Denied Access and Alleyway Madness
The Central Library, reserved exclusively for elders and faculty, was connected to the general library, which students could freely enter. To reach it, one had to cross the cloud bridge spanning the two buildings and scan an access card to open the door. Teachers had the function built into their staff IDs, but executives like me had to get a card issued by the librarian on the spot each time.
After school, I headed straight to the library and went to the librarian first thing for the access card.
"Charity Holy Mark? You're that new student who just got selected?"
When I revealed my status and requested the Central Library access card, the librarian scanned my face and asked.
I nodded and replied, "Yes. It's only been a short while since I was chosen."
"What's your business at the Central Library?"
"I need some materials to write up a proposal for student council work."
"Ah, a proposal... Alright."
The librarian's tone was stiff as a board. Even though we were strangers, her wariness toward me was plain as day. I had no idea why she was so on guard. Maybe some weird rumor about me had spread, or perhaps she was just prickly by nature.
As she scowled and tapped away at her keyboard, she suddenly raised an eyebrow as if remembering something.
"Oh, right. Do you have a permission slip?"
"Pardon? What permission slip...?"
"You need one from an elder, the chairman, the principal, or the vice principal. Policy changed recently—no slip, no entry."
"Ah."
To join the Central Knight Order, you needed a recommendation from an archbishop or higher. To enter the Central Library, now a permission slip. Anything with "Central" in the name always required pulling strings from someone above you. Unless you had solid backing or were a master brown-noser, you couldn't get anywhere in this system.
[That's the foundation keeping the church hierarchy intact. They push and pull each other to foster a sense of belonging among their own.]
Legba spoke up as I wandered aimlessly through the general library, swallowing my disappointment.
[Besides, don't you have ties to the chairman? Exploit that properly, and it should work fine.]
"......"
I nodded silently. Chairman Kim Chang-won and I were on decent terms; a permission slip from him would get me in without issue. With the proposal due tomorrow, I was about to head straight to his office without delay.
Thud.
"Ah! ...Sorry."
But then my foot caught on something like a curb, nearly tripping me. I blocked the sharp glares from studying students with a quick apology and checked what I'd stumbled over.
Someone's foot was sticking out from under a desk, dangling limply on the floor. She was slumped over her chair like she was lying down, using her hair as an eyemask against the light, dead to the world—you could carry her off without her noticing.
[That's a back-breaker and a neck-snapper of a posture. These kids need to fix their sitting habits first...]
Legba muttered in lament. Calling them "these days' kids" made him sound like an old fogey, a bit grating to hear, but he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Hey."
I tapped her head to wake her.
"Nngh......"
Jeong In-ah made a weird noise and barely sat up. She roughly smoothed her now bird's-nest hair and stared at me blankly with sleep-hazy eyes, squinting like she couldn't see well.
"Mm... Huh? Whoa! What?!"
She slowly straightened up, then freaked out belatedly. The studying kids' sharp stares stabbed at us again. She lowered her voice, bowing and apologizing around with "Sorry, sorry."
"Uh, let's get out of here first......"
She whispered in my ear, glancing around nervously. I nodded and followed her out of the library in a hurry. Even on the way, I could feel the prickly stares from the studious bunch.
Clunk!
At the library entrance, by the bike rack, Jeong In-ah pulled two cans of instant coffee from a beat-up vending machine. She cracked one open and drank it right away, handing the other to me.
She brushed dried yellow leaves off the bench with her sleeve, sat down, and looked up at me.
"You don't usually come to the library, do you? First time seeing you."
"First time today."
"Right? I'd remember if I'd seen you......"
She trailed off mid-sentence.
"Sit down already! Why are you standing there like that? It's making me anxious."
"What's with the sudden attitude......"
"Just sit, quick!"
Unable to resist her urging, I grudgingly sat beside her. She clutched her coffee can with both hands, head down, then took a sip and glanced at me.
"So, why'd you come to the library? To study?"
"Nah, student council stuff. Need to research something."
"Oh, student council... I thought maybe our Do Seon-woo finally decided to hit the books. As if you'd do that!"
Her face darkened briefly at "student council," then brightened with an awkward smile. Her playful tone was small and trembling; her words felt off somehow. She clearly wasn't thrilled about my student council involvement.
"You're here to study, right?"
I changed the subject.
She nodded vigorously, crossing her legs.
"Yeah, I come to the library every day if I'm free. All day long."
"Really? Not to nap?"
Teasing her, she dropped her gaze in embarrassment and ran a hand through her hair.
"Ah, earlier I was just super sleepy for like 20—no, 10 minutes. I studied hard before that."
"You were out cold."
"......I'm the type who sleeps short and deep. Studying's all about stamina management too. Gotta nap in the afternoon to pull an all-nighter."
She mumbled. Her pouty lips and chattering made her look like a cute chick; I couldn't help but chuckle.
That only soured her mood more; she narrowed her eyes at me.
"Why're you laughing! I didn't say it to make you laugh."
"Got it, got it."
"Your replies sound like you're soothing a kid—"
"Hey, I said I get it. Won't laugh."
"......You're still laughing!"
Jeong In-ah said, face flushing. She wore an oversized ivory hoodie over her uniform; it flapped like wings when she got mad. Watching that made it even harder not to laugh.
She bit her lip, glaring at me subtly. Finally, she sighed like she'd run out of steam, head down, sipping her coffee. Then she suddenly winced, clutching her back.
"Back hurt?"
"Nah, not really hurting bad. Hm, just a bit... Maybe studied too hard?"
Her fingertips trembled with pain, but she forced a smile.
"Bad posture?"
"Huh? You think?"
"You're crossing your legs now too, and earlier when you were sleeping, your posture was..."
She uncrossed her legs at my words, straightened up, and smoothed her skirt.
"No more pain! So stop nagging."
"This isn't nagging; it's concern."
"Who’s concerning who? You’re the one always hospitalized."
I had nothing to say.
"......That's different."
"Different my foot! You're just dodging 'cause you're losing. Anyway, I'm fine. Learned a new trick lately."
A faint light trickled from her fingertips. An minuscule amount of divine power, so subtle you'd miss it without focus.
She drew a thumbnail-sized blessing circle and a palm-sized one. They fused naturally soon after, the emitted light wrapping around her back like a gentle caress.
"Ta-da! See, no pain now."
"......What'd you do?"
I couldn't tell what she'd done. Was it a blessing? Healing? No clue.
Jeong In-ah beamed proudly.
"Mixed regeneration blessing and healing, ratio about 7:3? Kills pain, heals a bit, barely any side effects."
"You can control the ratio?"
"Yeah. Like this, and this—easy if you get the hang of it."
Like how adjusting ratios changed things, or even if you could adjust them at all. She said "just do it right somehow," but her explanation was too vague and unhelpful; I had no idea what she meant.
She grinned at me.
"Pretty cool, huh? Thinking of entering it in a short paper contest. Gotta win first place. Think I can?"
"Cool, yeah, but first place might be a stretch."
"Ugh, can't you just say I'll get first? Give me some confidence."
She poked my shoulder with her flapping sleeve, smirking mischievously. I laughed along with her.
"Fresh idea, solid. First place seems possible."
"That's basically pity......"
She muttered with a wry smile, checking her wristwatch. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she shot up—only to hunch over again from back pain.
"Whoa, crap. Been out too long. Time's tight......"
"Rest if it hurts."
I pointed at her back.
She shook her head firmly, resolute.
"No way! Skip today, and I'll wanna skip tomorrow too."
"One day off won't kill you. Call it condition management."
"When you put it like that, uh, well......"
She paused on her way back to the library, pondering. She'd noticeably thinned lately. Exam crunch, skipping meals for study—no doubt. I'd learned from before: she had a bad habit of skipping food when depressed or hyper-focused.
"Still, I'll finish today's study. Rest tomorrow. Better that way."
She smiled brightly. I worried she'd collapse again, but she was dead set on no breaks today. I sighed.
"What if you get sick on exam day?"
"Psh, won't happen. I'm fine, fine. Pushing hard 'cause I aim for first this time. After exams, I'll party hard."
"First place?"
Her goal was sky-high, absurd even. But seeing her effort, maybe not impossible...... Still, it puzzled me. She didn't seem the obsessive, greedy type.
"Figure if I top Florence, paladins might listen to me a bit, y'know? ...Just trying to aim big. Studying for first might land me around 20th."
Her bright smile gradually dimmed. I averted my eyes, at a loss for words.
She'd aimed for first in midterms to overcome the frustration from visiting the Knight Order for her sister. Awkward to stone-face or brush it off lightly.
Jeong In-ah gave an awkward smile.
"Hey~ don't make it weird. Not my first rodeo."
"......"
"Everyone's got baggage! You, me, Gu Jun-hyeok—we all do. ...Anyway, no need to get all serious. Got it?"
She scolded playfully, cheerfully. Like she was cheering me up to avoid gloom. But she wasn't in a position to comfort others, nor I to receive it.
She skipped over, gently placing her glowing fingertips on my head.
"What're you—"
"Hold still."
She cut me off curtly, fingers dancing over my head. Drawing a blessing circle or healing circle—something.
Suddenly, dazzling light enveloped my head. Brief dizziness, then clarity—mind sharpened, vision crisp.
"How's that?"
"......What changed?"
"Mind clearer? Fatigue gone? Something?"
Come to think of it, my head felt lighter, like heavy stones lifted.
I nodded; she smiled purely, delighted.
"Another new trick! Mixed peace, healing, stuff. Mental healing concept... What do you think?"
"Feels good."
"Good? Phew."
She sighed in relief.
"Made this one for you. You look beat lately."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Meetings, studying—you're crazy busy. So......"
She stopped, checking her watch.
"......Whoa, time flew talking to you. Gotta go! See ya tomorrow!"
She crumpled her empty can, tossed it in the trash, waved, and headed inside. Once she was gone, I started for the chairman's office, thirstily downing my coffee. Pondering her words.
"Everyone's got baggage!"
Ridiculously, it comforted me. She was skilled at consoling, nurturing. Her sister must've been happy under such a sister. On the way, I detoured to a public restroom and puked up the coffee.
*
Dragging heavy steps, I finally reached the chairman's office.
"Aigoo, the chairman's in a meeting right now......"
His secretary greeted me instead. The chairman was tied up in a meeting over some mysterious school incident, ending around 7 p.m., she said. At 5:30, that meant an hour and a half wait—no thanks. Better to swing by the chapel and come back.
I left Florence, threading through stark alleys to the chapel.
[Total waste of steps.]
Legba noted as sunset faded and streetlights flickered on. I laughed hollowly in futility. Some days everything clicked magically; others, like today, nothing went right.
Whoosh!
Lost in emptiness, walking aimlessly, a crumpled can floated lazily toward me. I ducked. Across the street, a woman rummaged a trash bin, hurling whatever indiscriminately.
"Plastic, cans, paper, scrap, bottles......"
Clatter!
Cola cans, paper wads, nails, soju bottles. Harmless stuff, dangerous stuff, potentially lethal. She didn't discriminate. Burst trash bags, grabbing and flinging blindly. No pattern to her madness.
[A lunatic.]
Legba murmured lowly. She looked the part: wild tangled hair, unfocused bloodshot eyes, drooling mouth...... Nothing good came from engaging; I quickened my pace, avoiding her notice to escape the alley.
Crash!
A soju bottle shattered at my feet. The madwoman eyed the green shards, then my face, alternating.
"Glass...?"
Shoulders jerking, she shuffled toward me slowly. Her vacant eyes fixed sharply on my face. Half-open lips revealed sharp, fang-like teeth—not human, beastly. And she gripped a jagged glass shard in her left hand.
"Stay back."
"Glass...? Glass......"
Ignoring my warning, she plodded closer silently. I sighed, eyeing the ring on my left ring finger. The central bone gem pulsed purple.
Currently engraved: probably "Faint" or "Hallucination." Either would subdue one madwoman easily.
"Ah, today really......"
Fine, but today was uncannily cursed. Crack! I smashed the ring against a pole, cracking the gem. Thread-thin mist seeped slowly from the fissure.
(To be continued in the next chapter)