Love Letter From The Future

The Academy During the Day was peaceful as always.

I bought a drink from the tea house located in the Student Council Building, just like usual. Leaning back in my chair, I began sipping through a straw.

A fragrant aroma wafted up. This refreshing feeling, the smell that supplied new vitality to my exhausted brain from long hours of training and studying.

This was my everyday life. A solid routine that had not collapsed even after three years at the Academy. And there was usually one of two people beside me to spend my day with.

Celine Haster, or Reto Einsten.

Today was no different. A man with slightly curly brown hair and tired green eyes sat across from me.

It was Reto, one of my childhood friends and my closest confidant. He was currently looking at me with an incredulous expression.

“So, what did that Yuridina’s brat say?”

“She didn’t say anything. Just had a cold expression and didn’t say a word until we parted.”

A sigh slipped from Reto’s lips upon hearing my words. He rubbed his face with both hands. I could roughly gauge the situation from Reto’s reaction.

I must have messed up. As expected, reprimands soon flowed from Reto’s mouth.

“Seriously, you couldn’t at least reassure her…? You might end up facing serious consequences later.”

“…What kind of serious consequences?”

At my bewildered question, Reto leaned forward as if sharing a secret. And then he whispered to me.

“When a woman becomes obsessed, you never know what they might do.”

Reto then shivered as if recalling some terrifying memory. Of course, it was a warning that didn’t provoke any response from me.

That Seria Yuridina?

Even when she sparred with me, she had shown reluctance for violence. How serious could it possibly get?

I let out an empty laugh, shaking my head.

“Don’t worry. It’s not going to happen. Seria is such a nice girl… Plus, it’s probably just because she has made a friend for the first time. If she makes more friends, things will gradually improve.”

Despite my rebuttal, Reto continued to look at me with a vague expression. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

He tilted his head left and right, hesitating before finally speaking.

“Hey, you… um, alright. Let’s pretend that’s the case.”

Reto abruptly stopped his own sentence, then looked at me with kind eyes. He started nodding to himself.

“Yeah, that’s how you learn while dating. I support you, buddy.”

“I’m not quite sure what that means, but okay. Sure.”

Reto and I enjoyed the peaceful afternoon as we exchanged our usual meaningless conversations.

Lately, it felt like there was just too much going on. Ever since I lost my memories, it seemed like incidents occurred once or twice a week.

My only goal was to graduate from the Academy, and yet, here I was, having become somewhat of a celebrity within its walls.

I felt a bit strange about it. And even more so, I felt fatigue. There had been many mentally and physically taxing events lately.

One of my recent concerns was Celine.

I glanced over at Reto.

“By the way, how is Celine these days?”

At my question, Reto let out a hearty laugh. He looked at me with a proud expression.

“So you are still a bit concerned, huh?”

“No, I just bumped into her yesterday and she was really cold.”

Upon confessing how awkward yesterday’s encounter had been, Reto chuckled amusingly. It seemed like our quarrels were quite entertaining to him.

It was the kind of attitude one would expect from a mage who locked themselves up in their study. I sighed.

Celine was colder than usual when I saw her on the street yesterday. She glared at me and then stuck out her tongue, making a disgusting noise.

That was the end of it. She simply left with a huff.

Was this what it felt like to be a winter tree exposed to frost? I bitterly carved the feelings of being rejected by a girl who resembled a younger sister into my heart.

However, in contrast to my complex emotions, Reto seemed to be unconcerned.

He observed my gloomy expression before bursting into laughter. He casually placed the cup he was holding down on the table and shrugged.

“Don’t worry, she’s probably pretty anxious right now too.”

“…What reason does Celine have to be anxious?”

When I asked in confusion, Reto only clicked his tongue. He pointed at me and said.

“Because you are like this, she’s the one who’s anxious.”

In the end, I could only shrug my shoulders. I remembered being told as a child by my sister to avoid questions that were difficult to answer. Given that she had some talent as a merchant, her words were usually quite accurate.

Reto, seeing my silence, shook his head as if he had expected it. He then seemed to ponder for a moment before suddenly appearing curious.

He turned to me, who was silently sipping through a straw. His question was filled with genuine inquiry.

“Hey, by the way, aren’t you participating in the Hunting Festival?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah… I’m planning to participate alongside Seria.”

I hesitated momentarily at the sudden question, then nodded in answer. It was nothing I needed to hide. If anything, I needed to actively seek Reto’s support.

Reto, still unable to read my mind, tilted his head.

“What about your teammates?”

“Well, that’s…”

I subtly gauged Reto’s reaction. He was quick to catch on to nuances. There was no way he wouldn’t understand what I was implying with my eyes.

Reto’s brow immediately furrowed. His eyes twitched, his expression reflecting his discomfort.

“Don’t tell me… I’m not one of them, right, you crazy bastard?”

“Reto…”

I looked at Reto with desperate eyes. He trembled involuntarily, as if having a relapse. Regardless, I offered him a look filled with trust.

“…We agreed to die together if it came to it. Let’s go.”

Reto’s reaction was honestly not good. An impolite remark promptly escaped his lips.

“No way, are you insane?! I’m a theoretical mage!”

“But what can I do? You’re the only one I can trust!”

As Reto had guessed, the candidates I had in mind for my teammates were him and Celine.

I was worried about the relationship between Seria and Celine, but still, they were the only two I could rely on at my back.

Moreover, participating in the Hunting Festival meant that we might have to gamble with our lives. How could I easily find someone else with the same level of loyalty to accompany me?

It was possible that we would have to hunt named monsters. Even sharing the risks would not be enough. I couldn’t even share the reasons properly. I needed comrades whom I could trust, even without evidence.

Despite my continued insistence, Reto’s reaction remained adamant. His head shook vehemently.

“No, no… I can’t agree to that, no matter how much you ask.”

I pursed my lips at Reto’s desperate refusal. Things couldn’t start going wrong already. I spoke gently to reassure him.

“Even if you are a theoretical mage, you can use magic as long as you have time, right?”

“The problem is it takes forever to do that! Plus, how much preparation is required for magic circles or circuits? Do you really think you can respond to the urgency of combat like that? It’s not like they divide theoretical mages and combat mages for no reason!”

I sighed at Reto’s words.

Even though Reto was a mage, he had little to do with combat. He was one of those mages categorized as “theoretical mages.”

They were more interested in research, magic circles, and artifacts. They were key figures in applying magic to daily life and leading magical engineering. Most court mages catering to nobility were also of this type.

However, they had one fatal flaw. Their obsession with research often left them unable to effectively fight.

It wouldn’t do to casually sketch magic circles during battles. While theoretical mages could solidify their power to some extent during large-scale wars, the level of warfare we experienced after the Empire’s conquest wars had been quite rare.

Thus, combat mages specialized in warfare appeared, and they were known as “combat mages.”

They were mages specialized to rapidly cast spells and effectively respond to various situations. Provided they had time, they could unleash the massive firepower unique to mages, making them sought after wherever they went.

However, being desired everywhere also meant it was challenging to find personnel due to the high demand.

I was in a similar situation. I may have known a few combat mages, but I wasn’t particularly close to any of them. This was precisely why I had desperately sought to recruit Reto.

If he continued to refuse so adamantly, I had no choice. This was a situation where our lives might be on the line. I couldn’t leverage our friendship to force his hand.

A dark cloud loomed over my face. A mutter that sounded like a lament escaped my lips.

“Ugh, then what am I supposed to do… Even if it’s just one mage, we need at least one…”

Reto seemed to feel a bit of guilt and coughed lightly while avoiding my gaze. I sensed that my gloomy mood had somehow infected him.

For a moment, silence enveloped the space between Reto and me. As I considered the connections I had built up so far, suddenly, Reto’s voice broke through.

“…Hey, there’s one.”

My puzzled gaze turned toward Reto. His eyes were now glimmering with a distinct light. It seemed he had thought of a brilliant idea.

He even appeared a little excited as he contained a chuckle before saying to me.

“Just follow my lead. Then we’ll be able to secure a mage.”

“…?”

Ultimately, I decided to follow my closest friend’s advice.

With a dull thud, I noticed one student being shoved against the wall in the corner. In front of him stood a petite girl, flanked by two burly men.

The student pinned against the wall appeared horrified. He was trembling visibly. A slender man, it seemed his muscles were lacking, indicating he was at least not from the Swordsmanship Department.

The petite girl looked like a doll. Just by seeing her brown hair, blue sapphire eyes, and fair skin, one could tell.

However, this lovely girl wore a cruel smile that did not match her looks at all.

“Hey, do you think I’m an easy target?”

Her low, threatening voice cast a shadow over the scene. Although her lips curved into a smile, her eyes told a completely different story.

With a murderous glint, her eyes shone with the intent to rip apart the man in front of her.

The man let out a scream and clung tighter to the wall. Seeing this, the girl with the adorable appearance laughed in disbelief.

“Just because I showed a pathetic sight in front of everyone the other day, does this Elsi Rainelle look like an easy mark? ‘Pee pants’—what a joke. You little loser can’t even hide your fear!!!”

The girl, who seemed to have initially intended to speak in a soft tone, found it impossible to calm down at some point, and her voice erupted into a scream.

Her body trembled. With a rough grip, she grabbed the collar of the man. With a sudden yank, he bent over.

Staring into the terrified eyes of the man, Senior Elsi ground her teeth.

“Just because I got taken down once doesn’t mean you can play around with me?! You think I can’t take you down? Huh?!”

“N-No…”

“Then why are you talking such bullshit? Are you begging to be punished? Ah, it drives me crazy!”

Then the girl wiped her face with both hands. Her eyes bore fatigue and pain that couldn’t be hidden. It seemed the past few days had been a significant trial for her.

With a weary gaze, she sparked a current in her hand.

The terror in the man’s eyes deepened. He tried to escape the girl’s grip, but contrary to her petite figure, her strength was beyond imagination.

Even mages had to survive in desperate battlefields. Although their bodies were generally weaker compared to those of the Swordsmanship Department, they could still strengthen themselves to a reasonable extent.

A mage of her caliber could overwhelm a frail adult man. But if she faced a swordsman of similar level, she’d be destroyed in an instant.

Unfortunately, the wretched thin man was not a swordsman, so there was no escape from her grasp.

With a bright smile, the girl leaned closer, her expression ironically sweet. It was the kind of adorable smile that could make anyone’s heart flutter.

If not for the threatening words flowing from her mouth.

“Do you really think I would lose if I fought him again, just because I looked weak once? Huh?”

“N-No, I wouldn’t.”

Hearing this question felt like a lifeline to the man, and he shouted in response. The girl let out a long breath.

“Really? You understand? So just hang in there for a little while longer.”

“…?”

The man stared blankly at the girl. She smiled at him again.

“From now on, I will mess with your nerves using this electricity. You know, mages are important when it comes to controlling their mana… I have a knack for this fine control. It’s gonna hurt like hell. But don’t scream, okay?”

The man’s eyes turned to despair. He trembled pitifully, looking as if he might collapse right there. However, he wasn’t even allowed to sit.

With a sudden jerk, the girl pushed away the hand gripping the man’s collar. The man flinched but was caught by the two burly guys standing by her side.

“Ten seconds. You might feel like you’re going to die… but hang in there, okay? If you scream before that…”

Slowly, the girl walked toward the trembling man. The electricity crackling in her hand shone bright blue. The crackling sound echoed ominously.

“…I’ll start from the beginning again, keep that in mind. I always keep my promises.”

“Ugh, aaaaaah!”

The man’s scream rang out, but it was clear he had no means to escape the violence. Tears streamed down his face. In his hopeless gestures, the girl seemed to find joy, her lips curling into a smirk.

Yes, this is how it should be. This is how it should be when you see me.

Such thoughts flickered in her eyes. And I could not hold back any longer.

“…Senior Elsi.”

At my soft call, Senior Elsi turned around with an irritable expression. She glared at me as she shouted.

“What the hell do you want, you nosy bastard…?”

And froze on the spot. The blue energy she had conjured suddenly dispersed. Her emerald eyes expressed the shock she was experiencing.

Silence enveloped the scene. The student threatened by Elsi looked confused, and the two burly men holding him stiffened visibly at the sight of me.

I took a moment to think. What did Reto say in situations like this?

Without a word, my hand moved toward my waist. Senior Elsi’s legs began to tremble. It was an instinctive reaction.

Suddenly, a hand axe was drawn from my hand.

Elsi let out a startled gasp. Her eyes wildly flickered, and her upper body trembled pathetically. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

Eyes filled with fear and a face that looked like it might burst into tears at any moment.

She was more fearful of me than necessary.

So, I tried to reassure her with a deliberately gentle smile.

“Shall we talk for a bit?”

Senior Elsi’s face turned utterly pale.

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