Endless Silver Machine

The occasional second-level monsters that appeared were easily dealt with by Aika and Tylua-senpai.

Aika did not use any other weapons except the double guns, this was also to train himself.

Wei Xi never took action. Aika has already told her that this is not protection, and the enchantment magic is just overkill here.

"Oops……"

The lynx-type monster took advantage of the jungle terrain and its flexible movement to jump up from Senior Tiruya's spear, not even the blood thorn puncture catching its trajectory.

The lynx-shaped monster that escaped to the branch used the branch under its feet as a springboard and targeted Wei Xi behind it.

"Wei Xi, let's go to your side!"

Aika couldn't catch up with the rescue, but Wei Xi had mentor Letika by her side, so he could safely remind Wei Xi.

Although I know I can't rely too much on Teacher Letika, this is indeed a reassuring excuse.

"Eh-heavy, 'Gravity Amplification'!"

The lynx-shaped monster in mid-air suddenly fell almost vertically, and then lay sprawled on the ground unable to move.

The hastily deployed barrier failed to control the area, and even Aika and Tilua-senpai who deployed their magic defense in time were unable to stand up due to the sudden increase in gravity.

"Yeah, sorry!"

Wei Xi quickly released the "Gravity Amplification", and the suppressed lynx-type monster turned over and came back.

"Wow! 'Confinement'!"

This time Aika and Tylua-senpai almost turned into statues wrapped in magic crystals.

Teacher Letika, who was standing closest to Wei Xi, was the "victim" who was most affected.

The confinement barrier that Wei Xi deployed while in a state of fear also had a killing effect. This may be regarded as creating a new barrier.

Facts have proved that if she is in a calm state, Wei Xi is undoubtedly the strongest barrier magician.

On the contrary... he is also the strongest barrier magician. It just adds the negative status of "missing crosshair"...

The distance to the lake is also getting closer. However, this is only a rough estimate based on the simulated map. It is not clear how far it is actually.

There was a break in the middle because Tylua-senpai bumped into a small spider hanging from a branch and suddenly ran into a rage and hit her knee on a thick bush.

To add, Aika, who was walking in front, actually saw the spider, which was no bigger than a fingernail, and avoided it as usual.

Afterwards, Aika, who forgot to remind Tirua-senpai, and Tirua-senpai, who repeatedly emphasized that they mistook it for some kind of magical beast, began to apologize to each other.

Everyone chose to believe in Tylua-senpai and move on as if nothing had happened.

"Telua-senpai..."

Aika, who was walking at the front of the group with Tirua-senpai, suddenly murmured.

Tirua-senpai heard what he said, but she didn't know what he wanted to do.

"What's wrong?"

"No...it's okay."

Aika shook her head and responded with a perfunctory smile.

Tirua-senpai tilted her head in confusion.

"Let me say, classmate Aika. Are you dating classmate Wei Xi?"

--puff!

In fact, Aika was still as calm as before on the surface. This was the voice coming from her heart.

It was like the sound of a rapid heartbeat bursting and blood spurting out in an instant.

This is the true portrayal of Aika's mood at this moment.

"Telua-senpai, this misunderstanding is too deep!"

"Let me remind you, she is just a child."

"Your premise is wrong... I just treat her as my sister."

"oh--"

"Please don't drawl meaningfully."

"But maybe she doesn't think so."

Tirua-senpai secretly glanced back at the girl who was at the center of the conversation.

Wei Xi was talking to Instructor Letika and didn't seem to notice this side.

"...Tirua-senpai, do you think so too?"

"If you say so, Aika-kun must have noticed it too."

"a little……"

Not only Wei Xi, but the other two members of the family also feel this way.

As a boy, maybe it should be a happy thing to be regarded as someone you can rely on.

I just don’t want to sacrifice my current life in exchange for that insignificant sense of vanity.

"In Shimozuki Academy, you are a representative figure who has many things to do. If you are hesitant, the 'Discipline Team' will invite you to tea."

"The relationship between me and them hasn't reached that level yet. Senior Tiruya should know that, right? By the way, will the 'Discipline Team' still care about this kind of thing?"

"This task has been added since you entered Frost Moon Academy."

"I must be the only one serving you!"

"Don't worry, classmate Ling is now the leader of the 'Discipline Group', so he should be a little more tolerant to you."

"Isn't this kind of mission meaningless? I don't need such preferential treatment at all!"

"Haha, I lied to you!" Senior Sister Tiluya covered her mouth and laughed with satisfaction, "You actually believe it?"

"Because you are Tylua-senpai, I can only believe your words..."

Knowing that she was just being used for entertainment by Tirua-senpai, Aika felt slightly unhappy, so Tirua-senpai stopped her teasing attitude.

"Actually, what I want to say is that there is no excuse for procrastinating things like 'love'. If you lose the opportunity, you will only regret it."

Tirua-senpai, who had been teasing her juniors until just now, seems to be telling the truth now.

Perhaps it was just Tylua-senpai's sentiments, but Aika felt that Tilua-senpai, who lowered her eyes, seemed to have more unsaid words.

"Telua-senpai, thank you."

"No need to thank me, I said too much."

Tirua-senpai smiled sheepishly and ended the topic.

In Shimozuki Academy, Aika and Tylua-senpai didn't have many opportunities to come into contact with each other, and their meetings were usually just to discuss business matters.

Ling should know more about Tirua-senpai who can occasionally reveal a corner of her heart like this.

Aika lamented in her heart that she was in the same group as Tylua-senpai by chance and was able to understand this side of her.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a familiar color again.

This time he could finally confirm that he had not seen it wrong, because pure white and emerald green were incompatible, and it was impossible to see such a conspicuous color wrong twice.

"Telua-senpai, did you see it?"

"Well, probably human."

The pure white color quickly disappeared behind the emerald green. Although the figure could not be recognized, it was certain that it was not a monster.

"Tirua-san, Aika-san, what's wrong?"

"Have you two discovered anything..."

Instructor Letika led Wei Xi to follow the two people who stopped.

"Well, I think I saw a human just now."

"Humans other than the survey team?"

"The hair color and height are similar to Wei Xi's, but I can't see her clearly."

Aika, who was very familiar with Wei Xi's back, added to Tylua-senpai's explanation.

Aika and Tylua-senpai asked Teacher Letika with their gazes if they wanted to make contact.

"Well...if it's someone you can communicate with, it's necessary to get in touch. Everyone should keep a record of the current route."

There is no guarantee that the tracking mission will not deviate from the planned route. This approach is to be able to turn back after the deviation.

The pure white figure will appear in everyone's field of vision from time to time, and then suddenly disappear. The current search route has greatly deviated from the planned route.

"Go forward another kilometer. If you still don't find it, give up."

Teacher Letika gave such instructions.

But before we walked out of the one kilometer distance shown on the PDA, the scenery in front of us suddenly opened up.

Although they deviated from the planned route on the simulation map, everyone still walked out of the vast forest and arrived at their destination.

…………

The endless lake is sparkling under the bright sun, and the monotonous green is replaced by colorful vegetation.

The sun is no longer blocked and shines freely on everyone. After passing through the cold and damp forest, I felt the preciousness of this tepid experience.

"It turns out there is such a place in the ruins."

"The wind here is more comfortable than in the forest..."

"It's so different compared to the forest."

"Is this the inside of the ruins? There seems to be no entrance..."

While the girls were immersed in emotion, Aika looked around hiding her inner nervousness.

It is indeed a rare beauty, but this is also the interior of the ruins that can be triggered by magic equipment.

If this was really the birthplace of "mechanical alchemy", then something had already changed when I came here.

Teacher Letika checked the PDA, and sure enough there was still no signal.

"I still can't contact Instructor Wilber. I don't know if they are nearby."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Instructor Wilber and the others should already be here."

According to the planned route, the two teams would meet at the same place by the lake, but Mentor Letika's team deviated from the planned route.

"Looking at it now, even if we stay here and wait, we may not be able to reunite."

"Maybe the route on the simulated map cannot reach the lake, Teacher Letika."

"Did you also notice..."

Instructor Letika looked at the PDA silently, which recorded the route the team had just taken.

Judging from the route drawn on the simulated map, everyone should not have left the forest yet, but were moving farther and farther away from the lake, but the fact was already before our eyes.

That white figure suddenly appeared in everyone's field of vision, bringing everyone here like a guide.

"If the simulated map is inaccurate, we cannot act rashly. We will pay attention to the situation in the surrounding area for now."

"Um, Teacher Letika..." Senior Sister Tiluya interrupted Teacher Letika's arrangement with some embarrassment, "Because in the forest, there seemed to be dirt on my body..."

Teacher Letika immediately understood the implicit meaning of Senior Tiruya, and she looked at the others.

"Me too... I'll feel better if I use water..."

"I don't care."

Because there was some hot and humid air in the forest, Wei Xi's cheeks and neck had hair stuck to sweat, which Aika had already noticed.

If Tiruya-senpai hadn't proposed it first, Wei Xi wouldn't have proposed it to waste time. It's probably because Tiruya-senpai saw this that she spoke up on her behalf.

"Then you two go ahead."

Teacher Letika agreed with a smile and allowed Wei Xi and Senior Tiruya to approach the lake.

"Teacher Letika, don't you need to go with us?"

"Me? I don't need it..."

"Now I realize that it's very hot to walk here." Aika suddenly pulled her collar and left Teacher Letika's side. "If Teacher Letika doesn't come, please wait for us here alone."

"Wait a minute, Aika-san!"

Aika didn't stop because of Teacher Letika's words. She also secretly observed Teacher Letika with her peripheral vision as she hurriedly followed.

He guessed that Teacher Letika didn't wash her face with the girls because she was worried about him who said "it doesn't matter", so he took advantage of Teacher Letika's personality.

Just when Aika was still thinking about this kind of thing, his attention was attracted by the colorful aurora flashing in the sky.

I remember there was no such thing just now...

The area where the aurora appears is getting larger and larger, and the lake surface, which is as calm as a mirror, has undergone changes.

A vortex rolled up around a certain point, as if a bottomless pit opened at the bottom of the lake, sucking in all the water.

Aika quickened her pace and rushed to senior sisters Wei Xi and Tilua who were closest to the lake.

"what happens?"

"I don't know, it suddenly became like this after my hand touched the lake water."

"Brother Aika..."

Wei Xi looked at Aika hesitantly, and she probably realized the reason for this scene.

This is inside the barrier and will only react to magic equipment. Aika only thought of this possibility.

"It's okay, Wei Xi, senior Tiruya already knows."

Aika dispelled Wei Xi's concerns, and instructor Letika followed closely.

"Is this being activated inside the ruins? Aika-san, is it related to 'mechanical alchemy'?"

Sure enough, Teacher Letika also noticed Aika's magic outfit, and didn't ask about it until after the change occurred.

"My magic equipment is 'Mechanical Alchemy', but it doesn't seem to be affected by it."

The lake receded, and the ground bordering the lake shoreline emerged in the blink of an eye, as if the lake there had never existed.

The ground suddenly appeared in front of us. There were no magnificent buildings on it, only a few stone tablets erected on it.

The laser that quickly flashed across the horizon finally revealed its full form. It was a strange coat of arms covering the sky.

"This is not the emblem of 'Mechanical Alchemy', Teacher Letika, have you seen it before?"

Aika asked Instructor Letika, the only one here besides herself who had a magic costume, but she just shook her head regretfully.

"This is not the coat of arms of the 'Aurora of Mirrors' either."

"Then why..."

"Teacher Letika, over there!"

As Tirua-senpai pointed out, everyone noticed that a fifth person appeared in their field of vision.

…………

Standing on the ground that suddenly appeared was a girl who seemed to be carved from the same mold as Wei Xi beside her. The only difference was that her eyes and expressions showed no emotion.

"Wei...Xi?"

"No..." Wei Xi denied in a trembling voice, "That's not me..."

"I know."

Aika put her hand on Wei Xi's shoulder to feel that she was really around and to calm her down.

Wei Xi is here, and of course neither Instructor Letika nor Senior Tiruya will regard the girl opposite as Wei Xi, she is just someone who looks very similar to Wei Xi.

The person who asked questions on behalf of everyone was Teacher Letika.

"Who are you?"

Surrounded by green grass, "she" just lowered her eyes slightly, but did not take her tasteful gaze away from everyone.

After a brief silence, "she" finally set her sights on Wei Xi.

"Why..." Being stared at by cold eyes, Wei Xi did not flinch, but mustered up the courage to ask, "Why do you use my appearance..."

Wei Xi's voice couldn't be said to be loud, but "she" on the opposite side must have heard it.

"Come to my place, Wei Xi."

This was the first sentence "she" had spoken so far, and it was only said to Wei Xi.

"Wait a minute, do you know Wei Xi?"

"I do not know her……"

Wei Xi answered anxiously, even though she was not the person being asked the question.

But then Aika understood that this was just the other party's unilateral decision and had nothing to do with Wei Xi's wishes.

"You are the one who brought us out of the forest, right?" Since she didn't want to reveal her identity, Teacher Letika decided to ask another way, "Why did you bring us here?"

"She is the only one I need," she replied coldly, "so please disappear."

The magic power in the space trembled suddenly at this moment, and then returned to calm the next second.

Nothing happened.

At first, everyone thought it was just an illusion, but they soon realized that Wei Xi beside them had activated the magic.

Wei Xi is good at enchantment magic, whether it is expansion or elimination, it is her domain.

"You removed my barrier...I'm still as good as ever."

"What, that kind of statement about treating people as props!"

Aika originally wanted to use dialogue to solve the problem, but "she" had already attacked everyone with obvious hostility.

"Aika-san, don't be too impulsive."

Tylua-senpai also summoned the knight's spear, and while raising her vigilance, she did not forget to remind Aika who was obviously angry.

"Although with classmate Wei Xi here, you don't have to worry too much about barrier magic. But I don't know what other methods she has. I will take action depending on the situation."

What we are facing now is not a World of Warcraft. Of course, Teacher Letika cannot let her students face such a dangerous enemy alone.

The "she" on the other side didn't make any more moves, and just sighed as if she gave up.

"Indeed, barrier magic is of no use to you."

"What do you want Wei Xi to do?"

Since the other party wants Wei Xi so much, there must be some purpose.

Is it peeking at Wei Xi's powerful barrier magic? Or are you just interested in her? Aika thought of many possibilities.

"She shouldn't exist here, I just want to take her back."

"Eh……"

"Classmate Wei Xi, don't pay attention to what she says. She seems to be just a paranoid, and she deliberately dresses up exactly like you."

"Speaking of which, besides us, can anyone else enter this ruins?"

Tirua-senpai has had this question before.

"It is possible that they are illegal immigrants. After all, the only organization that has officially made an exploration statement is Shimozuki Academy."

"For this reason alone, it is necessary to arrest her."

Although she is a girl exactly like Wei Xi, Aika must be ruthless to defeat "her".

On the contrary, "she" who faced the four people did not show any embarrassment, but calmly responded to everyone's hostility with cold eyes.

"I don't want to be your enemy."

"Such words coming from the mouth of someone who just prepared to attack us are not convincing at all."

Senior Tiruya did not give in. She would not let her guard down just because of such a simple act of kindness.

"Because you are the ones who are kind to her, so I should thank you."

The "she" here should refer to Wei Xi. Judging from "her" obsession with Wei Xi, this statement is a bit strange.

If she wanted to monopolize Wei Xi, Aika's presence would be an eyesore to "her".

What he said here was completely opposite to the obvious hostility just now, and he couldn't understand "her" logical thinking at all.

"However, this is just gratitude in my heart. If you are stubborn, please be mentally prepared accordingly."

The "she" on the other side changed the subject, and the tension suddenly rose again.

"Please wait!"

A barely shouted voice intervened between the two sides who were at war with each other, blowing away the arrogance that was about to break out.

Wei Xi walked out from behind Aika and took a few steps forward, one step closer to "her".

"Wei Xi, come back!"

"Brother Aika, can you leave this place to me?"

Now that Wei Xi has said this, Aika can no longer stop her determination with self-righteous reasons.

After knowing that Aika had given up trying to stop her, Wei Xi returned her attention to organizational language.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what kind of relationship we have, but I have a new family now, so I can't leave with you..."

"..."

"If you really need me, I will do my best as long as I can help..."

"The new family...does this kind of relationship exist for you?"

"It does exist."

Wei Xi answered "her" question without any hesitation.

"It seems you haven't understood what I mean, which is why I want to take you back."

"but……"

The conversation between Wei Xi and "her" didn't seem to be on the same channel at all, and Wei Xi was also trying hard to think about what "she" wanted to express.

"The strength you think you have is only based on escaping reality."

"I don't……"

"You have been escaping from the beginning. If you can't understand, go back to the beginning."

This is the moment when the strange country from a hundred years ago reappears in everyone's eyes.