Flags of a legion fluttered above the tents. It was an army stationed on the plains. Exhausted and wounded soldiers were common, and their eyes were devoid of even a hint of hope.
Their eyes were like those of dead fish.
A man dismounted from his horse, and as soon as he landed, mocking voices entered his ears.
âHah, look. The crows have arrived.â
âTheyâre masters of escaping, arenât they?â
Though it would have been natural for the man to have been annoyed, his expression didnât change. He pulled his jet-black cloak over his armor and strode on without hesitation.
No soldier tried to stop him even until he entered the red tents that the commander presided in.
Inside was a woman with a pale complexion. He was unable to make out her features, and only her bloodshot eyes made an impression.
âItâs been a long time.â
ââŠâŠIt is an honor to see you again.â
The man respectfully bowed his head, but the woman paid him no heed and continued reviewing a stack of papers.
She merely glanced upwards to acknowledge his presence.
It didnât take long for her to finish going over the papers. It was only then that she turned her weary eyes to the man.
He opened his mouth to speak.
âTheyâre asking about the situation at the Eastern Front.â
ââŠâŠThe situation?â
She let out an incredulous laugh.
The woman slowly rose to her feet and walked out of the tent. The man quietly followed behind.
She showed him the battlefield beyond the tents.
The ground was stained with blood, littered with corpses, and crows cawed while feeding on the dead bodies. In the distance, an unrecognizable cluster of foreign trees continued to grow to create an eerie atmosphere.
âItâs always the same. We lack soldiers while the enemies are multiplying by the day. Weâve long since reached our limits. At least give us some supplies on time.â
âIâll try to get it pushed when I return to the capitalâŠâŠ.â
The woman only snorted in disbelief at the manâs words.
Silence hung in the air for a long while. The womanâs eyes, which had been staring blankly at the battlefield, were now filled with a grim light.
âPlease, we canât hold on anymore.â
âWeâre doing our best, but as you know, the situation on the Western and Northern fronts are alsoâŠâŠ.â
The man couldnât finish speaking. Before he could, the woman pointed her finger across the battlefield towards the trees.
Upon closer inspection, the trees didnât belong to nature. They seemed to have been formed by flesh, and such trees were writhing around.
Within the manâs eyes, which had been devoid of emotions, was now a vague fear.
The dream felt so real as if the boundary between dreams and reality was becoming distorted.
As I got up, I noticed that my pillow had become drenched in cold sweat.
My head throbbed with a splitting headache and my throat burned with thirst. As I gulped down the water I always kept by my bed, I noticed something was off.
The calendar was flipped to the next month and there was an unknown envelope on the nightstand.
ââŠâŠ Fuck.â
At first, I panicked, but Iâd already experienced something like this before. After grabbing the envelope, I quickly tore it open.
My eyes quickly scanned through the words contained within.
â-
To my beloved Ian Percus,
Have you ever thought about love?
I donât know if itâs because Iâm in a new relationship or because I parted with the love of my life a few months ago, but Iâve been thinking about it a lot lately.
I think love is like a tree. Itâs impossible to notice until it sprouts, and then it just keeps on growing until it fully encompasses your heart.
Of course, Iâm talking about you.
I still get heated whenever I think back to how you acted oblivious as you flirted with my naive self.
Come clean. You did it on purpose, didnât you?
Even your practicum at the orphanage is suspicious. Even if you were asked to scout and exterminate nearby demonic beasts, there were many other locations including the villages of the Percus estate.
You once said that a noble should strive to protect their familyâs lands, so why did you choose the orphanage?
After much deliberation, I came to a conclusion.
âThis man has had his eyes on me for a long time!â
You played with my innocent heart that had never experienced a relationship before.
It was a terrible thing to do. I pray that God delivers divine punishment upon this player.
And also a blessing.
If you indeed had your eyes on me beforehand, Iâm grateful for that too.
Love is such a terrifying emotion.
Just by becoming your lover, everything in the past seems like a blessing and fate working its strings.
Iâm glad I fell for you, Ian.
Thank you for making me happy.
More than anything, I canât forget your heroic struggle on that day even if your intentions werenât the purest.
You willingly took up your sword for the weak and protected them while suffering grievous wounds even though it wouldnât have impacted your grades.
Thatâs when I realized that while you may look scary and have many things to hide, there is much kindness and innocence underneath.
It was then that I became interested in you.
Up until that point, I had only felt threatened, but then, I figured you had a good reason to act the way you did.
If you hadnât threatened me, we wouldnât have been able to repel the raid and destroy their lair.
Once again, I am deeply grateful.
Grateful that you played my innocent heart, that you made me suffer from the fever of love for so long, and that in the end, I was able to stand by your side.
It is all through Godâs grace. Emmanuel.
I miss you, Ian. I am always praying for you.
P.S. I heard that the scum of the Empire was recently transferred to Arancote on the western edge of the continent. Serves them right.
P.S.S. Donât get careless just because youâre far away. God is always watching over the world. If you cheat, youâll be punished accordingly.
From Lucia, with love from afar.
2nd day of the Month of the Wheel.
Year 571 of the Imperial Calendar
â-
Once again, the letter was filled with cryptic words. I held my head as I tried to make sense of it all.
The last letter was about the âHunting Festivalâ, and now it was about the âpracticumâ. Judging by the letter, it seemed to be referring to the upcoming practical assignment.
Trouble would arise there too? Why?
Just the mention of a âraidâ made me get an ominous premonition that I might have to prepare for a deadly battle like the one during the Hunting Festival. My head was already aching from imagining the future.
Why was God giving me such trials? If I could, I wanted to immediately storm into the temple and complain, but before I could, my eyes froze upon a line.
It was the senderâs name. Their name was âLuciaâ.
Even with the arrival of the second letter, the things I had to do didnât change.
First, I had to go to my lectures. I also had to train and take the elixir.
âDragonâs Bloodâ was a high-grade elixir. If taken improperly, it was possible to suffer from fatal side effects.
It was best to take it under the guidance of an experienced professional like Professor Derek.
But as I reached for the elixir, my hand came to a stop.
The box of âDragonâs Bloodâ was empty. I channeled my mana just in case.
Then, like a waterfall, a torrent of mana poured out.
Shocked, I immediately calmed the rampaging mana. The amount of mana in my body had more than doubled, and there was only one possible reason for it.
I had already consumed the âDragonâs Bloodâ. Except, I had no memory of doing so.
âShitâŠâŠ.â
I was terrified, coming to the realization I had lost my memory again. I shuddered at the thought of what I had done in the meantime.
Last time, I had beaten Seria to a pulp. I somehow managed to smooth it over, but I still felt angsty just thinking about it.
Although everything worked out in the end, it was a difficult situation. It was a tumultuous month that didnât suit my stability-oriented personality.
But, I also wondered if Iâd done something I wouldnât be able to handle.
My skills had grown immeasurably compared to a month ago. I also had reliable friends like Celine and Senior Elsie, and teachers like Professor Derek whom I could trust with any matter.
Feeling that there wasnât anything I couldnât handle, I forced down the rising anxiety and lifted my head.
Luckily, there wasnât any concerning gossip when I stepped outside.
There were a few whispers, but considering all the widespread rumors about me, it was to be expected.
A sigh escaped my lips. I thought that even if Iâd caused another incident, it wasnât really me. It was an enemy wearing my face.
As I continued walking, something or someone suddenly pulled my arm and dragged me into a dark alleyway.
I didnât have time to resist the sudden force, and with a thud, my body was pushed against the wall.
Startled, I scanned the assailant in front of me. A familiar face greeted me â Hair the color of molten silver, light pink eyes capable of making any manâs heart flutter, and a sinful body that tempted indecent thoughts.
I became more confused.
The Saintess? Why was sheâŠ
Her eyes were brimming with unconstrained hatred and glaring hostility.
ââŠâŠYou. What are you planning?â
Before I could ask what she meant, she gripped my collar and shoutedâHer voice, filled with resentment and anger.