Chapter 12: Another Beginning (4)
“So.”
The fourth period, the Crooks’ common class, had ended, and during the break that followed, Allen finally opened his mouth.
During class, he had stayed silent, quietly listening to the lecture without a single word.
“All we got was a sermon, some old stories, and fairy tale–like tales, and that’s it…”
Perhaps the class hadn’t met his expectations, because Allen looked quietly dissatisfied.
Stretching a bit in his seat, he let out a weary sigh.
“Still, I liked that he told us to take a nap first since we’d be tired after lunch.”
“Is that so?”
I let out a small laugh at how oddly refreshed he seemed.
“But you know, those old stories and fairy tales are going to be on the exam.”
Allen blinked.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Stuff like, ‘State the moral of this story,’ or, ‘Explain how this event connects to an actual historical incident.’”
“…”
Allen’s expression subtly stiffened.
“I thought he was a generous man when he told us to take a nap.”
“Better not assume he’ll be generous with the exam questions too.”
“…There really is no such thing as a free lunch.”
Allen sighed, and I nodded with a smile.
“But, Lian, how do you even know something like that?”
“Well…”
Of course, I couldn’t just say it was because I’d experienced it in my previous life.
“That’s just how the Holy Sun Church teaches children or those who’ve just been initiated.”
“I see.”
“Later, when you get the chance, go to the library and look through the Holy Sun Church’s published books—collections of fairy tales, or volumes of old stories. Some even have annotations, and if you answer in a way that lines up with those, you’ll probably get better marks.”
It was then I suddenly remembered that the due date for the book I’d borrowed with Lancia Jintia’s student ID was only a few days away.
‘I almost forgot.’
I decided that once this class was over, I’d return it right away.
After all, there wasn’t much time left before the day’s last class began.
“Finally, the last class.”
Allen muttered as if completely drained.
“The last one’s Dots, right?”
“Yes. Ending the day, just like its name.”
He looked rather expectant.
“Actually, I’ve been looking forward to Dots class right after Hilts.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. I heard we’d learn things like dungeon breakthroughs, party fundamentals, anti-personnel and anti-material combat, monster habits… Compared to boring theory, that’s much more interesting.”
“…”
I was making a subtle face at his words when—
Clatter!
With a loud noise, the auditorium doors swung open.
The room fell instantly silent, as if cold water had been poured over it.
In that silence came a heavy tap, tap sound.
A middle-aged man with neatly swept-back gray hair appeared, leaning on a staff and walking with a limp.
A body honed through constant training, deep scars carved by time—
All of it told the story of his life.
“Nice to meet you, everyone.”
Standing straight on the stage, he swept his gaze across the silent auditorium with satisfaction.
“My name is Ras Sink Shagas. I am the professor in charge of the Dots common class, and I will be teaching you this semester.”
Someone whispered “war hero,” and then another murmured “the Plains War.”
Ras Sink Shagas took a deep breath, still standing straight, and spoke again.
“In the Dots common class, you will learn many things.”
With every step he took, the dull tap, tap of his staff echoed.
“Along with basic knowledge of monsters, you’ll study theory, their habits, and primary habitats.
From field first aid to basic administrative and accounting skills… In other words, you’ll learn everything, without exception, as it comes.”
“And as some of you may have noticed from what I’ve said, given the nature of the common class, much of it will be theory. As such, there will only be a few practical sessions.”
The hero of the Plains War.
The guardian of the Empire.
The one-legged sentinel…
A man with countless titles continued in a voice that carried both weariness and firmness.
“To step briefly away from the main subject, my primary field of expertise is archaeology and history.”
Most of the students looked surprised.
He brushed past their reactions as if accustomed to them and continued.
“For that reason, a substantial portion of this common class will also cover the continent’s general history and modern history.”
He finished, cleared his throat lightly, and as if on cue, his assistants appeared, each holding a stack of handouts. Among them, one stood out immediately.
‘Yuran.’
In my past life, she had been caught in an incident and spent a long time in prison, but this time, it seemed she had managed to be on time.
“The handouts you are receiving contain a brief outline of the upcoming class schedule. Keep in mind that the schedule may change at any time to match the class progress.”
If words could be seen, his would have been sharply squared-off, drilled like a soldier’s commands.
Thanks to that, the students’ earlier excitement faded into stiffness that was almost visible.
After a moment, he tapped his staff and moved to the center of the stage.
“This session, we will briefly discuss the state of the continent surrounding the Solberique Empire.”
I glanced sideways to see Allen’s face darkening noticeably.
‘Tsk tsk.’
Poor guy.
Feeling a bit sorry for him, I shook my head slightly.
“To start, the Empire of Solberique, befitting its massive size, has vast borders and neighbors many countries. The front where the most blood has been shed—and where conflict still occurs—is the northern front…”
With that, the stiff atmosphere shifted into the start of the lesson.
In the silent auditorium, the only sounds were the scratching of pens and the occasional tap, tap of the staff.
“…I think I’d better go swing a wooden sword or something.”
As soon as the long, long class ended, Allen muttered blankly.
The sight was amusing enough that I let a joke slip.
“What, you’re not going to review today’s lesson?”
He nodded weakly.
I carefully chose my words.
“…Will you be fine going alone?”
Allen paused, then gave a small, wry smile.
He waved a hand as if to tell me not to worry.
“I’ll be fine. Now that classes have started, you won’t have time to keep an eye on me anyway. You said it was an important period.”
Thinking it would be rude to pry further, I nodded slightly.
“Alright, if you say so.”
“By the way, Lian, what’s your plan now?”
“I’m thinking of stopping by the library.”
“The library?”
“Yeah. I have a book to return. Left it in the dorm, so I want to bring it back quickly.”
Allen nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly as if gauging something.
“Then… how about meeting in front of the cafeteria in two or three hours? We can have a meal together.”
“Sure. Even if it’s the first day, eating alone feels a bit off.”
After parting with him, I headed straight out of the auditorium.
I was walking without thinking when I suddenly froze in place without realizing it.
“…Ah.”
Sunlight.
It was because of the hazy evening sunlight that filled my vision the moment I stepped outside.
Then, a scene that had lingered only in a corner of my memory.
The sight of students noisily chatting and wandering about entered my view.
“…”
…It had already been several days since I had turned back time from the moment of my death.
Perhaps because I had experienced something so unbelievable,
I hadn’t truly felt the reality of my return…
No, to be precise, I had refused to consciously acknowledge it.
Yet for some reason, in this very moment, I was feeling it more vividly than ever before.
“…”
Amid the crowd of people busily moving about, I stood there blankly, gazing at the surroundings.
It was a scene I had been so used to before that I’d never paid it much attention.
And one I had thought I would never see again.
In the midst of it, I just kept looking endlessly at the sky.
A plain sky—without sunsets, rainbows, shooting stars, the Milky Way, or solar and lunar eclipses.
Yet, to me now, it was more moving than anything else.
“…Ah.”
After standing there for a long while, I suddenly realized I had no time to dawdle like this.
Feeling an odd sense of embarrassment, I quickly hastened my steps and left the spot.
‘…What on earth has gotten into me to get so sentimental, really.’
Even as I headed toward the dormitory, I couldn’t help but let out repeated, incredulous chuckles.
After stopping by the dorm, I picked up the books I had pored over even at the cost of sleep, and made my way straight to the library.
Unlike the first time I had visited, the library now had people here and there.
With the idle thought that, like the ones I had seen earlier, more than half of them would disappear after a week, I handed the books I had brought to the librarian.
“Oh? Last time…”
“The borrowing period hasn’t ended yet, right?”
“Of course, there’s still plenty of time.”
She answered with her usual smiling face.
“Planning to head back right away?”
“Mm.”
Come to think of it, there was still some awkwardly spare time before my meeting with Allen.
I shook my head.
“I plan to stay a little while.”
“Is that so? Then could you hand me your student ID for a moment? Ah, you’ve gotten your student ID now, right?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. Here you go.”
Taking my student ID, the librarian scribbled something and promptly handed it back to me.
“Here you go. Normally, freshmen can borrow up to five books. But I’ve increased your limit so you can borrow up to ten.”
She winked playfully.
“It’s within my authority, so it’s not overstepping, but don’t go telling everyone. If word gets out for no reason, my pay might get cut.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. In return, just visit the library often and say hello now and then—that would make me happier.”
Letting out a wry smile, she glanced around and muttered as if complaining.
“This many people only come around for about the first two weeks of the semester. After a month, it’s empty again. Not that I mind, but… sitting here all day in silence is a real ordeal.”
“Haha… I understand. I’ll try to come often.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”
After the short conversation, I immediately moved to look for materials.
The books I had borrowed last time hadn’t yielded even the slightest clue, so I was just thinking of checking another field when—
“Hm?”
Something flickered at the edge of my vision.
The moment I saw the cause, I instinctively narrowed my eyes.
There stood Cecilia Everglenn, the woman scorned as the “cursed child” of the Everglenn family, holding several books in her arms and wandering.
“…”
Everglenn.
One of only three ducal families in the Empire, descendants of Siren Everglenn, a founding hero and former member of the Wolpen Knights.
They were a house that revered chivalry so much that they engraved a sword in the center of their crest, and they had produced countless outstanding knights and military officers over hundreds of years.
…Incidentally, my own family, the Gwendil family, was one of Everglenn’s many vassal houses.
‘To think I’d run into her here.’
Hiding myself slightly, I quietly observed her—Cecilia Everglenn.
With the platinum blonde hair symbolic of Everglenn tied back, she stared intently at the shelves before slowly picking out a book.
Her blue eyes, faintly tinged with a light violet that proved the imperial blood in all ducal house members, were calm like a still lake.
‘Exorcism, necromancy, shamanism… She still doesn’t know she has a talent for spirit arts, huh.’
Seeing the book in her hands, I thought so.
If I were my past self, I would have sneered, “As expected of the Everglenn cursed child,” but now I knew very well that in the not-so-distant future, she would become an unprecedented spirit master in history.
‘…Should I go say hello?’
In about a month, there would be Archbishop Rahma’s human sacrifice incident.
She was a central figure in that event—one of its key people.
So I was thinking it might be wise to build even a little goodwill with her and form a smooth relationship when—
“Oh, are you interested in exorcism?”
A voice full of kindness.
But to me, it was nothing more than the sham performance of a brazen hypocrite.
“My name is Rahma.”
Rahma.
At some point, he had appeared and politely addressed Cecilia.
Seeing her step back warily, Rahma gave a wry smile.
Only after seeing his face did Cecilia bow her head.
“…Cecilia Everglenn.”
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Everglenn.”
Rahma wore his trademark warm and gentle smile again.
“Sorry to intrude so suddenly, but are you interested in exorcism and necromancy?”
He nodded slightly and added,
“If so, I might be able to help you.”
Rahma.
He lowered his voice again, almost in a whisper to her.
“Exorcism, shamanism… especially necromancy. Those are my specialties.”