episode_0020

Teo’s end was quiet.

It’s certain. It’s still vivid.

But at night, I hear Teo’s scream that I’ve never heard before. My younger brother’s horrifying scream echoes in my ears. I know it’s a scream only heard in my nightmares. I know it will disappear when I sleep and wake up, but even knowing that…

When I hear Teo’s crying, I can’t think or judge anything. I just drown in agony, shedding tears together. Tears of sorrow and regret never dry.

-Sister.

-Save me.

-Sisssss, it hurts too much-!!!!

-Me! It hurts so much… save me!!

Sigh…

Sigh…

Stop, please stop. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Really sorry. Because it’s me. If it wasn’t me…!! Why did it have to be me….

‘Whispering sound…’

I hear a whispering sound. Even though I lie on the bed unable to move, I hear a voice. Whose voice is it? I don’t want to listen. This must be a dream too. A nightmare that will disappear when I wake up. Please. No…! Don’t come.

-Be, Beatrice!

Even with my eyes closed, I see her. Yulia’s figure. Her beautiful violet eyes. The fading light of life. Her eyes are losing their vitality. She falls to the ground without strength. Her head. Her lifeless body collapses, spewing blood from her neck.

“Aaaah! Stop, stop..!!!!”

I screamed and got up.

Finally, I regained consciousness and control of my body. One second felt like a day. Today’s sleep was particularly painful.

“Hack.. Hack.”

Breathing heavily, I finally return to reality. I wanted to curse, but I didn’t even have the energy for that. All I could do was take a deep breath and exhale.

I got up from the bed and picked up the wine glass on the table. I finished the leftover wine from last night. I can’t stand the thirst. Only strong alcohol makes me forget the terrible memories. I sat in the soft chair in the corner. It’s still dark. I need to sleep a little more…

The bed… I can’t go back to bed. The warm bed leads me into a deep state of sleep and brings me back into nightmares. It’s better to doze off in the chair. A little discomfort will keep me here. Before the sweat dries like rain, before feeling the cold… I take off my clothes, cover myself with a blanket, sit in the chair, and close my eyes again. Hopefully, morning will come like this.

*

Chirp chirp chirp-

Morning has come.

My throat was sore and my back hurt after sleeping in the chair. I brushed aside the tangled hair that obstructed my view and moved to the dressing table.

I looked at myself in the mirror while continuously brushing through my untidy long hair with my hand.

My condition is the worst.

Because of the dog-like nightmare.

In the mirror, as if advertising that I didn’t sleep well, dark circles had formed under my eyes. The pale skin made the tired eyes look even more prominent. The fatigue from the nightmare was deeply ingrained.

“It’s troublesome…”

I picked up the cosmetics on the dressing table. Normally, I would have just left it there, but today, I had to cover it up. Today… I need to pay attention.

After finishing my makeup, I chose my clothes. It’s a daily routine, but it felt unfamiliar today. I buttoned up the blouse and… a skirt… a skirt? Yes, I’ll wear a skirt today. I put on a clean uniform and wore an armband on my arm. A symbol of being a member of the student council.

Looking in the mirror, I finally adjusted the collar of the blouse. Then I thought about unbuttoning one button. No. It’s better to look neat.

“You’re up early?”

As I finished getting ready and came out, Letitia was in the living room. She looked disheveled as if she had just gotten up. She was heading towards the bathroom.

“Yeah, I’ll leave first today.”

“Got it. See you later~”

I waved the hand that held the sword to Letizia and left the dormitory.

*

The “Basic Self-Defense” class is a common subject taken by students from different military departments such as Imperial Studies, Knights, and Magic. On the surface, its goal is to teach students from non-military departments the minimum ways to defend themselves. Conversely, for students from military departments, it was an opportunity to encounter culture and intellectual discussions.

In reality, it was a more complex class. Since students from the Imperial Studies department would be important figures leading the nations of the continent in the future, marking them would open up more opportunities after graduating from the academy. Conversely, for students from the Imperial Studies department, it was a popular class in many ways, as it was a stage where they could first look at knights or talents needed for the country in the future.

Sigh-

Even though I seemed to have arrived quite early, many students had already taken their seats. It meant that this class was popular and all the students were looking forward to it. The seat right next to the window caught my eye. No, precisely, the man sitting there did.

I froze in place. I knew what I had to do, but I was nervous. With a firm resolve, I was approaching him, but inside, I hoped this distance wouldn’t narrow. What should I say? How should I greet him? What did Beatrice say in the novel?

As I pondered, our distance narrowed. He noticed me too. His golden eyes were visible. For a moment, it seemed like his expression stiffened. Was it a misunderstanding?

“Um, excuse me, about the seat—”

“Good morning! Karl.”

My small voice was drowned out by his loud and confident tone.

Daniella popped out from behind. She briskly went and sat next to the handsome blond man. Ugh… she’s quite something.

Daniella turned her head and scanned me. It was an unspoken pressure to leave. I also glared at her, but soon resigned and turned away. I couldn’t cause a disturbance here either.

“I’m actually glad… I was too nervous, so I think it’s better to talk again later.”

I retraced my steps and found an empty seat. After some time, the professor entered the classroom, and the first class on ‘Basic Mana Control’ began.

“Not being able to handle mana and not being able to sense mana are different things.”

“If you can feel it, can’t you control it?”

Surprisingly, I became engrossed in the lecture on the dynamics of mana in this world, silently responding to the professor’s remarks.

“Most of you gathered here in the Imperial Studies Department possess exceptional intellect. Many of you can also feel mana. You just can’t control it.”

“The most important thing for protecting your body is discerning danger. Sensing dangerous situations. So, the first topic is the process of sensing and interpreting mana. Let’s work on developing the ability to quickly grasp what the mana around you is trying to change into and what it signifies.”

“Now! Students from the Knight Studies Department and the Magic Studies Department who will assist in interpreting mana, please come forward.”

I rose and made my way to the platform. The students of the Martial Arts Department, including me, moved forward and looked up at the classroom. I noticed the Imperial Studies Department students sitting in the steeply sloped classroom. In my case, I only saw one male student.

“Imperial Studies students, activate the magic tools assigned to you in advance. Your numbers will appear.”

At the professor’s words, hologram-like numbers appeared in various places where the seated students were. The number 7 appeared in front of the man I was looking at. His number was 7, a lucky seven…

“Students standing at the platform should draw a number from the box and sit next to the Imperial Studies student with the same number.”

“Please…!”

This was my chance. Getting closer in class was the best option. Otherwise, I might die of embarrassment. If I don’t naturally start a conversation like in the original, I don’t know how I’ll get closer to you!

With a heart full of disbelief in the gods, I took my hand out of the box. I unfolded the paper.

7…! It’s 7!! I saw a 7 on the folded paper. Whether I looked sideways or turned it over, it was 7. I felt like it would fly away, but I held back because there were many eyes watching. Instead, I smiled while looking at Daniela. It was a smile close to laughter.

“Beatrice, would you like to exchange papers with me?”

“Why should I?”

“I need that paper. It’s different from yours.”

“I don’t think I need it.”

“Just a moment!”

I turned my gaze and saw the man sitting by the window.

He’s the person I’m paired with.

Ignoring Daniela’s voice coming from behind, I approached him. He was a handsome man, albeit unwillingly so.

I sat silently in the chair next to him. The desks were connected. When I got closer, I couldn’t speak.

“Hello?”

“….”

In the end, Karl spoke first. His golden eyes shone as he looked at me.

“I’m Karl Mayer. And you, Beatrice?”

“Uh, um… Yeah.”

I wanted to ask how he knew, but this guy is the protagonist, so of course he knows me! Not the heroine Beatrice… So, I couldn’t think of anything appropriate to add.

Karl smiled at me. Normally, I would have asked why he was smiling, but I guess I’ll just laugh. He was a fan of the original work, so he must be thrilled to become the protagonist and see the heroine in person…

-Once everyone is seated with their partners, I will send five signals to the Magecraft of the Imperial Studies Department. Each signal contains a mana formula. It could be a message or a precursor to a cast spell. Please review with your partner and write down the answers.

When the professor finished speaking, Karl’s Magecraft resonated. The pre-entered mana formula had activated.

“Lady First.”

“….”

Brazenly, Karl handed me the Magecraft. I took it with a bewildered expression, making sure not to touch his hand.

“It seems Lord Mayer isn’t confident in his interpretation?”

“Our family is quite famous.”

The Mayne Duke of the Empire is well known, hmm… He concealed a message with mana. “I think a sandwich would be good for lunch.”

I materialized the wave of the magic tool in my hand and interpreted it.

“Can I take a look?”

“….”

Ha…! You don’t trust my interpretation?

I placed the magic tool on the desk, between the knife and me. I gestured that he could take it. He slowly raised his hand to take the magic tool. After seriously examining the wave, he picked up a pen and wrote down the answer on the paper.

“It’s the message.”

“That’s right.”

Disappointed that he didn’t trust me, I retorted bluntly. He looked at me and smiled before examining the next wave of the magic tool.

“It’s an attack spell. It’s forming the basic spell structure of ‘Fireball.’”

“Are you sure?”

I extended my hand and said,

“Give it here. Let me see.”

Once again, he handed me the magic tool with a smile, and this time, I was careful not to touch it.

“It’s a Fireball.”

“That’s right.”

Look at this guy…

Subtly, a sense of competition arose, and we immediately moved on to the next problem. During this time, without realizing it, the tension eased. We actively completed the answer sheet and submitted it to the professor. As we submitted quite quickly, we had some spare time while waiting for the other students.

“Did you join the student council?”

“Yeah.”

Looking at the belt on my arm, he asked,

“Hmm… Have you already joined?”

“What?”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

He quietly muttered, “Strange…” It might have seemed a bit awkward to mutter to oneself, but since it was him, it didn’t seem particularly awkward. Ha! What a dirty world.

“I think a sandwich would be good for lunch.”

“Yeah. Right, it was the first spell structure answer.”

“No, I mean let’s have sandwiches for lunch.”

“Oh, uh??”

The exhaustion accumulated from the nightmare during the night vanished completely. With a smile, Karl continued to gaze at me. Dazzling golden light. A dazzling man. Unknowingly, I felt like I would be sucked in. His light was shining solely on me.

“Thanks to you, the first class went smoothly. Let’s have sandwiches together. I’ll buy.”

Really…

It’s an unfortunate laugh.

“W-Well, okay!”

I couldn’t refuse like a fool.