Love Letter From The Future

The Academy, detached from the Northern Region, was peaceful.

A routine like always, a day like always.

Moving according to a fixed timetable provided a sense of stability to the daily life. Sometimes, within the confines of limited freedom, one could truly find stability.

Ceria was no different.

If there was anything different about her, it was that her day was more intense.

Laser focus.

She closed her eyes and held her breath. Magic flowed through her blood vessels, granting her a boiling power. That sharp sensation transmitted all the way to her fingertips.

Various sceneries danced in Ceria’s mind.

It was the swordsmanship shown to her by the man from the future.

A strike so fast that not only was it impossible to counter, but even to respond.

A single straight line that tore through the world was still vivid in Ceria’s eyes.

Ceria’s goal was to reproduce that technique.

It was absurd.

Swordsmanship concealed mysteries worthy of being called visions. Especially, the technique employed by the man from the future didn’t appear ordinary at first glance.

Yet, to try and recreate it after only having been struck a few times?

Even a genius had limits. It had to seem like nonsense.

Nevertheless, it was a strange feeling.

Ceria did not feel it was impossible or hopeless. Instead, it felt like a sense of reclaiming what was rightfully hers.

Even now, look.

A dark blue straight line devoured the space.

A single transverse line shot forth without premonition.

The air, cut late, erupted in its dying breaths. The wind that burst forth chaotically scattered Ceria’s gray hair.

From the outside, the strike seemed perfect.

However, Ceria could only gnash her lips and let out a sigh.

In fact, it was Celin, who was training beside her, who wore a look of incredulity.

Celin looked at Ceria with a stunned expression.

“…What’s wrong this time?”

It was a voice clearly worn out.

It meant that the sight had been repeated countless times already. Only a feeling of exhaustion could be read in Celin’s gaze.

Ceria shook her head with a grim expression.

“There’s still the preparatory movement left. The essence of this technique is that it is shot forth without premonition, making response impossible…”

“Ah, right.”

Celin casually tossed out a curt reply as if it were no big deal.

It was clear that if she continued explaining, it would only lead to long-winded rhetoric that Celin wouldn’t comprehend. After becoming friends with Ceria over the past few months, Celin felt it necessary to cut off the conversation at this point.

She scratched her head and offered a small consolation.

“Still, you’re doing pretty well, aren’t you? Don’t rush it too much. I’d be perfectly satisfied if I could keep up with half of your pace.”

“Well, that’s because I’m different from you and Haster.”

“…Are you saying you’re worse off?”

Ceria still exhibited signs of social awkwardness. It was fortunate that her companion was Celin; otherwise, she would have likely reminded her of the title, “The Rude One of the Yuridina Clan.”

As they were bickering like this, the two soon had to make their way to the central avenue of the Academy.

Lunchtime had already arrived.

No matter how urgent their training was, they couldn’t neglect nutrition. Though Ceria wore a frustrated expression about wasting that time.

She complained to Celin.

“We have to hurry to the Northern Region. My sister and Senior Ian are waiting… We don’t have time to waste like this.”

“Hey, hey. You worry too much, you know? It’s just Senior Delphine and Brother Ian. What’s the big deal if you’re a few days late?”

“Well, still…”

Seeing Ceria sulking made Celin click her tongue.

She had realized that any attempts to comfort her would be futile.

Instead, Celin decided to change her tactics. She would speak more honestly.

“You were told to catch up later anyway. Lucky for you, with your talent. What about someone like me who has no talent?”

“I must reiterate, I’m different from you and Haster.”

“Seriously, you’re really something…!”

Celin was on the verge of breaking down, unable to hold her frustration.

They could hear whispering sounds from somewhere nearby. Both Celin and Ceria’s sensitive hearing couldn’t have missed that unexpected situation.

Their eyes turned towards the source of the commotion.

There, a girl with black hair and golden eyes was stopping passersby. It was a face they recognized from somewhere.

“Ex-excuse me, have you seen my brother?! He’s handsome, kind, just, and loves his little sister… He’s that kind of person!”

Celin’s expression instantly turned cold.

Next was Ceria. She had lived alongside the girl not long ago and couldn’t have forgotten.

Liya Percus.

She, who was supposed to remain at Percus Manor, was somehow roaming around the Academy.

The two girls exchanged looks laden with questions.

What should they do, they wondered.

Of course, locking eyes didn’t mean solutions would appear. They were both equally perplexed, having no understanding of the details.

Why was the sister of the man Ceria had feelings for here?

And why was she searching for the man Ceria loved? It was something they couldn’t even begin to guess.

In the end, there was only one thing they could do.

Engage in conversation with Liya.

Celin took a hesitant step forward. After all, she had known Liya for a long time; it seemed best that she would take the initiative.

That judgment was correct.

Liya’s eyes, which had been filled with tears as she clutched at those around her, immediately locked onto Celin.

Liya stared blankly at Celin.

Then, as if she had discovered a lifeline, she stumbled forward. Celin cleared her throat with a cough to compose herself.

She aimed to show poise as an older sister.

She needed to remain calm and provide guidance.

Moments later, Liya rushed over and grasped Celin’s hands tightly with both of her own.

In an almost sobbing manner, Liya spoke to Celin.

“C-celin! Do you know where my brother is?! He has hair as dark as ebony, with golden eyes like a topaz, a noble profile with a sharp nose and defined jaw, strong shoulders, and above all, he loves his little sister so much that he promised to live together someday…”

“W-when did Brother Ian ever say that!”

Celin’s determination to be composed in addressing Liya shattered almost immediately.

She raised her voice in exasperation, causing Liya to tilt her head.

After a moment of contemplation, with her finger on her lips, Liya muttered.

“Wait, do you not know where my brother is too?”

“I know, but… why would Brother Ian live just with you?!”

As the two began to growl at each other, Ceria wore a look of disappointment.

She secretly thought to herself.

Maybe I should handle both of them later.

With a crack, the body of a silver-furred leopard was split in two.

It was an achievement accomplished with a single sword. A clean cut without even the sound of flesh being split.

The severed body of the leopard fell to either side. Only then did the blood, which had burst forth, cover the white snowfield.

As steam rose, the mossy ground was briefly revealed.

This place was the Coniferous Forest.

One of the continent’s gold zones, where both blood and tears freeze.

Beyond this lay the land of snow and ice, where a corpse of Delphrium lay buried. A place so cold that only a very few creatures adapted to extreme conditions could survive.

Of course, I had no intention of going that far.

My goal lay within this Coniferous Forest.

The old knight who had witnessed my swordsmanship clapped his hands together. The sound of metal echoed as his gauntlets collided.

His name was Alex, someone with whom I had already acquainted myself twice.

He burst into a hearty laugh and said.

“To bring down a monsterized snow leopard in a single blow… you’ve progressed to a near consummate level.”

“That may be, but I still haven’t actualized my aura’s properties.”

I smiled wryly, playing humble.

By now, the quantity of both my sword skills and magic was approaching the expert intermediate level.

Yet, the properties of my aura had yet to unfold. It seemed I had touched some line when I defeated the Corpse Giant.

Ever since then, that feeling from that day had not returned.

Of course, this too was mere futile concern in front of a seasoned warrior who had experienced countless battles.

Sir Alex regarded me with a vague smile and said.

“Aura is the manifestation of one’s imagination. When the will reaches its peak… the spirit transcends the flesh and distorts the surroundings. You simply have yet to encounter your opportunity, young master.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Sir Alex.”

As I said this, I naturally accepted the towel the girl offered.

The one attending to me was Abiyang, dressed in maid attire.

In a way, it was quite the unique accompaniment.

Sir Alex was a vassal dispatched by the Yuridina Clan to assist me.

He had some familiarity with me by now and was skillful, having fought on the front lines and being well-versed in the geography of the Coniferous Forest.

This meant that Senior Delphine had considered me to require some attention.

And Abiyang was the servant assigned to me by Senior Neoris.

Though she had sworn never to disclose the location of the Elf village, it seemed she knew well of the hidden paths through the Coniferous Forest.

While it was still hard to trust her completely, she was well aware of her position.

If I were to get on her bad side, the consequences wouldn’t be pleasant.

Today, we decided to split our group to scout the Coniferous Forest more broadly.

It wasn’t small enough to gather everyone and grasp an overview of the terrain. It was more likely we would discover something if we were to split into pairs.

Of course, if Abiyang were to speak, we could yield greater results, but that would be too cruel.

Eventually, I chose Sir Alex and Abiyang as my companions.

To be honest, I would have preferred to team up with more familiar individuals, but the piercing glares from the saintess and Senior Elsi made it hard to do so.

If I were to leave one behind, the other wouldn’t sit idly by.

To be honest, it was intimidating.

It was far more comforting to receive various advice from Sir Alex.

As Sir Alex and I conversed, Abiyang, who had thoroughly cleaned my sword, gazed absentmindedly at the corpse of the snow leopard.

“To… to bring down that snow leopard in a single strike…”

Her gaze contained faint fear and admiration.

After all, Sir Alex mentioned that the snow leopard was one of the most common predators in the Coniferous Forest.

The Elves must have faced these monsters more than once.

I gave her a reassuring pat on the head.

Abiyang squeaked in fright.

It was quite the overreaction.

Hadn’t I just fainted her just a couple of times?

I spoke in a soothing tone, as if to calm her.

“Don’t worry too much, Abiyang. I’m not weak enough that I can’t protect just you.”

Abiyang silently nodded with a face painted with fear.

Sir Alex viewed this exchange with a strange expression. It wasn’t one of suspicion.

That was thanks to Abiyang hiding her pointed ears with her specialty of transformation magic.

Yet Sir Alex only casually uttered a remark.

“Then you’ll need to put in a bit more effort, young master.”

Just as I was about to ask what he meant, the tension in my body suddenly tightened.

It was an instinct. A sharp whistling sound pierced through the air.

My hand shot out and caught something flying toward Abiyang.

An arrow.

A crude, wooden arrow.

But the malice contained within it was clear.

It was then that Sir Alex, who had been watching my performance with his arms crossed, finally drew his sword.

“An Elf… It seems to be a scouting party given their small number.”

Foolishly.

He mentioned, adding a fierce grin.

Meanwhile, Abiyang’s complexion turned pale.

She seemed unable to believe that she had just been on the verge of being killed by her kin.

While it was likely that the arrow wasn’t intentionally aimed at her.

I stifled those comforting words as a wry smile crept onto my face.

“…Close your eyes.”

I couldn’t afford to show her the sight of her kin being slain.

Almost simultaneously, Sir Alex and I plunged our weapons into the ground.

It was time to stain the snowfield with blood.