The carriage wheels beat a steady rhythm against the highway.
I gave myself over to the monotonous swaying, my eyes drifting toward the two people sitting across from me. Whether it was a lack of experience with carriages or simply nerves at being face-to-face with a noble, they looked incredibly stiff. The red-haired boy and the sky-blue-haired girl sat with their backs as straight as boards, looking entirely restless.
Adventurers from Harune Village—Yuu and Ciel.
In the world of CHOICE // MAZE, they were the protagonist and one of the primary heroines.
"Um... are you really okay with this? Letting us ride in such a grand carriage..." Yuu asked tentatively.
He was clenching his fists on his lap, looking for all the world like he didn't know where to put himself. All they had really done was show up with their weapons drawn; they hadn't actually slain a single monster. Being invited into the carriage after doing nothing probably made them feel even more awkward.
"Think nothing of it. We are following the same road to the Royal Capital anyway."
"But still...!"
"Even so," I said, cutting off Ciel’s objection with a shrug. "It is a long journey to the capital. It would be a great help if you would stay and talk with me to help pass the time. What do you say?"
I added that last bit with a lighter tone. The two looked at each other for a moment before their expressions softened.
"...If you put it that way."
"We'd be glad to," they said, smiling with relief.
They were earnest people, exactly like their counterparts in the game. They were the type to act out of pure goodwill without a thought for reward, yet they grew immediately anxious when someone returned the favor. They were good to a fault—the kind of personality that often led to being taken advantage of.
Then again, that was precisely why I liked them, and why I wanted them to be happy.
"Then, let us introduce ourselves properly," I said, breaking the silence.
Ordinarily, when a noble and a commoner met, etiquette dictated that the lower-status individual identify themselves first. However, forcing them to observe such formalities now would only be intimidating. It would be a shame if they tensed up again just as they were starting to relax.
And so, I decided to take the lead.
"I am Rai Arkberg. I am a second-year student scheduled to transfer to the academy in the Royal Capital."
"And I am Lene! I am also a second-year student, and I serve as Rai-sama's Personal Maid and guard!"
I gave a shallow nod, and Lene followed suit with a polite bow. Once we finished, Yuu and Ciel straightened their posture.
"I'm Yuu. I'm an adventurer from a little place called Harune Village. I'm still a rookie, but... I can use a sword and a little bit of magic!"
His voice was honest, devoid of any pretense or hollow bravado. In the game, I usually saw him from behind, but looking at him from the front, he was actually quite handsome. Perhaps because he hadn't yet experienced that massive, soul-crushing event known as the Great Sacrifice, his eyes were still bright and full of life.
Following Yuu’s lead, Ciel bowed her head.
"I'm Ciel. I'm also from Harune Village... and I'm mostly in charge of cleaning up after this one."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, 'cleaning up'?"
"Charging in, getting hurt, being reckless... you're always the first to do all three, aren't you?"
"Urgh..."
Yuu tried to snap back at Ciel’s introduction, but he was immediately silenced by the truth.
Come to think of it, Yuu was a total hothead in the game. He was a soft-hearted guy who would dive headfirst into danger the moment he knew someone needed help. I recalled several instances where that led to forced combat with high-level monsters before the player was even remotely prepared.
After the heroines started dying, he would reflect on his own shallowness, and his personality would shift into something calm, detached, and cold. It was a transformation befitting a Dark Attribute protagonist.
...But the Yuu sitting before me now was still far removed from any such darkness.
He was just a reckless, incredibly kind country boy with a dream of making a name for himself as an adventurer.
"Honestly, you're just too careless about everything," Ciel said, reaching for Yuu's backpack.
She undid the straps and began checking the contents with practiced hands. Her expression quickly soured as she found something—a waterskin.
"The cap on the waterskin isn't even closed properly. What would you have done if it leaked?"
"Ah..."
"And why are the recovery potions at the very bottom? Were you planning to dig for them after you'd already been stabbed?"
"Ugh..."
"I'm always telling you to keep the bandages and medicine at the top where they're easy to reach!"
"...I'm sorry."
The fire from his initial protest had vanished completely. Yuu apologized with teary eyes as Ciel’s scolding continued. She lectured him about organizing his pack and pointed out that his wallet was buried too deep, all while deftly rearranging his supplies with an exasperated sigh.
"...Hehe. It's almost like she's his mother."
"Or perhaps an older sister?" I added.
"It's something like that," Ciel said, looking up. "I actually have two younger sisters at home."
That explained it. Ciel’s caretaking nature had likely been forged by looking after her siblings. And since Yuu was a reckless boy you couldn't take your eyes off of, she probably felt a natural protective instinct toward him.
Even in the game, the Ciel route—the childhood friend route—had the lowest level of "darkness."
"Is it always like this?" I asked.
Yuu gave a weary, bitter smile. "Every single time... She won't even let me touch my own pack for the pre-departure check, pre-battle prep, or before we rest."
"That's because if I left it to you, you'd definitely forget something vital."
"The fact that I can't deny that is what hurts..."
"Doesn't it?" Ciel giggled softly.
It was a gentle, almost proud smile.
...That look pierced my heart. It was a kind smile I had seen countless times through a screen. Seeing it in person brought back all the happy memories—and the memory of her horrific end.
The game's plot flickered through my mind. This was one of the events where she lost her life.
A collapsing labyrinth. A crumbling ledge. Two hands reaching out, only to slip apart...
'Ciel will be fine.'
In the timelines where Yuu (the player) didn't choose her, that trust was brutally betrayed. This attentive, capable girl who cared so deeply for her partner would be left alone in the depths of a dungeon where no help could reach her. She would be cornered by monsters and killed.
She would die screaming for her parents and her sisters, her final breath spent whispering Yuu's name as she was devoured. There was no salvation; the next time the player saw her was halfway through a second exploration of the labyrinth. In the middle of a monster's nest, she would be found as nothing more than scraps of meat.
She wouldn't even be recognizable. The scene where her identity was confirmed only by the gear lying near her remains had been a total shock to me when I first played it. I had always liked the meddlesome childhood friend character, which made it hurt even more.
"...Rai-sama?"
Lene’s voice broke my trance. She was leaning in, peering at my face with a worried frown.
"You have a very grim look on your face... Did something happen?"
"...No. I was just remembering something from a long time ago."
I forced the tension out of my shoulders and managed a smile. I certainly couldn't tell them that Ciel was destined to die. I had no intention of stirring up anxiety by presenting a future that hadn't happened yet. And besides...
(I'll twist that destiny myself...)
For the sake of the All Heroines Salvation End I was aiming for, I would save Ciel. No matter what.
"By the way, Rai-san, do you know much about the academy we're going to?"
Yuu leaned forward, perhaps sensing my dark mood and trying to break it. There was clear concern in his eyes, and Ciel was looking at me with the same expression.
They really were good people.
"...Let's see. The cafeteria is massive and the food is excellent. The training grounds have top-of-the-line equipment. I'm sure you both will love it."
"Whoa, as expected of a school for nobles..."
"Hehe, I'm really looking forward to it now."
From there, the conversation flowed naturally into idle chatter. They told me about their home in Harune Village—tales of goblin hunts, being chased by wolf-like monsters like Grave Hounds, and the time they found a treasure chest in a small labyrinth with enough gems to make them feel rich for a week.
Every story sounded life-threatening, yet they spoke with a sense of excitement and pride. Listening to them was anything but boring.
As I chimed in with my own stories, the tension between us evaporated. Before long, even the formal honorifics had dropped from their speech.
"And then—... oh."
Ciel, who had been smiling, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and pointed out the window.
"There it is. I see it."
We all turned to look.
Spreading out from the base of the hill was a massive citadel city. Giant white walls gleamed in the light, surrounded by a forest of towers. The castle-like structures of the upper district dominated the skyline, while the middle district was filled with vast estates and fortress-like buildings. Below them, the lower district was a sprawling maze of residential houses.
The full majesty of our destination, the Royal Capital Astrea, was finally in view.
"Incredible..."
"We really made it... we're actually here."
Their voices trembled slightly with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. I couldn't help but smile.
The lines were exactly as they were in the game, but the location and the people present were different. A meeting that should never have happened, a moment in time that was never supposed to exist.
If small things like this could change, then fate could be changed too. It made me believe that even a hopeless future could be overturned.
With a rhythmic clatter, the carriage carried us forward, slowly crossing the threshold into the beginning of the story.