Chapter 27 - Making Final Memories
It had been exactly three weeks since I started watching over Nia’s training, on a certain lunch break.
When I headed for the school store as usual, a rectangular object was suddenly shoved against my chest.
“...Nia, what is this?”
“I made a lunch box. Let’s eat it together at the fountain plaza.”
“I don’t know what scheme you’re plotting, but... poison has no effect on me, you know?”
The original Hollow was frequently targeted by poisonings, so that was the very first countermeasure I prepared.
By borrowing Miss Fiona’s Unique Magic, <Hydra>, I had her collect all sorts of poisons—ranging from real ones to even those that didn’t exist in this world—and I succeeded in neutralizing every single one of them.
The method was simple.
I generated microscopic Fragments of Void inside my body and let them circulate evenly throughout.
If poison ever managed to enter, the fragments would instantly detect the anomaly and banish the harmful substance into the void.
Inspired by the human immune system, I had created an automatic defense system. Thanks to this, I acquired complete resistance against toxins.
“P-Poison...? How rude! There’s nothing like that inside!”
Nia puffed her cheeks, her frizzy hair springing upright.
Well... I had grown tired of the store’s menu anyway. Since she went out of her way, I might as well accept.
Nia and I moved to the fountain plaza inside the Redrick grounds and sat down in an empty spot.
““—Thanks for the food!””
We pressed our hands together in the pre-meal greeting.
When I opened the lunch box she brought, inside was packed with rice balls, hamburg steak, fried chicken, fried shrimp, tamagoyaki, potato salad, and fresh vegetables—a feast of homemade dishes.
“All of this... you made it yourself?”
“Yes, of course. I woke up early to prepare it, so be grateful while you eat.”
“Hm... (Come to think of it, there was a setting that Nia was good at cooking.)”
Recalling that, I picked up a piece of tamagoyaki—my favorite—and put it into my mouth.
“How is it? Tasty...?”
Nia tilted her head adorably as she asked.
...To be blunt, it’s insanely good.
The moment it touched my tongue, the gentle sweetness of the egg spread softly, followed by the delicate flavor of dashi, weaving together into a harmony of happiness.
Honestly, I could eat this every day.
But... saying that out loud would break Hollow’s character.
I had to faithfully uphold the setting of being a slothful, arrogant, villainous noble.
“Well... it’s not bad.”
“Hehe, you’re not very honest, are you?”
Maybe my true feelings had gotten across, because Nia smiled happily.
It had only been three weeks, a short time, but I felt like we were starting to understand each other’s thoughts, even without words.
And then, after classes were over—
“Hey Hollow, why don’t we go hang out in the royal capital?”
Nia suddenly suggested something outrageous right off the bat.
“What about your training? You only have one week left—”
“—It’s fine once in a while. A change of pace is part of training too, you know?”
“Wait—hey, hold on a second—”
Before I knew it, I was dragged off to the streets of the royal capital.
At a trendy clothing store—
“How do I look? This is a new summer dress. Does it suit me?”
“...Even a mule looks good in clothes.”
She looked ridiculously cute.
At a popular café—
“Mmm, delicious! This parfait is limited to this week only. I’ve been waiting for this one.”
“Is that so?”
It really was delicious.
At the royal zoo—
“Oh, look Hollow! Over there, it’s a baby dragon! Wooow, so cute...!”
“Heh... looks tasty.”
For some reason, she got angry at me.
That was how we spent the day playing around the capital, until before we realized it, the setting sun painted the city red.
“Ahh, that was so much fun. I think it’s been nearly ten years since I played this much.”
“Honestly, this is the first and last time for something like this.”
“‘Last’... Yeah, you’re right. This will be the last.”
Nia whispered softly, almost to herself, in a strangely meaningful tone.
After that, we chatted idly while walking side by side on the way back.
And then—
“Hey Hollow, what’s that?”
Nia pointed into the distance.
“Which one are you talking abou—”
The instant I turned to look, something soft and warm touched my cheek.
“...!”
For a moment, the flow of time in the world stopped.
Right before my eyes was Nia’s beautiful face.
It was—a kiss, gentle and fleeting.
While I stood frozen, she lowered her gaze and took one, then two steps back.
The redness on her face surely wasn’t just because of the sunset.
“...What was that supposed to mean?”
“N-Nothing... don’t read too much into it. It was just... thanks for everything.”
She said that, forcing a smile as if to cover her embarrassment.
That smile was beautiful, fleeting, bashful—and looked as though she might burst into tears any second.
Something about her was clearly wrong today.
“Hey, what’s going on? It’s about time you—”
“—Goodbye, Hollow. I hated the old you, but the you now... I kind of like. Well then, see you tomorrow.”
Leaving behind words that sounded more like a final farewell, Nia turned and began walking toward the direction of the Ainsworth estate.
...What the hell was that...?
I thought for a moment, and then it clicked.
Could it be... that Nia’s body is complete already?
It had only been three weeks since training began, more than a full week earlier than scheduled.
But with the grueling training I forced on her, she’s grown far stronger than in the main route...
As a result, the Magic Factor of the <Primordial Flame> had activated, and her vessel reached completion sooner.
Thinking along those lines, it all made sense.
And above all, Nia’s behavior today was clearly strange...
Bringing me a handmade lunch out of the blue, suddenly halting her training to drag me out into the capital, kissing me on the cheek under the pretense of thanks... and finally, leaving me with words that sounded like a final goodbye.
Looking at all the circumstantial evidence, it was almost certain—Nia would challenge Zova tonight.
Her mysterious actions today... were all for making her last memories, huh?
...Well, in any case, there was something I had to confirm immediately.
At once I activated <Call> and reached out to Sugar, the special operative of Nihil and my assigned monitor of the protagonist.
Sugar, do you know Allen’s current location?
Yes. At the moment, he’s in front of a greengrocer, picking up an apple an old woman dropped... ah, the target has begun moving. He’s heading north on the main street, on foot.
North along the main street, got it.
I pictured the map of the royal capital in my mind.
Allen is walking north along the central street... Nia, on the other hand, is heading back toward the Ainsworth estate from here...
If the two kept going, they’d cross paths in just a few minutes.
As expected of the original protagonist... impeccable timing and positioning. At this point, I might as well call it a special ability of his.
No doubt after this, Allen and Nia would “coincidentally” run into each other—and then head together to face the Great Elder.
Allen might not look it, but his instincts were sharp, and he was unbearably meddlesome.
Once he saw the strange state Nia was in, there was no way he’d just ignore her. And once he heard her plight, he’d surely say, “Then I’ll fight with you.”
And then, come midnight tonight, the protagonist and the heroine would descend into the Ainsworth family’s underground depths and challenge the Great Elder Zova—only to be slain.
Victory was absolutely impossible.
Zova le Ainsworth, the peerless Archmage, was strong.
In fact, he represented the very first “dead end point” in the original story.
His Unique Magic, <Primordial Ice>, was a top-tier Origin-Class magic.
After three hundred years of refinement, its mastery was incomparable to Nia’s <Primordial Flame>.
Sure, she had become unbelievably stronger... but still, she hadn’t reached Zova’s level.
And the biggest issue was that the protagonist’s leveling had fallen far behind.
I had been steadily advancing my “Protagonist De-MC-ification Plan,” systematically destroying every opportunity for Allen’s growth.
For instance, the fight against the main student Franz that should have happened right before the entrance ceremony.
For instance, the duel between Allen and Nia (which the world’s corrective force eventually made happen anyway).
For instance, the days of training and sparring Allen and Nia should have shared.
By chipping away at those small but vital events one by one, the result was clear: the protagonist’s evolving Unique Magic still remained at its weakest stage, <Zero Counter>.
Without the awakening of the Champion’s true Unique Magic, Allen could never reach the Great Elder’s life.
In other words—this was where Allen and Nia would end.
“He... hehehe... bwahahahahahahaha...!”
Magnificent. Truly magnificent!
To be able to eliminate the most troublesome protagonist and heroine duo this early in the story—what more glorious development could I have wished for?
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