The Sun's Priestess (1)
"It's hot, isn't it? Gorgo did this for me because it's summer. Isn't it prettier than the long one I usually wear?"
Damn it. Your Highness the Crown Prince... Why would you do such a thing? I knew you were the easygoing type, but to think that the first thing on your mind after waking up after three hundred years was to chase after the latest trends... As expected of the Grand Matron.
"Of course it's beautiful. How could anything you wear fail to be? However, what I meant was..."
"Hmm. I heard this is the current trend. They said it was the style popular in imperial high society, so Gorgo and I spent yesterday altering what we had on hand."
Truthfully, I had never cared much about how others dressed. In my previous life, my forward-thinking mindset and education had made such things irrelevant. But when the woman I had cherished my entire life appeared like this, an absurd wave of jealousy rose within me. I suppose even I am only human. Expressing such emotions felt so unnatural that I could not bring myself to say anything.
As I stood there uncharacteristically fumbling for words, the young lady narrowed her eyes and looked at me.
"...Oh my. Oh my, oh my."
"......Yes?"
"Yohan, don't tell me you're...?"
She did not finish the sentence, but her expression made the implication perfectly clear.
"P-please do not tease me."
"Tease you? I would never. How surprising. I thought you were always so protective of me that you would look at anything I wore without a second thought..."
She leaned in and whispered. The scent of cedar from her hair felt far too close. When her decadent, alluring gaze fell upon me, I could do nothing but avert my eyes. We had always been close, yet her gestures and gaze never failed to overwhelm me. Without the courage that alcohol might provide, I could never take the initiative. Especially not with people nearby.
"Tell me. Do you dislike seeing me dressed like this?"
Her whispered words sent a shiver down my spine. I had no choice but to nod.
"...Yes."
"Mmm. Why?"
"I do not know myself. Simply looking at you makes my heart uneasy and my nerves fray. If this is what you want, then there is nothing I can do about it, but..."
".........I see. Hehe. Hehehe—"
The moment I spoke those honest words, her cheeks and ears flushed visibly. Perhaps my comment had embarrassed her. Still, I doubted she herself had been unaware of the effect.
In the end, she chose to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Yes. Let's talk about this later, Yohan..."
"Of course. It is hardly appropriate first thing in the morning. Besides, today is the first day of the new term, is it not?"
Yet at that moment, I felt her hand slip beneath the joined desks.
"Now that I notice, you have painted your nails as well."
"Huh...? You can tell?"
"You did not have them done when we returned to your homeland. Now they are a deep navy, exactly the color of your hair."
"Ah... Yes. There was a shop in Sigmund City. I had never tried anything like this before, but the moment I saw it, I thought, 'So such things exist in this world...'"
We both lowered our hands beneath the desk without a word and linked our little fingers.
Damn it. I should have trimmed my nails at home...
Her hand was as cold and dry as ever—the very embodiment of the Northern Grand Duchess. Yet we kept our gazes fixed elsewhere, pretending nothing had happened, counting the students trickling in one by one while quietly savoring the time inside this square room.
Click—!
The last person to enter the now mostly filled classroom was...
"Good morning, students. You may or may not know me, but I am Professor Casacos of the Alchemy Department. From now on, I will be your homeroom professor..."
"Ah, aah."
My biological mother, who would now serve as our homeroom teacher. We had not seen each other in some time due to various circumstances, yet her appearance remained unchanged—still reeking of that intense researcher's odor. Nonedon... No matter how much he wished to repay me for placing him in that position or how close we were, asking him to group us together like this was far too blatant.
When my bewildered gaze met hers, Casacos deliberately looked away.
Son, I'm sorry—!! I've been so busy I couldn't even take care of you, and if I acknowledge you here... the other children might get upset—!!
Ah, Professor Casacos. Or should I say Mother? Hmm... Do as you please.
Neither of us spoke aloud, but the exchange of glances conveyed the message clearly. If I had known this would happen, I would have studied the class roster instead of claiming I had no interest in others.
Regardless, Casacos maintained her usual vacant expression, suppressing her joy at seeing me as she began reading the attendance list in a flat tone.
"Hmm... Twenty-three out of twenty-five students present. Two absences? One was already reported, but why would Student Jurchen disappear on the very first day without a word?"
I knew the reason for his absence from Cryan and had no intention of covering for him. But two absences...
Her words made me curious about the other missing student. I raised my hand and asked Casacos.
"Professor, who is the other one?"
"Student Eclipse. She is absent due to illness."
At those words, I sensed that something unusual had occurred. Eclipse, ill. The country girl who was absurdly healthy and rarely suffered debuffs had fallen sick.
Did she catch a cold after absorbing the northern climate into her lungs...?
That did not seem right. Something felt off, suggesting another cause. The only thing I could guess was...
The original plot.
So Eclipse caught Hawk's eye.
I decided that once classes ended, I would pay her a visit.
***
The moment class ended, I ran straight to the Sun Tower. I went alone, out of consideration for Eclipse's situation.
Knock, knock—
"Hey, Eclipse. Open the door."
Yet the door to the Sun Tower, which she frequented more than the dormitory, showed no sign of opening. If Eclipse were not inside, it would never open. She was always the first to rush there after class, insisting she would keep the clubroom open for everyone. This was deeply strange.
So I headed to her dormitory instead.
["Master of Steel, you commit such acts without hesitation. If you set your mind to it, could you not do something truly wicked?"]
I have not, so it is fine. Do I look like the type who would?
["Not really, but..."]
I concealed myself with Lorschach so the dorm supervisor and other female students would not see me enter, then...
Knock, knock—
Still hidden from perception, I knocked on the door bearing Eclipse's nameplate. However...
Thud, thud...
I could hear movement in response to my knock, yet the door remained closed. Unable to raise my voice and call her name, I found myself in an extremely awkward position. At the same time, her apparent attempt to avoid contact only strengthened my conviction that my guess was correct.
If I left her alone like this... she probably would not leave her room for a week. No, she might never come out again. That was exactly what happened in the original story.
Thus, I had no choice but to use my ability once more. I apologize, but a mere latch on the door means nothing before me.
Crunch—
["Maaasteeer—?! Devouring the Skull Sword was delicious because it was predation, but suddenly eating this door is disgus—"]
Crackle—
Click.
I devoured the latch along with the door's lock and calmly stepped inside. After propping a broom against the door to serve as a makeshift bar, I dispelled Lorschach's effect.
Swish—
"Eclipse."
"H-Hyaaa—!! Y-you startled meee!!"
Eclipse, who had been hiding beneath the cute summer blanket Karalin had embroidered for her, jolted in surprise at my voice. It was understandable. From an outside perspective, a large man had entered a women's dormitory without permission.
Calming Eclipse down was now the priority. Others enjoyed giving me grandiose titles, but I had no desire for strange nicknames like "Kim the 'Lustful'" or "The Panty-Stealing Ghost" or "Women's Dormitory Intruder" if someone caught me like this.
"Sorry, Eclipse. For entering a girl's room without permission."
Recognizing the intruder as me, Eclipse glared and pounded the blanket in anger.
"Y-you pervert—!! So you were a pervert all along, Yohan?! I thought you were all lovey-dovey with Lady Karalin, but d-don't tell me you were after me too...?! Pervert...!! Get out...!!"
"I did not come here targeting you. You are not my type, after all."
"............"
My cold reply left Eclipse speechless, as though something had gone sour. It was the first time she had looked at me with such eyes, and it was deeply embarrassing. Still, I needed to explain the situation properly.
"...That is not why I came. I had no way to contact you, so I came in person. The ever-healthy you took sick leave on the first day, and when I went to the Independent Activities Club room, you were not there."
"Y-you came because you were worried about me?"
"Yes."
Yet my words prompted an obvious question from her.
"Then you could have brought Lady Karalin or someone like her for a sick visit, couldn't you...?"
"...I suppose. I just had a different feeling about it."
"A different feeling...?"
"Even if I brought Lady Karalin, I doubt you would have opened the door. I had a reason for that guess. If you do not mind... may I see your skin?"
"............!!!"
It might have sounded like a highly perverted request. Yet when the afflicted area was precisely what I described, she could not help but be shocked that I had pinpointed the unseen injury.
As expected, Eclipse slowly pulled back the blanket, revealing burn-like marks spread across her entire body. The wounds were exactly as I had anticipated. I drove the point home.
"The blazing flame patterns covering your body, and the searing pain wrapping around you like madness..."
"D-don't touch me. You might catch it."
"You heard the truth of the world from the Aligner, did you not?"
"How did you—?!"
"That is an occupational disease. If you keep suffering alone, you will die in a week."
Her pupils contracted.