Chapter 99: The Lord is With Us (20)
Chapter 99: The Lord is With Us (20)
It was a hazy memory.
A man was drinking with a woman. A few strips of jerky and a bottle of booze—it was a humble spread that stood in stark contrast to the lavish tent surrounding them.
The two shared drinks in silence.
There was no time to savor the aroma. Even the alcohol seemed to be of the cheap variety. The man and woman simply repeated the cycle of filling and emptying their glasses.
As the intoxication took hold, the man’s eyes grew unfocused. Only then did sound finally find its way into the silent tent.
“…Is it alright for us to be drinking?”
It was a question that felt far too late. They had been drinking for quite some time already. To ask now if it was allowed seemed absurd.
It was unclear who the subject of the question was—the man or the woman.
As if it didn't matter either way, the woman shook her head with a faint smile.
“Why wouldn't it be? You and I are both human, after all.”
“It’s just that I’ve never seen you drink before.”
“Hehe,” the woman let out a soft laugh, covering her face with her hand. A flush had begun to bloom on her pale skin.
“…To be honest, I only learned recently. Truly, I found I couldn't endure this sober.”
“Do you finally understand Sepia now?”
“Sir, when drinking with a lady, one does not bring up the name of another woman.”
The man nodded silently, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
Another glass. It was strong.
“In the past, I was proud of my power. It’s a rare talent to be able to help others without hurting anyone.”
“I agree.”
The woman’s lament continued. The man chimed in occasionally, offering brief words of agreement.
The intoxication covered his vision like a thick veil of steam.
“But now, I don’t know. I can’t do anything… nothing at all…”
“Everyone feels the same.”
His voice was heavy, yet his answer felt hollow. The man’s golden eyes held a mournful light.
“It’s not just the Eastern Front. The Northern Front, the Western Front… the situation is grim everywhere. The Holy Kingdom is even preparing to abandon the Holy City.”
“Because the Saint has ascended.”
“Ha…” The woman clutched her face. Her smile was sorrowful.
“How did it come to this? If only I had finished things back then, at the orphanage…”
“That is a meaningless hypothetical.”
His voice was firm. Hearing it, the woman stared at the man without a word.
Her gaze held a faint heat—glimpses of fragments that could have been intoxication, or perhaps emotion.
It didn't take long for her to speak again after the brief silence. A hollow lament escaped her lips.
“…I know. I suppose I must simply practice obedience.”
“Obedience, is it?”
“Yes, obedience.”
The two exchanged the word ‘obedience’ as if it were a secret code. A sigh escaped the man’s lips.
“Does doing that change anything?”
“It doesn't change anything. It just makes it easier to accept.”
With that, the woman’s head began to nod. It seemed the alcohol had finally reached its limit.
“Tomorrow… about this… a bit… more…”
With a thud, her head hit the table, and she fell into a deep, heavy sleep. Left alone, the man downed a few more glasses before standing up.
He took off his coat and draped it over the woman’s shoulders. He gazed at her silently for a moment before muttering under his breath.
“…And you can’t even hold your liquor.”
It was a night where moonlight poured down, piercing through the fabric of the tent.
Click.
The lamp went out, and the world closed in. That was the end of the memory.
*
It was then that my consciousness surfaced.
With a sharp gasp, air flooded into my lungs. Only then did I open my eyes and scan my surroundings. A clear, bright light washed over my retinas, blurring my vision.
My head spun. As my senses returned, a stabbing pain flared in my abdomen.
It hurt. As I let out a groan, I felt hands grabbing and shaking my body.
“I-Ian Oppa! Are you awake?! Can you hear me?!”
The voice was urgent. I forced my blurry vision to focus, and a pair of amber eyes came into view.
Black hair—it was a face far too familiar to me.
It was Celine Haster. My childhood friend and a second-year in the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department.
Despite groaning in pain, I managed to speak to reassure her.
“Celine…”
“Yes, yes! It’s me, Ian Oppa! You’re finally awake!”
Celine let out a small sigh of relief. I caught a glimpse of her clutching her chest as she exhaled. The curve of her breasts was quite shapely.
Well, not as much as the Saintess, though, I thought idly while wincing in pain. Then, a realization suddenly flashed through my mind.
Wait, Celine?
That snapped me fully awake. My vision cleared, and the surrounding scenery rushed into my mind.
It was a dilapidated building. And this musty smell—it was definitely the Guildford Orphanage.
My confusion was still very much present. As I looked at Celine with questioning eyes, I realized she wasn't the only unexpected face there.
The creaking door opened, and a man walked in. A man with impressive, curly brown hair—Reto Einstein.
“Oh, you’re finally up?”
My gaze went blank again. I looked back and forth between Celine and Reto with utter bewilderment.
It was only natural that a question escaped my lips.
“Celine, Reto… how on earth are you guys here…”
“I-Ian Sunbae!”
Before I could even finish my sentence, a loud voice rang out from somewhere. My eyes turned toward the door once more. Standing there was a girl who looked like she had run all the way, unable to even come to a proper halt.
Gray hair and deep blue eyes that resembled aquamarine.
The girl, currently wearing a distressed expression, was Seria. It wasn't the cold, haughty face she usually wore.
She looked so worried she seemed on the verge of a breakdown—a sight completely unimaginable for the ‘Rude Brat of Yurdina.’
She’s certainly become more expressive, I thought. As I watched her, Seria rushed over to me.
She grabbed my hand tightly and asked in a voice full of concern.
“Ian Sunbae, a-a-are you… ugh, are you okay?”
Seria was so flustered she even tripped over her tongue.
Actually, come to think of it, Seria was always tripping over her tongue.
I pressed my temples to force my brain into gear. My head wasn't working well since I had just woken up. I couldn't even fathom why these three were standing in front of me.
When no hypothesis came to mind, there was only one thing to do.
“…Why are you guys here?”
I asked point-blank. Reto nodded as if he had expected the question.
He answered with a smirk.
“Because of you, you bastard.”
It was a rather harsh response. As I stared at Reto in confusion, I heard someone clear their throat.
It was Celine. She spoke to me with a boastful expression.
“W-well, I was worried about you, Ian Oppa! Even if there are two fourth-year seniors, the more people, the better, right? So I pestered Reto Oppa until he set our internship dispatch location here.”
“I was planning to replace mine with a theoretical research project…”
Seeing Reto’s miserable state, I could guess how things had played out.
After I had refused to let them come along, Celine and Seria must have gone straight to Reto.
Reto was a third-year, so he was eligible for the internship dispatch, and he probably couldn't ignore two juniors pestering him regardless of his own wishes.
The result was right here before my eyes. As if having five Academy students at the Guildford Orphanage wasn't enough, three more familiar faces had been added to the mix.
It was a force that wouldn't envy a small knight order.
The Saintess of the Holy Kingdom and her escort knight, the successor of the Yurdina family, and even a combat mage from the prestigious magic house of Lainella.
The original group alone was enough to take on a large-scale request. Now that the numbers had increased, any monkey-like demonic beast wouldn't even have bones left to bury.
However, my concern was that the request at the Guildford Orphanage wouldn't end with a simple subjugation.
The letter from the future said I would be left in tatters. And the word ‘assault’ was ominous. Didn't it imply that we weren't the ones who struck first?
Lives could be at stake. It weighed heavily on my heart that Reto, a non-combat mage, and Celine and Seria, who were only second-years, had come to such a dangerous place.
But the milk was already spilled. For now, I decided to welcome them.
“You guys came at the right time. We were struggling because the orphanage is so short-handed.”
I meant those words sincerely. Even with five people, we were overwhelmed with looking after the children, handling chores, and scouting the forest.
With more hands now, we should be able to find some breathing room. Celine, seemingly already aware of the situation, replied with a bitter smile.
“I know. The Saintess and the seniors are working hard right now. But… hey, you loser. Aren't you going to let go of his hand?”
Celine seemed bothered by Seria, who was still clutching my hand tightly. Seria, who had been looking at me with a face ready to cry, immediately hardened her expression the moment Celine spoke.
That was the Seria everyone knew. The ‘Rude Brat of Yurdina’ with her cold impression.
“I don’t want to.”
At her firm refusal, Celine’s brow furrowed slightly. A hint of annoyance flickered in her amber eyes.
“Stop being so dramatic. It’s not like Ian Oppa is dying.”
“But I’m worried. Aren't you?”
“Hey, the way you say it… makes it sound like I wasn't worried! Do you know who was guarding this room until you came running in?!”
“I was the one guarding it last night. If it weren't for the orphanage chores, I would have been here all day.”
The atmosphere was starting to heat up.
I let out a sigh and looked at Reto. Reto just shrugged as if to say, What can you do?
In the end, it seemed I had to step in. I spoke in a low voice to the snarling Celine and the cold-eyed Seria.
“Stop it, both of you… you’re giving me a headache.”
“B-but Oppa!”
“If you want to fight, do it with swords, not words. We’re outside the Academy, so it won't cause a scene like last time, and the Saintess is here, so it’s perfect.”
At my follow-up comment, Celine finally backed down, looking cowed. Seria was already hesitating and avoiding my gaze.
No matter how much they bickered, neither of them actually wanted to start a deathmatch.
Once things quieted down, I had a moment to organize my thoughts. I retraced the events right before I collapsed. The monkey-like demonic beast I saw then.
It was huge. Standing at about two meters, its overwhelming reach from those long arms had been particularly impressive.
Its claws hadn't been visible when it was perched on the wall. But seeing how they snapped out like blades when it attacked Senior Elsie, it seemed it usually kept its weapons hidden.
Another thing that stuck in my memory was the faint shimmer that had gathered on those claws.
“…Aura?”
“What are you talking about?”
At my unconscious murmur, Reto asked back. I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head with a bitter smile.
It was a wild imagination. How could a demonic beast use Aura? Aura was a crystallization of mana that only beings with both intelligence and mental imagery could master.
Even if a demonic beast could possess intelligence, it couldn't train its mental imagery. That was a domain unique to the human race.
I figured I’d have a chance to discuss this later. More importantly, a name suddenly came to mind, and I asked.
“By the way, how is Senior Elsie?”
“…Ah, that woman.”
Celine’s reaction was cold. It was understandable, since I had been injured while protecting Senior Elsie. Celine’s logic was surprisingly consistent.
If someone caused me to get hurt, they were an enemy. That was also why her relationship with Seria had soured.
Seria spoke up cautiously.
“S-she was working with me. Since we heard Haster’s voice and knew you were awake, Senior Elsie will probably be here soon…”
“I see.”
I cut Seria off to signal that no more explanation was needed.
My eyes were fixed on the space beyond the open door. There, a pointed hat was peeking in tentatively.
“…Senior Elsie.”
At my low murmur, a small girl appeared, fidgeting.
With brown hair, eyes like blue sapphires, and a cute, lovely appearance.
She was a woman who perfectly suited the description ‘doll-like.’
“H-hello…”
Fiddling with the brim of her hat, Senior Elsie avoided my eyes. Perhaps she felt guilty in her own way.
It seemed I would need to have a private conversation with her.