“R…aphne?”
The first to react to the notification from the familiar was Emily.
Well, that’s understandable since she was the one who fought in the duel on the day Raphne disappeared, so she might have been worried.
“Why is Raphne here… I heard she definitely returned to her family home…”
“I heard a scary story about… escaping!”
After that, Mary and Alicia reacted one after the other.
The only ones left speechless were Adrian and me.
Wait a minute.
Adrian?
‘…Why does he look so shocked?’
And what bothered me the most was the familiar sitting on his shoulder.
It’s understandable that the familiar would alert us about Raphne’s escape.
But why is it here?
Almost as if to inform Adrian.
Before I could find an answer to that question, Adrian, with a tense expression, spoke up.
“I don’t think this is the right time to fight with badges.”
“What do you mean? I have to win a prize…!”
Mary quickly rebutted Adrian’s sudden statement, but she couldn’t finish.
“Kyyaaaak!!”
Because Alicia’s scream drowned her out.
“My, my head!! I think it’s going to explode!!”
“What, what is this…. Ugh, I think I’m going to throw up….”
It wasn’t just Alicia. Emily next to her also clutched her head and sank to the ground.
Finally, Mary.
“I, I can’t take this… it’s, it’s hurting… Ke, Ken…!”
Her face pale and trembling, she crouched on the floor like Emily and looked at me.
Tears filled her eyes, and she looked terrified as if she had just gotten drenched.
“Grrgh…! Is it too late…!”
Lastly, Adrian.
He too, crumpling his face, held his head.
Everyone looked extremely distressed and anxious.
‘…If this is the curse’s influence… Raphne!’
The range of Raphne’s curse is 50 meters.
That means…
Raphne is…
Nearby.
“Ken, …ugh.”
And soon.
From the darkness of the forest.
I heard a familiar wailing sound.
“Ken. Where are you, uuugh, sniff, Ken…!”
“R, Raphne….”
With her red hair and red eyes, she appeared.
“Ken…! Ken!!”
Raphne, crying as tears streamed down her face, darted out from the bushes as she spotted me.
Familiar with me, Raphne buried her face in my chest and began to cry.
“It’s a lie, uuugh, it’s a lie, right? Ke, Ken wouldn’t abandon me… uuugh, you wouldn’t leave me, right? Ken….”
“R, Raphne! How did you…!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but without you, Ken… uuugh, I can’t survive…!”
Just like when she panicked, Raphne clung to me, tears flowing.
But the situation was completely different now.
What if she had left the tower these past few days…
I hurriedly checked Raphne’s status window.
[Name: Raphne Bell Martinez.
Unique Skill: Neural Acceleration
Unique Trait: Curse of Fear – Inflicts extreme stress and fear on living beings within a 50-meter radius.
Ownership Trait: Despair – Current Rate 194%, Addiction LV.6 ]
‘The despair rate….’
194%?
When I first met Raphne, it was around 120% at its highest.
Now, that number was nearing 200%.
‘First, I need to calm Raphne…!’
No matter what, this number is too dangerous.
In the game, the protagonist Emily committed suicide at a despair rate of 100%.
But at 200%, anything could happen.
I tried to soothe Raphne by stroking her head like usual.
“Get away from Ken!!”
CRASH!!
But that was.
Blocked by an ice barrier rising between Raphne and me.
Before me stood Mary, now blocking Raphne’s path.
“Ke, Ken…. Who is she?”
Raphne, separated from me, looked at Mary with a terrifying gaze.
And the aggressive demeanor of Mary was completely different from the terrified appearance earlier.
She was panting heavily, pressing her head down, glaring at Raphne.
This is dangerous.
I need to intervene.
“M, Mary…! It’s a misunderstanding! Raphne isn’t like that…!”
“Ken! Get a grip! You shouldn’t be bewitched by something like that!”
Mary interrupted me, stretching her hand out in front of me.
As if to protect against a fearsome beast.
Her hand trembled with fear.
“Raphne! I don’t know what’s going on, but if you approach Ken any further…!”
“You….”
Mary’s threatening voice got drowned by Raphne’s whispered word.
Her voice was colder than the magic emitting from Mary, sending shivers down my spine.
Raphne’s vacant, dark eyes looked at Mary.
“Why are you getting in the way between Ken and me?”
“R, Raphne! Mary isn’t like that…!”
But before I could finish…
“Wait a minute…!”
Raphne’s figure vanished right before my eyes.
“…Huh?”
And just as I blinked,
THUD.
Mary collapsed to the floor without even screaming.
Next to her stood Raphne, looking down at her with an indifferent expression.
“Raphneeeee!!”
Someone shouted.
That was Emily, who had been frozen just a moment ago.
Coming to her senses at the sight of Mary falling, Emily reached out threateningly.
WHOOSH!
And chains of magic burst forth from her hand.
Those chains were the sealing power that allowed her to defeat Raphne in the previous duel.
But.
“…Ugh, hey.”
THUD.
Before the chains even reached Raphne, she too collapsed to the ground like Mary.
As if she were teleporting, Raphne once again stood beside Emily.
‘N, Neural Acceleration.’
Raphne’s unique skill, which I had only seen in the game.
It accelerates the five senses and physical abilities, making time feel slower.
Even Mary couldn’t fight back against that overwhelming power and fell.
“Stop, Raphne!”
But Adrian shouted at her, despite facing her might.
His hands shook and his face grimaced.
He was tormented by the curse as he drew his sword.
“Return to the tower quietly.”
Then his magic surged and flames erupted, wrapping around Adrian’s sword.
Adrian fell into a complete battle stance.
“A, no! If we fight…!”
I knew how strong Adrian was.
If he swung his sword with real intent, even Raphne could get hurt.
‘I have to stop this…!’
CRASH!!
Before I could reach out.
The moment I regained my senses, I saw Raphne move in front of Adrian.
Like she kicked off the ground, dust soared.
And I spotted Adrian, who had crashed into a pile of timber far away.
He hung his head, unconscious.
Upon confirming this sight, Raphne turned back.
“Hiiieek!”
Alicia’s face paled as she locked eyes with Raphne.
Drip…
“A, aaagh…! Ugh, please spare me.”
Alicia, crying, was bleeding between her legs.
Watching her with cold eyes, Raphne walked slowly toward her.
“P, please! Spare me, spare me!”
Terrified, Alicia crawled back, begging for her life.
But Raphne completely ignored her and approached me again, clinging to me.
“R, Raphne….”
“I’m sorry, ugh, I’m sorry…! Bu-but they were getting in the way between us, Ken…! I didn’t kill them! I just knocked them out! So please forgive me….”
Again, tears streaming, she looked up at me as if she were clinging to me.
“It’s not true, right…? Huh? Ugh, please say it’s not true…! Please say you won’t abandon me…!”
That cold gaze from earlier seemed like a dream.
Her demeanor had returned to normal.
I gently stroked her.
“Of course, I won’t abandon you. So just calm down.”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…!”
Carefully and kindly, I stroked her head and gave her the response she wanted.
Raphne then began to bawl like a fallen child.
“I’m sorry for coming out on my own and bothering you, Ken….”
“It’s okay… it’s okay, so don’t cry.”
Of course, looking around, things were far from okay.
Mary and Emily lay unconscious on the floor.
Adrian crashed into some trees, laid out cold.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry….”
Alicia trembled, terrified, holding her head down.
Is this what happens when I leave the tower for five days…?
I thought it would be okay since I had explained things to Raphne in advance…
How am I supposed to handle this?
. . .
The Survival Contest suddenly came to an end due to Raphne’s entrance.
Fortunately, since Raphne arrived just before it ended, there was no need to halt the contest.
Thus, the important winners were decided.
In the end, the three with the most badges—
Emily, Alicia, and I—claimed the prizes.
After leaving the three unconscious ones to Alicia, I returned to the tower with Raphne.
“Raphne, I’ll stay with you today, so just relax and rest.”
“Ugh, yeah. Thank you, Ken. I’m sorry.”
On the way back, Raphne kept apologizing.
She thought it was her fault for suddenly coming out of the tower.
Undoubtedly, she couldn’t bear it and left the tower.
Intellectually, she knew she shouldn’t but was so emotionally depleted that she couldn’t stick to that.
I stayed by Raphne’s side as I laid her on the bed, remaining there until she fell asleep.
Raphne held my hand tightly until she fell asleep.
Could it be that she’s worried I’ll disappear while she’s asleep?
‘…What should I say to others?’
Tomorrow, Emily and Mary would definitely ask about Raphne.
Then let’s tell the truth.
Because of Raphne’s Curse of Fear, Mary and Emily reacted to her like she was a monster, but that was due to the curse, and in reality, Raphne was very kind.
Then both will understand.
And the next day.
As expected, the academy summoned me.
Guided by the men I had previously kidnapped while repairing Aspectra, I was led to the Student Council Room.
Standing in front of the Student Council Room, I opened the door, feeling nervous.
“You’re here.”
And it wasn’t the expected Student Council President Anette who was there.
“Sit down; I have a lot to say to you.”
Adrian was sitting on the couch, sipping tea.
“Is the president… not here?”
At Adrian’s gesture, the men who came with me left the room, leaving just Adrian and me alone in the Student Council Room.
“He asked to step out for a moment. It’s an important conversation. Don’t just stand there, sit down.”
Adrian gestured toward a seat across from him.
I sat down on the couch across from him.
Well, that works out.
I had many questions for him as well.
But for now, I was the one called here.
I must hear his questions first before asking mine.
As I sat rigidly and waited, Adrian set his tea down and spoke up.
“First, I’m curious… what’s your relationship with Raphne?”
“…Just friends.”
“With her, it hardly looks like just friends.”
Well, a girl crying and begging me not to abandon her doesn’t exactly look like a friend.
Adrian’s question was probably regarding my relationship with Raphne regarding her curse.
He must know about Raphne’s curse.
Just from watching our reactions in the forest, it’s clear he knows about it; considering his identity, it would be strange if he didn’t.
That’s why it likely seems odd to him.
No one approaches Raphne due to the curse.
There’s no mistake yesterday’s incident was Raphne seeking me out.
So I answered honestly.
“I’m trying to help her lift the curse.”
“……Lift the curse?”
Adrian looked surprisingly shocked by my answer.
Usually, he has a sly smile plastered on his face, but
Is my answer really that shocking?
If he’s aware of Raphne’s curse, it’s something he should have been able to guess.
“Wait, does that mean you’ve been in contact with Raphne? How’s that possible?”
This was a perfectly understandable question.
Considering just yesterday’s reactions from Adrian and the others, the extreme pain that accompanies being near Raphne because of her curse.
“That’s because the curse doesn’t affect me. I don’t know why.”
“I see…”
Upon hearing my answer, Adrian rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
I wondered what he was contemplating.
Or is there even anything to contemplate?
I was only trying to help Raphne because I felt sorry for her curse.
His doubt should have been resolved with my last answer.
He should have figured out that it was basic.
And then.
Moments later, when Adrian spoke, I understood what he was pondering.
“I’m sorry, Ken. I don’t know how you plan to solve Raphne’s curse.”
He looked at me seriously.
“Stop it.”
“…What?”
Stop what…?
Stop helping Raphne?
Does he say that knowing the situation she’s in?
If he genuinely knows how lonely she was for a year, locked in the tower…
He wouldn’t say something like that.
“Why… do you want me to stop?”
A question of confusion.
To that, Adrian took a sip of his tea, then replied with his usual sly smile.
“Because I’m the one who cursed Raphne.”
