episode_0036
by fnovelpiaThe stars that are dotted across the night sky are beautiful. I exhaled a puff of smoke from my cigarette toward those unreachable splendors.
The minty scent of cigarette smoke relieves the stuffiness. Even though the bright ash-colored smoke rises in clumps, it is pitiful that it cannot block out the twinkling starlight.
He flicked the short cigarette butt into the ashtray. There was a crunching sound, and sparks flew for a moment.
Suddenly.
Suddenly, I looked back at where the sound was coming from.
“Are you disturbed?”
It was Colonel Mayhem. He slumped down on the chair next to me, holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and two glasses filled with ice in the other. I slowly turned around.
“No.”
“Why are you looking at the night sky in such a remote place? You are the star of the day.”
“The night sky is clear today.”
“But?”
“Can’t you see the stars well? It’s quite charming.”
“What the… .”
Colonel Mayhem poured a drink into a large glass filled with ice. I placed the glass he handed me on the table.
“Even though we had a meal together last time, it’s still nice to see your face.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. That day, I happened to meet you while passing by the academy, so that’s a good thing. If I didn’t know the address, I might have never met you in my life.”
“Isn’t it truly the grace of the Lord?”
“Yes, it is the grace of the Lord.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mayhem took out a cigarette. Naturally, I lit it for him.
As I watched Colonel Mayhem blowing out smoke, I also put a cigarette in my mouth. I naturally popped the filter and lit it, and Colonel Mayhem opened his rabbit eyes and looked at me.
“You smoke now too?”
“Yes, well… that’s what happened.”
A white stick made of tobacco leaves, a filter, and paper. It slowly burned from the tip, and began to lose its life. I watched it silently.
As the peppermint-scented smoke wafts out, Colonel Mayhem’s nose flares and a subtle expression appears.
“The cigarettes Helena smoked.”
“… … .”
“You, still… .”
“Can you see that star?”
My hand pointed to a star. Following the tip of the finger, a bright yellow star came into view.
“What is the name of that star?”
“Well.”
I was about to say Helena, but I swallowed the words. It was a dull thought.
“It looks like Helena’s hair color. Isn’t it?”
“… … .”
However, Colonel Mayhem spoke first. I could only nod silently.
“You still miss Helena. I understand.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you love Helena a lot?”
My body stood still, frozen. I moved my lips for a moment, then with difficulty pulled them apart.
“Love… . It wasn’t just a rational emotion.”
“Does that mean you respected him as a human being?”
“Similar. But, if you ask me if I loved Helena… . Yes. I loved her, and I still love her. Foolishly.”
“Love is always foolish.”
I looked back at him without saying a word. Colonel Mayhem was still looking at the night sky.
“I used to be like that too. I had foolish loves that were hard to achieve, and I drank from the bitter cup many times.”
“Is that so?”
“But still, look. Didn’t you eventually win that love?”
“Are you talking about Mrs. Melissa?”
“Yeah. My wife, Melissa. She was so prickly when I first met her.”
The corners of Colonel Mayhem’s mouth slightly rose, as if he was recalling something from the past.
“They say love is synonymous with foolishness, but do you know what its other name is?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s a trial. A trial.”
The eyes of Colonel Mayhem, starry-eyed, sparkle. I silently turned my gaze to the night sky.
“Foolishness and trials. In all love, these two are bound to exist.”
“… … .”
“Depending on how you use those two, your future will change.”
“I already ate the gluttony.”
“Yeah. Sometimes, there are loves that never come true.”
Colonel Mayhem turned around. Beyond the balcony entrance, he could see the people inside the tavern chatting away excitedly.
The balcony and the inside of the tavern seemed to show different worlds. The noisy atmosphere was incongruous.
“That kid.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mayhem pointed to someone. Deacon Sophia was there, her emerald eyes sparkling, listening intently to what Dennis had to say.
“She looks like Helena. Especially the way she smiles… . I can see why you bring her around.”
“Is that so?”
“But don’t think of that child as just a replacement for Helena. It could hurt you deeply.”
“… I am being very careful.”
“Father Antonelli. You have not been paying enough attention since you brought that child here.”
It was a bone-chilling word. I shut my eyes tightly. There was nothing wrong with what he said.
It is true that I had been projecting Helena onto Deaconess Sophia. There was no room for excuses.
“Good boy. He seems to be following you very well. He must have been a great help to you on your way here.”
“That’s right.”
If there had been no Deacon Sophia, I would not be here. I did not deny that.
“Don’t return the favor with a sharp knife.”
“But, Helena….”
“Helena’s work is Helena’s own.”
Don’t try to connect Helena and Deacon Sophia, Colonel Mayhem was saying.
“And, you make your own work.”
Colonel Mayhem raised his glass. The ice in the glass had melted to a certain degree, diluting the strong alcoholic flavor. I followed him and raised my glass.
“But… . Let’s put those complicated things aside and enjoy today.”
“Okay.
I snickered and laughed. I clinked my glass against his.
Bang!
“For the warriors of the Phoenix Battalion who could not be here with us.”
“… And, for Helena.”
A sip of alcohol in your mouth. Its flavor is… .
Certainly, I didn’t write it.
* * * * *
“Deacon Sophia. Please wake up.”
“Cool… .”
“Substitute Sophia.”
Deacon Sophia was completely asleep. Carrying her on my back, I soon gave up on waking her up and silently walked towards the academy.
“Puhh… .”
I tried to straighten my vision, which was starting to blur. From the mouth of Deacon Sophia, who was riding on my back, a sigh that smelled strongly of alcohol escaped. The strong smell of alcohol made me stick out my tongue. I don’t know how much I drank.
I knew she was friendly, but… I don’t know what she was talking about with Dennis, but she was still chatting with the people around her, including Dennis, until I returned from the balcony with Colonel Mayhem.
“Um… .”
Deacon Sophia squirmed. Warm breath escaped from her mouth, tickling the back of my neck.
“Uhhh… . Huh… ?”
“… Are you awake now?”
“Uh… . Chief Priest… .”
When I turned my head to meet your eyes, Deacon Sophia blinked for a moment, trying to figure out the situation. I spoke while shaking her body as it dragged down.
“How much did you drink? You drank so much that you couldn’t even control your body.”
“Ugh… . I’m sorry… .”
“Now walk on your own.”
“Yes…? Huh, huh…?”
Deacon Sophia, who was being carried on my back, looked around with a groan. Soon, she realized that she was being carried on my back.
“Huh, huh… !”
She literally jumped up and down and flew off my back. I quickly grabbed her wrist.
“You might fall. Be careful.”
“Why, why am I… . Like this… .”
Deacon Sophia had a completely sober look on her face. She was clutching her head in pain, as if trying to remember what she had done. It was heartbreaking.
“Uh, that, sorry… . I’m sorry… . What should I do, am I crazy… .”
“Deacon Sophia. Let’s go back to the dormitory. It’s getting late.”
“Oh. That, that’s right… . Yes… .”
Deacon Sophia stumbled past me. I sighed and took her hand.
“You might fall.”
“Eww… . Go, thank you… .”
To be honest, carrying Deacon Sophia wasn’t hard at all. She was so short and light.
The problem was that I didn’t have the key to her dormitory, and it was difficult to search Deacon Sophia’s body.
As he walks, the alcohol will gradually wear off, so it is better to let him walk on his own while helping him not to fall.
“Uh… . Your Majesty.”
“Did you call?”
“I heard it from Mr. Dennis and others… .”
“What do you mean?”
“So, that… . The story about the head priest… .”
“Are you talking about me?”
“As Mr. Dennis said, the head priest was a saintly figure… .”
Apparently, she had heard my story from the Great War. Feeling inwardly ashamed, I turned my head away from her.
I didn’t have to listen to Dennis, and I could tell how much the others had exaggerated their explanations.
He calls me a saint. I wondered if that Dennis was crazy from drinking. My face turned red for no reason.
“That’s nonsense. Don’t listen to that.”
“Hehe, you’re embarrassed.”
“No, that’s not true.”
“Should I call you Saint from now on? What is your baptismal name?”
“Benedict.”
“St. Benedict, the parish priest.”
“… … .”
I looked down at Deacon Sophia without saying a word. Then, Deacon Sophia slowly turned her head away. As if trying to hide something from me.
But I had already seen it. The glass beads sparkling in her eyes.
“Deacon Sophia. Why are you crying all of a sudden?”
Deacon Sophia’s shoulders trembled as she heard what I said. I pulled her closer to me and asked again.
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying. Oh, I suddenly yawned… . Huh… . Eww!”
Deacon Sophia tried to hide her ignorance. Finally, she forced herself to yawn, then suddenly clutched her chin and made a tearful face. The tears she had been trying to hide were now even more visible.
“Ahhh… . There’s a mouse on my chin… .”
As I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, Deacon Sophia confidently wiped away her tears.
“So, why are you crying all of a sudden?”
“I didn’t cry?”
“You cried, didn’t you?”
“You didn’t cry.”
“… I guess I saw it wrong.”
For someone so young, I thought this was some kind of petty behavior. I simply accepted her stubbornness.
Then, this time, Deacon Sophia opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Just… .”
“Yes?
“I just shed a few tears because I was so happy. The way the head priest smiled… It felt like it had been a long time since I saw him.”
I nodded slowly. As I had felt before, there was a warmth to her words.
“… Substitute Sophia.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you. Formerly and forever.”
“… Me too.”
Deacon Sophia held my hand tightly. Feeling the warmth, I continued walking towards the Academy.
It was a night where the stars in the night sky twinkled beautifully.
* * * * *
“Will you come today?”
“I think you’ll come? You even hosted the Sunday service last week.”
“It was a little like that on Friday. It would have been nice if you had at least given me a heads up.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
The classroom was noisy. And that was unusual.
Today is Tuesday morning, which means it is Professor Lucio Antonelli’s theology class.
It was quite unusual for the lecture room to be so noisy before Professor Antonelli’s class. The students were talking about their own topics, filling the spacious lecture room with various colors.
“Did anyone attend the Sunday service last week?”
“My friend was there, and he said you were incredibly handsome?”
“What are you talking about?”
So, gradually, the chatter in the classroom began to turn into noise.
“29 minutes!”
As soon as someone shouted that, the students’ gazes split into two directions.
Half of the students looked at the front door of the classroom, and the other half looked at the clock on the wall. No student strayed from those two.
“You’re coming today, right? Are you coming with your hair like that?”
“Well, that hair is definitely better.”
Chloe, Elin, and even Laura were no exception. The classroom quickly fell silent.
The second hand ticked and moved, and finally the hands pointed to 9:30 AM.
Knock knock—.
Without a single error, the front door of the lecture room opened smoothly. Leaving it behind, someone who had opened the front door and entered stepped onto the podium.
Step, step.
Contrary to rumors, it was as shabby as ever. A few students looked a little disappointed.
Finally, he sat down in front of the podium, adjusted his glasses, and slowly opened his mouth.
“Hello everyone.”
Professor Antonelli, cool as always.
“See you in a week.”
After a long week of waiting, his classes finally returned.
In the students’ eyes, it was a moment when color returned.
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