CH 24

༺ The First Letter (24) ༻

Early in the morning, my eyes opened on their own. It was because my body remembered the time I always wake up at.

Assuming that I didn’t drink too much the night before, I just washed my face and prepared to head out. For most of the students attending the Knight Faculty, their morning schedule was dedicated mainly to training and lectures.

Human body is like a precise machine. Without proper lubrication every morning, it won’t react on time when it’s necessary.

This was common sense. Thus, there were only a few diligent students who would swing their swords from dawn, while the majority of the other students would choose to warm up by swinging their swords for a little while before breakfast.

It was a daily routine shared not only by the academy students but also by most swordsmen.

But unfortunately, I’ve been skipping the morning practice for a few days.

It wasn’t intentional. Rather, I wanted to practice. I had to rest for a day or two. However, if you don’t move your body for a few days, the feeling of lethargy intensifies.

My body, which had always been light, suddenly seemed heavy. Just like anyone else,this was an extremely unpleasant sensation, especially for a swordsman.

The swordsman’s body had to be a sword in itself. There should be no incongruity, whether it be in body or mind. But now my body isn’t in its optimal condition.

The desire to stand up right now and return to daily life was ringing like a bell. But I couldn’t do that because of the bandages wrapped around my body right now.

Every time I looked at those clean, soft gauze, I realized that I was still injured. It’s white now, but the bandage I saw when I first opened my eyes was a complete mess.

It was covered in clotted blood and pus. The horrendous scene shocked me more deeply than the throbbing pain.

When the priests infused divine power, the recovery speed of my wounds increased. It was normal for the bleeding to stop as well. However, the fact that there was blood and pus on the bandages even when I woke up meant that the degree of my wounds was severe.

I must have almost died, and when that realization dawned upon me, my drive to go out and return to my daily routine just fell apart.

Now is the time to quietly focus on getting better. No matter how quickly I wanted to return to my daily routine, it was meaningless if my body didn’t properly heal. I was the one who would suffer a loss if I rushed my recovery.

So every morning when I woke up, I would stare blankly out the window or pass some time reading some of the books Leto had lent me.

Even by just looking at the titles, these books didn’t seem interesting. ‘History of the Empire’ or ‘Introduction to Social Theory,’ who would ever read these? It was the same question I used to ask myself every time I looked at the books arranged in the library.

As expected from a guy like Leto. He knew that I hated theoretical books, yet he still lent only those types of books. No matter how much I thought about it, it was a malicious action.

I tried reading ‘History of the Empire’ because I was bored. Having read ten pages of the book, I soon couldn’t stand it anymore and closed the book. It seemed that I would be better off sleeping and getting more rest.

It was around that time that a new crack occurred in my current daily routine. Suddenly, I felt a presence outside the door and soon the door opened with a squeak.

Is it Leto and Celine? Otherwise, it could have been Professor Andrey of the Theology Faculty who was in charge of my treatment. However, the identity of the visitor who soon appeared was none of the above.

Gray hair that exuded a noble shine. Deep blue eyes radiating a profound light as if they were carefully crafted from the stars adorning the night sky

Her face was stiff. Some people might mistake it for an irritated expression, but I knew. That the expression on her face is the one she makes whenever she’s nervous.

As evidence of that, after she entered the hospital room, she kept standing there for a long time, not knowing what to do. She was the same as always.

Looking back, it must have been the first time she had visited a friend of hers, so I greeted her with a subtle smile.

“Seria, you can come in.”

“Ye-Yes. How have you been… A-Are you all right?”

Seria, as always, bit her tongue. Her face turned slightly red, and I chuckled at her cute appearance.

I blinked and beckoned her to sit next to my bed. Seria carefully sat down on the chair. There was joy in my voice.

“I’m glad you came, Seria. If not, I would have been so bored.”

Then I grabbed the book I had just closed and shook it slightly. I showed her the cover.

“I asked him to bring me something to read, and he left these books behind, that bastard.”

“I see…….”

My complaining voice was quite calm, but Seria’s speech was tense, as if she forgot how to talk. Her eyes were restless.

It meant that the current situation was uncomfortable and stressful. Seria’s reaction within the realm of expectations, so I decided to lead the conversation.

“How have you been? I heard some news, but I couldn’t even see your face.”

There was a teasing tone in my voice when I asked that question, but Seria’s response to it was quite dramatic. She immediately started flailing her hands anxiously.

“That, that, that’s not… I-I was just wondering if I made Senior Ian angry after having made such a big mistake…….”

As she kept talking, Seria’s figure became more and more deflated. It seemed that her last mistake had hurt her self-esteem.

Guilt must have been plaguing her. The wounds of the heart always fade in solitude. Seria, who had no one to consult with, had no courage to face me. As a result, she kept struggling all day in front of the temple.

Wondering whether she should visit me, or whether I will get angry.

I’m her first friend. It must have been that terrifying for her. Even now, she is watching me intently.

At that clumsy look, I chuckled again and burst into laughter. Seeing Seria squinting and squirming in front of me all the time, she felt like a puppy left alone in the rain.

If she paid even a little attention, she would have found out that I wasn’t furious. However, since the Seria, I know, isn’t proficient in socializing. So, I don’t think she realized it yet.

So, I outright said to reassure her.

“I’m not mad, Seria.”

At those words, Seria’s complexion brightened at once. She anxiously asked.

“Re-Really… … ! Ah… Are you serious?!”

In the meantime, she bit her tongue again, but now I was used to it, so I didn’t even bother to point it out. Seria still felt a little nervous, as she lowered her head with a blush on her face.

“Why would I be mad in the first place? I was the one who told you to go in the first place. In addition, it was also my choice to stay behind and fight. You’re not at fault for listening to me.”

“Well, if I had listened to Senior Ian’s advice in the first place…….”

“Anyone can make a mistake.”

Seria’s mouth was shut close upon hearing my nonchalant tone. I continued talking as if nothing had happened.

“Everyone in life makes one or two stupid mistakes. It’s in those moments that you need a friend. If one of them does something outrageous, you swear at each other and bicker, but eventually you reconcile.”

So you need a few friends you could rely on, because there are times in life that you can’t solve things on your own.

For example, I had friends like Leto and Celine. I was always grateful to them for being by my side. Having someone with whom you can share joys and sorrows enriches your life.

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I wished for Seria to have such a friend. It would be nice even if it wasn’t me. I just wished there was at least one person who would support her whenever she was in trouble.

Because she looked unstable now. As a senior, it was an obvious wish for a junior you were concerned about.

“Last time, you just were the one who accidentally made the mistake, and next time it might be me. So don’t worry, in the end it worked out anyway, right?”

And to be honest, I had no real reason to be dissatisfied. It was due to the fact that I got a pretty good harvest after dealing with the beasts that day.

Looking back, even the huge amount of 70 gold that came out as a bounty was nothing more than a side income.

The day I fought a life-or-death battle with the demonic beasts, I was able to take a step further as a swordsman.

That included the use of the aura, the sharpness of my senses, and even the movements of my body.

It was like an intuition. I was convinced that the me before that day and the me after that incident were leagues apart as a swordsman.

I’ll have to hold the sword again to find out the details, but even if I don’t, the amount of mana flowing through each one of my veins was already proving my growth.

Among the accomplishments a swordsman could achieve, there could be no greater income than this.

Of course, it would still be at a level lower than that of Seria. Nevertheless, it was clear that the fight that day was a precious opportunity for me.

Rather I should thank Seria, I ought to be grateful and there was no reason for me to be angry. That’s why my attitude toward Seria was so lenient.

However, Seria, unaware of such circumstances, seemed to have been quite impressed with my attitude.

She looked at me with blank eyes for a while, then shook her head and managed to return to her senses.

And as if she had made up her mind, she pulled a pouch out of her pocket and held it out to me. It was a pouch of gold coins.

“Ehm, Senior Ian… … .”

“Is that supposed to be ‘compensation’ again?”

Before she could finish her words, I asked Seria with a probing look.

Perhaps taken aback by my response, Seria shook her head and strongly denied it.

“Oh, no! This is the reward I received in advance after I told Professor Derek. In return for subjugating that demonic beast… I heard that it is better to get the money you deserve as soon as possible.”

If that’s so, then. Without saying a word, I took the pouch and counted the approximate amount of gold coins.

The pouch was very heavy. At first glance, it looked like there were over 70 gold coins.

I took a deep breath and returned the pouch.

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“Seria, you gave too many gold coins.”

Seria’s eyes widened at my words. I guess she didn’t expect me to notice.

She didn’t understand how. The subjugation reward might be like pocket change for Seria, but it was a huge sum for the second son of a countryside Viscountcy such as me. There was no way I wouldn’t notice.

“The bounty was 70 gold, right?”

“Ha, but…….”

Seria bowed her head at my stern voice and began stuttering. I waited patiently for her to speak.

“……You saved my life.”

Hmmm, I swallowed a sigh and looked at Seria gently. It sounded like a whisper, but I heard it clearly. A slightly softer voice.

It was an unbelievable voice to come from that blunt Seria, and it was a sorrowful tone.

“That’s why I wanted to compensate even a little bit. Because I don’t think my life is cheap.”

“Even so, I don’t want a dime more.”

I heaved a deep sigh and declared that. And before Seria could even retort, I forcibly placed the pouch on her hand again.  

When her hand and mine touched, Seria’s body trembled and flinched. Her gaze dimmed again.

It seems like I’m losing my mind a lot today, will I be all right? But I decided not to pay close attention to it.

I put the pouch in her hands and wrapped mine around hers. It was because I was afraid she might drop it.

Seria’s hand was soft and warm. It was hard to believe that she was someone who had wielded the sword her entire life.

“Your life is not cheap, you got that?”

“…… Ye-Yes.”

Seria nodded her head, as if enchanted by my words. It was a strangely docile response. Her face was slowly turning red.

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She seemed ashamed of me holding her hand. However, if I were to let go, she might give me the pouch and instantly take her leave, so I decided to remain in this state for a while.

“So you can’t put a price on it. Life is not something you can weigh on a scale… You are more precious than you think, so cherish yourself.”

“Pre-Precious…….”

Seria repeated my words like that with a flushed face. Is she even properly listening to me? I was a little suspicious, but there was no sign of rebellion in Seria, so I let go of her hand.

Then, Seria exclaimed “Ah” in a regretful tone at that moment, and as soon as she came to her senses, she bowed her head.

Flustered, her face was red up to her ears. It was even more noticeable because my skin was so white.

She remained silent, avoiding my gaze for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

“Well then, I’ll just…….”

“Are you leaving already?”

We only chatted for a bit, so I had no choice but to ask as I was sad that she was already leaving.

Because if she left, I would have to spend the time alone in boredom. However, Seria’s attitude was quite resolute.

“Ye-Yes… Well, the morning practice isn’t over yet…….”

I pursed my lips and expressed my regret, but I had no choice but to accept that Seria had a fair point. She had her own schedule as well.

Just as I was about to say good-bye to her.

“Ian Oppa! Good morning… Ah.”

With a cheerful voice, dark hair suddenly emerged from the door. It was Celine, a pretty girl with brown eyes.

She tried to greet me with a smile on her face, but her expression hardened as soon as she saw Seria.

Seria was also stunned. Surprised by Celine’s sudden appearance, her body stiffened.

Silence lingered for a moment. Celine was staring at Seria silently while Seria hesitated and avoided Celine’s gaze. It was an awkward situation for Seria.

The moment I thought I should act.

Seria tried to lick her lips as if she had been brave enough.

“The-Then ta-take car–”

But before she even finished speaking.

With a thud, Celine’s shoulder slid past Seria’s body.

My eyes widened at the attitude of not even registering Seria’s existence in her eyes, and the rude action beyond my imagination.

Seria’s shoulders slumped immediately. Others might not know, but I did. The fact that Seria now was heartbroken.

But Celine didn’t even care about her feelings. Instead, she smiled and greeted me as usual.

“Hello, Ian Oppa. How was last night?”

I frowned slightly. Naturally, my reaction to that greeting was not good. Even if it was their first meeting, there was no way I could feel comfortable with her openly ignoring my acquaintance.

Naturally, I confronted Celine.

“Celine, why did you……!”

“Then I’ll leave you two alone.”

But I couldn’t go any further. It was because Seria bid me farewell, as if nothing had happened.

My eyes turned to Seria. It was an incredulous look. You’re being ignored like this. How can you accept that?

In my eyes, Seria, as if she was accustomed to such behavior, smiled slightly and left. I felt even worse, as if I had just been trampled on by shoes that had just stepped into the mud.

Celine glanced at Seria with an icy gaze without saying a word, then snorted and sarcastically said as she left.

“Shameless bastard, that rude bitch.….”

The voice that was hissed out through her teeth was filled with sharp hostility and resentment. So I had no choice but to frown even more.

“Celine, are you seriously…….”

“Moving on! Ignoring that cheap bitch, so how were y-you yesterday? Could it be that you couldn’t sleep at night because you kept thinking of Celine, my dear Ian Oppa?”

But Celine smiled coquettishly, as if nothing had happened, and just poked me with her finger.

The silent pressure to not pry more.

In the end, I sighed and accepted her mischiefs, but from then on I seemed to have noticed.

There was a subtle conflict between Celine and Seria, or perhaps even more serious than that.

I remembered the advice I got from Leto a while ago.

‘The world of women is much darker than you think.’

Oddly enough, those words struck me.