[Elena's PoV]
Ughhh... My head hurts so much...
I opened my eyes. It seems I lost consciousness after being hit by that strange magic from Raul. What kind of magic did he use?
"Elena, you're awake?"
I heard a familiar voice from the side. A green-haired girl was walking towards me.
"Valeria...? Why are you here?"
She smiled, then crouched down next to me. "How are you feeling? Can you move?"
I tried moving my arms and legs, but both felt heavy and stiff. I also noticed blue spots covering my body.
"What happened to me, Valeria?" I asked, still confused about what was going on.
"Can you tell me first what happened to your group?"
Hearing Valeria's question, I started recounting how we encountered Raul in the tunnel and how he seemed to have rigged it to collapse easily after destroying just a few support beams.
"He's always one step ahead of us..." Valeria muttered after I finished. "And I think I know what happened to you after hearing your story."
Valeria removed my uniform and took hold of my left hand.
"Your mana circuit is disrupted, Elena. You won't be able to use magic until it recovers," Valeria said, pointing to the blue spots on my skin. "I've read about a spell called Reject Impact in my father's library."
Valeria then explained the magic Raul used against me.
Reject Impact is a spell designed to disrupt someone's mana flow by injecting their own mana into the victim's mana circuit. However, even though this spell has powerful effects, the caster's hand suffers the same consequences.
This is because the shockwave created by the spell paralyzes the nervous system in the hand used to cast it.
"However, this spell is very difficult to master and extremely risky to use," Valeria said with an unreadable expression.
"Why?" How difficult could it be to master the magic Raul used? If I could learn it, maybe I'd have a better chance of winning against powerful mages.
"My father said that, out of all the mages and knights he knew, only two people were able to use this spell," Valeria revealed.
"Huh? Is it really that hard to master?" I was shocked by Valeria's explanation.
"It's more about people being afraid to try learning it. If they fail, their mana circuits will be destroyed forever, and they'll never be able to use magic again."
Hearing Valeria's words sent a shiver down my spine. How did Raul manage to master this spell and use it, knowing the risk if it failed?
"Here, Elena, you should rest for now," Valeria said, handing me a drink from a coconut shell. "It turns out there's a river running through this underground mine. It seems connected to the main river on this island."
Really? Did Raul know about this? Is that why he chose this place as his hideout, because of the abundant water source to sustain himself?
"Valeria! We found something interesting by the river!" one of the Clan members called out, running toward us.
Hearing this, Valeria helped me stand up and supported me as we walked, since my body was still weak. When we reached the river, we found a blond-haired man who seemed to have just been washed up by the current.
"Ughhh... That idiot Brian..." Valeria muttered, holding her head in frustration. "He must have fallen for that pervert's trick again and lost all the men he was leading."
Valeria walked over to the sleeping Brian and kicked him hard in the leg.
-Bam!
"WAKE UP, IDIOT!"
"Aghhhh! I'm drowning! Damn! Swim, swim! Ugh... Ugh..."
Brian woke up, flailing his arms as if trying to grab something. It looked like he had passed out while almost drowning in the river's current.
"Ugh... What happened?" Brian asked, still looking confused.
"Shouldn't we be the ones asking that?" Valeria replied angrily. "What happened to the group you were leading, Brian?"
Brian looked at Valeria, who was glaring at him coldly.
"Ughhh... Raul knocked me into the river again..." Brian said quietly.
"We already knew that without asking you. What we want to know is what happened to the group you were leading," Valeria asked again.
Brian just turned his face away. It seemed he didn't know what had happened to them after he fell into the river.
"Ugh, I've told you so many times not to fall for that pervert's tricks," Valeria sighed, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
"How could I not fall for it? He said he violated Ariel with his dirty hands, right in front of my face!" Brian shouted in his defense.
From what I've seen of Raul so far... I don't think he would do that to Ariel. However, his behavior since the start of this first test has gotten worse, and for some reason, imagining Raul violating sweet and innocent Ariel makes me a bit angry.
"Alright, I just found Elena not too long ago. We'll rest here for the night and wait for you to recover, Brian, before taking on that pervert," Valeria said, coming back to help me walk again.
---
[Raul's PoV]
After defeating all ten members of Brian's Clan, I returned to my hideout. I was exhausted after fighting ten people at once with only one hand.
This would've been easier if both my hands were functioning normally.
"You're back."
Ariel looked at me with a blank expression. She seemed incredibly bored being here alone.
"Yeah," I replied shortly, sitting down and leaning against the stone wall. "I just ran into Brian's group."
Hearing this, Ariel's eyes widened, and she moved closer to me. "Really? Where is he now?"
"Well... I knocked him into a river again and took out the men he was leading," I said flatly.
"I hope he's okay," Ariel said hopefully. "But I believe he'll save me sooner or later."
Seeing Ariel's hope for Brian, I became curious—does Ariel already love Brian right now?
In the game, Ariel realizes her feelings for Brian at the end of the second chapter, after the annual competition. However, Brian, being dense, only confesses to Ariel during the third chapter when Ariel cries after seeing students killed by Raul, who sold his soul to demons.
At that point, Brian promises to always stay by Ariel's side no matter what and to protect her whenever she's in danger.
Right now, I'm not sure if the story in this world will follow the game's script, since I've already disrupted some key events. Should I make Ariel fall in love with Brian too?
Thinking about that, I looked at Ariel's face, smiling as she imagined Brian coming to save her soon.
She glanced at me, becoming awkward when I stared at her for a long time.
"W-Why are you staring at me like that, Raul? Is there something weird on my face?" Ariel asked, covering her face with both hands.
"Hey, Ariel..."
"Y-Yes?"
"Do you really love Brian?" I asked her sincerely.
I wanted to know how her relationship with Brian was progressing. In the game, if they fought together, they would become an unstoppable duo.
Every man in this world would envy Brian for being with the Saint, whose beauty is like that of the goddess Diana herself.
"Eh? W-Why are you asking that now?" Ariel asked, shyly playing with her fingers.
I just stared, waiting for her answer. It seemed Ariel was struggling to say something.
"I don't know," Ariel finally replied. "Even though he can be childish at times, he's a responsible man who always helps those in need. I want to stay by his side for now."
For some reason, Ariel's answer reminded me of my last conversation with Liana before I got transported to this game world. It made me wish I could go back to those times when we were still together.
Well... Seeing her smile and talk about Brian so happily, I guess their romance will still follow the same path as in the game.
But for some reason, seeing her happy and smiling while talking about Brian makes my chest ache. It's been over a month since I've been in Raul's body, but his feelings for Ariel still linger and mix with my own emotions.
Raul's jealousy over Ariel's words about Brian... No, these feelings are now mine. I just keep thinking this way to deny the emotions I actually have.
"What's wrong, Raul? Your cheeks... are wet with tears," Ariel said, reaching out to touch my face.
I grabbed her hand, stopping Ariel from touching me.
Looking back, I remember how I cried like this after hearing Liana's final words too.
I... I miss her... I miss the times we had together in college. Her smile, her warmth, and her affection.
I was foolish, choosing to create this game over living a life with her. Now, she must be happy with that man, right? Maybe at this very moment, they're together... Having dinner, watching a movie, and talking as lovers do.
"Ra-Raul, could you let go of my hand?"
Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Ariel's face showed confusion, surprised by my sudden strange behavior.
"What's wrong, Raul?" she asked.
"It's nothing. Sorry for acting so weird all of a sudden," I replied as I stood up, leaving my hiding spot to be alone for a while.
I'm glad Ariel is such an innocent woman. If it were Liana—my ex-girlfriend, she would've known exactly what I was feeling and thinking just by looking at my expression. That's how close we used to be.
I walked to a small stream where I usually went to get a drink. There, I splashed water on my face and saw Raul's reflection in the clear water.
"That was really uncool, crying in front of Ariel, even though I've lived 25 years."
If Liana saw me like this, she'd probably lecture me for hours.
Remembering my time with her is both beautiful and painful, considering the reality I face now.
"Sigh... Alright, it's time to forget the past for now. Tomorrow, I need to teach them something important in this test."
I renewed my resolve. Right now, I still have to keep striving to make this world a little better.