The Great Escape - (Complete)
Dark and gloomy chapel.
In that place where not even a single common candle was lit, Elise silently mulled over the note Leo had left behind, again and again.
“Far away… I’ll be back. We believe in you….”
On the surface, it might seem like there was no big problem with the note. Just a simple greeting asking those left behind to take care of things while going on a trip. However, to Elise’s eyes, that sentence read like a farewell.
‘Believe in you…’
It was as if he was entrusting the world without him to us.
Anxious thoughts chained one after another. Of course, Sophia was no exception. She swallowed dryly and looked around the empty attic.
There hadn’t been much luggage in this attic from the beginning. A few clothes, an old Bible, and Void’s toys.
Until now, she had thought it was just Leo’s frugality. But now, it felt like a foreshadowing. As if he had been preparing from the beginning to leave without any lingering attachments at any time.
“…We, we have to find him. He couldn’t have gone far yet!”
“U-uh.”
Having made her decision, Elise placed her hand firmly on Sophia’s shoulder.
“D-Dog! Use that damn dog nose right now!”
Normally, Sophia would have been furious at the word “dog nose,” but in this unprecedented situation, she had no time to stand on her pride.
“Got it.”
Sophia closed her eyes without complaint and focused on her sense of smell. The traces of mana scattered in the air, and Leo’s unique heavy yet comforting scent. Although some time had passed, Sophia’s senses were sharper than a beast’s.
Leo’s residual scent was definitely still there.
“Over there.”
“Guide us immediately.”
Sophia and Elise immediately followed Leo’s trail.
But the pursuit didn’t last long.
The moment they arrived at the lower village at the eastern entrance of Erebos, Leo’s residual scent had long since mixed with those of other passersby and disappeared.
“…Can’t track any further. This is it.”
That Leo’s final destination was this lower village meant….
“…Ugh.”
It meant he had completely left the academy. It wasn’t a simple walk or outing.
Elise’s body trembled, and in a fit of anger, she glared at Sophia beside her.
“Useless dog.”
“…Shut up! What about you then!”
Just as they were about to start a scuffle, Elise shook her head vigorously.
“This isn’t the time for this.”
Elise bit her lip and regained her composure. Fighting with that dog here would only waste time.
If the chapel operated by the academy had suspended operations, there must be someone who made that decision.
And that person was….
“Dog, let’s go.”
“Where?”
“The dean’s office.”
Cornelius, the dean of Erebos Royal Academy, was currently in a very embarrassing situation.
“Why are you doing this, you two.”
A normal and peaceful afternoon as usual. More precisely, an afternoon that should have been peaceful.
The door to the dean’s office was broken.
“…W-What about the door again.”
Even though he hadn’t locked it, these two students had blatantly broken the door and barged in. Moreover, since they were the faces of the Knight Department and the Holy Department respectively, Cornelius’s bewilderment couldn’t help but increase.
“Answer the question first.”
A sharp gaze. It was Sophia Aquilova’s question, her expression hardened as if she would draw her sword at any moment. Behind her stood Elise de Rua, the saint candidate, with her arms crossed, glaring at Cornelius.
What on earth was going on. As the dean of the academy, why was he, who should receive the students’ respect, being interrogated while overpowered by students.
Of course, there was no time to think about that.
“Why did you close the chapel.”
It was because of Sophia’s question.
Cornelius thought deeply. The chapel naturally referred to the one on the west side of the academy.
“…I closed the door because the priest in charge requested a vacation, of course…?”
“Why did he request a vacation?”
“Well… because the priest in charge wanted to go on vacation… isn’t that natural?”
Even though he was giving a perfectly reasonable answer, Sophia’s gaze remained sharp.
“Look at this. It’s the note the priest left. Don’t you think of anything even after seeing this?”
The content of the note was ordinary. It just said he was going away for a bit and would be back soon.
“It says he’ll be back soon, doesn’t it.”
“Th-That’s true, but….”
“Perhaps Lady Aquilova is overreacting. I merely granted him a month’s vacation.”
Elise, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, stepped in.
“Please tell us in more detail. There must be a reason why the priest went on vacation. You wouldn’t have approved it without a reason either.”
Cornelius recalled his conversation with Priest Leo at the chapel some time ago. Clearly….
“He said he was… tired.”
“Tired…?”
Elise’s eyes widened. Sophia also blinked several times. Then the two students exchanged glances.
Tired. The priest. So he left. That meant….
“Because of us?”
Gulp. Someone swallowed. At least, it wasn’t Cornelius.
Trickle, trickle.
A quiet country road where the sound of a stream echoed pleasantly. With a long-forgotten sense of liberation, I was walking along the roadside.
“Shh! Water!”
“Yeah. This is water, but it’s stream water. No, don’t drink it! Stop! Spit it out!”
I hurriedly lifted Void, who was about to plunge her face into the stream. The child flailed her cute limbs as if trying to catch a fish.
“Void, you shouldn’t drink water like that carelessly. You’ll get sick for no reason.”
“Water!”
“Yeah. It’s water, but there’s drinkable water and undrinkable water.”
I stroked Void’s wet bangs and chuckled. It wasn’t lonely to the ear. I even felt like I had become a dad while teaching Void about the world.
After walking like that for two full days, I finally arrived at my hometown village. More precisely, the hometown of this boy named Leo.
“It’s the same as before.”
The village scenery hadn’t changed. Low walls, smoke rising from chimneys, children playing. Well, it was only natural since it had only been a year since I left at most. It was to be expected.
I walked with familiar steps toward the small chapel on the village hill. It was the place with the orphanage where I grew up.
“Hmm?”
The old priest who had been sweeping fallen leaves in the yard spotted me and widened his eyes.
“Oh, isn’t that Leo.”
“Father. It’s been a long time.”
“What brings you here, coming all the way. Don’t tell me you caused trouble at the academy and got kicked out?”
“Trouble… I did cause quite a bit.”
Not me, but the followers who came looking for me.
“Even if I couldn’t return in glory, I got a vacation and came.”
“Hmm, really? Was it livable there?”
“It was bearable in its own way.”
“What about that child? Are you planning to dump even your hidden daughter on the orphanage now?”
“That’s not it.”
I placed my hand on Void’s head with a pat. Since he clearly wouldn’t believe it even if I said she was a spirit, I made up a story that she was a child I was temporarily protecting.
“Shh!”
Void swept the head priest’s skinhead with interest. I worried he might get angry, but fortunately, he possessed more generosity than the average bald person.
“How long are you planning to stay here?”
“Probably about two weeks.”
“I’ll keep the back room empty. Stay there. It’s the room you used to stay in before.”
“Sounds good.”
After that, I heard stories about the village from the head priest. In reality, how grand could stories from a remote village be? This Ribel region was a remote area even in the kingdom. It was only after ten years since I possessed this body that I first learned of Erebos’s existence.
The stories I heard from the priest were nothing but crude and trivial daily events, like the village’s yellow cow giving birth to a calf, the embankment by the creek collapsing due to heavy rain, or a fence falling over.
“So why did you come for vacation?”
The priest asked while tossing me a loaf of bread to be used for the Eucharist. Since I had no faith whatsoever, I chewed the bread nonchalantly and answered.
“Just… I was tired in many ways, so I came to rest.”
“Came to rest, huh….”
The priest’s expression became subtle. His gaze swept over my body.
“By the way, Leo, something strange… there’s a trace of holy power left in your body.”
“You can see that?”
I asked back in surprise. Even the priest who came from the order couldn’t detect the holy power circulating in my body. I thought it was a skill only possible for someone like Elise, the saint candidate. The head priest might be a more outstanding clergyman than I thought.
“Out of curiosity, let me ask, Leo. Who is the owner of that holy power?”
“A student at the academy. I thought it would be good to learn holy magic, so I’ve been receiving help in various ways.”
I decided not to add that the student was the saint candidate of the order. It would only make the story longer.
But after hearing my story, the priest asked with a complicated expression.
“Leo, did you tell that student you were coming here?”
“…I did, yes?”
I even wrote a note quite kindly and left it. Well, they’d have to force open the tightly closed chapel door to see it, though.
“Hmm….”
The head priest actually let out a groan after hearing my story.
“Why, all of a sudden?”
“…The holy power… is fluctuating.”
“…Fluctuating?”
I looked down at my chest. Of course, nothing was visible to my eyes.
“Holy power tends to move arbitrarily in sync with the owner’s emotions more than mana. The faint holy power left in your body is fluctuating as if searching for its owner.”
“…Is there a problem?”
“It’s not a problem. However… it clearly shows that the student is visibly agitated.”
“…Elise?”
I furrowed my brows. The head priest looked at me with a somewhat subtle gaze.
“Be careful, Leo. Favor can sometimes become shackles rather than blessings.”
“…Hmm.”
Hearing those words, an uneasy feeling began to sprout.
Elise was unconsciously nibbling on her thumbnail. A small drop of blood formed at the tip of her finger.
- ‘He said he was… tired.’
Dean Cornelius had clearly said that. Priest Leo had left us because he was tired.
Her thoughts coiled around her neck like a snake. She recalled the memories up to now. Every time she was having a hard time, she went to the chapel to complain. She visited almost every day to chat. She even got involved in a kidnapping incident because of her.
Even in all those situations, Leo had acted nonchalant as if it was nothing. However….
‘That was only… in my eyes…’
Was she a bother? She had been quite bothersome. Had she ever asked for the priest’s opinion in the process? No. Elise had always done as she pleased. She had taken the kindness Leo bestowed as a right.
“…Ugh.”
If that had been the trigger for Leo leaving. If he never returned. If Leo disappeared without anyone knowing and didn’t come back, how could she bear that responsibility. An ending she didn’t even want to think about whitened her vision.
“…Th-This won’t do.”
Elise hurriedly stood up. It was late at night. The guards at Ophelia Hall had all long since left work. In other words, now was the perfect time.
“I have to… go find him.”
She had to go find him. She must. She didn’t need grand luggage. Emergency funds, a few holy relics to assist with holy power, and a sturdy coat were enough.
There was no hesitation. Elise carefully stepped out of Ophelia Hall’s entrance, taking advantage of the night.
——Chirp chirp.
The sound of a bird followed. A lark had at some point perched on Elise’s shoulder.
“Yeah. I need your help too. Because I need to know exactly where the priest is.”
However, even if Elise mobilized the lark, she couldn’t know exactly where Leo had gone. He had even stated in the note that he was going very far away. If he was that far away, even the lark’s search wouldn’t be able to find him.
But there was a way after all. Coincidentally, Elise knew one person who could vaguely pinpoint Leo’s location.
“Isolde.”
Isolde, the top student of the Magic Department. The mana link that woman had connected with Leo. With that, she could find him.