Ch.163162. Journey? (4)

# 162. A Trip? (4)

Gloria appeared alongside our classmates.

After looking back and forth between the three of us, Gloria stared at the sword in my hand and the bow in Amelia’s hand before speaking.

“Um… what were you doing?”

“”Just a simple warm-up exercise.””

When Amelia and I answered simultaneously, Gloria let out an incredulous laugh.

“Haha… warm-up exercise… well, let’s say that’s what it was… Anyway, let’s hurry and move on. The next schedule awaits us.”

“Where are we going this time?”

Upon hearing that question, Gloria immediately turned around.

Then, looking at our classmates, she answered.

“Our next destination is the wall that served as the battlefield of the Lester War and became the grave of 100 million people.”

Certainly, visiting such a place would be beneficial at this time.

Of course, it might be too much stimulation for students like us.

‘That’s a good place to visit.’

From my perspective, believing that such stimulation should be received from a young age, it was a perfect travel destination.

However, Amelia seemed to have a different opinion.

Though she didn’t voice it.

‘Her expression is full of discontent…’

While heading toward the wall, mixed in with the group, I approached Amelia who was at the very back of the line.

Her expression seemed full of dissatisfaction.

I asked Amelia, who wore such an expression.

“You really don’t like this, do you?”

“Me?”

“Yes, it’s quite obvious.”

Amelia had a subtle expression on her face.

In the mysterious atmosphere created by that face, Amelia asked me.

“What do you think?”

“I’m thinking positively about it.”

“Don’t you think it’s too much pressure?”

Pressure…

Of course, I understood that perspective.

No matter how much we are the future of the Empire, we’re still just 17-year-old students before that.

“It is pressure, but isn’t that the point in the first place?”

It was true that it was putting pressure on us.

The difference lies in how that pressure affects us.

“So you think it will have a positive effect?”

“Of course.”

“Humans aren’t that strong, especially children like you.”

It seemed Amelia thought the students wouldn’t be able to withstand that stimulation.

Of course, that’s often the case in reality.

When such shocks become trauma and hinder one’s future.

“But if they entered the Imperial Academy, shouldn’t they have been prepared for at least this much?”

And I think they passed the entrance exam because they were prepared, but looking at their recent behavior, my thoughts were changing.

“Even so, that place is too much. You’ve been there too, right?”

“If someone is scared of that level, they’re not suited for this place to begin with, at least not here.”

“…”

After hearing my words, Amelia seemed to be lost in thought.

It seemed there was something I didn’t know.

After contemplating for a while, Amelia asked me with eyes that were different from usual, quite unfitting.

“Then… am I also someone who doesn’t fit in here?”

“…”

Seeing her say such things, it seemed Amelia was also one of those who couldn’t handle that stimulation.

And that fact struck me as very unfamiliar.

‘That’s unexpected…’

It was very unexpected.

The Amelia I knew wasn’t like that.

Rather, she was someone who had endured that burden demonstrably.

But it seems the reality was different.

‘Still, she’s not someone who doesn’t fit in.’

There are always exceptions.

Like the person in front of me right now.

“No, Amelia is still someone who fits in well here.”

“Why? I couldn’t bear the burden and ran away?”

I spoke to Amelia, who had been saying uncharacteristically weak things since earlier.

“But you overcame it in the end, didn’t you?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Then you’ve overcome it.”

It’s not that the process isn’t important.

However, it’s true that the result is more important than the process.

“As long as you overcame it in the end, that’s what matters.”

“Isn’t that too results-oriented?”

“It can’t be helped, since it was a story where the result was important from the beginning.”

Even if you couldn’t endure at first, struggled, and ran away, what matters is that you came back and eventually overcame it.

But I couldn’t help feeling that the burden I was talking about and the burden Amelia was talking about seemed different.

‘But this doesn’t make sense at all?’

For Amelia to be unable to bear the burden of carrying the future of the Empire…

It was incomprehensible to my common sense.

“It’s really surprising. I thought Amelia wouldn’t care about such burdens…”

“How could I not care when I’m a hero?”

“Ah…”

It seemed the burden Amelia was talking about was the burden she had to carry as a hero.

‘That makes sense.’

Indeed, even for someone like Amelia, that would have been difficult.

After all, there are fewer than five such individuals in the entire world.

“Being a hero must be… tough, especially since you didn’t choose to become one.”

“Exactly…”

If it was the burden Amelia was talking about, not the one I mentioned, then it was indeed excessive.

“That level is definitely too much, absolutely.”

“Even if it’s not to that extent, it’s still too much. Do you think all kids are like you?”

It seemed Amelia thought even what I had mentioned was too much.

“I think they’d be fine without going to that extent…”

“By the way, is it okay for you to keep talking with me like this?”

“Huh? Why?”

Amelia, who asked such a question, had been staring at one spot for a while.

And there, I could see Rachel and Luna looking this way with frowning expressions.

“Why are they like that?”

“How would I know? You should know.”

“Still, as a fellow woman, you might know something…”

“Maybe they wanted to play with you but couldn’t.”

“Why with me?”

Amelia burst into laughter at my question.

I asked Amelia, who was suddenly roaring with laughter.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You… really have no sense.”

“Sense? Suddenly?”

“You should thank the princess, and for now, go over there.”

“…”

Leaving Amelia, who was saying things I couldn’t understand, I headed to where they were.

Rachel immediately asked me, as if she had been waiting.

“What were you two talking about so much?”

“Nothing special.”

“You always say it’s nothing special… Then why did you leave in the middle? Just the two of you with Reina!”

“I went out for some fresh air, and she just followed me.”

For some reason, I kept making excuses in this situation.

It felt like I was a criminal being interrogated.

“If you stay inside all the time, it gets boring…”

“We’ve arrived. It’s inside there.”

Just as I was making excuses, we timely arrived at the wall.

It was protected by some huge building to shield it from the ravages of time.

Gloria pointed to that building and said.

“Let’s go in right away.”

Gloria showed us with unhesitating steps, and we followed.

At the entrance of that building.

When we arrived there, two officials appeared as if they had been waiting.

Those officials informed us of the precautions.

“Those with heart conditions or who cannot bear to see cruel things should step aside separately. Also, please suppress your magical power as much as possible inside the building.”

After hearing that explanation, Gloria looked at us and explained again.

“Since it’s quite a cruel place, those who don’t want to see it, please step aside now.”

However, despite the two explanations, not a single person stepped aside.

Everyone seemed prepared.

‘They’re not Class A for nothing.’

I don’t know about other classes, but seeing this scene now, I could only think positively.

And Gloria, who seemed to have the same thought as me, smiled contentedly and finally moved into the building.

“Wow…”

As soon as we entered the building, a hideous smell assaulted our noses.

Ironically, it was a smell I knew all too well.

‘The smell of blood…’

And it was similar to the smell of human blood.

I looked toward where the smell was coming from, and there was a huge structure.

‘The wall…’

The massive wall finally revealed itself.

The wall had an appearance that looked like it would collapse at any moment, as if it had been attacked by enemies.

And the numerous corpses scattered near the wall.

The owners of the smell I had been sensing since earlier entered my field of vision, involuntarily making me frown.

However, Gloria explained the scene with an unfazed expression.

“This scene preserves the brutality of the Lester War as it was, including the atmosphere and smell of that time.”

As I listened to that explanation, I observed the expressions of my classmates.

Everyone was frowning like I had been earlier, and some looked like they were about to vomit.

This scene was indeed inappropriate for children to see.

However, it was also a scene from which one should not avert their eyes.

“Most of these corpses are of humans, that is, citizens of the Kainis Empire. Some of these corpses even belong to students the same age as you.”

Gloria continued slowly, observing the students’ expressions.

“We may be fine now, but no one knows what will happen. As time passes and war progresses, we could end up like this too.”

Then, finally looking at my face, she said.

“That’s why we must strive not to end up like that.”