Sir Jericho had caught a cold.
On a chilly autumn night, having been drenched in the cold rain until his body felt limp, it was somewhat predictable.
However, even with his aching body, Sir Jericho made his way somewhere. He had to.
“Senpai… It’s not too late to go after you recover.”
“I can’t delay any longer.”
“No… Ha…”
Nina, who had tried to dissuade him, ultimately couldn’t break his stubbornness and joined him on his path.
In contrast to the damp sensation of yesterday, the feel of properly washed and stiffly dried clothes and coat was soft. It also smelled pleasant.
Sir Jericho took in the scent, felt the fabric, and touched it as he left the knightly branch.
Although his body trembled from the cold, his heart was more at ease than ever. Sir Jericho thought.
Had he known these things before?
The autumn sun that tickled his eyes, the distinctly clear autumn sky. The laughter of people heard from somewhere, the loud clamor and the lively morning greetings…
The chirping of birds, the sweet floral fragrance blowing from a flower shop near the knightly branch. Once again, Sir Jericho asked himself.
Had he known these things before?
‘He had lived without knowing.’
At some point, Sir Jericho may have been trapped in a maze with no escape. Things that normally didn’t catch his eye now came into view, and things he could never feel were now felt anew.
Sir Jericho’s heart swelled at the realization that all of this stemmed from one man.
‘Professor Antorelli.’
Sir Jericho was in a position to investigate him. Even though he had no confirmation of Professor Antorelli’s actual involvement in Cesar Li’s crimes, he proceeded with the investigation, partially thinking of him as an accomplice just in case.
He realized too late that it should not have been so.
However, if he did not act at the moment he realized it was too late, it would indeed become truly too late.
Sir Jericho understood. The very moment he felt it was too late was precisely the right time to set everything straight.
“So, Senpai. Where are we going today?”
Nina asked. It seemed she, too, was soaked in the morning’s lively energy, as her cheeks were flushed. It lifted his mood as well.
“I’m going to the Federal Intelligence Agency.”
“…Are we going there again? If you turn things upside down again, there might be complaints from the agency…”
“This time it won’t happen.”
Sir Jericho subtly shifted his gaze. At the point where his gaze ended, a black car was stopping, blending into the surrounding scenery.
“It seems we won’t even need to go to the headquarters.”
The head of the Federal Intelligence Agency, Grace Kirk Coverain, found herself questioning whether her hearing had deceived her.
After all, it was none other than the stubborn man, Jericho Warren Valeguge, walking straight towards the vehicle she was in.
“Chief Curbin. The investigation into Professor Antorelli is complete.”
“Oh… I see?”
“Send the relevant documents to the knightly branch. We will conclude as processed by the agency.”
“…What?”
He suddenly appeared much more cooperative towards the agency.
“Sir Jericho? I understand this question may be a bit rude, but… didn’t you insist last time that you couldn’t trust our information and wanted to investigate directly?”
“…I investigated in my own way, but there wasn’t really anything substantial.”
“Ah…”
It was not surprising that no conclusion had been drawn, as Professor Antorelli was genuinely not associated with Cesar Li’s bombing.
The surprising point was that, given Sir Jericho’s personality, he would typically not acknowledge Professor Antorelli’s innocence, yet he was so readily willing to recognize it.
“Sir Jericho. This ‘investigation’… Surely it isn’t going to be as unmanageable as before?”
“…It’s not like that. Rather, what are you referring to from when?”
“That’s just it; it was right last year. You nearly turned the bank robber you captured into a dolt while investigating the connection to the anti-government organization…”
“…In any case, I proved their connection. If I hadn’t done that, he would never have opened his mouth.”
“Regardless, you wouldn’t have used such a method on the professor, would you?”
“I did not.”
Sir Jericho’s eyes reflected firmness. Behind that lay sincerity.
“…I understand. I will ensure the report on the Cesar Li case is delivered to the knightly branch within this week.”
“Thank you for that.”
Chief Curbin nodded. Their exchange smoothly turned into farewells as Sir Jericho nodded back and opened the car door to step out.
“…Um, Sir Jericho.”
It was Chief Curbin who stopped him. Sir Jericho’s bright yellow eyes turned back towards Chief Curbin as he was about to disembark.
“I might be imposing, but may I ask just one thing?”
“Speak.”
“Is the sudden change in your temperament due to Professor Antorelli?”
“……”
Sir Jericho did not respond. He stayed silent for quite a while before finally saying:
“…It seems so.”
With that blunt remark, he stepped out of the car.
– Thud!
Even after the car door closed, Chief Curbin stared blankly at Sir Jericho’s retreating figure through the window. The sight of Nina sticking close to him as well, and… how Sir Jericho did not reject her.
“Well…”
Watching them, Chief Curbin couldn’t help but think that.
“Director Royer. Let’s depart.”
“Yes, Chief.”
Whether the sun had risen in the west—.
“So, how was Professor Antorelli?”
Duke Adelheit asked the man sitting before him. He had the aura of a tiger, although he seemed to have softened just a bit.
“…Nothing special.”
“If you felt that way, then that can’t be helped…”
The tiger-like man, Sir Jericho, tilted his teacup. The fragrance of fragrant black tea wafted through the air.
“How does the tea taste?”
“It’s fine. The aroma is nice.”
“Now that you say that, it puts me in a good mood. It’s my favorite black tea.”
“Isn’t it Antica Highlands black tea?”
“Correct. You recognized it immediately.”
Sir Jericho stared intently at the ruby-red black tea in his cup. Its taste and aroma were similar to that of the black tea he had tasted when he visited Professor Antorelli before.
He naturally recalled that Professor Antorelli only drank cheap tea bag black tea.
“…Duke Adelheit, there is something I wish to ask.”
“Mm?”
As Duke Adelheit savored the aroma of his black tea, he turned his gaze back. To him, Sir Jericho asked.
“When I previously investigated Professor Antorelli, I remembered the black tea he was drinking.”
“Black tea…?”
“He certainly served me expensive black tea, like this from Antica Highlands, yet Professor only drank cheap, lower-grade tea bags. Do you perhaps know why?”
“……”
“It’s merely a light curiosity. His choice was rather peculiar…”
Unlike Sir Jericho, who trailed off while drinking his tea, Duke Adelheit promptly closed his mouth. He seemed to be in thought, stroking his mustache.
“Sir Jericho, as you know, those were difficult times for everyone back then.”
“…Back then?”
“There was nothing available except tasteless combat rations, and even the luxury items supplied were nothing but cheap tea bags and factory-made cigarettes. The mint-flavored type.”
“Ah….”
Sir Jericho nodded silently, eyes closed. Indeed, during wartime, everyone lived a difficult life.
The horrendous-tasting combat rations and even the poor-quality supplies were things they could only endure lacking, so how severe must their plight have been?
“I remember. It was that way.”
“Are you aware that Professor Antorelli served as a chaplain during the war?”
“Mm. He told me directly. What does that have to do…?”
“Then did you also hear about the experiences he went through on the battlefield?”
“That’s…”
Sir Jericho fell into thought. No matter how much he searched his memories, he only lamented about his painful experiences, and there was no recollection of having heard Professor Antorelli’s stories.
“…I haven’t heard that.”
“…He is someone who has suffered greatly. Professor Antorelli.”
Duke Adelheit turned his eyes. The front yard of the estate visible through the drawing-room window came into view.
“You understand well how painful it is to live trapped in the past, don’t you?”
“I know all too well. But what does that have to do…?”
“The professor is just such a person.”
Sir Jericho’s mouth was sealed. Why was that?
Was it because of Duke Adelheit’s sharp gaze? It was not that.
Was it because the aftertaste of the black tea was too bitter? That wasn’t it either.
“A person trapped in the past. A person who has lost everything precious. Someone who has hidden wounds that have never been understood by anyone until now.”
“……”
“If I had to compare, yes. I would think you are of the same kind.”
“If I am of the same kind…”
Duke Adelheit’s eyes glistened. His gaze held a sense of “pity.”
“I know that Professor Antorelli has also lost someone precious. I don’t know the details, though.”
“……”
“I suspect that his insistence on only using cheap tea bags… and his preference for cheap mass-produced cigarettes, might be because he, like you, is trapped in the past. It’s not that it isn’t understood.”
It’s just unfortunate, Duke Adelheit smiled bitterly.
And, Sir Jericho.
– I understand.
– …Please don’t say ‘I understand’ even as a compliment. You won’t grasp my situation unless you experience something similar—.
– I understand, Sir Jericho.
He understood.
*
Hurriedly leaving Duke Adelheit’s estate, Sir Jericho moved with half his spirit absent.
“Senpai, shall we return to the knightly branch now?”
“……”
“Senpai?”
– It’s not that I don’t understand.
It’s not that he doesn’t understand. It’s just that he cannot accept it.
But why?
– I understand, Sir Jericho.
He understood. Sir Jericho.
– It is not an empty statement. I understand.
But how can that be?
‘…The shared feeling.’
Sir Jericho felt the kinship he had sensed when speaking with Professor Antorelli once again.
The source of that kinship was…
– …Please don’t say ‘I understand’ even as a compliment. You won’t grasp my situation unless you experience something similar—.
“…So it would be impossible to understand.”
Because he had shared similar experiences.
Professor Antorelli had instinctively sensed it.
The fact that he had not uttered a single harsh word to Sir Jericho when he came to the Academy Main Chapel on that rainy, deep night. That he had accepted the sudden request for confession without a word of complaint.
It wasn’t simply because he had succumbed to Sir Jericho’s status or appearance… No, he hadn’t succumbed at all.
It was an act of giving.
To whom?
‘…To a person bearing the same wounds.’
And, what for?
‘To such a person, the courage to rise above their pain.’
Professor Antorelli was generous in his giving, without hesitation, without annoyance. He truly acted as if it were “nothing at all.”
All the while, he himself was bleeding.
…Why?
‘Why go so far…?’
When Sir Jericho regained his senses, his steps had come to a halt at a certain place. Nina, standing beside him, looked at him with a bewildered expression.
“Um… Senpai? Why to the Academy again…?”
“……”
“Senpai?”
Sir Jericho moved forward immediately. Passing through the Academy Gate, walking along the tree-lined path leading to the courtyard, he entered the courtyard of the Academy Main Building.
In the courtyard in front of the main entrance of the Academy Main Building, Professor Antorelli and Sofia Sub-priest stood.
“Thank you for your hard work~.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Wah! Thank you, Professor Antorelli!”
“It looks delicious!”
While distributing bread to students returning to the dormitory.
Sir Jericho stared blankly at the two of them. Professor Antorelli was giving out delicious-looking, neatly packaged bread to the students, asking for nothing in return.
Simply giving to the students.
Sir Jericho slowly approached Professor Antorelli. Perhaps sensing the hint of his large frame, Professor Antorelli’s gaze met Sir Jericho’s.
“Oh, Sir Jericho.”
“Professor Antorelli, this is…”
“Oh… It’s nothing special.”
Professor Antorelli continued to distribute bread to the students with an “apparently indifferent” expression.
“I ordered bread to use for the worship service this week, but it overlapped with Sofia’s. I’m just giving out the leftover bread.”
“……”
Sir Jericho watched dumbfounded. For some reason, he felt a tightness in his chest.
As Sir Jericho appeared, massive and with a fierce expression, the students shrank back a little.
However, the temptation of free, delicious bread seemed difficult to resist, and the students timidly gathered their courage to take the bread.
“Would you like one too, Your Grace? There’s still plenty left.”
“…Professor.”
His voice trembled. Yet, Sir Jericho continued to speak.
“Professor, why do you engage in this sort of thing?”
“…I apologize. I don’t quite understand the gist of your question.”
“It’s not something someone else ordered, nor does it help you in any way. The fact that you heard my confession last night, too.”
“……”
“Why do you keep giving so foolishly? Why go that far…?”
“Sir Jericho.”
“From what I’ve heard about you, you, like me… lost someone precious on the battlefield.”
Professor Antorelli’s mouth was shut. The students who had taken the bread had already moved far away.
“If it would have surely been painful just listening to my story… why didn’t you show a single sign of that? Why did you remain silent?”
“……”
“Why… why do you act as if none of it matters? Why go that far…?”
Sir Jericho found himself unable to continue his words. His lips trembled, and for some reason, his throat became tight.
To this Sir Jericho, Professor Antorelli spoke gently.
“…They were my beloved.”
“That is…”
“They were a respected person, and someone I wanted to be with for a lifetime. Their green eyes were beautiful, and they had lovely blonde hair.”
Sir Jericho’s gaze naturally drifted to Sofia Sub-priest. Sofia was handing out bread to passing students with a smile.
“At first, I wanted to die. It hurt that much.”
“……”
“But, Sir Jericho.”
Professor Antorelli offered one piece of bread, and a practically invisible smile graced his face.
“As you continue to heal, you will naturally learn how to heal the same wounds.”
“……”
“If I share too much bread with the students, who have such little bread and are genuinely happy to receive it, I will be able to see their smiles.”
“How could that not help me?”
Sir Jericho stared blankly at the bread. Wrapped in clean packaging, the glistening bread looked appetizing.
“If you give, it returns. In whatever manner.”
“……”
“Has that answered your question?”
Sir Jericho nodded silently. Professor Antorelli forcefully pressed the bread into Sir Jericho’s hands.
“On the night when the Lord was betrayed, he took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”
“…I see.”
“I’ve given you two, in particular. Please share it with Nina.”
With that remark, Professor Antorelli turned back once more, continuing to distribute the remaining bread to the students.
Sir Jericho, for a while, gazed at the scene.
Staring blankly, he merely moved his lips as if to speak.
“…Professor.”
“Yes.”
“My investigation into you is complete. There will be no more visits.”
“…Even if it’s not for an investigation, you are always welcome to return. I will be waiting.”
“……”
He turned his body and distanced himself from the professor.
Initially intending to hear tales of Professor Antorelli, he now found that he had no need to.
“Wow! Senpai! This place is a really famous bakery! I knew it! The Professor really has got skills!”
Nina unwrapped the bread packaging and smiled. It was truly a joyful smile over something small and trivial.
Sir Jericho, too, unwrapped his packaging. The bread wasn’t warm, but just the smell was mouth-watering.
He took a bite of the bread.
“Indeed, it does seem to live up to its name! It’s delicious! Isn’t it?”
It was a very simple bread, with only raisins added and no other additives. Since it was originally intended for worship, that was to be expected.
Even though Sir Jericho did not like bread with raisins in it…
“…Yes.”
That taste was the most delicious he had ever had.
Perhaps, because it was a flavor of salvation.
“Truly… delicious.”
For it was the taste of redemption.
