Chapter 612: The Season is Autumn (1)
Chapter 612: The Season is Autumn (1)
A morning draped in silence arrived at the Academy.
It was a place that had long been suffering under the weight of constant battle. Although there had been much turmoil—students falling under curses or being forced to flee—the Academy was somehow finding its way back to its daily routine.
It was the end of a summer that had felt eternal.
The earth, finally liberated from the grueling heatwave, exhaled a fresh, crisp scent. This particular aroma, unique to the season just before the harvest, had a way of awakening a primal joy etched into one's very DNA since ancient times.
The faces of the students gathered in small groups were, for once, free of shadows. It was as if they were trying to make up for the time they had spent trembling under mysterious threats.
But how could such an ordeal not leave scars?
Beneath the renewed vitality of the Academy lay a hidden sorrow. Those who didn't know the full extent of what had transpired might be fine, but for those deeply involved in the incident, deep wounds were inevitable.
For example, someone like me.
My body was so covered in wounds that not a single spot remained unscathed. Because I had overused healing magic during the crisis, even the potent elixirs of the Imperial Household couldn't easily restore my flesh.
Even after being wrapped from head to toe in bandages, moving was a struggle.
Every time I shifted my limbs, a sharp, stinging pain shot through my joints. Ordinarily, I should have been confined to my bed, waiting for my next dose of analgesics, but I couldn't bring myself to do that.
There were many others who had suffered far worse injuries than I had.
I was currently on my way to visit one of them.
Knock, knock.
"Seria?"
A man wrapped in stark white bandages visiting a female junior who lived alone.
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding, but there was no one here to gossip about me. If anything, they would have offered me words of comfort.
I was here to fulfill a duty on behalf of everyone.
The responsibility of bringing a wounded comrade back to daily life.
Thankfully, Seria was a lovely junior who respected and relied on me. Naturally, I had hoped that if I were the one to come, she might at least show her face, but I had miscalculated.
Seria’s wounds were simply too deep.
The girl, who had shut herself away and refused all visitors, seemed to have locked her heart tight. The proof was right before my eyes.
The door showed no sign of opening, and a note was posted on it.
[I am sorry.]
What on earth was she sorry for?
Seria hadn't done anything wrong. For the most part, it was simply that she couldn't overcome the bloodline inherited from her mother. No matter how wicked a being might be, no one is born a sin.
And yet, Seria was burying herself in a grave of guilt.
This wasn't right.
I knocked on the door again, harboring questions I couldn't erase.
Knock, knock.
"Seria? Are you okay? I heard you haven't been eating lately... Just for a moment is fine, let's talk..."
"I'm sorry."
It was only a single sentence.
Hearing that weak voice, soaked in exhaustion and self-reproach, I felt my heart drop. It was the first time I had heard my junior's voice in a very long time.
Like a sailor discovering an island in the vast, open sea, my heart spilled out words of its own accord.
"Seria, are you alright? Please, just come out for a bit... I've heard the circumstances. But it's not your fault, is it? No one among us blames you, so..."
"I'm sorry."
But that was the end of it.
No matter how much I spoke after that, no further response came from Seria. Part of me wanted to force the door open and go in, but how could I possibly fathom the depths of a wounded girl's heart?
In the end, out of sheer frustration, I struck the door with my hand.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Still, no voice returned.
Eventually, my forehead came to rest against the door with a soft thud. I smelled the scent of wood, and a heavy sigh escaped from deep within my lungs.
"...Dammit."
Celine was still nowhere to be found, and Seria had imprisoned herself.
The chilling temperature was beginning to feel biting. The season was now autumn.
A time when all life prepares for trial.
*
They say that fortune and misfortune are like two sides of the same coin.
Though I was aching inside over the problems of my two juniors, it wasn't as if only tragedy awaited me. In fact, one could say those two were the exceptions.
Good news was overflowing.
First of all, the Great Witch.
"You are the 'first'."
It was a nonchalant declaration.
Even I, who had been summoned out of the blue, was left dazed. This was the most secretive location within the Academy's main building.
It was a place where key figures from various nations had gathered to clean up the aftermath of the Great Incident. Since she had said it in front of dozens of powerful individuals, it was at least not a joke.
A single question flickered in the eyes of everyone present, including myself.
What does that mean?
It didn't take long to find the answer.
"The second is that rude Lainella brat, and the last one is..."
First, second, and youngest.
Normally, there weren't many relationships where a figure as significant as the Great Witch would use such titles. Perhaps if she had family left, it would be different, but the Great Witch had recently killed her last blood relative with her own hands.
That left only one possibility.
She was referring to a relationship that was as good as family.
A master-disciple relationship.
One of the Masters of the current era was personally choosing those to whom she would pass down her secret arts. Very few people were bold enough to argue with that, but unfortunately, one such person happened to be sitting right there.
"...Wait a moment!"
It was a thunderous request for an intermission.
He was a handsome middle-aged man with impressive gray hair and a beard. His faded hair testified to his considerable age, but his body was as robust as a young man's.
The Empire's Sword Duke.
The undisputed greatest swordsman on the continent and an elder of the Imperial Household, he was attending this meeting in the Emperor's stead.
The atmosphere froze instantly at his slightly hostile tone.
"Old hag, have you lost your mind?"
The words were spat out through gritted teeth.
It was the wrath of a being who could slaughter an entire nation's army if he so desired. As the surrounding mana began to respond to his will and take on a sharp edge...
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed through the room.
This was dangerous.
Maybe it would have been different before, but after the Vampire was subjugated, the Great Witch had regained her full power—even if she still maintained her youthful appearance.
If two Masters clashed here?
A building or two would be leveled like it was nothing. Naturally, the lives of everyone gathered here would be in jeopardy.
Whether he realized this or not, the Sword Duke frowned even deeper and raised his voice.
"I told you before, that kid is destined to be the future Guardian of the Empire...!"
It was then.
The Great Witch's indifferent voice continued.
"I'll make the last one the Imperial brat... Let's see, was her name 'Cien'?"
"...Destined to be, but it wouldn't be bad to forge a connection like this while we're at it! Hahahaha!"
It happened in an instant.
At the Great Witch's subsequent nomination, the Sword Duke's rage melted away like snow under the spring sun. He truly was a 'fool' who doted on his grandniece.
Of course, that wasn't the end of it.
While I and the rest of the audience were left dumbfounded, the Sword Duke even went as far as to pat me on the back, offering his full encouragement.
"Now, now! Although they aren't as good as mine, the old hag's secret arts are quite useful, so learn them well. Who knows? Maybe later you'll produce a masterpiece that combines the secret techniques of two Masters."
"That's nonsense."
However, this heartwarming atmosphere didn't last long.
The Great Witch immediately snorted and raised an objection.
"Using them separately is one thing, but combining two secret techniques into one? That's impossible... Even if it were possible, it would require countless trials and errors. And if you fail even once, your brain would explode."
She said it without any particular malice.
Mages were often like this. Because their own worlds were so firm, they would state their opinions without any regard for the mood. Even if the person they were talking to had significant social standing.
Especially since the Sword Duke was a Master of the Empire and a great elder of the Imperial Household.
There was no way he would just quietly accept that.
The Sword Duke didn't hide his disappointment and snorted back.
"...Hmph, you never know."
A battle of pride between two immature adults.
If it had ended there, it would have been remembered as a minor incident. The problem was that the Sword Duke's opponent was the Great Witch.
What is a mage?
As explained before, they are stubborn people who have zero tact and live for their pride. The Great Witch was no exception.
Eventually, the woman reached the point of reciting a hidden truth.
"Tsk, tsk, look at you being stubborn. Is it because you became a girl for a few days and your heart became like one too... Gyaaaak?! Are you crazy?!"
The result was the same as always.
The Sword Duke drew his sword, and the secret history was buried within the darkness of the Empire.
It truly was a peaceful daily life.