Daily Life Without Her
"So you're leaving."
Even after seeing Jenkinson come down already packed and ready to depart in the early morning, Ilena showed no surprise. She had sensed it coming. There simply wasn't much for him to do here anymore. To be honest, keeping Jenkinson in this place was a waste of talent. The Church valued him highly, after all. He had far more important duties elsewhere; he wasn't the sort of person to be squandered like this.
"Where are you headed?"
She figured she might as well ask that much. Jenkinson hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you."
As he spoke, he reached out and gently patted her head.
"What's this? Are you trying to charm me?" Ilena asked with a sly grin.
Jenkinson replied smoothly, "Consider it repayment for what you did."
This guy... Had he really been holding onto that first encounter all this time? The thought crossed Ilena's mind, yet she didn't pull away from his touch. After all, she had done the same to him without permission, so it was only fair.
At that moment, Jenkinson withdrew his hand and smiled.
"I'm returning to Rucella. More precisely, to the royal palace."
"..."
The royal palace of Rucella? Then the informant this time must be... Many thoughts raced through Ilena's mind, but Jenkinson offered no further explanation. He believed this much was sufficient.
"Well then, let's go, Sir Asa."
Asa, who had been chatting animatedly with Horaya, startled at the call and hurried over with her bag.
"Yes! Yes! Then I'll see you later in the Holy Kingdom, senior!"
Horaya waved her off with a casual "Take care." Just then, Alkai descended the stairs and approached. Jenkinson tilted his head.
"You have no luggage?"
Alkai stood empty-handed.
"...Is it necessary?"
Jenkinson sighed at the sight of Alkai without so much as a single bag. This was going to be troublesome.
"It seems you'll need to prepare for travel first."
Getting this man some proper belongings took priority. With that thought, Jenkinson turned away from the direction of the station and headed instead toward the marketplace. He needed to buy Alkai a change of clothes, a bag, and perhaps some camping gear depending on the situation.
--
"You don't like war?"
Alkai asked with a surprised expression. As he spoke, he clutched the bag containing his new clothes and camping supplies tightly to his chest, as though terrified of losing it. Honestly... Seeing him like this made him seem like a clueless child, which was oddly endearing given his massive frame.
"He looks kind of cute acting like that."
Asa seemed to share the sentiment. Watching a grown man hug his bag like a precious treasure brought a smile to her face.
Still, war... "Is there any priest who actually enjoys war?" Jenkinson certainly didn't. No priest would take pleasure in people dying. By nature, priests existed to save lives. But Alkai couldn't comprehend Jenkinson's words. He couldn't understand why the strong would dislike a war where the strong could claim everything.
"Why?"
At Alkai's question, Jenkinson let out a small sigh.
"Hmm... Teaching you is going to take quite some time."
His culture was deeply ingrained, so it would require considerable effort. As Jenkinson closed his eyes with that thought, he remembered another person who had been the same way. She, too, had been slow to learn anything new. The memory brought him back to those days—the time he had spent with her.
--
'This is boring.'
I sat with a bored expression, half-asleep. The knowledge taught at the university—or rather, the theology lectures from Priest Silvestina—were all outdated. Having studied under Priest Nicolas since childhood, her classes felt like nothing more than reviewing material I already knew.
Thwack!
Every time that happened, that damned princess would flick my forehead, but I paid it no mind. Those tiny hands of hers didn't hurt much anyway... and her words weren't wrong.
'What could possibly be so enjoyable about this?'
Even in such tedious lectures and dull hours, there was one woman who shone alone. Her long golden hair gleamed like threads of gold. Her large orange eyes sparkled with endless curiosity, never dimming even during the most monotonous lessons. She was different from everyone else here.
'She's strange if she finds this interesting.'
Anyone who could enjoy such a boring class couldn't be normal. Even Ilena, who had told me to focus, occasionally yawned, so it was easy to see just how much of an oddity this woman was.
"Alright, that's all for today. If anyone has questions, feel free to come find me anytime."
At those words, I watched her dash straight toward Priest Silvestina and let out a long yawn. Unlike her, I had no questions at all. I just wanted to sleep before the next lecture.
Thud.
"What? You're going to sleep?"
"...We've got time until the next class anyway."
I answered Ilena's question halfheartedly and flopped down to rest.
"Honestly... Just don't be late. Weren't you taking law classes too?"
Law...? Ah...
"Right, I was."
While I had already mastered most of the theology, law and medicine were different stories. Studying those two subjects alone was draining my entire focus. The real reason I felt so exhausted lately was largely because of those two lectures. Priest Silvestina only taught theology. For everything else, I had to attend other classes. I studied law under Professor Victor, a former imperial grand chancellor, and medicine under Professor Silios, the former personal physician to a great emperor. Both were notorious for their difficult lectures and overwhelming assignments. Everyone avoided them, but...
'Thanks to them, I'm learning a lot.'
The sheer volume of knowledge made it worthwhile. Far better than the tedious theology with nothing new to offer, law and medicine were challenging and rewarding.
"Hello."
That was when it happened. As I tried to sleep, a soft, gentle voice reached me.
"Excuse me? Excuse me? Can't you hear me?"
Despite my efforts to ignore it and keep sleeping, the voice finally roused me. I lifted my head and looked toward the source. Those large, beautiful orange eyes met mine, curving into a soft smile. Staring at that smile, I found myself unable to look away.
"...Why did you call me?"
"It's time to close the lecture hall. You need to leave."
Clink. Only then did my gaze fall on the keys she was holding. Right. The lecture here was over for the day.
"Sorry."
I apologized immediately—it had been inconsiderate—and stood up to gather my books. She was probably tidying the room at Priest Silvestina's request. As I packed, she asked with a smile,
"Come to think of it, we're classmates, yet we haven't even introduced ourselves. What's your name? Ah, I'm Sera. Sera Ivera."
At her casual remark, I hesitated. Was there really any need to introduce ourselves? We weren't the sort of people who would form that kind of connection. But...
"Jenkinson Abnaigel."
Before I knew it, I had given her my name. Hearing it, she spoke to me in a friendly tone.
"Jenkinson, is it? Ah, you don't mind if I call you that, right?"
I nodded. It was strange.
"Ah! I'm glad. I feel like we'll become good friends quickly."
Why couldn't I refuse her words? I still didn't know the reason, but...
"Next time we meet, make sure to greet me. I'll greet you too."
Oddly enough, it was difficult to defy her. "Sure." So I answered lightly, and she smiled brightly in response. Back then, I didn't know. That I would come to like her so much.
--
"Professor Victor's lectures are really difficult, aren't they? I never even considered taking his class."
Before long, she had started speaking to me naturally. While I sat leisurely reading case studies during mealtime, I didn't respond to her question. Instead, Ilena, who was calmly cutting her steak across from me, answered for me.
"This guy's just a pervert who likes difficult things."
'When exactly did these two become friends?'
And just like that, she grew close to Ilena as well. It was strange. At first, she hadn't existed in my daily life at all... yet before I knew it, she had naturally slipped into it. Still...
"Call me a pervert if you want, but I'm busy right now. Could you both just leave me alone?"
That didn't mean I treated her warmly.
"You say that, but you actually like having us around, don't you? Right, Sera?"
"Exactly. He's such a dishonest friend."
Even so, they approached me without hesitation, and I couldn't deny their words. They weren't wrong. This daily life with her... had somehow become my normal routine, making it hard to imagine one without her.