Love Letter From The Future

“Stop… I was wrong.”

With humiliation weighing on her, Senior Delphine muttered like that. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to say it.

Still, I was not satisfied and remained slightly frowning. Reading my expression, Senior Delphine grew more anxious.

“Oh, I made a mistake today. And I’ll keep the following events to myself…”

Her voice was soaked in deep shame. She bit her lips hard, as if blood might seep out if she left them alone. A faint moisture lingered at the end of her words, fading into the air.

Her body trembled, wrapped in embarrassment. It seemed more painful than the fear of facing death.

The downfall of a proud noble lady.

Seeing that pitiful sight, a long sigh slipped out of my mouth.

“…I see. That’s a relief.”

Senior Delphine had no reply. Only the trembling of her shoulders revealed the wounded heart of a lioness.

Begging for one’s life is a profoundly painful thing. For some, pride is more precious than life itself.

So, I declared in a voice tinged with a sigh.

“Then let’s end this quickly. The final blow belongs to Ceria.”

At my words, Senior Delphine’s eyes widened. Her gaze was directed at me once more.

There, my shadow loomed, still holding the hand axe high.

My head throbbed. My whole body ached. My magical energy was in disarray, and all the blood in my veins felt overloaded.

I wanted to rest quickly. With that thought, I put strength into the arm holding the axe.

My arm muscles twitched, and I swung down the hand axe.

The axe blade drew a line of light. Its target was only one: Senior Delphine.

Senior Delphine instinctively covered her head and screamed.

“W-Wait. I-I apologized… S-Stop! Hiiiii?!”

At that moment, as Senior Delphine let out an uncharacteristically cute shriek.

“…Senior Ian.”

The sudden voice caused the axe to pause.

My eyes instinctively turned toward the source of that voice. A beautiful girl with gray hair looked at me with a sorrowful gaze.

“Please stop.”

“Ceria…”

But I could not let go of my strength in my arm. It was an inexplicable obsession. An obsessive thought had penetrated my brain like a finger.

Of course, I had no intention of actually killing her. However, I did plan to inflict more damage than I had thus far.

So that I could never show my teeth to my precious ones again.

I pitied Ceria, who could not understand this, and let my words trail off. Ceria merely shook her head silently.

As hesitation began to fill my eyes, a shout broke out unexpectedly.

“I-Ian, Oppa. Are you insane?!”

She rushed toward me, holding her shoulder, from which blood was seeping out, running in hurried steps.

Despite the pain, there was no sign of distress in her hazel eyes. It would have been difficult for her to move, yet she came to me, stumbling but desperately.

My gaze was filled with confusion as I looked at the girl with black hair.

But she paid no attention to my bewildered look. She quickly approached and then slapped me hard on the back.

“Ouch?! Hey, Selin! I told you before that hurts…”

I instinctively reacted with annoyance, but Selin immediately grabbed me by the collar.

Her hazel eyes were glistening with tears, indicating just how startled she was. Her voice was choked with emotion.

“K-Killing a noble?! Are you out of your mind?! Hurry and stop! It’s a big deal!”

And at that moment, seeing Selin’s tear-filled eyes, my mind suddenly cleared.

It was a peculiar sensation. Like waking up from a dream, the foggy and blurry world became crisp and pushed me back into awareness.

As if blocked veins had burst open, a cooling liquid flowed through my heated head. The obsessions that had dominated me began to wash away in a torrent.

The moment I blankly looked down at Senior Delphine.

She was looking up at me with fear-filled eyes. Arms trembling as they covered her head, and tears glistening in her eyes.

The new sun of the Yuridina Clan, which had once been proud and arrogant, was nowhere to be seen. Before death, she was just one girl.

As soon as I realized that, all lingering hostility in my veins washed away. My whole body relaxed.

I simply gritted my teeth. With my last ounce of strength, I threw the hand axe.

“Kyaaaa!”

A thud echoed as the axe blade lodged into the ground.

It was right next to Senior Delphine.

She, who had been screaming, stared blankly at the hand axe sunk into the ground. And then her crimson eyes turned toward me.

“Senior Delphine, they say the victor takes all.”

Huff, huff. No response came from Senior Delphine, who was trying to steady her ragged breathing. So I leaned closer, whispering into her ear.

“Your life, from now on, is mine. So be careful… I might come to reclaim it any time it goes awry.”

There was no answer from Senior Delphine. Only her trembling gaze and breath revealed one truth to me.

At the very least, my words would have etched deeply into her mind. All that was left was to hope she would protect the honor of a noble.

Sighing, I turned away. I needed to pick up my axe and retrieve the hand axe lodged in the monster’s neck. Today, I had been clumsy with my weapon.

However, awaiting my exhausted self was the tear-filled gaze of Selin.

“I-I was worried! I thought… ugh, that you’ve changed…”

Had I looked that different? I pondered for a moment, but right now, no matter how I racked my brain, I could not grasp what had changed.

Perhaps I still hadn’t fully come to my senses. So, I affectionately patted Selin’s head and said.

“What’s wrong with me? I just got a little excited.”

Yet Selin continued to shed tears.

Ceria seemed to have been inwardly anxious as well. Only then did she release a deep sigh of relief. Her gaze turned to her half-sister with a pitiful expression.

After all, as family, she likely felt a bit sorry. When I raised my axe, I had wondered if Ceria could deal the final blow this time to bring victory.

Now that I thought about it, that was a very cruel thought. Why had that idea even crossed my mind?

It was incomprehensible. Tilting my head, I started to collect my weapons when a voice broke through from afar.

“Ha ha ha! Well done, well done!”

A small figure bouncing toward us, and I instantly guessed her identity.

It was Senior Elsi. Perhaps now able to use magic, she looked down at Senior Delphine with a cheerful smile.

“Why not do just a little more? You should smash her so thoroughly she can’t lift her head again! Hmm, I wonder how to do that… Should I send electric currents through her nerves and make her shake like a fish on a hook?”

Despite her angelic appearance, the words coming from Senior Elsi were brutally cruel. As she continued, Senior Delphine, still shaking and covering her head, became secondary, and Ceria’s expression grew worse and worse.

I felt the need to take decisive action.

“Or how about engraving electric signals into her brain so that she pees herself when she sees us? Hehehe, I can’t wait… Hiiiii?! I-I was joking!”

As I showed her the hand axe I had just picked up, Senior Elsi immediately closed her mouth and pressed down her hood tightly. Her hunched body trembled.

I let out a deep sigh. Anyway, Senior Elsi was troublesome due to her cruel nature.

Having shaken my head for a while, I placed my hand on top of Senior Elsi’s head.

To calm her down. My hand softly stroked Senior Elsi’s hair.

“Peeing oneself is just your unique trait. Don’t give it up so easily.”

“…N-No!! B-But. Still… you can keep patting my head.”

Resistance faded, and Senior Elsi soon wore an expression of bliss, a dreamy smile gracing her face. With each stroke of her head, she responded more positively.

If she had a tail, it would have been wagging back and forth. Of course, I refrained from vocalizing that observation out of consideration for her pride.

After several events unfolded, in the end, I thought everything had been resolved well.

All that remained was the task of transporting the game.

The white-bearded non-mage, Chancellor Delmore, adjusted his monocle.

In front of the forest located south of the Academy, a massive crowd had gathered.

It was the stage for the Hunting Festival. Before long, the performance organized by the student council was nearing its end.

The sky was turning red. Soon the sun would set, and darkness would fall. That would mark the conclusion of this year’s Hunting Festival.

Most of the hunting groups that had left earlier had already returned. Among them were those who had brought back astonishing game. A few high-level monsters were among their captives, and unless there were any strange circumstances, one of them would surely take the win.

If it were the previous year, the Chancellor Delmore would have been exchanging friendly conversations with dignitaries from various countries by now. Currently, the honored guests seated where he was could be recognized without much introduction, famous figures from across the continent.

Even though the forest was vast, the game was limited. There was no guarantee that stronger game could be hunted with the passing of time.

In other words, as evening approached, when it was time to wrap up the Hunting Festival, most of the winners had to be already determined.

And when the results were decided, praises and complex political jibes, akin to empty cans, were sure to follow.

Yet, a peculiar silence enveloped the honored guest seats. There was only one reason for this.

The strong candidates for this year’s championship had not yet returned.

Delphine Yuridina, the heir of the Yuridina Clan, the power of the northern Empire.

Up until now, the heir of the Yuridina Clan had never entered the Academy without winning the Hunting Festival. Whenever the heir reached their fourth year, it was customary for the Yuridina Clan to claim victory in that year’s festival.

History always repeats itself. Thus, the prevailing forecast was that this year’s Hunting Festival would also belong to Delphine Yuridina, and along with that, the expectations of the high-ranking individuals from various nations had risen accordingly.

How impressive would her game be?

Otherwise, it could be the first time they witnessed a failure from the Yuridina Clan. Regardless of either outcome, it was bound to be a spectacle to look forward to.

The time for the closing declaration was approaching. Chancellor Delmore looked at the entrance to the forest with anxious eyes.

Had they still not arrived?

If that were the case, there was nothing that could be done. The regulations must be fair, and the Academy, which pretended to be equal on the surface, could not give special treatment to a powerful family of the Empire.

While the aging mage was staring blankly at the ticking clock’s second hand…

A commotion arose at the entrance of the forest.

Another group had returned. When a hunting group returns, there is usually a riot to welcome them, but now the commotion was different in scale.

The murmurs spread rapidly through the crowd. It even quelled the heated excitement of the performance prepared by the student council in an instant. Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared blankly at the forest entrance.

They’ve arrived, a thrill passed through Chancellor Delmore’s eyes.

This reaction was shared by everyone seated as honored guests. Some couldn’t contain their excitement, leaping from their seats.

This level of commotion and murmuring certainly indicated that a strong candidate had returned.

However, the excited glimmers in their eyes soon dulled into bewilderment.

The sound of something scraping against the ground.

It was the sound made when a significantly heavy object was dragged across the ground with force. Along with that, the trees shook, and even some small trees broke and fell. The sound alone indicated a large presence.

Pushing through the foliage, the shape of the game that appeared imposed silence on everyone.

It was an overwhelmingly enormous wolf.

In their lifetimes, no one in this place had encountered a wolf of such terrifying size. Overwhelmed by its sheer size, their attention was immediately drawn to the horn on its forehead.

That horn, radiating with magical energy, testified that this wolf was no ordinary opponent. A monster capable of wielding magical power freely. A high-level monster? No, it was more than that.

It was a monster deserving of a name.

Chancellor Delmore, who had first confirmed this fact with rich life experience, felt the hairs on his neck rise. How could they have hunted something like this?

Firstly, the existence of a name-level monster in the Southern Forest was unheard of. A monster of that caliber would surely have led to casualties, unless professors were involved. Yet, the fact that a group of four students, still attending the Academy, had hunted it was nothing short of astonishing.

As expected of the heir of the Yuridina Clan.

Chancellor Delmore couldn’t help but admire internally. No matter how he thought about it, the only figures that could confront a named-level monster were around that level.

While he felt a chill at the thought that this important festival almost led to casualties, he couldn’t help but be filled with awe at their skill.

They owed a debt of gratitude to the Yuridina Clan. Just when Chancellor Delmore sighed in relief at that moment.

“…Ian Fercurus.”

A name he had never heard before lodged itself into his ears.

Chancellor Delmore’s eyes instinctively followed the source of the voice. There, the shadow of a man dragging the monster’s corpse could be seen, gritting his teeth.

‘Ian Fercurus’, was there such a name in Delphine Yuridina’s group?

Chancellor Delmore tilted his head. It seemed like the high-ranking officials seated in the honored guest area were no different, as they began to murmur among themselves.

Because they were separated from the entrance of the forest, they still had no idea.

Why the onlookers had suddenly drowned in a chilling silence.

“I am the group leader. I’m reporting our return.”

Like a cold splash, silence fell even among those in the honored guest seats.

The wide-open eyes expressed shock.

Hunting a named-level monster was something that even graduates from the Academy had to risk their lives to attempt. Not to mention, it was unbelievable for a current student to accomplish such a feat.

Considering the worth of the name ‘Delphine Yuridina’ as well, it felt the same. Yet, ‘Ian Fercurus’, a name unheard of until now.

The magical energy that had been gently flowing in the honored guest seats began to ripple. Everyone was hastily pumping magical energy into their aura.

From afar, he could be seen. A figure with black hair and gold eyes.

Though he looked as noble as a young aristocrat, his garb was inconsistent with his appearance; it was drenched in blood. He looked like he might collapse at any moment.

Nevertheless, he seemed to want to crack a joke, speaking with a faint smile.

“By any chance, was there a group that hunted a better game than us?”

This was the moment the winner of the Hunting Festival was decided.

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