Chapter 47

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As Filina walked into the space behind the dormitory, she found Hugh leaning her back against the wall of the building.

He smiled slightly and opened his mouth.

“Because of this, I feel like we’re having a dangerous secret meeting.”

She approached Hugh with a frown.

“Can’t you just say hello like a normal person?”

“But now we didn’t meet to do something very modest, did we?”

“Yes, but… ”

At Hugh’s words, she mumbled with a sullen face.

“Because we didn’t meet to do anything particularly dangerous.”

Hearing Filina’s words, Hugh bent his red eyes.

“Well. From now on, physical contact is required, so it could be dangerous.”

“Physical contact?”

“Because you have to stick to me to move through space.”

Hugh shrugged and added.

“The closer you are to me, the lesser the aftereffects of space movement will be.”

Filina asked, furrowing her eyebrows at his words.

“There are aftereffects of space movement? You didn’t say that before.”

“All magic has after-effects. What’s more, you’re using someone else’s magic indirectly. It’s only natural to suffer after-effects.”

He said calmly and held out his hand to Filina.

“Choose how far you will have physical contact. For reference, the farther the distance, the more severe the aftereffects. There’s no need to be scared, it’s just that your head or your stomach will hurt. But the more physical contact with me, the less you feel the aftereffects.”

Filina stared quietly at Hugh’s outstretched hand and said with a puzzled face.

“But, you said we got along well. So, even if I receive your magic indirectly, shouldn’t I feel any aftereffects?”

Hearing Filina’s words, Hugh only smiled while raising his lips without saying a word. She looked at Hugh with sharp eyes.

“You lied, didn’t you? Be honest.”

Hearing Filina’s words, Hugh put away his extended hand and grumbled with a sullen face.

“Ugh, I didn’t lie.”

Filina looked at Hugh with a puzzled expression on her face. Then he glanced at Filina and rubbed his lips.

“I shouldn’t have said that you and I are a good match.”

“Is it true that there are side effects?”

“Yes, the worse the match is, the worse it gets. But it won’t matter if you just hold my hand.”

Hugh reached out to Filina again.

Filina quietly looked at his outstretched hand. A black X-mark was drawn like a tattoo on his white wrist.

Since she wasn’t using her own power, the least amount of contact was required. Filina held his large hand carefully. Hugh smiled and clasped her hand. 

“Your hands are very small. Cute.”

“… Your hands are big.”

Filina muttered with a dissatisfied expression, but Hugh drew a picture in the air with an insignificant expression.

A pure white light was leaking out of the hand that did not hold her. Soon after, a large door opened over the empty space.

Filina asked with a curious face.

“Are we going in here?”

“Yes. If I go alone, I don’t need to go to this stage, but moving around with someone else requires a more stable method.”

Hugh bent over and whispered to her.

“If you do it wrong, you can go somewhere else on your own.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, so hold my hand so you don’t become a lost child. Filina.”

Hugh pulled her and walked to the door painted in white light.

From the outside, the inside and outside seemed to be just the same space, but as they got closer to the door, a powerful light flooded in.

Filina closed her eyes tightly and followed Hugh inside.

At the same time, Huey’s hand disappeared in an instant. The warm light that had embraced her body quickly faded.

Everything was quiet. A cool breeze blew around.

Filina opened her eyes, which had been tightly closed.

“What?”

Hugh wasn’t there. Looking around, she didn’t move anywhere, and she was left alone in her original spot. Then, suddenly, a transparent light flashed from the side, and Hugh appeared.

“Filina.”

He hurriedly approached her with a surprised look and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“Wow, it took ten years. I really thought you were lost in another space alone.”

“How did this happen? Why did I stay here and only you moved?”

Filina asked him with a puzzled look.

Hugh, who had been staring blankly at her, was a bit surprised too, and he opened his mouth with a distorted expression on his face.

“It’s my first time doing something like this, so I’m very embarrassed.”

“First time? Now, did the magic fail?”

“… …don’t call it a failure because it hurts my pride.”

He spoke with a serious face and took Filina’s hand once more.

This time, it didn’t end there, he pulled her hand close to his waist and made Filina hug him.

Filina asked with a frown.

“What are you doing now?”

“Hug me as tight as you can. Don’t fall any further.”

Then, as before, Hugh created a door painted with white rays of light in the air.

He took Filina inside without a moment for Filina to say anything.

At the same time, a large white mass spread out in front of Filina, and it disappeared quickly. And the Hugh she was holding was nowhere to be seen.

Reflexively, her balance was disturbed, and her body leaned to one side.

She stretched her feet to the side to correct her balance.

Again this time, only Filina remained in her original place. Shortly thereafter, Hugh returned to the original spot.

“D*mn it, I’m so frustrated.”

He ruffled his indigo hair back wildly, swallowing the swear words. His pride was hurt. 

“…I think you should go find the ingredients for the potion by yourself.”

As Filina spoke with a resigned expression, Hugh’s face contorted even more ferociously.

“What the hell is wrong? I’ve never been like this before.”

With a serious expression on his face, he grumbled quietly, then sighed.

“I guess I am not feeling well today. Even if I move to a different place with you in this state, when I come back here, it will be dangerous if I can’t move, so I’ll just go there alone.”

Hugh’s expression wasn’t very good, so Filina nodded silently.

Filina walked to the dormitory with a sad face.

On the other hand, Hugh, who was left alone in his place, looked around and picked up a rabbit hiding in the grass.

And, like he did with Filina, he drew a pair of square doors with white rays of light in the air.

Hugh walked in there with a rabbit in his hands. Then, the white light that lit up the darkness spread widely in all directions, and in an instant, it devoured Hugh and the rabbit.

Only a weak wind blew lonely through the empty space.

***

Today was a special training day.

The 1st and 2nd Order, as well as Lawrence and Carmen, were located in the training hall. Filina turned her head to look at the 1st Order lined up on the other side, but Hugh was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t usually go to class, but she was a little worried.

When the magic didn’t go his way, Hugh’s expression was bad, and she was concerned.

“Today, we will have time to form a team through cooperative training between the 1st and 2nd Order and carry out the task.” 

Lawrence came forward and pulled out two sheets of paper with the names of the cadets on them from the empty box. In short, it was in the form of a lottery.

If possible, she wished that Lawrence would personally select the members, but there was no such consideration.

“Sir Argeny and Sir Leon in the 1st Order.”

Filina bit her lip quietly at the names that came out of Lawrence’s mouth.

‘Why the two of them stick together like that.’

“Sir Bessie and Sir Debussy in the 2nd Order.”

And then, at the names that followed, Filina distorted her impression tremendously.

“We’re on the same team. I’m so happy.”

She could hear Bessie talking excitedly next to her, but Filina couldn’t laugh.

It wouldn’t be a coincidence.

How it wasn’t difficult to find the four names Lawrence called out of the many names in that box?

Of course, Bessie was a character whose name has never appeared in the original story, but she was like a magnet because she was involved with Filina.

Filina turned her head to find Leon, who was far away.

The black mask cast in the sunlight exuded loneliness.

… … Perhaps, the reason Leon was with her now was because of the influence of her past life.

According to the original story, Filina and Leon should have never had an indirect relationship like this.

“I will give you two weapons, a bow and a wooden sword. Please note that if you use anything else at will, it will affect your team’s score.”

Carmen ordered the cadet in front of him to lay down the bows and wooden swords in the number of each team.

Then the cadets gathered and dispersed, and each began to take their place in the team that Lawrence had chosen.

Filina also took Bessie and moved quickly.

To get a weapon that was advantageous to them, they had to arrive before the other members.

Fortunately, no one was there yet.

Bessie picked up the bow without any hesitation. On the other hand, Filina didn’t even look at the bow, and immediately reached out for the wooden sword.

However, a large hand protruding from somewhere took the wooden sword Filina was trying to grab.

She frowned and raised her head.

Gentle eyes were staring at Filina.

It was Henry.

She was speechless. She couldn’t understand why he ignored the sword that was next to him and grabbed the one she was trying to take.

After a while, another dark shadow approached. It was Leon, who looked at her and gave her a small smile.

Filina smiled awkwardly and lowered her head.

All that was left was a bow and a wooden sword.

In fact, compared to the bow, the wooden sword was lacking in many aspects to be used as an offensive weapon. Since it was a wooden practice sword, it could only be used for defense purposes.

However, for Filina, the bow could not be used for defense as well as for attack.

The reason was simple.

Because she had no talent for bows.

In fact, it was vague to say that she didn’t have the talent because the practice time was shorter than the others.

Anyway, for now, the wooden sword was more advantageous to her.

However, when she saw Leon in front of him, she hesitated to take the wooden sword.

She had never seen him shoot a bow in her past life. She didn’t really pay attention to Leon in the archery class, so she couldn’t tell what his skill level was.

However, what was certain was that a wooden sword suited Leon better. 

For Filina, the bow may be only a defensive weapon, but it would be more flexible for her.

Henry’s gaze was felt in front of her. Without taking the wooden sword that was left in front of her, Filina only looked at Leon, and it seemed strange.

“Sir Debussy.”

Leon’s voice was heard as she was looking at him.