episode_0003
by fnovelpiaDirt poured into the trench. I covered my head with both hands.
A rough pile of dirt hit the back of my hand. It must have been a large rock that fell, but the back of my hand was throbbing and sore.
My vision became blurry. The noises coming from all directions became deafening. My face distorted from the painful ringing in my eardrums.
Someone grabbed my face. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t see properly. The person who grabbed my face shook my head back and forth and shouted something.
“… Get ready! I want to die… ! Not yet… !”
I blinked blankly. Instead of looking at the face of the person who had grabbed my head, I stared blankly into the empty space beyond my shoulder. Looking at the distant mountains, for some reason, my heart felt at ease.
I don’t think about anything. I don’t feel anything. Just like this, just… .
… tata tang! bang! kuang!
“… Huh!”
My mind suddenly snapped. The sudden sound of gunfire and shells piercing my ears was sharp. The pungent smell of my magical circuits burning out in an instant stung my nose.
“Father Antonelli! Can you hear me? Come to your senses! Hey!”
Only then did I begin to see clearly the face of the person who had been shaking my head.
This is Lieutenant Colonel Mayhem. The two eagles that shine in the center of his crooked hat are impressive.
Thank goodness I’m still alive.
Gulp! Gulp! I vomited out the dust that had gotten all the way to my throat. I was out of my mind due to the continuous barrage of shells.
“I can hear you. It’s okay, Commander. What happened… What happened?”
“The battalion command post has been hit by artillery fire! Your location has been compromised! We must evacuate immediately!”
“What is that… .”
“Hey! You over there! Get Father Antonelli and evacuate! Quickly! He shouldn’t be returning from a place like this!”
Someone put their hands under my armpits and started dragging me somewhere. My arms were hanging limply. I could see blood flowing from my shoulder. Was it some unlucky shrapnel?
“At the battalion command post… . Artillery fire fell… .”
“Priest! You must not speak! Please stop the bleeding!”
The soldier who was dragging me shouted, “But they need me. I need to heal them.
I stared blankly at Colonel Mayhem as he walked away. Colonel Mayhem was screaming, the blood in his throat rising.
“Fuck! The crystal ball is dead! Observer! Enemy artillery fire?!”
“Magic wave detected! Enemy battery heat shield ready! Currently loading high explosives!”
“When on earth is friendly fire support coming! Signal Chief!”
“Communication Captain, you are dead!”
“Damn it! There must be at least one signalman left! Tell them to deploy the signal magic circle right now! Right now!”
Kururung—!
“Smoke observed from enemy positions! 20 seconds until impact—!”
The observer screamed, throwing down his binoculars. Colonel Mayhem, who had been fighting bravely more than anyone else, shouted.
“What the fuck, if you want to live, get down!!”
“10 seconds until impact—!”
The observer threw himself into the trench, panting, and let out a shriek.
With everyone lying flat on the floor, I saw.
She tried to somehow drag the wounded who were crying outside the trench into the trench.
“Oh, no…!”
“Everyone, get down! If you’re worried about your life, get down!”
I was annoyed by the soldier’s hand that was pulling my body. I had to help her, but I couldn’t. I cried out loud.
“Helena! Just come in and leave me alone! Damn it! Crawl in here and get down on your stomach! Helena—!”
“5 seconds to impact! 4… 3… !”
Colonel Mayhem, who was also a 5th circle magician, deployed his magic shield with all his might. However, perhaps because he used too much magic power, it was a very thin, truly insignificant shield.
Enemy fire is imminent.
“Enemy shells falling—!”
High explosive! Shit! It’s going to explode! We’re going to die! We’re all going to die!
And then the shelling. In the middle of the trench. Right in front of my nose. In the rubble of the collapsed trench.
So, on her head.
“Helena! No—!!”
“Ugh… !”
My breathing came out of my chest. I felt excruciating pain in my left chest. My face contorted involuntarily.
My heart was pounding hard. It was as if I had run a marathon without stopping. The sound of my heart pounding echoed fiercely in the dark room. My lips were trembling.
“Gasp, ugh… . What the, shit, foot… .”
I quickly looked for water. My hand reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. After slipping a few times, I was finally able to grab the glass. I tilted the glass and emptied it in an instant.
“Hoo… .”
The empty cup left my hand and rolled carelessly across the floor. It rolled and came to a stop when it hit the wall.
I wiped my face with both hands. Cold sweat dripped down my face. I leaned back and found a pillow soaked with sweat in my hands.
I didn’t have the strength to be annoyed. My body leaning against the wall sagged. I barely managed to raise my head and look at the clock on the wall.
6:47 AM. The hour and minute hands were sharper than ever before. My mind was screaming with extreme fatigue. Waking up like this every hour, there was no way I could get a good night’s sleep.
“… I have to go to work.”
The academy starts work at 8 a.m. sharp. I have to finish preparing for the lecture by 9 a.m. It’s time to get up anyway.
I took a deep breath for a moment, then slowly got up from the bed. The trembling had subsided. As if nothing had happened, my heart, which had now become quiet, was so annoying that it was driving me crazy.
I threw the damp blanket into the laundry basket and started filling the bathtub with water. My whole body was sticky, so I thought it would be difficult if I didn’t take a bath. At that unpleasant feeling, I frowned.
“… This sucks. Seriously.”
It’s a dirty morning again. Just like any other day.
* * * * *
Chloe was in a good mood from the morning. She kept humming.
Today is finally the first day of class at Chaldea Imperial Academy.
“I’m taking classes at Chaldea Academy… . I’m so excited… .”
Elin, with her droopy dark circles under her eyes, staggered beside Chloe, who was crossing the Academy campus with sparkling eyes.
“I couldn’t sleep a wink because of you… Aren’t you tired?”
“Hehehe… . I’m so excited I can’t sleep, what should I do!”
“What are your expectations? Commoners like us can only play the role of hangers-on?”
“What are you talking about! Everyone is equal at the Academy!”
“Oh my. You’re really a revolutionary… .”
At the sight of her innocent friend, Elin shook her head. It seemed that Chloe had not yet realized reality.
“Do you think the nobles just played around and got into the school? Those nobles are all elites who have received support from their families since they were young, with private tutoring, training, and family vision. It’s on a different level from those of us who got in by luck and passed the exam. We just have to work hard and lay the groundwork. That’s what I’m saying.”
“… Oh, no? I’m confident I can work hard too. I’m so talented in magic.”
“Okay. Do your best.”
Just as Chloe’s lips began to protrude, Elin ended the conversation with incredible timing. Seeing Chloe’s somewhat uneasy expression, a snicker escaped my lips.
The two chatted about this and that as they entered the main building of the academy. A faint scent of coffee wafted from the entrance.
“Was your first class theology? We were in class A, right?”
“Hehehe. Yeah. It was worth studying hard.”
Chloe and Elin studied so hard that their eyes were bloodshot. Even if their test results were good, it was truly an incredible thing that they both got into class A.
Chloe took out the pamphlet she had been given yesterday and looked at it. Among the densely written descriptions of the first class that would be held today, one name caught her eye.
– Professor Lucio Antonelli, the theology teacher for class 1-A.
“Professor Antonelli… . This person teaches. How does he teach?”
“That guy looks a little sick.”
“Elin! What kind of a habit is that, Professor…!”
Chloe, who couldn’t hide her excitement, and Elin, who had an indifferent expression, walked slowly.
How long had it been since they walked? The two stopped in front of the classroom. Elin glanced at her watch. The hour and minute hands were pointing to 9:20.
The lecture started at 9:30 AM. I arrived a little early, but once I opened the classroom door, my thoughts changed.
Chloe wasn’t the only student who was excited about her first class. Looking at the students who had already filled more than half of the classroom, Elin let out a sigh of admiration.
“You’re all so diligent. ”
Chloe and Elin slowly entered the classroom. The students were all taking out their notebooks and writing instruments, or greeting and getting to know each other for the first time.
“I saw it once yesterday, but the classroom is really clean.”
“It’ll be hard to clean… .”
As she sat down in the middle, she had a clear view of the podium in front of the lecture room. Chloe was secretly delighted at the thought that she had found a good spot.
It was a slightly smaller stage than the one I had seen in the lecture hall. It was impressive to see a podium that was chest-high and occupied the entire back with a large blackboard.
Chloe’s eyes rolled here and there. Then, she caught sight of what she was looking for and her pupils dilated.
“Ellen! Look over there! In the front row!”
“… You are the young lady of Adelheid. How come you keep your back straight even when you are just sitting?”
“I want to be friends with you… . But, it’s impossible… .”
Chloe’s eyes were filled with regret, as if she was looking at an ex-lover. Elin looked at her with a tired expression.
“Really what the… . That’s serious. It’s serious. ”
“Elin, don’t you want to be friends too? I’ll have to talk to you later.”
“Work hard. Okay.”
Elin was lying face down on the desk, absentmindedly looking at her wristwatch.
The current time is 9:29 AM. The second hand moves every moment. 57 seconds, 58 seconds, 59 seconds…
Knock knock! Knock!
The noisy classroom suddenly became quiet at the sound of the door opening slightly roughly. The front door of the classroom opened and a man stepped into the classroom.
Crunch. Crunch.
It was a man dressed in a well-tailored black priest’s robe. The robe extended down to his ankles and resembled a coat.
Roughly-tied black hair. Pale complexion. Dark circles around the eyes and glasses resting on the middle of the nose. The eyes behind the glasses were lifeless.
The man who had reached the center of the stage placed several books on the desk. After looking at the books for a moment, his eyes began to scan the students who filled the classroom.
“… Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you.”
The man’s eyes slowly scanned the classroom, then turned to the front row.
And then, for some reason, Chloe noticed that Adelheid’s daughter flinched as her eyes met his.
“I am Professor Lucio Antonelli, who will be teaching the theology class for this year’s first-year class. I am also the parish priest of the Academy’s main church. Please take good care of me.”
Professor Antonelli smiled weakly. The sound of applause came from somewhere, and soon the lecture room was filled with thunderous applause.
Clap clap clap!
Professor Antonelli’s body flinched once as he received the applause, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. It was as if he was barely holding back his rising irritation.
Professor Antonelli, who had been silent for a moment, soon opened his mouth nervously.
“… From now on, during my classes, clapping will be prohibited. Do you understand?”
At those cold words, the applause suddenly—cut off.
“Student. Do you understand?”
Those lifeless eyes turned to the student who had first started clapping.
“… Yes, yes?”
“… Is what I am saying difficult to understand?”
“Oh, no. Yes… . Okay, okay.”
“Okay.”
A cold silence fell over the classroom due to Professor Antonelli’s attitude, which was far beyond expectations.
“… hiccup.”
Chloe’s hiccuping sound echoed quietly.
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