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“Haah!”

With a scream filled with air, Selian shot up, her upper body rising.

Immediately, she raised her hands to feel her face. The sensation of her face was incredibly vivid at her fingertips, while the texture of her palms against her skin, though calloused, still held a considerable softness. To Selian, who had only lived swinging a sword since Elysia’s death, it was the tender hand of a girl she thought she would never see again.

What emerged alongside her confusion was the cushy feel of the soft mattress and the gentle warmth of the blanket. For Selian, who had embarked on the path to slay the Demon King, it felt like an ancient sensation, so long ago that she could hardly remember the last time she felt it.

The destinations she had traveled to were all barren lands, and in the rare villages, she would be lucky to find environments where she could at least cover a rough wooden bed with a blanket. Such luxurious bedding was a dream she could not even imagine.

Additionally, the sunlight streaming through the wide-open curtains and the chirping of birds beyond the window were all too reminiscent of distant memories for Selian.

In her moment of confusion over the sudden circumstances, the first thought that crossed Selian’s mind was whether she was still dreaming and if the tentacles of the Four Heavenly King, Glen, were actually flying toward her head.

However, dismissing it as simply a dream felt impossible given how vivid both her body’s movements and sensations were.

Next, she considered the possibility that this place was not some mythical paradise she had only heard of. Although it looked nothing like the paradise she had imagined, she wondered if heaven, being a place one goes after death, would truly appear any different from reality.

But Selian quickly realized that this was not heaven. If it were, it would never look like this.

Gathering her wits, she looked around, and the sight was unmistakable—a nostalgic room, every piece of furniture and decoration so familiar it felt like it could be conjured from memory. It was her very own room from her Academy days.

The memories of the Academy brought her both fond nostalgia and sorrow as she thought of Elysia, intertwining joy with painful recollections.

Thus, this place could never be heaven.

‘Then what on earth is this place…’

Knock, knock.

In the midst of her confusion, Selian heard a knock at the door. Still buried in her bed, she stared blankly at the door, and the knocking continued, accompanied by a voice.

“Student Selian?”

Perhaps it was the shabby appearance of the dormitory that made the voice sound eerily familiar—it was the voice of the dormitory warden she had heard long ago.

Called repeatedly by the warden in an urging tone, Selian had no choice but to get out of bed. She pulled her legs out from under the blanket, touched the cool floor, and slowly walked to the door.

Creak, the floorboards emitted a small sound. Despite being a single room that cost a fortune, the noise from the floor remained strikingly reminiscent of her memories.

Click, when she opened the door, the dormitory warden was standing there. It wouldn’t have been surprising if a few more wrinkles had appeared on her face since Selian last saw her years ago, yet somehow, the warden seemed even younger.

“…If you plan to live at the Academy, it’s better to avoid sleeping in,” said the warden, her words laden with cryptic meaning.

In this incomprehensible situation, Selian could only nod with a dazed expression.

“Alright. I’ll quickly relay the messages, so let’s hurry and wash up. The entrance ceremony is scheduled to start in an hour, so you will likely run out of time if you don’t prepare now.”

“The entrance ceremony… what?”

“Why? Well, some students can’t believe they’re entering Griffin Academy, but I thought you wouldn’t be one of them?”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t believe she was enrolled; the very fact that the entrance ceremony was happening in an hour felt utterly unbelievable.

After all, her own entrance ceremony had ended many years ago.

“…You might want to wash your face and get your wits about you. Then be careful not to be late on your first day.”

Leaving Selian standing dumbfounded at the open door, the dormitory warden moved on to wake the next resident.

Not knowing if this was a dream or some other world, and completely lost, Selian prepared to leave, repeating the motions from years ago—going to the bathroom to wash her hair, clean her face, dry it off, do light makeup, and awkwardly put on a school uniform before standing in front of a mirror.

Truly… it had been a long time since she saw her own reflection in a school uniform.

No longer the dignified woman over 20 who had given up on grooming to walk the path of a hero, but rather the fresh visage of a teenage girl.

As such, expectation began to swell within her. Ever since she saw the dormitory warden earlier, hope began to awaken within her.

Now, she would step outside and head toward the venue of the entrance ceremony. Several students and faculty members recognized her and spoke to her on the way. As a famous hero candidate, many people recognized her, even before the ceremony had begun.

However, she ignored the calls of others calling her name and quickened her pace. Finally, upon arriving at the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was to take place, Selian hurriedly scanned her surroundings for any possible familiar faces.

While she wasn’t late, her delayed preparation meant she got there just in time since most students were already lining up for their respective classes.

And she spotted the line of students for Swordsmanship Class 1. With slow steps, Selian moved toward the end of that line.

Typically, one would stand at the back as per order, but she deliberately moved slowly, pushing past each person toward the front.

As she passed familiar wine-colored and red-haired individuals, she finally found her.

The silver-haired girl. Though only her back was visible, she could feel it in her bones—that it was her.

Elysia Frentz.

The girl she yearned for, missed, and longed for was now within arms reach.

Thus she fought to hold back tears and slowly extended her hand. But her outstretched hand hesitated and stopped right in front of Elysia’s back, unable to proceed further.

What if the silver-haired girl turned around, and the Elysia she missed was not truly her? What if, in that moment of facing her, she awakened from this dreamlike state and returned to reality?

Just as another student standing behind the silver-haired girl stared at Selian with a puzzled look, the silver-haired girl, sensing presence, slowly turned around to look.

Side profile, then facing her directly.

It was Elysia Frentz. The girl who saved her, and in the process lost her own life.

“Uh…”

Yet Selian could not bring herself to call Elysia’s name, only releasing a small sound.

“Excuse me… is there something wrong?”

With a puzzled head tilt, Elysia asked as if she were meeting Selian for the first time.

Well… if this moment were truly the entrance ceremony, it would be natural that Selian and Elysia were meeting for the first time. From this moment on, they could build memories together once more.

Thinking that, Selian tried again to reach out and call her name, but another memory suddenly surged within her.

“It seems a bit difficult to uncover the identity of the one targeting Lady Selian.”

It wasn’t because she questioned whether she deserved to call Elysia’s name.

If returning to the past wasn’t a dream, then the assassin targeting her would still exist. Though she remembered the face of the assassin she killed that day, there was no guarantee he would appear with the same face.

Perhaps even during this entrance ceremony, this moment, the assassin could be lurking among the new students, targeting her.

And that was why she couldn’t call out Elysia’s name. She worried that the terrible memory from that time would replay itself once more. No matter how much strength she possessed as a Sword Master, she could not find peace until she had dealt with the assassins targeting her within the Academy.

“Lady Selian… am I right?”

As Selian hesitated, Elysia recognized her face and called her name. That call further solidified Selian’s resolve.

“…I’m sorry. I mistook you for someone else.”

Selian apologized to Elysia, who recognized her, and turned her back toward the end of the line. It pained her to push Elysia away, but for Selian, this was the best course of action. Of course, there might have been a better way, but at least that was what she thought.

Now she would be able to see her face again.

That Elysia wouldn’t need to lose her life because of her.

Just that thought alone was enough to help her suppress her heartache. She was confident in her ability to endure, having endured the tormented feelings that once drove her to death in her past life.

*

“Hello, Lady Selian.”

“Ah! Lady Selian. Let me take care of that for you.”

“Lady Selian, I found a nice café, would you like to go together?”

Lady Selian, Lady Selian, Lady Selian…

Yet Elysia, whether aware of Selian’s troubled heart or not, kept approaching her relentlessly. No matter how much she ignored her, pushed her away, or even shot sharp words at her without meaning it, Elysia, with her characteristic awkward expressions and bright smiles, did not give up.

At least if she could quickly uncover the identity of the assassin targeting her and eliminate them, Selian could have easily enjoyed Elysia’s company once again. However, even if she delved into the backgrounds of the students in the Academy, she could not find a trace of an assassin.

Instead, Selian found herself hoping that once she awakened as a hero again, the frantic assassin would make a direct approach.

But even after becoming the hero, Selian was surrounded only by her classmates and professors she had been with since the beginning of the semester—no new, unfamiliar faces appeared.

As Elysia approached Selian every day, one day, different from usual, she bore a sad expression as she approached Selian.

“Um… Selian?”

“What’s wrong?”

A curt and sharp response followed, but Elysia was unfazed and continued to speak.

“I’m sorry for being a nuisance to you all this time. From now on, I won’t trouble you anymore… but could you grant me one last request?”

Selian had ignored Elysia’s words many times before, but the sadness visible in Elysia’s ruby-red eyes evoked memories of the Elsyia from her past, at the time of their last farewell.

At the sight of her, Selian instinctively fell silent, leading Elysia to believe she had accepted the request, and she continued speaking.

“Um… there’s an open area behind the dormitory, right? Later, during dinner time… could you come out there for a bit? I want to talk to you alone…”

Why that place, at that time, of all things. Even that it was a last request…

Well… since it’s a last request, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to oblige just this once?

With the illusion that the Elysia from her past was asking her a favor, Selian ultimately couldn’t refuse Elysia’s request and simply nodded.

*

The open area was so rarely visited that it looked just as it had in her past life. However, with a difference of about a month or two, the grasses and flowers had only slightly changed.

Unlike that time, it was the evening and there was no rain. Selian walked to the center of the open area, to the very spot where Elysia had lain in her last moments.

Even though much time had passed… she could still vividly recall the image of Elysia falling asleep in her embrace.

As she crouched down, gently stroking the dry earth beneath her, she sensed a presence at the entrance of the area.

Though Elysia’s footsteps were so light they were nearly inaudible, they could not evade the senses of a Sword Master like her.

“You’ve arrived, Lady Elysia.”

“Selian…”

Elysia, who had walked up slowly, was now close enough that she could bump into Selian with just one more step.

What kind of request would Elysia make? Would it be something she could agree to? Selian was worried and then suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation around her heart, slowly lowering her gaze.

On her chest, more specifically, Elysia’s sword was lodged directly above her heart.

It was a completely bewildering and inexplicable situation, and of course, Selian could only feel flustered.

“I truly… am sorry… I can’t repay this sin… but please understand that my feelings of regret are genuine.”

If Selian, having regained her Sword Master powers through the Holy Sword, could counterattack Elysia and immediately provide emergency aid, there would still be hope for her survival. However, she couldn’t draw the sword from her waist.

How could she kill Elysia again?

How could she strike down the girl who had sacrificed her life for her?

Even if Elysia had plunged the blade into her heart.

Instead, Selian slowly lifted her hand towards Elysia’s face.

Feeling Selian’s touch on her cheek, Elysia flinched. But Selian held no intention of attacking her.

She only wanted to gently, softly caress Elysia’s cheek, filled with affection.

Unbeknownst to Elysia, tears welled up and trickled down her face, rolling over Selian’s hand.

A single drop of Elysia’s tear, felt upon Selian’s hand.

That was the last memory Selian had of her Second Life.

 

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