Chapter 92: The Lord is With Us (13)
Chapter 92: The Lord is With Us (13)
My persuasion of Senior Delphine ended successfully.
She sent me a silent, pathetic plea with her trembling eyes, but I firmly shook my head in refusal. Of course, I didn't intend to force her to come along.
I respected Senior Delphine’s opinion to the end. Even though my heart overflowed with the passion to help her forge her character, this was a task where she might have to put her life on the line.
I simply pressed her for an answer several times until I got a firm commitment. Senior Delphine, looking like she was about to burst into tears, finally sobbed out her response.
"Ugh... fine, I'll go... I'll go... okay?! Sob...!"
To think she was moved to tears of gratitude—I had no choice but to acknowledge her sincerity. It was only human nature to want to lend a helping hand to someone so desperate to change.
I asked her several more times just in case her heart wavered, but her answer remained consistent every time. Since she had even staked the honor of the Yurdina family on it, there was no chance of her changing her mind now.
Leaving her behind as she sobbed from the overwhelming emotion, I stepped out of the sickroom.
The marble corridors of the temple were chilly. Feeling that cold air made me feel like my head was cooling down a bit as well. It was then that a sense of dissonance suddenly struck me.
Was Senior Delphine really crying because she was happy?
Well, it didn't matter now. The die was cast, and for my part, it was good enough that I had secured a powerful asset like Senior Delphine.
Usually, a volunteer dispatch for practical training consisted of a four-person party. If it were up to me, I would have liked to take the same team from the last Hunting Festival, but there was one problem with that.
Celine and Seria were still second-years.
In principle, second-years were prohibited from participating in field training. Of course, they could join a dispatch with special permission from a supervising professor, but unlike Senior Delphine and me, they couldn't use the training to substitute for their grades. I couldn't take them away right in the middle of the final exam period.
It was obvious it would have a negative impact on their grades.
Celine had the mission of reviving the Haster family in the future, and Seria bore the heavy responsibility of maintaining her position as the top student of the Swordsmanship Department.
I couldn't impose on them. It was no exaggeration to say they were the two juniors I cherished most in the Academy.
Of course, Senior Delphine also had to maintain her rank as the top of the Swordsmanship Department, but that wasn't my concern.
She was a highly capable person to begin with, so I figured she must have some hidden trick up her sleeve. To be honest, the distance between Senior Delphine and me was still awkward.
We saw each other often, but because we were always entangled in ill-fated bonds, our feelings toward each other weren't great.
In fact, suggesting she join the training was somewhat impulsive. Initially, I just wanted to hear what had happened between her and 'me,' but I hadn't heard a single word about that yet.
Still, it was fine since there would be plenty of opportunities. During the two-week dispatch, we would have no choice but to talk, whether we liked it or not.
It was just as I was organizing my thoughts and starting to walk.
Suddenly, my vision was filled with light. Noble silver hair, and striking pale pink eyes that looked as if they were painted on a pure white canvas.
It was the Saintess. While I stared at her with wide eyes, she merely looked back and forth between me and the sickroom with a suspicious gaze.
"……What are you doing here? I heard Sister Delphine was refusing all visitors."
I cleared my throat with a "Ahem" and slightly averted my gaze.
Perhaps because the misunderstanding hadn't been cleared up yet, the Saintess's attitude was prickly as could be. She was an uncomfortable person for me as well. Just facing her made me feel strangely awkward.
"There are... circumstances. More importantly, do you still doubt me?"
"……Ha, of course."
The Saintess scoffed at me as if the question itself was absurd.
"You might have managed to deceive Yuren somehow, but I'm different. The priests of the Holy Kingdom possess something called the Spiritual Eye, which allows them to see the color of a soul. Naturally, as the Saintess, my Spiritual Eye boasts a fairly reliable level of accuracy."
I fell into a brief silence upon hearing that. It was something I had heard somewhere before. The fact that I hadn't shown much interest in that information meant it wasn't particularly vital.
After retracing my past memories for a moment, I asked cautiously.
"Can't that thing not even distinguish a Fiend properly? I heard it was pretty much useless."
That was right. If this 'Spiritual Eye' ability was truly that miraculous, I would have paid deep attention to it. But as far as it was known, the Spiritual Eye wasn't a very useful power.
Even if you could see the color of a soul, it was nothing more than a flickering mass of murky colors. No matter how hard one tried, few could distinguish them properly.
Crucially, the problem was that the color of the soul appeared differently for the same human depending on the owner of the Spiritual Eye.
If a technique for distinguishing soul colors had been passed down and developed, the story might have been different, but that was impossible for the Spiritual Eye. There were no known standardized methods of differentiation.
However, I had heard there were specialists who received training from a very young age to distinguish soul colors. They were said to belong to the Holy Kingdom's Inquisition, but excluding such special cases, the Spiritual Eye was an ability that might as well not exist.
It couldn't even filter out a Fiend. The soul of a human who contracted with the Evil God becomes murky, but since most humans have murky souls to begin with, it was difficult to tell them apart.
Despite my doubt, the Saintess maintained a confident stance. As she puffed out her chest with pride, her substantial breasts were emphasized even more.
It was truly a sinful body. I silently made the sign of the cross, repenting to the Heavenly God on behalf of the Saintess's obscene physical form.
"My Spiritual Eye is a bit different. It reflects colors more clearly. Of course, I can't catch the minute details, but I can at least tell if it's the same person or not."
"So, am I the same person as I was back then?"
"Yes, absolutely."
The Saintess's answer was unhesitating. That was how confident she was.
Well, she was right. According to Reto's testimony, the 'me' from back then was the 'me' who came from the future.
To be honest, it didn't feel real, but since it was Reto's word, I had no choice but to believe it. Reto was my irreplaceable friend and the person with the most brilliant mind among all my acquaintances.
If I considered the Saintess's testimony as evidence supporting his opinion, it wasn't impossible to understand. I nodded quietly and said,
"Don't trust those eyes too much. You can never be too suspicious when it comes to judging people."
"Hmph, mind your own business."
But the Saintess, spitefully, didn't even accept my sincere advice. Instead, she spread her hands mockingly and even stuck out her pale pink tongue slightly.
Then she made a "Bleh" sound.
I considered grabbing that soft piece of flesh and pulling it, but I stopped myself.
This was a temple. There was no need to invite divine punishment by messing with the Heavenly God's most beloved virgin. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my heart.
While I was looking at her with a displeased gaze for a moment, the Saintess's eyes suddenly went wide as if she had just remembered something. Her index finger tapped her chin.
"But what do you mean by 'circumstances' with Sister Delphine? It's not like an ill-fated bond from the Hunting Festival could have turned into a fated encounter... Don't tell me you're the one who turned Sister Delphine into that state?"
As she said it, the Saintess burst into a fit of giggles, as if the idea was ridiculous even to her.
"Then again, even you wouldn't have done that. Those marks are closer to one-sided torture than a battle. It's as if someone suppressed her first and then continuously branded her with pain and fear. It's a very wicked meth—od... wait...?"
However, as my silence stretched on, the Saintess's face began to slowly stiffen. Even then, I said nothing and merely averted my eyes from her gaze.
The Saintess's expression crumpled instantly.
"……No way."
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily. Even though I knew she wouldn't believe me, I raised both hands in a gesture of surrender just in case.
"First of all, I don't know if you'll believe me... but I wasn't in my right mind back then."
Of course, the Saintess's expression didn't soften in the slightest.
She glared at me for a long time with eyes full of contempt, and then—
"……Trash."
She left, leaving behind a voice equally filled with disdain.
Human relationships were truly difficult. I let out another sigh and moved my feet.
I still had many places to visit today.
It was a coincidence that I spotted familiar faces while walking.
I was on my way to visit Emma for the first time in a while. Since the practical training was coming up soon, I wanted to check in on her and also hear more details about the Seven Stars of Sin she had mentioned last time.
According to what Emma said then, if one had the power of those seven stars, even regressing through time wouldn't be impossible.
It was just that so far, not a single person had succeeded in borrowing the power of those stars. Conversely, it meant that if one could borrow their power, they could travel back in time.
As of now, it was the most promising possibility. Since no other possibilities existed in the first place, it was only natural.
As I walked, lost in thought about the future, I couldn't help but pause.
It was because I saw two familiar shadows in the distance.
It was Celine and Seria. For now, the two of them were walking together. However, they weren't even making eye contact, staring in opposite directions with expressionless faces.
I couldn't tell why they were hanging out together while creating such a cold atmosphere. But whatever the reason, it was lucky to meet two people I liked at the same time.
Feeling glad, my hand naturally went up toward the sky. My mouth called out to the two girls.
"Celine, Seria!"
At that, the two women's startled gazes turned toward me. Their faces immediately began to brighten. Celine and Seria approached me, neither one wanting to be second.
"Ian Oppa! I was just looking for you, what perfect timing."
"Senior Ian... I, I missed you."
Celine's lively voice and Seria's shy voice poured over me simultaneously.
I looked at the two women, stunned by the news that they had been looking for me. Then, Celine and Seria proudly held out a document to me.
'Practical Field Training Permit.' My eyes read the words and then blankly took in Celine and Seria.
"You're going on the final exam substitute practical, right? We thought you might need us, so we persuaded the supervising professor together!"
"Se-Senior I-Ian! Ugh... I wanted to be of even a little help to you, Senior...!"
As always, Celine was confident, and Seria was cute as she bit her tongue, making me wear a faint smile. They were truly grateful juniors. To think they had prepared the documents in advance, anticipating my needs.
That was why I could not accept their kindness. I slowly shook my head.
"No, I don't need it."
"……Huh?"
Now it was Celine and Seria's turn to look dazed. Amber eyes and deep blue eyes turned toward me at the same time.
So, I answered with a faint smile.
"I've already found one—a vanguard."
The complexions of the two women began to slowly harden. Worried they might be concerned, I added one more thing.
"Senior Delphine decided to go with me. You know her, right? That woman. Her personality is terrible, but her skills are top-notch. So, there's no need for you two to join."
And then, silence.
The amber eyes turned cold, and the deep blue eyes began to lose their light as if sinking into the deep sea.
The atmosphere began to vent heat rapidly.