Chapter 51: A Favor, A Condition, and a New Resolve

“Were we ever close enough for me to do you favors? No. I refuse.”

Sowol’s immediate and blunt rejection stung. Her sharp gaze and cold tone were intimidating. The negative feelings Sayoreinne had accumulated over the semester weren’t going to disappear so easily.

Besides, apologizing now, after so long, might seem insincere, a mere ploy to get Sowol to agree to her request. ‘It’s my fault for putting it off for so long because of that awkwardness. I should have apologized sooner. It’s a good thing Emelly accepted my apology so readily.’

“Don’t be so harsh. Let’s hear her out.”

Sayo was grateful for Emelly’s support. Still, Sowol’s reaction was more normal, while Emelly’s was strange. They had barely interacted, yet Emelly, who had been the most hostile towards Sayo, now seemed indifferent, almost friendly.

Sayo thanked Emelly internally once again.

To achieve her goal, she had no choice but to keep asking Sowol.

“I apologize again for my past behavior. And I’d like to ask you again.” This time, Sayo bowed deeply, a gesture the old Sayoreinne would never have made towards a commoner like Sowol. “Would you be willing to spar with me regularly? Once or twice a week, perhaps?”

This was the reason she’d asked to meet them.

One might wonder why she needed Emelly present if the request was only for Sowol. Sowol still clearly disliked Sayo and would likely refuse to even meet with her. And even if Sayo managed to arrange a meeting, Sowol would probably refuse her request without even listening. Sayo needed someone to help persuade Sowol, and that someone was Emelly. For some reason, Emelly seemed to harbor no ill will towards Sayo, even a hint of goodwill. Sayo hoped Emelly would help her.

Sayo felt a bit guilty about using Emelly, but she had no other way to persuade Sowol. She really had no other choice.

Sowol glared at Sayo, then glanced at Emelly, who was smiling. She sighed and finally spoke.

“…For Emelly’s sake, I’ll hear you out. Why are you suddenly asking me this?”

“Well…” Sayo couldn’t be honest. She wanted to tell them everything, to explain that she knew the future, that a crisis was coming, and that she wanted to prevent it. But saying that would only make them think she was crazy or making fun of them. She needed a different explanation.

“Did you happen to see my spar with Kierre Petualan the other day?”

“A match between the top Magician and Reinforcement Magician? Of course, I watched.”

“Then you must have seen me get utterly crushed.”

“Hmm? You’re surprisingly willing to admit defeat. It did end rather quickly and anticlimactically, considering the high expectations. No one expected it to be over so fast.”

‘…That smug look on her face is irritating.’ Sayo felt a surge of annoyance, but Sowol was right. Sayo was weaker than Kierre, and she had been defeated without landing a single blow. ‘The truth hurts.’

“…I think that’s enough explanation, isn’t it? I was clearly outmatched in that fight against a Reinforcement Magician, and I want to improve by sparring with you.”

“That’s a valid reason, but—”

“Sowol? Come here for a second.”

Emelly pulled Sowol aside and whispered something in her ear. Sowol nodded reluctantly, then returned to Sayo.

“…Despite my personal feelings, I’ve observed you for a year now, and you seem to have changed… somewhat. And while I don’t like it, for some reason, Emelly seems to want to help you, so I’ll agree.”

“Huh?”

“I said I’ll do it.”

“Oh, thank you, Sowol. Really.” Stunned by the unexpected answer, Sayo bowed her head again. She’d been prepared to pester Sowol for days, but thanks to Emelly’s intervention, she’d gotten Sowol’s agreement surprisingly quickly.

“However, I have a condition.”

“A condition?”

“You have to do me a favor in return later.”

“Okay. Fair enough. But I can’t do anything too unreasonable.”

“I wasn’t planning on asking you for anything too difficult.”

Sayo had essentially traded a “favor voucher,” but Emelly and Sowol’s whispered conversation made her uneasy. ‘Still, it’s just a favor, not a wish. They’ll ask for something reasonable, right? And if it’s not, I can just refuse. It’s not like I’m obligated.’

Satisfied with the outcome, Sayo said goodbye and parted ways.

“Waaah~!”

“Eek?!”

“Ahaha, did I scare you?”

On her way back to the dormitory, Leia suddenly jumped out and yelled, startling Sayo. ‘…Actually, I was terrified.’ Sayo pressed her hand against her racing heart, trying to calm down, and wondered why Leia was still here.

After seeing her friends off, Sayo had spent a considerable amount of time talking to Emelly and Sowol. The winter sun had almost set, and it was getting dark. ‘Why are you still at the academy?’

“I saw you waaaay over there on my way back and wanted to surprise you~!”

‘Hmm…’ As Leia clung to her on their way to the dormitory, Sayo felt a surge of gratitude. Sayo had been hesitant to approach Leia, unsure how to interact with her, but Leia had approached her without any reservations. ‘I should talk to Leia properly sometime.’ Sayo was curious why Leia, who had been the most difficult heroine to romance in the game, was so interested in her.

And then, there was the matter of asking Leia to join her in the ‘future.’

Sayo had always liked Leia, and she wanted Leia to be with her in the ‘future.’ Now that Leia was showing such strong interest in Sayo, it was a good time to ask. She hadn’t broached the topic with Nell and Euru yet, but ‘…they’ll say yes, right?’ ‘Yes, they will.’ ‘Nell, Euru, Leia, Emelly, Sowol, Soine, and Miner… If they could all be together in the future, that would be wonderful.’ That’s what Sayo was striving for.

Lost in thought, Sayo hadn’t realized they’d already reached the dormitory. It was time to part ways with Leia. As they arrived, Leia finally detached herself from Sayo, waving goodbye.

Suddenly, Sayo felt an impulse. Leia had always been the one to approach her. ‘Couldn’t I take the initiative this time?’ Acting on her impulse, Sayo stepped forward and hugged Leia. Leia’s eyes widened in surprise, then she smiled and hugged Sayo back.

“Go on in, Lei. See you tomorrow.”

“Aha, that’s the first time Sayo has hugged me~! See you tomorrow, Sayo!”

Sayo watched Leia walk away, then turned and headed towards her room. The hug had felt fine in the moment, but now, thinking about it, Sayo felt embarrassed. She touched her burning cheeks as she walked.

And the sparring sessions with Sowol began the very next day.

“Gah!” Sowol’s spear staff tripped Sayo, sending her tumbling to the ground. The spear tip stopped just inches from Sayo’s throat. She raised her hands in surrender. ‘Another loss…’

“You seem to be out of mana. Let’s take a break.” Sowol slung her spear over her shoulder and walked over to Emelly, who was watching from a distance.

“Haa…” Sayo’s body felt heavy and sluggish. This untrained body was so weak. On top of that, her mental strength was depleted from mana exhaustion, giving her a headache. She felt dizzy and tired. ‘Why am I doing this?’ A sudden doubt crept into her mind.

‘Is this really necessary? Even when I was the enemy, Emelly and her friends managed to defeat me, didn’t they? I don’t need to train so hard. Just joining Emelly’s side would increase our forces and weaken the enemy’s. Isn’t that enough?’

‘I could just enjoy my school life with Ahrin, Nell, Euru, Soine, and Miner, and things would probably turn out much better than in the game, even with minimal effort…’

‘…I want to whine and complain, but that won’t change anything.’ In this reality, where the game had become real life, Sayo couldn’t ignore the possibility of unforeseen circumstances. The best she could do now was improve her magic and gain combat experience.

‘Ugh, this mana exhaustion is making me dizzy.’

Slap!

“…What was that? Self-harm? Did you use too much mana and lose your mind?” Sowol, who had returned with a bottle of water from Emelly, looked at Sayo with a puzzled expression.

“I was just trying to snap myself out of it.”

“That’s a rather… forceful method for a frail Marquis’s daughter.”

“Stop being sarcastic.”

“No, Emelly, I wasn’t being sarcastic…” Sowol’s attempt to provoke Sayo was met with a reprimand from Emelly, turning her into a meek puppy. ‘I wish she’d stop acting like a cat around me.’

Sayo leaned against the wall, drinking the water Emelly had given her. She needed to rest; she’d be back on the ground sparring again soon.