Chapter 142 : Volunteer Activities
Volume 3: The Boundless Land Under the Tree of Time
And so, Lonis and Elucia had been studying together at the school for over a month.
Although she still retained her curiosity about the unknown in her heart, Lonis herself had already grown accustomed to life at school.
Once she had developed the habit, the daily study and work didn't seem so difficult... In fact, for Lonis, she greatly enjoyed this process of self-improvement.
Just like leveling up in a game, Lonis could clearly feel her magical aptitude improving: for example, at first she couldn't even use the Clear Staff once, but now she could use it once a day.
However, on the other hand, as the price for obtaining the Clear Staff, she had to work together with Elucia to repay the 20,000 Clear Points they owed.
This was not an easy task, and they had to repay at least 1,000 points each month, so Lonis and Elucia had to participate in volunteer activities organized by the school.
There were many types of these activities, such as on-campus ones: organizing books in the library, cleaning dust from the Ancient Academy, providing services for lecture guests, and even raising slimes.
Of course, there were also off-campus ones, such as helping some residents with magical knowledge education, helping households find missing cats, helping people in need...
...
And today, the volunteer activity that Elucia and Lonis had taken on was helping an elderly person living alone.
She lived in the old district of Frost Moon Island, where the wooden houses were generally only two stories tall, and the roads in front of the doors were quite narrow, basically only about 3 meters wide.
The old lady was quite kind, just gazing at the two of them warmly:
"Can I entrust this to you two students?"
"Yes, please leave it to me and Elucia."
When people get older, their legs and feet become less convenient. Even though the old lady had the intention to tidy up her room, places like the tops of cabinets and under the sofa were difficult for her to clean.
Lonis perfectly displayed her "maid skills," sometimes kneeling on the ground to clean the floor, sometimes standing on her tiptoes, using a feather duster to clean the old lady's house until it was spotless, just like when it was first purchased.
And Elucia? Although she bullied Lonis all the time normally, when it came to actual work, this black-haired girl was extraordinarily efficient.
Although she appeared delicate, she could lift heavy wardrobes by herself. When organizing various miscellaneous items, she was also methodical, without any disorder whatsoever.
This work efficiency left even the old lady stunned.
"You two students have really been a great help. I've made you some green tea, please stop and rest for a while."
"It's fine, we're not tired yet."
As a hero, Lonis actually enjoyed this feeling of helping "villagers"... Although there wouldn't be any experience point increases, she could earn points, giving her a fulfilling sense of being alive.
(Huh, what's this?)
On the upper shelf of a cabinet, Lonis discovered a picture frame.
The wooden frame around it had already aged, causing dust to seep in, making it impossible to see the contents of the photograph clearly.
"Grandma, does this frame need cleaning too?"
"The frame... This, this is!"
Seeing the frame in Lonis's hands, the old lady showed a surprised expression.
"Should I put it back where it was?"
"No, please, could you clean it carefully, young lady?"
"Okay."
Having received the old lady's instructions, Lonis carefully cleaned the photograph like an obedient little girl.
But she never expected...
...
The scene in the photograph was actually two youthful and beautiful female students.
They were standing in the square of Clear Academy, with that tall tower building behind them.
Although the surface of the photograph had already turned reddish, appearing to have been kept for a long time, those genuine smiles seemed to remain frozen at the moment of capture, preserved forever.
"This is..."
"Yes, just like you, young lady, I was also a student at Clear Academy in the past. However, I won't be so presumptuous as to call myself your senior."
The old lady walked over trembling, her slightly squinted eyes seeming to be filled with nostalgia for the past.
"Grandma was also a graduate of the school? Then the other girl in the photo..."
"Yes, this other girl with purple hair is my wife—Naicha-chan. We were quite impressive back then, getting first and second place in our grade respectively."[ TN: 奶茶酱. ]
"Eh?!"
"If I remember correctly, this photo should have been taken the day after the exam. But we had promised to go on a spring outing together..."
Although the old lady's voice was gentle, somehow Lonis felt an indescribable sadness.
After all...
Such a beautiful girl had also become an old person, hadn't she?
And now in this small house, there was only the old lady alone, wasn't there?
The old lady had no children and had always lived alone. And that girl who was once with her—had she gotten married? Or had she departed first? Or perhaps...
"I'm sorry, Grandma, I shouldn't have brought this up."
Realizing this, Lonis wanted to apologize.
But the old lady showed no signs of dejection, only saying kindly: "It's alright, young lady, you don't need to apologize. Because I believe that Naicha-chan hasn't died."
"Eh?"
"When she was carrying out a mission, she just disappeared without a trace. No one witnessed her death. I believe she must be living well somewhere in some corner of this world."
The old lady smiled slightly,
Her gaze seeming to look through the sunset on the horizon, recalling many precious memories.
...
When completing the volunteer work, Lonis felt somewhat dejected.
Just like the fall of Snow Kingdom and the disappearance of the Fallen Hero, although within the scope of civilization, humans could still live safely under order.
But in those unknown dark depths, many dangers still lurked.
And she and Elucia couldn't stay in a safe environment forever.
In fact, they had already obtained the power of Clear, and it was time to depart for the next place... However, Lonis found that she had grown accustomed to academy life, accustomed to these leisurely days spent together with Elucia.
So she didn't urge Elucia to continue forward, but instead muddled through day by day, staying on campus.
But someday, they would go to dark places and might encounter danger.
Whether it was herself or Elucia, both might disappear forever without a trace, just like Naicha-chan mentioned by the old lady.
And if that day truly came...
Would she be able to face it as calmly as this old lady?
Thinking about this, Lonis felt dejected, and her eyes also stung slightly.
But just at this moment...
Her skirt was suddenly lifted up by Elucia.