I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 296: Giving generously

The area that had been filled with the sounds of battle just moments ago became eerily quiet, as if it were a lie.

It made it uncomfortable to make any noise.

I remained in a neutral position, cautious of any sounds, and carefully observed the surroundings.

A pit created by magic. There were many such pits in this plain, but the one created by the Fire of Fear was large in comparison.

Sitting quietly in the center of the pit, I felt the gaze from the opposite side watching me intently.

It was the 5th round's gaze, fixed on the top of my head.

“......” “......”

Not much time had passed since I sat down. A brief silence lingered.

“Ugh.”

The 5th round, who had been scanning me with a strange look, let out a deep sigh. Reflexively, my shoulders flinched. The 5th round raised both hands and pulled up his helmet.

The helmet smoothly came off.

Now that the battle was over, most of the helmet’s functions had disappeared.

The original functions were for confinement and a protective barrier. It seemed these were precautions to keep the 5th round's identity hidden.

Of course, the power of observation easily pierced through such functions, so I had already identified the 5th round’s face.

But during the battle, and now after it, I was able to observe the 5th round's appearance with a more relaxed mind.

His face is still the same.

It wasn’t exactly identical.

There were scars scattered here and there, and despite not being in a battle, there were traces of circuits on his skin. If you didn’t know better, you’d mistake them for blue tattoos.

His body, however, was quite different. He was much taller, with a body built with muscles. It was a stark contrast to the usual slender physique of a mage.

“Phew, finally able to breathe. What’s with this helmet?”

The 5th round lightly shook his head, then ruffled his hair with his hand.

“How much did you hear of the explanation?”

The 5th round raised his head and stared at me with his dark eyes, asking.

“I heard you met with the Tower Master at the Tower of Knowledge. I heard you were given an explanation, but I’m not sure how much you understood.”

[Hmm... I heard most of it.]

“Did you also hear about the origin of the rounds?”

[Yes.]

At the 5th round’s matter-of-fact question, my face darkened.

The Tower Masters had foreseen the invasion and, in preparation, conducted a kind of simulation experiment.

A simulated world, copied from a specific point in time. They observed this world up to a certain period, then reset it to begin observing again from the beginning.

It was a typical simulation.

Just like using a computer to calculate weather or star trajectories, the Tower Masters conducted experiments to predict the future of the world.

“That’s where we, the rounds, were born as variables.”

The 5th round scratched his head with a grim expression.

“Originally, we... our bodies should have just remained empty shells. Naturally, since there was no soul in them.”

It was meant to be a body for the future savior. But this wasn’t reflected in the simulation.

The Tower Masters never expected that the information they would provide through observation would be processed and handed down to me.

For them, it was just creating a virtual world and predicting future changes through calculation and foresight.

“They must have been quite surprised. It’s like an AI suddenly awakening its consciousness in a computer simulation world, realizing the false nature of the world and starting to act.”

In the simulated world, my empty body began to move.

Though faint, a soul began to form, constructing a sense of self, and realizing the world was false.

It was an unexpected variable for the Tower Masters.

“They said they couldn’t meet the Tower Master because of this. Originally, the Tower Masters weren’t even part of the simulation. No matter how much they searched, they couldn’t find them.”

The Tower Masters existed in the simulated world, but only the three who were invading the world existed. The five from this side did not exist.

They could only observe future events, and thus had no reason to manifest in the simulation.

So, no matter how much they searched, they could never meet the Tower Masters.

They also couldn’t provide any help from the outside.

The simulation was a massive experiment the Tower Masters had put considerable effort into. They couldn’t interfere from the outside after the fact.

The simulation continued like this. The empty body began to move, and due to this connection, records were passed down to the next cycle.

After the body began to act, the simulated world was rewound over eleven times before it finally consumed all its power and ended.

“...This is such a shitty situation. If I didn’t know the circumstances, I could have easily hated them, but knowing the full story, it’s hard to just outright curse them.”

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The 5th round muttered to himself with a wry smile. I lowered my head gloomily in front of him.

Though I hadn’t directly intervened in the simulation, the fact that I was involved in the matter weighed heavily on my heart.

“Hey, don’t act like you’re a dog desperate for relief. What did you do to be acting like this?”

The 5th round clicked his tongue and gave me a flick on the forehead. Thanks to being at the Tower of Growth, there was no pain.

As I held my forehead, the 5th round shrugged.

“I came here of my own will. I was summoned, then listened to the circumstances and decided to help. If I had any grudge, I wouldn’t have come at all.”

[Ah...]

I remained silent at the 5th round’s words. The decision to help came from his own will. That meant if he hadn’t wanted to, he wouldn’t have come.

In a way, I felt a bit relieved, but then I remembered the second round I met in the Tower.

...I hadn’t really had a conversation with the second round, but at the end, I heard him whispering an apology for causing me trouble.

Did the second round also understand the situation and come to help?

“The Tower Masters are ultimately at fault. I’ll admit it was an unexpected variable, but still, it’s their fault.”

The tone in the 5th round’s voice made me unconsciously pout my lips.

“Hmm? What’s with that pout?”

Of course, I quickly corrected myself, but the 5th round noticed and chuckled with disbelief.

“Really... Hey, I’ve been curious for a while, but how the hell did they brainwash you into liking them so much? Was it just the magic lessons? Tell me the reason.”

The 5th round asked, genuinely curious.

He couldn’t understand why I defended Ariel.

[Hmm...]

I briefly recalled the memories from the Tower of Knowledge.

[Ariel was a good person.]

“Really?”

The 5th round responded nonchalantly. He subtly rubbed the necklace while eyeing me.

[Yes, she taught me magic from the basics with great care. Even when I asked something I didn’t know, she taught me kindly without any sign of annoyance.]

“Hm, her magic skills are decent... though the risks are insane, huh? Did you modify the spell without the Tower Master’s approval?”

[She tried to help me solve whatever problems I had, not just with magic.]

“Look at you, interpreting things your way. Well, your mana manipulation skills are solid, so I doubt you’d make any mistakes, but...”

The 5th round chuckled. I avoided his gaze and continued to reflect on my memories more thoroughly.

What I remembered more was the happiness I felt.

[When I solved a magic problem, she’d pat my head and say I did well.]

“...? Is that so?”

[Yes. Even if I didn’t solve it correctly, she’d pat me gently and tell me not to get discouraged.]

“Oh... I see.”

The 5th round's expression became a bit strange.

But I paid him little attention, focusing instead on remembering how well Ariel had treated me.

She gave me comfort when I couldn't sleep, would stroke my head and back tenderly when I felt fussy, and even told me stories or read me fairy tales when I couldn’t sleep.

I had been wary of Ariel at first, but after seeing her genuine concern and care for me, I opened up to her.

The 5th round might not like her, but once he understands how kind Ariel really is, his feelings might soften.

With that in mind, I explained as best I could the ways Ariel had helped me.

“......”

After I finished explaining, the 5th round blinked.

Then, with a puzzled expression, he calmly scanned my whole body with confused eyes.

“How old are you?”

[Huh?] [Twenty.]

I tilted my head in response to the sudden question. Why was he asking my age? He must know I'm a first-year student, so I should be around twenty.

“Really? Your body looks like you’re between fourteen and fifteen... mentally, you seem even younger... and you’re a bit short?”

[No.] [I'm not short! I'm not short at all! It's just that the people around me are too tall and muscular, I don't want to be like that...!]

“Aah! I don’t know what’s going on, but sorry!”