Celin’s following statement was as follows.
Celin set off for her midnight training as usual. It was to get accustomed to the rapidly increasing amount of magical power she had been experiencing lately and also to get familiar with the battle axe, a weapon she was not used to.
However, there was one problem: Celin’s training accompanied noise.
Swinging a sword does not usually create a volume that is bothersome to the ears. But the battle axe, which was as long as her height, was a different story. The noise it generated was bound to be significant due to its destructive power.
In particular, Celin enjoyed projecting her magical power at full strength. In other words, it meant that she could not keep her weapon suspended in the air. Anyone could imagine the kind of sound a battle axe wedged into the ground would make.
That was the reason she had to venture outside the orphanage.
It was then that an unexpected encounter took place.
It was a moment like magic. Just as the moonlight broke through the shroud of ominous clouds, a bright reflection from a white mask struck Celin’s retina.
Silence encircled the two men and women in front of the wall.
“Does it feel strange when you say it like that?”
“Shut up, it’s an important time right now… And what kind of woman do you think I am to let my guard down?”
What did she mean by letting her guard down?
The truth was, I was a man who had let my guard down too many times, so I decided to maintain silence for now.
“There was no conversation. I intuitively sensed it. That guy was odd…”
“Odd, how?”
“The feeling was different from a human.”
When she referred to him as “that guy,” now she was saying the feeling was different from a “person.”
It was hard to know which rhythm I should follow.
Still, Celin’s gaze was serious.
“A more unpleasant feeling? The way he looked at me felt unsettling as well.”
“Must be a mage.”
Drawing from my long experience, I quickly reached a conclusion.
At this, Celin tilted her head in confusion. Come to think of it, she had never faced a mage before.
Mr. Guildford had to face him alone. And in the Northern Region, Celin had not followed him.
“Mages usually hide their true nature. It’s only when you draw out their power that you feel that unpleasant aura. They exist between humans and monsters.”
“I see… Then is my fainting related to that?”
Hmmm, I murmured softly.
I could not rule out the possibility. Among mages, there were occasionally beings with special powers.
For a moment in contemplation, a vague question slipped from my lips.
“Is there anything else you remember?”
“Um, I was about to swing the axe immediately. But then…”
She said her vision flashed white, and then she lost consciousness.
There must not have been any signs or premonitions. There might have been, but it likely meant Celin’s skill was not enough to pick up on them.
That point puzzled me.
“You made eye contact directly and were still caught off guard? There must have been quite a distance.”
“Ahaha… That’s the thing.”
Celin looked gloomy again and forced an awkward smile. The sadness that was hard to hide emanated from her expression.
It seemed she was feeling down about losing without being able to even move a hand. I wasn’t unfamiliar with feeling foolishly caught off guard by an enemy myself, so I could not help but empathize.
However, I could not comfort Celin immediately. I was worried about her statement of her vision flashing.
I had heard similar words before.
Lady Airen had also made a statement about her vision flashing, hadn’t she? Back then, I thought she was just speaking nonsense due to her being so useless.
There couldn’t be two coincidental occurrences like this. In other words, it meant there was a clue hidden somewhere in this testimony that pointed to the criminal.
Though, it left me clueless for the moment.
I swallowed a bitter laugh and turned my gaze back to Celin. She still bore a glum expression.
“I’m sorry, I-an oppa…”
“What are you sorry for now?”
A bitter smile involuntarily appeared on my lips. We had known each other for a long time, so I could tell.
How much Celin was struggling.
Powerlessness accompanies inferiority. Due to my indifference while I was busy, I hadn’t realized the deep wounds being etched into Celin’s heart. That fact was deeply regrettable and saddening.
I should have noticed it since the moment she said she would remain at the Academy to train alone.
“I’m no help at all. If only I were a bit stronger…”
“Don’t be so anxious.”
I said, placing my hand on top of Celin’s head with a light pat. Usually, she would get upset about messing her hair, but today she was unusually calm.
Maybe she didn’t even have the energy left to be angry.
“You are already a great help. We have fought together many times… And lately, your skills have been improving.”
It was a sincere observation.
When I last saw Celin at the Academy, I had unintentionally gasped in surprise. Her skills had improved beyond my imagination.
Struggling to lower my tone to be the warmest I could manage, I stroked Celin’s head.
“Just keep going like this.”
“…Like this?”
Finally, Celin’s gaze turned towards me. The light had vanished from her golden eyes, leaving only a gloomy shadow that seemed to give an eerie feeling.
I put more strength into my voice.
“Yes, just like this. Move at your own pace. Honestly, I’ve just gotten lucky and grown stronger. My skill is trivial compared to the enemies I have to face.”
“But, I want to be helpful to I-an oppa.”
Her words were filled with suppressed will.
For a moment, I kept my mouth shut and stared at Celin.
“I don’t want to be a burden. I don’t want to be treated as someone who can be disregarded, whether I’m here or not. I want to be someone essential to I-an oppa.”
“Celin…”
After a sigh, I quietly placed my hands on her shoulders.
Kneeling slightly, I matched my eye level with Celin. It was the height where our hearts could connect best.
“You’re already an essential person to me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course…”
“Over the past few months, you’ve managed fine without me.”
That unexpectedly sharp tone momentarily took my breath away. I had not expected Celin to be this upset.
To be precise, I had thought she would understand. Were we not closer than anyone else?
My duties, my responsibilities. I thought it was natural for her to bear the accompanying sacrifices.
Had I been too selfish?
“Isn’t it? There are many people without me. There are nerds, and Senior Rainelle and Senior Yuridina too. And how could we forget Lady Virgin Saint and Her Imperial Highness?”
“Celin, I think there’s some misunderstanding…”
“I know.”
Before my words could finish, Celin declared coldly. Her tone was firm yet carried a hint of muffled moisture.
“It’s all my fault… So I’ll take care of it.”
There was no time to ask what she meant by that.
Celin seemed to turn away, trying to hide the quavering emotion in her voice. All I could see was her tightly clenched fists.
“I just need to get stronger! Somehow…!”
With the determination spilling past her clenched teeth, Celin hurriedly walked away. It seemed she had no intention of looking back at me anymore.
“Celin!”
Even calling her name didn’t prompt Celin to turn. At least she was headed towards the orphanage, which was a relief. I worried about what might happen if she went missing somewhere else.
I groaned and pressed my forehead.
“What do you want me to do…?”
This was why I hated human relationships. There was never a clear answer to anything.
If only someone would present me with an answer.
As I looked up at the sky resentfully, my steps began to move again. The sound of my footsteps echoed in a steady rhythm, stirring my anguish.
The masked stranger and Celin.
Neither seemed to present an appropriate answer.
I returned to the orphanage with a drained expression.
I did not see Celin. She might have retreated to a corner of her room. Regardless, I lacked the confidence to persuade her even if we met.
Come to think of it, the Lady Virgin Saint had asked me to come to her room.
Feeling gloomy made me crave comfort. If the pouch filled with her abundant holy power could provide me solace.
It was then that I spotted Yulen.
He was watching the children play with an indifferent expression. They seemed to be pretending to be soldiers, engaging in mock sword fights with sticks in a rather skilled way.
Still, to my eyes, it was just cute.
No, before that, it was impossible not to find the sight of the kids bickering adorable. A smile had unconsciously formed on my lips.
I naturally stood beside Yulen. He was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed.
“What do you think? Do you see any potential for a second Yulen?”
At my joke, Yulen snorted dismissively. The sound was dry, revealing his apathetic demeanor.
“No? At that age, I was already mastering swordsmanship. Even a few years older guys couldn’t touch me.”
“Yeah, yeah… You’re so great. But you never know, right?”
While it might be true, showing off as a prodigy with exceptional talent was somewhat irritating. He must have held the second seat in the Academy’s swordsmanship department.
That was my reason for unintentionally contradicting him.
“There might be a late-blooming talent. Life is long, and it’ll be even longer for those kids.”
“Well….”
Despite my reasonable view, Yulen still displayed skepticism.
“Will they even make it until then? And the path of the sword is as long as life itself. When I was a kid, I thought I was a genius.”
“You are a genius, aren’t you?”
It felt absurd to hear that.
The second seat in the Academy’s swordsmanship department, the prodigy of the Holy Kingdom, if he isn’t called a ‘genius,’ then who is?
However, in Yulen’s calmly expressed view, there was not a hint of humility.
“At first, maybe. But the sword is not an easy tool. The more you handle it, the more weaknesses become apparent, and as you struggle to try to fix them, things can get messier instead.”
“…A ‘wall,’ huh.”
Finally, I murmured softly, expressing my agreement.
The ‘wall’ was indeed the greatest obstacle I was facing. My aura was consistently strengthening, and my swordsmanship was becoming more refined, yet the traits of the aura still did not awaken.
Why was that? I thought repeatedly but found no answers.
Should I seek advice when I meet the ‘me’ of the future?
In the midst of my thoughts, Yulen continued his story.
“I thought I was going mad. I was standing still, but those around me were moving far ahead. I had to stand beside them; I had to protect them….”
As he mumbled this, a chuckle escaped from Yulen, as if he didn’t even know why he was lamenting.
“Then you fall into despair. Well, it doesn’t matter much now… But, do you have any information on what we’ve discovered?”
Yulen’s question was quite clear. The information our party was focusing on was singular.
I could only shake my head with a sigh.
“Someone said their vision flashed.”
“That’s something I can say too.”
I had no rebuttal to that observation. I merely shrugged my shoulders.
A silence fell between us, and two troubled young men blankly watched the children play. Then, at some moment, Yulen’s eyes lit up.
“Then it means you were caught off guard in an instant, right? Or…”
My dazed gaze followed Yulen’s. There, some boys playing soldiers faced girls, who seemed like witches, crushing weeds in broken clay pots.
“Magic or something.”
And then silence again.
The silence didn’t last long. I began to move my feet once more.
“I need to find Senior Elsi. Can you prepare some crystal orbs? I’ll need to contact the Academy.”
Fortunately, there were enough magic specialists among our group.
