Chapter 23
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Episode 5 - Hunting Festival [3]
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'That's really funny.'
He was fun and very talkative; Diana couldn't help but look at him without blinking.
It was probably the passive effect of someone who talks nonstop, unlike her, who could barely say one or two words to anyone.
Even so, Diana smiled as she looked at Adel.
The people around her usually approached her not to start a friendly conversation or become friends.
Simply because she came from the Arsene house, they approached her with other intentions.
Diana slowly came to understand that none of the people who approached her wanted to be friends or even companions.
She thought that at the Academy she would open her eyes and make friends.
She had lived deep within a great house her entire life and had never managed to see the sky.
Not until recently.
Some people only knew her through rumors that came from the maids of the Arsene house.
However, who cared about how she had lived; they simply wanted to be close to her because of her status.
'Every cadet who approached me only did it because of my status.'
Not because they truly wanted to be close to her, but simply for their own benefit.
'I just want friends like in the stories from the books I read.'
A girl who at least wanted to talk with the people around her and smile like the books described.
But reality was always different from what she had silently imagined for so many years.
Every time someone approached her, their words were full of interest, but not the kind she wanted.
They were calculating gazes, forced smiles, and empty conversations that ended before they could even begin.
Diana had tried to respond, to open her mouth and say something more than a simple "yes" or "no," but her throat always closed up before she could do it.
As if the real world were too vast for someone who had only known it through pages.
But now…
Her thoughts settled on Adel once again as he walked behind her.
It was strange.
He hadn't asked her anything about her family, nor about her surname, nor had he shown even the slightest interest in her status.
He simply… talked.
Without expecting anything in return.
'He's different…'
Diana lightly pressed the book against her chest, as if trying to calm the beating of her heart.
Adel's words still echoed in her mind, not because of what he said, but because of how he said it.
He sounded free, without hesitation and without fear of making mistakes.
It was something she couldn't do.
"..."
She slightly parted her lips, as if wanting to say something, but no words came out.
Her steps stopped for a second.
Adel, noticing the change in her pace, tilted his head slightly.
"Is something wrong?"
His voice was calm, and he "looked" directly at her.
That only made Diana even more nervous.
"N-no…"
She answered almost immediately, resuming her steps.
But this time, something inside her did not want to remain silent.
She tightened her grip on the book, gathering the little courage she had.
"About… about earlier…"
Her voice was low and trembling, as if every word required an enormous effort.
"…it was interesting."
The silence that followed was brief, but to her, it felt eternal.
Diana lowered her gaze slightly, waiting for some reaction, some change, anything at all.
But Adel simply smiled faintly.
"I'm glad."
He only said two simple words.
But they were enough to make something in her chest feel lighter.
"..."
Diana blinked slowly, but before she could even think of anything else—
"If you want… I can tell you more later."
Adel added naturally.
As if it were nothing important, as if talking with her was something normal.
Diana raised her gaze slightly, surprised.
"Really…?"
"Of course."
Diana's grip on the book slowly relaxed.
And, almost without realizing it…
She smiled.
A small smile, barely visible, but completely sincere.
'Maybe…'
Her steps became a little lighter as they continued moving toward the Golden Forest.
'…this is what it feels like.'
To talk with someone without fear and without feeling alone.
***
'Damn, what a sentimental moment.'
Not being myself was truly strange.
'Anyway, building a relationship with one of the main characters, just like with Rinna, is beneficial.'
The Mission Window gave rewards regardless of who the character was.
Diana is one of them; naturally, her reward is something completely different from the others.
While with Rinna, the only reward would be the citizens' affection.
Lumina's would be her favorable impression and assistance.
Diana's is completely different.
'Well, let's see if Adel's reward is different.'
Each playable character had different rewards when you became friends with Diana.
I knew the rewards for all the other characters, but not Adel's.
Objectively speaking, even if I'm the creator of Adel's character, I don't know anything beyond his story.
Rewards, I don't know. Possible endings, same thing—I know nothing.
'If I had transmigrated after at least reading everything that could be done and obtained with Adel, it would've been a huge help.'
Diana, who was walking ahead, spoke softly.
"Here. We're here."
Returning from my thoughts, I recalled what the Golden Forest looked like.
A massive forest filled with towering twisted trees, their canopy covered in golden leaves that shone even brighter beneath the sunlight.
The reason it's called the Golden Forest is because it is literally golden.
Looking around, several cadets were entering and leaving the forest.
Those coming out appeared injured, others were limping, and some were being carried to the infirmary.
'It's just like in the game.'
Of course, I couldn't see this scene in real life, which I honestly would have liked to see.
'Damn it, why am I blind?'
With a long sigh, I turned toward Diana and said,
"Since we're here, it's time for us to part ways."
Diana lowered her head as if she were feeling down.
Seeing this, I spoke to reassure her.
"We can talk at the pavilion tomorrow."
At my words, Diana shook her head before nodding vigorously.
"Yes."
Without saying anything else, I entered the Golden Forest, leaving Diana behind.
After a couple of minutes, Alice's voice spoke.
〖That girl is quite nice and adorable, which is why I think I should hit you〗
"What? Why hit me?"
Surprised by my teacher's words, I asked, and she replied.
〖Do you think I don't know that you used her to come to the Golden Forest?〗
Shrugging my shoulders, I simply said,
"Well, what can I do? I'm blind."
A helpless blind person who needs help.
That's what I am.
Alice grunted angrily.
〖You're blind, but not helpless enough to need someone guiding you around; now tell me how you found that villain from last week〗
"No comment."
Time passed quickly while I chatted with my teacher; within a few hours, I reached the depths of the Golden Forest.
The atmosphere here was different; even the mana was denser.
But the biggest change was the smaller number of wild beasts in this area.
Along the way, I killed several wild beasts, removing their eyes as proof that I had killed them.
When I looked up, there was a massive mountain, with enormous birds flying around it.
Most of them were scavenger beasts.
Anyway, as I looked toward the mountain's peak, I let out a long sigh.
'The Class 6 beasts are mostly up there.'
From this point onward, I need to be extremely careful.
In the central region, I avoided every Class 4 and 5 beast so I could reach this mountain as quickly as possible.
〖You still haven't told me why you came to this region〗
My teacher's voice carried a hint of suspicion.
"To check whether the villains are around here."
〖Does that even make sense?〗
I suppose she means Director Bernice; she is naturally strong enough that no villain could escape her reach.
But the Church of the Black Dawn is a faction where villains are awakening traits never seen before.
They have already infiltrated the Academy, and one of their groups will probably come here for the Demonic Beast.
'Even though Director Bernice is a Ten-Star, the infiltrated villains possess specific traits that allow them to hide from her.'
And that makes their movements invisible to Director Bernice's eyes.
"Who knows, villains' actions are unpredictable."
At my response, my teacher simply sighed.
〖Whatever you say. Either way, I don't think that's the only reason you came here, right?〗
She really notices everything I think.
Nodding, I said:
"Yes, not long ago I discovered that a witch once lived on this mountain, and a truly powerful one."
〖A witch? What class?〗
"A Class 9 witch."
The item I'm searching for belonged to that witch.
Witches are best known for their curse magic.
And naturally, to weaken a Demonic Beast far stronger than me, I need a specific curse, and that curse is sealed within an item created by that witch.
'Well, I'm not exactly sure where that item is.'
Since it appears randomly, it is difficult to obtain, especially with the presence of Class 5 and Class 6 wild beasts.
Anyway, after giving my teacher a brief explanation, I began climbing the mountain.
---
Somewhere in the Golden Forest.
A woman sat cross-legged while a holographic screen floated in front of her.
"The target is currently at the Academy. He will probably participate in the Hunting Festival."
A man's voice reached the woman's ears.
At that moment, she was receiving a new mission.
Originally, she only had to infect a Class 5 wild beast so it would evolve into a Class 6 Demonic Beast.
However, she was suddenly contacted and given an extra mission.
"Mhm, seriously, more work, work here and work there, this is getting boring, but hey, little dwarf, who's the target?"
The voice on the other side of the holographic screen shouted.
"I'm not a fucking dwarf, I just didn't eat enough as a child… seriously, why do they pair me up with this crazy bitch?"
The woman waved her hand carelessly as a smile spread across her face.
"Alright, alright, little dwarf, so who's the target?"
The man sighed in frustration.
"You should already know him. In the end, wasn't he the one you loved playing with?"
"..."
The woman's expression froze for a second before a crazed laugh echoed throughout the cave.
Hearing her laughter, the man muttered:
"See what I mean? She's the craziest of them all. Fuck, I hate this shit."
Then the holographic screen disappeared, leaving the woman laughing.
"I can't believe it… h-how long has it been since I last saw you, hehe, my little Adel."
The hysterical laughter of a deranged madwoman caused the wild beasts outside to run away.
'It's been a while, little Adel.'