Love Letter From The Future

A silver flash split the moment and surged forward. The hand axe in my grasp traced a trajectory that was brutally simple. It was to maximize the advantage of surprise.

Senior Olmar looked somewhat flustered. Nevertheless, his response was swift.

An axe soaring through the sky landed in his hand. And with a thrilling downward slash, though the height wasn’t sufficient for full power, the speed compensated for it.

It was the best he could do to block my already launched strike. Holding the closest weapon in the trajectory of my axe.

Bang! An explosion erupted. It was a terrifying collision. Senior Elsi, standing next to me, was so shocked she couldn’t close her mouth.

Her blue sapphire eyes stared at me vacantly. Her gaze was questioning me.

Is he crazy?

However, when it came to competing skills with an axe, there was no other answer. To be honest, juggling with an axe was hardly something to showcase talent.

Senior Olmar had a robust physique worth his solid muscles. Even though it was a strike thrown with such intent, there wasn’t much movement from him. That meant the impact wasn’t severe.

As expected, my magical power was inferior. If that were the case, there was only one answer: to attempt a surprising tactic in a short span.

Fortunately, Senior Olmar was somewhat disoriented. I took the chance and unleashed a flurry of strikes.

Clang, clang, clang! The sound of metal clashing, the sparks flying—everything made my senses sharper. The exchanges soon concluded because Senior Olmar had already grasped a second axe.

Naturally, I sidestepped as the second axe came into play.

Whoosh! A sharp slicing sound pierced my ears. Just the aftermath of it sent chills down my spine. If I allowed a proper strike, I would be the one rolling on the ground.

Senior Olmar regained control. With each step he took, another axe followed, and if I dodged or deflected, yet another axe came.

Although only a short time had passed, the dynamics had already flipped. As I stepped back, Senior Olmar stepped forward. The sequence of axes rained down on me like a torrential downpour.

I wasn’t one to just take it. I used the momentum from stepping back to twist my ankle and generate force.

And I dashed.

Not my hand axe, but my body slipped into the gap between Senior Olmar’s successive strikes, finding a tiny flaw. Before I knew it, I was within a few meters of him.

He boasted a towering stature over 2 meters. Naturally, his arms were long, and that made it disadvantageous for me to slip inside. After all, there was no method at hand to strike me.

However, Senior Olmar, being a mercenary, was indeed experienced. He hastily retracted the axe he swung and stepped back.

So I took a step into that gap, and Senior Olmar took another step back. Each time my hand axe swung, his axe barely blocked me. With every step we took, steel clashed and the axe handle vibrated.

It was as if we were dancing. As I advanced, my successive strikes flowed smoothly, and just wish it wasn’t against a muscular man with a shaved head.

But there was no helping it. Life was a path one had to tread while enduring humiliation. Yet if that humiliation involved dancing in combat with a man, I would pass.

Gradually, my body, which had been chiseling away at Senior Olmar’s space, suddenly retreated. Naturally, he expected me to approach, so he stepped back, widening the gap between us.

I stepped forward and threw my hand axe towards Senior Olmar, who was trying to come closer.

It was at a terrifying speed. Given the close range, and with preparation to throw, Senior Olmar had ample time to respond. While he deflected my axe, my hand reached for a sword.

That was it. In terms of range, the sword surpassed the hand axe. Senior Olmar stepped back and hesitated, pausing again as he deflected my hand axe.

He couldn’t accelerate, and as I was confident in my footwork, I wouldn’t give him a chance to close the distance.

The blade paused, right in front of Senior Olmar’s taut muscular forearm.

I couldn’t aim for the heart or the throat. Had I done so, it would have been a complete victory, but Senior Olmar was resolute, not yielding that deep inside. It meant my skill wasn’t yet at a level to penetrate that space.

In just a few minutes, countless exchanges had occurred. Before long, silence descended around us, and I felt the gazes of many staring vacantly at me and Senior Olmar.

I didn’t care. In the end, what mattered was the opponent right in front of my eyes.

Without a word, I stared at Senior Olmar, and as he deflected my hand axe, a flicker of conflict crossed his eyes.

He seemed to be contemplating whether to exert more force into swinging the hand axe. However, with so many eyes on him, especially before the Hunting Festival, he wouldn’t want to waste stamina.

Soon, a heavy sigh escaped Senior Olmar’s lips.

“…Your skill in measuring distance is remarkable.”

“I’m confident in my footwork.”

“It’s not just footwork; your ability to read space is exceptional. Have you studied anything related?”

Studied? Well, I was currently taking topology, but…

I thought about throwing in that trivial joke, but it seemed too boring to bother. Among warriors, “study” was synonymous with training. The question was whether I had specifically trained to read space.

There was no way I could self-study such advanced techniques without a teacher. But there was no need to provide the enemy with too much information, so I maintained my silence.

As if he expected that, Senior Olmar nodded heavily. Gradually, he lowered his hand axe. The bulging muscles of his relaxed form decreased in size.

I exhaled a sigh of relief as I sheathed my sword. My head naturally bowed. It was the proper respect for a senior.

“Thank you for teaching me a move.”

“I didn’t intend to, but you’re quite the audacious kid…”

Senior Olmar’s reaction was quite begrudging. It seemed he hadn’t truly intended to test skills with an axe.

I didn’t understand. Did he really just want to show off tricks?

I felt a bit perplexed, but before I could voice that question, someone suddenly struck Senior Olmar hard on the back.

A sound akin to hitting a sandbag echoed. Just hearing it made it clear. It wouldn’t hurt at all.

As I expected, Senior Olmar merely turned his head stiffly, much like a statue. Behind him stood a woman with sky-blue hair, giggling. She had a lollipop in her mouth.

She looked lively, with a slender figure and attractive features. She would likely have popularity wherever she went. She must also be a member of Senior Delphine’s team.

“Olmar, what will you do if you lose? We failed to gain the upper hand because of you!”

“No, I just wanted to discuss the potential of the hand axe…”

Senior Olmar looked quite aggrieved, but the woman didn’t seem to listen. She continued to smack her palm against Senior Olmar’s solid body, giggling.

Next to her stood a gaunt man. Though not immediately visible, he had quite the developed muscles. Just looking at the scabbard at his waist confirmed he was a swordsman. However, for some reason, his face was particularly drawn.

“Aisia, Olmar. It’s time to go.”

“Got it, got it. Mister Permian. We can go right now, right? Ah!”

The woman called ‘Aisia’ approached me as I watched with a puzzled look. Suddenly, she pulled the lollipop from her mouth.

And then she blew a breath towards me. A sweet fragrance wafted out, but more than that, the air turned chilly. Startled, I stepped back and shook my head.

The coldness embedded in her breath penetrated my body immediately. It felt so freezing I could barely think. Is this revenge? Just before my hand reached for my waist again.

Senior Aisia winked.

“It’s a reward for beating Olmar. How about it? Is your body getting cold, relieving your fatigue?”

Upon hearing those words, I realized: indeed, my body felt much lighter. I stared at Senior Aisia with a dazed look, but she only continued to laugh.

“The specifics of the principle are a secret. See you later!”

“…Goodbye.”

Senior Aisia and the gaunt man named ‘Permian’ left like that. Senior Olmar kept silent for a moment, before shaking his head as if he had no choice.

He glared at me with sharp eyes and said,

“…Next time, I won’t go easy on you.”

That was probably the last vestige of Senior Olmar’s pride. Once the three left, Celin slowly approached me.

However, surprisingly, she didn’t show any sign of concern for me. Given that she had been scolding me for causing collisions before, I expected her to give me another lecture.

Instead, Celin merely slapped my back lightly, showing an expression of being fed up.

It hurt. A short scream escaped my mouth.

“Ian, you really are a ‘mad dog’….”

“What did I do?”

I turned a gaze of indignation toward Seria, but she averted her eyes without a word. For her, it seemed there was nothing to say.

How could this be? To treat the one who successfully gained the upper hand against Senior Delphine’s team like this.

No one truly acknowledged my strategic value. My eyes turned to the last remaining Senior Elsi. And that Senior Elsi,

“Huh, huh… P-please spare me. I-I won’t mess around again… Ugh, ehh… I’ll wet my pants, ugh….”

Perhaps due to the shock of seeing the hand axe, she sat huddled and trembling. At this rate, she might even collapse before the monster.

With a frustrated mind, a sigh escaped my lips. Ultimately, Senior Elsi could only calm down after I patted her head for a while.

Even after that, Senior Elsi kept glancing nervously at me. I must have scared her quite a bit.

According to her, the sight of me pulling out and swinging the hand axe without hesitation felt particularly frightening.

Although I couldn’t understand, I decided to soothe her. The start was an inconsequential story.

“By the way, Senior Elsi.”

“Yes, yes! Ah, no… uh, hmm?”

Perhaps still on edge, Senior Elsi provided a response that seemed to prove her loyalty but then quickly retracted it. Neither I, Celin, nor Seria pointed it out intentionally.

It was to protect the remaining pride of Senior Elsi. Celin and Seria busied themselves with personal preparations, pretending not to notice me and Senior Elsi.

“Senior Olmar mentioned he wanted to discuss the potential of the hand axe. Do you happen to know anything about it?”

“Ah, ah! That, that’s it!”

I felt excitement rising within me as it appeared Senior Elsi surprisingly knew something. Senior Olmar had been handling the hand axe for a long time and must have invested a suitable amount of time and effort into it.

What if I could handle the hand axe in even more diverse ways than now? No matter how disadvantaged I was, the hand axe now belonged to my arsenal. Of course, I would be interested.

However, Senior Elsi’s answer was beyond my expectations in several ways.

“Actually, Olmar is of commoner origin. I think his father is a circus clown? So he practices juggling with hand axes to help his father out someday, or something. Anyway, commoners… tsk… I heard he even joined a club…”

Upon hearing that answer, I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

It seemed Senior Olmar wanted to show me tricks using the hand axe and seek advice. How to perform more impressive tricks with the hand axe.

It was a misunderstanding that arose due to the lack of experienced hand axe users. All I could do was silently apologize to Senior Olmar.

I’m sorry, Senior Olmar. But your father would surely be happy with whatever you do.

While Senior Elsi and I exchanged a few words, Celin suddenly asked me a question.

“By the way, Ian, how much drinking water should we bring?”

“A lot.”

Of course, the response didn’t come from me. It was because Senior Elsi, with far more field experience than me, was next to me.

She spoke in a very firm tone. Only now did she begin to appear somewhat like a senior.

“You never know what situation might arise. Even if it makes your body feel a bit heavier, you must carry sufficient drinking water; in a crisis, you can throw it away and escape. In the first place, in this vast forest, even if a monster is let loose, how long would it take to discover it?”

That was true. The Southern Forest was expansive, and I had marked only a single monster among them. It would undoubtedly take a long time to hunt that down.

Of course, the other team members still didn’t properly recognize that danger, but I could only hope that their mentalities had changed, even just a little, after my repeated warnings.

I patted Senior Elsi’s head. Immediately, her eyes glazed over.

“Well done, Senior Elsi. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a senior side of you?”

“Hehe… I’m usually like this!”

I was relieved to have placated Elsi. While I wore a wry smile, I prepared for the sortie.

Now, only the decisive battle remained.

“So, you forgot your water bottle?”

Three hours after we had entered the forest following the flashy opening declaration, Senior Elsi stood awkwardly in front of me. Her face turned red with embarrassment.

Celin looked at her with a disbelieving expression, while Seria sighed deeply.

“W-well, it can’t be helped! Y-you kept threatening me with that, that hand axe, so I was all flustered!”

Senior Elsi raised her voice as if blaming everything on me, but it fell on deaf ears.

Once we entered the forest, it was as if we had entered into actual combat. In a real situation, lack of preparation was inexcusable, regardless of anything that might have been a mistake. It was something Professor Derek repeatedly emphasized while training us.

I shook my head and replied.

“Then drink your pee.”

“I’m not a bedwetter! Hey, how could you, I’m your senior…”

Senior Elsi puffed up in indignation, her fists clenched, but when I withdrew my cloak and displayed my waist, she immediately inhaled sharply.

The chill in my gaze intensified. I spoke in a frosty voice.

“Should I help you with the hand axe?”

“Eeeek! I-I’m sorry… I won’t act up. Just, please spare me!”

For a moment, I looked at Senior Elsi with a somewhat sullen expression, but there was no choice. I silently handed over one of the spare water bottles I had brought.

Senior Elsi, who was clutching her hooded hat and trembling, stared blankly at the water bottle I held out.

“Here.”

“…Uh, thank you.”

As she spoke, Senior Elsi’s face lit up with a bit of embarrassment. She was glancing at me, looking shy. However, I chose to ignore her completely.

Instead, as I stood up, a faint line caught my senses.

Yes, a line. Could I even refer to it as a line? Like wires connected to my nerves, it felt as if something was tautly pulling me.

Then came the strange scent brushing against my nostrils.

Blood. And the smell of iron. The liquid that exudes such smells was one of a kind in this world.

“…Senior Elsi.”

“Uh, y-yes? Wh-what?”

Senior Elsi wiggled her fingers and asked me. Her expression was quite adorable, but right now my senses were fully focused elsewhere.

“Are you on your period?”

At my question, Senior Elsi’s eyes widened. Celin and Seria looked on with similar expressions. Such an impudent question was something I wouldn’t typically ask.

But at this moment, there was no choice but to ask as it came to mind. Senior Elsi’s face turned bright red, and she could no longer hold it back and shouted.

“…Hey, you crazy bastard!”

I took it to mean she was denying it, so I turned my questions in another direction.

“What about Celin and Seria?”

Celin looked on with disbelief, while Seria suddenly flushed, burying her face in her hands.

Celin chuckled with a hint of amusement and asked me.

“Ian, is your head okay?”

“What about Seria?”

However, despite the repeated accusations, my questioning remained persistent. Seria fidgeted and finally, turning red all the way to her ears, she managed to speak.

It was closer to a sound that barely escaped than actual words. So faint a sound.

“…N-no, uh, I’m not.”

I see, I murmured dully.

Finally, realizing I was acting differently than usual, Celin sent me a puzzled look. I had been meaning to answer that question.

“Then be prepared, because I’ve found it.”

I desperately hoped that this scent wasn’t the smell of human blood—the gnawing thought looming over me.

A prey was right ahead. Or perhaps, a hunter.

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