Chapter 25

EP.25 Dorothy (2)

A talent for magic that seems to have been blessed by the heavens. It is said that the depth of her strength is immeasurable.

Her level is 180. It is truly overwhelming.

"Oh my..."

I never thought I would see Dorothy Heartnova in reality. She was so beautiful that I lost my composure.

Perhaps she is the character I have invested the most affection in, so I may have been looking forward to the moment I would see her.

A small brooch with a blue gemstone, symbolizing her second-year status, was attached to her school uniform ribbon.

"I was in the middle of training... What about you, senpai?"

She maintained her composure and, in response to the question about what she was doing, asked back.

It was just a casual question. I already had a good idea why Dorothy had fallen from the sky.

She must have been admiring the natural scenery from the air and then decided to come down.

While doing so, she happened to choose the corner of the garden where I was as her landing spot.

"Me? You saw it. I was falling from the sky!"

"So why were you falling from the sky?"

"I was watching the clouds gather. There was nothing else to see, so I came down."

Dorothy answered with a smile.

"The horizon is visible from that height. I love the boundary between the sunset sky and the sea. The sight of the sun setting beyond the horizon is incredibly romantic."

She started to chatter about things I wasn't curious about, with an excited voice.

"Especially, I love the moment when the rain clouds form. Is it a matter of aesthetics? So! I was flying and watching, and then I thought, 'That's enough,' and came down."

"..."

"Hehe."

Dorothy spoke with an innocent smile.

She could see the horizon from the air thanks to the Starlight Magic, which allows her to manipulate the forces of nature like gravity, electromagnetism, strong force, and weak force.

It's a different level from just floating with Wind Magic.

"So, what kind of training? Ice attribute? Why here? Do you usually do this alone? What kind of magic were you using? How many stars can you use?"

She approached me quickly and bombarded me with questions.

Given her feigned curiosity, I wasn't surprised. The questions she asked didn't really contain any genuine curiosity or interest. They were just a performance to put me at ease.

Dorothy is friendly to others, but even if she gets close, she doesn't easily open up. She wears a mask of a smile and keeps an invisible distance from others.

She is the opposite of Lucie Eltania, who, once she opens up, does so completely, lacking the ability to maintain a proper psychological distance.

"Wow."

She leaned her face close to mine.

I was taken aback and reflexively pulled my head back.

She always smiles to make a good impression, but her smile is often filled with pretense.

Under her witch's hat, her eyes, which seemed to contain the universe, stared deeply into mine, as if trying to see through my thoughts.

This is not a metaphor. She can really see through thoughts.

Thanks to the Circlet of the Deep, she can use the passive skill [Psychic Insight]. Dorothy can use a similar skill called [Emotion Insight].

Fear, affection, admiration, love, friendship, and so on. She can tell what emotions a person has toward her just by making eye contact.

Moreover, she has a unique trait called [All Things Under Heaven], which allows her to see through the essence of living beings, though the exact range is not specified in the game, probably to add to her mystique.

Well, the ability to see through the essence of beings will come up frequently later. It will become a basic skill for high-level characters.

"Do you know me?"

As expected, my thoughts were seen through.

I don't know how my mental state appears to her, but I hope it doesn't look bad.

I can't say, "I know you from playing *The Mage Knight of Merchen*," so I decided to embellish my answer slightly.

"Yes, you're senpai Dorothy."

"Hmm."

Dorothy tilted her head, seemingly unsatisfied with my answer.

Upon reflection, it was a reasonable reaction. It's strange not to know Dorothy Heartnova at Merchen Academy. Her question must have a deeper meaning.

She is the character I have the most affection for. So, my emotions probably appear as 'affection' to her, and quite strongly at that.

From Dorothy's perspective, it's strange to see such emotions from someone she has never met.

What would be an appropriate response?

'This is the best way to respond.'

I could easily think of an answer that Dorothy would like.

"I'm a fan of senpai Dorothy."

I answered confidently, letting out a puff of air.

"Really?"

Dorothy looked surprised.

She has a strong attention-seeking personality and a bit of a celebrity complex.

She likes to stand out and only uses Starlight Magic in front of people.

'That's why I liked her.'

Dorothy is a named character but not an official heroine. Yet, in *The Mage Knight of Merchen*, she was my favorite character.

During my grueling study days, I felt like I was nothing special in this world.

A mundane and disheartening daily life.

Going to the study room before dawn and being greeted by the stars in the night sky when I left.

It was such a mundane life that made Dorothy, who always tried to shine and reveal herself, resonate with me so much.

You wouldn't know how much strength I've gained from thinking about you.

"Ahem, is that so? You're my fan~."

Dorothy stepped back, closed her eyes, and nodded, looking embarrassed. This was a genuine reaction, as I knew from the game.

Being a fan is the best way to disarm Dorothy.

Especially since she can read my emotions, there's no doubt about my answer.

"If there's a fan among the first-year students, it means there's already a fan club, right?!"

"..."

Is there...?

...Or is there really one?

"Ah, whatever. I can have a fan meeting, right? Finally, my autograph will shine!"

She quickly expanded her thoughts and excitedly inhaled the soup.

Despite her cuteness, I just watched silently.

She looked like a child who, after declaring, "I'll be an entertainer when I grow up," is already worrying about fan meetings. How could that not be cute?

Of course, I've never been married, so I don't really know, but that's how it felt.

"Who's the president?"

"I am, from the first year."

"Really? You have different grades...?"

I didn't know. I just said it to boost her ego.

But among the first-year students, I'm definitely the first fan of Dorothy.

Thanks to my experience with *The Mage Knight of Merchen*.

"So, can I have your autograph?"

I decided to go along with Dorothy's mood and get an autograph.

I took out a piece of parchment from my study materials and handed it to her.

She giggled and took out a quill pen she had prepared in advance, then scribbled her autograph on the parchment.

I got it back.

It was just messy handwriting.

"Hehe, nice to meet you."

"I'm glad you look happy too."

"Look at you~. So cute! Nyahaha!"

Dorothy's bright smile made me feel good just by looking at her.

"Ah, right. I took time from your training."

"It's okay."

"Hmm! That's right. Since you're my fan, just seeing my face should recharge your energy, right?"

I hope it helps.

I feel like I'm going to collapse from training.

"Just kidding~. I'll be going now. Train hard!"

"Ah, yes!"

Dorothy turned and started to walk away, waving at me.

As she disappeared among the trees, my expression fell.

"Good show."

She was really beautiful. Why wasn't Dorothy the official heroine?

That was my biggest complaint about *The Mage Knight of Merchen*. If there had been a Dorothy route, I would have spent two-thirds of my playtime on it.

'Anyway...'

Back to focus. Good show or not, I need to concentrate on my training.

Now that I'm stronger, I should go to the training ground and work on [Elemental Synergy]...

"President!"

"!"

Dorothy's cheerful voice rang in my ears.

Turning to where the voice came from, I saw Dorothy peeking out from behind a tree, still smiling.

"What's your name?"

Ah, my name.

"It's Isaac."

"Okay, Isaac! See you tomorrow!"

"Yes...?"

'See you tomorrow?'

Just as I was about to ask why tomorrow, Dorothy waved and used Starlight Mana to fly away.

The colorful light trails from where she left soon faded.

"Tomorrow?"

What is this, suddenly?

It felt like she was saying, "You must see me tomorrow."

Because I'm a fan? Or just because I'm a fan?

"..."

After pondering Dorothy's intentions, I decided to focus on my training again, as time is precious.

If she really comes tomorrow, I can ask her then.

* * *

"Amazing. I've never seen anything like that..."

The man with silver hair, who was training just now.

He was hiding something sinister that Dorothy Heartnova had never seen before.

With her unique trait [All Things Under Heaven], which allows her to see through the essence of everything under the sky, Dorothy examined the man named Isaac as soon as she saw him.

In his essence, there was a massive presence that seemed capable of swallowing the entire world.

The unknown.

It was so indescribable that I couldn't even guess what it was.

It was an overwhelmingly large and extremely malevolent presence, a clump of magic power that defies the laws of nature and is almost infinite.

Its countless eyes were all staring at Dorothy, and she felt a strong sense of intimidation from each one.

It made her feel insignificant.

And it spoke to her.

── [ ■ ■■■■ ■■■■■, ■■ ■■ ■■■? ]

It felt like a high-frequency sound. But Dorothy instinctively understood its meaning.

It was something like, "Peeking at me with your naked eyes, do you want to die?"

For a moment.

She was afraid.

It was surprising to feel fear from something hidden in a mere human's essence.

Moreover, the massive presence was completely integrated with Isaac, making it entirely his.

If it started to get angry, Isaac would be able to use an unimaginable amount