6. Proof of Existence (57)
The night is dark.
It was a very obvious statement, but for the academy, it was a rare proposition that was true. Isn’t it a place where tens of thousands of people live? Day or night, there was no place that did not emit the light of civilization.
There were only a few quiet days in the academy, which was crowded all year round.
And today was one of those ‘few days’.
One of the Academy’s notables was brought before the Inquisition. It was also a crime of betraying humanity. Rumors that he was certain to receive a capital punishment circulated openly around the academy.
This unbelievable news stole the heat from the academy like a cold wave.
Fearing that they might get involved with the saintess, the students curtailed their activities. The teachers were busy preparing countermeasures every day, and eventually the academy became a den of rats.
Sinners hiding from the sun.
It will not be a story confined to this place. I heard that the whole world was eager to deny their connection to the saintess.
In this world of rats, I stood alone and looked up at the sky.
There was no particular reason.
I just couldn’t sleep. Every time I took a step, the throbbing and aching body was calling out to me.
impossible.
Even if my body was intact, there was no way to save the saintess. There was no chin to do anything with the body patched up like rags.
The feeling of helplessness that had not come for a long time was excruciating.
It seemed that the saintess’ warmth still remained on her lips. I remembered the saintess’ breath that had touched my ears. And even that shy confession that he loved me.
Whoa, I let out a sigh that rose from the depths of my chest.
To the north of the academy was a low mountain. I was just looking up at the moon from the observatory halfway there.
Suddenly, a heavy voice pierced my ears.
“There are a lot of people who can’t sleep these days.”
The sound of footsteps trudging down from the top of the mountain.
I looked away and had to lower my head in surprise. There was a middle-aged man with passionate red hair and beard.
Professor Derek.
He was a legendary monster hunter, and the person who looked at my swordsmanship instruction most sincerely in the academy. As a disciple, I had no choice but to bend my head.
It felt like seeing you after a very long time. I’ve received help a few times in the past to rescue the princess at the Homecoming Festival.
While I was hesitant about the sudden encounter, Professor Derek handed me a casual compliment.
“The momentum has stabilized a lot… Has the image awakened?”
“Yes Yes? ah… yes, maybe… … .”
In spite of my ambiguous answer, Professor Derek only smiled.
A muscular man naturally stood next to me.
Even without that, the complicated hair was tightly twisted. The professor was a difficult existence no matter how friendly he was.
Fortunately, the professor was not a lover of silence.
“Do you know why images are important?”
It was an out of the blue question.
I hesitated and couldn’t answer for a moment.
Isn’t that because you have to set up an image so you can move on to the next step? An unmanned person who reached the expert level had a significant impact on his growth, not only in his body and magical powers, but also in his image.
It was because it strengthened the power of the aura.
And when that imagery is awakened to a certain level, the aura begins to distort reality. That was the awakening of the aura, called ‘gaehwa’.
But it didn’t seem like he wanted to ask something so commonplace.
The professor didn’t bother.
“I’ll attach a name line.”
For a very simple reason, I kept silent.
A curious glance turned to Professor Derek.
Like it or not, Professor Derek went on as if he was conveying something very important.
“Images distort reality. It’s about turning the impossible into the possible. In other words, even a dead, immovable body can move. It makes a very decisive difference in practice.”
“So you moved.”
Only then did I understand the last battle.
My heart was pierced, and my body, which had vomited up a lot of blood, was moving again.
It was nonsense. That day I should have died and disappeared.
However, because the image was awakened, the body moved again. If you think about it that way, it wasn’t impossible.
“Of course, it is difficult to awaken the image that much. Turning the impossible into possible… I mean, you have to have such strong images.”
“When did Professor Derek wake up?”
“Right before dying.”
As if recalling that time, the muscular man slowly closed his eyes.
“And when I passed the risk of dying once more, I caught a glimpse. At the end of this road… … .”
“Are you a high expert?”
I said in a tone of genuine surprise.
No one had ever seen Professor Derek’s full potential. He was on the side of moving alone when hunting witches, so few people knew his true skill.
Do you know about Delemore Dean?
Only dozens of beings throughout the continent were ‘High Experts’ or ‘Great Wizards’. I’ve heard that there are a few professors at the academy, but I never thought it would be Professor Derek.
Could it be because the rumor that I was a monster hunter with no roots also affected my subconscious?
I couldn’t help but reflect inwardly.
“It was a very brief moment, but then I saw a slice of it all. At that moment, it was to the point of delusion that I was omnipotent.”
“Is that enough?”
“It’s comfortable to think of it as temporarily peeking into the master’s realm.”
Come to think of it, I remembered Mr. Reynolds saying something similar.
I saw a piece of truth. At that time, I had to do my best not to get swept away.
Hmm, it was around the time I swallowed my strange saliva.
“But don’t go there intentionally to die.”
It was said as a joke, but I couldn’t help but tremble at the advice.
The old prosecutor’s eyes were silently looking at me.
“Even if you die dozens of times, only a few swordsmen can see the ‘end’.”
“Then why not hundreds of times?”
In response to my question, the professor gave a faint laugh. It seems nonsensical.
“Of course I will die before then. Also, if you have that much near-death experience, you are not alive even if you are alive.”
His thick index finger drew a circle around the side of his head.
“Because it will be a living corpse… The human spirit is not that strong.”
And Professor Derek started to trudge again.
It seemed that the words he wanted to convey to his disciple were now over.
“Also, I can’t do anything to the people around me. Even if you can’t die, you can survive hundreds of times… The kids can’t wear it out, so they’ll all dry out? Try dying then.”
Chuck, and Professor Derek’s large hand patted my shoulder a couple of times.
“It looks like the little Rinella up there is also having a hard time.”
“… … Lynella?”
Professor Derek, who overheard my self-talk, burst into laughter at the end.
Come to think of it, I couldn’t meet my friends after returning to the academy.
The comrades who fought with me against ‘greed’ would not be fine. It was because each of them had something to hurt their hearts.
Celine attacked me again without any help.
Lia had to hear the word ‘fake’ face to face, and Elsie lost her respected uncle.
I thought too much of myself.
After hesitating for a long time even after Professor Derek left, I finally sighed and made up my mind.
Caring for the hearts of colleagues was also an important duty.
Even though my torn heart looked like there was no way to get better.
The top of the low mountain that I climbed up like that.
There, as Professor Derek said, stood a Rynella who burst into tears.
“Keah, huh… Four, three seconds five… … ”
Elsie senior’s younger brother, Lupine Rainella.
My face crumpled when I saw him shedding ugly tears.
“… … Fuck this.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling of being cheated.
*
a drink.
Alcohol makes people dull or sensitive. Usually, the first drink was meant to amplify emotions.
Lupine, sitting in front of me, sobbing, did just that.
He still couldn’t stop crying. He also seemed to have followed Mr. Reynolds a lot.
Of course, it wasn’t my business whether the boy was procrastinating or not.
A careless voice came out of my mouth.
“Who is Elsie?”
“Kheuheop, hehehe… Bar, I’m confined to my room… Maybe in training… … .”
Sorcerers can practice even in their rooms.
The thought that it would be so comfortable crossed my mind at first glance. Of course, Elsie-senpai’s determination wouldn’t be that much, though.
I sighed and took a drink.
I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of the night without a word, but the sound of whimpering kept stepping into my ears. Eventually, a faint bruise leaked out between my lips.
“Dude, what are you whining about being a man?”
“Ha, don’t… … .”
“Mr. Reynolds will really like it.”
Only then did Lupin try to suppress his own crying. Tears flowed down his trembling chin.
Did he have a personal preference?
My eyes turned to the moon again. In fact, in front of Lupin, I couldn’t help but feel like a sinner.
Mr. Reynolds sacrificed himself for me and the company.
It wasn’t my fault, but it was clear that my existence attracted the attention of ‘greed’. That point got stuck in my heart and I ended up having a late-night drinking party.
The legacy he left behind still lingered in my heart like a wave.
“Sah, Uncle… Wouldn’t your uncle have regrets?”
With a slightly dry voice, Lupine asked. Instead of answering, I held out a handkerchief.
With a sniff, Lupine blew his nose. I thought to myself that I should throw away that handkerchief.
If the person in front of me was Elsie-senpai, I would have washed and reused it.
“Wasn’t that scary? Eh, it must have hurt a lot… If your heart is about to burst… … .”
“He went in peace.”
“Perhaps,” I struggled to hold back my words.
Are there people who are not afraid of death?
I was also a person who came and went a few times. I knew long ago how terrifying the instinct not to want to die was.
But Mr. Reynolds chose his own death.
In order to change his fate, who should have been defeated by the Dark Church.
“He left mementos and a will. So don’t be too sad… … .”
“Wh, what… Did you say it?”
My speech was at a loss for a moment.
The reason was unknown. I was afraid to say anything.
However, the opponent was a member of the Rainella family.
He deserved to hear Mr. Reynolds’ will. So I had no choice but to hesitate and open my mouth.
“Don’t run away… … .”
Until there, I stopped talking and filled and emptied the glass.
But Lupine’s gaze was still on me. It’s like listening to a will.
In a daze, I retraced the memories of that day.
“… … Don’t be cowardly.”
“I’m glad.”
It was Lupin’s sentiment that wiped away his tears.
My bewildered gaze turned to him.
“Isn’t that the will I left for you? I can’t keep that promise.”
“Do you think I am omnipotent?”
It was said with a laugh, but it was sincere.
I wasn’t omnipotent. The achievements I have made were also just a stairway at the expense of someone else.
Even now, look.
It was a yard where even moving was difficult as the body was in a state of disrepair. There was no reason to do anything or not.
Then, are you going to leave the saintess like this?
A question as heavy as a rock pressed down on my lungs. Panting, I felt short of breath.
It was then that Lupine handed me something.
pitch black rod.
It was a familiar object. So I couldn’t understand even more.
What Elsie-senpai should have, why?