Summer Festival (3)
Summer Festival (3)
Time is given to all equally, yet how it passes feels different depending on the moment and the person.
Like right now.
"Ugh, gulp, urgh!!"
"Hey! Just hold out a little longer!!"
"Y-you can do it, Idni!!"
"Please, just finish it on your own."
The setting sun was dyeing the sky orange.
With the beautiful sunset glow at her back, Claire stood before a stall run by two familiar professors and watched the children shouting excitedly.
Idni had swallowed a Pill bearing the grandiose name of Scorching Heat and was hopping from foot to foot. The other children were cheering her on. But Claire's blue eyes were fixed not on Idni, who was on the verge of success, but on the Fairy perched on Baek Ha-na's shoulder.
- You can do it!!
A tiny child shaking a minuscule fist, cheering in a voice that seemed impossible to come from such a small frame.
Claire slipped a hand into the pouch at her waist.
That morning, the pouch had been packed full, but now her fist fit inside with room to spare. Her fingers brushed against several small bottles. They contained Slime Queen Essence she'd brought from the study.
- Piii-hi-hit!! Piii, piii.......
- Peep?
Until the day before, the small girl had been full of energy, happily playing with the children. But since yesterday, she'd been gasping for breath as if she'd run herself ragged.
- I'm, fidneee!!
- ...Are you absolutely sure you're okay?
Even when the children asked, the little girl just beamed and nodded.
Each time, Claire took Slime Essence from her bag and gave it to the Fairy. That made the children assume the Fairy's changes were simply due to hunger.
'Don't doubt.'
Claire swallowed hard, sensing the Fairy's presence, now so faint it was barely perceptible. She remembered clearly the words spoken by the one she held in her heart that day.
'...Trust.'
The little girl looked as if she might vanish at any moment, yet she remained. Visible, audible, tangible. Still right there, existing.
"Bffaahhh?!"
"Heh heh, ten more seconds and you would've made it."
"Truly unfortunate, but you're disqualified."
A bright red flame burst from Idni's wide-open mouth, and the Fairy on Baek Ha-na's shoulder burst into giggles, clapping. Claire forced the corners of her lips upward at the sight of her having such fun, a stark contrast to cheering her on just moments before.
"...Big Sis Claire?"
"What is it."
Claire, who had been watching the Fairy, answered while emptying her voice of as much emotion as possible.
Lee Ye-sol, noticing a clear difference in her superior from yesterday, asked very cautiously,
"Is something the matter...?"
"The matter......."
Claire withdrew her hand from the bag and took the camera Lee Ye-sol was holding. She framed the bouncing children in the lens.
"Time......."
Click.
The children's image was captured in the camera.
But looking at the little girl, fainter than yesterday, Claire murmured softly.
"Time, it seems to be flowing far too fast."
"We did rush around quite frantically yesterday and today."
"Yes......."
Claire handed the camera back to Lee Ye-sol.
Lee Ye-sol wore her usual expression, but something in her superior's eyes looked sad. After a brief hesitation, she slung the camera around her neck and latched onto Claire.
"Big Sis~ shouldn't we get a little closer too?"
"...Haa."
Claire let out a short sigh at her subordinate, who had unilaterally decided that, since they were concealing their identities anyway, being thorough meant changing the way she addressed her as well.
"Welcome~"
"...Fine."
But at Lee Ye-sol's persistent clinging, Claire ended up chuckling despite herself and followed her over to the children.
"Ughhhbhh......."
"Oh dear, you couldn't hold that in."
"Ghuheuh uhh?!"
"What are you trying to say. I need to heal it, so stick your tongue out."
"Ughbek......!!"
Maria pulled out Idni's bright red swollen tongue and infused it with holy power.
"S-Seo-hee, you can do it!!"
"I don't really want to eat another one...."
Lee Na-young and Baek Ha-na were cheering on Nam Seo-hee, who had already swallowed a Scorching Heat Pill and was trembling all over.
"Do you think they can succeed today?"
Lee Ye-sol laughed softly as she captured the image of Idni's swollen lips with her camera.
"If they want to enjoy the final day to the fullest, they'll have to."
"Uhu-hu."
Not long after, flames erupted from Nam Seo-hee's mouth, and then Maria failed in quick succession.
Lee Ye-sol merrily laughed as she captured the children's suffering with her camera, while the Fairy, who had been perched on Baek Ha-na's shoulder, moved onto Claire's palm.
"Hoooh."
The bright red Pill in her hand.
Baek Ha-na glared at it and gulped.
"Ha-na, you can do it......!!"
- Peep!!
Lee Na-young, the only one still fine, and the Fairy cheered Baek Ha-na on. With a deeply solemn look in her eyes, Baek Ha-na gulped down the Pill.
·
·
·
After the crowd in front of the stall had dispersed.
Yoon Do-sik swept the heaping pile of Pills into a sack.
"They got away without anyone catching on, right?"
"Haha, there was never any risk of being found out to begin with."
"Well, that's true."
Yoon Do-sik and Jaden had combined their efforts to manufacture the Pills at a level the students could never endure. After all, if those troublesome kids got their hands on an Artifact, the aftermath would be a massive headache for them.
"It was somewhat entertaining, but I'd rather not do it a second time."
Watching students breathe fire had been a fairly amusing spectacle, but having to secretly swap out Pills under countless gazes just to give an Artifact to a specific student was not exactly a pleasant experience.
He'd wondered what was going on when the Chairman summoned him, never imagining he'd palm off such a bothersome and risky task.
"That guy sure is an odd one."
"Are you referring to Professor Baek?"
"Yeah. That guy. If he wants to give something away, he could just do it openly. I don't get why he goes through this kind of convoluted trouble."
"Haha, how could we ever know what Professor Baek is thinking? He must have had his reasons."
"......."
Yoon Do-sik tapped the heavy sack and stared quietly at Jaden, who was sorting the bills.
"What is it?"
"...Nothing. Never mind."
Yoon Do-sik, who was about to say Jaden had just sounded awfully like a zealot, shook his head and stood up.
"If you've got no evening plans, how about a glass of medicinal liquor in the lab?"
"Oh, medicinal liquor!!"
With a look of eager anticipation, Jaden grabbed the pouch stuffed with bills and got to his feet.
"I'd love to join you, but I have a prior engagement. So, for today and tomorrow... actually, I'll be unavailable for the time being."
"Well, if you're busy, you're busy. Let me know when you've got time. It's not like it'll go bad sitting around."
"Haha, thank you."
Jaden chuckled softly and handed the money pouch to Yoon Do-sik.
"By the way, what happened with that thing?"
"That thing...?"
"You know. That thing. The one you and Professor Baek were originally supposed to do."
"Cough, hack—!!"
Jaden, who usually wasn't bothered by the heat, coughed dryly as he picked up the jacket he'd taken off.
"Didn't we agree to stop bringing that up...?"
"That was for when I'm teasing you. This time I'm asking seriously."
Yoon Do-sik jiggled the bulging pouch.
"Well, the outcome is so obvious it doesn't mean much, but since we've come into some money, a little bet wouldn't hurt, right? Keh keh."
"Nghh......."
Looking genuinely embarrassed, Jaden scanned the surroundings. Their own stall was closed, but students and invited guests were still milling about the other stalls.
"...Professor Baek has agreed to let it slide once."
"Aww. And here I was kind of looking forward to it. Guess I'll just have to rest at home tomorrow, then."
"Haha, rest is important too."
"Then I'll be heading off. Call me when you're free."
"Yes. Take care."
Only after Yoon Do-sik had completely vanished from sight did Jaden make his way toward his own lab.
"Hoo."
Once he reached his personal sanctuary, safe from any prying eyes, he tossed his jacket roughly onto the sofa and pulled out his smartphone.
He scrolled through his numerous contacts and long-pressed the name Robert.
Soon, the name appeared large on the screen, and a soft classical piece began to play from the speaker.
- You picked up.
"Have you arrived?"
- I must have, since I'm answering the phone like this, right?
"Ah, right. My apologies. I've got more than a few things on my mind."
- Understandable. If it were me, just managing the Tower Lord would've made my head explode.
Jaden let out a deep sigh, agreeing with Robert's words.
"I did ask rather unreasonably...... but what about the personnel and their level?"
- 10th Stage. Thirty people.
"...I did ask, but I'm surprised. There's not much in it for you."
At Jaden's question, Robert chuckled quietly.
- What do you mean, nothing to gain? It's a chance to watch that Barrier vanish and then be redeployed. Besides, for me, simply being able to assist that person is enough of a benefit. Who knows, you might toss me something later.
"Ha, haha...."
Jaden laughed awkwardly.
The person Robert was referring to was none other than Baek Woo-jin.
And the reason he'd called in Robert and the mages of the Clock Tower was to carry out the task Baek Woo-jin had assigned as a condition for postponing their duel. In other words, no matter how diligently Robert carried out the work, the chance of Baek Woo-jin giving him anything was exceedingly slim.
- But is it really fine to proceed just as you said back then?
"Yes. The Chairman and Professor Baek said they'll personally handle the aftermath."
- Understood. Then I'll find a suitable spot outside the academy. Contact me if there's anything else you need.
"Thank you."
Jaden tossed his smartphone onto the sofa, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and wet his throat.
'I hope this can pass as quietly as possible.'
A few days ago, Jaden had met privately with Baek Woo-jin and received a piece of information.
The final day of the festival.
Meaning tomorrow, the Barrier would disappear. And he'd said it might take several days to restore it.
And as a condition for deferring their duel, Baek Woo-jin had given one order.
- Kill them.
Whoever they might be. If anyone tried to set foot in the academy without permission, they were to be put to death without exception.
"I'd better send an email, just in case."
Jaden picked up the smartphone he'd thrown and sent an email to Yoon Do-sik, telling him that no matter what, he should not come to the academy tomorrow.