Lumia and I sat in the square, eating cake.
Since it was midnight, there was no one around, which meant my outfit didn’t stand out.
“Does the cake suit your taste?”
“I like it.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Except for the fact that I have bad memories when it comes to cake.”
“I’m sorry…”
Lumia looked at me, crestfallen by my joke, but she kept staring at my face.
She must have thought I’d take off my mask to eat the cake, but since I had shrouded my face in darkness, there was no worry about being recognized.
“Um… Who are you?”
She asked me as I finished the cake.
Who am I? I’m your friend, Wade.
I came to make sure your resolve doesn’t falter and you refuse to go to Noiren.
But telling her the truth wasn’t an option.
It was better to hide my identity as much as possible while helping her.
She needed to grow closer to Kalian, not me.
“My name is… hmm, Markelion… Yeah, Markelion. You can call me Markel for short.”
“Markel…”
When I gave her a plausible name, she clenched her fist as if determined never to forget it.
“I’m truly grateful for saving me before.”
“It’s nothing. I just happened to be there, like tonight.”
“Even so, if it weren’t for you, I would have died that day, unable to do anything. I bow my head in thanks once again.”
Lumia stood up and bowed sincerely.
“But I still have so many questions. Who you are, why you saved me… things like that.”
“I’m just a drifter who likes to see happy endings. That’s all you need to know.”
“A happy ending…”
“The reason I saved you, well…”
I stroked my chin.
“It’s because you’re talented.”
“Talented?”
“I’m interested in people with extraordinary abilities. The more such people there are, the easier it is to see a happy ending.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand what you mean. And as for talent… you’ve chosen the wrong person. I’m just a failure at the academy.”
“Is that so?”
Lumia nodded bitterly.
“Yes. I’m a coward and incompetent. Honestly, I’m someone who doesn’t even deserve to be saved by you.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because… I’m used to running away. Even if a friend is in danger, I abandon them and run to save myself. You saw it too, didn’t you, Markel?”
“That’s something everyone has done at least once in their life.”
“It wasn’t just once for me. I’ve done it before.”
“What happened back then?”
“That’s…”
She hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
“It was when I first entered the academy. A year ago, I had a very close friend. We used to promise that we’d give our lives for each other if it came to it… a friend like that.”
Lumia had originally been a top student.
Despite being a commoner and coming from a poor background, she was able to enter Arcana thanks to a scholarship earned through exceptional talent.
She consistently achieved top grades in most of her classes.
Unlike now, she didn’t have to work multiple part-time jobs.
Her latent talent hadn’t yet fully blossomed—it was just the tip of the iceberg.
Even so, her skills were enough to aim for the top.
The nobles didn’t dare mock her, and for commoners, Lumia was an object of admiration.
Her confidence soared.
She even thought her talent might have been a gift from the heavens, meant to guide her to help others.
However, a change disrupted her peaceful life.
An unidentified organization whose identity remained a mystery attacked the capital.
The enigmatic group attacked everyone in Perseidon, nobles and commoners alike, and Lumia and her friend were among their targets.
“At first, I was a little excited. I thought, ‘Finally, it’s time to use my power. I have to save people in danger….’”
Though she could have fled at any moment, Lumia chose to throw herself into the danger that day.
She ignored her friend’s warnings not to engage, as it was too dangerous.
As Lumia took down attackers one by one, her friend’s worried voice faded into the background.
“I should have just listened to my friend back then….”
Not long after plunging into the chaos, a particularly strong assailant appeared.
Lumia thought she could handle anyone, but she was defeated.
Completely overwhelmed by an insurmountable gap in strength, she was utterly crushed.
It was her first taste of defeat and her first experience with the terror of death.
“When I came to my senses, I found myself abandoning my friend and running away… even though I was the one who had dragged them into it.”
“That’s when I realized my talent was nothing but sheer luck, and that Lumia as a person was insignificant. In the end, I even lost that insignificant talent.”
Since that day, Lumia had been unable to properly wield mana.
She didn’t know why—whether it was guilt from abandoning her friend or the deep-seated fear of death.
“Either way, the answer is clear. I’m a murderer who killed my friend, a coward, and now a talentless failure.”
Lumia finished her story and looked back at me with a self-deprecating smile.
But I… was lying down, snoring.
“Huh?”
“ZZZ…”
“This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone this… Wake up and say something! Don’t sleep—scold me or hit me or something!”
“Huh? What…? Is it morning already…?”
I groggily sat up.
“Oh, sorry. Where were we?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Uh… Something about you having a close friend at the academy?”
“So you were asleep from the very beginning!”
I gave the flustered Lumia a thumbs-up.
“Thanks. It’s been a while since I had such a good nap. You might not have much else, but you definitely have a talent for lullabies.”
“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
I stood up.
“You admit it so easily… Wait, where are you going?”
“Where do you think? I slept, so I’m going home.”
“You came all the way here just to sleep?”
“There’s no reason to stay now that I’ve rested. Unless you have something else to say? Though that might be a problem—I’m not sleepy anymore.”
“No, I don’t have anything else to say…”
“Great. Then I’m off.”
I turned my back on her.
She wasn’t actually leaving; instead, she cast her bait to draw Lumia in.
Even if my goal was clear, revealing it outright would be amateurish.
Letting the other person fall into the net on their own was the mark of a master.
“Wait, please!”
Lumia, weak to push-and-pull tactics, took the bait easily.
She fidgeted with her hands, hesitating for a moment before finally speaking up.
“Um… well… so…”
“So?”
“I… I-I…”
“I?”
“Please become my mentor!”
“Mentor?”
I looked at her silently as Lumia pleaded with a desperate voice.
“I’ve only met a handful of truly strong people in my life. I want to be strong, like you. Please teach me how to be like you.”
“Didn’t you just say you were talentless and insignificant? What would I gain from teaching someone like that?”
“Even so… I want to change. At the very least, I don’t want to be ashamed in front of the new friends I’ve made.”
“Really?”
This was one of the outcomes I had hoped for.
I needed a good excuse to teach Lumia various things, and now I had it.
“Hmm… I’ll have to decline. I’m not the kind of person who has the free time to teach just anyone. If you’re done talking, I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait, please!”
As I shook my head and started walking away, Lumia knelt and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“Please, I know I’ll never get another chance like this. I’ll give everything I have. I’ll do whatever you say. Just… please help me start anew.”
“Start anew? Do you think I’m some kind of god? A person’s essence doesn’t change so easily.”
“Please, I’m begging you….”
“Even if you beg, you know better than anyone that the world doesn’t bend to your will.”
Leaving Lumia prostrate on the ground, I walked away.
One, two, three, four, five steps in, I casually tossed out my words.
“I don’t usually take on disciples, but… since I’ve got my eye on you, I might consider occasionally helping you when I have the time.”
“Really?!”
“Don’t get your hopes up. I act based on my whims, and I’m not particularly talented at teaching anyone.”
“I’ll gratefully accept any guidance you give.”
Lumia, startled, lifted her head.
Her forehead was smeared with dirt, but her expression was as bright as ever, as if nothing had happened.
“It’s too soon to celebrate. To see if you’re suitable to be my disciple, I’ll give you one test.”
“A test…?”
“Why? Don’t want to take it?”
“No, tell me whatever it is. I’ll do my best.”
Finally, I revealed the crux of my plan, the very reason I had sought her out today.
“Today, you spoke with your friend. You were asked to clear out criminals in Noiren.”
“How do you know about that…?”
“You seem hesitant to accept the request, but don’t refuse it. Take it.”
“Alright… What do I need to do there?”
Lumia agreed readily.
She probably had countless questions, but she knew better than anyone that she wasn’t in a position to argue over minor details.
I spread my hands leisurely, as if offering her a tremendous favor.
“What you need to do is simple. Protect your friend.”
“What?”
“No matter what danger comes your way, even if you face an opponent you can’t defeat despite risking everything… protect your friend. Simple, isn’t it?”
“What does that…?”
She couldn’t fully grasp the intent behind my words, but in the end, she agreed to the test.
With this, half of my plan was complete.
To be continued.