episode_0028

“… … .”

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Priest Camilla tossed and turned in bed, the stiff blankets crumpling with her movements.

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I can’t sleep. Seriously.

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It wasn’t because I was emotionally lost after returning to the academy after such a long time. There was nothing that could disturb my sleep, and the soft bed wasn’t uncomfortable either.

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I have terrible insomnia today. I can’t sleep because my mind is clear even when I close my eyes.

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“Sigh… .”

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She jumped up. It was already dark outside. In the darkness, she stepped toward the kitchen.

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After being grabbed by the collar by the head priest Antonelli, a bright red mark appeared on her neck. Because of that, the slight scratchiness of her neck was very bothersome.

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When she got to the kitchen, she filled a cup with water until it was overflowing, then downed it along with a sleeping pill prescribed by her doctor. It felt good to have the cool water flowing down my throat along with the sleeping pill.

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Now, I can sleep.

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She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes. For a while, silence fell over the room.

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Tick, tick.

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Suddenly, the ticking of the clock became noisy. Father Camilla turned his body to try to ignore it.

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“Stop… .”

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Tick, tick.

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It was useless. The ticking of the clock was getting creepier. More and more, louder and louder.

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Tick. Tick. Tick.

– It hurts… It hurts so much… .

A human voice was heard from somewhere. Father Camilla covered his head with a pillow.

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“Stop it… .”

– It hurts… My arm… .

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Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

– My legs… My legs… !

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“I told you to stop—!”

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The pillow she had thrown hit the wall clock right on the wall. The clock, hit hard by the pillow, dangled precariously before falling to the floor.

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Clang!!

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“Haa… . Haa… .”

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With the sound of the clock breaking, she came to her senses. Her face was distorted. The feeling of her pajamas being soaked and clinging to her body was uncomfortable.

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I was quite satisfied with the room finally becoming quiet. Then, suddenly, I realized something.

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The fact that this place is the academy’s dormitory.

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Unknowingly, Priest Camilla bit her lip as she damaged the Academy’s property.

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“That’s why I told you to… .be quiet… .”

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What she did, as always, was to shift the blame to someone else. It was behavior befitting her young age.

For some reason, tears came to her eyes. Priest Camilla buried her face in the pillow. The pillow was soaking wet, but she didn’t care.

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And only then was Priest Camilla able to fall asleep.

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It happened at three in the morning.

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* * * * *

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“Professor Lucio. Did you hear that?”

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Professor Esther said as she put a piece of beef in her mouth. I opened my mouth only after I had swallowed the last bit of bread I had been chewing on.

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“What are you talking about?”

“The priests from the Holy Land are here this time. Because of them, there are already some really ominous rumors going around among the students.”

“… Are you talking about ominous rumors?”

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Professor Esther nodded, her cheeks puffed out. I waited for her to chew and swallow her food.

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Professor Esther continued speaking, swallowing the beef that was filling her mouth.

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“That horror story about the first head priest, Giovanni, that was circulating around the Academy. At that time, priests from the Holy Land visited and found head priest Giovanni covered in blood, right?”

“Yes.”

“Because of that, isn’t this the case that the head priest will be found covered in blood again… . They’ll definitely try to hurt the head priest like before… . These strange rumors are spreading among the students. ”

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I was found covered in blood. It was absurd. I put down my fork and said.

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“That won’t happen. The fact that Father Giovanni was murdered is not only based on uncertain grounds, but it was also just a rumor spread by young students.”

“Yeah, that’s right… ?”

“Which student is spreading such rumors?”

“Probably Daniel student… .”

“… … .”

“Shall I say something sharp?”

“… No. I’ll tell you later. That will be more certain. ”

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Unfortunately, Daniel was doing his best as the head of the Occult Research Department. It was the moment when the truth of the rumor was revealed to be false.

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I silently moved the plate, promising myself that I would say something to Daniel when I met him someday. The harmony of the chicken, the unknown sauce, and the bread that mixed in my mouth was wonderful.

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As I silently focused on the food, Professor Esther sighed and said.

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“Haa… . By the way, I’m worried.”

“What are you worried about?”

“The grade-by-grade competition before summer vacation. The first-year students still have a lot to learn… .”

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Well, I don’t think that’s always the case.

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The couplet was a scene that could be called the flower of academic novels. Usually, when the main character shows off his outstanding talents, the professors watching him become exclamation machines and applaud, which is a predictable development.

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Should we expect Chloe to be active? I don’t know. I don’t know much about magic.

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“What do you think, Professor Lucio? It seems like theology students are also participating… .”

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Theology students are participating? I looked up with a slightly bewildered expression.

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When students from the Combat Faculty and the Magic Faculty fight each other, and students from the Theology Faculty get involved in the fight…

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I think theology professors, including myself, will probably be very busy.

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As if reading my expression, Professor Esther hurriedly picked up her words.

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“Ah…! Theology students are evaluated in other ways, not through sparring. Like the purity of the divine power, or the best use of prayers… .”

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That was it. I nodded and scraped the remaining food from the bowl into my mouth.

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“Wouldn’t everyone be doing well?”

“That’s right…? Well, for the students of the theology department, there is Professor Lucio!”

“I’m not really interested.”

“Ahahaha… . But, where is Deacon Sophia?”

“I sent Deacon Sophia on an errand because I needed something for class on Friday.”

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Since I told you to pay for lunch, you should figure out how to eat on your own.

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After Professor Esther finished eating, we walked around the academy grounds for a while and then parted ways.

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I headed straight to the professor’s office. By now, Deacon Sophia would probably be back.

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Bam.

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“Oh, your high priest. Are you here?”

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And as I expected, Deacon Sophia was already sitting in the professor’s office, drinking tea. I sat down at my desk and asked her.

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“Did you eat?”

“Yes. I took care of it outside. Oh, would you like a cup of tea for me, too, priest?”

“Then, a drink please.”

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There was silence for a while. I handled the materials that Deacon Sophia had brought for the class, and Deacon Sophia went about her own business.

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“Here.”

“Thank you.”

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I brought the black tea that Deacon Sophia offered to my lips. The bitter, cheap aroma of black tea filled my mouth.

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Deacon Sophia hesitated for a moment as she looked at me, then quickly took out an envelope.

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“This is in front of the head priest.”

“Who is the sender?”

“Uh… It says Colonel Mayhem?”

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I took the envelope from her. Judging from the name written on the envelope, Colonel Mayhem, it seemed that Lieutenant Colonel Mayhem wanted to be addressed by the rank of Colonel somehow.

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When I opened the envelope, I saw some very luxurious letter paper. I was about to open it, but then I saw Deacon Sophia standing blankly in front of me and folded the letter paper.

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“Do you have anything you want to say?”

“No. I’m just curious about the contents of the letter.”

“… Isn’t that too honest?”

“But I’m curious, what should I do… .”

“Go and finish what you were doing.”

“… Tsk.”

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Deacon Sophia clicked her tongue and returned to the sofa. I made sure she sat down on the sofa before I carefully unfolded the folded letter.

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– Father Antonelli. It’s a little awkward to write to you separately. Did you have a good day? I went in after having another drink separately, and Melissa got really angry.

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Melissa was Lieutenant Colonel Mayhem’s wife. I raised the corners of my lips slightly and continued reading the rest of the letter.

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– Anyway, this meeting will probably be held on April 16th. If you received the letter on time, that would be this Sunday. The address is attached at the bottom.

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I checked the calendar on my desk. Today was Thursday, April 13th. There were only three days left until the meeting.

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‘… It’s so urgent.’

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I continued reading the letter.

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– I guess you thought it was too urgent. But, my other friends said that they couldn’t make time for me any other day, so please understand.

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Below that was a long list of personal stories. Like how he got scolded so badly by Mrs. Melissa that he couldn’t drink alcohol ever again. But he was going to drink in secret at this gathering.

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At the very bottom was written the address of the meeting place, and when I asked Deacon Sophia, she told me that it was a tavern with some reputation in the city.

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“It’s delicious there. I’ve only been there once… . Why all of a sudden? Are you going to eat? ”

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Honestly, I don’t know. It’s already been three days since I met Colonel Mayhem. I still haven’t decided whether to attend or not.

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As I hesitated to answer, Deacon Sophia added one more word.

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“That restaurant must be incredibly hard to reserve… . If you want to go, you should make a reservation at least a few days in advance. When business is booming, they take reservations a month in advance.”

“… Is that so?”

“Yes. But why are you suddenly asking that? Are you going on a blind date?”

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Deacon Sophia made a smug expression. I shook my head and put the letter in the envelope.

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“Nothing. I was just curious, so don’t worry about it. ”

“Hmm… . Your Majesty, you didn’t forget to go out with me on Saturday, did you?”

“… I remember.”

“I think the reply is a little late… . Am I mistaken?”

“It’s a mistake.”

“Okay then.”

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I put the envelope in my desk drawer. I had already made up my mind whether or not I would attend.

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‘Let’s not go.’

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However, I still had some shame. If a pathetic person like me, who was tied to the past and couldn’t do anything, were to attend, I was sure I would ruin the mood and get kicked out after watching the situation closely.

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However, the only thing that bothered me was that Sub-deacon Sophia said that it was a restaurant that was difficult to make reservations at. It wouldn’t be any different for Colonel Mayhem. He probably had a hard time making a reservation too.

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– There are many friends who want to see you. Especially the soldiers who were treated by you.

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Suddenly, I remembered what Colonel Mayhem had said to me three days ago. Thinking about that, I became even more reluctant to attend.

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My comrades from the Phoenix Battalion, who once fought alongside me. They will not know my wounds, will not understand them, and will not be able to comfort me.

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On the contrary, it was obvious that I would be jealous of their appearance, envious, and resentful of someone. I had no intention of coming back like last time, only to be hurt more.

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When I thought about the countless eyes filled with disappointment looking at me, my heart ached.

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I opened the window and took out my pack of cigarettes. The pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray on the windowsill caught my eye.

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The sight of the smoldering cigarette butts and the cold, cooled ashes of the past looking surprisingly similar to me. I forced myself to look away from the ashtray.

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You want to see me. I… .

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“What do you want to see… .”

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I’m just a nobody.

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I watched for a long time as the cigarette smoke drifted out the window on the wind.

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