Chapter 211

(Precursor) (1)

1.

After all scheduled events wrapped up.

The students from Arsen Academy, having completed their field trip, made their way towards their accommodations. Shortly after, someone knocked on Ulan’s door.

“I need to discuss something urgently.”

It was Noa.

She quickly revealed the purpose of her visit, and after hearing her detailed explanation, Ulan frowned in response.

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly that.”

With a brief sigh, Noa continued seriously.

“They say the Power of the Abyss sensed in the Eastern Jungle has disappeared.”

Noa had come to get candy from the Spirit of the Abyss, and she immediately shared the news with Ulan.

And this judgment was correct.

Because Ulan had just finished packing up to leave the accommodation.

“…The situation has become tricky.”

His original plan was to head to the Eastern Jungle tonight and look for traces of the Lord of the Abyss.

But the disappearance of the Abyss’ power meant that the lord also vanished, leading Ulan to set down his backpack again.

“Do you not know why it vanished?”

“No, that’s all I was told.”

Ulan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

But there wasn’t much time for regrets.

The situation was already spilled water, and dwelling on irreversible matters wouldn’t change anything.

“Ugh, well, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Without knowing the whereabouts of the Abyss’ lord, there was no reason to leave the accommodation. So, he casually tossed his backpack into a corner and sat down in a chair.

Just then, a thought struck Ulan, as if he recalled something he had forgotten.

“By the way, how’s Delia?”

“I actually stopped by before I came. She said she’s not seriously hurt. She told me to tell you not to worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ulan nodded, looking somewhat relieved.

As their conversation was winding down, there was a sudden knock on the door.

“Ah, did someone come to see you?”

“No, I don’t have any appointments.”

Who could it be?

With a puzzled expression, Ulan stood up and strode over to the entrance. As he flung the door open, the identity of the unexpected visitor was revealed.

“Hi, Ulan.”

A tall blonde girl.

Standing awkwardly at the door, she lifted her turquoise eyes to meet Ulan’s gaze.

As their eyes met, she suddenly looked a bit embarrassed and averted her gaze, fidgeting with her lips.

“Is it okay if I come in for a bit?”

The girl scratched her cheek shyly.

It was Ivella Elea’ad, smiling awkwardly.

2.

Ivella had a plan.

The purpose of this school trip.

To set a date to meet Ulan alone during the free time on the last day and confess her honest feelings to him.

‘But…’

She hadn’t even set a date yet.

On the very first day of arriving in Plut, exhausted from the long journey, she’d collapsed as soon as they got to the accommodations.

So today, instead of waiting for the night to deepen, she had come straight to his room. She wanted to secure an appointment with Ulan before anyone else.

‘But now that I’m here, I’m kind of nervous.’

The place she sought out was the boys’ accommodation.

On top of that, it was the room Ulan used alone. However, not wanting to be outdone by the others, she knocked on the door immediately.

A short while later.

As soon as the door opened, Ivella greeted him, saying she had come out of boredom. Just as she was about to ask if she could come in—

“Hmm?”

Her turquoise eyes widened in surprise.

Beyond the half-opened door, she spotted someone who wasn’t Ulan.

“Noa?”

The black-haired girl wore an awkward expression.

The moment Ivella saw her, her face hardened like stone. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she said,

“Why are you here…?”

“I came to bring news about Delia. Ulan couldn’t visit her.”

Of course, that wasn’t the main reason, but since it was true, Noa replied confidently. Ivella nodded as if she understood the situation.

Yet the wariness in her eyes didn’t fade. Perhaps she noticed? Noa quickly jumped to her feet.

“Uh, um, anyway, I’m all done here, so I’m going to head back! You two talk comfortably.”

Noa fled the room.

She acted to avoid any unnecessary conflict. The moment she disappeared, Ivella returned to her original expression.

Now, with only the two of them left in the room, Ulan asked her.

“What brings you here?”

“Well, there’s no special reason. Like I said earlier, I just came to hang out because I was bored.”

That was obviously a lie.

Ivella’s biggest reason for being there was to secure a promise with Ulan.

Recalling that goal, she quickly shifted into action.

“Hey, Ulan.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you something?”

After a brief pause, Ivella spoke up.

Despite the sudden question, Ulan answered as if it weren’t a big deal.

“Of course. What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you had plans on the last day.”

“The last day?”

“For the free time. They said we’d have a day to explore the city before heading back.”

“Oh, that story.”

Ulan remembered the school trip guide he had read over the past three days. He then replied to Ivella, whose expression was tense.

“Nothing’s been decided yet.”

“Really? Then do you want to hang out just the two of us? There are places I want to check out.”

“Sure, if nothing special comes up.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

His response sounded a bit vague.

As Ivella tilted her head curiously, Ulan spoke calmly.

“It means exactly what it sounds like. There’s nothing planned right now, but a situation may come up where I can’t keep a promise like last summer vacation.”

Through that experience, Ulan had learned.

Even if one remembers their past life, the future could change drastically based on variables.

So he had become more cautious about making promises.

“Then I guess I’d better hope nothing special happens.”

Ivella smiled brightly.

It was a satisfied smile.

Even though it was a conditional promise, a promise was still a promise.

Having achieved her goal, Ivella relaxed and plopped down on Ulan’s bed. Then, she suddenly seemed to get nostalgic and spoke up.

“Oh, being like this reminds me of when we went out together last time.”

“Outing?”

“Yeah, when we went to the capital together.”

Nodding lightly, Ivella responded, her smile warm.

“As I mentioned before, I’ve never played with anyone my age. So the time I spent with you, Ulan, stands out in my memory.”

Through that day spent in the capital, Ivella finally realized her feelings for Ulan.

So maybe that’s why the memories held such value to her.

And one more thing.

She had learned something new.

“I also learned about your meticulous side.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were carrying a sword in places no one could see, around here somewhere.”

“…”

“Haha, anyway, it was a lot of fun.”

Unlike Ulan, who wore a slightly sour expression, Ivella reminisced with a bright smile.

“So that’s why I wanted to hang out with you again this time, so I jumped in first.”

“I see. But if it’s that…”

“Oh, by the way, I don’t plan on hanging out with the others. It has to be just the two of us. You’re the only one I want, after all.”

As if she had read Ulan’s inner thoughts, Ivella replied firmly. Then suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

‘Huh?’

What I want is only Ulan.

She hadn’t realized how special that sounded until she thought it through.

‘Wait a minute! This sounds like…’

Like she was confessing?

Thinking that, she felt her cheeks heat up. But just for a moment, her turquoise eyes shone with a certain resolve.

‘Should I just go for it?’

In the room, it was just Ulan and Ivella.

The atmosphere wasn’t bad either.

There was no need to wait until the last day in such a situation.

‘Okay. Let’s do it.’

After making that bold decision, Ivella took a few slow, deep breaths to compose herself. Then, with her eyes filled with resolve, she spoke up.

“Hey! U-Ulan?”

“What is it?”

“I have something I want to say. Will you listen?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“That is…”

For a moment, her words caught in her throat.

The second their serious gazes met, she lost her words.

But the surprise was brief.

“I-I was going to say!”

Ivella quickly regained her composure.

With her eyes tightly shut, she prepared to confess her feelings.

“Actually, I’ve liked you for a long time…”

“But just then.”

A meddler burst in to interrupt her confession.

The girl who barged through the door, with her mouth full of candy, immediately grabbed Ivella’s arm.

“Someone’s looking for you; let’s go together.”

“N-Noa? What? Who’s looking for me…?”

“I don’t know, but it’s something important.”

Noa kept tugging her along.

Ivella frowned.

Of all times, she had to arrive right now. It seemed today just wasn’t her day.

‘Oh well.’

It looks like she’d have to put it off until the last day.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ivella shrugged her shoulders and spoke to Ulan.

“Sorry, Ulan. I’ll be back in a minute.”

After asking for Ulan’s understanding, Ivella disappeared with the suddenly appearing Noa. Ulan narrowed his eyes as he watched Noa’s receding figure.

‘That girl is…’

Not Noa.

More accurately, it was a Spirit of the Abyss mimicking Noa’s appearance. That thing could mimic the appearance of familiar people.

The method of distinction was relatively simple.

A Spirit of the Abyss cannot imitate the speech patterns of the target. And there was one other, much more accurate method of distinction.

‘It has no shadow.’

That made it easy to tell apart.

Meanwhile, it seemed Ivella had not noticed the incongruity and followed the Spirit of the Abyss out.

A little while later.

Once the two had completely disappeared from view, Ulan tilted his head in confusion.

‘But why did she take Ivella with her?’

Was there something she needed to say?

As he quietly continued to wonder, he suddenly heard a voice whispering close to his ear.

“Hey, big guy!”

“Open the window. Quick!”

The voices sounded like whispers.

It was the Spirits’ voices.

Although puzzled by the sudden request, Ulan opened the window as they asked. Otherwise, they would keep chattering all day long.

And not long after.

“Hello, Ulan.”

A familiar voice rang out.

A clear voice like a rolling orb. Ulan looked down at the window and soon spotted a white-haired girl.

“…Fertisha?”

“Hey, can you give me a hand?”

The sudden appearance of her hand reached out.

Sure, she’d be fine falling, thanks to the Spirits, but Ulan wasn’t cruel enough to refuse a friend’s request.

After pulling Fertisha up, Ulan soon asked her.

“Why are you here…?”

“Because I said I’d come visit.”

With a bright smile, Fertisha started observing Ulan’s room with light steps but suddenly made a pouting face.

As if something displeased her.

“By the way, Ulan, you’re pretty popular, aren’t you?”

“What? Me?”

“Yeah, I’ve been watching since the start of the school trip, and you’re surrounded by girls all the time.”

“Well, that’s…”

While it’s true, it wasn’t intentional.

He had just gathered allies to face the Abyss; it just turned out that way.

“So, I don’t like it.”

“What?”

“However, I’ll forgive you. You’re not just anyone, you’re my recognized master.”

She had formed a contract with Ulan, making her more special than just anyone else. So, she could laugh it off without feeling jealous.

And one last thing.

There was something else that signified that Ulan and Fertisha had a special relationship.

“Besides, Ulan and I knew each other from our past lives, right? So I can overlook how many girls are around you.”

With a generous smile, she said that.

Meanwhile, Ulan was left bewildered.

He couldn’t understand what Fertisha’s connection to their past life had to do with the fact that so many girls surrounded him.

“But I’m a little curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“About our past life memories. The only one I can recall is when you saved me from the eyeball monsters attacking the burning imperial castle.”

The day he met Fertisha for the first time.

It seemed she was recalling that memory.

“Ulan remembers other things, right?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Wow! Then can you tell me? What happened between you and me?”

Fertisha’s eyes sparkled like stars.

She firmly believed that learning more about their past together would make her relationship with Ulan all the more special.

But the reply she received was a refusal.

“Sorry, but I can’t reveal that yet.”

“What? Why?”

“The time for that hasn’t come.”

“The time?”

“Yeah. I promised Laurea. I’ll unveil the secret only once everyone is gathered.”

After recalling the past, Ulan answered.

But at that moment, Fertisha’s cheerful smile shifted.

“…Laurea?”

Her voice dropped, low and calm.

It wasn’t just her voice. Her red eyes, too, turned chilly. After a moment, she stepped forward to Ulan with a tense expression.

“Who is she? That’s a name I haven’t heard of at Arsen Academy.”

“Well, that’s because she…”

“Is she a hidden lady? When and where did you meet? What’s her relationship with you, Ulan?”

She looked like she could grab him by the collar at any moment.

Ulan pushed her back enough to catch his breath.

“Just calm down, will you?”

“I’m fine. I’m not upset at all.”

Fertisha’s statement was truthful.

There was none of the characteristics usually found in someone who was agitated, such as heightened emotions or raised voices.

“I’m just curious. So, look me in the eyes and answer, Ulan.”

Her scarlet eyes shimmered ominously.

The smile vanished from her face; she leaned in, her voice dripping with coldness as she questioned.

“Who is she? That girl.”

Chapter 49. Prelude