Chapter 80

And so, after hearing the story of the "Black Dragon of the World's Foundation," I gained a clearer idea of my next moves.

- Cast the spell to narrow the "Magic Path" once again.

- Train in "Magic Manipulation."

- Search for the treasures of the "Black Dragon of the World's Foundation."

By doing these three things, I can suppress the current state of "Magic Surge." If I can do that, I won't disappear, and the world's destruction (End of the World) can be avoided.

After finishing the story, the "Black Dragon of the World's Foundation" said, "I'll go check on the world for a bit," and flew out the window.

Left in the room were me and Samyū-chan.

Samyū-chan picked up the blanket and encouraged me to rest.

"Reni-sama, I think you must be tired. Regarding the spell to narrow the 'Magic Path,' Mr. Hazano has already started preparing. Please rest until it's ready. He said it should be ready by tomorrow morning or afternoon."

"Understood."

Indeed, my body feels feverish and heavy.

But...

"Samyū-chan, over here."

I got up from the bed and walked to the sofa.

Then, I patted the sofa seat, signaling her to come over.

"Sit here. I want to talk."

"Bu... but, Reni-sama..."

Samyū-chan looked back and forth between the bed and me, then stayed in place, looking troubled.

"Reni-sama, I think you need rest right now. We can talk later when you're more relaxed, can't we?"

"Okay."

"I want you to take care of your body more than talking to me..."

"Okay."

Samyū-chan is right. It probably doesn't have to be now.

But... even so, I...

"Reni, Samyū-chan, I'm worried."

"Huh...?"

"Samyū-chan, you don't seem happy. You can't sleep because you're worried."

"Reni... sama..."

I know I shouldn't push myself to prevent the world's destruction.

But I'm worried about Samyū-chan.

"Samyū-chan, are you anxious? Are you troubled?"

Before I was reincarnated, I was a high school girl who was a shut-in.

I couldn't fit in with people and couldn't even go to school regularly.

A normal person... how would they handle a conversation like this? Could they do it better? Maybe they would casually ask for reasons or invite someone to a nice meal... But I can't do such things.

Whenever I say something, it seems abnormal, and I stand out. If I stay silent to avoid saying anything, it irritates people around me.

No matter what I choose, nothing goes well. Before I know it, I can't even say anything other than "I'm sorry"...

"...Reni, I always fail."

Before I was reincarnated, what did I accomplish? I died without doing anything.

Then, I was reincarnated into this world and gained a lot of power.

"Reni is strong, but there are many things I can't do."

I decided to save my parents and travel the world because I had that power.

But I keep failing...

"Thanks to Papa and Mama, I still feel good."

My parents accepted me with a smile, even when I failed. They hugged me tightly, whether I succeeded or not.

That's why... I could express more than just "I'm sorry" and tell them what I wanted to do.

And now, the reason I can smile here—

"Samyū-chan has helped me a lot."

—Is because Samyū-chan is here.

She believed in me completely. She looked at me straight, believing I could do it. Whenever I looked at her, she always smiled happily.

...That made me really happy.

Her smile always made my heart feel light.

Samyū-chan's smile, her sparkling blue eyes. The fact that they are now dimmed...

"...Maybe it's because of something I did."

...It might be my fault.

Only now did I realize a possibility.

Samyū-chan isn't happy... Maybe she's tired of me.

Before I was reincarnated, I was a shut-in who always stood out. Being reincarnated didn't improve my social skills.

So... maybe something I did made Samyū-chan lose her energy.

Thinking about it made my chest feel heavy, and I looked down.

Then—

"No! Reni-sama...!"

An anxious voice and the sound of footsteps approaching.

Before I knew it, I was being hugged by something warm.

"Samyū... chan?"

"I'm sorry, Reni-sama. I didn't mean to make you look so sad... I was scared. When you explained that you might disappear, I thought it was absolutely unacceptable. I was afraid... and I wanted you to stay in the Elven Forest forever... I had such a selfish thought."

Samyū-chan's voice was trembling.

She must be making a very difficult confession...

"When the queen, Reni-sama's mother, ran away with a human man, I thought I had loved her the wrong way. I realized that binding her, imposing my hopes, and ignoring her will was wrong. That's why I felt we elves lost her mother..."

"..."

"The human man, Reni-sama's father, loved the queen as she was. I envied and admired that. I thought that was the right way to love someone..."

Samyū-chan was talking about my parents.

The elves here wanted to let my mother die peacefully, but my father refused to give up on living with her.

As a result, my mother became human and left, but it must have left a deep impression on Samyū-chan.

"I was wrong. That's why... I deeply despaired when my dream of becoming the guardian of the queen's child disappeared."

The Elven Forest without my mother. Samyū-chan, who had decided to become the guardian of her child, must have been very sad when her dream vanished.

"But my dream continued... I wanted to support Reni-sama without making the same mistake again. I didn't want to bind, impose, or ignore your will. I tried my best not to do that."

From the moment we met... Samyū-chan never tried to stop me. She explained things and supported what I wanted to do.

That was... because of her past pain and sadness.

It wasn't always like that; Samyū-chan must have thought hard about it.

"But... I'm still a flawed elf. Now, all I can think about is how to make Reni-sama stay here. When the 'Black Dragon of the World's Foundation' suggested the treasure hunt, I couldn't be happy about it, even though Reni-sama wanted to do it."

Earlier, she couldn't meet my eyes because she was torn between wanting to stop me and knowing she shouldn't.

After saying that, Samyū-chan moved slightly away from me.

I could see a bit of her profile. Samyū-chan had her eyes closed...

"I used to look down on the human female knight, seeing her as a reflection of my past self."

"Pio-chan?"

"Yes. ...She said she wanted to protect, but she was confining her in a narrow world. She said she wanted to remove danger, but she was cutting off her social life. ...That's not the right way to love. I arrogantly thought I would never do that again."

Samyū-chan and Pio-chan didn't get along.

I thought it was because Pio-chan was cold at first, but it was more than that.

Samyū-chan must have seen her past self in Pio-chan and used stronger words.

"But... I was the same as that human female knight. Pitiful and weak. That's who I am."

After saying that, Samyū-chan hid her face and hugged me tightly again.

"Reni-sama will definitely set out to prevent the world's destruction. And you will definitely succeed. That's why... I can't stop you... Because you run for the sake of others..."

Samyū-chan took a deep breath.

I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was sad from her trembling body and breathing.

But I... I...

"Samyū-chan."

I hugged Samyū-chan tightly.

"Reni... I'm happy."

What should I do...? I'm happy.

Samyū-chan's confession is heavy, and she's worried about my disappearance and sad, but I feel this way. It's a strange feeling.

But...

"Reni will use her power for the world."

I would never stay in the Elven Forest out of fear.

That's not even a thought in my head.

"Reni will do it."

—She believes in me.

She's struggling because she believes in me and can't stop me.

"Reni doesn't know the right way to love."

Is Samyū-chan wrong, and my father was right?

But I don't think it's that simple.

There are many ways to love and many types of relationships. My parents happened to work out, but Samyū-chan had a sad experience.

That's in the past. The future is uncertain, and there's no guarantee it will continue. My parents will likely change their love over time, and Carries and Pio-chan are still trying to find their way.

Now, Samyū-chan and I are together. I want to be with Samyū-chan.

"Reni likes Samyū-chan."

"Reni... sama...!"

"Reni likes Samyū-chan."

She's a super cute girl who sometimes has trouble breathing...

She's so strong, but sometimes loses confidence.

That's what I like about Samyū-chan.

"Samyū-chan, believe more."

"Believe more...?"

"Yes. Believe in Reni more, more."

You always believe in me. That makes me really happy...

"Reni will definitely win."

"Win...?"

"Yes."

I can do more.

Believe in me.

"Reni won't let the world end."

"Y-Yes."

"Reni won't disappear."

"Y-Yes!"

"Reni will travel the world with Samyū-chan."

"Y-Yes...!!"

Samyū-chan cried out loudly after saying that.

I just hugged her tightly until she calmed down.

After a while, Samyū-chan gently moved away from me.

Her blue eyes were sparkling...

"If the treasures are lost and the world is about to end, Reni-sama will surely do something amazing!"

"Yes."

"If Reni-sama disappears from this world, I'll go and find you!"

"Find me?"

"Yes! Even if I have to cross the world! I will definitely find Reni-sama and travel with you forever!"

Samyū-chan clenched her right fist and declared loudly.

She looked so serious... I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, that's good."

"Yes! There's no problem at all!!"

"Yes. That's great."

"Yes! It's the best!!"

Ah, when Samyū-chan is happy, my heart feels light.

"I'll train hard."

"Yes!! I'll also train to become a better elf!"

We nodded at each other.

Yes. Together, we can definitely do it!

—Come on! Let's become even stronger!