96 – Shadows (19)
“Oh my God, waiting for an interview at the art department….”
Georgia muttered to herself in disbelief as she flipped through the papers. She still has twenty-one left. There were always very few applicants to join the art department, and it was common to deal with volunteers immediately whenever they were available. This is the first time that a separate schedule has been set up for the entrance examination like now.
Smart
Giorgia said as the next applicant knocked.
“Yes, come in.”
A girl with dark gray hair came in and greeted Giorgia with her hands together, politely.
“Hello.”
Said Giorgia, flicking her quill.
“Yeah, sit down.”
Giorgia checked the mouth of the girl who entered wearing her glasses.
Just because the number of applicants increases, you cannot blindly accept all of them. The space and budget available to the art department are limited, and the number of people Giorgia can manage is limited. So she had to think more carefully.
“Lilith Izelius?”
“… Yes.”
Giorgia admired Lilith’s face for a moment with her deep eyes.
Aside from her good looks to attract the attention of the opposite s*x, from her aesthetic point of view, her facial lines, such as her eyes and the bridge of her nose, were quite beautiful.
She seemed to have lived without hardships. Even baby-like downy hair was visible on her face.
The Iselius family boasts one of the wealthiest people in the empire. It was a business family that owned the largest amount of gold mines in the empire and used it to reach out to various fields.
“Um…. You are a noble lady of the empire. He must have been loved because he was a wizard from the Izelius family after a long time.”
“….”
The Izelius family is originally a lineage of mages with a long history. He also had a deep connection with Eternia. Beretta Izelius, the first head of the family, was the highest-ranking mage who served as dean in Eternia hundreds of years ago. As generations passed, the magician’s bloodline faded and the family business changed, eventually diverging from Eternia.
It was quite encouraging to see another mage produced in that family.
“Can I ask why you applied for the art department?”
“During my life, I met only the people my parents wanted and learned only the hobbies my parents wanted. Now I want to do what I want to do.”
Compared to the previous applicants, the answer wasn’t too bad. At least I didn’t openly say that I came to see a boy.
“Isn’t there a purpose other than that? Like looking for people.”
“…… I think finding the right person is also important. This is a group activity, and you cannot learn everything on your own.”
“Hmm…. Just in case, if you’re looking for a first year boy in the Combat Club, he’s not here. Moved elsewhere.”
“… Yes?”
“Well, anyway. Have you ever painted a picture?”
“My magic master said that people who draw well are good at drawing magic circles, so I practiced it from time to time. Actually, that’s it.”
“Okay. Not bad.”
There are few people who start out purely because of the love of painting. Even Georgia fell in love with drawing illustrations of herbs. Better than a human pretending to be innocent.
Lilith wiggled her hands as if there was something inside. Said Georgia, going through her papers and glancing at her.
“Are you nervous? What are you nervous about? You won’t die if you fall.”
“… ….”
When I checked my resume in the documents, it wasn’t that I was transferred from another department. It seems that he chose the art department after careful consideration.
“Okay. It’s okay. Go out at once As you go, tell the next person to come in.”
“….”
***
“Hey!”
While on her way to the art department’s greenhouse for painting practice, a woman’s clear voice pierces her ears.
I looked around. It was early in the morning, so there were no people on campus. And just as I was about to leave again, another cry hit my ears.
“Wait, wait! You there!”
The voice came not from the footpath, but from behind the garden tree, out of sight.
As I followed the sound calling me, I saw a female student sitting down behind a tree.
She was struggling with her tight-fitting training clothes and holding on to her ankles.
“Ahh, it’s really fortunate that there are people at this time. I sprained her ankle while running on something urgent. By the way, can you help me?”
It’s such a weird situation to be running around in a place like this at this hour.
“… How can I help you?”
From noble mtl dot com
She said, holding out her arms.
“Help me for a moment.”
I grabbed the girl by the arm and slowly raised her up. Then, they shrugged their shoulders and moved slowly.
She limped her leg and said no.
“It is difficult because the shoulder heights are so different. Is there any other way?”
“If you wait a moment, I will bring you some potions.”
She bit her lip a few times before speaking impatiently.
“Sseup, it’s urgent, so I don’t have time to wait. What should I do? That… I just need to take you to the dance practice room, do you know where it is?”
I couldn’t see any other way.
“…… I will pick you up.”
“Oh, can I? I’m very skinny, so it won’t take much effort.”
I leaned over her slightly and she immediately leaned on my back and wrapped around her neck.
As she lifted her body up and carried her, she continued, pointing her finger in her direction.
“Go all the way over there and turn around the side of the auditorium.”
“… All right.”
After going on like that for a while, I could sense that something was wrong.
I held her body tighter than necessary, and her arms wrapped around her neck gradually came down and touched my chest. Come to think of it, I thought it was the practice room for the dance club…. Something bothers me
“No, nothing else… Contrary to the appearance, the body is quite strong. Are you a fighter?”
“Yes.”
“I will do my best to use my body.”
“….”
“No, it was so quiet that I said anything. Sorry.”
I went on for a while and turned at the corner of the auditorium.
And in the corner of the alley, I encountered a completely unexpected person.
It was Xenia, the deputy director of the art department. She waited with her arms crossed as if she knew someone would be there.
As soon as I saw her, I stopped at her.
Xenia saw us and greeted us with a soft smile.
“Hello.”
“… ?”
As we stood in a daze, Xenia greeted us again.
“Hello Mila-senpai?”
Then the girl on her back gave a timid answer.
“Ah… Hi Xenia.”
“Damian, drop Mila down.”
Then the female student untied her hands and slid down her back. He said he injured her leg, but now he was standing there looking at Xenia. It was like someone caught stealing.
“Senior Mila. Can I take Damian with me?”
“Ah, ah! Okay. I’ll go he… Thanks for taking me there!”
It is clear that Xenia is frightened. Just like that, Mila disappeared as if running away. Why is it that someone older than Xenia is so embarrassed?
Xenia, who has been watching Mila leave, approaches me. She then grabbed her by the collar with both of her hands and shook her wildly.
“How come all the boys never say no. How are you going to live being so naive? If you were dragged into the dance club like that, you would be crossing a river you couldn’t turn back. Know? Do you like it because that pig b*tch bites? Uh? Was it good?”
… It was suspicious, but I didn’t know that bullying was something like this.
“Calm down.”
What happened to the art department in the past that caused such a hysterical reaction?
Xenia untied her hands and looked overly excited. She cleared her throat as if she was embarrassed.
“Kuhmm, she was waiting because she wasn’t feeling well… also.”
“….”
“I can’t just let you go until this week. Let’s go to the greenhouse. I will teach you how to mix the paints.”
***
“What, when was Favela here?”
Favela and some of her unnamed girls arrived at the conservatory early and were waiting for the noon class.
Xenia brought an easel, palette, and paint can and sat me down next to her.
“Come on, newcomer. You don’t know how to use paint, do you?”
I nodded.
“First of all, what do you want to draw? Decide on that.”
What I had planned was a landscape with a fairly large proportion of characters, but strictly speaking, it was a landscape painting.
“Landscape painting.”
“Okay. This is what you will draw.”
Xenia placed one of her apples on the pedestal of her still life and said.
“Draw this apple. Mix red and yellow well to find the right color for you. The color combination is learned with this. If you learn all the red series, you will gradually expand to other colors. Got it. You should have a sense for the color combination. In landscape painting, you have to go to the next, next, next level.”
“….”
I listened to Xenia’s fast-paced lecture until noon. I was confident in demanding fine hand technique and flair.
Xenia made me draw and went out repeatedly, but every time she came back and saw my drawing, she wondered if I had asked someone to draw it for me.
“What, where did you learn it beforehand?”
“Thanks for teaching me well.”
“….”
After the noon class of the art department, Xenia taught me for two more hours.
And Xenia looked at me with her suspicious eyes and said,
“You are an expert, aren’t you pretending you don’t know anything to deceive us?”
“… No.”
“It’s my first time seeing a kid like you…… I do not know. You can just paint the scenery however you like. At this point.”
She went back to her dormitory after saying that she hadn’t expected that what she taught would be so effective.
I drew it a couple of times for practice and threw it away, and then when I got a feel for it, I intended to draw it properly.
I didn’t budge from the conservatory and continued to practice drawing. As I traced my memory, I lightly drew Wizel’s forest and Silverine’s mansion one by one.
Like me, the members who stayed in the greenhouse and drew pictures left one by one.
And by the time the sun went down, only me and Favela were left in the art department.
The glow of the sunset permeated the greenhouse, and all you could hear was the sound of brush strokes.
I changed the canvas and started sketching for the full-scale work.
And then, the sound of the distant favela behind me got on my nerves.
I don’t know why. Just, the sound of the favela. No, the fact that only the two of them remained in the same space was not at all reluctant. If you think about it all night, you will be able to figure out why it guides you. But I didn’t even want to think about it.
In the middle of the work, the sound of rubbing the brush from behind cuts off.
Then I got up from my seat and made footsteps as Cheoncheon approached me.
She stood behind her and spoke to her calmly and cautiously.
“You draw very hard….”
“….”
“The lake sketch is pretty…. The scenery looks good too.”
“….”
“I like this kind of scenery too…. What are you drawing… May I ask?”
“It’s just a landscape painting.”
“The Liora region… ? Or Saturn?”
“….”
“Who is sitting on the mat… ?”
Why are you acting friendly all of a sudden?
I didn’t answer. There was no reason or need for it. I just wanted people to not care about my work.
When he didn’t answer, Favela turned on the story as if he was a little embarrassed.
“Oh, I… You must have asked something. Sorry for interrupting your concentration…. Would you mind bringing me some tea?”
“No, I’m going to pack up now.”
I stopped sketching and immediately packed my things. And without looking back, I left the greenhouse.
After walking for a while, I came out in a hurry and realized that I had left my notes on the conception of the work in the greenhouse.
And looking back, Favela was still standing in front of my canvas. With her face bent down.
I didn’t go back because it wasn’t an important item.
I headed straight for the labyrinth.