I Became The Academy Necromancer
Chapter 316: The Girl Who Escaped Her Fate

[Retry]

The game that was released when I was 10 years old could rightfully be called shitty.

However, since it was the first game I ever played, I enjoyed it.

Besides, my mom liked seeing me playing like the other normal kids.

So, it didn’t matter how others rated it, to me, the game [Retry] was a gift from my father and my mother’s smile.

Of course, the content was unbearably unpleasant.

However, even at 10, I had already seen countless tragedies.

The deaths surrounding me were far more vivid than Aria Rias’ story on the screen.

“…”

The truth I eventually laid bare was unspeakably cruel, but I hoped she would see it from a slightly different perspective.

“It’s okay.”

“Well, let’s just go.”

Her voice, damp with emotion, revealed her complex feelings. Being a kind child, she probably felt more sadness than shock.

“Because now, you are no longer bound to that fate.”

Aria, who had lowered her head and hid her face with her hair, suddenly glared at me.

Her reddened eyes were tinged with bitter resentment.

“Do you think—do you really think that I’ll be happy about that? Do you think I’ll be rejoicing after being freed from such a cruel fate? And what about you, Professor?! What about you, the one who took on that burden?!”

“…”

“You should’ve told me sooner! If you’d told me, I never would’ve let you take it on! I wouldn’t have lived as an ordinary Aria Rias!”

Everyone in the café turned to look at us. The staff, unable to hold back, approached our table cautiously.

Since it seemed like we needed a more private place to talk, I led Aria outside but she couldn’t wait.

Grabbing my wrist, she dragged me into an alley. I spotted Eleanor tailing us as we made our way, but I pretended not to notice.

Deep in the alley.

It was still daylight, so the inside of the alley was clearly visible even without streetlights.

And the city of Graypond was so clean, that even its alleys were spotless and almost pleasant.

“Let’s… go back to meet the gods.”

Had she more or less sorted out her thoughts during our brief walk? As tears streamed down her face, Aria confronted me.

“No.”

I replied firmly but gently.

“What do you mean, ‘no’? This was my fate to bear! It’s my responsibility!”

“They can’t interfere so easily either.”

They were just some beings dragged around by the yoke called fate. It was hard to even call them creators or gods.

“T-there has to be a way! There must be some way!”

“There isn’t. It’s already over.”

There was no time left now.

The fate originally planned for five years had been shortened considerably because of me.

Numerous things had been twisted, and while the future would change, the overall framework probably wouldn’t.

In the end, the world would present me with the same choices Aria Rias faced.

“I don’t want to…”

At my firm tone, Aria was unable to hold back any longer and burst into tears.

She clung onto my clothes tightly, refusing to let go.

“I don’t want this… I hate it. Why do you have to face such a fate, Professor? Why?”

As always, Aria was somewhat fragile mentally. That was because she cherished others way too much.

“Don’t go. Professor, you mustn’t.”

“…”

“Please. Please, I’m begging you.”

Burying her face in my chest, Aria trembled in fear.

What kind of decision would the me from the first cycle make after causing a girl like her to become obsessed with him?

Even if I didn’t want to know, being the same person, I could predict it easily.

He would have probably said something along the lines of, ”Since you love me, please die for me.”

I really hated that version of myself for smiling while telling her to die for the sake of the man she loved.

Since destroying the Griffin Kingdom meant my death as well, I must have used that love of hers to push her toward that end. And that made me dislike that version of me.

“Aria.”

I called out to her softly.

My voice carried a faint trace of a smile.

“I want to be happy.”

I gently embraced her as she raised her face to look at me. I knew that the girl’s warmth was something I had long desired.

“I wonder if you know.”

That more than how she was crying out to me right now…

“How much I wanted to save you.”

To save a girl who only existed in a game, the ten-year-old boy had clung to his console as if his life depended on it.

There was no internet back then.

I didn’t have access to any guides or reviews.

The continent felt like an entirely new world to me, a place filled only with the unknown.

“I tried over and over again. Even while watching the cruel endings, I never gave up and kept following your story.”

Because I believed there had to be another way.

I believed that, perhaps on a different path, there was a perfect ending meant for Aria.

A smile at the end, prepared just for this endlessly kind and innocent girl.

But I never found it.

Later, when I searched the Internet, I discovered that I had seen all the endings [Retry] offered.

I felt a complicated mix of emotions.

In the end, I was unable to save her, but I was already mature enough by then and it didn’t leave a deep impression.

However,

“Finally.”

I hugged her gently but firmly.

How many years had it taken me to finally save this young girl now in my arms?

“Truly, finally.”

This young girl had shown me a whole new world and, even for a moment, brought peace to my family.

“I’ve saved you.”

Aria Rias—once the hero of this world, now just an ordinary girl.

If the version of me from the first cycle was willing to sacrifice you for his survival, then the me in this second cycle will sacrifice myself to save you.

“Aria.”

My voice trembled ever so slightly as I called her name. My emotions were surging.

I had unknowingly regressed back to when I was a 10-year-old, a time when my emotions were still overflowing and I was yet to suffer any great wounds.

“For me, this is happiness.”

“P-Professor…”

“I truly thank you.”

For a long time, I didn’t let go of the small girl in my arms, savoring her warmth and trembling until the very end.

It was because I was so proud of myself for having saved her.

How much time had passed just like?

Only after my intense emotions subsided did I gently let her go.

“Ah.”

Aria’s hot breath carried a hint of regret, but we couldn’t stay like that forever.

Seeing her messy, tear-streaked face, I patted her head lightly.

“It’s okay. Everything will be fine. I don’t intend to die, nor do I intend to lose to this so-called fate.”

I wasn’t willing to accept this world as a mere game.

So, no matter what, I would twist the main story.

“So, you don’t need to worry.”

As I stroked her hair, Aria closed her eyes and gently moved her head in sync with my touch.

Having managed to suppress her overwhelming emotions, she finally gave a small nod.

“Okay, I’ll trust you then.”

That was more than enough.

It was a perfectly satisfying answer.

“Thank you.”

I thought about taking Aria out for a meal, but that didn’t seem feasible in her current state.

“There’s a bathhouse nearby. Go there, get cleaned up, and relax.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Seeing that it would be awkward to stay with her now that she had calmed down, I left her there and stepped out of the alley.

I could have returned to the palace immediately, but instead, I headed toward a newspaper stand across the street.

Then, I greeted the girl who was awkwardly trying to hide her face behind a newspaper.

“Eleanor.”

“Hiiiek! Y-you caught me!”

Eleanor jumped in surprise and made an attempt to flee, but I grabbed hold of her shoulder. Her white beret fell off nearly, so I caught it with my other hand.

“I-I wasn’t stalking you! I was just curious to know what you two were doing! That’s all, just curious!”

“Calm down, I get it.”

After flailing and shouting, Eleanor finally settled down in response to my calm demeanor.

She then took a deep breath and stared at me, her face flushed red.

“Ugh, I can’t… I can’t even look at you!”

She quickly averted her gaze.

I was a bit puzzled on seeing how her reaction was different from how she acted around Deus, but I had something I needed to ask her.

“Aria is in a really rough state right now.”

“…”

“Please, go and stay by her side as a friend.”

“Tch!”

Clearly displeased that I was worried about Aria and not her, Eleanor clicked her tongue and pouted without even trying to hide it.

“F-fine! Since it’s you, Kim Shinwoo, asking me, I’ll do it!”

But even so, she agreed to my request.

“But next time, you’ll have to meet with me too! I-in that form!”

“…I’ll do my best.”

It felt like my artificial body could fall apart at any moment, but if Eleanor desired it, I’d make it happen.

“Hmph! I’m going to go and tease her so much.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Eleanor headed into the alley I had just left. And watching her departing figure, I hesitated for a moment before adding one honest remark.

“Thank you, truly, for missing me.”

“…!”

Eleanor spun around abruptly, her pale face now bright red. Unsure of how to respond, she fidgeted nervously with her hands. When I waved at her, she immediately bolted down the alley from embarrassment.

“Whew.”

I acted like nothing was wrong, but it was clear my artificial body had reached its limit.

It meant that it was time to return to being Deus.

***

Drip.

Drip.

Lost in thought, Aria stared blankly at the ceiling, watching water droplets fall.

The hot water warming her body felt soothing, as though it was washing away her exhaustion.

And after a while, she planned to check out the sauna.

“Ugh! W-what the—why is it so hot?!”

However, Eleanor’s voice didn’t even give her the chance to collect her thoughts. Startled by the water’s temperature, Eleanor immediately wanted to turn on the cold water.

“Don’t do that. This isn’t your personal bathtub. You can’t change the temperature once it’s been set.”

“…Seriously?”

Eleanor’s face twisted in frustration.

“But we rented out the whole place! I even paid good money for this!”

To ensure that no one saw the princess naked, Eleanor had rented out the entire bathhouse for an hour.

It was only possible to do so since they had come during a quiet time.

“Just bear with it.”

“Ugh.”

And so, as Eleanor plunged her entire body into the water…

“Aaaack!”

Her shrill, bizarre scream echoed through the bathhouse.

Though she tried to endure, Eleanor could only last for a few minutes before jumping out.

“I’m off to the cold pool!”

“Good. Get lost.”

Why did she even follow her here?

Watching Eleanor slip on her way to the cold bath made Aria chuckle softly.

Grumbling about whether she was injured, Eleanor screamed again as she stepped into the cold water.

Thanks to Eleanor staying in the cold water, which she could somewhat endure, Aria finally found the time to gather her thoughts.

Aria began to reflect deeply. The man who had taken on her fate just to save her.

She had promised to trust him, but still…

The reason I didn’t act until now was because I was the hero.

She had intentionally let Deus shoulder everything while she lived as an ordinary student to escape her predetermined fate.

However, things were different now.

“I can move freely.”

She clenched her fist tightly.

Regret and despair had long since vanished, and in their place, a passionate sense of duty emanated from Aria Rias’ body.

Since she was no longer the hero, no longer bound by fate, she was free to act as she wished.

She could take up her sword on the frontlines without observing from the sidelines passively.

“For his sake.”

The Deus from her first cycle was long gone; she had already said her farewell. And in her heart, someone who was the same yet different had already taken his place.

Professor.

No, that was what she called Deus Verdi.

Closing her eyes calmly, Aria softly uttered the cherished name.

“Kim Shinwoo.”

Drip!

A droplet of water fell from the ceiling into the bath.

She tried to feign composure, but Aria could feel her body heating up. Her lower half throbbed as she struggled to keep her hands still.

“Hah, mmph.”

Carefully and quietly, Aria whispered as she moved her fingers.

“Kim… Shinwoo…”

A faint moan escaped her lips—uncontainable desire coursed violently through her entire being.

It was similar to how it was with Deus from the first cycle but different.

“Kim Shinwoo, ah, ngh. Kim Shin—”

“Hey! Let’s go to the sauna!”

Startled by the sudden voice, Aria quickly raised her hands in a fluster.

Having just emerged from the cold bath, Eleanor pointed enthusiastically toward the sauna with a bright smile.

“We don’t have anything like that in the royal palace.”

“…”

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. Just as things were getting good.

“What, are you scared?”

Eleanor crossed her arms and scoffed.

When they first entered the bathhouse, she made a fuss about being naked together, but now, she was completely indifferent to being fully exposed.

Aria wanted to tell her to get lost.

However, she feared she’d be breaking proper bathhouse etiquette if she stayed alone any longer.

“Bring it on, you bitch.”

With that, Aria followed Eleanor toward the sauna.

***

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