Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Regarding the Apostle
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Time passed, and before I knew it, the next day had arrived.
They say time is fair because it waits for no one, but if you were to ask me if I truly felt it was fair, I would say no.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong, I'll ask again. Are you certain that the fiend you encountered was an Apostle? You have no prior experience with Apostles. Can you truly say you didn't mistake it for a monster?”
To the continuous questions, I kept repeating the same words.
“It was unequivocally an Apostle. Moreover, it clearly displayed the characteristics of Leteia, the Apostle of Sacrifice. The purple, violet-hued grotesque form, and the ability to wield darkness—I know that to be Leteia.”
I'd lost count of how many times I had given the same answer.
It wasn't just the Imperial Knight before me; I had to struggle to convince most of the people who questioned me of the truth.
No one easily believed my words.
I'd been bombarded with these questions for hours now. It was enough to make my head spin.
“Sir Teruan. There is not a shred of falsehood in Cadet Han Cheon-seong's words. Before the incident, he personally asked me about various Apostles.”
As Kalli, who was nearby, vouched for me, the knight called Teruan finally nodded with a strange expression.
“If Instructor Kalli goes that far, I suppose I must believe the cadet. But if it's true, this is a very serious matter. Hmm…”
Still, the knight's gaze as he glanced at me was incredibly sharp.
I couldn't avoid that piercing stare, which seemed to see right through me.
A middle-aged man in a knight's uniform adorned with golden embroidery. His eyes held deep disbelief, and I knew I had to somehow prove my sincerity, to show there wasn't a hint of a lie.
“Hah. Very well, it's not right to hold a cadet who's been through an incident for so long. Rest for a while. I need to gather my thoughts.”
“Yes…”
As Teruan stood and walked away, I was vividly reminded of a feeling I had recently forgotten.
What it feels like to be blatantly discriminated against for your background and Trait…
Furthermore, the gazes of everyone who had faced me held a very natural disbelief.
Surviving an encounter with an Apostle seemed like an unrealistic story to them. On top of that, the fact that I was a commoner with no family name and a mere Common-grade Trait loomed large.
They were so openly looking down on me.
"..."
Letting out a shallow breath, I felt as if I were being forced to recognize my place in the world.
‘So this is still all I amount to.’
My Trait level might be high, but that was only when compared to the other cadets who had enrolled this year.
From an outsider's perspective, I was a fledgling, no different from a toddler just learning to walk. To someone like Teruan of the Imperial Knights, it would be even more so. I must seem like an insignificant person with a Common Trait.
*Clack.*
As the Imperial Knights and the others briefly left the room, only Kalli, Adelia, and I remained in the infirmary.
Seeing the two of them let out small sighs, a smile inadvertently escaped my lips.
And yet, I didn't feel all that bad.
Because they had spoken up for me and helped ease my frustration, I didn't feel like I was alone.
After all, there were two people right here in front of me who believed in me.
“Even though you've said multiple times that you've grasped a clue to your skill, Cadet Han Cheon-seong... Sir Teruan just doesn't seem to believe it.”
Kalli said apologetically, but I shook my head.
“I understand the situation. I know that the incident I went through must be a peculiar case.”
As I spoke, I truly did understand.
If I were in Teruan's shoes, I surely wouldn't have believed me easily either.
‘A cadet with a Common Trait faced an Apostle and survived.’
And a cadet who hadn't even been enrolled for a full month at that.
From their perspective, it must sound no different from someone claiming the sun rises in the west.
Grasping a clue to a skill is also completely unprecedented. Even I am amazed when I look back at my own situation.
“I'm really frustrated too. Given your condition, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you can't exactly demonstrate this clue to your skill... Anyway, we'll do our best to talk to them. So don't you worry, Cadet.”
At Adelia's gentle voice, I simply expressed my gratitude.
Just knowing there were people who believed in me and were trying to help was a great source of support.
As I was exchanging small talk with them.
“Still, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. I was so surprised when you said the fiend was an Apostle. I understand now why you pushed yourself so hard. It's a relief that it was just a fragment of the Apostle, but the fact that you survived is a true blessing.”
As Kalli repeatedly said how fortunate it was, I found myself thinking again.
About that moment.
‘It really is a blessing.’
In fact, the very act of me having a conversation like this felt like half a miracle.
I hadn't even been sure if I could fully manifest the power that had touched upon a skill, yet not only did I manifest a great power, but I also survived my encounter with Leteia with all my limbs intact.
*Clack.*
The door opened again, and Teruan, along with a few other Imperial Knights, entered.
“We'll stop here for now and proceed with the investigation as best we can. If an Apostle has truly revealed its presence within the Empire as the cadet says... this will not end as a simple matter. Han Cheon-seong, was it? Rest well today. We'll come back if anything else comes up.”
“Yes. Understood.”
I bowed my head in response to the notice-like statement, and they soon departed.
Even as I watched Kalli and Adelia stand to see them off... my mind was a mess.
‘I guess that's it for today.’
It's almost funny that a mere cadet like me has to meet with so many high-ranking officials. But right now, I just wanted to rest.
Since lunch, it had been a continuous stream of tense moments.
...Facing them, I had to answer cautiously the entire time, afraid I might misspeak, and I couldn't tell any lies.
“Ah, then Instructor Kalli, perhaps you should head back too? You have to teach again starting tomorrow. You need to get enough rest as well.”
“...You're right. Then, Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
As she called my name, our eyes met, and Kalli looked at me brilliantly.
For a moment, her unique red eyes held my reflection, and then she smiled gently.
“I hope I can see you in the classroom soon, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. For now, rest well and take care of yourself.”
“...Yes. I hope to recover quickly so I can see you in the classroom, Instructor.”
As I replied, I didn't say that I was fine now.
With Adelia clearly by my side, I couldn't just force my way out of the infirmary.
*Click-clack.*
And so, Kalli too left, leaving just Adelia and me in the infirmary.
“You had a long day, didn't you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
As Adelia sat down right in front of me and asked gently, I didn't deny it.
“Honestly, it was difficult. I suppose I get nervous dealing with people of high station.”
In this world, everyone has their own rank, and even Traits are divided.
And I had to consider myself at the bottom of both.
...Every word and action of mine had to be cautious.
“Still, you answered so calmly and well. Do you know how surprised I was watching you today, Cadet?”
“You were that surprised?”
“Of course. Any other cadet would have been flustered and fidgety with all those questions. But you calmly conveyed your own thoughts. Do you know how admirable that alone is?”
The unexpected praise was a little embarrassing, but it felt good.
Even though I knew she was clearly being considerate of me, I felt at ease looking at Adelia.
I figured if I had been alone, I likely would have been as clumsy as she said.
“I was only able to answer calmly because both you and Instructor Kalli were there to help me.”
“You even answer so sweetly. Cadet Han Cheon-seong, did you receive some kind of special education somewhere? You don't seem like a commoner at all.”
“...Of course not. You know very well that I'm a commoner, Instructor.”
As I replied lightly, Adelia suddenly reached her hand out to me.
Without flinching, I calmly accepted her hand, and she stroked my hair.
*Rustle.*
While receiving the touch, which felt strangely like she was treating a child, I felt a small sense of comfort.
It was something I'd felt over the past few days with Adelia. She was quite affectionate.
The more time we spent together, the more tenderly she treated me.
Even though I always addressed her as 'Instructor,' I felt the boundary between us slowly blurring.
‘Even a gesture like this feels so natural.’
I, too, didn't really feel the need to keep my distance from her just because she was an instructor.
“Then, let's have dinner like yesterday and continue with your rehabilitation therapy.”
“Yes. Understood.”
As I answered, I couldn't help but feel like she was a very pretty older sister.
...The biggest reason was that the Adelia before me didn't seem much older than I was, and I felt comfortable even though I was with an instructor.
‘Still, I need to get a grip.’
So I steeled myself.
Just because she's being nice to me now doesn't mean I should treat her casually.
***
*Clatter.*
Amidst the clattering of cutlery, as a dinner much like the previous evening's continued, Adelia's eyes held a complex emotion that Cheon-seong couldn't see.
At a time that should have been the most peaceful evening.
A feeling that could be called a sense of crisis, of alarm, was rising in her chest.
‘Something definitely feels strange.’
Was it because I was overthinking what Cadet Luna had said? I was aware that I was starting to see Cadet Han Cheon-seong differently.
My actions, which I had done while seeing him as a good and admirable cadet, now felt as though they held a different meaning.
*Clink.*
Dinner ended, and after Erpe finished cleaning up and left, it was time to prepare for the end of the day.
Outside the window, it was already deep into the night.
The week was already ending, yet it didn't feel like much time had passed at all.
It felt as if I had spent the entire week just treating and caring for Cadet Han Cheon-seong.
“Well then, Instructor. I'll get ready now.”
“...Alright.”
As Cadet Han Cheon-seong spoke lightly and prepared to shower, I casually moved out of the way.
*Swish.*
Even as I watched Cadet Han Cheon-seong pick up a towel and his underwear…
“...”
I found myself needlessly averting my gaze.
Even this felt strange.
‘I think I was more natural about it yesterday.’
I don't think I was this conscious of it. It feels like I'm the only one being weird.
*Click.*
Once Cadet Han Cheon-seong disappeared into the shower room set up in a corner of the infirmary, I quietly sat down in my spot.
I had spent a busy day meeting numerous people, and my mind, too, was in a bit of a disarray.
After all, I had seen several individuals in one day whom I would rarely ever meet.
"...Hah."
I took a deep breath to calm myself, and I started to feel settled again.
“So, he said it was an Apostle.”
I forced my thoughts elsewhere.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong had said the identity of the fiend he faced during the incident was an Apostle.
It was surprising that he even mentioned the specific name Leteia, along with the title 'Apostle of Sacrifice,' but I was able to understand after Instructor Kalli's explanation.
'...It really is a relief.'
That a cadet survived an encounter with an Apostle, a being that even officers on the front lines must be wary of.
To me, Cadet Han Cheon-seong's words didn't feel like a lie in the slightest.
Rather, I now clearly understood why he had ended up in such a serious state.
‘He had no choice but to manifest his skill.’
Although he hasn't officially awakened his skill yet, it's likely due to his body's physical shortcomings.
His body simply wasn't at a level to fully handle the skill. But if he had enough power to defeat an Apostle, his skill must have already been complete.
"..."
Even as I thought that, my gaze drifted unconsciously to the shower room.
*Gulp.*
And I unknowingly wiped my face.
"...Adelia. What is wrong with you."
My thoughts kept steering in a dangerous direction.
I am clearly an instructor and he is just a cadet, yet strange thoughts kept filling my mind.
Then, Instructor Kalli's face suddenly came to mind.
The way Instructor Kalli had looked at Cadet Han Cheon-seong with that strange gaze…
"...I'm in no position to be advising anyone else."
To think that I, who had considered warning her just in case, was now in the same situation as her. I gave a small laugh and shook my head.
And yet, still.
...Strange thoughts kept filling my mind.
The memory of my hands caressing Cadet Han Cheon-seong's body. The way he accepted my touch, as if yielding to it.
Even today, he hadn't rejected my touch in the slightest.
He accepted even my light caresses as if they were part of the treatment.
...That sight gave me such a strange feeling.
It seemed like a kind of permission, as if it were okay for me to go further...
*Click.*
Then the shower room door opened, and I startled, erasing the thought.
“...Ah.”
Startled by the cadet's surprised expression, as if he hadn't expected me to be looking, I quickly turned my head away.
“S-Sorry!”
As I hastily averted my gaze, the image of Cadet Han Cheon-seong's body that I had glimpsed for a moment was intensely vivid.