Love Letter From The Future

2. The Lord is with you (15)

Dozens of potions were already piled up in Emma’s arms. She seemed to want to give me all the potions she was holding.

It was difficult. It was difficult to transport once, but Emma was a commoner.

Those potions would also be one of their valuable sources of income. I couldn’t take it lightly.

So, first I decided to keep quiet and try tying Emma.

“Emma, anyway… Aren’t there too many?”

“yes? But the more thorough the preparation, the better, right?”

Emma tilted her head and asked me. It was indeed a theory.

But I also had something to say.

“I can’t take this much. It’s hard to carry them around during battle, and most of all, you earn your living by selling potions.”

“… … it’s okay.”

Emma carefully set the potion she was holding down on the desk.

Despite the fairly spacious desk, it was difficult to handle the pouring potion bottles. Several potions rolled as if falling under the desk. My hand hurriedly squeezed several potions.

Emma, who was about to reach for the dripping potion, smiled and thanked me for my performance.

Her hand was placed over her chest. And soon, with a proud expression, the girl said.

“If you’re hungry, you can pick and eat mushrooms! A few mushroom colonies in the southern forest… … .”

“no.”

I firmly cut the word off. Perhaps because the tone was so assertive, Emma looked at me with bewildered eyes. Even so, nothing has changed my mind.

My head shook forcefully. My eyes sank heavily. It meant sincerity.

“No way, are you crazy? Don’t you remember being beaten by the Witchbeast there?”

“Ha, but then because of the anomaly… … .”

“I can’t.”

My successive refusals made Emma a little discouraged. Originally, she was wise and clever, but now it seems that rational judgment is impossible.

Maybe it’s because my head is full of the desire to help me. Even though I was grateful for that feeling, I had no choice but to refuse her favor.

Trying to skip meals just because he wanted to help me was too much.

First of all, there was no way that I would feel better. On the contrary, I didn’t know if I felt shaky every time I used a potion.

I didn’t want to deprive Emma of her meal. It was because he was not a tough enough person to sacrifice his friend’s life to promote safety.

Emma was my first commoner friend. Wasn’t it me who brought her back to life when she almost crossed the threshold of death?

In the process, it cost tens of thousands of gold, but even now I do not regret that decision.

Thanks to that, the lives of two people were saved.

Emma and her father.

The happy future of the herbalist and his daughter had just begun. But now Emma was about to throw the life she had saved back to the bottom.

To help me, too, a sigh escaped from my mouth.

“Emma, you promised me. to be happy.”

“Yeah, but I’m happier being helpful to Ian… … .”

It was a muffled voice. Light green eyes that glanced at me, I couldn’t help but feel weak if it was a man.

I opened my mouth with a slightly softer expression. Now it was more of a soothing tone.

“Emma, think about it. Would it make me feel better if you ate mushrooms for a meal?”

“… … Mushrooms have been my staple food since I was little.”

Oops, it was a remark that lacked sensitivity to the lives of commoners.

If I had been the lord, the people’s sentiment would have gone down after hearing this mistake. I broke into a cold sweat inside and hurriedly went to probation.

“It’s not that mushrooms are bad. Instead, he said he didn’t want to go to the forest to the extent of taking risks. To me, your life is precious.”

It must have had the effect of speaking as seriously as possible. Emma’s face turned red when she heard what I said.

The green eyes that had been staring blankly at me soon returned. Emma smiled, hehe, shyly avoiding my gaze. Fortunately, it didn’t look broken.

Rather, he seemed a little happy. I couldn’t meet my eyes, but she nodded and agreed.

“Yeah, that’s right… So, if it’s important, there’s nothing you can do… … .”

It was a little different from the Emma I had seen before. She had always been calm and had a sharp brain, but now she was showing a somewhat blunt side.

I wondered if it might be a side effect from the demon, but there was no way to know at this point.

He just tilts his head and puts such doubts in a corner of his brain. As if the opportunity had arrived, I immediately got to the point.

“And there are many ways to help me even if it’s not a potion.”

“… … huh? for example?”

“Your knowledge.”

Towards Emma who tilted her head and asked me back, I lowered my voice and asked.

“Do you remember what I said last time? The story of whether a letter could come flying from the future.”

Emma patted her lips for a moment, lost in thought. And as if he realized it soon, he exclaimed, “Ah,” and exclaimed.

In no time at all, the light green eyes had returned to their guns. Soon, her mouth opened.

“Then maybe… Did you talk about Delphirem and the Seven Stars?”

“Okay, tell me a little bit more about him. And again, can not only the letter but also the soul return to the past?”

Hmmm, Emma’s eyebrows narrowed slightly. She immediately got up and headed to the corner of the workshop. And when he sent a signal with magic power, solid blue lines began to be drawn in the air.

It was an astronomical diagram. A must-have for wizards and alchemists who recorded all the stars in the sky.

“As I said before, it is not impossible. Information has no physical substance, so it has relatively little resistance. If I borrowed the form of a letter, it would only move a piece of paper, and the burden would be less. But the soul is different.”

Then Emma waved her hand once. Then, the center of the astronomical map expanded, and seven uniquely shining stars filled the field of vision.

They were the stars that symbolized the seven sins committed by Delphirem.

The seven sins were also the first crimes of mankind. So, it has been said that the stars that symbolize this sin are watched closely to Arus’ eyes.

When the moon rises in midheaven, seven stars are placed around it as if standing. It was an inevitable result since it was located in the center of the night sky.

And the time when the moon was located at the center of the seven stars was also the time when the power of the evil god, Homeros, was at its strongest.

It was also the reason why he couldn’t borrow the power of the terrifying seven stars. Arus wouldn’t allow this, so no one could covet the power of the stars.

Humans, demons, and even demons.

If there was one that could do that, there was only one. The rightful owner of those seven stars.

Delphirem, traitor to humanity.

I muttered to myself the name I had heard repeatedly in my dream.

“No matter how little resistance there is when information crosses the timeline, if the amount is vast, it will inevitably put an enormous burden on the world. Of course, the magic power to correct this will be enormous, and it goes without saying if it is a thought body that contains countless information like the soul.”

“So you’re saying the soul can’t return to the past?”

At my question, Emma shook her head. She continued in a voice deep in thought.

“No, it just means that there are bound to be restrictions. It’s not like a letter that just conveys information and ends. For example, that it can only appear at certain times… … ?”

As Emma continued to explain, she soon shook her head as if it were an empty assumption. A bitter smile formed on his lips.

“But even that would only be possible if we could borrow the power of the seven stars. Unless that condition is met, it is impossible to cross over to the past, whether it be a letter or a soul.”

“… … Is there no way at all?”

“No, except for two things.”

In other words, it seemed like there was a possibility. When my face turned red, Emma gave me advice without erasing a wry smile.

“Don’t expect too much, Ian. It’s just an unbelievable possibility.”

“What the hell is the possibility… … .”

“The end of mankind.”

My mouth was immediately shut. As if she knew that, Emma shook her head.

“Or the annihilation of Delphirem, one of the two must be fulfilled. In the former, Arus will lose his power, and in the latter, there will be no reason to hold on to the power of the seven stars.”

Either way, Emma seemed to consider it unlikely. It was worth it.

To think that a mythical being suddenly perishes, or that humanity is in danger of extinction.

It was unimaginable in this day and age. However, as soon as I heard that word, there was one phrase that came to mind.

‘If we cannot protect the future, the world will perish.’

The scrawled text that remained on the back of the first letter.

I kept my silence as I recalled the terrifying future it hinted at.

Even when it was time to leave the workshop, my mind was extremely complicated. I was about to leave the workshop with some of the potions Emma had prepared for me, but Emma asked as if she had just remembered.

“Ian, how are you? Have I changed anything?”

It was a tricky question. Even if I didn’t do that, my head was complicated, so I couldn’t figure out the answer even though I groaned for a while.

Seeing that, Emma burst into a small laugh. With a smile, she told me.

“Actually, I used a perfume called ‘Love Elixir’. It has the effect of being a little more attractive to the opposite s*x, everything… I heard… … ?”

Before I could finish, I put my nose to the nape of her neck.

When I smelled it, it definitely smelled strange. It was a sweet, yet heart-wrenching scent.

My head nodded. It was an effect worthy of the name ‘love potion’. So slowly, as I moved away from Emma, she held her breath and stood still.

Only her flushed face testified to her survival. I shrugged and complimented her.

“It sure seems to work, it smells good.”

“… … That, that, that, yes.”

Emma stammered, then looked away from me. Then he started to fan his hands over his flushed face.

Glancing at me, the light green eyes turned away. Emma, soaked in shame, had only one word left.

“Yeah, hyo, the effect is good… me too… … .”

So I left Emma’s studio. There were still people left to meet.

It was Elsie senior.

**

Surprisingly, I was able to find Elsie-senpai right away. It was because, as befits a girl who always leads a gang, as soon as she inquired about her whereabouts, numerous eyewitness information poured in.

As always, Elsie-senpai was sitting occupying the empty lot. Then, with a smug face on his face, he proudly recounted his exploits to his gang surrounding him.

“Do you know what Delphine looked like on that bitch’s face? Lying there looking like the world has collapsed, stupid bitch! I should have made it with minced meat then… … .”

At Elsie-senpai’s words, one of the gang burst into laughter. He immediately spoke to senior Elsie.

“Ah, the minced meat is too much anyway.”

“… … is that right? Anyway, that bitch!”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but sigh.

Every time I heard it, it was a contrast with her doll-like appearance. The Rainella family is still a prestigious family, but to think that the young lady was using such harsh words.

I suddenly wanted to pull out the hatchet from my waist and see the reaction, but I held back. Because today I came to ask for a favor.

Instead, I raised my hand in a normal greeting.

“Senior Elsie!”

“Crying for help… huh? what!”

Elsie-senpai, who was still talking in the middle of the conversation, jumped up from her seat as soon as she heard my voice. And it came running towards me.

It was a more welcome response than I could have imagined. She asked me with a smile on her face.

“you you… … ! What’s the matter, you haven’t come to see me lately?”

“I want to see Elsie-senpai after a long time.”

It was just a greeting, but Elsie-senpai seemed very satisfied with that. Then she crossed her arms with a proud expression on her face.

“Whoops, is it? It’s been a long time since you’ve been a cheeky junior. As a prize, I grant you the right to pet me.”

At the same time, the way he gave me a slightly anticipatory gaze was a little cute. I thought I’d tease her a little bit because she seemed so proud, but she was as cute as her appearance, so I decided to move on.

When I stroked Elsie-senpai’s head, she made an expression like a cat scratching an itchy spot. I felt very good.

At this point, I decided to get to the point. My mouth opened carefully.

“Elsie, do you have a schedule for the next practice session?”

“… … huh? No, I’m still thinking about it.”

“Then won’t you come with me?”

Hmm, a languid saliva flowed from Elsie-senpai’s mouth. Her hair was still being stroked by me, so her eyes were blurry.

“Huh,” she said, twisting the corners of her mouth. And he glared at me with a cheeky smile.

“Huh, me? Why is a weakling like you… Hey profit! I’ll go! Go, you can go!”

In the end, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I quietly moved my hand to the hatchet on my waist. Even with that short action, Elsie’s persuasion work was over.

It’s such a simple thing, so why did I try to say it in words?

While blaming myself for my stupidity, I placed the hand that was about to hold the hatchet back on top of Elsie’s head.

She, who had been shivering with her hat tightly pressed down, seemed to regain her composure.

“It’s because I really need Elsie’s ability. You know, it’s so hard to find a wizard as good as Elsie-senpai… … .”

“… … That’s right! I am a bit of a wizard!”

Perhaps realizing that he had no right to veto anyway, Elsie was desperately trying to find a reason to follow me. It was her own way to save face.

I don’t want to use the stigma of yielding to and following juniors’ threats.

Also, there was an effect of my praise. Senior Elsie seemed to really like my compliment. She returned to that smug expression again.

“Anyway, you only have me, right? A 4th grade senior you can trust and follow!”

At that, I was silent for a moment.

Senior Elsie can trust and follow? It left question marks in many ways, but I didn’t mean to point it out. However, it was necessary to inform about the composition of the group in advance.

Delphine-senpai and Elsie-senpai had a typical antagonistic relationship, so I opened my mouth, which had been slightly hesitant.

“No, there is one more.”

“Heh, of course it’s just me… huh? Are there more?”

Elsie-senpai’s head tilted and tilted. It was a look of genuine curiosity. The expression of how someone like you knows more about 4th grade.

It was a cute but annoying face. So I spat out the words rather bluntly.

“Yes, because Delphine-senpai decided to follow.”

Hearing those words, Elsie-senpai stiffened her body while being petted by me.

The wide open eyes testified to her astonishment. In those eyes, I could even feel a terrible sense of betrayal.

I wanted to ask why, but Elsie was already shaking. A look of resentment was evident in her blue sapphire-like eyes.

It was the beginning of a competition that would continue throughout practice.