Chapter 183: The Gap (8)
Windy May quietly watched Lancia walk out from the darkness.
“Hm.”
Her gaze stopped on the small necklace hanging around Lancia’s neck.
The mark of a Proxy.
Even if she didn’t know anything else, the fact that she brazenly wore that openly around her neck made Windy May instinctively curl her lips into a smirk.
‘A Proxy, huh.’
A Watchman of the Holy Sun Church.
Though it's a hidden organization, in truth, anyone who mattered knew of the Church’s shadows.
In fact, Windy May didn’t hold very favorable feelings toward the Proxies.
She knew well from past experience that the justice they touted was often far too narrow and one-sided.
To her, they were, in some ways, even more difficult to deal with than the Holy Knights or the Inquisitors who stood at the forefront.
‘And a Proxy like that… someone who was once a student at the Academy, no less… What brought her here?’
Windy May quietly rolled her eyes, recalling past events.
…Now that she thought about it, there were more than a few things that might have drawn them in.
First, there was that time decades ago, when she ignored their request to return an artifact she had discovered by chance—something they insisted was one of their sacred relics.
‘And then…….’
There was also that time during the tense period between the Magic Tower and the Holy Sun Church, when a group of Holy Knights suddenly picked a fight—and she’d beaten them senseless, tied them up tight, and sent them back riding donkeys.
‘And then again…… Uh, well…… There were plenty of incidents, anyway.’
She also recalled investigating Rahma during the incident in the Dungeon Field Class.
And more recently, she had even met with demons for secret negotiations.
…All things considered, there were more than enough reasons for the Holy Sun Church to see her as a thorn in their side.
‘Still, well……’
She glanced subtly around the underground sewer.
That was probably the strongest reason behind this encounter.
“……”
Windy May took another close look at Lancia.
Come to think of it, she’d once heard a rumor that Proxies were raised from a young age—orphans brought in and trained through a special method.
That blue-haired girl, the one said to be Lian’s senior—could she be one of them?
Brushing aside that idle thought, Windy May spoke first.
“You seem to have quite the impressive artifact, don’t you?”
Lancia offered no reply, merely stared at her.
“The aura I sense right now is only at a typical student’s level… Hm, I really didn’t know there were items capable of hiding divine power so perfectly.”
Still, Lancia didn’t so much as flinch as she looked at Windy May.
Her voice, when it came, was dry and devoid of any emotion.
“Didn’t you simply pretend not to know?”
“Hm.”
“I don’t believe such a crude item could possibly deceive your eyes.”
Windy May merely shrugged in response, brushing off the comment.
“Well, then. I pretended not to notice. So why have you decided to show up in front of me like this? You of all people. Now I can’t even pretend anymore.”
“In that case, may I proceed straight to the point?”
Despite Windy May’s provocation, Lancia remained utterly composed.
“Sure, go right ahead.”
Windy May replied with a nonchalant tone.
“I was just starting to get a little tired of this anyway.”
“Then allow me to ask. Why are you here?”
Lancia’s question was met with a look from Windy May that said, “What’s the problem?”
“Mm. I had a few things to investigate? As you know, this wasn’t a normal incident. So I came to investigate, as a professor of the Academy and a mage of the Magic Tower… Let’s go with that.”
“You don’t have the authority for that, Professor.”
Lancia’s voice remained cold.
Windy May stuck her lips out slightly in mock protest.
“Oh my, and you or the Holy Sun Church do have such authority?”
“……As a professor of the Academy, or as a mage of the Magic Tower—may I ask in which capacity you’re conducting this investigation?”
Windy May recited a line she had once heard from Yeriel about how to handle this kind of situation.
“Internal regulations prevent me from disclosing that~”
“……”
Lancia fell silent at her response.
She quietly surveyed the surroundings.
Then suddenly, her gaze turned to one spot—the place where Anguster’s corpse had been just moments ago.
“……We don’t wish to cause any trouble.”
Lancia spoke.
“If you’ve acquired any materials or evidence from this place, I’d ask that you hand them over to me and leave immediately.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
Windy May answered without the slightest hesitation.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
“Why should I obey your orders? You’re not my professor or anything.”
“……”
Lancia tilted her head slightly, as if to calm things down.
“I’m merely here to relay the instructions of those above me, Professor Windy May. Personally, I have no desire to create conflict with you.”
“Using a Proxy as nothing more than a messenger, huh? Whoever gave you that job must be truly something.”
Windy May openly mocked her.
Having exchanged a few words, she could now guess the general shape of the situation.
“In that case, may I report back to my superiors that Professor Windy May Maddown has declined the Holy Sun Church’s request for cooperation?”
Even so, Lancia continued without any change in expression.
“Do as you please. Why are you even asking about something like that?”
Windy May waved her hand dismissively.
Her attitude clearly said she didn’t care in the slightest.
“……”
Lancia fell silent for a moment.
Then, at last, she opened her mouth again.
“……Then, from this point on, may I ask a few questions in a personal capacity, not as part of my official duty?”
“Personal questions? How intriguing. Ask away.”
Windy May crossed her arms and nodded, her expression curious to hear what kind of questions would follow.
“Are you aware of the Brand?”
That was Lancia’s first question.
Windy May’s eye twitched slightly.
“……I am. But that doesn’t mean I want to tell you about it.”
Windy May replied with a cheerful smile.
“In that case, could you tell me someone else who might know about the Brand besides you?”
“I don’t really want to share that either.”
Her answer was unwavering.
On the surface, her eyes sparkled with playfulness—but underneath, they were full of caution.
“Have you… found something in this sewer?”
“That sounds like an official question.”
“It’s a personal question.”
Windy May stared straight at Lancia as she replied.
“Not yet. As you can see, an intruder showed up and interrupted me.”
“……”
Lancia fell into a brief silence again.
For a fleeting moment, Windy May caught the slightest tremble in her otherwise steady gaze.
It was so quick that she couldn’t quite grasp the emotion behind it.
But one thing was certain: it had been a tremor caused by something deeply emotional.
“In that case… may I ask you just one final question?”
Windy May smirked and replied playfully.
“Ask as many as you like. Whatever the case, I’m a professor at the Academy, and you're technically still a student there. Isn’t it a professor’s duty to answer a student’s questions?”
Lancia paused to collect herself.
Then, in a voice quieter and lower than before, she asked:
“The man without a head.”
She almost spat out the riddle-like words.
“Do you perhaps know anything about him?”
Even after Yuran left, Cecilia remained seated on the bench, staring blankly around her for quite some time.
“……”
Waves of unfamiliar emotions kept crashing against her chest and mind, relentless.
The moment she finally realized what she was feeling, Cecilia was swept into overwhelming confusion—something she had never experienced before in her life.
Perhaps Yuran had sensed her emotional state with ease.
She had departed with the words, “I hope we’ll have the chance to talk again later.”
And as she left, she’d added one last, puzzling line:
“I don’t know what you think, but I don’t particularly dislike people like you.”
“……”
How much time had passed since then?
In the still silence, a sudden flame burst to life beside her—and soon took the form of a snake.
― Cecilia.
The snake flicked its tongue and called her name.
“…Taranis.”
Cecilia called his name weakly.
“You… did you know that I… liked Lian, or, I mean…”
Unable to bring herself to say it, she only let out a string of awkward coughs.
“…Anyway. Did you know?”
Taranis quietly looked up at her.
Then, with a faint hiss, he opened his mouth.
― I am a Spirit. I cannot fully empathize with human emotions or the workings of the heart. I can only observe, judge, and understand through that.
He paused for a moment before continuing with a flick of his tongue.
― And from what I’ve observed, it is clear… that you harbor feelings for Lian Gwendil beyond what is ordinary.
“…Then why didn’t you tell me?”
She asked.
― Because I thought it would only confuse you further.
― And because such emotions are far more clearly understood when realized by oneself.
Taranis replied plainly.
Cecilia bit her lip, unable to say anything in response.
“……”
Truthfully, there was nothing wrong with what Taranis had said.
Even if he had hinted at it beforehand, what would have changed?
She might’ve ended up even more confused than she was now.
And then…
― So, what will you do now?
At his question, Cecilia looked up.
“…What do you mean, what will I do?”
― About Lian Gwendil. You can’t treat him the way you used to anymore.
Once again, Taranis was right.
Now that she had realized her feelings, she couldn’t treat him the same as before.
― Of course, if you were to hide your feelings completely, it wouldn’t be impossible.
― But from what I can see… that won’t be easy for you.
― And if that happens… if that Yuran girl does anything with Lian, you’ll just have to watch.
“……”
Cecilia fell silent again.
Lian’s face floated into her mind.
Then she pictured Yuran smiling brightly at his side.
Why?
Why did just the thought of someone else standing beside him and not herself hurt so sharply in her chest?
Something like that—
Something like that…
“…Ah.”
Her lips moved on their own, and a quiet voice slipped out.
“I don’t like it.”
It was soft, but firm.
― Then it’s decided.
A faint smile appeared on Taranis’s lips.
He nodded with satisfaction.
― Now that you’ve made up your mind, there’s no time to hesitate. You’d best act quickly.
“…Yeah, I will.”
Cecilia suddenly stood up from her seat.
The confusion and hesitation that had weighed her down moments ago had vanished without a trace.
“I’m going to see Lian right now.”
― Oh? And then?
Taranis asked.
There was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
“And then…”
Cecilia hesitated for a moment, then answered in a voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m… I’m going to ask about the denomination.”
― …Denomination?
Taranis blinked, clearly caught off guard.
“Yeah. Earlier… when I was talking with my sister. She said that the Holy Sun Church has multiple denominations, and while most of them are pretty tolerant about love or marriage… there are some that aren’t.”
Cecilia fumbled over her words as she continued.
“So… I’m going to ask Lian if he could… if possible… maybe not choose one of the strict ones. That’s what I want to suggest first.”
She nodded with a determined expression, as if mustering every ounce of courage she had.
― ……
Taranis simply gazed at Cecilia in silence.