episode_0002
by fnovelpiaIt was about two years after I became possessed that I realized that this was a world in a novel.
To be honest, it wasn’t a very interesting novel. At best, I gave up around chapter 20. The character I was possessed by was also a name I had never heard of before.
So, at first, I thought I had been reincarnated into another world. I only had memories of my life on Earth, and I had become a completely different person.
One thing is certain: even if I had realized the possession a little earlier, nothing would have changed.
The moment I realized the truth about the iceberg. At that time, the war had already broken out. I was serving as a deacon in a small church in a rural village when I received a letter.
It was a conscription notice. A notice saying that I would be conscripted as a military chaplain.
To be honest, I wasn’t that worried. Like the protagonists in the novels I’d read before, I had quite a special talent.
A higher level of divine power than other priests, and an excellent healing ability based on that. That was my ability. That was why I was proud. There must be many people in need on the battlefield, so I was proud to use my ability for good.
At that time, I was a fool full of incomprehensible pride.
A good heart, sometimes it turns into pride. The decision I made was definitely a good decision, so pride grew like a snowball.
People would praise me until their mouths were dry, and I would live like the main character in a novel. It was an imaginary result of my pride and vanity.
So, at that time, I applied for conscription with a light heart to the point of being reckless.
Looking back now, I shouldn’t have done that. I should have refused to be drafted. Even if I had to rot away in prison, I could have at least lived a decent life.
The ear-splitting roar of gunfire is still vivid. The sight of human limbs disintegrating before my eyes is still vivid. The sight of blood-soaked rats poking their heads out of the corpse’s eye sockets is still vivid in my mind.
Before the Ice Age, there was a great war on Earth called World War II. Of course, I only learned about it in history, but I didn’t actually experience it. I was born in a time when the war ended.
Peace in our time. Peace governed by absolute power. It was the life before that had become accustomed to it, comfortable, and lazy.
So, it might be especially difficult for me.
A great war broke out in the world of the novel. To me, who survived those six years of hell.
The more I desperately try to prolong this hellish life, the more suffocating it becomes. The more medals I wear on my chest, the more they squeeze my throat.
It felt especially unbearably burdensome to me.
* * * * *
The entrance ceremony ended around noon.
The freshmen dispersed to explore the dormitories and classrooms where they would be studying, while the senior students, excluding them, headed to the library or training center.
It was because the first semester midterm exams were just around the corner. Freshmen didn’t have to take the first semester exams, but the situation was different for current students.
“… So lively.”
The training grounds that could be seen through the window were already occupied by students who were fully engaged in training. I stared blankly at the lively scene, then lowered the blinds and slowly looked around the darkened professor’s office.
A desk and chair for working. A magic crystal ball for communication that occupies one corner of the desk. A large bookshelf, a sofa, a table, etc. All the furniture is luxuriously decorated, giving the professor’s office, which is not full of things, a certain dignity.
It was very business-like, but it was also fully equipped to welcome guests. I was quite satisfied. I could really feel that this was the world of an academy novel.
I just blanked out for a while. To keep my mind clear of distracting thoughts, blanking out my mind was the best thing to do.
To me, the meaning of distracting thoughts is that it will definitely be a time of suffering so much that I will want to die.
– Knock knock.
There was a knock on the door. The corners of my mouth slightly lowered, as if my alone time had been interrupted.
– Professor. It’s me. The one we met on the bench earlier.
“… Come in.”
If it was someone I had met on the Academy bench, it seemed like the female professor I had met when I was in a state of panic for a moment. That was why I felt a sense of rejection at first.
It wasn’t common for me to show myself like that, so I didn’t want others to see me.
‘… Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do.’
With a bitter smile, he personally went to the door and opened it for me. It was the arrival of an unwelcome guest.
“Excuse me… .”
Braided blue hair, a cone-shaped hat and a cane in her hands. The robe, which looked slightly thick, slightly exposed her shoulders. Her deer-like eyes, shining like the night sky, looked this way.
So, it was the female professor I had met on the bench. The female professor who had found me coming out to greet me at the door smiled brightly and bowed her head slightly.
“Ugh, you looked unwell from the bench earlier… I was a little worried, so I came to check.”
“Ahahaha… .”
“Oh, Professor. I’m sorry. Isn’t it so sudden?”
“… No.”
I tried to force a smile, but even that didn’t work very well. So I just gave up.
When I greeted her with a stiff expression, the female professor’s face became a little sullen. I wondered if she thought I was not happy.
… Thinking about it, I didn’t deny it because it wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Please sit over here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
The female professor sat down on the soft sofa. Then, she began to look around the office with a curious look in her eyes.
“Hmm… . I always feel this way, but theology professors all decorate their offices in a simple way.”
“Haha… . You’re saying it indirectly by saying I look shabby.”
“Oh, no…! I didn’t mean it like that!”
She strongly denied it, waving her hands. I smiled bitterly and brought the teacup over to her.
“It smells good. What kind of tea is it?”
“It’s just cheap black tea. Sorry.”
“Oh, no! Black tea is good! I like black tea.”
Hururup—.
The female professor frowned as she drank the cheap black tea, then pursed her lips as if trying to savor it. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her innocent and innocent behavior.
“Pfft.”
“Ah…! I’m sorry, I was so embarrassed.”
“No.”
She turned her gaze to my nameplate on the desk. I closed my eyes and concentrated on savoring the cheap black tea.
“Professor Antonelli… . What an unusual name. Are you from the Holy Land?”
“Not me, but my father.”
“Ah… .”
“Excuse me, but your name is… .”
Her expression suddenly turned sullen. I just stared at her blankly, not knowing what was going on.
“You don’t know my name?”
“… ?”
“Esther. Esther Garrett. The new professor of fantasy magic. We were in the lecture hall together earlier… .”
Now that I hear it, it seems like that might have been the case. As I smiled bitterly and took a sip of my black tea, she turned her head sharply, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
“You’ve been drinking only black tea since a while ago! I was so worried about you!”
Now that I think about it, I remember how he had been particularly concerned and concerned about me on the bench. I remembered how I hadn’t been very happy to see him earlier, and I started to feel a little sorry.
“I’m sorry, Professor Garrett. Thank you for your time.”
“Huh. Okay, I understand! … Are you sick or something? You really looked unwell earlier.”
“… Well, a little bit.”
“… Huh.”
“Professor Garrett, it’s not something you should worry about. It’s a bit personal.”
“Well, I’m sure you know your physical condition much better than I do.”
After exchanging a few words, her sullen expression suddenly relaxed. Then, this time, she started wiggling her fingers a little.
“And…you can call me Esther.”
“… Yes?”
“No, that… .”
I could tell without even looking that my face was covered in a look of bewilderment. She blushed bright red and continued talking nonsense, then sighed as if giving up.
“… Actually, I transferred from another academy. Since I don’t have any close professors… . I ended up eating alone… .”
I chuckled at the cute sight of her pouting lips.
“Starting tomorrow at lunchtime, let’s have a meal together, Professor Esther.”
“Ah…! Yes! So… . Professor Lucio. Hehe… .”
I never allowed you to call me by my name.
‘Okay, okay.’
He seemed like a slightly eccentric person. Judging from the way he seemed to be so visibly happy, I wonder if he is naturally cheerful.
I closed my eyes and savored the black tea. The bitter taste of cheap black tea lingered in my mouth.
“Hmm… Professor Lucio, you seem to really like black tea. If you need it, can I give you some high-quality black tea leaves later? I have a lot of leftovers from gifts.”
When I opened my eyes, I met the doe-like eyes of Professor Esther, who was also sipping her black tea.
“… It’s okay. I’m not drinking it for the taste.”
“Ah, then…?”
“Professor Esther. Did you know that they drink black tea even in the middle of a battlefield?”
Professor Esther made a face as if to ask what he meant. I continued to speak, silently looking at my teacup.
“Everything is in short supply in the field. There is a shortage of dishes, horsepower, and even fuel to start a fire. It is unimaginable that cooks would be preparing meals in the midst of the chaos at the front lines where fierce fighting is taking place.”
“Ah… .”
“So, in the field, we usually eat combat rations that are supplied. They have a long shelf life, are easy to cook, and rarely spoil.”
The tea leaves of cheap black tea were floating around. I blankly stared at the black tea leaves sailing through the vast ocean of black tea.
“Curiously enough, the combat rations also came with black tea bags. Along with a little sugar cube. Do you know why?”
“… … .”
“After a fierce battle, when I felt a little better, I always drank black tea. When I mixed bitter, cheap black tea with sugar cubes that were so sweet that my tongue was tingling, I felt like I was still completely human just by being able to enjoy this kind of leisure right now. Black tea was a kind of stimulant on the battlefield.”
It was a cheap, popular type of black tea. It tasted bitter when I said that.
I took my eyes off the teacup. Professor Esther’s eyes were wavering. I looked at her without avoiding her eyes.
“There are demons roaming the battlefield. The number of demons I have exorcised alone must be more than five.”
“Professor Lucio.”
“Have you ever seen a person being torn apart? You will probably never forget it. And you were drinking tea in the midst of it all. I.”
Because even in such a terrible situation, I felt like a monster, not a human, drinking tea or something.
That is why, paradoxically, I drank black tea in order to somehow maintain my already shattered humanity. It was a way to escape from the hellish reality, even for a second.
To me, black tea meant that.
“… Professor Lucio. Did you fight in the Great War?”
… Oops. I think I brought up something too heavy without realizing it. I put down my cold teacup.
“It’s just an old story. Sorry for bringing up a heavy topic.”
And then I came out of my thoughts. Then, to my dismay, a pair of eyes filled with tears came up to my nose. Next to me was Professor Esther, who had already come over to the sofa where I was sitting.
“Oh, I’m surprised. Haha… .”
“Professor Lucio. Starting tomorrow, let’s definitely eat together.”
“Oh, yes.”
Professor Esther muttered, holding my arm tightly. I nodded in agreement at her solemn tone.
I thought, “Thank goodness I didn’t have a seizure this time.”
Day 1 of my appointment to the Academy. I have someone to eat with.
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