Love Letter From The Future

It took quite a long time to soothe the Lady Virgin Saint.

At first, I thought it was just a joke like last time. So, I smiled and looked at the Lady Virgin Saint, but no matter how much I smiled, there was no change in her mood.

Only then did I harden my expression. The Lady Virgin Saint genuinely looked displeased.

After all, even if there were understandable reasons, I was the one who unilaterally broke our promise. She had every justification to be angry. I had no choice but to do my best to calm her down, despite my flustered state.

Was it my sincerity that reached her? I sensed a change in the Lady Virgin Saint, who had maintained a cold smile. She let out a small huff and abruptly turned her head away.

Even that became a picturesque scene, since the original form was so beautiful. There was something cute about her that made a young man’s heart flutter. Above all, her prominent features stood out.

No, no. I shouldn’t have had such impure thoughts. Thus, I chided myself and did my utmost to comfort the Lady Virgin Saint.

“It was unavoidable. Didn’t the Heavenly Deity also say, ‘Help those suffering neighbors beside you first. What you do for them is what you do for me.’?”

“But still, you could have at least given me a heads-up, right? I was so shocked to hear the news…”

If that were the case, I might have found myself grabbed by the Lady Virgin Saint in the clearing near the forest. She had shown a negative stance regarding my participation in the Hunting Festival.

However, if I rashly countered, it could backfire and only aggravate things. When calming someone down, it was essential to empathize first.

I enthusiastically nodded as if her words were unconditionally correct.

“My thoughts were short-sighted. I became so preoccupied with saving my friend… Otherwise, would I have acted so recklessly?”

“Yeah.”

I remained silent at the Lady Virgin Saint’s resolute answer. She crossed her arms and glared at me with her rosy eyes, then let out a small sigh.

Her expression seemed to say that it was hopeless. A smile stretched across her face.

“…But, I suppose that makes you Brother Ian.”

Not understanding her meaning, I stared blankly at the Lady Virgin Saint. She shook her head.

“You had to do it, didn’t you?”

That question struck home.

Yes. I had to do it.

If I hadn’t, countless people would have been hurt, Seria would never have escaped from Senior Delphine’s shadow, and Emma would have surely succumbed to illness.

It had been an excruciating fight. My arm was pierced, I vomited blood, and my insides were in tatters. Yet, I had no choice but to move.

Because it was something I had to do. So, I had to hold my tongue against the Lady Virgin Saint’s words, which seemed to be the only consolation.

Honestly, I was scared. There were many times I wanted to give up. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

If I had, I would have languished in guilt for the rest of my life; thus, a bitter smile formed on my lips. I finally managed to squeeze out a single phrase.

“…Yes.”

As if that settled everything, the Lady Virgin Saint quietly nodded. Her hand brushed against my arm, and I saw renewed distress in her eyes.

“The evil has deeply embedded itself. It’s a situation that will inevitably leave semi-permanent effects… Thankfully, emergency measures were taken with divine power. If it had penetrated the bone marrow, amputation might have been necessary.”

It was something I had prepared for. Despite looking fine on the outside, my left arm still lacked proper sensation.

It had become dulled. Not just the sensation, but the movement of my left arm was all off. The subtle differences in reaction speed made my heart weigh heavier.

I might have to start sword training all over again. After all, an arm was precious to a swordsman. Even the tiniest aftereffects could ruin everything I had built in my swordsmanship.

As a price for my life, it wasn’t bad. For Emma and the countless students who might have died.

I didn’t think of playing the martyr. I was well past that age.

I simply thought sincerely that rather than suffer from guilt all my life, it would be better to rebuild my swordsmanship from the ground up.

Of course, that path would inevitably be arduous. Yet, I had also gained much in return.

That elixir, which would resolve my chronic limitation and amount of magical power, was precisely it.

The ‘Dragon’s Blood’ I received as the prize for winning the Hunting Festival was a secret treasure of the royal family. While I couldn’t measure its effects accurately, it was evident it had at least more than double the power of my current magical energy.

Swordsmanship could improve with a few years of hard work, given my prior dedication. However, opportunities to increase innate magical power were exceedingly rare. In the long run, this meant I would gain far more than I would lose.

Even so, I couldn’t help but taste the bitterness in my mouth. As I nodded silently, the Lady Virgin Saint asked me with a worried tone.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“It’s something I’ve prepared for.”

That was all I could say in return. The Lady Virgin Saint looked at me with a doubtful expression before sighing deeply as if she had no choice.

She hesitated, avoiding my gaze, then cautiously called out to me.

“…Brother Ian.”

As my question mark-filled eyes locked onto her, the Lady Virgin Saint smiled lightly and said to me.

“How about we make one secret together?”

“…?”

What kind of secret was she talking about all of a sudden? However, before I could form such questions, the Lady Virgin Saint took out a small crimson orb from her cloak.

I had seen it before. It was the ‘Blood Stone’ Yulen had brought to the Holy Kingdom; I’d heard it was worth a whole church.

Without any hesitation, the Lady Virgin Saint gathered the Blood Stone in her hands as if praying and began to channel divine power.

In a heartbeat, a fierce gust of divine energy swept through. The silvery storm surged into my left arm, and I felt searing pain as if it were being burned.

It felt as if the dulled sensations until now were going wild. I opened my mouth to scream but then remembered the word ‘secret’ and clenched my jaws instead.

The pain didn’t last long. Just a few seconds; with that, the aftereffects in my arm completely vanished.

My eyes stared blankly at the Lady Virgin Saint. She simply winked one of her rosy eyes at me.

Before I realized it, my body bolted upright. A broken phrase escaped my lips.

“Th-That’s worth a whole church!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Aren’t you also unable to use it freely?”

“Which is why it would be a ‘secret,’ right?”

With a teasing smile, the Lady Virgin Saint released her hands. She showed me the Blood Stone resting on her palm.

It was intact. It might have shrunk slightly, but it was nearly indistinguishable unless examined closely.

“If used on someone teetering between life and death, it might be hard to notice any minor aftereffects. Of course, in principle, you must receive permission from the Holy Kingdom…”

As she was saying this, the Lady Virgin Saint urged me to react with a subtle look. I immediately fumbled to respond.

“…I didn’t see anything.”

“Good.”

Seemingly satisfied, the Lady Virgin Saint finally nodded. She gestured towards the entrance, indicating that it was time to part ways.

Feeling dazed until the end, I gathered my thoughts and suddenly asked.

“Lady Virgin Saint, why are you going this far for me?”

With a look of surprise, she tilted her head slightly, maintaining her gentle smile. I quickly continued.

“Isn’t using the Blood Stone also a risky endeavor for you? Yet you still…”

“Brother Ian… Didn’t you say once?”

With that, the Lady Virgin Saint placed a hand on her curvy figure and proudly said.

“‘First, help the weak beside you. What you do for them is what you do for me.’”

It was a passage from the scriptures of the Heavenly Deity Sect. Hearing those words, I stood there blankly for a moment before managing only a faint smile.

It was a phrase I had quoted.

“I only thought that good deeds should be met with corresponding returns. Then, may the Heavenly Deity watch over you. Emmanuel.”

With a sign of the cross in response to her greeting, I left the treatment room.

It was still afternoon, and the sun had not yet set.

On that day, I thought perhaps the Deity was watching over this place.

After the Hunting Festival ended, that night, the Huhya Festival would commence amidst drunken revelry.

While it was primarily to relieve the tension of having passed the major hurdle of the ‘Hunting Festival,’ the most crucial reason was the impending preparation for final exams.

After the month of the Bow, the month of the Wheel would arrive. By then, it was customary for the final exam period to begin as we wrapped up the first semester.

Failure at the Academy meant expulsion. Therefore, all students had to pour themselves into studying and training during the final exam period. In other words, today was the last chance left to play.

Even if one wanted to avoid drinking, hearing that they wouldn’t be able to drink again from tomorrow made it a trait of youthful spirits that they couldn’t resist. Inevitably, they would be doomed to roll around on the ground, vomiting, like a four-legged beast.

By dawn, it was evident there would be corpses scattered across the Academy, having succumbed to the effects of alcohol. It had been this way every year, this year would be no exception, and it wouldn’t change in the years to come.

Of course, I was no exception to this. As soon as I took a seat, I filled my cup and drank it all in one go. Everyone sitting with me did the same.

Third-year students were preparing for the practical assignments in their upcoming fourth year, substituting regular exams with slightly less challenging practicals. Of course, they still had to sit for theoretical exams in general studies and such, but the most crucial scores depended on those ‘practical exams.’

As the day approached, everyone became sensitive not only to their training but also to managing their physical conditions. Opportunities to drink were non-existent. So, it made sense to shed all those desires today.

Selin briefly visited the table where Reto and I were sitting before moving on to join her friends’ table, drinking away. She looked very happy.

It was understandable. Winning the Hunting Festival meant being recognized as one of the best in the Academy.

In other words, Selin’s value had skyrocketed. For someone like her, who hoped for the revival of the Haster Clan, there couldn’t be a better situation.

“By the way, what happened to Senior Delphine?”

The question slipped from my lips. Upon hearing it, Reto’s face turned incredulous, but what could he do?

I had been occupied all day visiting Emma and tending to her, so I hadn’t had the time to gather rumors. Unlike me, Reto wasn’t busy.

He shrugged and answered me.

“I heard she went missing? No news since then. Apparently, she hasn’t left her room at all.”

I clicked my tongue. My head shook involuntarily.

“I hope she’s not too hurt. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”

“…Is that something you should be saying?”

While I was leisurely chatting with Reto and my friends, a small, drunken figure staggered over from a distance.

It was Senior Elsi. She had come with her gang, who were somewhat familiar faces.

They were the seniors who had previously fallen apart alongside Senior Elsi and had awkwardly greeted me with stiff expressions.

I wondered what it was about as I looked at Senior Elsi, who suddenly slung an arm over my shoulder.

Despite our height difference, it was comfortable for her to do so since I was sitting down. A hearty laugh erupted from Senior Elsi’s cute mouth.

“Ahahaha! Everyone, say hello! This is my new little brother, Ian Fercurus! You’ve heard a lot about him, right?”

Senior Elsi seemed to be quite tipsy already, judging by the smell of alcohol coming from her mouth as she said that. Her gang, however, appeared to be only slightly impacted by the alcohol as they stared at me awkwardly.

I felt uncomfortable as well. I quietly whispered to Senior Elsi.

“Um, Senior Elsi? It seems your friends are feeling awkward…”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? You’re my little brother now, and we’re like family! Hey, Temar, come here! We’ve been through some rough patches, but we can all forgive and live together!”

However, the inebriated Senior Elsi became even more self-righteous. She even frowned and scolded her friends. A sigh escaped my lips without meaning to.

At this point, there was only one way to handle this.

“Puhahaha! You should have seen that Delphine girl’s face back then! She was so scared of me… Heeek?! P-Please spare me!”

As soon as I discreetly brandished a small axe, Senior Elsi tossed her pride aside and began to tremble uncontrollably. She pulled her large hooded hat down, seemingly thinking it would make her less afraid by obscuring her view.

I quietly whispered in her ear.

“Senior Elsi, you need to listen well.”

“Yes, yes… I-I will listen to Elsi. I-I’ll do whatever it takes…!”

Only after hearing that response did I smile in satisfaction and pat her head.

Immediately, Senior Elsi’s expression became dazed. Seeing that, her gang looked at me with even more fearful eyes.

But what could be done? This was the only method to stop the rampaging Senior Elsi.

“Well then, go have fun with your friends for the rest of the time.”

Thinking I had done enough, I issued my decree. Even so, Senior Elsi remained hesitant.

Turning my curious gaze towards her, she blushed and awkwardly scraped the ground with her foot.

“…C-Can I have just a little more petting?”

Hearing that, I glanced around. Senior Elsi’s gang looked horrified, while Reto was watching me with disgust.

No, she told me to do this.

It was unjust, but it couldn’t be helped.

Today, the most important guest of the Huhya Festival arrived last.

While I was drinking, someone tugged at my collar. My eyes flicked back.

The gray hair, catching the moonlight, and deep blue eyes reminiscent of a clear, deep sea.

“…Brother Ian.”

She cautiously suggested to me.

“Sh-Should we go somewhere… just the two of us?”

On a night where the moon was beginning to wane, she proposed a secret meeting for just the two of us.

As she spoke, Seria blushed and couldn’t quite meet my gaze.

It felt like a strange atmosphere.

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