Chapter 57: The First Letter (57)
Chapter 57: The First Letter (57)
The temple corridors were silent. Those who seek God usually love silence.
It is because the more desperate a human becomes, the more they forget language. It follows the same logic as how the wails of a parent who has lost a child sound more like the cries of a beast.
As the intensity of an emotion grows, so does the residue that cannot be translated into words. A torrent of emotion that exceeds its bounds cannot be defined by a single name, nor can it be neatly categorized. Only the person experiencing it can feel its true depth; no one else can fully understand that feeling.
That is why humans head to temples to find God. Only God can understand and acknowledge a heart that is scorched and wounded. This was also why the home of God Arus had to remain forever open to the sick and the suffering.
Waiting in the hallway, I was no different. I was silently contributing to the temple’s stillness.
It wasn't that some soul-piercing emotion had sealed my lips. I simply felt miserable and frustrated, and I didn't want to say a word.
Objectively speaking, the wound Seria received wasn't that deep. It must have been a mistake; even Celine looked visibly shaken.
While heading to the temple, Seria, who was leaning on me for support, spoke hesitantly.
"Um, ex-excuse me... Senior?"
"Yes, Seria."
I tried to keep my voice as gentle as possible, but it came out a bit colder than usual. My anger hadn't subsided yet.
Earlier, when I heard that Celine and Seria were fighting, I rushed to the scene. At first, I thought it was just a verbal spat, but I soon realized a major commotion had broken out.
Word was that blades had been drawn. When I reached the swordsmanship training ground, I saw a single scene.
A blade biting into Seria’s forearm, Seria kneeling and groaning in pain, and Celine gripping the hilt of her sword.
I was already anxious after hearing they were fighting. Seeing that scene made my blood boil.
It wasn't just for Seria’s sake. I had to be angry for Celine’s sake as well.
Engaging in a fight with real swords, not wooden ones, was grounds for disciplinary action. In the worst-case scenario, she could even be expelled. What on earth was she thinking, drawing her sword?
Even thinking back on it now, I ground my teeth in frustration. Sensing the grim atmosphere around me, Seria confessed sheepishly.
"Th-the truth is, she wasn't the only one who drew a sword... I was also responding with mine. I heard your voice, Senior, and withdrew my blade in a daze, so it wasn't entirely Miss Celine's fault. I'm sorry, Senior. If only I had been more patient..."
"...Who drew their sword first?"
Instead of answering, Seria clamped her mouth shut. Judging by how she was watching my reaction, she seemed worried that her answer would upset me further.
I didn't need an answer anyway. Her saying "if only I had been more patient" already implied the truth.
Celine had drawn first. As I let out an annoyed sigh, Seria stammered, as if trying to comfort me.
"Th-th-that is, Senior Ian? My speaking skills aren't v-very... ugh... aren't very good, so there might have been a misunderstanding..."
"Enough. Let's just get to the temple. Why is an injured person talking so much?"
I felt bad for Seria, who was tripping over her words to make excuses, so I cut her off. After ushering her into the examination room, I waited in the temple corridor.
The wound was clearly shallow, but the examination was taking longer than expected. Likely, the symbolic weight of a sword fight occurring within the Academy was complicating matters. If a disciplinary committee were to be held, the testimony secured by the temple and the severity of the injury would become key points of contention.
As I let out a deep sigh, someone approached me. The movement was so natural, as if it were only right for them to be by my side, that even I didn't feel any rejection.
There was only one person who could do that. Originally there were two, but one was the culprit behind this mess and was currently nowhere to be found.
"...Reto."
"How is she?"
His voice sounded indifferent, but the fact that he had come all the way to the temple showed he was quite concerned about the matter.
I simply shook my head without a word. Sighs kept escaping me. My younger sister used to nag me, saying that sighing makes your luck run away.
"I don't know. For now, it seems Seria doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, but..."
"...Tsk. I told that tomboy to fix her personality, but she never listens."
Reto grumbled, clicking his tongue. It meant he wasn't in a good mood either. From his perspective, his cousin, who was like a biological sister to him, had suddenly caused a major incident, so it was only natural for him to be upset.
I felt a bit dazed. Just when I thought we had finally cleared a hurdle with Senior Elsie joining us, Celine and Seria had to go and have a sword fight.
My head throbbed. As things stood, Celine and Seria couldn't be on the same team. How could they trust each other to watch their backs after a sword fight?
Reto glanced at me. Knowing exactly what I was worried about, he asked me while feigning indifference.
"So, what are you going to do about the Hunting Festival team?"
He spoke vaguely about the 'Hunting Festival team,' but I wasn't so dense that I didn't realize he was asking what I intended to do about Celine.
After a moment of thought, I wiped my face with my hands and replied.
"Celine can't join. Not like this."
"Then what?"
"Should I bring Teahn along? I could go find him with a hand axe again."
Teahn of the Count Eitri Family, a prestigious house from the Southern Kingdoms.
He was someone I had a bad history with after he led the bullying against Seria, but I had beaten him down with a hand axe just like Senior Elsie. My comment was a joke about whether I should just bring the axe again.
However, Reto seemed to take my mood-lightening joke quite seriously. He stroked his chin and muttered.
"Hmm, that's not bad. He's famous for being sturdy, so he could do well on the front lines. And people from the Southern Kingdoms value loyalty."
"...Forget it. Seria probably wouldn't like it."
Celine hadn't gone as far as leading the bullying. She had spread rumors to ruin Seria's image, but even that was a recent development and something that could be resolved with an apology.
I had wanted to recruit Celine because if she and Seria reconciled, my social circle would become smoother, among other reasons. But Teahn was different.
Teahn had been consistently picking on and harassing Seria long before that. Even if he hadn't touched her recently, the past didn't change.
Could an apology lead to forgiveness? Seria might surprisingly let it go without much thought, but I was skeptical.
His skills were excellent, though. If Teahn joined, the team would consist of Seria, Senior Elsie, him, and me—a quite impressive roster.
Except for my name, of course. I indulged in that brief fantasy before shaking my head again. An annoyed mumble escaped my lips.
"Why did she have to pick a fight..."
The subject was omitted, but there was no need to say who I was talking about. It was Celine. Reto remained silent for a moment before summarizing the information he had gathered.
"According to the others, Seria was being a bit harsh."
"Even so, you don't draw a sword first."
I reacted sharply in a moment of heat, then lowered my gaze, realizing my slip.
Reto didn't seem to mind. He stared at me for a moment before speaking quietly.
"Seria is a high noble. Celine couldn't take it when her pride was wounded. You know what happened to Baron Haster."
'Baron Haster.' I fell silent at those words.
Celine's father. I heard he was now so frail he couldn't leave his bed. After several high nobles became involved in that process, Celine had developed a fierce hostility toward them.
Even so, I couldn't shake my frustration. My voice came out heated.
"The Alphenhausers and Yurdinas are different."
"Do you think the Alphenhausers were the only high nobles who jumped into that power struggle? At least six families moved in and tore the Haster territory to shreds."
"That's exactly why she shouldn't have done it!"
I accidentally raised my voice. I flinched, but Reto just looked at me without saying anything.
Eventually, a sigh escaped me. My voice sounded weak.
"Celine is all that's left of the Haster family. She needs to graduate from the Academy, find a suitable marriage... and restore the Haster name."
That was why I was so angry. For Celine's sake. Because she shouldn't be acting like this.
I couldn't understand why she had done something so foolish.
I could understand her desperately managing connections and gathering people so she wouldn't be trampled by those arrogant high nobles, but all of that would be for nothing if she was expelled from the Academy.
Perhaps the reason I was so angry wasn't because Seria was hurt, but because I was worried about Celine.
She was a precious friend I had known for over ten years.
My voice sounded exhausted.
"...Is it my fault?"
If I hadn't become close to Seria, Celine and Seria would never have had a sword fight. It was a lament born of frustration. At that, Reto patted my shoulder as if to comfort me.
"Yeah, obviously. You just realized?"
Though those words were far from comforting. When I shot an annoyed look at Reto, his face was unexpectedly serious.
"That's just how human relationships are. They're a mess. Some people hate you for no reason, sometimes things get tangled even when you try to fix them... and sometimes someone you thought you knew well feels like a stranger. It's a total disaster."
"...Then what am I supposed to do?"
At my question, Reto just shrugged and gave a short laugh.
"How should I know? Just do whatever the hell you want. You can't do anything else anyway."
He then nudged my shoulder, telling me not to take it too seriously.
"If you're really stressed, just down a bottle of whiskey tonight and go to sleep."
"...Does that solve the problem?"
"Not drinking doesn't solve it either, does it? In that case, you might as well forget about it for a while."
He certainly had a way with words. I let out a dry laugh, but thinking about it, he had a point.
If I had his silver tongue, would I have been able to make things smoother between Celine and Seria? Of course, it was a futile thought.
I should have some whiskey tonight. Just as I was making up my mind, the door to the examination room opened, and Seria cautiously poked her head out. Both Reto and I turned our gaze toward her instantly.
Seria looked a bit embarrassed as she lowered her eyes and spoke to me.
"Um, Senior Ian? The Saintess asked you to come in..."
"...Me?"
It was, quite literally, a sudden summons.
Clear sunlight filtered through the multicolored glass, staining the room in technicolor hues. The infirmary looked desolate yet orderly.
The temple was always like that. At least on the surface, it strove to maintain a sense of frugality. As if even grand buildings and artworks by the masters of the age meant nothing before this fundamental, pure white.
The fact that such a place would have to kick out the sick if there were no donations highlighted the gap between religion and reality. Without them, there would be no operating funds to maintain the temple.
However, today, a single focal point was set upon that pure white canvas. Pale pink eyes that drew all attention, and the feminine curves traced beneath them.
Beautiful as a work of art, she was, surprisingly, a living, breathing human.
Her title was 'Saintess.' Though she came from an orphanage, she was said to be favored by God for her innate divine power and benevolent personality.
Whether in the Empire or the Holy Kingdom, lineage was always scrutinized. The fact that someone from an orphanage had risen to the position of Saintess meant her talent was truly extraordinary.
Before this legendary figure, I sat down, cautiously gauging her mood.
Seria had already been told she could leave. That meant the Saintess wanted a private audience with me, something I couldn't even begin to fathom the reason for.
As soon as I sat across from her, the Saintess began to speak in a quiet, steady voice.
"Brother Ian, I have heard the news. That your close friend, Miss Celine Haster, and Miss Seria Yurdina had a disagreement."
"Yes, that is correct..."
It was a brief summary of the incident, but I still couldn't guess her intention for calling me. So, I had to respond while carefully watching her.
The Saintess closed her eyes without a word. A clear, resonant voice flowed from her lips.
"It seems those two were fighting over you, Brother Ian."
"W-was that it? I'm not quite sure myself..."
When I gave an awkward smile, a benevolent smile formed on the Saintess's lips as well.
Her pale pink eyes opened. She smiled brightly and asked me.
"Did you enjoy it?"
"...Pardon?"
I was caught off guard and tripped over my words. Even so, the Saintess didn't stop smiling. She simply asked again, her voice turning slightly cold.
"I asked if you enjoyed it, Brother Ian."
It was the moment my tongue froze solid.