***
"Co sit down."
"......?"
Violet looked at blankly, as if she hadn't understood what I had just said.
I frowned slightly and repeated myself.
"I said, co sit down."
"......!"
She finally seed to register my words and scurried over to the seat next to .
...Well, I didn't exactly an for her to sit right next to , but whatever.
I stubbed out my cigarette on the ground and turned to look at her.
"You were sleeping, weren't you?"
"Ah, y-yes, I an, n-no, yes..."
Her voice was stiff and strained, her tongue seemingly tied in knots.
She really was terrible at interacting with people.
But this bad...?
It was like looking in a mirror, a reflection of my past self.
I smiled wryly, a strange ache in my chest.
My eyes drifted towards her face.
Her purple hair cascaded down her shoulders. The shadows danced in her eyes.
The faint glimr of her violet eye, the other hidden behind a pristine white bandage that covered most of the right side of her face.
"......"
A wave of sadness washed over as I noticed the tearstains on her cheeks and the dampness of the bandage covering her right eye.
I stared at those traces of sorrow for a mont before asking softly, "Bad dream?"
"...What?"
"You have tearstains on your face."
"Ah! T-this is...! It's nothing...!"
She quickly rubbed her eyes and shook her head, her cheeks flushing bright red.
As she wiped at her face, I noticed that the bandage was brand new.
"The bandage...?"
"Ah... Well... I have to keep it clean, so I was going to change it..."
She mumbled, fidgeting with the bandage in her hands.
I nodded in understanding.
"I see... So you ca out here to change your bandages."
From what I rembered of the original story, Violet was extrely self-conscious about her scarred eye and hated it when anyone saw it.
She must have felt uncomfortable changing her bandages in the tent, worried that soone might see.
"Um... C-can I get up now...?" she asked hesitantly.
"Why?"
"Eek...!"
She flinched at my flat tone and quickly sat back down.
"I-I'm sorry...!"
"I just asked a question."
"W-well... I need to be alone to change my bandages... It's just... my scar is really ugly... I don't want you to see it..."
She babbled, her words tumbling over each other in her haste.
She looked so flustered and awkward that I almost felt bad for her.
"S-so! I need to go sowhere else to change them!"
She finished her rambling explanation and looked at with pleading eyes.
I paused for a mont before replying, "Fine. Go ahead and change your bandages."
"Y-yes! T-thank you!"
She visibly relaxed at my permission and started to get up.
Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of letting her go just yet.
"Where are you going?"
"Huh? To change my bandages... in the woods..."
"I believe I only said you could change your bandages. I didn't say you could leave."
I hadn't given her permission to go anywhere.
Violet's face fell as she realized her mistake.
"Huh...? But... then how am I supposed to..."
"Change them. Right here, in front of ."
I stated simply.
The color drained from her face, leaving her pale and trembling.
***
anwhile, on the other side of the island, a sinister scene was unfolding in the woods near the tourist attraction known as the "Grave of Stars."
-Clang...! Clash! Thud! Crack!!
The sounds of tal clashing against tal echoed through the chilly night air.
Lucas, the horoom professor of Raphael Class, was locked in a fierce battle against a group of unidentified undead knights.
He wielded a dagger in each hand, his movents swift and precise as he parried their attacks.
-Screech...! Boom!!
The tranquil pre-dawn atmosphere was shattered by the sounds of their violent struggle.
Lucas dodged a volley of arrows, his breathing ragged as he fought to keep the monstrous creatures at bay.
They lunged at him relentlessly, their eyes burning with an unholy light.
There was no ti to rest, no ti to catch his breath.
"Reflect!!"
He chanted a spell, and the arrows that had been hurtling toward him changed direction, flying back toward their attackers.
-Thud, thud!
The arrows pierced the heads of the undead knights at the front of the group, sending them crashing to the ground.
Lucas seized the opportunity, launching a counterattack before they could regroup.
He channeled his mana into his daggers, the blades glowing with a blue light.
The magic surged through him, rging with his physical attacks.
He combined two elents, creating a new type of strike.
Light.
And Ignite.
The seventh Purification spell, a powerful combination of interdiate-level magic.
"Supernova Explosion!"
-Boooom!!!
He swung his glowing daggers, unleashing a wave of explosive energy that engulfed the knights.
The undead creatures scread as the purifying light burned their flesh, their bodies dissolving into dust.
"Gasp... Gasp..."
Lucas stumbled back, his chest heaving.
The remaining knights paused, seemingly stunned by his display of power, and took a mont to regroup.
He tried to contact the camp using his ergency communication device, but...
-Click, click, click...
There was no signal.
He threw the useless device to the ground in frustration.
He gripped his daggers tighter, his face grim.
"This is... not good."
His premonition had been right after all.
He had been scouting the island, checking the periter, and this was the last place he had visited before heading back to camp.
"What are these things...?"
He had sensed no disturbances in the flow of mana, no demonic energy.
And yet, here they were.
Undead creatures with no detectable demonic aura.
He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of monstrous being could have created such abominations.
-Clank, clank...
The undead knights advanced once more, their movents slow but relentless.
Lucas chuckled dryly, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"At least... they're manageable."
The situation was far from ideal.
He had only brought light gear for a simple scouting mission, and his equipnt was insufficient for a prolonged battle.
He had also injured his leg in the initial attack, making escape impossible.
And his mana reserves were running dangerously low.
But Lucas was a professor at the Academy.
The head instructor, no less, at the most prestigious educational institution in the entire continent.
Despite the unfavorable circumstances, he was slowly gaining the upper hand.
'There were eighty-seven of them initially... After taking out a few with that last attack, I'd say there are about twenty left.'
He was running low on stamina, but...
If he was willing to sacrifice a finger or two, he might just be able to make it out of this alive.
'If I get hurt... my love will be heartbroken...'
He thought of the woman he loved, his face hardening with determination.
It was better than ending up as a corpse.
He was about to charge at the remaining knights when a voice rang out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Stop right there."
An overwhelming pressure descended upon him, crushing him to the ground.
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