Aliya Norris.
The daughter of the Merchant that hired me for this job.
However, she is much more than a girl that would stay at the rear pages of the books.
At the beginning of the journey, I didn't think much about her identity or any others at this party.
However, as we traveled together, talked together, and ate together, I was able to connect some pieces related to the game.
In the game, there was a villainess that went by the name of 'Demoness of the Money.'
It was a girl named Charlotte Farrel with red hair and green eyes.
To describe her, basically, she was a villain who was obsessed with money and power itself. She was cold-blooded and manipulative.
Entering the academy on her own without anyone's help, she started expanding her business in this place using the connections she obtained with the children of nobles.
As the main character of the game, of course, since we were talented, we caught her eye.
However, she had a weird type of making deals.
She would not make deals with others standing on equal grounds.
No, she would make deals with others while making them bow to her.
And how did she do it?
The answer is simple. Finding other people's weaknesses and using them to blackmail others.
And what is the main character's weakness?
Of course, it is his harem….
From this point on, you understand what kind of person she became from the perspective of the main character as well as the perspective of the player.
However, it was for the general audience.
While I was playing the game, I didn't care much about the girls that she had ensnared and tried to force me to do dirty things.
In the first place, I couldn't even connect with the heroines while playing, so I didn't care much about it.
And I also approve of her decisions in the game.
She did one of the most optimal things she could do as a merchant that is trying to expand her business alone.
Anyway, now why I am telling you about this.
Because while I was traveling with Aliya, I understood one thing.
It was the fact that she was the future 'Demoness of the Money.'
How did I reach that conclusion, you may ask?
Firstly, in the game, while investigating Charlotte's past to find her weakness as a player, we would learn that she was bullied in her childhood by the children of other merchants while watching a scene that was shown by time-rewinding magic.
Secondly, we would learn that her real name wasn't Charlotte but something else, although we didn't know what it was.
And thirdly, we would learn that her father died in front of her eyes by a bunch of bandits that were trying to rob their cargo and products.
All this information was given in order to make the players understand where her obsession with strength and money was coming from.
And while we were traveling with the party, I observed Aliya's habits and found a bunch of things that matched with the villainess Charlotte.
The first one is that she always wakes up early and trains her magic, trying to increase her rank. However, she is also wasting a lot of money on this aspect, trying to find treasures that would help her increase her growth.
Secondly, she has a habit of flinching slightly when I move her hands in the direction of her head, showing she has a muscle memory or trauma related to that.
And thirdly and most importantly, her class is 'Economist,' which is not a common class.
With her face and body matching as well as those facts above, I was pretty sure she was the villainess in the game.
However, now that her father is still alive, that means either the story has yet to advance that much, or with my existence, the butterfly effect has already changed a lot of things.
So, she had yet to acquire her own motivation for her future success.
Therefore, I decided to interfere with her thought process slightly, opening her eyes to the cruel reality.
That was basically the reason why I gave her that speech while eating.
And I am pretty sure she had already started figuring those things out.
Anyway, now that I have given her a little push, we will see what will happen in the future.
*****
A girl with red hair flowing through her waist was sitting in her tent, thinking about something.
"Whose child am I? What do you mean by that?"
She was Aliya, the daughter of the merchant that hired the party.
Mumbling like that, she brought her face to her knees, closing her eyes.
"I am a child of merchant John Norris."
"But, so what?"
"Just because I am a daughter of a merchant, do I need to give up on my dream?"
While she was murmuring, she stopped for a second.
'Are you really willing to pursue your dream even at the risk of getting nothing in the end, or are you willing to give up on your dream and pursue a thing that you are better at?'
"Am I really willing to risk my whole life for my dream?"
'Is this even your real dream?'
"I don't know. I don't know what I want; I don't know what I should do."
Remembering the things the handsome boy with red eyes said, she buried her head in her knees, murmuring.
"I hate being weak; I hate not being able to do anything on my own; I hate the fact that I need to rely on others. I hate this feeling."
Clenching her fists, she mumbled.
'Is the only type of strength the strength of your body?'
"Huh?"
At that moment, she opened her eyes, suddenly remembering something.
"I see…. So that was what you meant…."
With her eyes wide open, she thought.
"I can't believe I have missed such a blatant thing…."
"Thank you."
And saying that, she closed her eyes with a smile….
*****
Waking up early in the morning because of the watch shift, I left my tent.
"Oh, Callius, you are up."
Seeing me coming, Wayne waved his hands.
"I will be going to my tent, then."
"Okay. Have a good sleep."
"I will."
After the brief conversation, he reached his tent to sleep.
'Hmm… Now, what to do.'
Sitting on the log close to me, I started thinking.
'Now, we will probably rest here for a while. However, we can't afford to stay here for too long since we left our food supply in the city left in a hurry.'
'I guess a day will be enough? I should freshen up. I didn't even have enough time to get used to my new strength.'
I thought about reviewing the fight with the monster horde.
"What are you thinking about this hard in the morning?"
Turning my head toward the newcomer, I saw a man with ponytailed black hair and slanted eyes coming closer.
"I was thinking about the fight."
"About the fight, you say?"
"Yes."
"I see. Reviewing the fights, huh?"
"…."
"It has been a while since I had done that."
"Is that so?"
"It is. When I was young, like you, I used to think of every little detail too. Reviewing the fights, thinking about what I could have done better and what kind of route I should take to increase my strength. Should I train with my strength, my speed, my body?"
"…."
"But as you live your life as an adventurer and get used to it, slowly and steadily, you are starting to lose that sense of ambition. You are getting monotonous, not thinking about anything else, but living your life with every other day being the same as before."
"I am not like you, though."
"Yes. You are different; I can see it. The fire in your eyes is burning with the determination to stand on top of this world."
"What makes you think so?"
"Your eyes. They say you can understand what kind of person the man in front of you is when you look into his eyes."
"Is that so? Then what kind of person am I then?"
"It is hard to define in words…."
"Heh… You are being lame now."
"You can think of whatever you want."
"So? Why are you telling me these?"
"Straight to the point, huh? Okay, I like it this way too."
"So?"
"Callius, I want you to be my disciple."
"Be your disciple?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you have the talent."
"I have the talent on what?"
"You have the talent for learning, observing, and absorbing. Your sword style and your footwork it is very complex, yet you have already mastered it to some extent."
"So? Just because I have the talent, you want to pass your techniques on to me?"
"Indeed."
"Heh, what is in it for you? What do you gain from this?
"Hmm… I don't know. Maybe some entertainment…. Or a print on this world showing I am here?"
"…. Mister Aki-"
"Brother Akira."
"…. Brother Akira. You are dying, aren't you?"
"…. As expected, you found out."
"It was pretty obvious."
"So, will you grant this pitiful man's last wish?"
"Okay."
"Thanks. I will come and inform you about your training later."
Saying that the left walking towards the depths of the forest….
