The Anomaly's Path

”Besides... I owe her an apology. A really big one.”

”Oh?” Roan’s silver eyes lit up at once, a wide, amused grin spreading across his face as he chewed on the apple. ”A really big apology, huh? Now that sounds like an interesting story, my bro.”

He stood up from his desk, tossing the apple core into a small trash bin, and walked over to sit on the edge of the empty bed right in front of me. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his playful gaze locked on my face.

”Care to tell me, bro? Heh, maybe I can give you some of my expert advice,” he teased, his smile getting wider and wider with every passing second.

”Shut up, it’s nothing like that,” I grumbled, keeping my face flat.

But Roan did not budge. He just kept staring right at me, his silent, creepy smile expanding until his eyes were practically squinting.

”Fuck, okay! Stop giving me that creepy face, I will tell you,” I snapped. I let out a heavy, tired sigh and rubbed the back of my neck. ”You remember the stabbing scene? Back during the Gate Tournament, when Seris stabbed me through the chest?”

Roan’s playful look softened just a little, a knowing glint passing through his silver eyes. ”Yeah. I know how reckless you were back then. You almost blew yourself and everyone else up by forcing your Flame past the limit.”

”Right,” I sighed, sitting down on my own bed.

”After the tournament ended, Sylvia completely chewed me out. She actually beat me up a little and told me I had to apologize to Seris. And then, later on, you remember how the president said we won the tournament and she took the blame for the whole mess? That was when I realized I really owed her. It was my fault for telling her to stab me in the first place.”

I paused, staring down at my hands as the memory played out.

”And then... when I finally got back to my own room after recovering, I got a small note from her. It just said ’get well soon,’ but it was written in the most messy handwriting I have ever seen. And she left a half-eaten chocolate bar right next to it.”

I looked up at Roan, who was listening carefully. ”So, I thought... maybe I should take her out to eat somewhere? I mean, from what I have seen, she really likes to eat a lot.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Roan’s lips began to twitch. A second later, a loud, annoying laugh burst from his throat.

”Ahh, my bro!” Roan clapped his hands together, wiping a fake tear from his eye. ”I never expected you to go so far as to think of a date! Are not you moving way too fast? Hehe, maybe I should start thinking of names for your future children right now!”

This bastard, I thought, my forehead veins showing. This is exactly why I did not want to tell him anything.

”Shut up, bastard!” I shouted, my face flushing with anger.

”It is not like that at all! I am only thinking about food because she loves eating! In fact, now that I am talking out loud, I think it is a terrible idea. Maybe I should just buy her a pack of chocolates, write a quick ’sorry’ note, drop it off, and move on with my life.”

Roan’s laugh stopped at once. He gave me a strange, unimpressed look, shaking his head.

”Listen, bro. Women’s are sensitive, and they work differently from guys. Besides, did she not save your life? You did not just tell her to stab you, Leo — you basically told her to kill you in that moment. And is she not the best friend of your older sister, Sylvia?”

I stayed quiet, unable to argue with that.

”Exactly,” Roan went on, pointing his finger at me. ”So saying you will just buy her some random chocolates and a cheap note means you are not being serious about your apology at all. It is weak.”

”Hey, hey, wait a minute, do not put it that way,” I said, raising my hands. ”You are making me sound like a cold-hearted person.”

”Because you are acting like one,” Roan said smoothly, crossing his arms. ”You should take her out instead. Show some actual effort. As a wise man once said: ’A true apology is not found in the sweetness of sugar, but in the time carved from a busy soul.’”

I blinked, staring at him blankly. ”And who exactly said such a quote?”

Roan proudly nodded his head, tapping his own chest with a very serious, solemn expression. ”Me.”

My jaw dropped slightly. ”You? You wrote that nonsense?”

”With my own hands,” Roan said, his face completely deadpan as he stared into my eyes. ”Believe it or not, I am also a writer at heart, bro. My words are unmatched.”

I let out a loud groan, grabbing a pillow from the bed and throwing it directly at his face. Roan laughed, catching it easily before it could hit him.

”Anyway, bro, jokes aside,” Roan said, tossing the pillow back. ”You should definitely take her out somewhere nice. It’s the right thing to do.”

I sighed deeply, leaning my back against the wall.

”But do you honestly think she will accept it? Of course not. Think about it, how many times have I actually met her in person? Maybe five or six times, seriously. And even then, the only reason I met her in the first place was because of Sylvia. I barely know anything about her personality, and she probably knows nothing about me.”

As I spoke, my mind went back to what I knew from the game. I did know a little about her character from the lore, but seeing her here, alive and breathing, made me realize the game did not show the real her at all.

She was a real person now, just like everyone else around me.

”Well, that’s even more of a reason to take her out and actually talk,” Roan pointed out, shrugging his shoulders.

”She is also older than me,” I added, trying to change the topic. ”She is probably around nineteen? Almost twenty? Meanwhile, I am only eighteen.”

Roan let out a loud, dramatic gasp, clicking his tongue. ”Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bro, you disappoint me so much right now.”

I frowned. ”What?”

”You clearly don’t know how much of a blessing that is,” Roan continued, waving his hand. ”Older women are just better in every single way. As another famous quote goes: ’An older star burns with a wiser, more brilliant flame that guides the young traveler home.’”

I stared at him, my expression turning skeptical. ”Bastard... you’re talking like you have a lot of experience with girls, and that quote... let me guess, you wrote that one as well?”

Roan shook his head slowly, a mysterious look on his face.

”Then who wrote it?” I asked.

”The most handsome, incredibly charming, powerful, and talented elf prince to ever walk this world,” Roan grinned. ”The true heir of Sol-Valis wrote it.”

I furrowed my brows, thoroughly confused. ”Wait... aren’t you the heir of Sol-Valis?”

Roan’s grin grew wide. ”Oh, wow, was that me? Hehe, what a wild coincidence!”

”Oy, bastard!” I shouted, lunging forward to grab him, but Roan was already moving.

With the quick reflexes, he jumped off the bed and ran toward the door, pulling it open before I could touch him. He stood in the hallway, laughing loudly as he held the doorknob.

”Okay, okay, bro! I was just joking!” Roan laughed, catching his breath.

”Go get some rest and think about what I said. Believe me, women appreciate the effort. Oh, and make sure you actually sleep, because tonight we are all going outside to see the city. I have already talked with Alice and the others — she will bring everyone along. We are heading out later, and that will be fine. And I will not take a ’no’ from you!”

Before I could throw a shoe at him, Roan slammed the door shut, his laugh fading down the hall.

The room fell completely silent.

I let out a long, tired groan, falling flat onto my back on the bed. I stared up at the ceiling, Roan’s words echoing in my mind.

Love... romance... what a load of bullshit...

I closed my eyes, a bitter taste in my mouth. To be honest, I did not know anything about those feelings.

In my past life, I had never dated anyone. I had never felt that kind of affection for someone, and given the dangerous life I lived now, I did not think I was the kind of person who could ever afford to focus on something so fragile.

But as the image of Seris’s messy note flashed through my mind again, I sighed, staring out the window at the towers.

Maybe a simple dinner would not hurt...

_

Meanwhile...

Far across the continent, another sleek private plane came down through the clear clouds of the Holy Kingdom of Sanctyra.

As the heavy wheels touched down on the runway of Luminara Academy’s private area, the doors hissed open, letting the students of Class Veritas and Class Audax see the religious nation for the first time.

Big white spires reached high into the sky, and the tall shape of the Grand Cathedral stood proudly in the center of Sanctyra City, shining in the bright morning light.

Stepping down from the plane, Arthur looked out over the busy runway. Unlike Leo’s group, their trip was a little different.

Professor Helene, the Vice President of Aegis Academy, could not come because of her heavy work back home. In her place, Professor Eleanor would be watching over both Class Veritas and Class Audax during the trip, her eyes scanning the grand land with calm authority.

Arthur tightened his grip on his bag, his bright eyes locked on the huge, holy buildings surrounding the famous school. He could feel the thick mana in the air — the presence of the Goddess’s nation.

The nation that had called him the Apostle.

”Holy Kingdom...,” Arthur said to himself, his face turning serious as he stepped forward.