NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 59 - She’s Really Crying.
Chapter 59: She’s Really Crying.
“….”
After we were paired up, an awkward atmosphere lingered between Trixie and me.
To be precise, it was Trixie who felt somewhat awkward around me.
It made sense. We were about to have a “duel,” and even our last conversation hadn’t been in the best of moods.
“Breakfast.”
Finally, Trixie broke the silence. That was the first thing she said.
Honestly, I’d rather walk around alone. I have my own plans, and she has hers.
But unfortunately, we can’t act individually.
◎ If your partner disappears for more than 15 minutes and then reappears, you should ignore them. That’s not your partner.
It’s because of this clause. In other words, we can’t be apart for more than 15 minutes.
I’m not afraid of some anomaly…. But Trixie would be the problem. She would end up getting swept away.
‘Well, just this once.’
Trixie von Fritz.
I had already marked her as a candidate for the Hunting Competition. Therefore, I had no choice but to comply with the clause.
“Let’s have breakfast.”
She urged. I nodded silently. I wasn’t planning on skipping breakfast anyway.
“Let’s go.”
I had already memorized the geography of Saphora by looking over the guidebook last night. Now, there wasn’t a single place in this fairground that I didn’t know.
“Wait.”
Trixie tried to stop me.
“The restaurant isn’t that way.”
“Follow me.”
“No.”
But I ignored her and started walking in the direction I had intended.
“…Where are you going?”
In the end, Trixie had no choice but to follow me. She spoke again.
“What are you doing? That’s not the area for first-timers.”
I knew that better than anyone. But what could I do if the better restaurants were only in areas beyond the first-timers’ section?
I kept walking resolutely. Trixie followed behind me with a displeased expression.
Before long, a sign came into view.
[ ♬ ]
The sign only had a musical note on it. This was the restaurant I had in mind, ‘Harmony.’
“…You don’t seriously plan on eating here, do you?”
“Today’s breakfast will be here, so keep that in mind.”
At that moment, a waiter dressed neatly in a suit approached us. He looked ordinary, but there was a gold pin on his chest.
“Good morning, sir. If you have a reservation, may I ask for your name?”
“We didn’t make one. We’ll just leave.”
Trixie stepped forward and answered. The waiter’s gaze naturally shifted to the white badges on our chests.
Soon, a troubled smile appeared on his face.
“White badges…. I’m sorry, but for the safety of our guests, it will be difficult for you to use Harmony.”
“No, it’s entirely possible.”
The troubled look on the waiter’s face deepened slightly. He politely gestured towards a board with a list of names.
“As you can see, even the pen used to write on the list has a yellow badge attached….”
“What are you doing? Let’s go. We have to follow the rules.”
Trixie urged, but I silently reached out.
The white badge attached to my uniform does not represent me. It also cannot bind me.
The pen in my grasp moved smoothly across the board. Before long, both Trixie’s and my names were written down.
“Hmm.”
[ Kaplan ]
Out of habit, I ended up writing my real name. It seemed it was ingrained in my soul, and I couldn’t help it.
I considered crossing it out but left it as it was. The handwriting wasn’t particularly legible, and it didn’t matter if anyone recognized it.
“…!”
Both Trixie and the waiter’s faces showed surprise simultaneously. I calmly asked the waiter.
“Is it done?”
He nodded, his face blank with astonishment. But he quickly regained his composure and began to guide us.
“C-Confirmed. Please come in.”
“….”
Trixie looked at me with narrowed eyes. Ignoring her, I walked in leisurely.
Since we arrived right after the restaurant opened, we were almost the first customers. It wasn’t difficult to secure a seat by the window.
As I surveyed the restaurant’s interior, I once again felt that my choice had been correct.
Unattended string instruments moved by themselves, creating a melody, and every delicate decoration in the restaurant was elegant.
“Sit.”
“….”
Trixie stared at me as I took my seat.
The reason was obvious. From the dining table to the chairs, forks, knives, and spoons… everything had a yellow badge on it.
Snap─!
I snapped my fingers once.
By forming a thin barrier around Trixie, I ensured that her burden would be absorbed by me. With Hera around, using this much mana was easy.
“Now, sit down. It’s fine.”
Trixie looked at me with a suspicious gaze. However, I only returned a calm look.
Soon, Trixie’s fingers moved. Very cautiously, she poked the chair with her fingertips.
Poke, poke, poke.
“….”
After confirming three times that nothing happened, Trixie quickly sat down on the chair.
“…How is it?”
She spoke while slightly lifting her chin. It seemed she thought she had managed to endure it thanks to her own ability.
The waiter approached with a menu.
“Welcome, both of you. On such a fine day, what would you like to have?”
I handed the menu to Trixie.
Trixie then started ordering three salads.
“Hold on.”
I had to intervene before our breakfast was completely ruined. I spoke to the waiter.
“Prepare three salads. Each with different dressings.”
I pointed out exactly three dressings from the menu.
“Don’t bring them all at once. Bring them at intervals of exactly 6 minutes and 14 seconds. Understood?”
“Yes. Will that be all?”
“Of course not. Finally, two steaks. I’ll specify the cuts now. Cook them both thoroughly.”
I slowly specified the cuts and dressings for the meat.
“Understood. Harmony is fortunate to have such excellent first guests today.”
The waiter smiled politely and withdrew.
“….”
Trixie looked at me, a little stunned.
After the waiter disappeared, a silence fell. Trixie spoke.
“You seem to come here often.”
“Do you take me for a beggar?”
“You are a beggar.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Come to think of it, Trixie believed I was a commoner.
“Let’s say that’s true.”
I nodded. Compared to my previous life, being called a beggar now wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
This time, I spoke up.
“You’re a noble’s daughter…. Was that how you ordered?”
“I only eat salad.”
I had pointed out her overall ordering style, but she seemed to think I was criticizing her for only ordering salad.
Of course, I find it hard to understand why anyone would only eat salad all the time. From a magical perspective, it’s not a balanced diet.
“Why don’t you eat something else?”
“I can’t. I have to do ballet.”
“…You?”
Does she have time for ballet when there’s a duel coming up?
Is she overflowing with confidence or has she given up?
However, it seemed Trixie had misunderstood my words once again. Her face blushed slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
Trixie’s gaze shifted to her chest. Naturally, my eyes followed.
Now that I see it, there was another problem with doing ballet.
“Why do you carry those around so ignorantly?”
That was the literal truth. Even in the previous world, she had been proud of her chest…. But it hadn’t been this big.
Trixie’s face flushed red, looking as if it might explode.
“…I-Ignorantly? This is fat that doesn’t go away. What do you know?”
“I don’t need to know.”
“And even with a big chest, you can still do ballet.”
I have no particular interest in other people’s chests. However, from the perspective of using magic, it would be inconvenient.
I gave her some advice.
“Engrave a magic circle there. Then it’ll be useful.”
“Are you crazy? Saying that about someone’s chest…!”
Tsk, I just clicked my tongue and ended the conversation.
From personal preferences to interests…. There’s too big a gap between us to even make small talk.
While I was silently enjoying the melody of the string instruments, I noticed a familiar woman.
An elf with golden hair and pointed ears.
She was perfectly disguised as a staff member with a golden pin on her chest, but I could see her true identity clearly.
The vampire I encountered in the library. She was snooping around this area.
“It seems you’ll have to eat alone.”
“…What?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back within 15 minutes.”
Leaving a bewildered Trixie behind, I headed out of the restaurant.
The vampire woman was busy snooping around. I quietly called out to her.
“Hey.”
“…!”
She flinched in surprise and didn’t know what to do. She must have been snooping around because of me.
“You’re terrible at sneaking around.”
“S-Sorry. I just have something to report to Maiev….”
We moved to a secluded spot. It was so isolated that no one would likely stumble upon it.
“Take this.”
I handed her a Trivia.
Before coming to Saphora, I had prepared two additional Trivias.
I planned to use these Trivias solely for communication with the vampires.
“From now on, contact me using this. I can’t bear to see your clumsy behavior with my own eyes.”
“I-I’ll do that….”
“Name.”
At those two words, her face drooped further.
“Well…. I’ve told you over 20 times….”
“Do I have to remember your name?”
“T-Teresa!”
Teresa.
I nodded to her.
“So, what were you going to report?”
“Yes. I’ll report now.”
Teresa gulped once before speaking.
“First, we’ve confirmed the location of the item. The artwork named ‘Dream’ is itself a magical tool.”
“Anything else?”
“We’ve confirmed that the midterm evaluation has begun. We plan to act accordingly.”
I furrowed my brows without realizing it. The midterm evaluation has begun?
…It means Maiev has already taken action.
I spoke with a hint of curiosity.
“You’re not completely clueless. I was worried you wouldn’t even realize it because you’re so primitive.”
“I’m not that bad. I can recognize Maiev’s magic right away.”
Is Maiev using such distinctive magic? My interest naturally grew.
“Should I use it on you as well?”
“N-No, I-I’ll pass!”
Teresa shook her hands from side to side.
“I don’t want to be trapped inside a frame. I’d rather die than be turned into a living specimen. P-Please have mercy!”
A living specimen…. It seems like a combination of ‘transmutation’ and ‘harmony.’
I’ve confirmed Maiev’s Inherent Ability. Now, I just need to calculate how to counter it.
Teresa bowed her head.
“I’ll see you in two hours then, proud member of our clan.”
I quietly nodded. I could also deduce that the vampires’ “midterm evaluation” would take place in two hours.
Two hours.
That was more than enough time to come up with a plan.
◈
“…What the hell.”
Trixie was left alone.
However, she had no intention of holding onto Flan. By now, she knew that he was someone who acted as he pleased, even more so than she did.
‘He was incredibly skilled at ordering.’
He didn’t seem nervous at all when dealing with the waiter, and he didn’t even hesitate when choosing from the menu.
It would be impossible for someone who hadn’t been exposed to fine dining regularly…. Flan always surprised Trixie.
Just then, the food was placed on the table. The girl left alone picked up her fork and knife.
Is a restaurant with yellow badges really different?
…In less than 5 minutes, she had finished eating. She even ate all of Flan’s food.
“Hmph.”
Trixie coughed slightly and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Flan should be here by now, but there was no sign of him.
‘Should I wait in front of the restaurant?’
For now, that seemed like the most reasonable choice. If she started wandering around, they might end up missing each other.
But then, a name on the board caught her eye.
[ Kaplan ]
The handwriting was so smooth that it was hard to recognize, but Trixie was sure she had seen this form before.
Even if she couldn’t recognize it, she could tell that the handwriting was exceptional.
There were few in the Fritz family who could write as elegantly as this.
She copied it onto a page of the Trivia. With a little more thought, she might remember where she had seen it before.
“…?”
Then suddenly, Trixie’s eyes widened.
‘You’re thinking only about Flan.’
Am I? Thinking about another guy?
She shook her head vigorously. It couldn’t be helped. He was her designated partner, and he had disappeared.
“…Where did he go?”
How many minutes were left until the 15-minute mark? She didn’t want to get caught up in any anomalies.
But then.
“…Ugh.”
Suddenly, she felt dizzy. At the same time, a strong wind blew.
Trixie closed her eyes tightly. Her hair fluttered wildly.
When she opened her eyes moments later, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.
A completely white room.
In front, to the sides, behind, above, and even on the floor…. Mirror-like frames were plastered everywhere.
Trixie happened to look into one of them.
“…?”
And she unconsciously took a step back in confusion. The mirror didn’t reflect her as she was.
‘What’s this?’
In the mirror, Trixie stood before a tombstone. She distinctly remembered that day.
Shortly after she lost her mother. In other words, it was a moment from her past.
Noticing that the reflection in the mirror was a “reality,” Trixie began to check the contents of the other mirrors as well.
“The Magic Department’s arena?”
Judging by the appearance, it was unmistakable. The arena was filled with spectators, and in the center stood someone.
Blue hair, flickering blue flames…. It wasn’t hard to recognize that it was herself.
‘That’s me too.’
Even though her entire body was a wreck, she stood proudly, receiving the shower of cheers like rain.
‘…I don’t remember this.’
She had no memory of experiencing something like that. She hadn’t even dreamed of it.
But the scene in the mirror was vividly unfolding as if it were real.
Crack─!
Just as she tried to take a closer look, the mirror cracked like a spider web and shattered.
“….”
Trixie swallowed dryly. She had no choice but to approach another mirror.
This time, it was the largest one.
The world was bathed in an orange glow, under a setting sun. In an unknown place, the Trixie in the mirror was kneeling.
Only her back was visible. However.
‘No way, is she crying?’
The shoulders of the Trixie in the mirror trembled violently. Something transparent and sparkling kept falling beneath her chin.
‘…She’s really crying.’
The Trixie in the mirror was clearly sobbing.
And she was doing so while holding someone who had collapsed.
Clutching the fallen person’s hand to her cheek, she was crying uncontrollably.
It was heart-wrenching. Even without sound, the emotions were palpable.
‘Why is she like that?’
Trixie furrowed her brows without realizing it.
Kneeling, embracing someone else, shaking with tears…. All of this was unimaginable for her.
She knew better than anyone that she didn’t care about others to that extent.
It was around that time that the Trixie in the mirror turned her head towards this side.
Simultaneously.
The face of the person collapsed in her arms became briefly visible.
The moment she identified that person.
“…!”
Trixie was so shocked that she couldn’t even scream.