Chapter 416: Proof of Existence (4)
Chapter 416: Proof of Existence (4)
Celine went through a second puberty.
If her first puberty was the crossroads where a child becomes a girl, her second was the process of a girl becoming a woman. Just as flowers bloom only after enduring days as cold and dark as winter.
The catalyst was simple.
She had merely realized once again that she was not special. When she first entered the Academy, she had been bursting with dreams, but now she knew better.
The wall standing between the gifted and the genius was high and thick.
While the mediocre might catch up to the gifted through sheer effort, it was impossible for the gifted to overtake the genius. No matter how much she swung her sword until her palms tore, the cold reality remained unchanged.
And so, Celine had to give up on the spot beside the man she loved.
That place belonged to those who shone far too brightly.
A wave of depression surged over her like a rising tide, suffocating the girl. Just before she drowned, Celine met someone.
It was a certain woman.
She couldn't remember the details of their conversation. Only faint memories drifted through her mind like mist.
Yet, by the time she came to her senses, Celine’s restless heart felt light, as if all distracting thoughts had been swept away. Her blade, of course, had become sharper than ever before.
Or rather, was it an axe now?
The only thing that bothered her was that she couldn't understand the reason why.
As she returned to the Academy, tilting her head in confusion, the first person Celine encountered was a familiar face.
"Celine-unni!"
It was a girl whose pale skin and jet-black hair created a striking contrast.
Her name was Lia Percus, Celine’s other childhood friend.
She was also the younger sister of the man Celine loved. Because of her extreme devotion to her brother, the two of them had bickered often since they were children.
Still, it was hard to ignore the affection built over many years.
Lia’s eyes went wide as if she had seen a ghost, and she hurried over, raising her voice.
"Wh-where have you been?! I looked everywhere and couldn't find you! Reto-oppa just kept saying it was no big deal...!"
It seemed Celine had caused her unnecessary worry.
Celine could only offer an awkward smile.
"Ahaha, sorry... Were you worried?"
"Of course I was! How can a person just vanish without a word?"
It took quite a while for Lia to calm down.
Celine had to spend a long time soothing the girl, who puffed out her cheeks to make it abundantly clear she was sulking. Celine couldn't help but feel that, one way or another, the youngest was still the youngest.
Once the brief resentment cleared, the two began to walk side by side.
Naturally, the conversation turned toward recent events.
"Celine-unni, have you seen my brother yet?"
At those words, Celine’s vacant gaze turned toward Lia.
Her face showed she hadn't even grasped the intent behind the question.
Lia looked exasperated.
"I mean Ian-oppa! Do you know how worried he was when you disappeared?"
"......Oh, really?"
At that dull response, Lia’s cheeks puffed out again.
Lia was someone whose brain short-circuited whenever her brother was involved. Naturally, she wanted to relieve her brother's worries as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Celine only realized this belatedly.
She had been flustered by the sudden mention of the man she loved. To be more precise, she was stunned by the fact that Ian would even care about someone like her.
A pathetic childhood friend who was of no help at all.
Once again, it felt as if sticky mud was clogging the vessels of her heart. Her usually vibrant amber eyes grew dull, and her lowered gaze became hazy. She even bit her lip slightly.
It was a strange reaction by any standard. If it hadn't involved her brother, Lia would have noticed it long ago.
"Of course! As soon as my brother heard the news about you, he even rushed down from the North... Huh?"
However, Lia’s indignation was cut short.
It was right after she saw a shadow approaching from the front. A man was walking toward them, closing the distance with steady thuds.
Black hair and golden eyes—it was a far too familiar palette.
Lia’s scowl brightened instantly. She even leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.
She looked exactly like a puppy meeting its master. If left alone, she might have started wagging her hips instead of a tail.
There was only one person who could make the prickly Lia act that way. Realizing this, Celine let out a sigh and slowly raised her eyes.
It was just as she expected.
Ian Percus was approaching.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Celine felt discouraged and hung her head low. She found it difficult to face the man head-on.
Lia, on the other hand, immediately abandoned Celine and ran toward Ian.
"Oppa, where have you been? I didn't see you at all yesterday... Oh, by the way, Celine-unni is back!"
Her chatter continued.
The man’s voice did not join in. Only Lia’s voice carried on, sharing the details of her day.
At this point, Celine felt a sense of dissonance.
As much as Lia loved her brother, Ian also cherished his younger sister dearly. It was only normal for him to greet her the moment he saw her, or at least show some reaction to the news that Celine had returned.
But the man remained consistently silent.
Could it be? The moment Celine raised her head and met the man’s eyes.
A bolt of white lightning pierced through her spine.
A tingling shiver ran through her, making it hard for Celine to keep her wits. She couldn't move a single step from where she stood.
Those golden eyes were peering intently into Celine.
Yes, 'peering into' was the only fitting expression. Her muscles, her meridian points, even the mana flowing through her body did not escape his vision. Celine felt an instinctive fear at that fact.
It was an overwhelming gap in power.
Perhaps in the past, she would have let it pass without knowing. Even just a few days ago, that would have been the case.
But now that she had taken a step forward, there was a landscape she could finally see.
The path to a summit that was unimaginably far and high.
Had this man already reached the top?
Celine’s face turned pale instantly. As her body began to tremble, a faint, peculiar light flickered in the man’s eyes.
It was only then that her halted breath returned.
While Celine gasped for air, the man turned an indifferent gaze toward Lia.
The girl was in the middle of excitedly boasting about her achievements.
"So, you see, I decided to take over the demonic beast corpses from the Holy Kingdom. Apparently, the volume was so large they didn't know what to do with them, but who am I? I hired the mercenaries who were out of work after the subjugation and—"
"Lia."
It was a terribly indifferent call.
That weary tone held a resonance that dug into the very marrow of her bones, like frost on a winter field. Lia flinched at the sound of her brother's voice, which she was hearing for the first time.
She stared blankly into the man’s eyes for a few seconds.
Gradually, confusion began to cloud Lia’s face.
"Do not prattle on about business in an open area. It only makes you look undignified, and it's bad for confidentiality. What will you do if someone targets you?"
It was a rational point.
Unlike before, Ian had become a celebrity, and the sister he doted on was of high strategic value. It was only normal to avoid carrying out schedules without an escort.
To even talk openly about her future plans...
She should have been mindful of such things. Nevertheless, Lia opened her mouth, stammering as if something felt wrong.
"B-but..."
"You're a nuisance."
That single phrase was the killing blow.
Lia froze on the spot from the shock. Regardless, the man’s face remained indifferent.
"Don't go wandering around everywhere when you don't even have power. And quit that demonic beast business... That is the only way you can be of any help."
With that needle-like warning, the man walked past the girl.
Celine closed her eyes tight as she listened to the conversation. She thought it every time, but this 'Ian Percus' from the future had a very foul mouth. To the point where she wondered if he really needed to be that harsh.
And she was afraid.
The man’s evaluations were always cold and objective. The next person those blade-like words would target was herself.
Could she handle it?
Being told she was incompetent, being told she was useless. Celine’s heart had long since been torn to rags by her own self-reproach.
But surprisingly, the man did not leave a harsh critique.
"Have you gotten used to it now?"
At the question from the man who had approached her, Celine couldn't answer for a moment.
It was a brief hesitation. Just by following the man’s gaze, the intent of the question was clear.
The battle axe strapped to her back.
Celine quickly nodded.
"Y-yes..."
Before she knew it, Celine’s speech had shifted to formal honorifics.
It was different from before. Celine had already caught a glimpse of the skill the man possessed.
As a martial artist, he was on a completely different level.
Celine wasn't bold enough to speak casually to someone like that.
Of course, the man didn't seem to care whether Celine used casual or formal speech.
He merely patted Celine’s shoulder twice and offered a word of encouragement.
"Good. Keep working hard."
It was praise she hadn't even expected.
In fact, she couldn't even imagine a picture of this man praising anyone.
So Celine stood there for a while with a puzzled expression. She had just received a favorable review, but it didn't feel real. She almost wondered if she had heard a hallucination.
However, there was someone else who actually made a sound.
"...Don't mess with me."
The voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth.
Celine and the man’s gazes turned toward the source simultaneously. There stood Lia, trembling violently with her fists clenched tight.
The expression on the girl’s face as she glared at his back was nothing short of venomous.
"Don't mess with me. Who are you... Who the hell are you to pretend to be my brother! My brother would never say something like that to me!"
She finally noticed.
Celine felt her heart drop. She wanted to reveal the truth to Lia right away, but this was the Academy.
There were far too many passersby around.
The sound of whispering was already tickling her ears. Celine felt dizzy with panic.
Agh, what should I do?
The answer came not from Celine, but from the man’s mouth.
"Just because he doesn't say it doesn't mean it isn't the truth."
It was a blatant provocation.
Facing Lia’s burning gaze, the man spoke in a calm voice.
"Did I say anything wrong? Regardless of who I am, it's clear that what you're doing isn't helping."
"That's—that's... we don't know that yet!"
"Stop acting like a child, kid."
At that, the man turned around again and began walking toward Lia.
Thud, thud. With every step he took, everyone’s attention focused on the man and Lia.
Lia’s momentum, which had been full of rage at first, was gradually faltering. As the man closed the distance, Lia bit her lip in frustration but couldn't meet his eyes.
Not a single flicker of doubt could be read in the man’s gaze.
Strong conviction brings strong persuasion.
"We don't have time to indulge your playing house. Business? The more capital, the better, I suppose. But when blades are dancing and blood is pouring like rain, what meaning does that have?"
"Th-that's, somehow..."
Stammering, Lia desperately tried to scrape together an excuse.
She was trying so hard it was painful to watch.
But her opponent was a monster who possessed no human emotion.
"Then try it."
Before Lia could even ask what he meant.
Thwack! The man’s kick slammed into the girl’s solar plexus.