[Elena PoV]
Ughhh... My head hurts so much...
I opened my eyes; it seems I lost consciousness after being hit by Raul's strange magic attack. Honestly, what kind of magic was he using?
"Elena, are you awake?"
I heard a familiar voice from beside me. A green-haired girl was walking toward me.
"Valeria...? Why are you here?"
She smiled and knelt beside me. "How are you feeling? Can you move?"
I tried to move my arms and legs, but both felt heavy and stiff. I also noticed small blue spots covering my entire body.
"What happened to me, Valeria?" I asked, slightly confused by my condition.
"Can you tell me what happened to your group first?"
At Valeria's prompt, I began to recount what happened when we encountered Raul in that tunnel—how he seemed to have rigged the passage to collapse easily just by destroying a few support beams.
"He's always one step ahead of us..." Valeria muttered after hearing my explanation. "And I think I know what happened to you after hearing your story."
Valeria carefully adjusted my uniform and held my left hand.
"Your mana circuits have been disrupted, Elena. You won't be able to use magic until they recover," Valeria said, pointing to the blue spots on my skin. "I once read about a spell called Reject Impact in my father's library."
Valeria then began to explain the magic Raul had used against me.
Reject Impact is a spell designed to disrupt someone's mana flow by forcing the caster's own mana into the victim's circuits. However, while the effect is incredibly powerful, the caster's own hand suffers an identical consequence. The shockwave generated by this magic paralyzes the nervous system of the limb used to cast it.
"However, this magic is extremely difficult to master and carries a very high risk," Valeria said with an unreadable expression.
"Why is that?"
Just how hard could it be to master the magic Raul used? If I could use it, perhaps I would have a better chance against powerful mages.
"My father said that of all the mages or Knights he knew in his lifetime, only two people could actually use this spell," Valeria revealed.
"Huh? Is it really that difficult to master?" I was quite shocked by Valeria's explanation.
"No, it's more that most don't dare to even try training it. If they fail during the process, their mana circuits will be shattered forever, and they'll never be able to use magic again."
Hearing Valeria's words sent a shiver down my spine. How could Raul master this spell and use it so effectively, knowing the risks if it failed?
"Here, Elena, try to rest for a while," Valeria said, handing me water in a coconut shell. "It turns out there's a river flowing through this underground mine. It seems to be connected to the main river on the island."
Is that so? Did Raul know about this too? Is that why he chose this place as his hideout—because it has an abundant water source for him to survive?
"Valeria! We found something interesting in the river!" one of the Clan members called out, approaching us.
Valeria helped me up and supported me as we walked, as my body still felt weak. Once we reached the river, we found a blonde-haired man who looked like he had just washed up on the bank.
"Ughhh... Brian, that idiot child..." Valeria muttered, clutching her head as if holding back an explosion of emotion. "He must have fallen for that pervert's scheme again and lost all the members he was leading."
Valeria approached the unconscious Brian and kicked his leg hard.
— Bam!
"WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!"
"Aghhhh! I'm drowning! Dammit! Swim, swim! Cough... cough..."
Brian bolted upright, his hands flailing. It seemed he had passed out while nearly drowning in the current.
"Ughh... what actually happened?" Brian asked, looking dazed.
"We should be the ones asking that," Valeria said irritably. "What happened to the group you were leading, Brian?"
Brian looked at Valeria, who was giving him a freezing glare.
"Ughhh... Raul pushed me into the river again..." Brian said quietly.
"We figured that out without asking. What we want to know is: how are the members you were leading?" Valeria pressed.
Brian simply looked away; it seemed he had no idea what happened to them after he fell.
"You really are something... I've told you so many times not to let that pervert provoke you," Valeria said, rubbing her temples.
"How could I not be provoked? He told me right to my face that he had defiled Ariel with his filthy hands!" Brian shouted in his defense.
Knowing Raul's personality so far... I didn't think he would actually do that to Ariel. However, his attitude since this first stage began has been getting worse, and for some reason, the thought of Raul defiling the innocent and kind Ariel made me slightly annoyed.
"Fine. I found Elena not long ago as well. We will rest and spend the night here until you recover, Brian, before we face that pervert again," Valeria said, stepping back to help me walk.
***
[Raul PoV]
After defeating the ten Clan members led by Brian, I returned to my hideout. I was quite exhausted after fighting ten people at once with only one hand. It would be much easier if both my hands were functioning normally.
"You're back."
Ariel looked at me with a flat expression. It seemed she was incredibly bored being here alone.
"I am," I replied briefly, sitting down and leaning against the stone wall. "I just ran into Brian's group."
At this, Ariel's eyes widened, and she moved closer to me. "Really? Where is he now?"
"Well... I dropped him into a river again and finished off the members he was leading," I answered bluntly.
"I hope he's okay," Ariel said hopefully. "But I believe he will save me sooner or later."
Seeing Ariel's unwavering faith in Brian, I grew curious: does the current Ariel truly love Brian?
In the game, Ariel realizes her feelings for Brian at the end of the second chapter, after the year-end competition. However, the thick-headed Brian only confesses his love in the third chapter—when Ariel is crying after seeing academy students die at the hands of a Raul who had sold his soul to demons. Brian told her then that he would always be by her side no matter what and would always save her if she was in danger.
Right now, I don't know if the flow of this world will remain the same as the game since I've messed up several key events. I wondered if I should make Ariel fall in love with Brian too.
Lost in thought, I watched Ariel's face as she smiled, thinking that Brian would soon rescue her. She then caught me staring and became awkward under my prolonged gaze.
"W-why are you looking at me like that, Raul? Is there something on my face?" Ariel asked, covering her face with her hands.
"Hey, Ariel..." I called her name.
"Y-yes?"
"Do you really love Brian?" I asked sincerely.
I wanted to know the progress of Brian and Ariel's romance. In the game, if they are together in battle, they are virtually invincible. Every man in that world would feel immense jealousy toward Brian for having the Saint—whose beauty rivaled the Goddess Diana herself—as his lover.
"Eh? W-why are you asking that now?" Ariel asked, looking shy and fiddling with her fingers.
I just watched and waited for her to answer. She looked like she was struggling to find the words.
"I don't know," Ariel answered. "Even though he's often childish, he's a responsible man who always helps those in need. I want to stay by his side for now."
For some reason, Ariel's answer reminded me of my last conversation with Liana before I was transported into this game world. It made me yearn for the past when we were still together.
Well... seeing her expression like that when talking about Brian, I suppose the current trajectory for the romance between them remains the same as in the game.
But somehow, seeing her happy expression and sweet smile when talking about Brian made my chest ache. It's been over a month since I moved into Raul's body, but his feelings for Ariel still frequently surface and mix with my own emotions.
Raul's emotion is jealousy at hearing Ariel speak positively about Brian. No... this emotion is mine now; I'm only thinking that way to stay in denial about the feelings I have.
"What's wrong, Raul? Your cheek... is wet with tears?" Ariel asked, reaching out to touch my face.
I caught her hand, preventing her from touching me.
Come to think of it, after hearing Liana's last words, I cried like this too.
I... miss her... I miss the times we were together during college. Her smile, her warmth, and her affection. I was a fool to choose making this game over a life with her. Now, she must be happy with that man, right? Perhaps right now, they're together... having dinner, watching a movie, and talking as a couple.
"Ra-raul, could you let go of my hand?"
I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Ariel's voice. Her face was full of confusion at my sudden strange behavior.
"What is it... Raul?" Ariel asked.
"It's nothing. Sorry for acting weird all of a sudden," I replied, standing up and leaving the hideout to be alone for a moment elsewhere.
I'm glad Ariel is an innocent woman. If she were Liana—my ex—she would always understand exactly what I was feeling and thinking just by looking at my expression. That was how deep our connection used to be.
I walked to a small stream where I usually got water. There, I splashed my face and saw Raul's reflection in the clear water.
"That wasn't very cool, crying in front of Ariel even though I've lived for 25 years."
If Liana saw this, she would definitely lecture me for hours. Remembering those memories is beautiful yet painful given the current reality.
"Sigh... alright, forget the past for now. Tomorrow is the time to teach them something in this exam."
I regained my resolve. For now, I must still strive to make this world gradually better.