EP.169 The New Student Who Calls Forth a Storm (3)
The first day of September has dawned. The opening ceremony held in the Great Hall begins under the gaze of numerous students. In reality, it’s not such a grand event.
Just an event to announce the start of the new semester.
And an event where the student representative merely makes a declaration.
Though it’s nothing more than a simple affair, the scale isn’t exactly modest compared to its simplicity.
“If there are any inconveniences….”
“Ah, I’ll prepare that right away. At table number 7….”
Usually, maids who manage the Central Academic Hall circulate among the students. The Great Hall, decked with all sorts of banquets, resembles more of a noble’s social gathering than an opening ceremony.
There’s a reason for that.
Apuria Academy is prestigious. Many students come from noble families, and among them are even individuals from the esteemed royal family. No matter how small the event, if it bears the title of ‘event’, the preparations cannot be lacking.
“So during the vacation, you know…”
“Did you see the ball held by the Harfel family? The Golden Lady participated…”
Many students are accustomed to social gatherings.
They deftly balance goblets between their fingers as they chatter about the experiences they had during the break. If there are students who have seamlessly blended into the social scene…
“Heh…”
There are also those who aren’t so accustomed.
“Belnoa, what’s this? It looks strangely intriguing.”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you try eating it?”
“Is it even food? It looks way too pretty!”
“Then it was left for you to eat, not just to admire, right?”
“That may be true, but…”
gulp, as she swallows her dry saliva, Chloe grabs a fork. The desserts, cut into bite-sized pieces, look like works of art in the eyes of Chloe, who grew up in the back alleys.
“It’s not like I’ve had much dessert, except for the cakes Mr. Haktap sometimes brings.”
Compared to that, this is on another level. To think such bite-sized desserts even exist feels like peering into another world.
“Hmph, hmm.”
Chloe hums a tune as she fills her plate with desserts. She’s not mingling at a social gathering; it looks more like she’s there for a meal. That sight captures the attention of other students.
She’s already quite an eye-catching girl.
While several students would like to approach her, Belnoa’s presence by her side makes it difficult…
Then, it happens.
“Sit down first. I’ll have to go up too.”
“Okay, got it!”
At that moment, Belnoa leaves Chloe’s side.
Belnoa, last semester’s top student, must also make a declaration as a representative of the Battle Magic Department. Just as Belnoa leaves her seat, tap tap tap.
Footsteps echo consecutively.
As Chloe contemplates what dessert to try first, happily lost in thought…
“Hey, um…”
Someone has approached Chloe.
Chloe raises her head. And stifles a quick breath. There are several students surrounding her. A group of five or six female students encircles Chloe.
“Wh-what’s up?”
The gaze is rather overwhelming.
As Chloe swallows again, one of the girls steps forward to speak. A girl with a short, spunky bob cut and an active vibe.
“Your name is… Chloe, right?”
“Yes, yes.”
“I’m Charlit. I’m also in the Battle Magic Department with Belnoa… Can I ask you something?”
“What about?”
Chloe nods slowly.
“You, in the duel arena…”
Charlit lowers her voice.
“You sat next to Professor Rania, didn’t you?”
“Uh? Yes. The seat next to the professor was empty, so…”
“Did you ever think about why it was empty?”
“Uh?”
Chloe blinks.
“Why it was empty, you say?”
“Oh dear.”
A response that seems utterly clueless.
Chloe’s innocent demeanor causes a sigh from Charlit and the other girls. To them, Chloe appears like a little lamb.
“You really don’t know anything, do you…?”
A little lamb unaware of the truth.
Seeing her own naïve self at the semester’s start, Charlit sighs deeply and crouches slightly to Chloe’s height and whispers.
“Listen, Professor Rania is…”
Her outside and inside are different.
Inside, a nightmare stirs.
You’ve got to keep your distance.
What words should she choose first? Which words would best describe that demon-like professor? As Charlit considers her words…
“Professor Rania is like…”
“Yes, please tell me.”
Suddenly, someone places their chin on Charlit’s shoulder. The weight on her shoulder is light. So light that it almost feels as though there’s nothing there. But the weight we perceive is always relative. Charlit’s shoulder trembles.
creak, creak.
As she hears an eerie sound, Charlit turns her head.
Among the pale faces of the girls holding their breath, someone stands there.
“P-Professor Rania?”
A nightmare stands before them.
With ash-colored hair cascading down and blue-green eyes half-open, Rania whispers to Charlit in a very soft voice.
“Like?”
What word will come next?
In that moment, what is this brat?
Her voice is gentle, but as if she’s eavesdropped on what’s inside, Charlit’s face turns as pale as a ghost.
“Uh, uh…”
Charlit desperately spins her head.
Rejecting the flood of negative words in her mind, she scrambles to piece together a lie to speak.
“Like someone who is an excellent role model for a professor, I was trying to say…”
“To think you see me that way is an honor.”
pat pat, Rania, who has lightly patted Charlit’s shoulder twice, smiles satisfactorily. While Charlit breaks into a cold sweat, Rania shifts her gaze to Chloe.
“Chloe, dear student.”
“Yes, Professor Rania!”
At Rania’s call, Chloe deeply nods. How formal Rania is in this official setting is quite refreshing… Chloe thinks as she awaits Rania’s next words.
“After the opening ceremony, please come to classroom 108. I’ll give a brief introduction before the make-up class.”
“Okay, should I bring the textbooks too?”
“Just your body will suffice.”
Rania nods slightly, seemingly pleased with Chloe’s enthusiasm.
“See you soon.”
With that, she leaves her seat.
As Rania departs, the girls release the breath they had been holding in unison. They wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads as they glare at Rania’s retreating figure.
“…How fortunate you are?”
“Be careful. She might be listening…”
“No way, she’s not some special forces or anything…”
“Haven’t you heard? She’s the one who subdues Hounds with her bare hands. She might actually be from a special forces background…”
“…Wasn’t that just a rumor?”
“It’s true. Amazingly so.”
“…So, that’s why she’s Apuria’s insert impressive title here?”
As the girls gossip, Chloe just tilts her head in confusion. Chloe reflects on the phrase Charlit mentioned earlier.
“An excellent role model for a professor.”
She really is a good professor.
Chloe smiles brightly. Observing Chloe’s smile, Charlit’s eyes begin to shake violently.
“…Chloe.”
“Yes?”
“Hang in there.”
“Yes, thank you for cheering me on!”
A girl marked by a nightmare.
A new student, pitifully helpless.
Watching the girl who will soon be swept away by a storm, Charlit shakes her head. A disaster is a disaster because you can’t escape it, even when you know it’s approaching.
So sad.
Though everyone looks at Chloe in that way, Chloe is too busy pondering which dessert to try first.
Everything looks delicious!
No matter what anyone says, Chloe is happy right now.
2.
Amidst the ongoing opening ceremony, I was walking around the academy grounds. I was thinking of heading straight to the designated classroom.
There’s really no need to show my face.
After all, the next sequence involves representatives from each department stepping up to make brief declarations. I wasn’t interested in such a formal event, so I had already left the Great Hall.
“Hm.”
I glanced over the plan in my hand.
It was a special curriculum for the new student, Chloe, coming in this semester. In truth, it wasn’t solely for her… But she’s the main focus.
A unique warrior, Chloe.
A Watcher who can read the threads of the stars.
I planned to nurture both at the same time.
Both talents are related after all. If I teach them together starting this semester, by the time they reach their second year, they should both experience meaningful growth.
The curriculum is already drawn up.
What remains is merely the task of raising the students down the predetermined path. Since I crafted a perfect plan, things cannot go amiss.
Whether a superhuman comes or not, I must still teach.
I understand that the First Prince will strike.
I am aware that I’m in a rather tricky situation.
Yet, I can’t afford the luxury of resting… nor can I delay the lectures in preparation for what’s to come.
Time is the most precious resource.
I had no intention of wasting it.
I’ll catch both at once.
Teaching and guarding Apuria.
It’s not a terribly difficult task. I’ve always handled two or more jobs at once. Just as I’ve done until now, it will continue.
Crack.
As I was about to walk away.
Someone’s figure caught my eye.
“…”
In the garden of Apuria.
Sitting silently on a bench, gazing blankly at the ground, was a girl. Although her face was obscured, identifying her wasn’t difficult. Her distinctive platinum hair stood out.
“Princess Ayla?”
Upon calling her name, Ayla flinched. Slowly, she lifted her gaze. Her platinum hair flowed with her movement.
“What are you doing here…?”
Why is someone who should be at the entrance ceremony here?
I held my tongue before asking that question. The sight of Princess Ayla at that moment was different from usual.
“Oh, Professor Rania…”
Her usually radiant golden eyes looked dull.
The smile that once adorned her lips now carried a wearied expression. It was obvious she was forcing it.
“…Is there something wrong?”
“Uh…”
She started to speak.
But no words came out. After pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, she shook her head and managed a faint smile.
“It’s nothing. I was just feeling a bit unwell, so I was resting outside.”
She stood from her seat.
“It’s a bit chilly. I’ll head back now.”
As Ayla got up, a Guard Knight followed closely behind her. Normally, she wouldn’t be accompanied by a knight. Today, however, she clung to the knight’s side in a way that seemed almost pathological. That sight felt strange to me.
As though rejecting others.
As if she wanted nothing to do with anything.
Watching Ayla, who appeared to have changed from her usual self, I stared at her retreating figure for a while.
3.
「…Is there something wrong?」
She couldn’t ask for help.
She wanted to speak but could not.
Ayla bit her lip.
【Trust nothing.】
【Entangle with nothing.】
【Trust leads to betrayal, and entanglement brings misfortune.】
Ayla mentally chewed on those three sentences.
She prayed several times to the silent star to receive those three lines. After leaving these three lines, the star fell completely silent. Not a single word was given.
Distrust, severance.
That is the prophecy laid down by the star.
“Do not trust, and cut off.”
Ayla pondered over those words countless times.
She believes in the statements left by the star.
She treasures the star’s prophecy more than anything else.
‘…Because it has always been this way.’
The star has always shown her the way to survive. It guided her through royal power struggles, saved her from the risk of poisoning, and marked safe havens from the First Prince’s gaze.
The star has always provided the correct answers.
For isolated Ayla, the star was a kind friend. In the royal castle where she had no one to trust… the star was Ayla’s staunch ally.
‘Always, it has been this way.’
She could survive because of the star.
She could endure because of the star.
But with the star now silent… Ayla feels nothing but fear. The world feels entirely unfamiliar. Every step she takes feels arduous.
‘…Like this.’
Knowing how to anticipate danger had always allowed Ayla to roam about freely. If the star did not warn her, it meant that the place was safe.
‘So like this, I am…’
With her star-kissed eyes piercing through the essence of everything, Ayla could stand confidently before anyone. The upper hand in information led to confidence.
‘So like this, I have depended on the star so much.’
Now that the star is silent, everything is shaken.
As her inner thoughts become unreadable, everything in the world appears foreign. Even students she had greeted casually just yesterday seem strange to her now.
“…”
Ayla gazes blankly at the ground.
【Trust nothing.】
Distrust.
【Entangle with nothing.】
Severance.
【Trust leads to betrayal, and entanglement brings misfortune.】
That is the path to survival.
‘So then.’
Do not open your heart to anyone.
Trust no one.
The only way to survive is to stand alone.
“What does that mean?”
She couldn’t discern the star’s true intention.
Ayla’s gaze remains fixed on the ground. Unable to grasp the star’s meaning, she didn’t even know what actions to take.
「…Is there something wrong?」
【Entangle with nothing.】
Someone’s words and the star’s prophecy swirl in her mind.
Which choice should she make?
Ayla doesn’t yet know.
Author’s Note (Postscript)
It’s not even 12 o’clock yet…!
