A slim possibility.

It was difficult to voice a possibility I couldn’t even believe myself. Yet strangely, that absurd notion clung to my mind and refused to let go. As I chewed on it for a while, one person’s name naturally surfaced in my thoughts.

Erika.

A name that hadn’t crossed my mind until now. She had been buried somewhere in my memory, overshadowed by Roselia’s overwhelming presence, never even tumbling out by accident.

But Erika was a variable I couldn’t ignore. Though her crisis management skills might have been questionable, she had demonstrated a certain charisma during her academy days.

And regardless, Erika was still the Student Council President. Whether that title still held any meaning, I wasn’t sure—but she possessed a distinct presence that set her apart from the other students. Perhaps some still remembered the position of Student Council President Erika.

Besides, Erika was one of the few people currently free from the academy crowd. It had been quite some time since I last saw her, so if she had done something, its effects would be showing around now.

If, by some chance, she had heard what I said that day and begun taking meaningful action.

Of course, there was a high probability she was simply hiding somewhere on the island. But even so, one thing was certain: Erika occupied a rather unique position. Given how things had turned out, I might need her help.

If she was hiding, where would she be?

If I had to guess…

“Lope.”

“Yeah?”

“So what’s this possibility you’re talking about?”

I looked up to find everyone staring at me. I must have been lost in thought longer than I realized. Not wanting to raise false hopes, I shook my head.

“No… it’s nothing. Just a thought that crossed my mind.”

“So what is it? Can’t you tell us?”

“It’s not that I can’t…”

There was no reason to hide it. I just questioned whether it was worth bringing up.

But at the same time, there was no reason not to. It wasn’t like I had a mountain of urgent tasks piled up. I quickly resolved my deliberation and lifted my head.

“Haru. That place we used to stay—have you been back recently?”

“No. I brought everything we needed, and you said there was no reason to go since it’s close to the academy. Why?”

“On second thought, I think we need to go.”

“Really? Well then… should we head there now?”

“…Let’s. If we keep dawdling, the sun will set.”

Early winter days were short. The sun, already sinking westward, thrust its haunches toward us, urging us to do something—anything. Truth be told, the day was already fading. So I rose from my seat without delay.

“Ms. Rebecca. Do you have any spare gloves? Could I borrow a pair?”

“I do. They might smell a bit of metal, though.”

“Ugh. You’d be better off wearing socks on your hands. Want to borrow mine?”

“Huh? I… if you need them, I can lend you mine, Lope.”

“…Gloves will be fine.”

Amid their touching displays of self-sacrifice, I chose the most practical option. The gloves Ms. Rebecca handed me did carry a faint metallic scent, as she’d warned, but they covered the mark perfectly. Haru, of course, scrunched up her face and pinched her nose.

“That’s another hour of cuddling I’ll need. As if it wasn’t bad enough confusing your smell with Saya’s—now I’ll be mixing you up with that woman too.”

“D…do you really get that confused, Haru? I didn’t know.”

“More importantly, are you going alone? If you’re heading toward the academy, it could be dangerous. Want me to come with you?”

“No. I’m not going that way.”

I shook my head. After a moment’s thought, I answered.

“But let’s all go together. It might not take long.”

Eight sets of footsteps echoed across the earthen ground where shadows intertwined. Once upon a time, barely two—four at most—feet had tread this path. Perhaps the ground itself felt the awkwardness, raising dust instead of a blush.

Of course, I was just as unaccustomed to the situation. Until recently, I had been alone. Now Ms. Rebecca walked ahead of me. Haru followed behind. And Saya trailed along, holding her hand.

The sensation of walking with others. The dissonance of feeling unfamiliar with what was everyday for someone else. Lately, my heart fluttered from such sensations.

And I even wondered whether those feelings were changing not just my life but who I was as a person.

The beginning of all of it traced back to that elven girl. I turned to look at Saya without realizing it. Unlike my rotten self, she still radiated a pure, untainted energy. Perhaps it was an inevitable law of the world that muddy waters would yearn for crystal springs.

Was what I felt amid Saya’s breath earlier also a form of that longing?

My heart still stirred. Things I hadn’t been able to feel in a life deprived of so much kept pressing in, hiding their true nature.

Just then, Saya noticed my gaze and tilted her head. With her characteristic beautiful voice, she asked:

“Lope. Why? Do you have something to say?”

“Uh… no.”

I deflected Saya’s question. Oddly enough, Haru shrugged.

“You must have been looking at me. Your reliable junior. The girl who’d be offended to be called second-best at the academy… I mean, the second-best genius swordswoman.”

“Hmm… but is that really true? Is Haru actually a bit less skilled than Lope?”

“No, not necessarily…”

“That’s about right. She can’t even wrestle, and more importantly, her reaction speed is a bit slow.”

“…At night, I win.”

“But you lose during the day.”

“When we last fought, I think I won…”

“I’d appreciate it if both of you quieted down. More importantly, Lope—is that it? Your so-called dormitory?”

Just as a childish bout of one-upmanship was about to erupt, Ms. Rebecca interjected with perfect timing. I looked up to find a familiar scene before my eyes. My humble sanctuary where I once stayed alone.

Was the severed hand still planted in front of the door, I wondered.

“Yes. Right there.”

“So why did you come here? Mind if I ask?”

“I thought there might be something left to take. And… there’s something I wanted to check.”

We approached the dormitory carefully. Soon, the tree where I first met Saya and the scene before it unfolded before our eyes.

The bodies that had littered the ground the day I was forced to leave were gone, cleared to somewhere else. Whether they had all survived and left, or whether a survivor had cleaned up the rest, I couldn’t tell—only dark reddish mounds of earth remained. The wrist that had been planted there like a nameplate had also vanished.

Apart from that, everything looked exactly as before. A week since that day. Or had it been longer? In that span of time—short or long depending on perspective—little had changed.

“It doesn’t look any different from when I last came.”

“You can’t see.”

“Hey, I mean the smells and such haven’t changed. So what do we do now?”

“Even if nothing’s changed… just in case, Saya and Haru, search outside. Ms. Rebecca and I will check inside.”

“Okay. Got it. I’ll call if anything happens.”

Saya nodded reliably and dragged the grumbling Haru away in the opposite direction. I gave Ms. Rebecca a nod and stepped inside.

Soon, a familiar scent seeped into my nose. Haru’s words about the smell not changing finally began to make sense.

Of course, just like the scent, the room’s appearance hadn’t changed much either. The food storage and bed area were messily disturbed, but that was clearly the result of Saya and Haru gathering supplies. Aside from that, nothing stood out.

Was it a wasted trip after all? This was where I had last met Erika, so I figured if she’d left any trace, it would be here. I kicked a tin can rolling on the floor and sighed for no reason.

“Guess not.”

“Are you looking for something?”

“Yes. I thought maybe someone was looking for me… or that there might be some trace left. But I guess not.”

“You never know. Let’s keep looking. We just need to find someone else’s traces, right?”

Ms. Rebecca nodded and began scanning the area diligently. Her approach was a bit different, but she was similar to Haru in a way. That determination to show me goodwill somehow.

The world had crumbled far too much to believe that was simple goodwill anymore.

…

Who would I end up going to the Land of Elves with?

“Lope.”

Lost in thought, I heard Ms. Rebecca call my name. I sighed and answered without even looking her way.

“I figured there’d be nothing. It’s fine. I didn’t expect much…”

“No. That’s not it. I know it’s a bit awkward for me to say this, but… someone left you a letter.”

“What?”

When I belatedly turned my head, I saw her crouching by the head of the bed. I approached with confusion.

“A letter?”

“It’s written right here. 0…0…1. To Lope. Is this your graffiti?”

“No. I never…”

Stepping closer, I saw that a message had been left in clear lettering on the corner wall where the bed was placed. It was in a spot you could easily pass over with a casual glance, and the numbers were written in military terminology, making it hard to think they were meant for anyone other than me.

And it was something only Erika could have left. Being the Student Council President, she must have sat in on even the neglected classes like military studies. The message, pressed firmly with what looked like a smudged pencil, clearly read: 001. Lope.

“001. What does that mean?”

“The first thing that comes to mind… would be a room number. A dormitory room number.”

“You mean Room 001?”

“No… student dormitory room numbers always start with 1. 001 is the management office number. And that’s…”

The underground storage for the dormitory. A place to store things you’d rather not keep above ground.

Not a bad place to hide, either.

“We need to go there. It’s a bit of a walk, but it won’t take long.”

“So that’s why you came.”

“Something like that. Saya! Haru!”

I called out to them immediately. They must have been close by, because they came running right over.

“What? Did you find something?”

“We need to check the underground storage.”

“Oho. So you didn’t come here for nothing after all. Should I… draw my sword?”

“…Probably won’t need it, but just in case.”

Haru immediately drew her sword, and Ms. Rebecca and I likewise produced our respective weapons. Then, with careful steps, we headed toward the storage.

Though winter was coming, the overgrown grasses still didn’t know how to bow their heads. Each time we walked toward the remote corner of the dormitory, the brush brushed against our ankles, rustling eerily. Behind me, I heard Saya swallow nervously.

Meanwhile, the light was rapidly fading, and night had already begun. The descending darkness amplified an unfounded anxiety—I even found myself worrying about why Erika had left such a message, whether it might be some bizarre trap.

But Erika didn’t seem like the type to do something like that. Soon, the entrance to the underground storage, set at an angle beyond the thick brush, came into view. I stopped in my tracks the moment I saw it.

“Right there.”

“Is it locked?”

“Storage rooms are usually locked from the outside. No lock means it’s probably just open.”

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s around, Lope. No strange sounds.”

“Hmm. No smell either, for now. I think we can go.”

I only moved my feet after Saya and Haru had finished speaking. Just as I’d seen from afar, there was no lock on the large storage door. Ms. Rebecca stared at the cold metal surface and offered a heavy observation.

“A pull door. Disadvantageous for a breach. Should we take positions first?”

“No. I’ll knock first. If my guess is right, someone’s probably been waiting for me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not sure.”

I had no certainty. But I’d come this far banking on a slim possibility. After a moment’s hesitation, I knocked lightly on the door.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Erika. It’s me, Lope. Open the door.”

“…”

“It’s me, Erika. Lope. Open up.”

“…”

“Erika…”

…

Suddenly, it struck me that this was similar to when Erika had come looking for me. The only thing that had changed was our respective positions. Neither Erika nor I could be certain who was on the other side of the door. That was why I’d called out the name, clinging to a slim possibility.

And back then, on the other side of Erika’s door, there had been Haru with her sword drawn.

“…Step back.”

An unsettling sense of déjà vu flashed through my mind, and I raised my sword. An ominous presence crept over the nape of my neck. Ms. Rebecca, reading my mood, raised her crossbow as well.

But at that moment, the door began to open from the inside.

“…”

The worn-out door slowly spread apart with its characteristic metallic groan. The movement was so sluggish that it left a strong impression of someone barely managing to push from within. The trembling was unmistakable—someone on the other side clearly lacked the strength.

I couldn’t let my guard down, but at least the likelihood of an enemy seemed low.

“Lope…?”

As I lowered my sword, having made my judgment, the door finally opened and a frail voice crept out from within. The unconfident, drooping voice lodged itself in my ear.

But it wasn’t Erika. The next moment, what I faced was not her, but the face of the very girl I had rescued from the annex that day.

“You…”

“My God…”

“Why are you here…”

In the fading twilight, we shared an awkward reunion and both let our words trail off simultaneously. Hearing her voice only confirmed it further. Though she looked a bit thinner and gaunt, she was staring at me with the same expression as that day.

Moreover, she wasn’t alone.

“Is… is that him? The person named Lope?”

“Where’s Erika? Where is she?”

“Who are the people around you? Is it Esh? Is Ed with you too?”

Other voices crawled out one by one from behind. It was hard to judge the exact number, but even at a glance, it wasn’t just one or two. And among them were the very people who had told me where Lena’s room was that day at the annex.

“What in the world…”

I still couldn’t make sense of it and couldn’t finish my sentence. Meanwhile, the girl at the front spoke to me.

“It’s… you, right? Lope…”

“Ah… yeah. That’s right.”

“Did you come after seeing the message the President left?”

“Yes. But more importantly… Erika?”

I subtly shifted my gaze to search for Erika. But among the sparkling eyes turned this way, her face was nowhere to be found. The girl looked around anxiously and answered carefully.

“The President went to the academy. To rescue the people there.”

“Rescue… she went? How?”

“The President knows the academy layout well. She’s skilled in magic too… some of the people here already escaped thanks to her. They say she’s going to get someone very important this time…”

“Must be Gazner. That kid’s got good magic skills. Knows a lot of practical stuff too.”

“Or maybe Esh. She could have gotten out, but… she said she couldn’t come alone because of her younger brother. Maybe she can make it this time.”

“Hey, wait, quiet down for a second…”

“Lope.”

Amid the disjointed discussion, Saya called my name. When I turned, she was pointing toward the rear.

“Someone’s coming.”

I cast my gaze toward her fingertip. Then, far in the distance, a silhouette pushing through the brush and trees caught my eye.

But my damn eyes couldn’t effectively pierce the darkness of night. One of the girls behind began chanting a spell and scattered red light across the sky.

“…!”

The approaching figure must have been startled, because they flinched for a moment. But thanks to that, I could finally make out their form.

Standing in the middle of the forest’s shadows was unmistakably Erika. Her back hunched over without confidence. Her stride trying hard to appear assertive. I could tell those things the instant I saw her.

But she wasn’t alone. Though it wasn’t clearly visible, there was definitely someone beside her. I furrowed my brow to identify that person.

Soon, the figure of a girl standing beside Erika began to reveal itself. And the moment I saw her long hair scattered in the crimson flash, I let out a sigh.

“…Damn it.”