Chapter 55

“Ah, Antorelli, Li… Priest. I have a request…”

Mmm.

It’s cold. I’m hungry and uneasy.

“Here, this… for my mother…”

Torn paper. A letter. Stained with blood. A yellowed letter.

So, there are lumps of lead. Torn, holed, bleeding flesh. Right?

“The address is… written at the bottom, so…”

Mud. Sticky soil. An unknown bug running through the mud, crawling on my skin.

“If you could deliver it for me…”

And, and…

The wind. The wind blows. Whoosh, it goes.

It was the wind blowing from the edge of the cliff. My pupils quiver, and the banquet of the rats gradually loses its warmth due to the wind.

The wind blows. Carrying the scent of iron, from this side to that. From there to here.

The wind blows. This time with the yellowed paper, from this side to that. From there to a further place.

Suddenly, my body shudders. It trembles. The wind blows again. And then, it settles.

“……”

“Ah…?”

Hatred is chained. The person who was killed by someone was precious to another. This abnormal cycle is certainly wrong.

So, it’s exhausting. I want to break this chain.

My vision turns red, then blue, and eventually ash gray. I had to see this.

Adding golden hues to the ash-gray that turns red. It was a color born from my hands. Naturally, it was a futile act.

“…I…”

Beeep———.

I hear tinnitus in my ears. No, this isn’t tinnitus.

“…Aaaah—!!”

It was my scream.

And then, the wind blows again. A thick, fishy, lukewarm wind…

“……”

When I opened my eyes, my whole body was drenched in cold sweat. I quietly lifted my body.

The air in the room was hot. A glance to the side of the bed caught my eye at the open window.

The steamy wind of a midsummer night crept in through the crack of the open window along with the faint light. The time was just five in the morning.

It was because the summer nights are short.

“…Ugh!”

Suddenly, nausea surged.

“Whoo…”

The nausea quickly subsided.

There was still a little time left before I had to go to the Academy. I lay back down on the bed to try to close my eyes again.

I closed my eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. My weary body screamed.

The cold sweat soaking the bed, the discomfort brought by the tropical night, the complicated thoughts in my head. The causes were numerous, but…

“…Damn.”

It was indeed because the summer nights are short.

* * * * *

Today is Friday, with a theology class for the first-year A class. I stared blankly at the clock hanging on the wall.

The clock’s hands indicated 9 AM. It was just a little while before the class started.

“Head Priest, you look a bit tired today.”

Sofia Sub-priest looked at me with a worried expression. I simply rested my chin on my hand and stared blankly into space.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to her or that I had some complaint. I just felt like zoning out right now.

Once I zoned out, I would slip into my own world. In that world, I would feel isolated, and in that atmosphere, I wouldn’t want to do anything.

Sometimes in life, it feels that way. Right now, that’s how I feel.

“Head Priest?”

“……”

“Oh my…?”

Sofia Sub-priest tilted her head and approached, waving her hand and scratching her cheek to observe my complexion. I didn’t respond.

The content of the dream I had last night was vague. When I tried to recall it, I felt a sense of discomfort.

For the past few years, it had always been like this, but the peculiar mood of early summer made the unbearable boredom cover my whole body.

Perhaps it’s because Moritz’s doctor appointment isn’t far off. Coming to realize my body is close to being a half-cripple tends to evoke a discomforting and empty feeling.

I refocused my hazy gaze. Suddenly, Sofia Sub-priest’s face, which had gotten close to me, filled my view.

“Head Priest~! Head Priest!!”

Sofia Sub-priest placed her hands on her hips, pouting her lips, showing that she was upset. I weakly leaned back in my chair and replied.

“I’m listening.”

“…You’ve just now replied.”

She seemed to have calmed down quickly, her drooping eyes looked pitiful. The oppressive tedium the stifling summer brought wasn’t something I was feeling alone.

“So, what did you call me for?”

“Regarding the results of the last meeting. I think we need to notify the students before today’s class starts.”

“Um….”

“It should only take a moment. About a minute?”

“Understood.”

Nodding at Sofia Sub-priest, I recalled the contents of the meeting that had taken place two days ago.

The emergency meeting led by Damian Chancellor reached a surprisingly bland conclusion.

Damian Chancellor and a few senior professors who held their own internal discussions decided to inform us this morning of the location chosen for the Grade-by-Grade Duel happening next week.

I discreetly flipped over a photograph I held in my hand. It depicted a beautiful blue coastline with white buildings lined up nicely in a city.

It was a photo of Bruytni, a representative port city of the Empire. It was also the final location where the Grade-by-Grade Duel would take place.

Looking at the photo beyond that lush coastline made me realize it had been quite a while since I had been to the seaside.

“When was the last time I went…?”

I couldn’t even remember. The only certainty was that since I had been possessed, I hadn’t been to the sea even once.

“Oh ho…. Is this the place? The Grade-by-Grade Duel location….”

Sofia Sub-priest gazed at the photo I held in my hand, in awe. I handed her the photo and nodded.

“Yes. It’s called Bruytni. It doesn’t seem too far.”

“Wow….”

Sofia Sub-priest’s eyes sparkled. Just as much as the sea captured in the photo, her eyes were filled with the ocean’s hue.

“I’ve never been to the sea!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Hehe…. I’m kind of looking forward to it!”

– I’ve never been to the sea.

Suddenly, the wind blew from somewhere. I turned my head instinctively.

The window in the Professor’s Office was slightly open. Since the air conditioner was on, I approached the window to close it.

The crack of the window. That thin draft that slipped through felt hot, yet…

– So…. I want to see the sea with my own eyes once the war ends.

“……”

It seemed to carry a faint saltiness, like the wind blowing from the seaside.

* * * * *

Elin gently stroked the hair of her friend sprawled beside her. The delicate pink hair flowed smoothly in response to her touch.

“Chloe, are you sleepy?”

Of course, the owner of the hair was Chloe. Resting her face on the desk, Chloe answered Elin’s question in a mumble.

“Uh-huh… a little?”

“It doesn’t seem like just a little. Weren’t you up late last night?”

“Yawn…. I was reviewing last week’s class content….”

Chloe, who had studied theory until dawn, soon stretched out and blinked her sleepy eyes.

These days, Chloe’s focus was entirely on the Grade-by-Grade Duel.

It wasn’t merely a desire to showcase her abilities. It especially wasn’t because there was someone she wanted to impress.

The reason Chloe was focused on the Grade-by-Grade Duel was simply because of the scholarship.

First-year students do not take exams in the first semester. This is true, but it was a different story for students receiving scholarships.

To receive a scholarship from the Caldera Imperial Academy, one must be considered an excellent student, and one of the evaluation criteria for this is the performance in the Grade-by-Grade Duel.

Moreover, the excellent students chosen in this way can receive letters of recommendation from their desired professors. This is a considerable benefit.

Even though the Grade-by-Grade Duel doesn’t count toward exam grades, other first-year students are genuinely committed to the duel for this reason. Students in her A class are even more so.

There were those who simply desired scholarships, and there were those who wanted letters of recommendation from professors. Many students aimed to achieve good results in the Grade-by-Grade Duel.

Chloe belonged to the group wishing for a scholarship. Unlike students from wealthy noble families, Chloe didn’t have an affluent background, and to maintain her scholarship, she needed to achieve good results.

‘If I fail to rank high…’

If that happens, she’d have to juggle both studies and work.

When balancing studies and work, it’s natural that academic performance would decline, and it would be expected that achieving good results in the next year’s Grade-by-Grade Duel would be rather difficult.

“Ugh…. How’s Elin doing?”

“Well… I’m not really sure.”

Elin was silently reading a book on magic. Chloe was somewhat envious of Elin.

Unlike Elin, who had a specialty in spirit magic, Chloe still hadn’t found a subject that genuinely captured her interest. She had a vague talent for magic, but her specific abilities had yet to blossom.

Naturally, she hadn’t decided on a detailed department that would be divided in her second year.

First-year students learn the foundational knowledge of all magic departments, so they merely refer to it collectively as the Department of Magic. However, when moving up to the second year, Chloe too would need to make a choice.

“27 minutes!”

At that moment, a student’s voice echoed through the classroom. The slightly restless students in the first-year A class turned like machines.

Students who had been sleeping propped themselves up, and those reviewing other subjects quickly put their books away. Professor Antorelli didn’t enjoy students studying other subjects during his class.

Chloe’s wide eyes turned towards the clock on one wall of the classroom.

Even if she was exhausted from preparing for the Grade-by-Grade Duel, it was a theology class with Professor Antorelli that only happened twice a week. There was no way she could doze off.

‘I wonder what lesson he will teach today…’

Chloe’s mouth became dry with anxiety. Other students felt the same way.

The clock’s minute hand was approaching 28 minutes. Soon it was nearing 29 minutes…

Drrr—!

The students staring at the clock froze. A sound that shouldn’t have been heard reached the students’ ears.

Step. Step.

On the podium, Professor Antorelli, with his usual brusque demeanor, was walking forward. Perhaps because it was summer, he was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt instead of his usual stuffy priestly robe.

“Everyone. Nice to meet you.”

Professor Antorelli’s voice echoed through the classroom. Following him, Sofia Sub-priest hurriedly climbed onto the podium.

“I came a little earlier today because there were some announcements to make before class started.”

The students were relieved, looking at him with expressions that seemed to say, ‘Did he eat something funny?’

It was because it was the first time Professor Antorelli had arrived at a time outside of the usual 9:30 AM start.

“Sofia Sub-priest will make the announcement. Sofia Sub-priest.”

As Professor Antorelli stepped back from the lectern, Sofia Sub-priest strode confidently towards the front. Then, her vibrant voice burst forth.

“The location for this year’s Grade-by-Grade Duel at the Caldera Imperial Academy has finally been decided!”

As Sofia Sub-priest spoke, Professor Antorelli began writing something on the blackboard behind her. The students’ eyes widened as they watched.

“…Bruytni?”

The name written large on the blackboard was one the students never imagined.

“This year’s Grade-by-Grade Duel will be held at the Bruytni branch, not the Academy! The reason is… well, you all know, right? Hehe…”

Sofia Sub-priest smiled brightly. The students, who had believed without a doubt that it would be held at the Academy’s duel grounds, looked on in stunned silence.

Meanwhile, as Sofia Sub-priest moved away from the lectern, Professor Antorelli stepped forward.

“I believe everyone is aware of this announcement. If you have any questions, they will be posted on the Academy bulletin board, so please refer to that.”

“……”

Snap!

Suddenly, Professor Antorelli snapped his fingers. The attention of the students, who had been looking elsewhere, shifted back to Professor Antorelli.

“It’s time, so let’s begin the class.”

The students’ gazes turned toward the clock.

Surprisingly, the clock’s hand was pointing exactly at 9:30 AM.

It was the start of the theology class, just like any other time.