Chapter 48

While everyone else in Squad 35 rushed into the forest, we leisurely strolled toward it.

“Why is everyone running?”

“They’re probably trying to fight monsters they can handle first. Fighting something too strong won’t earn them any points.”

“So, we just need to fight the strong ones? Easy!”

“It’s not easy at all! I’m not good at fighting, you know!”

Despite saying that, Mireille quickly dispatched the weak monsters coming our way. Well, that’s expected from someone who’s contracted with a great demon.

This forest—the ‘Forest of Trials’—is only visited during exams. The further you go into the forest, the stronger the monsters become.

In other words, if you don’t go toward the center, you won’t have to fight tough monsters. That’s why the other students are scrambling to rack up points by defeating the monsters on the outskirts.

Only a handful of people will venture toward the center. Personally, I don’t want Hera to go that far, but… it’s a test, so it can’t be helped.

“We’re heading toward the center, right!?”

Wilhelm asked while loosening up his body. Despite asking, he was already far ahead of us, ignoring the monsters as he ran straight toward the center.

“…Battle maniacs are always like this.”

“I agree! If we’re going to the center, I’m not fighting!”

“In that case, please take care of all the small fry monsters gathering because of his loud voice.”

“Ugh, that’s annoying—wait, for something like that, sure! I’ll wipe them all out!”

As I gave Mireille a deadpan look, she scratched her cheek awkwardly before jumping into the swarm of monsters to distract me.

“Now then—hey, Kurt.”

“Y-yes! W-what is it!?”

“I’m going to act separately from now, but… try to convince those two to stay safe.”

“I-I understand… By the way… why are you going off on your own?”

“You don’t need to know that. Just handle it for me, okay?”

“Got it!”

With that, I enveloped my legs in lightning and dashed toward the ominous aura emanating from the center of the forest.

“—Old man, is this the right way?”

‘It is.’

Ten minutes of jumping from tree to tree brought us close to the ominous presence.

“…From here, I’ll suppress my magic power.”

I moved forward silently, careful not to make a sound. Occasionally, I almost ran into a monster, but I managed to camouflage myself or escape into the spirit realm to avoid them.

“Damn… too many monsters in this forest…”

Having never ventured this deep, even in the game, I was surprised by the number of monsters. But then I heard a voice that was clearly not from a monster.

I sharpened my senses and listened intently.

“…Tch… Not a single magic tool here… Is someone trying to alter the story again?”

—Bingo.

Though I couldn’t see them yet, there was no mistaking it. This had to be a reincarnator with the forbidden tome, the Akashic Records.

I quietly approached the source of the voice.

“Really… why are there always idiots trying to mess with the story… I just don’t get it.”

Thirty meters away.

“The original story is the most beautiful one… I can’t understand why there’d be fools in this world who don’t see that—”

Fifteen meters—!

“—Is that you?”

Suddenly, a beam of light shot toward where I was hiding. I instinctively cloaked myself in lightning and deflected the beam.

“Lightning… I see. So, you’re the fool trying to alter the story!”

“I haven’t done anything deserving of that title… But what’s so bad about changing the story?”

I emerged from the bushes, facing a man cloaked in a robe. The hood obscured his face, making him hard to recognize.

However, his voice grew harsher as he yelled at me.

“Don’t play dumb! What’s wrong with changing the story? Can’t you see… the original story is the most magnificent!”

“For the most part, I agree… but this game is different. Only a select few around the protagonist get to be happy. Everyone else… meets a tragic end.”

Hera is a prime example.

All she wanted was for someone to truly love her, to have a family. But everyone only saw her beauty and status. Eventually, they feared her talent and power, leading to attempts to eliminate her.

In her despair, the evil god tempted her, stripping her of her will and turning her into an enemy of the protagonist.

Arthur, too, suffered. The person he loved was stolen by the protagonist, and he had to endure watching them flaunt their affection right in front of him. He fought bravely for someone he knew he’d never be with, only to die protecting his childhood friend Cynthia.

“And that—what part of that is a great story?”

My question made the reincarnator in front of me tilt his head in confusion.

“What are you talking about? That’s how it’s supposed to be! It’s natural for anyone outside the protagonist’s circle to meet tragic fates. So what’s the problem?”

…I see.

There’s no way we’ll ever understand each other.

“This world isn’t a game. Everyone here is alive. That’s why—”

I recalled the image of Arthur, now with a fiancée and finally able to smile from his heart. I still visit him from time to time, and that smile was one I’d never seen in the game.

And then there’s Hera, who has shown me affection. In the game, she never loved anyone, never smiled, and eventually became the final boss, consumed by despair.

But in this world, she laughs, surrounded by people like Arthur and Maria, who harbor no malice toward her.

I channeled the power rising from deep within me and declared:

“—No matter what anyone says, I’ll reshape this world into one where everyone, including Hera, can live happily and smile.”

Because that’s the mission I believe the god who reincarnated me into this world has entrusted to