The Scent of Flowers
The fragrance of flowers lingered in the air.
-You don't look well, Raiden.
-Is something troubling you?
On the screen, the face of someone I could no longer see in person was being projected.
It captured the exact moment we had shared that conversation.
I stared at the afterimage of the departed, completely lost in a daze.
-Everything will be alright. You're doing more than enough, Raiden.
-I know better than anyone how hard you're working...
-If that weren't the case, I wouldn't be giving you private lessons like this, would I?
His uniquely positive energy seemed to overflow even through the crystal orb.
Professor Lucas wore a bright, sunny smile on his lips, but those watching him could not do the same.
From all around came the faint sounds of students swallowing their sobs.
-That's right... That war was nothing short of hell. But that wasn't all there was to it.
-On the battlefield overflowing with rage and sorrow, I saw something at the very end.
-Children... Pure-hearted children who never lost their smiles even as they looked upon their burned-down homeland.
The professors were no different.
Sharon's face was already a mess of tears, and both Aaron and Kate were trembling as they focused on the deceased's final words echoing in their ears.
-I found hope in life by watching them.
-For the sake of protecting those bright smiles, I felt like I could do anything.
I couldn't see very well from the front row, but at the very least, everyone who had been close to Professor Lucas seemed to be crying.
Above the park where sorrow had settled, only the delicate sound of grief rang out.
I had to use every ounce of strength I possessed to keep the expressionless mask I wore from slipping off.
Before I knew it, the video was racing toward its end.
-Perfect! Since Raiden is right here... Shall we set this month's goal as getting you to call me 'Master'?
-You're the only student at the academy who's inherited my unique magic. Doesn't that make us something like master and disciple?
-Just you wait...! I've set it as this month's objective!
It felt like the breath was caught in my throat.
No, perhaps it really was blocked.
Something cold pierced straight into my lungs.
The ordinary days I had brushed off without much thought came back like a sharp boomerang, striking the back of my head.
The title of Master.
Come to think of it, I had never once called him that.
There had been several opportunities, but I had let them pass because it felt awkward.
More precisely, I had avoided it out of fear that our relationship would grow any deeper.
Even in the original story, Professor Lucas's death had been foretold.
Specifically, he was supposed to die two years later from the aftereffects of the magic he used during the war.
I had been afraid.
I feared that if I grew close to Lucas, I wouldn't be able to endure the sense of loss that would eventually come.
That was why I had tried so hard to ignore the kindness and advice he offered me.
'......But.'
In the end, it had come to this.
Lucas had met an unexpected end, different from the original story, and a deep sense of loss was tormenting me.
"......"
Lucas had been the first adult to truly approach me in this world.
He was also one of the few people who had treated me warmly here.
In the early days of my possession, when the other professors had regarded me with prejudice and wariness, he had recognized my potential and even passed on his unique magic to me.
In short, he was my benefactor.
With trembling eyes, I followed his final moments.
-Sigh... It looks like I'll have to start training again.
-Shall we call it here for today's record?
-Well, we can always do it again next month......
The video ended just like that.
I stared at the screen, which was now filled with a hollow emptiness.
The young man with the green hair no longer existed there.
All that remained was a pitch-black, darkened view.
Only an old, heavy silence lingered among the people.
The professors hung their heads low, covering their faces, and even Gold Tae-yang sitting beside me kept his mouth shut, seemingly lost in some recollection.
Only the dull sound of rain echoed through the air.
"He'll be sorely missed... He was a good man."
"......"
I couldn't offer any response to Gold Tae-yang's murmur.
I didn't think I had the right to.
My eyes stung for no reason, so I straightened my posture.
-Finally... we offer flowers to the one who has left us.
-May he find peace among the stars.
Sharon recited the final sentence of the eulogy and stepped down from the podium.
She then placed a single chrysanthemum before the lonely tombstone.
Following her, the other professors each began to lay down a flower one by one.
The procession of that terrible fragrance continued on for a long time, making my head spin.
If I barely managed to hold onto my swaying consciousness, it wasn't long before my turn arrived.
In my hands was a bouquet of white carnations.
With heavy steps, I faced the headstone.
-Nice to meet you, Raiden.
-It might be a bit difficult... but would you like to learn?
-Then let's get along from now on. You'll keep coming to learn from me, won't you?
If only I had refused his offer back then at the training grounds.
I wouldn't have these regrets now.
I focused my eyes and slowly placed the bouquet down.
A moment of hesitation flashed through my mind.
What should I say to you as you leave?
I stood there frozen for a moment before finally gathering my thoughts and parting my lips with difficulty.
"Thank you for everything."
A single trembling word forced its way out of my throat.
"......Master."
Only at the very last moment.
Only then could I call him Master.
.
.
.
On the field where the funeral was drawing to a close, I sat alone in a corner, staring blankly into space.
I was worried that Lucy, who had come with me, might be looking for me, but the exhaustion weighing down my body left me with no desire to get up.
"......"
The rain that had been pouring down fiercely had stopped at some point.
Yet my heart was still in turmoil.
I pressed down on my fiercely beating heart and fumbled through my pocket.
I pulled out a single cigarette of extinction herb and put it in my mouth.
-Click, click...
Along with the lonely sound of a lighter, a spark flew.
As I fiddled with the greenish stick turning bright red, a blue window suddenly appeared before my eyes.
- Ding!
[Are you alright?]
I let out a weak laugh at the system's sudden question.
"What? You haven't shown up in a while."
- Ding!
[I thought you might need some time alone.]
"Time alone, my ass... I'm perfectly fine, you know?"
- Ding!
[Be honest with your emotions.]
[Avoidance will only make your heart sicker.]
"Good grief... You know, you nag even more than Rachel sometimes..."
I exhaled smoke while conversing with the status window for the first time in a while.
As I let the guy's additional comments go in one ear and out the other, I suddenly heard the sound of people murmuring from far away.
"Did something happen...?"
Just as I tilted my head with that idle question, figures wearing red robes came into view.
Each had a sword strapped to their waist, their robes fluttering like cloaks as they approached. There were roughly about ten of them.
These sudden arrivals strode across the funeral grounds with disciplined steps.
The place their unhesitating feet were heading toward was......
"What... Are they coming toward me...?"
Their gazes were fixed directly on me.
With faces that all looked rather menacing, they gave off a somewhat chilling vibe.
My fingertips began to tremble without me realizing it.
The robed figures had already drawn near.
As I swallowed dryly and heightened my tension, the man standing at the very front among them opened his mouth.
"Are you Young Master Lisite?"
For a moment, his sharp voice made me feel as if my ears were being sliced off.
Eyes brimming with overwhelming charisma.
I felt my breath catch in my throat as I replied.
"......That's correct, but who might you be?"
I maintained my composure while quickly scanning them.
A strangely familiar impression lingered.
Those distinctive long red robes and the blue pattern engraved on their backs.
I definitely remembered seeing them in the original story's illustrations......
"My name is Gilius Crayden."
I couldn't help but widen my eyes at the name that rang in my ears.
Gilius.
If this was the person I knew...
"I am the leader of the knight order 'Sword of Stars,' a free knight commander."
"......"
I struggled to steady my expression, which was shaking with shock.
The Sword of Stars. A group known to be among the strongest alongside the Imperial Knight Order.
In the original story, they occasionally appeared to fulfill their role as a deus ex machina—geniuses of the sword.
The ones called the strongest in humanity were now standing right before me.
That alone was shocking enough, but what truly left me stunned was something else.
Gilius Crayden.
The fact that this man's surname matched that of my master.
Professor Lucas was supposed to have lost all his blood relatives in the war ten years ago...
While I was lost in confusion, the man continued speaking without pause.
"I heard that thanks to you, Lucas's body was able to be recovered intact."
"......?"
"I don't know how to repay this favor."
With those words, the man lifted the hood of his robe.
Then, in an extremely respectful manner, he bowed his head toward me.
"As a comrade who once fought alongside Lucas on the battlefield, I pay my respects to your devotion."
"......Pardon?"
I found myself witnessing one of humanity's strongest bowing his head.
And it was directed at me.