Chapter 503: Jealousy is My Power (3)
Chapter 503: Jealousy is My Power (3)
To my beloved disciple,
Are you doing well? This master of yours is, fortunately, at peace.
By now, the grain must be ripening where you are. In contrast, the Great Forest is hot and humid all year round, so I simply wait for time to pass with a bored heart. A world without change is as tedious as it is tranquil.
Perhaps that is why everything feels so unfamiliar now.
Everything about me has changed, yet this Great Forest remains exactly the same. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve simply fallen into a sweet daydream and failed to return. I imagine a dog that has spent its entire life on a leash would feel much the same if it were suddenly released into a yard.
My life was one where a narrow world, defined by the reach of a leash, was the only home I knew. Every time I take a step beyond that boundary, I am overcome by how foreign it feels—and how much fear precedes my heart.
Isn't it laughable? That the Great Witch, who was said to have mastered all the principles of the world long ago, is actually nothing more than such a clumsy, inadequate girl.
You may mock me if you wish.
However, please know that you are the only person in this world I can rely on. In the entire continent, you are the only one with whom this master does not need to maintain a facade.
Do you find that cowardly?
Even so, it cannot be helped. As I have taught you time and again, every action carries responsibility.
If you think about it, is this not your fault as well? You were the one who insisted on taking my heart, which I had no intention of giving to anyone.
Looking back, it truly is a strange twist of fate.
When I first heard news of you, I simply did not want to accept it.
It was a secret technique I had hidden for hundreds of years. I knew better than anyone that no one could steal or imitate my skills. That was why I was so doubtful.
Had the Divine Brawler of the Holy Kingdom simply been mistaken?
I never imagined that this brief curiosity would escalate into such a massive incident. Who could have known that a Vampire had infiltrated the Academy?
And yet, the ways of the world are truly mysterious. Destiny always leaves a path open, weaving together necessary connections with exquisite timing.
First, there was that brat, the Sword Duke.
Afterward, the second and the youngest, and even the Vampire’s bloodline gathered at the Academy. It seems unnecessary to mention that you were at the center of it all.
I don't know about you, but I still believe in 'fate.'
Was my life not one that had been self-shackled for hundreds of years until recently?
At one time, I even resented the tragedy of having to take my pathetic older sister's life with my own hands. There were countless times I wanted to scream, asking why it had to be me.
But on that day, I realized.
I realized that fate truly exists.
After walking a long, long road, I finally met you.
And my other poor disciples as well.
However, I feel regret regarding your childhood friend. I heard the news after returning to the Great Forest, and I remember feeling helpless, unable to do anything but stomp my feet in frustration.
As you know, wounds of the heart do not heal easily. Even I suffer whenever I occasionally think of my foolish sister.
But what can be done? Like wounded beasts, we have no choice but to lick each other's wounds.
Let’s have a drink together the next time we meet.
The forest is noisy now that night has fallen. Perhaps it's because the moonlight is exceptionally bright today.
I will end this here.
P.S. 1: Setting the second aside, I am curious about how the youngest has been doing lately. She may act innocent on the surface, but her mental world is deeper than most, so be especially mindful. Honestly, she’s so full of jealousy that she’s even trying to devour her own master now. What an insolent girl.
P.S. 2: Also, forget about what happened when we were drinking last time. We were both dead drunk when it happened, so there’s no one to blame. If a child ends up being conceived from that, I won't know how to face the second or the youngest.
From, Your Master.
On the seventeenth day of the Month of the Scythe, Imperial Calendar 571.
*
Inside the room.
The space was deathly quiet after Lupin had been sent out. I used that silence as my companion as I read through the lines of text.
Eventually, after scanning the entire letter from the future, a deep groan escaped my lips.
No matter how thoroughly I looked, there wasn't much meaningful information. The only piece of intel that stuck in my mind was the whereabouts of the 'Vampire.'
A Vampire had infiltrated the Academy?
If true, this was a major incident that required immediate action. Though I had faced several Fiends before, even I had to feel a sense of solemnity before the weight carried by the name 'Vampire.'
The master of all blood lurking in the heart of the Great Forest.
A Fiend who had reigned in the strongest and worst position for hundreds of years. Their power was beyond imagination, to the point where one of the only three Masters on the continent had to barely suppress them using a barrier.
To think that monster had escaped and reached us.
I felt a drop of sweat roll down my spine. While not many had witnessed the Vampire's martial prowess at this point in time, the general consensus was that they were on par with a Master.
I had already fought a bloody battle with the 'Saint.' Naturally, that previous fight flashed through my mind.
To put it coldly, I hadn't been a match for him.
During the experience of countless deaths, I had only managed two effective hits, and neither of them had been a critical blow.
A battle with a Vampire would likely be no different.
Furthermore, there were two more elements disturbing my peace of mind.
First, as usual, the words scribbled on the back of the letter.
‘Mix Silver Moon Herb seed powder, crushed World Tree leaves, and Great Forest mist flowers in a 3:1:2 ratio. Afterward, boil for three minutes in clear water from a mana-rich water source, then strain through a sieve to leave the essence. The residue created during this process should be dried quickly with hot, dry air...’
As someone majoring in swordsmanship, these words were completely incomprehensible to me.
It was a substantial instructional text. While previous notes had been a single line at most, this mysterious manual filled an entire page with writing.
Perhaps because of that, the handwriting was even more rushed. I could feel the desperate urgency of the man who had left this text.
In the end, I could only let out a sigh-filled lament.
"What is this...?"
I wasn't speaking to anyone in particular. It was a mere mutter to myself, but currently, I didn't even have the freedom to lament alone.
The girl in front of me wouldn't allow it.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say, Junior... Hmm?"
She was a lovely girl with a beaming smile on her face.
However, looking at the voice leaking through her clenched teeth and the unnaturally still corners of her eyes, I could tell this woman was far from pleased.
No, to be precise, she looked incredibly uncomfortable.
And for good reason.
The article held in the girl's hand bore an absurd headline:
[SHOCKING! Elsie Lainella makes a 'Pet Dog Declaration' to a Viscount's second son?! Ian Percus's dark clutches reach for the Flower of the Academy!]
I had no choice but to subtly avoid her gaze.
This small girl sitting before me was the other culprit further unsettling my mind.
Elsie Lainella.
She was an incomparably precious comrade of mine and the person I was scheduled to be engaged to.
Well, that was the original 'Senior Elsie.'
The woman currently huffing and puffing in front of me was, by all accounts, not the 'Senior Elsie' I knew.
The way she questioned me again as if she couldn't believe it was proof enough.
"Hmm? I said what? A... a pet dog...?"
Her voice was precarious, as if it might break at any moment.
The Senior Elsie I knew would never have reacted this way. After all, that 'Pet Dog Declaration' was something Senior Elsie had done of her own volition.
This made my heart feel even more complicated.
I instinctively realized who the 'Senior Elsie' before me was. The sweltering weather and intense sunlight were replaying memories of a certain day.
The Great Forest.
I had never actually been there myself, but the memories associated with it remained in my heart like a lingering scent.
They were the memories of a certain man, not my own.
Had I glimpsed them while facing the 'Corpse Giant' in the Percus Territory?
Yes. It was highly likely that the 'Senior Elsie' I had seen in the future that day was currently possessing Senior Elsie's body.
Though I couldn't begin to guess the reason why.
While I was lost in that brief reminiscence, the girl stood up, unable to contain her anger. She slammed her hand on the desk, her voice ringing out loudly.
"Don't be ridiculous! This... this Elsie Lainella, volunteering to be a pet dog?! And... and your pet dog at that?!"
Her wandering eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.
Of course she wouldn't want to believe it.
But what could be done? There was no way in this world to take back words that had already been spoken.
On the other hand, part of me wondered what the big deal was about a mere 'Pet Dog Declaration.'
A Vampire had infiltrated the Academy, and humanity was facing a crisis of survival. In such a situation, there was no way an individual's reputation would matter to me.
First, I had to find the Vampire.
Since my entire mind was focused on that, my reaction to Senior Elsie was bound to be indifferent.
"Please calm down, Senior... It's not like the reality will change just because you act like this."
"Would you be able to stay calm if it were you?!"
Of course, Senior Elsie, having regained her old temperament, was not easy to handle.
Pointing her finger at me and raising her voice, she looked as if she would do anything if she couldn't wash away this humiliation.
"Th-this is an immorality... How dare a junior try to act as his senior's master?! Hey, you! Why didn't you deny it!"
"I did deny it."
"Oh? Look at this, lying every time he opens his mouth... Hey, it'll all come out if I investigate. Just what did you do to make me break down like this!"
What did I do?
Since it was a question I hadn't received in a long time, I inadvertently retraced the memories of the past.
My first meeting with Senior Elsie was quite dramatic, so it still lingered in my memory. After all, that was the first time I had ever tried to hit someone with a hand axe in the middle of the Academy.
A faint statement leaked from my lips as I indulged in the memory.
"The day we first met... Senior Elsie wet herself."
"......W-what?!"
For a moment, Senior Elsie, failing to understand my words, practically leaped into the air before landing.
Her blue eyes were shaking violently.
Regardless, a faint smile appeared on my lips as I reflected on the old memories. Looking back, wasn't it that connection that led us to where we are now?
"You had a surprisingly cute side. You especially liked having your head stroked, to the point where you eventually started begging for it..."
"......Liar!"
It was then.
Crackle! A blue spark ignited before my eyes.
I instinctively threw my body and rolled across the floor. A flame surged along with the blue sparks in the spot where I had just been.
Boom!
It was a small sound, but enough to fill the room. The power itself wasn't that strong, but I had to stare at the explosion in a daze for a moment.
"It's... it's a lie... I did that? I might be a few years younger now, but I'm Elsie Lainella! There's no way I would throw away my pride like that...!"
It wasn't just the lightning.
In the final moment, flames had definitely intertwined with the sparks. This was a sight that directly shattered common sense.
A magician's element is usually limited to one.
While there were magicians with talent in multiple elements, mana had a property of becoming specialized in a specific element the more it was used. It was common knowledge that one's element eventually became singular.
However, the magic used by that 'Senior Elsie' was an exception.
Fire and electricity.
It was only a small spell meant for harassment, but it was a new kind of formula where two elements coexisted.
An inquisitive voice escaped my lips without me realizing it.
"Senior Elsie, that magic... just what is it...?"
Immediately after.
Thwack! A sudden headache struck my skull. It felt as if a needle had pierced my temple and struck my brain.
My body, which was slowly rising, flinched and staggered.
A man's voice was digging into my eardrums.
"...You haven't even uncovered the secrets of the Dragon Blood Runes yet."
It was a reproach that sounded like a lament.
My vision gradually narrowed as the space of the unconscious began to invade my retina one by one. Upon a desolate wasteland, a man with weary eyes was looking at me.
With a gaze that seemed somewhat desperate.
"Can I ask this of you?"
Just before I could reach out and ask what he meant.
Snap! A small hand crudely pulled me back from the other side of the unconscious.
"Hey, hey... open your eyes! W-was I too harsh? That's strange... I adjusted the power so it should have only stung a little...?"
Along with the voice soaked in panic, my heart began to throb and beat once more.
Senior Elsie came into my clearing vision. Her blue eyes, filled with worry, were looking down at me.
Only then did I realize that I had lost consciousness for a moment.
I immediately bolted upright.
My mind was tingling, struggling to derive some kind of knowledge. Just as I was about to refine this unbearable sensation into words—
Bang, bang, bang!
The sound of someone pounding on the door echoed again.
"I-it's an emergency! Sir Ian!"
It was a familiar voice.
The Empire's 5th Princess, Cien.
I couldn't answer for a moment due to the lingering headache. Even so, the Princess's urgent voice continued.
Why were there so many people looking for me today?
This complaint was soon erased by the business the Princess blurted out.
"His Majesty... His Majesty wants to see Sir Ian!"
Those words completely bleached my mind white.
Even Senior Elsie, who knew nothing, froze in shock.
It was the start of a new incident.