...”

 Alum was thinking of a reply that would satisfy her, but… it would be a lie if he said anything but his true intentions.

 “...I want to be by your side and be able to protect myself. I want to have your back. I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone but myself, and I want to always be by your side, whether in combat or our peaceful lives.”

 “...”

 (…Dummy, how can I say anything when this is your reason…?)

 Amethely knew that his world was dangerous, very much so compared to the stories she’d heard about his world.

 The cities are the only safe haven, and everywhere else crawled with monsters and beasts.

 But even so… villages with fewer resources can suffer more severe invasions in comparison to large towns. A tragic incident occurred recently. A cult had attacked the town and killed the residents, creating monstrosities using their corpses.

 Although there were many casualties, Luna and her squad shut them down.

 Incidents like these are rare, but… it wasn’t unthinkable that they could occur.

 After all, there are many stories about cities collapsing because of monster attacks or other forms of attacks. Even the capital has been under attack on numerous occasions.

 Though the attacks never succeeded, they just set a precedent that invading wasn’t impossible.

 So… Amethely couldn’t blame Alum for wanting to prepare if such an occasion would occur.

 Later, Alum told Amethely that he’d go outside the city as an adventurer to gain actual combat experience and see the outside world as it truly is.

 Amethely was against it, but… she understood his determination, and… he was his own person who could weigh his own decisions….

 If she asked him to stay, he would. But… she didn’t want to put shackles on his freedom. Which she knew Alum valued.

 “Promise me you won't be reckless…” she pleaded, looking into his eyes and telling him how much her words weighed.

 “...I will do my best not to put myself in danger. I promise.”

 “...”

 She had a feeling he’d promise something that would give him some leeway… it was just like him….

 But… there was little she could do, so… she hugged him even tighter.

 “Will you leave tomorrow?” Amethely asked.

 “Well, not exactly. I need to prepare and find something suitable. I was assigned to D-Rank, so… I should be able to find something outside the city.” Alum said, giving her a head pat.

 “...Can I come along?”

 “...”

 Alum stared at her, his expression filled with surprise. Since he knew better than anyone, it was difficult for her to leave the city's borders.

 “...Are you even allowed to?” He asked.

 Amethely puffed her cheeks grumpily.

 “I-I know that! It’s just…. I want to be with you, keep you from danger….”

 Alum kissed her on the cheek as he told the fidgety red Amethely that he’d be fine.

 “I’ll be okay. Besides, I’ll never be independent if you’re always going to be there to protect me.”

 Alum knew he’d say embarrassing things, so he was just as flustered as she was.

 Later, he showed Amethely the sword he received as he summoned it—or rather, materialised from the ring. Amethely thought that Alum managed to get a hold of a divine weapon. But that wasn’t the case.

 It was a short, single-edged sword, deep blue, capable of storing magic and a powerful spell.

 And Amethely found some integrated and highly advanced technology embedded in the blade itself.

 “...Can I try swinging it?” Amethely asked.

 Alum nodded.

 “Why not?”

 He handed her the blade as she swung it vertically and horizontally, getting a feel for it. She then took some deep breaths, and a practise dummy had been slashed into pieces by fractions of a second.

 (She ‘was’ holding back after all….)

 Despite being told to hold nothing back, she truly couldn't do as he asked, and understandably so. In this case, he would’ve gotten severely injured or died, probably the latter.

 But… seeing this made him take a mental note as he burned this moment into his memories.

 (She really is graceful...)

 The air around her was so different from what he was used to… and to be fair…. This is how people saw her. Not as Amethely, the girl he loves, but as Saint Amethely, the people’s guiding light.

 But then she gave him a slightly sour look as she pouted.

 “This is a reliable partner… I’m sure it will take good care of you….”

 She was still against him going. But… having a reliable partner such as this sword would make the ride less bumpy. And she couldn't say anything more than “Dummy” as she hugged him after he stored away the sword.