1. The First Letter (15)
Celine has been feeling dissatisfied lately. To be more precise, it was after I heard the news that I started training with Seria.
Today was the day I went to take swordsmanship practice with Celine. In particular, it was an instruction to gather at the forest located south of the academy, not at the swordsmanship training ground.
Unlike the swordsmanship training ground, the forest was quite far away, so Celine and I joined in the middle and walked together. She smirked and looked at me as if she was pitiful.
“Ian oppa, are you an idiot?”
“… … why again?”
Her left hand rested on her chin and on her waist. And his right hand rustled and scratched my nerves. It was an absurd response.
“Isn’t he like that too? After being beaten to dust on a rainy day like that, help that bitch for help? No, not an asshole, but a Hogu?”
“If you think about it that way, I beat Seria too.”
“That’s it!”
Celine growled, standing upright like an angry cat. No matter how she thought about it, she didn’t seem to like Seria at all.
“What about a senior beating a junior for educational purposes? Do you think juniors beat seniors?”
“What does senior and junior have to do with Dalian? Do seniors get dull when dealing with juniors?”
The more I sided with Seria, the more Celine’s dissatisfaction grew. She huffed and tried to convince me, but it didn’t change my opinion.
Seria, who had been observing her for several days, only had some misunderstandings, but she was not a person with any personality flaws. On the contrary, I even got the impression that I was a bit fragile.
I didn’t think much of it at first, but after spending a few days together, it was true that I was a bit concerned. Such a sense of crisis that, if left as it is, the social misfits might be released into society.
Shouldn’t we at least have some common sense about human relationships? As a senior, it was natural for him to have that kind of sentiment.
I felt like I should stick around and take care of her for a while. I also care about her relationship with the hunting festival and ‘Sepia’.
Come to think of it, today’s lecture was also related to the letter from the future.
Swordsmanship practice in the forest, isn’t it the lecture that anyone can see that there was an attack by a monster?
The letter stated that no human casualties were caused due to appropriate action. Conversely, it meant that if not handled properly, human damage could occur.
I had to stop it. I came up with that idea once.
The problem was that the identity of the monster could not be guessed.
The devil also had a thousand different characteristics depending on the creature that could be said to be its original form.
In the first place, demons are born when the density of unrefined magical power becomes too high, contaminating nearby creatures. Depending on the creature’s characteristics, the monster’s characteristics were inevitably influenced.
Witchbeasts were often animals, but sometimes plants could also become witches. Even humans could become Witchbeasts only when their magic power density was abnormally high.
These magic beasts had only one thing in common. The fact that it is excessively hostile to outside life.
Other than that, everything was different. The majority of traits such as ecology, habits, and weaknesses were like that. So I had no choice but to suffer from a headache.
In fact, I was still not sure if this letter was from the future.
Isn’t that a letter from the future 7 years from now?
If you grab a passer-by and ask if the letter is real or if it’s someone’s joke, nine out of ten people will most likely choose the latter. It was natural that I, too, was still unsure.
However, if the letter is real, an incident will happen during today’s lecture.
I calmed down in advance and made up my mind.
However, unlike me who was infinitely serious, Celine was still just swaying beside me. She looked at me with suspicious eyes.
“Ian, are you listening to me?”
“… … Yes? uh, yes I am listening.”
“Are they all dirty?”
I was lost in my thoughts, so I forgot that I was walking with Celine. If I continued like this, Celine might get even more angry, so I decided to use the technique I learned from Leto.
It was the scent of the girl who approached me pointing with her finger, the scent I had praised the other day.
“Celine.”
“who? Could it be Celine from the Hastur family who was ignored by Ian’s brother? What’s the matter, does Ian oppa pay attention? I feel like crying a little… … .”
“It smells good today too.”
Celine, who was mockingly twisting her words, hesitated at my one word. hold on for a while
He blushed slightly and avoided my gaze. Hmmmm, she coughed and crossed her arms.
“That, is it?”
“Isn’t that the face wash you used last time? It suits you.”
Then Celine was a little proud, but with a shy expression. She hmm, hmm, hmm, smoothing her voice with an unnatural sound.
“Uh, what… It’s not like Ian oppa likes it, so I keep using it, right? Oh, are you glad you got along?”
The tone of her voice was strangely raised, but Celine didn’t seem to notice even that.
I’m glad you seemed to be in a good mood. Sensing that she was relieved, I let out a sigh of relief.
I felt indebted to Leto. To think there was a way to control the pouting Celine.
Thinking that I should make good use of it for a while, I hurried my steps again.
A forest could be seen in the distance.
The dense forest, where it was rare to enter because of the monsters living there, gave off a gloomy atmosphere.
The place where Emma was attacked by an unknown demon. People were still dismissing it as an accident, but well.
You would have to go inside to find out what was really inside.
**
Most of the students were already seated in the wide open space that came out a little further into the forest. It seemed that he was a little late as he had a leisurely conversation with Celine.
Fortunately, Professor Derek nodded his head broadly when he confirmed that Celine and I were in attendance.
Then, as always, he drew the attention of the students with a loud voice. It was a voice full of ambition, not befitting a man of his age.
“Now, everyone pay attention! We will conduct a special training today!”
As I moved my gaze to Professor Derek, my gaze met Seria’s in the front seat.
When I nodded my head in greeting, Seria also bowed. Still, it was proof that they were close enough to accept him.
At first, I remembered biting my tongue while saying hello and looking at me with shaking eyes because I didn’t know what to do. It looked like I was threatening her.
In fact, the fact that Seria was especially respectful to me was also influenced by the past ‘Yurdina’s dirty half-cooking incident’, so it hurt to know that it wasn’t completely wrong.
What the hell happened to my personality while I lost my memory?
It was still unknown. However, since the follow-up was already over to some extent, I decided not to worry about it anymore.
If I ever lose my memory again, then I should think about it a little more seriously.
For now, I was too busy paying attention to the contents of the letter from the future.
“If you are a prosecutor, you know very well how important your surroundings are. Among them, forests with dense trees are one of the most challenging environments.”
And Professor Derek went into a gap in the trees next to him as if to demonstrate. As soon as he drew his sword, it became clear how narrow the gap was.
At the level of an academy student, anyone can read an opponent’s attack range to some extent. In that way, within the range of attack he read, there seemed to be only three trees that were getting in the way.
It was also a story when I was still on the spot. Considering that actual combat requires more fluid movements, there were not one or two trees that got in the way when Professor Derek wielded his sword.
And this wasn’t just a story about Professor Derek. Me, Celine, and even Seria would be the same.
If it wasn’t for a weapon such as a sharp sword that was specialized for stabbing, it would be inconvenient to move in the forest.
“See, even a single swing of the sword becomes tricky in a space where the trees are so closely spaced. It would be nice if the opponent was a type of enemy without intelligence, but if the opponent is a named monster or a human, even the sword is limited and the attack is easy to read.”
Even the monsters encountered in the forest were likely to be native creatures that had finished adapting to the environment. Then, the swordsman in the forest becomes even more disadvantageous.
Professor Derek recited such common sense, and then the sword raised an aura.
The magic power that had risen like a hazy fog soon became united by scattering brilliant light. That bloody aura was proof that Professor Derek had already reached the stage of maturity as a swordsman.
Sword expert, the stage that can crystallize aura. Among them, Professor Derek had skills belonging to the upper ranks.
Since I was in my third year at the academy, I was able to raise my aura, but it was impossible to overlay a condensed aura like me. Among the students in this seat right now, is Seria the least capable?
She was just at the level of entering the sword expert. There was no student who could beat the legendary hunter, who devoted his whole life to hunting monsters, with pure skill.
“However, if you can crystallize the aura, the story is a little different. Regardless of whether the sword path is blocked or not, if you swing it, it will be cut as you swing it.”
And Professor Derek swung his sword proudly. A silent swordsman without even making a sound.
I couldn’t even hear the cutting sound. Just as he swung his sword, everything was cut off. Trees, air, and even sound.
It was an unreal sight. As if I closed my eyes and opened them, a solid line was drawn in the world, like finding the wrong picture. It was a skill that could be seen by becoming a sword expert.
“However, even a sword expert has a limit to ignoring the environment. Now, see this tree?”
Professor Derek pointed to a tree that got caught in the path of his sword and was heavily hollowed out. Then he went back to the tree and kicked the tree as it was.
A shock that wasn’t even strong. However, with just that, the tree began to collapse the huge body in the direction of the groove with a roar.
Of course, the groove was dug in the direction of the trajectory. In other words, it meant that he could die from being crushed under that tree.
Of course, if you were a sword expert, you wouldn’t die so easily, but it was an undeniable fact that the surrounding environment was quite disturbing nonetheless.
What if you are in combat? There was nothing to say. The gaze of the students became a little serious.
“As you can see now, the swordsmen have to fight against each other in the forest. So, it would be best not to use the forest as a battlefield as much as possible, but there are many times when this is not possible during demon subjugation. So today we will practice using the surrounding environment of the forest.”
And Professor Derek put the knife back in the scabbard. Before I knew it, the bloody aura had disappeared without a trace.
“Especially, there will be a hunting festival after a while, you know? Since the hunting festival is basically a way to hunt demons in the forest, it would be quite helpful to learn the field in advance today. I don’t know how many of them will participate in the hunting festival, though!”
Professor Derek ended his speech with such a hearty laugh. And as always, he was about to wave his hands, telling the students to take care of each other, but hesitated for a moment, as if he forgot something.
He nodded his head to himself, then added a last word.
“By the way, you must not swing your sword in the air today. Let’s roam around freely and fight in pairs. However, you need to analyze your surroundings well. Whether you climb a tree or hide in the grass, you are free to do anything. In any case, be prepared for all possibilities. I’ll test it later, so don’t skimp on it.”
you can roam freely
Hearing those words, my eyes slowly softened. It was both good and bad information for me.
First of all, if they spread out sporadically in groups of two, there was a risk of being defeated individually when the attack of the monsters became a reality. However, it was impossible to warn of a large-scale attack by the Witchbeast when there was no evidence.
Then there was only one answer. Before the beasts attack, first notice the situation and report it to Professor Derek.
I don’t know how strong the monster lurking in the forest is, but it was Professor Derek who had a record of subjugating countless famous monsters. Not to mention, there was no way they would lose in a place where there were close to 100 students enrolled in the academy.
But if there is one problem, is it that I need someone who will fully believe in my words and follow me?
My gaze naturally turned to Celine. As if she knew without saying it, she came to my side with a smile.
“How are you, Brother Ian? They say it’s a two-in-one group, but it’s been a long time since the two of you are dating alone?”
“It’s romantic to go on a date with the two of us holding knives in a place where the Witchbeast might be hiding.”
Celine giggled at my irony. She seemed quite encouraged by the unusual practice she had been doing for a long time.
“So, aren’t they low-level magicians? No matter how outskirts this place is, it’s within the academy grounds.”
That was the general idea. No matter how neglected the breeding of monsters was, this place was within the academy grounds, and even a hunting festival was held every year.
He could tell just by looking at what he thought of the previous Emma raid. The dominant view was that an alchemy student who had no ability to protect himself had an accident by accident.
But what if not?
Because of that ‘letter’, many emotions were swirling in my mind. Anxiety, nervousness, and a sense of duty and guilt.
No one believes this letter. Only I, on the premise that this letter is true, could have prevented the loss of life that would appear today.
It was a lonely yet painful feeling. I bit my lip for a moment, then, as always, tried to invite Celine to accompany me.
If it was Celine, she would suit me in moderation despite my insistence, and above all, she was someone I could trust and entrust to her. But what I was about to do was shut my mouth when I felt someone’s gaze.
My eyes glanced sideways. There, eyes resembling aquamarine were staring at me.
The eyes filled with faint anticipation, then submerged again. I didn’t even feel disappointed.
As if I just knew it would happen, I had no choice but to hesitate at the sight of those eyes that were fading while blaming myself.
agonized for a while But the hesitation was short-lived.
“… … Celine, make a group with someone else today.”
“Yes, yes. Even so, Ian oppa only has this Celine… what?”
Celine, who had been presumptuous of the words that would come out of my mouth, immediately frowned and asked me back.
I confirmed my meaning to her again.
“Switch with someone else today. After all, there are a lot of people besides you and me.”
“Yeah, but… Aha.”
Celine, who hesitated as if embarrassed, immediately realized that my gaze was directed at someone and gave a cold voice.
A cool light shone in her eyes.
“… … Would you like to date that bitch?”
“It looks like no one else is going to make it except me.”
Celine’s eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. She jerked away and turned coldly away from me.
“You do what you want? From now on, we will play with each other very much.”
She left those sarcastic words behind. It seemed that he was very angry.
I’ll have to release them later, I sighed softly. However, Kim was already like this. I walked over and approached Seria.
Among the people who were forming groups in groups of threes and threes, Seria, who was left alone, looked especially lonely. I seemed to know a little bit now.
In fact, Seria is not ignoring anyone, and surprisingly knows how to get lonely.
I said a word to Seria, who was staring at her toes with her head down.
“Seria.”
“Yes, yes heh?!”
Seria jumped with a cute sound as if she was startled by the sudden call. She looked at me with bewildered eyes.
I made a simple proposal to Seria.
“Let’s make a group.”
“… … yes?”
Seria tilted her head as if she had no idea what she was talking about. So I had to say one more word.
“You want to make a group with me.”
Seria then blankly looked at me.
He averted his gaze, hesitated, then cleared his throat, regaining his usual haughty expression.
“… … Yes, Neheb.”
chewed tongue
It was Seria as always.