Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139845596077433
After parting ways with Liene, I used the magic circle to teleport instantly.
As my entire body was enveloped in light, a sensation of floating washed over me. It felt as though I were rising rapidly from the bottom of the water. It was a slightly strange feeling.
When my vision cleared, I found myself in a hallway on the upper floors of the school building, where the S-Class students were located.
The commotion from just moments ago had fallen silent as if it were a lie, and the light streaming through the windows reflected off the polished floor. Several portraits hung on the walls, their achievements listed in small text beneath the frames.
(……Reached the core of the Primordial Labyrinth――. She, from 500 years ago……)
A portrait of a student framed in gold.
A beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, her expression gentle. She gives the distinct impression of a noble lady, but judging by her achievements, she must have possessed tremendous strength.
I quietly paid my respects as I passed by the portrait and made my way to the front of the classroom.
“Here it is.”
Elisia said briefly and opened the door.
As she entered the classroom, quiet gazes turned toward her.
There are about a dozen boys and girls, and judging by the color of their ties, most seem to be relatively older. Many of the glances flying its way from these classmates feel less like curiosity and more like a sizing-up. It’s hard to describe, but the stiff atmosphere of “the elite group” makes me feel a little uncomfortable.
“Ah! You came after all!”
Just as I was feeling a bit out of place, a girl came running toward her from by the window.
She was wearing a lab coat and had leather goggles perched on her dark brown hair. Judging by her yellow tie, she was probably still only 15?
Rattling her toolbox loudly as she ran toward me, she stopped right in front of me, looked up at me with emerald-green eyes, and broke into a beaming smile.
“You’re here, Mr. Strongest! I knew you’d be assigned here! I mean, I mean! You took out Grandpa’s prized golem in a flash! Hey, did you know? That golem was imbued with enhancement magic! It’s built so it can’t be destroyed just like that! And yet…—”
A barrage of words followed.
Just as I was getting flustered by her nonstop rambling, Elisia, who had been standing next to me, stepped in front of her. Only then did she finally shut her mouth.
“Rio. I understand how you feel, but calm down. He doesn’t even know your name yet, you know?”
“—Oh, sorry. I haven’t even introduced myself yet.”
Saying that, she took a step back and bowed.
Her long ponytail and white lab coat swayed gently.
“My name is Rio! Rio Clauser! My dream is to become an amazing mage engineer who’ll one day surpass my grandpa! Nice to meet you!”
Riding the momentum, she thrust her hand out firmly.
When I shook her hand, I found her grip was surprisingly strong.
“I’m Rai. —Nice to meet you, Rio.”
“Hehe! Nice to meet you too, Rai!”
She smiled contentedly, and the toolbox she was carrying clattered noisily again.
(……Rio. So that’s it—she’s Albert’s granddaughter……)
As I shook her hand, my thoughts drifted to my knowledge of the original story.
“Albert Clauser,” the great genius who laid the foundation of the magical civilization. The man who created countless magical machines and artifacts. —The fact that he had a granddaughter was, at least, hinted at in the original story.
In the story, whenever Albert spoke of her, he always seemed gentle and proud, and I recall him always boasting, “She’ll surpass me someday.” In fact, many of the magical tools she devised ended up saving the lives of numerous students from the mid-story onward.
Rio, too, could be said to have accomplished a feat worthy of being remembered in history.
As for this person, Rio Clauser, she never appeared in the original work at all—except for her name. —Because she had already died by the mid-story.
(……I think they parted on bad terms, didn’t they?)
A request from Albert, with whom I’d grown somewhat closer: “Find my beloved granddaughter.”
It was a story about searching for Albert’s granddaughter, who’d left after a falling-out and never returned, but the ending was hopeless.
The setting was a place other than the Primordial Labyrinth.
In the lower levels of an ordinary labyrinth, only her belongings were found.
A magical artifact that showed signs of use. A notebook containing research findings. A blood-stained lab coat, a toolbox with its contents scattered everywhere, and so on. Despite the numerous items left behind that appeared to be hers—there was no sign of her anywhere.
Albert, upon receiving the report, simply nodded silently.
He showed neither anger nor tears—but I felt like his back looked small.
“What’s wrong? You look kind of serious.”
It seemed I have been focusing a little too much on my knowledge of the original story.
Right in front of me, Rio—still alive and standing there—tilted her head and looked up at me.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about the future for a moment…”
“The future? At a time like this? Huh? Why?”
I gave a wry smile at Rio, who looked genuinely confused.
Cheerful, energetic, and boisterous. But not the kind of boisterousness that’s annoying; she’s a lively girl who makes you feel happy just being around her.
I could see why Albert was so proud of her.
“Rio.”
“Hm?”
“You should avoid dangerous experiments, okay?”
“Huh!? What are you suddenly talking about!?”
At my words, Rio puffed out her cheeks.
She stared at me with a look that seemed to say, “How unfair!”
“I do check for safety, okay!? Probably!”
“Stop with the ‘probably.’ Do it properly.”
“Ugh, you sound just like an old man…!”
I heard a few chuckles from the crowd.
It felt like the tense atmosphere had eased just a little, which was a relief.
So, with Elisia leading the way, I made my way to my seat.
It was right in the front row, center. Elisia was sitting next to me.
“We’re sitting next to each other, huh?”
“Yeah. …Just to be clear, this is a coincidence, right?”
“Hehe. I wonder.”
Elisia, sitting next to me, smiled back meaningfully.
“Having seats next to each other is convenient in all sorts of ways. —For example, if we forget our materials, we can show each other what we have, right? And besides…”
Just as Elisia’s smile deepened, I felt a warm, soft sensation in my right hand.
When I looked down, Elisia’s slender white fingers were wrapped around my hand. Before I knew it, our fingers were intertwined, our hands clasped together like lovers.
“When I miss human touch, we can hold hands like this.”
Elisia whispered this in a voice that still carried a hint of composure, but her ears alone were bright red.
“—Um… could you please not create such a romantic atmosphere in the classroom?”
A small cough and that voice echoed through the room.
Looking up, I saw a teacher who looked just like “The Magician” from back in the day standing at the front of the classroom, frowning in exasperation as he looked down at us.
“……My apologies.”
Elisia smoothly let go of my hand.
Her face was calm, but her ears were still bright red.
“Even the Student Council President is just an ordinary girl in front of her fiancé. It’s quite heartwarming.”
The man at the lectern cleared his throat again.
A long robe and a large hat. A badge signifying a faculty member of the academy gleamed on his chest.
A quiet gaze pierced through his silver-rimmed glasses.
“Once again, I am Lloyd Vanschild. I will be your homeroom teacher. It’s a pleasure to meet you. —Rai-san.”
He, Lloyd san, said that and smiled.
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