1. The First Letter (24)
Early in the morning, my eyes opened by themselves. It was because the body remembered the time when it always happened.
Assuming he hadn’t drank too much the day before, he should have washed his face and prepared to go out. The morning’s schedule was also the schedule of most of the students attending training, lectures, and the Faculty of Swordsmanship.
The body is like a kind of precision machine. If they were not properly oiled every morning, they could not respond to the necessary situation in time.
It was common sense. So, even though there were only a few diligent students who wielded swords from dawn, there were many students who swung swords and warmed up for a while before breakfast.
It was a daily life shared not only by the academy students, but also by most prosecutors.
But unfortunately, it’s already been several days since I missed that morning practice.
It wasn’t a voluntary thing. Rather, I wanted to practice. Resting is only for a day or two, so if you can’t move your body for several days like this, the feeling of sluggishness intensifies.
Her body, which had always been light, became heavy. Like anyone else, it was a very unpleasant sensation, especially for a prosecutor.
The swordsman itself had to be a sword. There shouldn’t be any superfluity in body or mind. But now my body wasn’t maintaining its optimal condition.
The desire to get up right now and return to everyday life was like a chimney. But what I couldn’t bear to do was because of the bandages wrapped around my body right now.
Every time I looked at those clean, soft cloths, I would realize that I was still injured. It’s pure white now, but the bandages I saw when I first opened my eyes weren’t crazy.
The appearance of dried blood and pus. The gruesome scene was more deeply entrenched in my mind than the throbbing pain.
When priests pour holy power, the recovery speed of wounds increases. Bleeding usually stopped then. However, the fact that blood pus came out even when he came to his senses meant that the extent of his injuries was just as severe.
I must have almost died, and when I realized that, my momentum was broken.
It was time to calmly focus on recovery. No matter how quickly I wanted to go back to my daily life, it was meaningless if my body didn’t heal properly. I was the one who lost money by hurrying.
So every morning when I woke up, I would blankly stare out the window or pass the time flipping through some of the books Leto gave me.
Even the titles alone made these books uninteresting. Who reads ‘History of Imperial Thought’ or ‘Introduction to Social Theory’? It felt like the questions I used to have every time I looked at the library were finally peeling off.
It was a guy like Leto. No matter how much I thought about it, I could feel the malice that I was leaving only books like this, even though I knew full well that I hated theory books.
I couldn’t overcome the boredom and read about 10 pages of ‘The History of Imperial Thought’, but eventually I couldn’t stand it and closed the book. It would have been better if I had slept more.
It was around that time that cracks were detected in my daily life. Suddenly, I felt a presence outside the door. And then the door opened with a squeaking sound.
Is it Letona Celine? Or it could have been Professor Andrei from the theological department who was in charge of my treatment. However, the identity of the visitor who soon appeared was none.
Gray hair that gives off a noble light. Dark blue eyes with a profound light, as if carefully crafted from the stars in the night sky, entered my field of vision.
Her complexion was hardened. Some people might misunderstand it with an unpleasant expression, but I knew it. That’s the look on her face whenever she’s nervous.
As evidence of that, even after entering the hospital room, she did not know what to do. It looked the same as always.
Come to think of it, it must be the first time I’ve been to my friend’s hospital visit, so I welcomed her with a wry smile.
“Welcome, Seria.”
“Yes, Neheb. He’s been healthy… Ugh, are you well?”
The tongue-chewing was also the usual Seria. Her face blushed slightly, and I giggled as if she was cute.
I offered a seat next to the bed with a wink. Sarah cautiously sat down on the chair. There was joy in my voice.
“It’s nice to see you, Seria. It was a boring car even without that.”
Then I picked up the book I had just closed and shook it. I meant to look at the cover.
“I asked him to bring me something to read, and he said he left books like this, bastards.”
“Yeah, that’s right… … .”
My grumbling voice was quite calm, but Seria blurted out his words, as if such a natural conversation itself was awkward. Her eyes were wandering.
It meant that the current situation was unfamiliar and tense. Seria’s reaction was expected, so I decided to lead the conversation as is.
“how have you been? I wanted to hear some news, but I couldn’t see Tong’s face.”
There was a hint of teasing in my voice when I asked that question, but Seria’s reaction to it was quite dramatic. Immediately, she threw up her hands and began to panic.
“That, that, that’s not… I-I made such a big mistake, I was wondering if Ian sunbaenim wouldn’t be angry… … .”
As the words continued, Seria began to show a more and more downtrodden appearance. Indeed, it seemed right that the last mistake had hurt her pride.
Guilt must have plagued her. Because the wounds of the heart are always added in solitude. Seria, who had no one to consult with and no courage to talk to me, had been agonizing in front of the temple all day.
Will it be okay to go see me, in case I won’t be angry.
He was the first friend I made. It was just frightening for her. Even now, she was watching me intently.
Seeing that clumsy appearance, I giggled again and burst into laughter. I felt like a puppy in the rain when I saw Seria looking sideways at me with a sullen expression.
If you look at it for a bit, you’ll know right away that I’m not angry, but since I’m Seria, who doesn’t have much social skills, I didn’t seem to be convinced yet.
So, I spoke plainly to her, so that she could feel at ease.
“I’m not mad, Seria.”
At my words, Seria’s complexion suddenly brightened. She smiled and asked me back.
“I-I’m really… … ! ah… Are you sure?!”
In the meantime, I chewed my tongue again, but now I’m used to it, so I didn’t bother pointing it out. Seria still blushed with her head lowered as if she was a little embarrassed.
“Why would you be angry in the first place? I was the one who decided to let you go first, and I was the one who decided to fight. The only thing wrong with you is that you listened carefully to what I said.”
“Yeah, but if I had listened to senior Ian’s advice in the first place… … .”
“Because anyone can make mistakes.”
Seria’s mouth shut tight at my nonchalant voice. I continued talking as if it was nothing.
“In life, everyone makes one or two stupid mistakes. What you need at that time is a friend. When someone commits something absurd, even after cursing and fighting, we end up dealing with it together.”
So I had to have a few friends I could rely on. In my life, there have been things that I couldn’t solve on my own.
For example, I had friends named Leto and Celine. I was always grateful that they were by my side. Having a partner with whom you can share joy and sorrow makes life richer.
I wanted Seria to have such a friend. It was good even if it wasn’t me. She just wished she had at least one person to support her whenever she felt impatient.
Because she seemed unstable now. As a senior, it was an expectation worth betting on a junior who cares.
“Last time it was you who accidentally made the mistake, and next time it could be me. So don’t worry, it worked out anyway, right?”
And to be honest, I had no reason to be dissatisfied. It was thanks to the fact that he gained quite a lot of harvest while dealing with the monsters that day.
After all, even the 70 gold that came out as a bounty was just a side income.
On that day when I was engaged in a life-or-death battle with demon beasts, I was able to grow to a higher level as a swordsman.
The use of aura, the use of senses, and even body movements were the same.
It was like an intuition. I am sure that the level of me as a prosecutor is different from the me before that day and the me after that day.
I’ll be able to know the details when I hold the sword again, but even without that, the amount of magic flowing through my veins was already proof of my growth.
Among the achievements that a prosecutor could achieve, there could be no greater income than this.
Of course, even so, it would be at a level that could not reach Seria. Even so, it was clear that the fight that day had become a valuable opportunity for me.
Therefore, when I thanked Seria, I was grateful, but there was no reason to be angry at all. It was the reason why my attitude toward Seria could not help but be mild.
However, Seria, who did not know the inside story, seemed to be quite impressed by my attitude.
She looked at me for a while with blank eyes, then shook her head and managed to come to her senses.
And as if she had made up her mind, she took out a pouch from her bosom and held it out to me. It was a bag of gold coins.
“I, senior Ian… … .”
“Couldn’t it be a ‘master’ again?”
Before she could finish her words, I looked at Seria in doubt and asked her.
Perhaps embarrassed by my first move, Seria shook her head and strongly denied it.
“Oh no! This is the bounty I received in advance for talking to Professor Derek. In exchange for subjugating that beast… They said it’s better to get the money you need to hear as soon as possible.”
if so, what Without saying a word, I accepted the pouch and counted the approximate amount of gold.
The pockets were too heavy. At first glance, it seemed that there were far over 70 gold coins.
I let out a deep sigh and returned the pouch.
“Seria, there are too many gold coins.”
Seria’s eyes widened at my words. It’s like I didn’t know you would notice.
But why don’t you know, Seria’s subjugation reward might be just a small amount of money, but for me, the second son of a rural viscount, it was a lot of money. There was no way I knew the amount.
“The bounty is 70 gold, right?”
“Ha, but… … .”
Seria lowered her head at my low voice and began to hesitate. I waited patiently for her words.
“… … You saved my life.”
Hmm, I swallowed my saliva and looked at Seria blankly. It sounded like a whisper, but I heard it clearly. A slightly softer voice.
It was a mournful tone that was hard to believe was coming from that blunt Seria.
“So, I wanted to compensate in some way. Because I don’t think the price of my life is cheap.”
“That’s why I can’t take it any more.”
I sighed and declared that. And before Seria could say anything, he forced her pocket back into her hand.
Seria’s body trembled when her hand touched mine. Her gaze went blank again.
I think I’m losing my mind a lot today, is it okay? But I decided not to bother too much with that.
I placed the pouch in her hand and wrapped my hands around hers. It was because I was afraid of letting go of my pocket.
Seria’s hand was soft and warm. It is unbelievable that he had polished his sword his whole life.
“Your life is not cheap, is it?”
“… … Yes, hehe.”
Seria nodded as if bewitched by my words. It was a strangely benign response. Her face was slowly turning red.
It was as if he was ashamed to hold his hand. However, if I let go, I could have given the pouch to me and left, so I decided to stay in this state for a while.
“That’s why it can’t be converted into money. Because life cannot be weighed against anything else… You are more precious than you think, so I cherish you.”
“Cow, cherish… … .”
Seria repeated my words with a reddened face. Are you sure you’re listening correctly? I was a little suspicious, but since Seria didn’t show signs of resistance, I let go.
Then Seria let out a pitiful sound. But that was for a moment, and soon she came to her senses and bowed her head.
What was so embarrassing was that her face was red all the way to her ears. Because her skin was so transparent, it stood out even more.
She stayed silent for a moment, averting her gaze, then abruptly stood up.
“Well, then I’m done… … .”
“Are you going already?”
At best, we only had a little conversation, but I had no choice but to ask because I was sad that he was leaving already.
It was obvious that if she left, I would have to spend some boring time alone. However, Seria’s attitude was quite strong.
“Yes Yes… Well, that’s why morning practice isn’t over yet… … .”
I licked my lips and expressed my regret, but I couldn’t help it because Seria really meant it. She will have her own schedule too.
It was then that I was about to say good-bye to her.
“Brother Ian! good morning… ah.”
Along with a lively voice, black hair burst out from beyond the door. It was Celine, a lovely-looking girl with tan eyes.
She tried to greet me with a smile on her face, but her expression froze as if she had spotted Seria.
Seria was also confused. She was startled by Celine’s sudden appearance and stiffened her body.
There was silence for a moment. Celine was glaring at Seria in silence, while Seria hesitated and avoided Celine’s gaze. It was an awkward situation for Seria.
The moment I thought about whether I should step in.
Seria mustered up courage and tried to lick her lips.
“That, poetry, beholden to… … .”
But before he even finished talking.
With a click, Celine’s shoulder slapped Seria’s body.
My eyes widened at the attitude of not even acknowledging Seria’s existence, and the rude response beyond my imagination.
Seria was instantly stunned. Other people don’t know, but I could. The fact that Seria was hurt right now.
But Celine didn’t even care if Seria did or not. Instead, she smiled and greeted me as usual.
“Hi, Brother Ian. How was your last night?”
I frowned slightly. Of course, my response to the greeting was not good. Even if it was a first time meeting, I couldn’t be comfortable with openly ignoring my acquaintances.
Naturally, my voice scolding Celine continued.
“Celine, you are… … !”
“Then, I’m done.”
But I couldn’t go any further. It was because Seria had said goodbye to me as if nothing had happened before.
My eyes turned to Seria. It was an absurd look. You’re being ignored like this, isn’t it okay?
In spite of my gaze, Seria just bowed slightly and left, as if she was used to it. My mood became even worse, as if I had been trampled on by a shoe that was rolling in the mud.
Celine glanced at Seria with cool eyes without saying anything, then sneered and sarcastically sneered as she left.
“Shameless bitch, talking cheap… … .”
In the voice that was spit out like chewing, there was a thorny hostility and resentment. So I had no choice but to frown even more.
“Celine, you really… … .”
“now! Ignore that nasty bitch, so how was yesterday? Did you not sleep at night thinking about Celine, my brother Ian?”
But Celine, as if nothing had happened, smiled mischievously and poked at me with her finger.
Unspoken pressure to ask no more.
In the end, I sighed and accepted her prank, but from this point on, I seemed to have noticed it.
Celine and Seria’s subtle quarrel, no, a problem that could be more serious than that.
I remembered the advice I heard from Leto a while ago.
‘The world of women is much more shady than you think.’
That word struck me strangely.