"Raph… ne?" Emily was the first to react to the familiar's notification.

It made sense since she was the one who dueled on the last day Raphne went missing.

She might have been concerned.

"Why is Raphne here....

I heard she had returned to her home."

"Escaped?

I heard something frightening!"

Following that, Mary and Alicia reacted in quick succession.

Only Adrian and I remained silent.

Wait.

Adrian?

'...Why does he look so surprised?'

What was most concerning was the familiar perched on his shoulder.

It's understandable that a familiar would announce Raphne's escape.

But why here?

And why as if it was specifically meant for Adrian?

Before I could find answers to these questions, a tense-faced Adrian spoke.

"It doesn't seem like a good time to fight over the badge."

"What do you mean?

I absolutely must win the prize!" Mary hastily retorted to Adrian's sudden remark, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Ahhhh!"

She was interrupted by Alicia's scream.

"My head!

My head is about to split!!"

"What is this...?

Ugh, I feel like I'm going to vomit." It wasn't just Alicia.

Emily, who was next to her, also clutched her head and collapsed to the ground.

Soon, Mary too.

"No, what is this, my head...

K-Ken!"

She collapsed to the floor with a pale face, shivering, much like Emily, and looked at me.

Tears welled up in their eyes and they were utterly terrified, as if drenched.

"Argh!

Is it too late!" Finally, it was Adrian's turn.

He too grimaced and clutched his head.

Everyone looked tormented and uneasy.

'...If this is the effect of the curse, Raphne!' Raphne's curse has a range of 50 meters.

That means Raphne is nearby.

"Ken, ...sob." And then, from within the darkness of the forest, a familiar sobbing sound rang out.

"Ke-e-en.

Where are you?

Sob, Ken!"

"R-Raphne..." She emerged with her signature red hair and red eyes.

"Ken!

Keeeeen!!!" Raphne burst out of the bushes, tears streaming down her face when she noticed me.

She ran to me, crying continuously.

Relying on me as usual, she began to bury her face in my chest and sobbed.

"This is a lie, sob, this is a lie, right?

Ken, you're not abandoning me or anything like that, ...sob, you didn't abandon me, did you?

You're not going to abandon me, right?

Ke-en..."

"R-Raphne!

How did you get here!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but without Ken...

Sob, I can't live without Ken!" Raphne clung to me, crying as she always did when she was in a panic.

But our surroundings were completely different now.

Had she been wandering because the tower was empty?

I quickly checked Raphne's status window.

[Name: Raphne Bell Martinez

Innate Skill: Innate Speed

Innate Trait: Curse of Fear – Causes extreme stress and fear to any living creature within a 50-meter radius

Owned Trait: Despair – Current level: 194%, Dependency LV.6]

'Her despair level...'

194%.

When I first met Raphne, it was around 120% at its highest.

But now, it was nearly 200%.

'I have to calm her down first!' No matter how dire things were, this level was too dangerous.

Emily, the main character in the game, committed suicide at 100% despair.

Who knows what could happen at 200%?

I tried to calm Raphne by stroking her hair as usual.

"Get away from Ken!"

Boom!

But then, a wall of ice shot up, blocking Raphne from me.

Mary had suddenly appeared and was standing between us, barring Raphne's path.

"K-Ken...

Who is that woman?" Raphne looked at me with a chilling gaze, entirely different from her earlier terrified expression.

And Mary, who had previously been scared, now showed a fierce determination.

She was gasping for breath, pressing her head down as she glared at Raphne.

This is dangerous.

I have to stop them.

"M-Mary!

It’s a misunderstanding!

Raphne isn’t like that!"

"Ken!

Get a hold of yourself!

You shouldn’t fall for something like this!"

Mary blocked my path by reaching her hand out in front of me.

As if trying to protect me from a terrifying beast.

Her hand trembled with fear.

"Raphne!

I don’t know what’s going on, but if you come any closer to Ken!"

"You…." Mary’s threatening shout was drowned out by Raphne’s quiet murmur.

Her voice, sending chills down my spine, was colder than Mary’s magic, which emanated the aura of frost.

Raphne’s empty, dark eyes stared at Mary.

"Why…

Are you standing between me and Ken?"

"R-Raphne!

Mary doesn’t mean that!" But before I could finish my sentence.

"Wait, just a moment!" Raphne’s figure vanished from in front of me.

"…Huh?" And just in the blink of an eye.

Thud.

Mary collapsed to the ground without even a scream.

Next to her stood Raphne, looking down at her coldly with an indifferent expression.

"Raphneee!" A shout from someone.

It was Emily, who had been frozen in place until just seconds ago.

Seeing Mary fall, she came to her senses and extended her hand threateningly.

Shaaack!

And from her hand, chains of magical power erupted.

These chains held the power of a seal that had once allowed her to defeat Raphne in a previous duel.

But.

"Ugh."

Thud.

Before the chains could even touch Raphne, Emily collapsed to the ground just like Mary.

As if teleporting.

Once again, Raphne stood beside Emily.

‘Innate Speed.’ It was Raphne’s Innate Skill, which I had only seen in the game.

The ability to accelerate her senses and physical abilities, making it seem as if she controlled time.

Even Mary, with her overwhelming power, couldn't put up a fight and fell.

"Stop, Raphne!" But Adrian, despite the overwhelming force before him, shouted at her.

His trembling hand and scrunched-up face revealed the agony caused by a curse as he drew his sword.

"Return to the Tower." As he spoke, his magical energy fluctuated, and flames surged, soon enveloping Adrian's sword.

Adrian was now fully prepared for battle.

"No, don't!

If you fight!" I knew well how strong Adrian was.

If he swung his sword with full force, even Raphne could get hurt.

'I have to stop this!'

Boom!

Before I could reach out my hand, in the blink of an eye, Raphne had moved in front of Adrian.

Her posture looked as if she had just kicked, raising a cloud of dust.

And there was Adrian, slammed hard into a distant pile of trees.

He had lost consciousness, his head drooping.

Confirming this, Raphne turned around again.

"Hii, hiiick!" Alicia's face turned pale as she made eye contact with Raphne.

Tears started falling from her eyes, and a stream of liquid flowed between her legs.

Watching this coldly, Raphne began to walk toward us.

"Pl-please, save me!

Save me!" Alicia, utterly terrified, crawled backward, begging for her life.

But Raphne completely ignored her and kept moving forward.

She approached me and clung to my chest again.

"R-Raphne..."

"I'm sorry, sob, I'm sorry...

B-but they were getting between Ken and me!

I-di-didn't kill them!

I just made them faint!

So please forgive me..." She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face.

"Right?

Please, tell me it's okay!

Tell me you won't abandon me!" It was as if that cold look in her eyes from just a moment ago had been a dream.

She seemed to be her usual self again.

I stroked her head familiarly.

"Of course, I won't abandon you.

So, calm down."

"Sob, sniff, hwaaaa!" As gently and carefully as possible, I reassured her while caressing her head.

Then, just like a child who had fallen down, she began to cry uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for coming out on my own.

I'm sorry for causing trouble for Ken..."

"It's okay.

...It's okay, so don't cry." Of course, looking around, things were anything but okay.

Mary and Emily lay on the ground, unconscious.

Adrian was slumped against some broken trees.

"I'm sorry...

I'm sorry...

I'm so sorry..." Alicia was trembling with fear, holding her head in her hands.

Is this what happened after being away from the Tower for five days?

I thought it would be fine since I had explained everything to Raphne in advance...

How am I going to handle this?

The Survival Contest abruptly came to an end with Raphne's sudden intervention.

Thankfully, Raphne arrived just before the conclusion, so the event wasn't halted.

Therefore, the important winners were identified.

The three people with the most badges at the end were Emily, Alicia, and me, each claiming our prizes.

Afterward, I left the unconscious three in Alicia’s care and returned to the Tower with Raphne.

"Raphne, I'll stay with you today.

So, calm down and get some rest."

"Sniff, okay.

Thank you, Ken.

I'm sorry." On the way back, Raphne kept apologizing.

She thought it was wrong of her to leave the Tower so suddenly.

Surely, she escaped because she couldn't endure it anymore.

Though she knew she shouldn't have left, her mind had become so distressed that she couldn't help it.

I stayed by Raphne's side on the bed until she fell asleep, holding her hand the entire time.

Was she afraid I might vanish while she slept?

'…How am I going to explain this to the others?'

Surely, by tomorrow, Emily or Mary will ask about Raphne.

Okay, I'll be honest with them.

I'll explain that due to Raphne's Curse of Fear, Mary and Emily reacted to her like a monster.

But it was because of the curse, and in reality, Raphne is very kind.

They will both understand.

The next day, just as expected, the Academy looked for me.

Led by the men who had previously kidnapped me when we repaired Aspetra, I was called to the student council room.

Standing in front of the student council room, I nervously opened the door.

"You're here." And there wasn't Anette, the student council president I expected.

"Sit down; we have much to discuss." Adrian was sitting on a sofa, drinking tea.

"Is the president not here?" At Adrian's gesture, the men who had accompanied me left the room, leaving only Adrian and me.

"I asked her to step out for a moment.

It's an important matter.

Don't just stand there; take a seat." Adrian gestured to the seat in front of him.

I sat on the opposite sofa.

Just as well, I had many questions for him too.

But at this moment, I had been summoned, so I needed to listen to his questions first.

And when I sat down with a firm posture and waited, Adrian put down the tea he was drinking and opened his mouth to speak.

"First, what I'm most curious about...

What is your relationship with Raphne?"

"...Just friends."

"It didn't look like just friends to me." Well, it indeed wasn't a typical friendly scene to see a girl crying and clinging, begging not to be abandoned.

Adrian must be asking about my connection to Raphne's curse.

He likely knows about it.

Considering his reaction in the forest and who he is, it'd be stranger if he didn't.

That's why it must seem odd.

No one should be able to approach Raphne because of her curse.

But naturally, yesterday's incident was unusual.

From Raphne coming to find me.

So, I spoke honestly.

"I'm helping her break the curse."

"...Breaking the curse?" Adrian looked unusually shocked at my answer.

Normally, he'd wear a sly expression with a faint smile.

Was my answer really that surprising?

If he knows about her curse, it should be a conceivable thought.

"Wait, does that mean...

Ken, have you been interacting with Raphne all this time?

How is that possible?" A question he has every right to ask.

Just looking at the reactions of Adrian and the others yesterday, Raphne's curse causes immense suffering to those near her.

“It doesn’t affect me.

I don't know why, but it doesn’t.”

“I see….” After hearing my response, Adrian put his hand on his chin and fell into thought for a moment.

What is he pondering?

Or rather, is there even anything to ponder about?

I simply feel sorry for Raphne’s curse and want to help lift it.

If he was curious, my answer should have satiated that.

His confusion should have been resolved, so I don't understand what he's thinking about.

And then, a moment later, Adrian spoke, revealing what had been on his mind.

“Sorry, Ken.

I don’t know how you plan to break Raphne’s curse, but…”

He looked at me with a serious expression.

“Stop it.”

“…What?”

Stop it…?

Is he telling me to stop helping Raphne?

Even though he knows the situation she’s in.

The lonely year she’s spent locked in the Tower.

Knowing that, how could he say such a thing.

“Why… are you telling me to stop?”

A question whose reason I can't fathom.

Adrian took a sip of his tea and then said to me.

With his usual sly smile, he answered, "That's because I'm the one who cursed Raphne."

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