episode_0284

Episode 284: The Day Before the Graduation Ceremony (3)

The lowest-grade dormitory. The place that had been my home for the past two years. I returned there.

Of course, it’s no longer called the lowest-grade dormitory. Embarrassingly enough, it’s being called a sanctuary. They say it’s because it’s the space where Saint Kyle Arden and Saint Estella lived.

The Tianis side says they’re going to turn this dormitory into a memorial hall or something. They say that’s the plan since both Estella and I will be leaving after graduation. I didn’t really care. This dormitory was originally scheduled to be demolished anyway.

Well, it’s not always called something good. Since my lovers and I lived together, some unpleasant words have been attached to it. For example, sex… ahem. So, I gave appropriate punishment to the kids who attached too malicious words.

I returned alone to the space I could call home. Estella didn’t come with me. I just… told her to go to the Holy Kingdom. That would be better for her.

As expected, Estella didn’t listen and stubbornly stayed at the Academy. She’s currently staying at the student union building.

“Hum-hm~.”

As I approached the dormitory, I heard Lana’s humming. Her small but catchy humming inexplicably made me feel good.

Listening to it, I soon saw Lana in the distance. She was sitting on a bench with her summoned beast, stroking it.

It’s always a beautiful sight. A scene that evokes the word peace. I made some noise to announce my presence and approached her, who had her eyes closed.

“Huh?”

She opens her eyes. Her brown eyes turn towards me. They’re beautiful eyes that make me feel like I’ll fall into them again today.

“Kyle, you’re here?”

“Yeah. I’m here. Am I a little late?”

It was already 11 o’clock. I was going to come earlier, but I was late because I was comforting Estella.

Lana shook her head and replied.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t bored because I was playing with the kids.”

“That’s a relief then.”

It doesn’t seem like she’s saying that to be considerate of me. I smiled and sat down next to Lana. Her summoned beast glared at me as if telling me not to disturb its time with its owner, but I ignored it. What are you going to do about it?

Lana stroked the summoned beast and said.

“Hehe, is it because I give too much attention to Kyle? The kids have become jealous.”

“…I wish you would only pay attention to me.”

“Is Kyle jealous too?”

“……”

I didn’t answer Lana’s question. This alone was enough of an answer.

“But you know that’s not possible.”

“…I know.”

To a summoner, a summoned beast isn’t just some being. It’s a lifelong friend and companion with whom they’ve made a contract with their soul. Like a married couple.

But even knowing that fact didn’t make me feel comfortable. The more attention she gives to her summoned beast, the less attention is given to me. Now that I’ve regained my memories, that feeling has grown even stronger.

Perhaps noticing my feelings, Lana moved closer. And then she opened her arms wide and hugged me.

“Aww, Kyle is cute.”

I don’t know what’s so cute about me. If anything, it’s the opposite, and I couldn’t agree with Lana’s words. But I didn’t particularly avoid it. Lana’s embrace was warm against me.

Afterwards, Lana pulled away and asked.

“Did you come back alone? I think Estella came back too.”

“For now… I came back alone. There’s something I want to say separately.”

“To me?”

“Yeah. To you.”

In fact, there’s so much I want to say to Lana. Maybe even more than Estella. That’s because Lana was the most special person to me.

So, I came here with a firm resolve. But when I tried to speak, the words wouldn’t come out. That’s because I felt sorry for her even before I loved her. My guilt towards her is greater than I ever imagined.

“Eep.”

At that moment, Lana got up from the bench. After sending her summoned beast back, she held out her hand to me and said.

“Kyle. Shall we take a walk for a bit?”

“…Okay.”

Did she read my hesitation? Lana made that suggestion. I didn’t refuse. I took her hand and stood up.

The area around the dormitory is quite a sight to see. There are flower beds and gardens that weren’t there before, and the paths are well-maintained without being bumpy.

All of this is the result of Lana and I creating it. We started tinkering with it little by little on weekends when we had nothing to do, and before we knew it, it had changed like this.

The students sometimes come to this area because it’s different from the Academy’s central area. Of course, not with good intentions. Since it’s far from the center and a bit secluded, couples come here to do this and that. I was so annoyed having to chase them away every time. It’s now a memory, but sometimes I hated it.

Anyway, we walked around the dormitory. Slowly and leisurely.

“Graduation is tomorrow.”

“Yeah. It’s already graduation.”

“I used to think 3 years was a really long time. But now that it’s here, it feels short, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does.”

I nodded at Lana’s words. Time feels long when you’re going through it, but when you look back, it really only feels short. I’ve lived a long time, but that thought hasn’t changed.

“Oh, you know what? The professor told me that Kyle is the valedictorian of the engineering department this year.”

“Oh, really?”

I kind of expected it. There are very few people in the current 3rd grade who have reached Master, and I was the most outstanding of them.

“And… I’m also the valedictorian! Valedictorian of the magic department. Did I do well?”

“Yeah, you did well. So, we’re graduating as valedictorians as a couple?”

“Hehe, it’s embarrassing when you put it like that….”

Lana twisted her body and said.

“More than that, what are you going to do after you graduate, Kyle?”

“Well… there are a lot of things I want to do.”

“Like what?”

“First of all, take a leisurely rest.”

It can be a city or a mountain. I just want to build a house and live in it, wake up leisurely in the morning, and spend the day watching the outside. Sometimes I want to eat delicious food, sometimes I want to have a quick meal, and I want to watch the world go by.

“Is there anything else?”

“Hmm… if I had to say, traveling? It’s pretty much an extension of what I just said, though.”

In the end, traveling is also one of the things I want to do to see the world. I haven’t seen the whole world yet, so I definitely want to do that. Either way, it’s based on the world I created.

“What about you, Lana? What do you want to do after you graduate?”

“I….”

She pondered deeply. And then she smiled and replied.

“I want to go on a trip with Kyle. The hot springs we talked about before. I want to go to a hot spring in the East Continent.”

I definitely said that before. That’s a pretty good idea. The East Continent is like the East, so it has a mysterious feel. So, it’s a good place to travel to, just like the Holy Kingdom.

“I… I want to do that too. I want to go on a trip with you, Lana.”

But I want to go on a trip that’s not just a trip, but a trip with a special meaning. That’s what I’ve been planning since before I regained my memories.

I wanted to go on a trip with the woman I love….

After that, we kept walking. We walked around the dormitory once and returned to the bench we were sitting on earlier. We sat there again.

“Kyle.”

A quiet call. There was no liveliness in it, and Lana’s voice had a different seriousness than before. I answered the call.

“What is it, Lana?”

“Are you… are you going to do good deeds again?”

I nodded slightly and said.

“Yeah. I’m going to do good deeds.”

Yeah, let’s admit it now. I’m going to do good deeds.

Until now, I’ve always thought of everything I’ve done as being out of whim or because it was beneficial. I couldn’t help it. I abandoned the duty of the protagonist and died as a villain, so I didn’t think the word “good deed” suited me.

But in the end, it was a good deed, as Lana said. Just like she’s been saying all along.

“……”

Lana swung her legs back and forth on the bench. She had a thoughtful look on her face, and after a while, she opened her mouth.

“Actually… I remembered?”

“Remembered what?”

“What that person, the one I met at the amusement park a year ago, said to me.”

Come to think of it, that happened. The time when some god appeared in front of Lana. I asked the god of the Holy Kingdom, but I couldn’t find out who it was. I was too busy until now, so I had temporarily forgotten about it.

I swallowed hard and asked.

“What did that person say?”

“What did he say…. He said that my love will come true. Definitely. But not right away. I have to be apart for about a year. The reason is… because the world is unstable, I think he said.”

“……”

I could finally figure out who that bastard was. There was only one bastard who would say something like that. But just in case, I asked.

“What color was that bastard’s hair?”

“It was black. The same as Ariel’s.”

“What about his face?”

“Hmm… I don’t know about his face, but his atmosphere was kind of similar to Norang-nim. A playful atmosphere.”

“Is that so?”

With this, I knew for sure that the bastard who appeared in front of Lana was that damn bastard. For a moment, I was filled with anger that that bastard had appeared in front of the person I love, but at the same time, I felt relieved.

But in the end, I felt sorry. Either way, I had to be away from them for a while.

I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let them get hurt again. I had to give them at least some peace of mind before I left.

I turned my body and faced Lana. Lana also looked at me. I said to the woman I love.

“Lana. I said I had something to tell you, right?”

“Yeah. You said that earlier.”

“So, about that….”

I didn’t like that I had to say this in this situation, in this atmosphere, with these words. I wanted to say it in a better place, in a better atmosphere. So, I’ve been holding it in until now…. I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk about it after today.

So, I said it. The thought that I’ve had in my heart for a long time.

“Will you marry me? No, let’s get married.”

These aren’t words asking for permission. Because I think you feel the same way as I do.

“……”

And, Lana was silent. I asked back with an anxious heart.

“You don’t, li-ike…?”

“No, I love it! Let’s get married, Kyle! Let’s get married when you come back!”

Lana, who smiled brightly, ran to me. She rubbed her face against my chest, expressing her joy. I felt relieved for a moment. Thankfully, she felt the same way as I did.

“I’m sorry. That I have to leave for a while.”

“It’s okay, Kyle. I can wait.”

“That….”

I hesitated. I felt sorry for saying this while we had to be apart. But it was something I had to say. The target of my apology wasn’t just Lana.

“Please… tell my sister. Tell her everything.”

“Ellaim unnie?”

“Yeah… please, tell her well. So that my sister doesn’t get sad.”

“Okay, Kyle. I’ll tell her well.”

“Thank you….”

Ah, I can only give pain every time. In the past and in the present, I only give them pain.

Still… I’m glad I can marry you again.

“I love you, Lana.”

“I love you too, Kyle.”

That day, I kissed her.

It was truly… warm, soft, and full of happiness.