Her body and features would forever stop at fifteen.
"She chose that path after all."
Kay smiled and straightened his posture. "My dear sister... miracles always come with a price."
He sheathed the broadsword he had been using as a makeshift cane and turned away. He patted Wayland on the shoulder.
A solitary knight, silhouetted against the setting sun.
Wayland wanted to say something, but darkness suddenly rushed in. He couldn't even hear Kay's final words.
"Keep working hard, Master."
Brilliant sunlight poured through the window.
Wayland was back in his dormitory room. It felt as though he had just woken up from a long, incredibly vivid dream.
"I passed the trial?"
Slowly, reality began to return. He stood up and walked to the window.
The fairy seed on his balcony still hadn't sprouted.
"I didn't even get to see Scathach one last time. Who knows when I'll see her again?"
After a long silence, he let out a sigh of disappointment. "It ended so abruptly."
He had expected to return to the Land of Shadows after completing the selection trials, allowing him a moment to say goodbye.
"Forget it... it was just a memory."
Wayland comforted himself. His stomach let out a loud rumble, and he realized he was starving.
He checked the system time: 5:30 PM.
He still had time for dinner before the evening's club performances.
He headed straight out of the dormitory, nodding a greeting to Krish in the lobby before making his way to the General Fundamentals cafeteria.
Because of the club performances, the cafeteria was far more crowded than usual.
Wayland had to queue for half an hour before he finally got his meal.
A bowl of seafood ramen.
Three whole, plump crawfish sat prominently on top of the noodles.
Wayland picked up his chopsticks and stirred the steaming broth. The rich aroma filled his nostrils, and he felt his mouth watering.
"Wayland."
The voice arrived before the person. Elena appeared before him like a sudden gust of wind. She set her tray down on the table and elegantly unfurled her napkin, placing it over her lap.
Using her knife and fork, she began to carefully and precisely cut her steak. "I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Wayland asked, his mouth full of ramen.
"It's regarding the ruins."
Wayland quickly swallowed. "The Captain agreed to let me go?"
Elena speared a small piece of beef and brought it to her mouth, chewing it slowly and thoroughly. Only after she had swallowed did she speak. "The ruins are dangerous. You need to be prepared."
"So... she said yes?"
"Which Captain are you referring to?"
"I mean, of course..." Wayland watched as Elena pressed her knife into the steak. Her control was perfect; the ceramic plate didn't even have a hairline fracture, but the meat parted effortlessly into two pieces.
He knew exactly what she wanted to hear. "I meant the adorable Captain! Captain Elena Fleming, of course!"
Elena shot him a sideways glance, her expression unchanged. "Apply for leave from the Lord tomorrow morning. You'll likely be missing a week's worth of classes."
"Understood, Captain!"
Wayland set his chopsticks down and tapped his forehead with two fingers before offering a playful salute.
Elena finally broke, a small, crescent-shaped smile appearing on her face.
"So when do we leave?"
"Age of Gods ruins are inherently unpredictable. Once you step inside, you could find yourself in an entirely different world. This particular ruin is underwater, which makes it even more difficult to scout. Captain Hishiri Adashino's plan is to have the first four teams handle the underwater exploration while the remaining eight handle the surface operations. Our primary goal is to determine the exact location, origin, and nature of the ruins. Once we have that data, we can decide how to proceed safely."
Elena took another bite of her steak. "Mmm, delicious. Meet me at the office at eight tomorrow morning. We'll depart from there."
"Got it."
Wayland nodded.
"I've been busy with the ruins all day, so I'm skipping the club performances tonight," Elena said as she finished her meal. With a quick wave, she was gone.
When Wayland arrived at the student plaza, the performances were just beginning. As expected, May Riddell was the opening act.
Unlike her gentle "princess" persona from the previous night, she was now in full "idol" mode.
She was vibrant, energetic, and completely captivating.
For a brief moment, Wayland felt as though he had stepped back into his past life and was watching a "Gokuraku Jodo" dance cover on a video site.
'Can magi really handle this kind of thing?'
Because he had been on his guard, he didn't fall under the influence of her charm magecraft like the others in the crowd.
Wayland looked at the sea of glowing light sticks waving across the plaza and felt a sudden shiver.
'Sorry... I clearly underestimated your professionalism.'
'Idol culture is just as terrifyingly effective in this world as it was in mine.'
Wayland didn't stay until the end of the show. He headed straight back to his dormitory.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]