Chapter 78: The First Letter (78)
Chapter 78: The First Letter (78)
It took quite a long time to appease the Saintess.
At first, I thought she was just joking, like she had before. I looked at her with a smile, but no matter how brightly I grinned, her mood showed no signs of lifting.
Only then did my expression stiffen. The Saintess looked truly displeased.
Then again, even if I had a justifiable reason, I was the one who had unilaterally broken our promise. She had every right to be angry. I had to do my absolute best to soothe her, even as I fumbled nervously.
Perhaps my sincerity reached her, for I detected a change in the Saintess, who had been maintaining a chilly smile. Though that change manifested as her turning her head away with a huffy, petulant "Hmph."
Even that looked like a scene from a painting because she was so naturally beautiful. There was a certain charm to her cuteness that made a man's heart flutter. And above all, those luscious breasts that asserted their presence alongside her beauty.
No, no. I couldn't afford to have such impure thoughts. I composed myself and focused entirely on comforting her.
"It was unavoidable. Didn't the Heavenly God say so Himself? 'First, help the sick and suffering neighbors beside you. What you have done for them, you have done for me.'"
"Still, you could have at least given me a word of notice. Really, do you know how shocked I was when I heard the news...?"
If I had, the Saintess might have dragged me away by the ear right there in the forest clearing. That was how much she had opposed my participation in the Hunting Festival.
However, a hasty rebuttal would only grate on her nerves and prove counterproductive. When trying to soothe someone, empathy was the first priority.
I nodded fervently as if her words were absolute truth.
"I was thoughtless. I was so preoccupied with saving my friend... Otherwise, would I have ever done something so reckless?"
"Yes."
I see. I shut my mouth at her blunt response. She stood there with her arms crossed, glaring at me with those pink eyes, before finally letting out a small sigh.
She looked at me as if I were hopeless, a bitter smile playing on her lips.
"...But then again, I suppose that's just who you are, Brother Ian."
Unsure of what she meant, I stared at her blankly. She simply shook her head.
"It was something you had to do, wasn't it?"
That question pierced right to the heart of the matter.
Yes. It was something I had to do.
If I hadn't, countless people would have been hurt, Seria would never have escaped Senior Delphine's shadow for the rest of her life, and Emma would have slowly withered away and died.
It had been a hideously painful struggle. My arm was pierced, I coughed up blood, and my insides were a mess. Even so, I had no choice but to move.
Because it was something I had to do. Her words felt like the only comfort I had received, forcing me to fall silent.
To be honest, I had been terrified. There were many moments when I wanted to give up. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
If I had, I would have been haunted by guilt for the rest of my life. A bitter smile formed on my lips. I managed to squeeze out a single word.
"...Yes."
As if that were enough, the Saintess nodded quietly. Her hand reached out to feel my arm. A look of distress flickered in her eyes once more.
"The demonic energy seeped in deep. It's a situation where semi-permanent aftereffects are inevitable... It's a relief we performed emergency treatment with divine power, but if it had reached the bone marrow, we might have had to amputate."
It was something I had prepared myself for. Even though it looked fine on the outside, I could tell just by looking at my left arm, which still hadn't regained proper sensation.
It was dull. Not just the sensation, but every movement of my left arm felt sluggish. The subtle lag in reaction time weighed heavily on my heart.
I might have to train my swordsmanship again from the very beginning. That was how precious a single arm was to a swordsman. Even such minute aftereffects could cause years of built-up skill to crumble into a mess.
Still, it wasn't a bad price for a life. For Emma, and for the countless students who might have died.
I had no intention of acting cool, pretending I had made some secret sacrifice. I was well past the age for that.
I simply, truly believed it. Rather than suffering from guilt for the rest of my life, I would much rather rebuild my swordsmanship from the basics.
Of course, that path would be a long and arduous one. But I had gained much in return.
Namely, the elixir that would solve my chronic limitation: my mana capacity.
The 'Dragon's Pure Blood' I received as the grand prize for the Hunting Festival was an Imperial Treasure. While its exact effects couldn't be measured yet, it was certain to at least double my current mana capacity.
As for swordsmanship, I had years of devotion behind me; a few years of hard work would suffice to recover. However, the chance to increase one's innate mana capacity was incredibly rare. In other words, looking at the long term, I had gained more than I had lost.
Even so, I couldn't help the bitter taste in my mouth. When I nodded without a word, the Saintess asked me in a worried voice.
"Will you be alright?"
"It's what I prepared for."
That was the only answer I could give. The Saintess narrowed her eyes at me skeptically, then let out another deep sigh as if she had no choice.
She averted her gaze slightly as if contemplating something, then called out to me cautiously.
"...Brother Ian."
When I turned my questioning gaze toward her, the Saintess gave me a bright smile.
"Shall we share a secret?"
"...?"
What kind of secret was she talking about all of a sudden? But before I could even voice my confusion, she pulled a small, blood-red bead from her robes.
I had seen it before. It was the 'Blood Essence' that Yuren had brought from the Holy Kingdom. I heard it was worth the price of a castle.
Without hesitation, the Saintess placed the Blood Essence between her clasped hands as if in prayer and unleashed her divine power.
Before I could even react, a terrifying gale of divine power erupted. The silver storm seeped into my left arm, and I felt a searing pain, as if I were being branded with a hot iron.
It felt as if my previously dulled senses were suddenly screaming and thrashing about. I almost cried out in pain, but I remembered the word 'secret' and gritted my teeth.
The pain didn't last long. In just a few seconds, the aftereffects in my arm had vanished as if they had never existed.
My eyes drifted blankly toward the Saintess. She simply gave me a playful wink with one of her pink eyes.
I practically bolted upright. Fragmented words spilled from my mouth.
"Th-th-that's worth the price of a castle!"
"Yes, that's right."
"Aren't you forbidden from using that as you please, Saintess?"
"That's why it's a 'secret,' isn't it?"
With that mischievous smile, the Saintess pulled her hands apart. She showed me the Blood Essence resting on her palm.
It was intact. It had shrunk ever so slightly, but it was barely noticeable unless one looked very closely.
"If I were using it on someone hovering between life and death, it would be one thing, but for minor aftereffects, I can use it in small enough amounts that it won't be missed. Of course, in principle, I should get permission from the Holy Kingdom, but..."
As she spoke, the Saintess gave me a meaningful look, prompting a reaction. I immediately stammered out a response.
"...I-I didn't see anything."
"Good."
Satisfied, the Saintess finally nodded. She gestured toward the entrance with her eyes. It was time to part ways.
I stood up, still feeling dazed, but a question suddenly occurred to me.
"Saintess, why are you going this far for me?"
As if wondering what I meant, the Saintess tilted her head slightly, her gentle smile remaining unchanged. I quickly continued.
"I mean, using the Blood Essence carries a risk for you too, doesn't it? And yet, you still..."
"Brother Ian... didn't you say it yourself?"
The Saintess placed a hand over her heart—and her curvaceous chest—and spoke with a proud expression.
"'First, help the weak beside you. What you have done for them, you have done for me.'"
It was a passage from the scriptures of the Heavenly God Religion. I stood there dazed for a moment upon hearing those words, then I couldn't help but let a faint smile spread across my face.
It was the very passage I had quoted to her.
"I simply thought that a good deed should be met with a corresponding reward. Now, may the Heavenly God watch over you. Immanuel."
Returning her farewell with the sign of the cross, I stepped out of the examination room.
It was an afternoon where the sun had yet to set.
It was the kind of day that made me think that perhaps God really was watching over this place.
After the Hunting Festival, the after-party held the following night is a scene of drunken frenzy.
Partly, it was to blow off steam after overcoming the great hurdle of the festival, but the most important reason was that final exams were just around the corner.
After the Month of the Bow comes the Month of the Wheel. Usually, that was when the final exam period to wrap up the first semester began.
At the Academy, failing meant expulsion. Therefore, during finals, every student had no choice but to devote themselves to studying and training with everything they had. In other words, today was the last chance to have any fun.
Even if you wanted to skip the drinking, hearing that you wouldn't be able to drink even if you wanted to starting tomorrow made it impossible for the youth to resist. It was their nature, even if they were destined to become four-legged beasts rolling on the ground in their own vomit by the end of the night.
I didn't know for sure, but it was certain that by dawn, the Academy would be overflowing with 'corpses' who couldn't handle their liquor. It had been that way every year, it would be that way this year, and it wouldn't change in the years to come—a classic Academy sight.
Of course, I was no exception. As soon as I sat down, I filled my glass to the brim and drained it in one go. Everyone else at the table was doing the same.
For the third-year students, the exam was replaced by an internship dispatch, a slightly lower-difficulty version of the field assignments they would face in their fourth year. Of course, they still had to take mandatory theory exams for liberal arts courses and such, but the most important marks were riding on that 'practical exam.'
As that day approached, everyone would become sensitive about their training and physical condition. There would be no opportunity to drink. Therefore, it was only right to vent all those desires today.
Celine showed her face briefly at the table where Reto and I were sitting, then quickly joined a table with her friends to drink. She looked to be in a very good mood.
And for good reason. Winning the Hunting Festival meant being recognized as one of the top powerhouses in the Academy.
In other words, Celine's value was bound to skyrocket. For someone like her, who yearned for the revival of the Haster family, nothing could be better.
"By the way, what happened to Senior Delphine?"
The question slipped from my lips. Reto looked at me as if I were absurd, but I couldn't help it.
I had been busy all day visiting Emma and getting treated. I hadn't even had time to gather rumors. Reto, on the other hand, had plenty of free time.
He shrugged and answered me.
"I heard she went into hiding. No news since then. Apparently, she hasn't taken a single step out of her room."
I clicked my tongue. I couldn't help but shake my head.
"I hope she isn't too scarred. You win some, you lose some in life."
"...Are you really the one to say that?"
It was while I was having a relaxed conversation with Reto and my other friends. From a distance, a small drunkard came staggering toward us.
It was Senior Elsie. She had brought her gang with her, and they were somewhat familiar faces.
They were the seniors who had been crushed along with Senior Elsie by me last time. They greeted me with awkward, hesitant expressions.
I looked at Senior Elsie, wondering what was going on, when she suddenly threw her arm around my shoulders.
Because of our height difference, she had no trouble doing so even though I was sitting down. A boisterous laugh erupted from Elsie's dainty mouth.
"Ahahaha! Everyone, meet my new little brother! His name is Ian Percus, you've heard of him, right?"
Senior Elsie must have been quite drunk already, as the smell of alcohol wafted from her mouth as she spoke. Her gang, perhaps not yet drunk enough, just stared at me awkwardly.
I started to feel uncomfortable myself. I whispered quietly to Senior Elsie.
"Um, Senior Elsie? I think the other seniors are feeling a bit uncomfortable..."
"Huh? What are you talking about? You're my brother now, we should live like one family! Hey, Temar. Come over here! We might have had a, well, shitty past, but we should forgive and move on!"
However, a drunk Elsie was even more high-handed. she even scowled and barked at her gang. A sigh escaped my lips.
At this point, there was only one way.
"Puhahaha! You guys should have seen that Delphine bitch's face back then! She was so scared of me... Eek?! P-please spare me!"
As soon as I caught a glimpse of the hand axe, Senior Elsie threw her pride to the wind and began to tremble. She tried to pull her large pointed hat down low, as if she judged that she would be less scared if her vision was blocked.
I whispered quietly into her ear.
"Senior Elsie, you have to be a good girl."
"Y-yes... E-Elsie will be a good girl. I-I'll be a bedwetter or whatever you want, so please...!"
Only after hearing that answer did I put on a satisfied expression and stroke her hair.
Immediately, Elsie's expression became dazed. Seeing that sight, her gang looked at me with even more terrified eyes.
But what could I do? This was the only way to stop a rampaging Elsie.
"Now then, hurry back and have a good time with your friends."
Thinking she was fine now, I issued an expulsion order. Yet, Senior Elsie just stood there, hesitating.
When I turned a questioning gaze toward her, she blushed and scuffed the ground with her foot for no reason.
"...C-can't you stroke my head just a little more?"
Hearing that, I looked around. Elsie's gang looked even more horrified, and Reto was looking at me as if I were a piece of trash.
Hey, you're the one who told me to do this.
It was unfair, but there was nothing I could do.
The most important guest of tonight's after-party arrived at the very end.
While I was drinking, someone tugged on my sleeve. I glanced back.
Gray hair that softly caught the moonlight, and deep blue eyes reminiscent of a clear, deep ocean.
"...Um, Senior Ian."
She made a cautious proposal.
"J-just the two of us! Ugh... just the two of us, would you like to go somewhere?"
In the dead of night, when even the moon had begun to tilt, she was asking for a secret meeting, just the two of us.
As she spoke, Seria's cheeks were flushed, and she couldn't quite meet my eyes.
The atmosphere was strange.