Chapter 55 - We, Six Years Later [5]
“Ugh... I'm tired...” I sat down on a bench, completely exhausted after spending the day visiting several places.
From taking pictures and exploring attractions to watching a puppet show, it was quite an eventful day...
Then, due to Camellia's persistence, I was forced into the awful activity of shopping for clothes, as all I had was a bland white t-shirt.
After all this... I am now completely drained and couldn't move a muscle.
"Come on, you're telling me you ran for nearly an hour while Eldians were chasing you, and you’re tired just from this?"
"I'm not as physically tired now, but mentally I am."
Since I'm somehow a woman in these dire times, I was met with a lot of awkward situations in society again.
While I'm used to it, the new stares I receive from people are still uncomfortable, even if they aren’t as bothersome as before.
Camellia, who looked at me as if I were a maniac with my plain clothes, immediately dragged me into a clothing store.
Together with the store clerk, they began dressing me up like a doll.
—It didn't take long for them to drop the bomb on me, something I have been avoiding until now.
"Ugh..." I felt a little red, confused about how to feel right now.
"Aria, are you sure you’ve never worn underwear in your life?" Camellia asked, concern etched on her face upon discovering this newfound detail.
"Mhmm... It's a little embarrassing..." I replied, holding my hands on my stomach and feeling the breeze against my skin.
Ever since I turned into a girl, I had only worn bandages and men's underwear, which were too big for me.
Now that I was wearing feminine and risqué underwear, it didn’t feel right.
It felt absolutely mortifying.
"So you were using those wraps to cover your chest? What about your underwear?"
"Camellia... that's not something you talk about in public."
"...Oh."
Verbally assaulted, the surrounding people immediately turned red at the revelation that I wasn’t wearing proper underwear.
"Let’s say I have my own circumstances... is that excuse good enough for you?"
"Your own circumstances...?"
Camellia's face paled in an instant, as if her imagination was running wild at that moment.
"Before you think about anything inappropriate, it's not."
"I see..."
—As if she would believe me now that I had solidified that statement.
“Anyways, is it really necessary for me to have my stomach exposed?” I asked her, feeling uncomfortable about it.
Despite my strong insistence that I would rather shoot myself than wear a skirt, I managed to convince her that I'd rather wear jeans.
Camellia, however, was determined to keep me in the outfit I was currently wearing, which I didn’t mind too much—except for the exposure of my stomach.
I was wearing brown jeans with a black top, paired with a jacket that covered my exposed shoulders and neck.
To make it even fancier, Camellia tied my hair into a braid, something I hadn’t done myself before.
The only thing I have done with my hair was when I tied it into a ponytail to keep it from getting everywhere, so a braid like this felt nice with my long hair.
Now that I was wearing proper clothes, the stares I received had grown even worse.
People weren’t even bothering to hide their gazes at this point; it was a little scary.
If I had been wearing a skirt, I genuinely thought I might’ve shot someone if they approached me with ill intentions.
“...” Camellia looked at me silently, assessing me from head to toe with an almost blinding smile on her face.
I think I should shoot this person.
"...Yeah! Thank you!" She clasped her hands together for some reason.
"I shouldn't have asked you."
Sharing a good laugh, Camellia looked at me, patted my head, and smiled warmly.
"Hehe, sorry for teasing you so much, Aria. You look cute in every way, I can assure you that."
—Swish... Swish...
Camellia gentle caressed my head, as if trying to comfort me.
"...Hmph." I looked away, blushing in response to her bold statement.
Camellia has changed—or perhaps returned to her past self—since we first met.
...But she was still an expert on teasing people.
I wonder whom she got this trait?
“Pfft..." Camellia began to chuckle.
As we were having fun and hanging out together, we both eventually broke out in laughter, finding the situation absurd.
We ate together, went to places together, and discussed things around us that felt foreign after six years had passed.
It’s unbelievable, really, considering we were recently trying to survive and escape a place filled with incomprehensible monsters.
The gap between our past and present seems surreal; it all feels like a long, vivid dream.
We wished this moment could last forever, content in our little bubble.
As we calmed down from our laughter, a couple of silhouettes caught my eye, and I noticed their uniforms.
“Wait, are those... Arcadia students?” I rubbed my eyes, unsure if I was imagining things.
Since I recognized one of them, I quickly looked away before they spotted me.
These students must be the ones who jumped on me back in the hospital. What a coincidence.
Arcadia uniforms are categorized by year levels, with each having its own special characteristics.
Freshmen wear a white-and-black uniform, though the black accent is less prominent, and they wear a blue ribbon.
Sophomores wear a mix of black and white colours, accompanied by a green ribbon.
Seniors, on the other hand, wear all black and has a red ribbon.
As I looked at the group of students, I noticed they were a mix of Sophomores and Seniors.
What surprised me was how Arcadia is still operational during these difficult times.
“Yes… they are Arcadia students,” Camellia said, nodding her head with a hint of nostalgia.
“I haven't heard much since I woke up recently, but Scarlett is one of the instructors who decided to continue Arcadia's legacy. Ah, sorry, you probably don’t know who Scarlett is, right?”
Hearing the familiar name, I looked at her and recalled the day I encountered Scarlett.
“The famed Ashen Witch, the one who beat me up into a pulp, yes.”
“…Sorry. It’s just that Scarlett has never had a good experience with Morzen Cultists.”
We then began to talk about her experiences at Arcadia while relaxing on a bench.
The conversation brought back memories for Camellia: how she spent countless hours studying, and how she couldn't graduate because of the first Cardinal Sky.
It was a past she preferred not to dwell on, but she chose to embrace it and move forward.
...
...
...
"Hey," Camellia said, bumping me on the shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to try? Going to Arcadia, I mean."
"...What?"
I was taken aback by her suggestion, reminding myself that this wasn't the first time we had talked about it.
"I wasn't even a student back then, you know?”
"Then why not start anew?" She stood up from the bench and walked around with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Going to an academy, making some friends, things like that." She kept dreaming of a peaceful future.
...
...
"But aren't you too old for that—"
"Don't."
"Okay." I nodded my head after her tone changed drastically.
“Ahem, anyways, think of all the things we could do!” She continued, her excitement bubbling over.
She talked about how we could study together, even meet up with her siblings—she shared all sorts of things she wouldn’t just tell anyone.
Camellia looked like there was a fire burning inside her, but there was also an indescribable sadness, an inevitability that no matter how much she tried...
She knew that I would always be just out of reach.
“That’s why together… together…” Her voice softened as she tried her best to convey what she meant.
“You’ll stay here with me, right…?"
Silence hung between us as I searched for an answer that would satisfy her.
It was a tempting offer, especially now that we had reached a safe zone, free from danger.
In stark contrast, Noah had invited me to join him in Arcadia to explore new locations as well.
How ironic, truly.
—Clench...
I clenched my hands in frustration. I wanted to take her hand and accept her offer, but given the state of the world, I knew I couldn't.
I had made my choice long ago, back when I first awakened to this reality.
My destiny had already been shaped—a fate I had set for myself.
The future holds calamities humanity must confront with every help that we can get.
If I truly want to change the course of events, I need to face the consequences of my past actions.
Either I die fighting with my life on the line,
Or prevail against all odds.
“I can’t.” I stood up, looking at her with resolve, my mind already made up about my next steps.
"Once I'm ready... I'm going to Trestkania."
Trestkania, the nation that's the complete opposite of Demiurge.
If Demiurge is the nation of magic, then Trestkania is the nation of Technocracy.
Due to their past, the usage of magic is strictly forbidden.
This restriction has led them to develop technology so advanced that it resembles a different world entirely.
I have two significant reasons for planning a trip to Trestkania, both of which could alter the balance of power against the Pylons.
First, there is a powerful weapon capable of penetrating the Domain of a Pylon, which is why I will be visiting Trestkania first.
Second, one of the Exitium Stones is hidden in Trestkania. This will be the second stone I acquire once I arrive.
Since the Ancrel continent holds only four Exitium Stones, the remaining stones are located in nations beyond its borders, which I won't be exploring just yet.
Initially, I had planned to visit Yorselania first, as it has maintained decent relations with Demiurge.
However, since Orion, an ambassador from Trestkania, was present, I might as well consult him about the weapon and expedite my journey.
"You're... going to Trestkania?" Camellia tilted her head in disbelief at my plans.
"Mhmm, I have something important to do there," I responded vaguely, unable to disclose the true purpose of my mission.
Her eyes reflected uncertainty, but she nodded in understanding, as if she sensed that I would soon be leaving.
"Well, I expected this anyway, haha..." she said with an awkward laugh, rubbing her wrist.
“Camellia—” I called her name to explain why I was leaving.
“It’s fine. I’m already well aware that you didn’t save me back then just because you happened to be there,” Camellia replied, as if she had been holding back these questions until now.
"Not only do you use countless Magic Arts, but you also have the power to go against Eldians... you know a lot of unusual things as well."
"..."
"I already knew you were someone with a grand purpose. Isn’t that one of your secrets?"
Camellia smiled, her expression sour and bitter as she tried to hold back her thoughts.
"...Yes, it's important." I went straight to the point and looked her in the eye.
"When we meet again in the future, we can truly go beyond those walls with smiles on our faces." I smiled back at her.
I would have been hesitant when I first arrived back on Earth, but this newfound conviction was what kept me going.
"Hehe, that’s just so like you. You really are like big brother Kuro, Aria," Camellia chuckled, nodding her head in resignation.
...
...
...
"...I'm sorry, I have to go," she said, turning around as her footsteps rapidly quickened.
I couldn’t see her face clearly because she had turned around so quickly, but it crumpled as if she couldn’t accept it.
"Hey...! Camellia, where are you going?!" I tried to catch up to her, but she didn’t stop until she started running.
"...Sigh." I sat back down on the bench and slumped my back, unable to shake my habit of slouching.
I knew I would have to tell Camellia this news sooner or later, but I didn’t expect her to react this way.
What should I say now? Should I joke around and tell her I’ll be back one day? Or should I empathize with her, explaining that it’s my destiny to save the world?
“Mmgaah…! I’ll just tell her before I go,” I scratched my head in frustration.
It’s not like I’m leaving right away—I’ll be here for a few weeks after I finish resting.
Even if Camellia wanted to come with me, she couldn’t. She was a heir of the Historia, a noble with the duty to protect Demiurge.
She would have to choose between her sister Erina and me, whom she barely knows.
I’m sure Camellia wants to be with Erina, too.
"..." I glanced at my wrist, hiding a secret that had now been exposed to the public.
Out of eleven stones, located in six nations, one of them was with me, absorbed into my body.
All of this is to prevent an evil god's descent.
...This is all for the greater good.
Whether she’s happy or not.
My journey is far from over.
