Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 66

The club room was buzzing with the assembled members. It wasn’t their regular meeting day, but George, who had called them all together for the first time in a long time, shouted loudly.

 

“Okay, I know you’re all busy, but I need your attention for a moment! You know that our club has an exhibit to put on, and I’ve set aside this meeting to go over the schedule for that exhibit.”

 

He gestured to a large stack of scrapbooks on the table.

 

“These are the scrapbooks that the seniors who have already graduated used for their exhibit, and I thought it would be good for you to look at and use as a reference. You can supplement the scrapbooks you made during the semester, or you can cut down on the pages and make your own exhibit. The subject matter is up to you.”

 

“Is it okay if I look at it now?”

 

“Yes, just be careful not to tear it. Oh, and anyone making a new scrapbook must give me the finished product at least two days before the show!”

 

As soon as George finished speaking, the group rushed in to look at the exhibit. As expected from the seniors, the scrapbooks were well organized and full of content. Eileen looked a little worried.

 

“I’m suddenly scared to display mine.”

 

“It’s okay, it’ll be hard to see if it’s among the other books.”

 

“…Cordelia?”

 

Eileen looked at Cordelia with betrayal in her eyes, and then she burst out laughing.

 

“Just kidding.”

 

Lucian and Felix rolled their eyes behind them.

 

“I don’t think it’s a joke.”

 

They swallowed hard without comment, remembering Eileen’s own failed attempts at tending to the grotesque garden. Meanwhile, Eileen, who didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes, slowly browsed through the seniors’ scrapbooks and stopped in front of one.

 

[On Stronghold Demons and Dungeon Demons]

 

“Demons.”

 

It was a topic that had been weighing heavily on her mind lately. The future had given her clues, but utilizing them had proven more difficult than she’d expected; she was still a student, limited in the information she could access.

 

As she looked down at her scrapbook with annoyance, a shadow loomed behind her.

 

“Are you researching demons?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Eileen spun around and there was Andrew, smiling broadly. He whispered in a low voice, his smirk still unreadable.

 

“If you’re curious about demons, I can help you.”

 

“How?”

 

Eileen asked, her brow tightening with effort. She’d spent quite a bit of time with Andrew as a classmate and club member, but she still found it difficult to read his mind.

 

There was something about the way he always wore a thin smile that made him look a little suspicious.

 

When Eileen nervously closed the distance between them, he shrugged and spoke.

 

“Oh, I can just recommend some good books or information shops. If you need me, of course.”

 

“That’s okay, I was just curious.”

 

Andrew nodded, but didn’t offer again. Eileen gave him a slightly annoyed look and stepped away from him to join Felix and Lucian, who were looking through the scrapbook.

 

“Have you two decided on a theme?”

 

Felix said, showing his own scrapbook, he was holding.

 

“Oh, I’m just supplementing my current scrapbook. I couldn’t think of a theme for a new one.”

 

“Me neither. Wouldn’t it be hard to change it?”

 

As Lucian nodded in agreement, Cordelia stepped forward.

 

“I wouldn’t mind changing the theme to a master sword.”

 

“Oh, that would be fun!”

 

Eileen chimed in, nodding her head. Cordelia nodded and turned back to Eileen.

 

“Have you decided, Eileen?”

 

“Um, I think I’ll keep it the same. What about Laquerta?”

 

She turned her head toward Laquerta. For some reason, she felt like she hadn’t seen him in a very long time.

 

“I’m keeping it the same.”

 

“Yeah, huh? But aren’t you a little more burned up?”

 

Eileen’s eyebrows quirked a little. Laquerta’s normally copper-colored skin had turned a little more brown.

 

“And your muscles seem to have gotten fiercer, too.”

 

His muscles, which were already fierce, had become even more pumped up and now looked like they were about to burst through his school shirt. He even had a couple of buttons undone to his own discomfort.

 

“Is that so, I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t have a really weird job, do you?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Weird. She doesn’t believe any of this.

 

Still looking at him suspiciously, Eileen sighed and said,

 

“Okay, fine, then let’s all go eat.”

 

Laquerta replied sharply.

 

“I have a pre-arrangement.”

 

“…what?”

 

Laquerta stalked out of the clubhouse before Eileen could catch her, leaving a bewildered Eileen staring after her.

 

My boy changed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jessie’s favorite part of the day was pulling the cookies out of the oven.

 

Opening the oven to the sizzling heat and sweet aroma, followed by the steaming results of her labor. Sipping a cup of tea while the cookies cooled, there was nothing better.

 

“Odorless.”

 

Jessie’s face cracked as she leisurely sipped her tea.

 

“That’s weird. I’m hearing voices.”

 

Jessie sighed as she pictured Neumann munching on a cookie in silence.

 

The rumored Neumann was exactly the type of person she didn’t like. But the cookie-eating Neumann was nothing like the rumored character.

 

Jessie’s hand stopped as she moved the cooled cookie to the box she’d prepared. A single cracked cookie was mixed in with the rest, the front looking good but the back cracked.

 

“What a waste.”

 

Jesse picked up the cookie and popped it into her mouth. It tasted sweet and moist, like a chocolate cookie.

 

 

* * * 

 

 

In Jessie’s room, Eileen lay helplessly on her bed.

 

She tried to be her usual cheerful self when people were around, but when she was alone, her anxiety about the future inevitably took over. Shading her eyes with her wrist, Eileen thought to herself.

 

‘The Prophet.’

 

It was a hastily concocted setup to convince Jessie, but Eileen realized it might be the solution.

 

“Right now, I’ve succeeded in unlocking most of Cordelia’s, Felix’s, Lucian’s, and Laquerta’s misfortunes, so I’ll just prophetically release information about the mysterious group.”

 

At first, she thought about delivering it anonymously, but it’s hard to keep something completely hidden in this world of tracking magic.

 

‘But if I start pretending to be a seer…’

 

She curled into a ball, clutching the sheets.

 

If she acted as a seer, Eileen would surely be at the center of all the commotion. She was afraid of that.

 

‘The weight is different.’

 

It wasn’t the same as when she’d jumped in to save the person in front of her. Now that she was a seer, every future she saw would be valuable information that could decide the outcome of a battle.

 

A real war, where people would get hurt, die, and lose someone. Eileen dreaded the future, walking into the center of it all.

 

‘It’s heavy. I thought I was just a supporting character in this world.’

 

She just wanted to be happy in this life. A life where she could laugh out loud among people who cared about her. But if she didn’t do something, this happiness she’d barely managed to keep could crumble like a sandcastle.

 

Eileen felt her breath catch in her throat as if she were choking on her own frustration. Star placed a small paw on the nape of her neck as if to comfort her. The moist, light brown paw jelly squeaked and patted Eileen’s back.

 

“Chew, chew, chew!”

 

“What, are you telling me not to worry?”

 

Eileen snapped out of her reverie with a giggle. When she laughed, an excited Star stood up on his own two feet and tapped his chest with one foot, looking proud. He stood on both feet and patted her chest with one foot, as if to say, “I’m confident.”

 

“Ahaha. What, you’re turning into Cordelia, too?”

 

Eileen laughed as she gazed lovingly at Star, who then hugged her and flopped down on the bed.

 

“Yeah, let’s not get too pessimistic. You’ve done so well so far, I’m sure you’ll do well in the future.”

 

Star squealed encouragingly.

 

“For now, let’s gather as much information as we can from my line. Maybe I’ll see a different future. But that doesn’t give us any answers.”

 

The Duke would come to Verotanis when the festivities began. Eileen decided to tell him everything, the one adult she could trust.

 

“Chew, chew, chew.”

 

As if to endorse her choice, Star cried long and loud, its voice bright and easy.