Love Letter From The Future

It has already been a day since I clashed with Senior Elsi and her group.

In the meantime, a lot has happened. Not only did I receive scolding from Selin for engaging in dangerous behavior, but I also had to listen to a lengthy sermon from the Lady Virgin Saint at the temple, just to be cautious.

I argued that it was something I had to do to protect the honor of the nobility, but I had to pretend to be touched by the sermon that proclaimed honor is not more important than life.

The priests of the Holy Kingdom did not understand how important honor was to the nobility. For them, life was akin to the mission bestowed by the Heavenly Deity Arus.

However, when they spoke of “honor” while willingly throwing away their precious lives like dust, it was understandable that they would find it absurd from the position of someone tasked with healing them. It was the nobles who put themselves in danger, but it was entirely the priests’ role to save their lives.

Different nations have different cultures, so it couldn’t be helped. Anyway, no matter how much I tried to persuade, there was no way the Lady Saint would change her mind, so there was only one answer.

Listening to the tedious sermon with one ear and letting it flow out the other, I nodded as if I was impressed.

After doing this for a few minutes, most of the priests would nod their heads with satisfied smiles. The Lady Saint was no exception.

“I’m glad to hear that you were so impressed by my words, Brother Ian. Most imperial nobles usually dislike what I say, but you are an exception. This is also a blessing from Arus.”

In her words, her light pink eyes held an unmistakable sense of pride. She seemed to puff up her chest, which made her already prominent curves even more pronounced.

Clearing my throat, I averted my gaze. Then I drew the sign of the cross.

O Arus, forgive your son, who was born with many sins.

However, the Lady Saint seemed to misunderstand my sign of the cross as a sign of emotional response. It was evident that her movements grew more animated with joy.

Thanks to that, her voluptuous breasts displayed their elasticity. I swallowed my spit and drew the sign of the cross once more.

O Arus, upon reflection, being born a male is not my sin, right? I will consider this another gift of yours. Emmanuel.

Having quickly rationalized myself, I stole glances at the Lady Saint while pretending not to. She merely continued to wear a benevolent smile.

“Recently, Brother Ian’s renown has risen, and your faith seems so deep. The Lord in heaven must be pleased as well. I hope we have opportunities to converse in the future. Emmanuel.”

As she said this, she glanced at me and smiled with her eyes. At that final moment, I couldn’t bear to meet the Lady Saint’s gaze.

According to myth, humans were created by both the Heavenly Deity Arus and the Evil God Omelos. While reason was crafted by the Heavenly Deity Arus, it is said that the body was made by the Evil God Omelos, which explains why sin remains in the human body. And it was true.

Indeed, it was a body full of sin.

Not mine, but the Lady Saint’s body.

Putting such treasonous memories in a corner of my brain, I had to leave the temple.

There was plenty else to deal with. First was the incessant stares and whispers that followed me everywhere.

It brought back memories of when I had first opened my eyes after losing my memory. In fact, it felt even more intense than back then.

Rumors of having defeated Ceria in a duel were unrealistic and only had about a hundred witnesses. It could be dismissed as simply having had good luck.

However, the place where I ambushed Senior Elsi was right in the heart of the Academy. It was rare for such a spectacle to occur within the Academy, where violence was strictly prohibited, let alone for a third-year student to defeat a renowned fourth-year.

Moreover, the fact that I had taken down Senior Elsi contributed significantly to the spread of the rumors. Who was Elsi Rainelle, if not that “little villain”?

If I even hinted at the word “little” in front of her, I would be prepared for a severe punishment, but that nickname was already widely circulated in her absence.

With a small stature and doll-like appearance, she certainly appeared to be a cute and lovely maiden at first glance.

But her harsh tongue and rude personality, along with her tendency to bully students with her entourage, gave her an entirely opposite image. Her behavior was indistinguishable from a street thug.

Thus, she earned the nickname “little villain.” While it sounded somewhat cute, many trembled at her malice.

Yet, the Senior Elsi, leading a group, could not handle even one junior.

There was indeed an element of surprise, luck, and various circumstances that favored me. However, there were no rumors that meticulously accounted for every minute detail.

In the rumors, Senior Elsi had become a figure of utter disgrace and had even soiled herself out of fear of me.

That was more than enough to tarnish the honor of the nobility. It would be a dark history she would carry for a lifetime.

There was even a possibility that the rumor about her soiling herself would have to be dealt with at the family level. She was born with a beautiful appearance, and if such a horrendous rumor spread, her chances for marriage would be severely hindered.

As time passed, I felt a bit guilty.

All Senior Elsi had done was bring her group to beat up a powerless junior in a secluded area until she was half-dead, hadn’t she?

Of course, this was also just an attempt that didn’t succeed, and I couldn’t know what kind of cruel acts Senior Elsi had been plotting.

Reflecting on it again, I didn’t feel that guilty. Justice always prevails.

As expected, the rumors continued to spread even a day later. They were evolving, even taking on new forms. That’s the nature of rumors.

It seemed that such rumors had reached Reto as well. He approached me, chuckling.

“Wow, look who it is. The famous ‘Lord Handaxe’ of the Academy!”

“What’s with that nickname?”

‘Lord Handaxe’—that strange nickname made my expression sour instantly. But Reto only laughed harder at my reaction.

He patted my shoulder, clearly finding it hard to contain his laughter.

“Pfft, haha… I heard you use that handaxe every time you take someone down, right? Tean fell victim to it, and so did Senior Elsi… Thanks to that, handaxes are trending at the weapon shop these days.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief at his words.

The reason I favored the handaxe was simply that it provided an element of surprise as a secondary weapon. Most swordsmen struggled to even handle just one sword.

The path of a swordsman was long and perilous. Most swordsmen preferred to invest the time needed to learn a secondary weapon into honing their aura instead.

However, as my case proved, if one could handle a secondary weapon skillfully, it could offer a significant advantage in actual combat. You could fight even without a sword, and just the emergence of a new weapon with a different reach and speed could confuse the enemy.

Moreover, if one possessed expertise in throwing weapons like me, it was even more advantageous, as both swords and handaxes could create various variables when thrown.

However, that was only because I met such strict conditions.

Using a secondary weapon poorly would risk exposing deadly openings. Moreover, a handaxe had a shorter reach than a primary weapon. It was only natural that the dangers would increase.

If I hadn’t instinctively handled the handaxe after losing my memory, I would never have even dreamt of integrating a secondary weapon into my arsenal. Yet here I was, using a weapon that had suddenly become a trend.

It was absurd. It didn’t seem like a practical choice at all.

Reto was well aware of this. Or perhaps, that was why he enjoyed it even more.

He was a typical, twisted mage who could transform someone else’s pain into his own amusement.

Why is it that all mages seem to be such twisted individuals? I could only lament inwardly.

“Isn’t it hilarious? Some people say seriously that your primary weapon is the handaxe and that you’ve been hiding your skills with a sword… Hahaha!”

“Don’t laugh.”

I said this because Reto’s overly delighted expression was oddly annoying, but his laughter showed no signs of stopping. He even praised me.

“Still, haha… you did well, kid. If you want to make a name for yourself, you need to have an impressive image or something, right? Now, the next time you pick up that handaxe, everyone will scream and flee!”

“Do you really think that would happen…?”

I couldn’t resist Reto’s urging to give it a try and pulled out the handaxe. As I walked through the Academy’s main thoroughfare, the students around me began to avoid me with fearful expressions.

No matter how I thought about it, it was an unjust reputation. I wasn’t that scary of a person.

Dinner training with Ceria wasn’t all that different. The topic of my clash with Senior Elsi had come up again.

Ceria’s aquamarine eyes sparkled with admiration and respect for me.

No, I’m weaker than you.

However, I didn’t have the courage to reject the respect of a junior I cared for, so I refrained from adding any more words.

Ceria even brought with her a newspaper published by a school club, one that had previously circulated bad rumors about me.

Personally, it was a paper that had only worsened my reputation since then, but Ceria either hadn’t noticed or didn’t seem to care too much. Rather, she read the article with shining eyes, completely engrossed.

She presented me with the article. The headline read:

“The Little Villain’s Lesson! How far will the rebellion of the neglected lower noble of the Empire go?”

“Rebellion? What kind of blasphemous words to use in front of the nobility…”

Just reading that line left me dumbfounded, muttering in disbelief.

Rebellion is a serious crime. This is true in any nation. Therefore, nobles from either the Empire or the Kingdom usually hesitate to even mention such words.

Yet, even in the Academy, using terms like “rebellion” was entirely inappropriate.

I already felt a spinning sensation in my head. Not to mention, the term “lower noble” hinted at the very existence of “higher nobility,” which was evident to anyone.

It was unacceptable to draw the ire of the high-ranking nobles who held power both outside and inside the Academy. Just reading that one line made me feel mentally fatigued.

Nonetheless, contrary to my thoughts, Ceria spoke to me in a slightly excited voice. Although it was just a subtle difference that others wouldn’t even recognize.

“Brother Ian, to defeat Elsi Rainelle… that’s amazing.”

“No, I was just lucky.”

Of course, I also had the fortune of drawing my sword unexpectedly and my opponent being caught off guard.

If we had fought face-to-face, would I have been able to win even against one or two from her entourage?

That assessment was based on my recent rapid growth in skill and the practical use of the handaxe, which was rather generous.

Of course, the fact that a third-year student could think about “one or two” against a fourth-year student implied that I already possessed considerable skill. Reflecting on it was indeed astonishing.

It hadn’t been even a month since I lost my memory, and the more I experienced combat, the faster my skills were growing.

However, there were limits. At best, I could be evaluated as “strong in actual combat,” and my basic skills and magic capacity had only improved slightly compared to the past.

In the end, true strength is not revealed through variables and unexpectedness but is borne from solid fundamentals and magical capacity. Addressing these gaps would be the homework I needed to tackle going forward.

Nevertheless, regardless of my thoughts, Ceria seemed genuinely pleased that I had defeated a well-known talented senior in the Academy. A faint delight shimmered in her eyes.

“Still, the fact that Brother Ian is amazing doesn’t change. How did you think to ambush her at that moment?”

“Well, I just wanted to do that.”

It was a strange comment, but Ceria was indeed in awe, believing that true masters have a different intuition.

At this point, I felt somewhat embarrassed. If I assumed I was using aura, I would most likely lose against Ceria if we matched up. Being praised by such an opponent made me feel uncomfortable.

I cleared my throat to lighten the mood. As Ceria’s puzzled gaze turned toward me, I recalled a story to share.

“Speaking of which, I met her.”

“…?”

“Your half-sister.”

A soft sigh escaped from Ceria’s lips. Her expression turned somewhat gloomy. To be more precise, it would be apt to say that she looked “intimidated.”

To Ceria, her half-sister must have seemed like an enormous wall.

After all, she was the top of the swordsmanship department among the best students in the fourth year. I could roughly guess what her skill level must be without needing to experience it firsthand.

Ceria cautiously asked me, “…What was she like?”

“It was too short a meeting to make an evaluation. Surprisingly, she was friendly to me. Oh, and…”

I snapped my fingers, recalling a memory that just surfaced, and shared it with Ceria. A look of curiosity lingered in her eyes.

Then, in the next moment.

“I’m meeting her tonight, just the two of us.”

Ceria’s complexion paled as it turned frozen.

The light in her gem-like eyes faded with a dramatic reaction, leaving me no choice but to feel flustered.

What was wrong with Ceria?

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