CHAPTER 8 – PEACE-LOVING ELF

LYSANDER FARADEISS

The fireball I had conjured with my fingertips was formidable, capable of reducing an adult elephant to ashes in a single hit. There was no way a teenage elf like Hiraya could survive its intensity. Once she was reduced to ashes, I planned to set the room on fire, making it appear as if the school had burned down due to her negligence. This assassination seemed remarkably straightforward.

However, just as I was about to release the fireball, a searing pain lanced through my heart. It felt as though my heart had skipped a beat for several minutes, even though it had been just a fraction of a second. This pain disrupted my magical circuits and dispelled the fireball I had conjured.

"Kuh!" I gasped, clutching my chest in agony. "W-What the hell is this?"

Hiraya's knife-like elven ears twitched as she stirred, her eyes remaining closed. She let out a lazy groan.

"Ah... I'm hungry," she murmured.

Slowly, she lifted her head from the table, her eyes still sealed. But when her eyes did open, her golden irises sparkled as they met mine. This was my moment, and I knew I had to improvise. I had to appear calm and casual.

"O-Oh, Vice Prez! You're finally awake," I said, offering a friendly smile.

"Huh?" Hiraya tilted her head, her eyes focusing on me. "Oh! You're Mister Poopy Butthole, I presume?"

My irritation flared. "What? No!"

Hiraya maintained a straight face. "Oh, sorry. Mister Dynamite Diarrhea."

I clenched my fists, my desire to cast another fireball barely held in check. I swore to myself that I would kill this infuriating elf, but not today. I needed to keep my composure.

"You know that's not my name, right?" I said, touching my chest and preparing to reintroduce myself. "I'm-"

"Lysander Faradeiss," Hiraya interrupted, her smile as sweet as a kitten's. "I'm just messing with you~"

I gritted my teeth, slightly irritated by this elf's taunts, but I didn't let it show. For now, I needed to stay on her good side.

Hiraya began collecting the books on the table and organizing them on the shelf. Then she leaned forward with a smug expression. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Gazing upon Hiraya's exquisite face up close sent my heart into a rapid-fire frenzy, and I was sure I was blushing. Her beauty and elegance, as the future oracle of the Dragon Lords, was unmistakable even in this timeline.

"Um, I..." I paused, trying to catch my breath, before I revealed the paper bag that held my supposed lunch. "I heard that you haven't had lunch yet, so I'm here to repay the favor you did for me during that field trip."

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"Oh, thank you!" Hiraya clapped her hands, her expression adorable as she opened the paper bag, revealing a hotdog in a bun and a yogurt drink. She glanced back at me. "You didn't have to treat me to lunch, but I'll accept it since I'm hungry."

"Yeah, help yourself," I said. "It's the least I could do since you were the one who took care of me during that field trip."

Hiraya waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, no, no. It's my duty as the student council vice president."

As I looked at Hiraya, I couldn't help but recall the events of that infamous field trip. When I'd suffered from a severe bout of diarrhea, she had been the one to take care of me. She provided me with medicine and rehydration drinks and even let me rest my head on her lap when I felt dizzy. It had been a kind and compassionate gesture, one that had sparked a crush on her during my high school days in the previous timeline. If only she weren't destined to become a Dragon Lord set on destroying the world and massacring humanity, I might still have harbored those feelings.

Suddenly, an idea struck me. There was no need to resort to violence if circumstances didn't require it. I had traveled ten years into the past, armed with the power to change the future. Perhaps I could change her fate too.

Hiraya was thoroughly enjoying the hotdog I had brought her, so I sat down across from her with a serious expression.

"Um, Vice Prez?" I began.

Hiraya extended her arm forward, signaling me to hold my thought. "Stop."

"What?" I asked.

"If you're going to ask me out, I'll have to turn you down," Hiraya said with a poker face.

"What? No!" I protested, my face turning red.

Getting rejected before I'd even confessed was a bit disheartening, but that wasn't my main concern. Mentally, I was twenty-eight years old, and I'd left behind the hormonal urges of a teenage boy. I was here to save humanity, damn it!

Hiraya scoffed, her eyes narrowing as she shot me an incredulous glance. "You're quite the serious guy, aren't you? I thought you were a silent type who would never start a conversation, but I'm genuinely amazed to see this side of you."

I leaned back, feigning disinterest. "May I continue?"

"Alright then," she replied, curiosity in her voice.

With a calculated, deliberate motion, I clasped my hands together and locked eyes with her. The air in the small, dimly lit archive room suddenly grew heavy, as if shrouded in a quiet foreboding.

"Miss Vice Prez," I began, my tone low and intense, "what are your thoughts on the terrorist group Neo Arcadia and the activists advocating for the dragonoids to take over the world?"

Hiraya's confidence wavered under the weight of my question. Her expression shifted from amusement to a mix of surprise and fear, resembling a meerkat, wide-eyed and trembling, cornered by a circling eagle. "What's with this unexpected question?"

I chuckled nervously, running my fingers through my hair, attempting to break the tension between us. Her instincts seemed to pick up on my underlying intent, so I needed to create a more comfortable atmosphere for our conversation.

"Don't worry too much about it," I said, forcing a laugh. "My friend in the Newspaper Club was curious about the student council's perspective on the recent terrorist bombings and the dragonoid supremacy riots. I just wanted to gather your thoughts to share with her."

Hiraya sighed, her hand resting on her chest. "You really had me on edge for a moment."

"Sorry about that," I replied.

She pinched her chin, deep in thought. "Well, I think Neo Arcadia's approach is a bit extreme, pushing their ideologies on the empires. I mean, the era of dragonoid slavery is over, isn't it? I can't quite grasp what they're fighting for."

"So, you're opposed to Neo Arcadia's beliefs?" I inquired.

Hiraya fixed me with a stern gaze, her golden eyes radiating a strong sense of justice. "Absolutely. Violence is not the solution. As a peace-loving elf and the student council vice president of Magic High School, I wholeheartedly denounce any ideologies that sow chaos in our world."