Chapter 06: The Sealed Ruins or the Song of Spatial Reconstruction (song)
(……Ah‚ I want to go home. Right now I want to return to the back door of the inn and‚ without talking to anyone‚ keep calculating just the reflection angle of the water in the bucket for about three days straight. The variable called interpersonal communication is continuously putting overload (overload) on my brain's computational circuits.)
The entrance to the "Sealed Ruins" standing on the back mountain of the academy. Even though the early summer sunlight is pouring down‚ only the area around me is ignoring the laws of physics and the temperature is close to "absolute zero."
The cause is the Duke's daughter Serina Elferia‚ standing next to me without uttering a single word and staring into the void.
「……Um‚ Serina-san? From earlier‚ the frequency of the magic wave leaking from behind you has been making about 15% of the surrounding birds faint. If you could suppress the output a little more like this‚ it would help‚ or rather……」
When I timidly call out to her‚ Serina slowly turns to face me‚ accompanied by mechanical preparatory movements.
Her eyes no longer hold the former innocent light‚ but harbor an unfathomable despair like a blue flame quietly burning at the bottom of the abyss.
「……Rui. Is your calling out to me ending in the current 0.5 seconds? Or is there an additional calculation formula to count my heart again as some kind of 'equipment'」
Her voice is cold and ruthless. However‚ the edge of her words is faintly trembling.
As if she has gone beyond anger and is desperately holding together a heart on the verge of shattering like glasswork――such precariousness was there.
「Eh‚ no‚ that's…… Yesterday's wheat flour talk was purely about arithmetic expected values‚ and I didn't deny your value……」
「Arithmetic doesn't need excuses‚ Rui. You 'gave the answer.' ……That's all.」
As she says that‚ her fingertips try to grab my sleeve for just a moment‚ but cut through the air.
That hesitation was only 0.1 seconds. But that momentary doubt showed that her words were not an attack‚ but a defensive reaction close to a scream.
It was then. The tension like a taut thread was cut by careless footsteps.
「Rui! Serina! Sorry to keep you waiting!」
The one who appeared wrapped in sun-like brilliance to this "battlefield of the heart" was the Holy Knight candidate Leon Valks. However‚ his brightness now sounded too hollow to dispel the heavy atmosphere.
「Leon…… Do you have the awareness that your overwhelming positivity is functioning as physical violence against the current humidity of this place?」
「Humidity? I don't really understand‚ but I'll cut open the path with my sword spirit‚ so rest assured!」
……No good. This guy's brain doesn't have the formula called 'reading the air.'
Without the conversation meshing‚ he heads toward the ruins' door with high spirits.
Behind him‚ Catherine Belmond of the Royal Palace Investigation Team‚ who is accompanying as the practical training supervisor‚ directs a cold gaze at me.
Clack‚ clack‚ the sound of heels marks a hard rhythm.
She doesn't speak. Just tapping the thick documents in her hand with her fingertips‚ she precisely pierces my right flank――the hiding place of the 'Imaginary Magic Book' from behind her glasses.
That gaze was enough to trigger 'Alert: Maximum Level' in my brain's computation.
「……Now‚ shall we start the investigation. Rui Adel-kun. I will observe from the front row how you 'optimize' this ancient structure with that 'magic power 0.2'……」
With Catherine's declaration‚ the ruins' door opened with a heavy scream.
An absorbing darkness. What drifts from there is the smell of dust that has slept for a thousand years‚ and――the omen that my peaceful daily life is being rewritten into an even more distant "path of thorns."
Stepping into the depths of the ruins.
With each step forward‚ "auxiliary lines" different from the real scenery begin to overlap in my field of vision. The words once said by the wise man Zeno‚ 'Magic is structure‚' are visualized with uncomfortably high resolution in this dark corridor.
「……It feels gross. This ruins‚ the walls look like they're 'breathing'」
To my monologue‚ Leon walking ahead turns around.
「Breathing? Rui‚ stone walls can't move‚ right. Does that arithmetic eye of yours see these historic stones as living creatures?」
「It's not biological breathing. The mana pathways are pulsing like blood vessels‚ subtly distorting the space itself. ……Leon‚ stop. The stone pavement you're about to step on is floating 2 centimeters from the theoretical value」
「Wha……！」
「Don't move. If you apply load‚ arrows will fly. Keep it for 5 seconds as is」
With the imaginary magic book in one hand‚ I trace the "stagnation" of geometric patterns floating in the air with my fingertip.
In my vision‚ the 'death trigger' painted in red warning color is visible. Normally‚ one can't even touch the ancient formula‚ but to me‚ the "bug" in its structure is clear as day.
「Coordinate correction…… Input. Attribute‚ deactivation. ……Okay‚ you can go through」
When Leon fearfully lowers his foot‚ a dry click sound is heard. But nothing happens.
Behind‚ Catherine's glasses glint‚ and the sound of her writing something in her notebook echoes eerily in the silence.
「……Wonderful. Instead of forcing with magic power‚ you rewrote the ruins' 'logic'」
Words of praise‚ but the tone is cold. She is not seeing me as a human. She is appraising me as a useful 'part.'
But the real difficulty was not the traps‚ but the subsequent "physical constraints."
「…………Rui‚ you're close」
From behind‚ a freezing yet trembling voice reaches me.
The ruins' passage is rapidly narrowing. The width is about 80 cm. Right behind me is Serina.
「Sorry‚ Serina. But we can't proceed to the back without going through here」
「……I know. I know it」
Serina's voice was tense. Perhaps because of the close contact in the narrow passage‚ her silver hair drapes over my shoulder‚ and body heat transmits through the uniform.
But it was not a sweet contact. Her body is trembling slightly.
Anger‚ fear‚ or――I can't determine.
With only arithmetic data‚ I can't solve the variable of her 'heart' now.
(Calm down‚ Rui Adel. Her heart rate rising to 1.2 times is a stress reaction to the abnormal situation. ……It's definitely not emotions toward me)
Suddenly‚ a heavy driving sound echoes from the depths of the ruins.
「……！ Rui‚ the floor！」
Serina shouts‚ reflexively grabbing the hem of my clothes strongly.
At that moment‚ my brain grid flashes bright red.
「Error occurrence! Everyone‚ get down! Spatial reconfiguration is beginning！」
With a roar‚ the ruins' walls begin to slide.
It was a disaster without warning. Walls approaching‚ ceiling falling.
Before we could even scream‚ we were separated by a huge stone cage.
「Leon‚ Catherine-san! Over there――」
My shouting vision is blocked by the huge stone wall.
The next moment‚ Serina and I are completely cut off from our companions and trapped in an extremely small space surrounded by walls on all four sides.
「Gagaga‚ Gigigigigi……！」
The grating metal sound violently tears the ruins' silence. My arithmetic intuition rings an alert in my brain.
「The trap activation cycle is 0.5 seconds early! This isn't elimination‚ it's execution！」
The moment I shout‚ the stone pavement at my feet disappears simultaneously.
「Rui！？」
「Uwaaaaaah！」
Falling.
That unpleasant floating sensation where the internal organs float up.
The frame-by-frame of the vision shifts‚ and the darkness hits the whole body with physical mass.
「Ouch…… The impact on my butt made my self-esteem evaporate another 5% or so. ……Wait‚ what about everyone！？」
I deliberately make the usual light remark. If I don't‚ it seems like fear will stop my thinking.
Hurriedly looking up‚ the hole we fell from is already sealed with a thick stone slab. Instead‚ the front wall becomes transparent like "projection magic‚" reflecting the situation in the adjacent room.
There――Leon and Serina trapped in the crushing space where the four walls slowly approach with literal "physical killing intent."
「Guuu……！！」
Leon stabs his holy sword into the wall‚ trying to hold back the approaching stone wall with sheer muscle power alone. His white silver armor creaks‚ sparks fly. But his expression has not a shred of composure.
「Leon！ That room‚ in another 120 seconds the survivable space becomes zero！ Escape please！」
「Escape……？ The door is sealed！ ……Kuh‚ this wall‚ if it were just me alone‚ but while protecting Serina……！」
「Serina‚ with your magic power you can pulverize the wall‚ right！？」
To my question‚ Serina biting her teeth at the wall's edge looks up. Around her‚ wild magic power is swirling‚ but for some reason it doesn't activate.
「……Impossible. The moment I release magic power in this room‚ it absorbs that energy and converts it to the wall's closing speed. The more I try to 'destroy‚' the faster we get crushed……！」
「Wha…… what the heck！？」
「Rui！ You don't have to try to save me！ Just calculate the way to escape from that room！」
Tears spill from her eyes. It was not resignation‚ but a painful determination to keep me alive.
「If I die here…… I'll become your shadow and protect you for life……！」
「I don't want to hear about such post-death moat filling！ I'll definitely save you right here now！」
I desperately trace the surrounding walls. This room is the "computation node" of the entire ruins. The lines of light running on the walls are the source code controlling the ruins.
From the room where Leon and Serina are‚ dense magic power――the energy from Serina with nowhere to go is leaking through the wall to this side‚ visible.
(……This is it. I have no magic power. But if I borrow Serina's magic power as a 'variable‚' I might be able to rewrite this huge system！)
「……I have no choice but to do it. Even when washing dishes at the inn‚ if the oil dirt is bad‚ we use hot water. I'll endure this level of overload！」
I thrust my hand directly into the circuit of the pale glowing wall.
「……！ Hot！ My brain feels like it's boiling like honey bread！」
The moment I thrust my hand into the ruins' computation node‚ my vision turned pure white with a flood of information.
Magic power index 0.2. Normally‚ I would be swallowed by the backflow of this huge ancient system‚ and my very existence erased as a fractional remainder of the formula.
But strangely‚ there was no fear.
What echoes in my brain are the words of the old sage Zeno I heard in the dusty library of the North Tower.
『Your vessel is like the void. No limit can be seen』
(……I see. It's not that 0.2 is insufficient‚ but that the old formulas of this world can't measure me. Then‚ I just need to write up my own exclusive 'solution' here！)
I open the pure white 'Imaginary Magic Book' that crawled out from the shadow with trembling hands.
The pages are still blank. But my thoughts turn the torrent of magic power taken from the computation node into "ink‚" engraving geometric poetry on the paper.
「Rui‚ it's enough！ Escape！」
Through the projection wall of the adjacent room‚ Serina is crying out. The wall has already begun to compress their bodies.
(……Shut up. It's messing up the calculation. The variable of me abandoning you isn't written on any page of my life！)
「Serina！ Escape calculation wasn't written even one character from the start！ I'll execute the optimal solution (optimize) to save you right here now！」
「Not 'destroy.' If you understand the structure‚ 'folding' is simple！」
I trace the blank page of the imaginary magic book with my fingertip‚ hacking (optimizing) the ruins' OS.
Wall material‚ space definition‚ gravity vector.
Downgrading all of them to the level of a problem like "the poorly fitted door at the inn's back entrance."
「Phase adjustment…… Imaginary axis reversal. Spatial reconstruction magic――'Backdoor Return'‚ activation！」
At that moment.
Something "crack" burned out deep in my brain.
Noise runs through my vision‚ and the sensation in my fingertips fades.
The entire ruins pulsed "thump" like a giant heart.
On the other side of the projection wall. The approaching stone wall "bent" like a cloth with will.
The scream of physical laws.
The force Leon was bracing with cuts through the air‚ and he is sucked into the suddenly appearing "spatial rift" while embracing Serina.
「……Haha！ Rui‚ did you rewrite the world itself！？」
Spit out from the rift and rolling into my control room‚ Leon laughs with a soot-covered face.
「Rui……？」
Serina also stands up in daze. Her eyes hold awe toward me as a savior.
「……It's not magic. Just 'tidying up.' I just threw the obstructive space into the closet」
I answered pretending to be calm‚ but my heart was beating like a drum.
The current spatial reconstruction had a decisive "loss" feeling as if it shaved my soul. The premonition Zeno mentioned‚ 'If the wind stops‚ you die.'
(……I'm hungry.
……No‚ different. The back of my tongue is unnaturally dry.
The taste of mom's burnt bread seemed to have faded just a little from memory‚ an unpleasant premonition)
The "symbol of daily life" I was so attached to is slipping from my fingertips like sand in exchange for just one magic (formula).
Suddenly‚ there was a presence in the corner of the room.
Catherine Belmond appears silently from the shadows. No applause. Just‚ her eyes behind the glasses gleamed coldly as if saying analysis complete.
Since when was she watching. No‚ perhaps she had predicted this outcome from the beginning and was observing.
「Wonderful‚ Rui-kun. ……As expected‚ you are 'special'」
With those words‚ the temperature disappears from Serina's eyes‚ and absolute zero silence once again fills the room.
When we exit the ruins‚ an ironically beautiful sunset spreads there.
The single path leading to the white academy is dyed golden‚ and our long shadows are burned into the ground. Those shadows were like boundary lines showing that we could never return to being "just students."
「……Phew. When the oxygen concentration returns to normal‚ I feel like the brain's computation efficiency recovers 5%」
I brush off my mud-covered uniform while exhaling deeply. Next to me‚ Leon breathes a sigh of relief.
「Rui. At that moment when you folded the space…… I was convinced. Your power is not for defeating someone‚ but for 'correctly guiding' the world」
Leon said it shortly but heavily. His words lacked the previous carefree brightness‚ and had a certain resolve-like tone.
Beside him‚ Investigator Catherine Belmond reflects the sunset in her glasses and looks at me with a cold smile.
「Yes‚ I observed plenty. Rui Adel-kun. ……In the report‚ I'll detail how your 'optimization' can change the battlefield」
Catherine leaves those words and elegantly bows before departing. That back was that of a bureaucrat who had determined the value of the "commodity" called me.
「……Worst. I was supposed to fail and return to the inn‚ but I'm almost on the national strategic weapon list」
I hold my head. At that time‚ Serina who had been silent all along quietly pulls my sleeve.
「……Rui. Just one thing‚ tell me」
Serina's voice was so small it seemed to disappear in the wind.
「……Earlier‚ when you rewrote the ruins' structure to save me. Was that also the result of your so-called 'expected value calculation'? Because if I die‚ the inn's profits would be damaged…… so you saved me？」
「……Serina」
I was at a loss for words. As an arithmetician‚ I have a logical answer prepared. "If we lose the protection of the Elferia family‚ the probability of the inn's continued operation is 0.1% or less." That should be my 'correctness.'
But the moment I saw the droplet about to overflow from her eyes illuminated by the sunset――my brain's computation circuit output the first "no solution (error)" in my life.
「……No‚ Serina. At that moment‚ I wasn't calculating. Just…… I couldn't include a world without you in the calculation no matter what」
A heavy silence falls.
A vacuum silence as if even the sound of the wind stopped.
「…………Idiot. Really‚ even though you're an arithmetician‚ you're bad at lying」
Serina smiled‚ small‚ really small.
But that smile was not the former innocent one‚ but carried a precarious transparency like a somewhat broken saint.
「……I've decided. Rui. If you 'optimize' the world and save me‚ then I'll make the world into 'a cage for you' and protect you」
「Eh‚ Serina? What did you say just now……？」
「It's nothing. Now‚ let's go back. To uncle's inn」
Serina gripped my hand tightly.
That hand was cold as if the concept of temperature had fallen out.
The fingertips entwined with bone-creaking strength. It was not the sweet "lover's connection‚" but like handcuffs to never let go again.
The sunset that dyed the academy's tower golden sinks‚ and the long shadows swallow us.
The "return to the inn's back entrance" I desire is being further optimized into a distant path of thorns by the error called my own talent.
Every time the sunset sinks‚ daily life quietly crumbles a little.
Without me noticing that sound.
Chapter 06 Complete
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