Chapter 65 Standing Alone
“Alright, Professor, but there’s something I’m curious about.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why is Trisha being treated this way? If she were just set free, there’d surely be no need to involve me.”
After exhaling a long drag of smoke, Ella paused for a moment before speaking.
“You should know a few things about Trisha if you’re going to live together. For starters, Trisha isn’t entirely affiliated with Eternia. She’s half with us, half belonging somewhere else. We tried to give her as much freedom as we could, but there’s a limit to that. Just be aware of that much.”
Ella recalled what had been mentioned in passing when she discussed Azelis’s enrollment.
Chronic dissatisfaction, defiance, dangerous and erratic behavior if left unchecked—this was the Order’s general assessment of Azelis.
The near-confinement was something the Order strongly desired. They went so far as to want a permanent military presence from the Order stationed in Eternia and even wanted to admit the Order’s personal guard under the guise of students to surveil and protect Azelis around the clock.
The matter settled, however, thanks to Azelis’s extreme distaste and her display of biting her tongue as a suicidal performance.
“Is she some kind of princess?”
“More than that.”
“…I can’t quite picture it.”
“Just accept it.”
A whole dissection of princesses wouldn’t change that. Azelis held that much value.
Throughout Eternia’s history, Plantera’s primary directive had always been ‘Protect Eternia,’ and it had never once wavered.
Yet, with the arrival of Azelis, the firm first directive changed.
‘Protect Azelis, even if Eternia should fall.’
And not a soul raised dissent against such a shift.
The current Saint Florence was too frail to lend strength to the north.
Azelis, who would follow in her steps, was different. She held the potential to end the daily tragedies on the northern frontlines and to change the fate of the entire continent.
Azelis was straining with all her might to escape the control of the Order. Having already demonstrated she’d choose death over enduring protectively motivated restraints, pressing her further for patience would only be harmful.
A flicker of emotion passed through Damian’s eyes. It was hard to guess what he was feeling. As ever, he was a boy with minimal facial expressions.
Ella decided to keep the details of Azelis’s tongue-biting a secret from Damian. There was no good in starting a relationship with preconceptions.
When Damian stayed silent, Ella asked,
“Anything more you’re curious about?”
“No.”
“All right, we’ll leave it here for now. If you have any questions, come find me at the library.”
***
Silveryn sat on the edge of the fountain in the evening glow.
Beside her was our carriage surrounded by knights clad in golden armor.
As I approached Silveryn, she brushed my hair tenderly and spoke with affection.
“How is it? Is the place livable?”
“To me, even a place crawling with mice and bedbugs is livable. This feels like I’ve become rich.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But what brings them here?”
“…An important matter. We’ll talk about it in the carriage.”
As we boarded the carriage, the knights mounted their horses in unison and encircled us protectively as we moved.
Silveryn glared outside at the knights for a moment before irritably drawing the curtains shut.
She turned away from me and after a brief silence, spoke with difficulty.
“My student, I have urgent business that requires me to travel far.”
“Where to?”
“To the holy city. You know what and where that is, right?”
The city of divine light, the holy city, a mystical place I knew only from books.
Somehow, it made sense. The knights’ attire was far from ordinary; they were indeed from the holy city.
“Yes. When do you leave?”
After hesitating for a moment, Silveryn said,
“…Tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
My heart sank in response, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words.
I knew that once school started, we couldn’t stick together daily as we had been. While somewhat prepared mentally, this departure felt too sudden.
“…When will you return?”
“I don’t know exactly. It could be months.”
“Do you really have to go?”
“…Yes.”
Was I bewildered, or was it more of a sense of loss? It was a difficult emotion to express, one that constricted my heart.
Being with Silveryn every day wasn’t a given; it could be snatched away just like that.
Silveryn is the Archmage, naturally having many relying on her and much to shoulder.
It’s only now that I truly understand this.
Why does a mere few months feel like an eternity?
“I guess I won’t be able to attend the entrance ceremony with you.”
“…That’s okay.”
Silveryn avoided my gaze and maintained her silence.
We remained wordless until we arrived at the mansion.
***
Late at night, Silveryn descended the mansion stairs in her nightgown, carrying a single candle.
She passed through the silent, dark corridor and stopped in front of a door.
Then she knocked gently.
“…My student.”
It was as quiet as a tomb.
It was typical for Damian to come up to Silveryn if he needed anything.
Unable to spend the night without resolving her mente, Silveryn eventually made her way down to Damian’s room.
“Are you asleep?”
Silveryn silently opened the door and peered inside. The room was as dark as pitch.
Damian was soundly asleep in bed.
Silveryn approached the bed quietly, setting the candle on the nightstand before sitting gently on the side of the mattress.
Then she slowly ran her fingers through Damian’s hair as he slept in peaceful repose.
As she observed his peaceful sleeping face, a surge of irritation washed over her.
“Here I am, tossing and turning all night over you, while you lie there sleeping like a log.”
And with that, she prodded his cheek with her finger, careful not to wake him.
He was deep in slumber, unmoved by the gentle pokes.
The peacefulness of his face weighed heavily on her heart once again.
“Why am I so troubled over such a brief separation…?”
Silveryn herself couldn’t understand why she felt this way.
Although the child was capable of being brave on his own, her sense of unease couldn’t be washed away.
Pulling back the blanket slightly, she slid into the bed alongside Damian and whispered softly,
“My student, I’m going to indulge myself for just a little while since we won’t see each other for some time.”
Then, she wrapped her arms around Damian’s body and closed her eyes.
***
Damian and the attendants came to the courtyard early in the morning to see off Silveryn, who was departing for the holy city.
Silveryn approached Damian and handed him a dagger and a small glass vial.
“My student, could you fill this with your blood for me?”
“My blood?”
“Yeah, with that dagger.”
Without objection, Damian slashed his palm with the dagger and let his blood flow into the vial. As he filled half the bottle, the stream of blood began to dwindle.
“What is this for, Professor?”
“You’ll see.”
Then she extended her palm towards Damian.
Resting on Silveryn’s palm were two metal cubes, no larger than fingernails.
“Take one and swallow it.”
“What?”
“Put it in your mouth and swallow.”
Damian eyed the cube warily before quickly swallowing it down.
Silveryn then dropped the remaining cube into the vial that now contained Damian’s blood.
The cube soon reacted with the blood and began to shine.
“I never imagined I’d end up using something this precious on a boy much younger than myself. Want to give it a try?”
Silveryn corked the bottle and pressed it to Damian’s cheek. The bottle pulsed rhythmically.
“…Something is thumping?”
“Do you feel it? It’s your heartbeat. With this, I can feel your heartbeat even from across the continent.”
“…That’s fascinating.”
“I need to know how you’re doing, even from afar. This cube was made from a fragment of a star. I plan to use it to receive an oracle while I’m away.”
“An oracle…?”
“Yes. I will listen to only good news. Don’t worry.”
Though it was time to leave, Silveryn could not bring herself to move.
She delicately healed Damian’s hand with a potion.
Then, bending slightly to meet Damian’s gaze, she gently caressed his cheek for a long while.
It was only supposed to be a couple of months of separation, yet their attachment seemed as if they were parting for years.
“You’re the reason I can’t bring myself to leave. My student.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve always managed well by myself.”
“So, you’re saying you can eat and live well without me?”
“No… That’s not what I meant…”
“That’s right. Even if it’s not as good as when you’re with me, you must take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
“Listen well, my student. Eternia is not a safe place. It’s because the outside world is abnormally dangerous that Eternia feels relatively safe.”
“I’m okay. I’m living in the safest place in Eternia, after all.”
“No barrier or magic is flawless, they all have vulnerabilities. And the Labyrinth, supposedly the safest place in Eternia, is no exception.”
Silveryn tapped the mask held against Damian’s chest as she spoke.
“Do you understand why we must wear masks in the Labyrinth? The core of the Labyrinth was once devastated by a seemingly insignificant demon called a Doppler. Now, Dopplers can be sufficiently handled with barriers and by wearing masks, but at that time, no one in the scholarly world had reported or even seen a Doppler – it was a completely new type of demon. That’s why we were unable to cope with it.”
“…”
“Reports of demons that no one has ever experienced still occasionally reach the magical society. Some have high intelligence, and others possess magical abilities. Eternia can’t predict and defend against all such threats. Something strange could always come and wreak havoc at any time.”
“I will be careful.”
Silveryn grasped Damian’s cheeks firmly and, after pondering for a moment, spilled her thoughts with more intensity.
“You, my student, are highly independent. You don’t rely on anybody else and try to resolve everything on your own. Even when someone like me is beside you. Going after ghouls alone, secretly whipping up something with strange recipes you pick up – all that is fine. That’s how you’ve always lived, and how you’ve grown. And I could ward off most problems while you were with me.”
As Silveryn mentioned recipes, Damian shifted his gaze, seemingly feeling reproached. She then caught his chin and fixed his face back to her.
“But now, I am not with you. Do you know what I fear the most? You don’t try to cherish your life. Sometimes, I sense it. You act as if dying doesn’t matter to you. It was the same when we first met. You were the only lunatic who would face a swarm of ghouls in unexplored terrain with nothing but your bare hands. Repeat after me, ‘I am that lunatic.'”
“…”
“Say it.”
“I am… that… lunatic.”
A torrent of emotions that Silveryn had kept at bay started to bubble up. She unleashed her intensified feelings unrestrained.
“So, don’t do anything dangerous, okay? Remember? I’m responsible for you now. If you engage in life-threatening behavior while I’m gone, know this – when I return, any freedom you’ve enjoyed so far will be entirely revoked. Dangerous recipes will be confiscated, and I’ll oversee everything, from what you eat, where you go, which classes you take, what clothes you wear, to whom you meet and which friends you make, understand?”
For the first time facing Silveryn’s authoritative stance, Damian’s pupils stirred violently.
“You’re serious…?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“…Understood. I’ll be careful.”
“Good.”
Silveryn took a moment to calm her heightened emotions and then pulled out a Stitch from within her cloak.
“You’ve used this before, haven’t you? Wait a moment.”
She blew on her index finger, and a small flame sprung into being.
With that finger, she began to etch initials on the Stitch.
The metal surface blackened in line with her movements.
S♡D
She handed the etched Stitch to Damian, advising,
“This is valuable, so keep it safe. Use it if anything happens. It will transmit directly to me. You know, right? Stitches that come directly to me are very rare in this world, so don’t lose it.”
“I will keep it safe.”
“And here is your homework while I’m gone. Listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
“First, make sure to eat three proper meals a day.”
“Second, consistently practice your swordsmanship, spirit techniques, and magic training.”
“Third, send at least ten lines of a letter to your teacher every week, no, every five days.”
Damian seemed quite overwhelmed, almost losing his composure.
“…Yes.”
“Have you memorized it?”
“Yes?”
“Let’s check. First.”
“Eat properly.”
“Second.”
“…Train hard.”
“Third.”
“Write…weekly… um, I forgot.”
Silveryn frowned.
“There’s a limit to what you’re supposed to forget.”
She pinched one of Damian’s cheeks with all the earnestness she could muster.
“Again, first.”
His cheek stretching out like dough, Damian spoke with a trembling voice.
“To…send letters every day. Diligently.”
Silveryn glared at Damian for a moment before releasing her grip and gently rubbed the reddened cheek.
“That’s it… You’ve done enough.”
She slowly brought her face closer to Damian’s.
And then, she pressed a deep kiss onto Damian’s cheek.
“I’ll go now.”
After checking the distinct mark left behind, Silveryn reluctantly turned and climbed into the carriage.
Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience