Chapter 410: Gold and Silver (15)
Chapter 410: Gold and Silver (15)
Returning to the Academy after so long, everything was just as I remembered.
The streets overflowing with youth, students sweating through their training, the magnificent buildings standing tall in every corner, and the familiar shops—it all painted a nostalgic landscape.
To me, this place was no different from a second home.
After all, wasn't this the first place I had lived after leaving my birthplace?
The word 'alma mater' always carried a special resonance that two syllables alone could never fully express.
However, I didn't even have the luxury to savor the welcoming air of my school.
I had immediate work to do.
I headed straight for the building where my closest friend would likely be stationed.
The Grand Library of the Academy.
It was a place said to house all the knowledge of the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Southern Kingdoms.
While that evaluation was a bit hyperbolic, the sheer number of volumes stored in the Grand Library was indeed staggering.
I had heard that the estimated count reached several million books.
There were likely tens of thousands more that hadn't even been officially cataloged.
It was the result of hundreds of years spent scraping together knowledge from across the entire continent.
And naturally, where knowledge gathered, so did those who sought the truth.
The Grand Library was always crowded with scholars, and my friend, who walked the path of magic, was no exception.
Reto Einstein—my most trusted advisor and friend.
It didn't take long for me to find him.
He was an exceptionally handsome man, after all.
Even in a sea of books and people, Reto’s appearance shone brightly.
I practically dragged him out of the library. Reto was startled and tried to resist, but it was impossible for a mere mage to overcome my physical strength.
From the start, he was given only one choice.
To have a private conversation with me.
In the end, Reto had to sit across from me with a look of utter dissatisfaction.
I didn't feel sorry. I didn't have the mental capacity to worry about his mood.
I cut straight to the chase.
"Reto, did you hear? The news about Celine being missing."
"I heard."
Reto’s attitude toward me was nothing short of indifferent.
His expression screamed that he didn't understand why he had to deal with me when he was so busy.
At the very least, he didn't seem happy to see me.
Nevertheless, I tapped the table repeatedly, emphasizing my point.
"No, Reto… I’m saying Celine disappeared! How can you be so calm?!"
"Did Ria tell you?"
Reto’s gaze as he asked back was merely apathetic.
It was a question tossed out casually, like a pebble.
However, I couldn't answer as nonchalantly as he had asked.
Something was strange.
Looking back, it was even a question why Ria had been the one to find me. Normally, Reto should have been the first to contact me.
Reto cherished Celine like his own younger sister.
In other words, Reto should have been the first person to lose his mind if something happened to her. He certainly shouldn't be maintaining his composure like this.
When I fell silent with a bewildered look, Reto clicked his tongue.
"Ian, haven't you been a bit too indifferent to Celine lately?"
"……Me?"
I replied, but I swallowed a groan as I fell into thought.
Had I spared a thought for Celine recently?
It was a question that didn't even require reflection.
I soon had to force an awkward smile.
"Was I?"
"‘Was I?’ my ass… Are you crazy? You haven't even looked for Celine once lately!"
At Reto’s pointed remark, I cleared my throat and averted my gaze.
It was true.
I hadn't sought Celine out once in the past few months.
It was a different story if she came to find me, but I never went to her.
It was something I hadn't even realized until now. Because we had been close for so long, I had taken the fact that Celine and Reto were by my side for granted.
To me, Celine and Reto were like air.
They were essential to my life, yet they were always there, so I never felt the need to worry.
Perhaps I had been selfishly indulging in their kindness.
Even though Celine and Reto had lives of their own.
While I was having my moment of repentance, Reto let out a long sigh.
His eyes sank deep. In those eyes reflecting on the past, there was even a faint trace of hesitation.
He seemed to be debating what to say.
"Is life hard these days?"
That was what Reto finally asked after his deliberation.
It was a mundane question, nothing more than a cliché greeting.
But I knew. I could hear the thick exhaustion underlying his voice.
I flinched for a moment, but eventually, I nodded a couple of times.
No matter how much I thought about it, I wasn't going to come up with some brilliant line.
It was best not to hide my true feelings in front of Reto.
"To be honest, yeah, it’s hard… I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually rested comfortably over the last few months. Just when I think I can catch my breath, another incident explodes……."
"It’s hard for the people following you, too," Reto asserted in a heavy voice.
The content of his words was also perfectly logical.
"Especially for some, it’s even harder. You might be struggling, but you’ll keep moving forward no matter what. But someone lacking talent can’t even grow at will. There’s a gap that exists which can’t be closed even if they give it their all."
"Are you saying Celine is like that?"
"Celine has been agonizing over a lot of things these past few months."
It was around then that the drinks we ordered at the cafe arrived.
The clerk, who looked like a young woman, glanced at me as she set the drinks down. Her face looked as if she had discovered a rare spectacle.
No, actually, it wasn't just her.
Everyone around me was casting glances my way.
Even among the whispering voices, quite a few conversations were centered on me.
This vividly illustrated how much my status had changed over the past few months.
Ian Percus, the second son of a rural viscount, was no more.
Only Ian Percus, the Divinity of the Empire and the rising hero of humanity, remained.
I had shed a lot of blood to reach this point, but it wasn't something just anyone could do.
I had simply been lucky.
Conversely, someone else might have been unlucky.
I silently sipped the drink in front of me.
The cold liquid slid down my throat, making me feel the beads of sweat clinging to my skin even more clearly.
"It must have been hard for her. As you know, the people gathered around you are all incredibly outstanding, right? So, she’d swing her sword until her hands were covered in blisters… Not that she’d suddenly get stronger just from that, but recently, it seems she’s even been hearing voices and seeing things."
"Auditory illusions? Hallucinations?"
My brow furrowed instantly at Reto’s following words.
Auditory illusions and hallucinations were symptoms usually accompanying serious mental illness. I never imagined Celine would have felt that much pressure.
If I had known, I would have stopped her somehow.
I would have told her she didn't need to push herself to keep up with me.
Reto clicked his tongue as if he had expected that reaction.
"Stop right there. You’ll only make the illness worse… And it’s still on the milder side. After she meditates for a bit, the symptoms disappear again."
My body, which had been about to spring up to find Celine immediately, twitched.
Come to think of it, Reto didn't seem particularly worried even though Celine had disappeared.
It didn't take long for the reason to be revealed.
"It’s been like that for a month or two. When the pressure gets too much, she goes off to catch her breath for a bit… Ria probably didn't know because it’s been a while since she saw Celine."
"But……!"
"And you didn't know because you weren't interested."
In the end, I let out a groan and signaled my surrender.
I had nothing to say.
The fact that Celine had reached that state, and the fact that I had lived without even knowing it.
It was all my fault.
Seeing me grow gloomy, Reto snorted.
"Don't be too depressed. It can't be helped."
I sighed instead of answering.
I felt like banging my head against a wall out of frustration.
Reto’s calm advice continued.
"You have things you need to do right now. Just think about those for now."
"What if it becomes too late?"
"It won't be too late for anyone."
Reto’s voice was unwavering as he answered the question that lacked even a clear subject.
He even leaned his upper body forward slightly.
His emerald eyes held a serious light. It was a side of him he rarely showed me.
"That’s why everyone is struggling and trying so hard. So it won't be too late… You do what you have to do. We’ll handle the rest somehow."
Do what I have to do.
They were right.
On my shoulders lay a burden that only I could carry.
Read the letters from the future and save the world racing toward destruction.
It was undoubtedly a mission that had to take precedence over everything else.
Nevertheless, unable to erase the bitterness in my heart, I was about to say something.
Suddenly, my eyes caught the title of the book Reto had been reading.
‘Hypothesis and Review of Time Travel Theory Applying Spacetime Relativity’
Unaware of where my gaze had landed, Reto was smugly advising me.
"And you heard about the Alphenhauser lady, right? Apparently, Celine doesn't remember, but she came looking for you. As you know, the older sister is famous for looking down on others……."
"Reto."
Come to think of it, there was still plenty of time before the exam period.
There was absolutely no reason for Reto to look this exhausted.
Funny enough, I only realized that fact just now.
"Are you struggling too?"
At that one sentence, my friend’s mouth, which had been flapping incessantly, shut tight.
The silence wasn't long.
Reto soon burst into a hollow laugh and said, "You don't need to know, you bastard."
It was a response that was quintessentially Reto.
While wearing a bitter smile for the umpteenth time, I muttered to myself.
The Alphenhauser lady came looking for me, huh?
Then it would be proper etiquette to go out and greet her.
Like a good junior.
Furthermore, I could ask her about the last conversation she had with Celine.
Reto said it was fine, but my intuition was sending me a strange warning.
The auditory illusions and hallucinations Celine was suffering from.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to look into those as well.
Lately, Emma would pinch her cheek every time she opened her eyes.
"……It hurts."
Muttering in a dazed voice, Emma’s eyes were hazy.
Her face looked as if she were still wandering through dreamland.
However, vitality soon filled Emma’s eyes.
The smile spreading across her face was proof of her ecstasy.
It hurts.
In other words, it’s not a dream.
The confession shared on that night in the snowfield.
The kiss shared with Ian, and even his warm embrace.
There was no lie to be found anywhere.
All those memories became warmth, flushing Emma’s cheeks.
Covering her reddened face with both palms, the woman giggled.
It was a rare sight.
Emma was a sincere and diligent person. She rarely lingered in the afterglow of sleep after waking up in the morning.
Yet here she was, suddenly overcome with happiness, dawdling on her bed.
Even the friend she shared the room with tilted her head in confusion.
But what could she do?
Love could turn someone's world into ruins, but it could also turn it into a garden of flowers.
The world of a woman whose first love had come true was definitely closer to the latter.
Of course, the naturally diligent Emma didn't spend a long time in bed.
Though she couldn't help her corners of her mouth constantly twitching upward, she had enough time to get up and wash her face.
It was just as she was about to leave the room.
It started with her friend, who was opening the door first, flinching and stepping back.
Only then did Emma sense something was wrong and widened her eyes. Before she knew it, a pointed hat had appeared before her.
The uninvited guest was a small girl.
At a glance, she looked as lovely as a doll, but she was a celebrity whose notoriety was known to everyone within the Academy.
Elsie Lainella.
While Emma instinctively hesitated and stepped back, Elsie took a step forward instead.
And then, grab, she instantly seized Emma by the collar and pulled her close.
In the end, Emma had to bend her upper body in an awkward posture.
Right in front of her, she saw smoldering blue eyes.
Emma unconsciously swallowed hard.
This was dangerous.
She wanted to shake off the hand right then and there, but the person before her was a high-ranking noble.
There was no way a mere commoner like her could resist.
Elsie was not a woman cautious enough to waste time.
"Hey, you. Let’s have a little chat."
A stiff face and a cold voice.
As soon as Emma heard Elsie’s words, she thought:
This was a command disguised as a suggestion.