C151: Public Duel (1)
Sedina Rosen walked the streets of the festival alone. She would normally have spent the day helping Rudger with his work in the office, however he told her not to go to work on the festival day, so she was forced to walk around with tears in her eyes.
Because Rudger ordered her to enjoy the festival she went around alone because she didn't have any friends, but Sedina didn't care, she was used to being alone.
'But enjoy the festival. I don't know what to do.'
Why did Mr. Rudger give such a confusing order? No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.
'Is this an ordeal for me?'
Lightning swept over Sedina's like she got enlightened. First Order Rudger told her to enjoy the festival. Why did he make her do the most "unconfident" thing?
'He's teaching me that I need to be able to do things that I don't want to do.'
No one in the world can live doing what they want to do. Life is always hard, so people live by forcing themselves to do what they don't want to do.
But here people are divided into two categories. There are people who say they don't like it, and people who don't like it but do it well.
Sedina realized that Rudger wants her to be the latter.'
'As expected from Sir First Order!'
Sedina, trembling with emotion, decided to faithfully fulfill Rudger's order. If so, she should enjoy the festival, but how will she enjoy the festival?
Sedina, who was worried, smelled delicious somewhere.
'That's…'
Where her eyes naturally went, there was a street stall. She was attracted by the savory and sweet scent that came from there.
The owner looked at Sedina and asked.
"Welcome, little girl. Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Well, that's not……."
"If it's hard to choose, I'll recommend you something. How about this one? It's the most popular food in our store. Do you want this?"
"Yes."
When she nodded her head, the man immediately served her food. It was a fried potato stuck on a long wooden stick, and it was a dish coated with honey with butter. After paying the bill, Sedina carefully took a bite while looking at the food in her hand.
"……!"
Her eyes opened wide and firecrackers popped over her head. It tasted so amazing. Compared to the ingredients, it seems like a bit of a rip-off price, but it had a unique taste that harmonized with the festival.
Sedina, who ate the food in an instant, threw her eyes to another store.
When she was told to enjoy the festival at first, she was at a loss how to enjoy it, but she felt like she could see the way.
As the sky grew dark and the sun was about to set, a signal came through the communicator that she always kept in her arms.
[It's me. I'll tell you the location, so come right away]
At that familiar voice, Sedina realized that the First Order needed her and ran to the place where she was called right away.
'If he's calling me out of the blue, he is finally starting a full-fledged operation, right? Dawn is the best time to move around during the festival!'
Sedina arrived at the scene with strange expectations.
She belatedly realized that she couldn't throw away the food she had in her hand because she came in such a hurry, but that was not the point. There was a secret operation in front of her that made her heart race.
Rudger said to Sedina, who awaited orders with a fluttering heart.
"Take these two away."
"Eh?"
* * *
With the help of Assistant Sedina, Rudger was able to move the fainted people safely without being caught.
After shoving Crollo into her own dormitory, Sedina took Joanna on her back, saying that she would send her to her dormitory. It was strange to see the small Sedina carrying Joanna, who was taller than herself. In fact, Joanna's toes were dragging on the ground.
'She'll be fine.'
Rudger came to the infirmary with Selina on her back. It was quiet and there were no people in the infirmary because the sun had already set. The dark interior felt like a different world, with only the red light of the far-off festival shining softly.
Rudger looked at Selina, who was lying on the bed and was sleeping quietly.
'Esmeralda and Selina were the same person.'
He never thought that the First Order he was looking for was so close.
At first, he was suspicious. However, after seeing Selina's appearance, he tentatively concluded that she was not his target. In terms of the results alone, Rudger's guess was only half correct.
'There was definitely a chance.'
When Esmeralda was distracted by the stunned Crollo Quasimodo continued to be wary of Rudger, but he certainly had a chance to kill Esmeralda there. He missed the opportunity because of his own hesitation.
'Esmeralda can be killed. But.'
Selina could not be killed. She is a good person and although there is a scary existence behind her, that did not make Selina a villain because she didn't know.
'Is ignorance a crime? Then all the warmth and good deeds she has done so far become meaningless.'
Rudger thought it wasn't. Sin is sin and good deeds are good deeds.
You can't cover up your mistakes with good things like simple addition and subtraction. Conversely, just because a person commits a sin it does not mean that the person's good deeds disappear.
Then, if a good man and a sinner share one body, how should that person be treated?
'It's difficult.'
Rudger shook his head but he couldn't just delay the answer.
The last day of the festival will come four days later and Esmeralda will move to kill Crollo Fabius as promised.
So far, Esmeralda's purpose has been revenge against the Fabius family but the problem is after that. What will Esmeralda do after killing Crollo Fabius, the last survivor of the Fabius family?
'As long as she belongs to the Black Dawn Society, she will not be able to disobey Zero Order's orders. Maybe she came in here in exchange for revenge.'
If the Fabius family disappears completely, Esmeralda will faithfully follow Zero Order's orders. It was clear to Rudger, who intended to eliminate the Black Dawn Society someday, that she would be a huge barrier.
It is right to get rid of Esmeralda to prevent that situation from happening.
Rudger examined Selina's figure calmly. Her pink hair disheveled over the pillow was shining softly under the light outside the window. She was like a princess in a deep sleep.
"Uh, uhm."
Selina let out a sigh and then opened her eyes. It was not Esmeralda's red eyes, but her original pale purple eyes.
"Uh, huh? Here is?"
"Are you awake?"
"Mr. Rudger?"
As soon as Selina came to her senses, her shoulders trembled at the sight of Rudger. It wasn't long before she realized that she was in the infirmary, and that Rudger was sitting next to her.
"What happened?"
"You fainted."
"Yes, yes?"
"You must have been tired recently. You suddenly collapsed while enjoying the festival, so I just brought you to the infirmary."
"Did I?"
Rudger's voice was so serious that Selina believed his words. In fact, Rudger was not wrong. She couldn't sleep because she was so excited the day before the festival.
'Idiot! How can you faint?'
Doesn't this make her look like a person who is exhausted and collapsed from enjoying the festival too hard? Selina screamed inwardly at the thought that she might appear like a person who likes to play to Rudger.
'I fainted! Oh no! Then did Mr. Rudger carry me in his arms? Was I heavy?'
On the other hand, Rudger completely erased the little vigilance he had when he saw Selina's reaction.
'Fortunately, she doesn't seem to remember what happened a while ago.'
It's encouraging to make one less excuse. Rudger, who examined Selina's condition, stood up after judging that she was okay.
"Where are you going?"
"I think you're safe, so I'm going to get up now."
"Uh, you know, Mr. Rudger……."
When Selina tried to say something, Rudger stood up from his seat and waited silently for her words. Selina wriggled her fingers and couldn't bear to look at Rudger before finally speaking with a small voice.
"Thank you."
"I just did what I was supposed to do."
"It's not just that you carried me when I passed out."
Selina shook her head.
"Thank you for everything. The fact that you gave me advice, that you enjoyed the festival with me, and that you didn't show that you didn't like it even though it was annoying."
All of that was a good memory for her.
"I'm rather sorry if I've caused you trouble for no reason."
"Teacher Selina, if you really bothered me, I would have made it clear on the spot."
"What?"
"The reason I've been with Selina teacher without saying anything is because I didn't hate it either."
Although not obvious, Rudger also enjoyed the festival in his own way. Winning a prize at the shooting range, buying snacks at street shops, and looking at various magic tricks plus seeing the students smile was pleasant for Rudger too.
He always lived his life in the dark, hiding my identity. Without revealing his real name, he has walked a path marked by hard and painful work. Maybe that's why he enjoyed the festival.
"Today I had fun too."
"Really? That's a relief."
Selina breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.
"I'm worried that I might have bothered Mr. Rudger."
"You don't have to worry so much."
Rudger immediately tried to leave the infirmary but Selina's voice rang behind him.
"Mr. Rudger."
"Yes."
Rudger answered without looking back.
"We'll definitely be able to enjoy the festival together next year, right?"
In fact, Selina herself did not understand why she asked this question. It just suddenly occurred to her that this might be the last time.
Rudger fell into thought at Selina, who asked in a slightly uneasy voice.
Next year's festival?
'The festival is held every year.'
Maybe more people will gather than this year. They'll all enjoy the festival and make new memories. However, on that day in the future, can the two people here still stand together then?
No way, one of the two will not be there. It's fate but even so.
"I'm sure we will."
Knowing that, Rudger had no choice but to tell a lie and Selina smiled brightly, as if that answer was enough.
"Yes! Then let's go to the festival together next year!"
"Yes."
"Promise!"
"Yes, it's a promise."
Even though he knows it's a promise that can't be kept, Rudger answered calmly.
* * *
That's how the first day of Theon magic festival ended.
Darkness came after the festival lights went out one by one but there was a person who moved as if he had waited for such a blackout.
A person entered quietly in Rudger's office and scanned the surroundings lightly with magic.
'It seems that there is no detection magic. Security is so lax.'
It is also funny to assume that someone will sneak into a teacher's office. The intruder, who stepped on the carpet on the floor in a cautious manner, searched Rudger's desk.
The intruder, who searched through several drawers of the desk, grinned when he found what he wanted.
'Found it.'
The man who shook the white barrel in one hand several times confirmed the sound of pills clinking inside.
'If I take this away, I can easily win tomorrow's duel, right?'
Rudger Chelici takes medicine without others knowing. This medicine may be a magic pill to make up for the lack of mana.
'I didn't expect that Rudger Chelici secret would be right here.'
– Lack of mana.
Who would have imagined that a teacher who teaches magic would lack magic? And he even covered that with pills.
'I'm looking forward to tomorrow.'
What will happen if a wizard suffering from a lack of mana loses the means to restore it? He couldn't resist laughing just imagining it.
The intruder first organized the messy desk that he searched, and then left the teacher's office through the window he entered.
The office, which returned to its original appearance, became calm as if no one entered it.