"..."
I silently water and check on all the flowers in the light magic classroom while pondering about something that's been on my mind for a while.
I really don't understand Seraphina. Or at least this world's Seraphina. Near the end of the game it was explained that she carries the remnants of the evil god Agrimon and as the story progressed she gained more and more of its powers. And then she ended up being the final boss of the game.
But here, I don't really see any 'evil' within her and she has already helped me out a lot of times. I doubted her at first but after she's done so much for someone like me, honestly I don't care even if I'm just being deceived.
Although not like it matters, I already accidentally admitted to working right in front of her, so she could easily get me expelled at any moment if she wanted. And since that is the case, I didn't mind telling her about my condition with fire either…
Friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other right…? At least that's what I heard. Well, actually it might still count as a secret since I didn't go into the whole dying in a fire in another world and getting reincarnated here…
But I feel like nobody would believe such a tall tale. Even I sometimes wonder if my past life actually happened or if it was just a long dream. Even though all my memories from there are still vivid, at the same time they feel so far away too.
So I just kept my story to what I could actually admit to. It is true that I got hurt in a fire, it's just that I also died in it.
Though I still feel bad for misleading her like this. It would be nice to one day clear up all the misunderstandings, but that seems unlikely.
Anyway, I wonder what triggered the change in Seraphina. The only difference between the game and this world is my presence, but I never really did anything that would cause this. I just avoided the capture targets and that's it.
"Do you always take care of all the flowers here?"
Seraphina, who has been watching me for a while now, asks. The study sessions were supposed to be suspended for now, but for some reason she still came to find me here.
"Hm. Since we use them in the light magic curriculum, I feel like I should properly look after them even after the lessons."
Since this is a real world too, maybe it was the butterfly effect after all? The little changes I brought to this reality might have drastically altered what should have happened. Though, I still feel like this Seraphina wouldn't have done the things she did in the game.
So maybe there just won't be a final boss at all now? But apparently Agrimon still has influence in this world since there are still a lot of monsters in the dungeons so that plotpoint should still be around.
I really don't know.
"Ah, I think I heard a bit about it. You can help plants grow with light magic right?"
"Yes, since healing magic promotes growth and recovery, you can use it to grow plants quickly. Though it only really works with small ones, for larger plants it would require exponentially more mana."
"Oh. But how does that help getting better at light magic?" She asks.
Right, fire magic doesn't have any healing spells, so she wouldn't know the teaching methods.
"We start with just making them grow which helps getting familiar with releasing light magic. But that by itself is very ineffective when trying to heal people since you're applying healing magic to a large area, in this case the entire flower. So the next step is cutting into the plants and only applying healing magic to the damaged parts."
"Hm, so you're just concentrating the magic to a small area to increase its potency?"
"Yes, according to Miss Julia that's where the main use of flowers comes in. Since you need a very good understanding of the internal structure of what you're healing, plants are really good for practice and getting an understanding of living beings' biology."
"That sounds interesting, but… Do you really need this many plants for that?"
Seraphina asks as she looks at the classroom packed full of all sorts of potted plants and flowers.
"Well… Like I said, we started with just helping plants grow, which went a little too well for me, and then there were some other things… but I couldn't just let them die afterwards. So I just kept taking care of them since then."
"But isn't it a large burden doing it all by yourself? Especially since you even work part time. Wouldn't it be easier to just plant them somewhere or just try to give them to the school yard's gardeners?"
"I asked them, but they said they don't need any more. So I've been searching for a suitable place for the flowers, but it's a bit hard. I planted as much as I could in front of the back entrance of the infirmary, but all the trees around take up all the sunlight and the same is also true for most of the yard around the school."
"Is it really that big of a problem? It's just plants at the end of the day, you could just get rid of at least some of them."
"..."
I look at all the vibrant, beautiful flowers that have been with me since pretty much the start of school and I can't help but feel a sense of kinship with them. If I think about throwing them away…
"I… I can't do that…"
"Haah. Okay okay, I didn't say you have to do that, I only meant it as a suggestion. S-so you can stop making that face…"
"…?"
Is there something on my face? Seraphina looks a bit flustered after I answer her.
"Ahem. Anyway, so are you finished with the gardening?" But she quickly returns to her usual self.
"Yes?"
"Great! Then you have some free time now, right?"
Seeing her clearly planning something with a scheming look on her face, I can't help but be reminded of the villainess from the game.
"...yes?"
"Then come with me, I want to discuss something with you."
But this is a different Seraphina so it's fine, right…?
***
"Hm, the soil seems moist enough, maybe a bit too soggy so give it a bit less water next time. But other than that, the leaves and flowers seem completely healthy with no pests. So I'd say I can see that you've been taking good care of it."
I conclude after inspecting the miniature yellow rose bush I've given her the last time. Apparently she took care of it herself, which was a bit of a surprise. Honestly giving a living flower to someone might be more of a burden than expressing gratitude, but cutting a flower just for my own interest doesn't feel right…
"That's good to hear. I hope this tea is to your liking as well."
Seraphina says while putting down a plate of snacks in front of me after putting the flowerpot to the side. This is my second time in her room, and while the atmosphere is much more relaxed compared to my first visit, it's still a bit intimidating.
"Y-yes, it's really good."
"That's good to hear. It's a new batch from Lazarius territory. Ah, actually this might be useful information for you. When you get invited to a tea party, the host usually serves tea from their own territory. It's a way for them to show off to their guests and gain recognition. So if you want to gain favor from the host you can just compliment their tea no matter what the actual taste is like."
"Oh!"
"And of course, if you're not interested in that but want to bring attention to yourself instead, you could also criticise it, stealing all the recognition for yourself. Though I wouldn't recommend that for now, since you do need to know a lot about tea tasting beforehand, lest you lose the verbal battle just because you don't know all the technicalities and expressions often used for tasting."
"...! I-isn't that a bit too much…? It's just a tea party right?"
Seraphina explaining all of this while sitting elegantly with a grin on her face really reminds me of her in game illustrations.
"Well, this one is. You don't need to worry about hidden meanings and power plays when I invite you. I'm just telling you this in case someone else invites you to a tea party. You can expect all sorts of betrayals and back stabbings there. It's just the reality when dealing with other nobles."
But she soon returns to her usual self that I've gotten to know during these few days. Was she just trying to give me advice?
"But anyway. That's not why I brought you here. What I wanted to talk about is this."
She pushes a small box in front of me.
"...?"
I open it and see a small golden crest with a bird flapping its wings, but the feathers are a bit distorted, resembling the flickering of flames.
"...! This is…"
"It's the emblem of the Lazarius family. If you wear this, people will know that you have a connection to my family and they won't bother you. Well, if they know what's good for them."
"Huh? B-but, I can't accept this."
"If you're refusing this out of courtesy again, you should know that I'm not offering this to you out of kindness alone. I don't think I've told you before, but I want to have a fair fight with you during the next monthly exam, one where we start on even ground. So I don't want you to get sabotaged by other people at the academy. And since you don't want to accept money from me or lent books, I thought the best alternative would be to give you this crest. So you can think of this as a deal both of us are benefiting from."
Ah, so she still cares about the exam ranking. So that's the reason why she stuck around with me. It makes much more sense now and I think it is respectable that she wants to have a fair showdown with me. But…
"I'm sorry, but it's still too much. If I take it you'd still be doing a huge favor for me that I could never repay. Even if you frame it like this, I'd still feel like I'm taking advantage of the situation."
I say while bowing my head.
"Haah. Fine, I won't push the topic anymore."
"...Huh? That's it?"
I thought she would be more persistent.
"Hm. Well, I kind of expected you to say something like that so this outcome wasn't surprising."
"Ah."
"But no matter, time for plan B then. If you won't accept help from my family then I'll just have to help you gain your own influence."
"H-huh? What?"
"The easiest way to do that is to build connections with other nobles, but you don't seem to like that idea either. But luckily for you there is an opportunity right now that will allow you to do that through your own merit. So you shall come with me tomorrow and we'll join the student council together."
"...! B-but I-"
"No buts. Unless, you want to take my emblem after all?"
"That…"
"I thought so. It's already fortunate that they are still recruiting so I won't let you miss this chance. Messing with a random student might get overlooked, but as a member of the student council your standing will naturally improve."
"I can't. I, I wouldn't be able to deal with all the responsibilities!"
Anything but the student council! That's the last place I want to go right now. It's basically the gathering place for all the capture targets!
I panic and quickly try to come up with an excuse.
"That's why I'm joining alongside you. I'll help you out when you need it. Now you don't have any other issues with it right?"
Uh. What else, what else?
"I'm busy with work?"
"Oh, well it's a good thing that you already asked for reduced hours, isn't it?"
"...! S-studying? Yeah, I need to focus more on learning!"
"My, how diligent. But, didn't we decide to take a break with that? Unless, you solved that problem without me?"
"..."
U-uh. I can't! My brain isn't working fast enough.
"Well, if there aren't any more obstacles in your path, then it's decided. I'll come find you tomorrow as well. I'm happy to work alongside you~"
"...yes."
Without any more rebuttals coming to my mind, I have to admit defeat.
But wait. Seeing that satisfied grin on her face… plus how well-prepared she seemed just now.
Did she plan all of this in advance? She made me free up time so I wouldn't have any excuses?
N-no way, but… The Seraphina in the game was known for her scheming…
Surely not…?