Side Story Part 7

And now she knew that what she said was the right thing. But still, thinking about it now, they really did nothing but walk around for quite a bit since the early morning, so it was natural for Aishela to be filling tired at this point.

「I appreciate the offer, but she is my adopted daughter. I don’t think I can afford to cause you any more trouble. 」

Aubest thanked Ritte for her willingness to help, and then he told Aishela to get off the chair she was sitting on.

「No, I was the one who said something unnecessary….. 」

Ritte stood up in a hurry and apologized to Aubest. Then she waved at Aishela as well.

「Even though you’re so small and frail, you’re still a girl after all. 」

Ritte had a surprised and impressed expression on her face.

「Of course. Humans cannot change their sex after being born, after all. 」

Aubest bids Ritte farewell and left the cafeteria of the Magic University while holding Aishela’s hand. He expected her to comment on what happened today, but she didn’t have anything more to say.

(Looks like I have no choice but to try again tomorrow.)

Aubest thought again and he watched as Aishela returned to the dormitory of the Magic Academy with tired steps.

* * *
On the third day after meeting Aishela, Aubest visited the dormitory early in the morning.

This is because he was planning to go out with her today as well.

Aishela was already awake and had finished getting ready. Aubest had ordered her to do this when he said goodbye to her yesterday.

After filling their stomachs lightly with bread, milk, and fruits, they boarded the carriage that had been prepared for them in advance. They were sitting across from each other in the carriage, but Aishela’s expression looked the same as yesterday. Her eyes were blank and her body was also stiff. Although Aubest was a little disappointed to see that, he decided not to think about it too much. He was so anxious that he was afraid of having a panic attack like the one he had experienced yesterday.

The destination that was chosen by Aubest for today was a small forest on the outskirts of Elam. The land was owned by the Mages Association, and entry by the general public was strictly prohibited. That’s because that forest is a magical place. It is a forest that is not natural.

Arriving at their destination and getting off the carriage, Aubest lead Aishela by the hand as they passed through a narrow rocky cut at the entrance to the forest.

The surfaces of the cliffs on either side were as smooth as mirrors, and when he turned his gaze towards them, he saw an infinite number of images of himself connected to one another, just like in the house of mirrors.

Then, in front of them, a small creature with black wings suddenly jumped out from the cliff on the left, approached them, and disappeared onto the cliff on the right.

「This place is a corridor, and various creatures from another world pass through it. 」

Aubest told Aishela.

True to his words, as they passed through the not-so-long cut, a number of strange creatures appeared and disappeared right before their eyes.

「If you catch it while it’s crossing from cliff to cliff, it will stay in this world as a projection. 」

When a normal child would hear such a story, he or she would be surprised, angry, or delighted. However, Aishela still didn’t react in any way.
Aubest went deeper still and passed through the cutout. Then there was a river crossing, and a bridge hanging over it. Beyond that, there were trees with lush green leaves on them. Insects danced between the trees, emitting light from their small bodies, and flowers bloomed on the ground by the dozens.

The season was turning from autumn to winter, but when they crossed the river, it was so warm that it felt like spring had just arrived.

「Aubest… 」

At that moment, there was a dry whisper, like the brushing of branches moved by the wind. It came from a nearby tree. When Aubest looked at the tree trunk, he saw a human-like face there.

「The trees in this forest could speak, but It’s not like you could ever hope to have a legitimate conversation with them. 」

Aubest said to Aishela and then spoke to the tree:

「It’s been a while. 」

「The wind is blowing from the east… 」

The trees answered, rustling their treetops.

「This way. 」

Aubest nods to Aishela. Naturally, there was no reaction from her whatsoever.

This forest is called 「Mysterious Forest」 by the students at the Magic Academy and Magic University.

It is a Demonic Realm that has existed since a time of Extreme Chaos a long time ago, but because its level of danger is low, it has remained unpacified until the present day. Nowadays, it is strictly managed by the Mages Association and is used as a training ground for Magic Academy’s students, but it has also become their playground.

Aubest first visited this place when he was in Magic Academy himself, and it became his favorite place where he wanted to be alone. Ever since then, he’s been coming here many times.

Mixed the water in the ponds was originally his best pastime that he didn’t need anyone else to enjoy. This is because he could change the shape of the water to his liking much more easily than with clay. However, it was also a forbidden game, and whenever he was playing with chaos, he would get scolded severely. However, despite all the scoldings and punishments he received for playing with Chaos like that, Aubest continued to do it in such a way that no one would ever catch him at it again.

「This forest changes its appearance according to the wishes of those who visit it. The trees speak because someone asked them to do so. You must have the power to feel Chaos, and the power to change it in order to experience it yourself. Feel free to change it as you see fit. 」

Aubest called out to Aishela and he stealthily stook a nearby rock into his hand.

「Turn into steel. 」

Aubest commanded the rock. Then, the rock made emitted a low-pitched sound

Aubest calls out to the nearby trees, flowers, etc. one after another, and made them resonate with the sound that the rock was making. The resulting music was so haphazard that it couldn’t be classified as legitimate music at all, but Aubest kept tweaking the sounds and eventually created something that resembles a real piece of music.

Next, he invited the insects to dance to the sounds that he created. The insects danced their as they pleased, making various dim lights with their bodies.

While remembering his childhood, Aubest creates increasingly complex pieces of light and sound. He studied the principles of sound and light at the Magic University, and also studied music and images, so the music and light became more and more harmonious as time went on.
「This alone isn’t interesting… 」

Aubest ordered one of the trees to move. It did so violently, causing the insects to scatter to avoid getting crushed by it.

「The peace of paradise has been disturbed! 」

Aubest yelled to Aishela, hoping that she’d use her own power to help him quell the monsters that have disturbed the peace in the woods. However, Aishela could only stare blankly at the tree’s rampage.

(How deep is the darkness in your heart? No sound or light can reach it now, can they?)

Aubest felt sad upon realizing that. It must’ve been people, not Chaos, that brought this sadness upon her.

Aubest, knew it. Even if the Era of Chaos ends, not everyone will be happy. Instead of Chaos, it will simply be an era where people make other people unhappy. This is evidenced by the fact that as the concentration of Chaos decreases, conflicts between people will increase.

When the world was filled with Chaos, humans were on the verge of extinction, but they were definitely united. They had no choice but to do so in the face of a common and overwhelming enemy called Extreme Chaos. Aubest also thinks that if people had not united, they would have perished, but maybe it would be a good thing if the number of their species have decreased?

It is still not clear why the explosion that brought about the beginning of the Era of Chaos occurred. However, Aubest is convinced that it did not occur naturally, but was caused by humans. Although it is unclear whether it was just an accident or intentional happening.

Of course, in most cases, people don’t intentionally try to make others unhappy. There may be such people, but they will be extremely few.