episode_0052
by fnovelpiaFather Matthew left the Academy. It was exactly ten days after his visit to the Academy.
I advised Father Matthew to stay a little longer. I wanted to have a deeper conversation with him, and especially to delve into what he called ‘life’.
However, Father Matthew stubbornly refused my offer and hurried to return to the Holy Land.
“The censer of St. Jerome and the bell of Terea… If the return of such relics is delayed, His Holiness the Pope will be very concerned.”
When you say that, it’s natural that I have nothing to say.
“Then, I’ll go now.”
Father Matthew smiled warmly and said goodbye. Father Peter and Father Camilla, who were standing next to him, did the same.
“We too, will go back now, Your Majesty.”
Although the face of Father Peter, who greeted me like that, looked a little haggard, I couldn’t help but feel relieved when I saw that he had somehow managed to pull himself together.
All this time, I was worried inside, thinking about their health.
“Yes. Thank you for everything.”
He looked closely at Priest Peter and said:
A night walk with Father Peter. And the stories we shared along the way. I felt it was more valuable than anything else.
“… Thank you for everything.”
This time it was Father Camilla who said goodbye. I turned my gaze to her.
The characteristic sharp eyes were still there, but unlike before, the nervous temperament was not so prominent. You could say that he was like a slightly more docile cat.
Anyway, it was a good change. I smiled slightly and sincerely wished her the best for the future.
“I pray that the Lord’s grace will be with Father Camilla in her future.”
“That, that’s it… .”
“Then, I won’t do it.”
“… … .”
Her eyes sharpened again. Seeing her personality change after just one joke, it seems that people don’t change easily.
“Just kidding.”
“… Anyway, I’ll go. I hope to see you again next time.”
“If we can connect, won’t we meet someday?”
“What the… .”
Priest Camilla chuckled. The corners of her eyes crinkled, and a bright smile that revealed her teeth appeared on her face.
“Maybe so.”
I looked at Priest Camilla’s face for a long time.
There were still many things I wanted to talk about with her. What direction Seongguk was headed in, and how the people I had met at Seongguk were doing.
And what was your relationship with Helena?
It was the most important question, but at the same time the most cautious one.
So, in the end, I didn’t ask. Because I’m not delicate enough to ask the question and hear the answer to it.
“Camilla Priest. Now, slowly… .”
“… Then, we’ll really go. The train schedule is tight.”
“Huh… . I wanted to talk a little more… .”
Deaconess Sophia, who was standing next to me, had tears in her eyes. As Deaconess Sophia was the only person from the Holy Land in the Academy, she seemed to be feeling a little homesick.
Father Camilla and Father Peter also looked at Deacon Sophia with pitiful expressions. Father Matthew’s expression became a little tense.
“Everyone. We can’t delay any longer.”
“Ah. Sorry. Then, I’ll really go.”
“See you later, Deacon Sophia.”
Only after finishing their brief greeting with Deacon Sophia, the three priests were able to turn their backs on the Academy. I watched their backs for a long time.
“Maybe we can meet again later…?”
Deacon Sophia, who was also looking at their backs vaguely, asked. I muttered softly.
“… Relationships are something you create yourself.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t the winter of the Holy Land beautiful?”
For Deacon Sophia, I was also thinking about a trip to the Holy Land. Deacon Sophia’s eyes widened.
“But, the Holy Land….”
Deacon Sophia looked at me for a moment and then couldn’t continue speaking. However, I could guess what she would say next.
I wonder if I can really go to the holy country with painful memories on my own.
“I also want to find out what life is now.”
I answered like that.
Deacon Sophia seemed not to hear my muttering.
* * * * *
It seems like only yesterday that I attended the Academy’s entrance ceremony, but May has already passed and spring has come to an end.
That meant that summer had arrived. I looked at the calendar on my desk in the professor’s office.
June.
It is the starting point of summer, the month when the scorching sun begins to shine.
It was a very moving experience. I myself was worried about how well I could fit into the academy crowded with students, but time passed quickly as if laughing at my worries as if they were nothing.
As time passed, the environment around me, including myself, also changed rapidly.
First of all, I stopped watching Chloe and somewhat let go of her.
It didn’t seem like anything good would come of getting involved with the main character of this novel, and seeing as Chloe was already well on her way, I didn’t think I needed to get involved.
There have been changes in many other things as well, but if I had to pick the biggest change…
“Oh my… It’s hot… .”
It was this murderous heat that was boiling the broth of the Deaconess Sophia in real time.
Deacon Sophia, exhausted, slumped down on her desk and let out a hot breath. With just that one breath, the air inside the professor’s office seemed to heat up.
“I’m the head priest… . It’s so hot… .”
I looked at the emaciated Deaconess Sophia. Her appearance, as if all her bones had disappeared, reminded me of a mollusk like a squid.
“I’m hot too.”
“Ugh… . Lies… . The head priest doesn’t look hot at all… .”
Deacon Sophia grumbled. It just seemed unfair to me.
It’s not that I’m not hot at all, but my body strangely doesn’t handle the heat very well.
On the other hand, because I was very sensitive to the cold, I remember shivering from the extreme cold when winter came during the Great War.
“It’s hot… . It’s hot… ! It’s hot! It’s so hot… !”
Although it was only the beginning of June, the sun was high in the sky, providing an unusual amount of sunlight and making the Academy boil over.
Deacon Sophia seemed to be particularly sensitive to heat, so it was not hard to understand why she was acting so shamefully.
“This is… . This is definitely a punishment from the Lord… !
“What does that mean?”
“Ugh…! The air conditioner broke down at this time of the year… . This is ridiculous… .”
Deacon Sophia looked at the air conditioner with a longing look in her eyes, its mouth tightly shut. Despite her hot gaze, the air conditioner remained annoyingly silent.
“They said they’d check the air conditioners throughout the academy, so there’s nothing we can do. The parish priest has given us permission to wear summer clothes, so please bear with that for now.”
Priestly vestments. That is, strictly speaking, there is no short-sleeved clothing in Sudan.
That is to say, originally there was no separate designation for summer clothing. Traditional groups still tend to require the wearing of priestly attire.
If we delve into the principle, it is because it is a violation of pastoral guidelines for a priest to wear clothing other than the priestly vestments outside.
However, clothing is something that develops over time. Priestly clothing was no exception.
In some areas where the summer heat is particularly brutal, a white cassock or a shirt with a white collar, i.e. a Roman collar, may be worn at the discretion of the parish priest.
And unfortunately, the summers in this part of the islands are particularly harsh with the sweltering heat.
For this reason, Deacon Sophia and I were wearing short-sleeved shirts with a clasp, with the permission of the institutional bishop.
It may be cool to walk around in a short-sleeved shirt, but it would be pointless without the aid of a civilization called air conditioning.
It was fortunate that there were no classes today. If Deacon Sophia had had to walk to the classroom carrying the necessary textbooks on a day like this, she might never have returned to human form.
“I want to eat some cool ice cream… .”
Now, the seemingly liberated Deaconess Sophia muttered softly. I stopped what I was doing and put down my pen.
‘ice cream….’
That familiar name that suddenly came to mind. Ice cream.
This food, which can be easily enjoyed in modern civilization, was one of the foods I most wanted to eat in the early days of Bing.
Come to think of it, I had all sorts of thoughts when I first got immersed in this novel.
On rainy days, I crave makgeolli and pajeon, and on hot days like today, I thirst for cool carbonated drinks or ice cream.
Now, 10 years later, I don’t feel much emotion.
It wasn’t just because carbonated drinks and ice cream existed in this world.
I just thought that I would adapt to this world and live my own life.
‘Life is… .’
Although it has been a week since Father Matthew left, I still cannot forget the conversation I had with him.
‘… Well, I’m not sure if this is a world in a novel anymore.’
This place was no different from reality to me now. Rather, life on Earth seemed like a fantasy to me.
I had already lost my essence a long time ago.
“… Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, I woke up from my reverie. Deacon Sophia had come within a stone’s throw of me and was looking at me, sweating profusely.
“I’m listening. Deacon Sophia.”
“I’m talking about the upcoming grade-level sparring. I just got a call that there will be a meeting for the academy professors. I think the head priest should attend as well.”
“… Are you talking about a meeting?”
It was the first time I heard about it. I knew that the annual event of Chaldea Imperial Academy was the annual grade-level training. But, why are we having a meeting all of a sudden?
“That’s… I don’t know, but I think the rules for this year’s grade-by-grade sparring have changed a little.”
“… … .”
A feeling of anxiety came over me. I slowly got up from my seat.
“Where will the meeting be held?”
“The third conference room in the main building.”
“Is it open now?”
“Uh… I heard it opens in two hours.”
I looked at my watch. Two hours later, that would be the end of lunch time.
“… First, I need to have lunch.”
“Uhh… . The restaurant will be a little cool… ?”
With a glimmer of hope from Deacon Sophia, we headed to the restaurant.
Until the moment when Deacon Sophia began to cry at the fact that the restaurant was no different from a steamer… .
“Kaaaah… !”
It didn’t take long.
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