EP.226 The Nightmare has Returned (5)
“I don’t mind at all. Enjoy yourselves freely. Until I step onto the platform, I’m just another guest here.”
Only after Princess Lruiel’s words did the students start to take food, looking cautiously around at her. Thus, the farewell party began amidst the tense atmosphere.
While the scale was grand, honestly, a farewell party wasn’t much different from other events.
It’s all about enjoying the food laid out on the table, sipping the drinks prepared for the students, and throwing in some personal questions that might have been hard to ask at the Academy. But that’s what made it meaningful.
“So, Professor Lrutia…”
“You look very young; how old are you really?”
“Do you perhaps have a mage you’re close with?”
The students, with sparkling eyes, hurled questions at her.
There were sensitive or hard-to-answer questions, yet Madman Kelharlem had a career as an educator for decades. He knew how to deftly navigate through questions.
“It’s been quite a while since I learned magic. I had a mentor who recommended the path of magic to me. He was the library head of a large city…”
Some students were all ears, while others were huddled around different professors.
“Professor Rania.”
Rania van Trias.
There was quite a crowd around her. At the very beginning of the farewell party, she had kept some distance, watching the two princesses beside her…
Is there no alcohol? Hmm, what a pity. I’d love to enjoy some drinks at a time like this.
You said you’re heading off for official duties, sister. Just wait a bit. You don’t even drink that much, anyway…
Ayla, you seem to misunderstand; it’s not that I don’t enjoy drinks, it’s simply because I have no one to drink with. Just being around those pesky faces dampens my mood considerably.
……
“Professor? Don’t just twitch your mouth; say something. Your ladyship is addressing you…”
Thanks to the two princesses, the distance between them shrank.
Rania, sandwiched between Ayla and Lruiel, looked somewhat flustered. The students found her human side refreshing.
The Professor Rania!
The flawless image she always portrayed was now showing a defenseless side. The students found the courage to approach her, inspired by this side of her.
Slowly, students began gathering around her… and surprisingly, Rania didn’t seem to despise this situation.
“I want to ask you something.”
“Hmm? Go ahead, what is it?”
Her tone had changed by now.
Some few students who had encountered her outside the Academy knew her original way of speaking, but not all.
This feels new.
Students felt a refreshing vibe from her casual speech. In this softening atmosphere, one student threw a question.
“What do you think of your older brother, Professor Rania?”
Gack!
While sipping on lemon aid, Rania suddenly choked, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at the student who asked.
“Uh, why that all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s because your brother is that famous Ashen Mage, right?”
Well-known fact.
Though they weren’t blood siblings, they belonged to the same Trias family… surely, the students believed there was some connection.
“You often spoke with great respect about your brother. From that ‘great’ Ashen Mage to Battle Mage…”
Rania’s pupils began to shake violently.
Ayla, sitting next to her, was struggling to hold back laughter, while Belnoa, sitting a few seats away, displayed a similar reaction.
“Eh? Belnoa, what’s with you?”
Hic, hic…
“Was there something funny? I can’t see it…”
While Rak was scratching his head in confusion about the situation, the students continued their questioning.
“I thought you respected him a lot. Did you perhaps learn magic from the Ashen Mage?”
Naturally, most students didn’t know Rania’s true identity. Therefore, that question emerged purely from curiosity.
The Ashen Mage, Raniel van Trias.
An individual who made significant achievements as a scholar and a legendary figure who accomplished great feats alongside heroes on the battlefield.
However, there wasn’t much known about the private aspects of such an Ashen Mage… Thus, students turned to Rania for answers.
“What was Lord Raniel like in private? From the way you talk, it seems you had a close relationship, but what kind of person do you think he is from an objective standpoint…”
What was your brother like in private?
It seems you were close, spill the tea, will ya.
Rania understood the intent behind the question. She comprehended it but answering was another dilemma. She felt her insides burning.
Wait, what if they ask me…
She had no clue.
How many can genuinely view themselves from a detached perspective? Rania pressed her fingers against her eyes.
Just suck it up and say it?
Normally, she might have done so.
But now, even if she put on a brave face, it was clear she would be pierced by the “few” eyes of students sitting right next to her.
……
Rania discreetly glanced at Belnoa and Ayla.
Both quickly averted their gazes from Rania, yet their lips still trembled. No matter how you looked at it, they appeared to be stifling their laughter.
What the hell…
This was a tough question. Extremely so.
While Kelharlem would have deftly deflected the question, Rania’s newfound attention from the students left her without those smooth conversational skills.
She felt the urge to come up with some sort of answer.
“Um, uh…”
Just as Rania was hesitating over her answer.
Rluiel, who had been sitting nearby, opened her mouth.
“There’s no way to expect this person to give an objective answer. Can’t you see those eyes?”
“Yes, yes?”
“The eyes that are pondering about how to phrase things delicately. Honest answers seem unlikely.”
The sudden words from Rluiel caught the students off-guard.
Undeterred by their reaction, Rluiel continued.
“Instead, it would be more certain to ask Ayla. She had the Ashen Mage as a mentor when she was young.”
The eyes that were on Rania swiftly turned to Ayla. Ayla, whose face was slightly flushed from stifling her laughter, nodded gently.
“If it’s okay with Professor Rania…”
“…It’s fine.”
Approval was given.
Ayla took a sip of her drink, then slowly began to speak.
“He is a magnificent person.”
As she emphasized certain words, Ayla started her story.
“In public, he’s icy and doesn’t seem human at all… but in private, he’s surprisingly different.”
If not, then…?
“Hmm, it’s probably very different from what you all might imagine?”
Students’ eyes sparkled.
Enjoying the gathering of attention, Ayla glanced to her side. Rania’s head was gradually lowering.
“Surprisingly easygoing and honest with no pretense. His eyes often revealed what he wanted to say. Even when teaching me, he had this look of ‘why can’t you do this?’ as he kept watching me…”
Chuckle, Ayla laughed softly.
“In a way, he resembles you, Professor Rania.”
Every word from Ayla captured the students’ attention. This was an account of the ‘Ashen Mage’ that they hadn’t heard anywhere else. As the students’ eyes gleamed, Rania could only cast her gaze downward.
Her ears are turning red.
Ayla wore a faint smile.
I guess this is enough teasing for now.
“Still, he’s a truly remarkable person, even in private. His mindset as a mage, the very essence of magic… about the study of magic, he was dead serious.”
With a poke, Ayla jabbed Rania’s side.
“Isn’t that right, Professor Rania?”
……
After a brief silence, Rania finally looked up.
Choosing to commit fully, she maintained a blank face and said in a steady voice.
“Indeed. He was a truly extraordinary person.”
Cough, Belnoa choked on his drink.
While Chloe, who didn’t grasp the situation, patted Belnoa’s back asking if he was okay… Rania kept her expressionless facade.
Yet those ears of hers were undeniably flushed red.
2.
At the end of the farewell party…
“Ugh, I thought I would die from embarrassment…”
Stepping outside, I breathed in the fresh air, wiping my face. I could still feel my cheeks burning.
“My karma, my karmic retribution…”
It was a situation where I couldn’t even blame anyone.
The words I’d spoken were flung right back at me, leaving me with nothing to refute. That playful laughter of Ayla seemed to echo in my ears.
…But still, it didn’t feel entirely bad.
As the cool wind brushed past me, I recalled moments from earlier.
When the atmosphere of the farewell party was suitably elevated, Princess Lruiel began her congratulatory speech from the platform.
“To you who have protected Apuria, I extend my heartfelt applause.”
The officially recognized merit was mine alone.
Students were unaware of Professor Lrutia’s true identity as Madman Kelharlem. Therefore, the words of praise were directed solely at me, yet the message Princess Lruiel conveyed carried a deeper meaning.
“Though not everyone can recognize the burdens you’ve carried in the shadows… I will remember your efforts. I shall never forget the sacrifice you’ve shown.”
Even if it wasn’t known to many, I remembered.
I would never, ever forget.
“I will certainly not forget.”
A few lines, but filled with sincerity, and those words alone became my reward. As the students applauded, Princess Lruiel stepped down from the platform, and for a moment, I had all their attention.
I didn’t seek a reward for my actions.
It was something that needed to be done.
Something I wanted to do.
But as I listened to the students’ gratitude… there was an overwhelming feeling swelling in my chest. Indeed, the moments I felt most fulfilled on the battlefield were those when I experienced that feeling of ‘I’ve protected’.
“Thank you, Sir Raniel.”
“We could protect this place because you were here. Today, humanity did not retreat. We were able to protect this place that must never be taken.”
Knights inclined their heads towards me.
Their tattered armor, dirtied by swamp and the bodies of our fallen comrades, couldn’t hide the joy on their faces.
The laughter of the knights who felt that they had held their ground.
The gratitude of the students.
Though different, similar situations made me unknowingly smile. Just then, someone approached me from behind.
“Did you enjoy the chat?”
I didn’t turn but asked.
With just the sense of mana, I could tell who stood behind me.
“Kelharlem.”
There was no one around to hear, and as he stepped closer, Madman Kelharlem cast a barrier, allowing me to utter his name. Kelharlem nodded.
“Yeah. He is quite a remarkable person.”
“Right?”
“Was it Princess Lruiel? She was quite different from the rumors. She came right up and directly apologized to me.”
Kelharlem smiled bitterly.
“I misjudged her, saying she was thankful for my sacrifice, and we talked about various things.”
“That’s the kind of person she is.”
“Yeah, people like that do exist.”
Both Kelharlem and I had spent quite some time in the battlefield; thus, the existence of someone like the First Princess felt a bit special.
“So.”
I exhaled sharply.
“Are we going back now?”
“That should be the case. It’s time for a break.”
Kelharlem had already changed out of his attire.
Not in the professor’s uniform, but rather dressed in the old robe he wore on the battlefield.
“How was the last month?”
“It felt like returning home after a long while. Since my main role was as an educator.”
“I heard the reputation is quite good.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Kelharlem shrugged.
“There were many talented kids. They were worth teaching.”
“Talented, indeed. So, how did the lecture I requested go?”
I shot a glance at Kelharlem. Before leaving, I had one request for him.
“…Are you talking about the special lecture for Resti Elenoa?”
“Yeah, that.”
Kelharlem had taught the most powerful spiritist in history. He was someone more knowledgeable than anyone regarding the class of Summoners.
Thus, I had asked him.
To give Resti a lecture on the class of Summoners, as he alone could impart such knowledge.
“She seems to resemble Celestia.”
…Your disciple?
“Yeah, she’s really similar to her. Even the speed at which she learns mirrors hers. No, she even learned faster than that girl.”
Kelharlem’s eyes gazed far away.
It was as if he were reminiscing about the past.
“I only taught her for a month, but I shared everything I could. What remains now is for her to discover.”
Looks like the special lecture was successful. I smiled contentedly and extended my hand to Kelharlem.
“Thank you. In many ways.”
I sought a handshake, and he accepted it. After a light shake, we faced each other. Kelharlem was the first to speak.
“I’ll be waiting, with anticipation.”
Long ago, he had mentioned that he would buy time.
I promised to return that anticipation. As we exchanged glances, we reaffirmed that promise once more.
“Yeah.”
I smiled.
“You can look forward to it.”
Three years later, so much will have changed.
Indeed, many things.
3.
The farewell party has come to an end.
After returning from my vacation, I’ve managed to tidy up the urgent work I needed to handle. Now there was just one task left.
“Are you ready?”
In a forest, slightly distanced from Apuria.
There, I looked at Kalt standing before me.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
He wasn’t dressed in his casual clothing.
Kalt, adorned in the same attire I saw on the battlefield, nodded resolutely.
“Let’s give it a go.”
I pulled out the Holy Grail from my pouch.
The platinum liquid rippled, forming a circle.
The Holy Grail, indeed.
The first person to take the test will be Kalt.
