CH 35

Unkind Words (5)

Leto’s expression looked very grave. That was a bad sign. I got up too and followed after Leto as he left the room. Erasing his pure smile, Leto made a grim expression and hurried down the stairs.

I noticed his fingers tremble. I’ve witnessed Leto trembling in fear when we entered the haunted house, but it was not to this extent. Now, his face was completely pale without an ounce of blood.

When I went down the dormitory, I could see the students’ gaze was focused on one place. In the middle, I saw a woman sitting down near the entrance on the first floor, drinking tea. She was a beautiful middle-aged beauty with brown hair and yellow eyes, in contrast to Leto. She looked around the noisy surroundings, frowned as she found Leto and lowered her teacup.

Leto and his mother’s eyes met. Leto hardened like a wall as he looked at his mother. His mother looked more sharp and fierce than she was described in the novel <How To Recognise A Murderer>. She had a prominent face, but seemed strangely stoical and not easy to approach.

I haven’t even talked with her once, but I already felt pressured by her aura.

“It’s been a while.”

“M-Mother.”

At Leto’s words, she loosened her crossed legs and opened her mouth.

“I heard you met your father recently, didn’t you? Your brother told me.”

“……Yes.”

Leto’s voice was very small and cautious. I couldn’t describe Leto’s appearance, trembling with anxiety as if he had been pushed to the edge of a cliff. It was as if Leto would automatically shrink whenever his mother said a word.

“You do know why I am here, don’t you?”

His mother’s words filled the quiet and still hallway.

Although the voice wasn’t loud, there was a sharp arrow planted in it. There was only one reason that she would come to Leto directly. It was because of the exam results. Leto also knew this and lowered his head even further. 

“There’s a lot of eyes here, so let’s go out and talk.”

Leto’s mother got up first and went out the door. Unlike his mother, Leto didn’t move as swiftly and suddenly glanced at me. When his gaze met mine, I trembled unconsciously. While I struggled to say a word, Leto had already moved his feet.

He followed after his mother outside. The door slammed shut. In an instant, Leto’s name was heard from all around me. But I couldn’t do anything.

“That’s the one I saw last time. Didn’t she appear during orientation?”

I listened to the students’ voices. Orientation?

“Yeah, she came and slapped Arsene in the face. Looks like Arsene doesn’t have it easy either.”

What was his gaze telling me just now? Was he begging for me to hold him? Then why did I just stare at him and not do anything? When I came back to my senses, I went outside.

I looked around to find Leto and from a distance, I saw Leto and his mother. However, their expressions were completely different from before.

“……!”

Leto’s mother was staring at him as if she was going to kill him while Leto stood there like a sinner. Without even having to get close, I could already tell what was going on between them. Leto, who was trembling with a blank face and his mouth shut, only nodded his head. Meanwhile, his mother obviously looked like she was on the verge of slapping Leto on the cheek. 

‘What should I do?’

At this rate, Leto’s face, which was full of laughter just now, would be covered in tears again. I’d be lucky if it was just that. 

He would hate himself, condemn and even harm his health. Leto was still sensitive. If they abuse him further, his heart might grow dark. This wasn’t good. Soon, they went further into the garden and I hid behind the tree.

“Your father was right. You really are useless.”

Even though his mother’s words weren’t directed at me, my heart ached.

“Even after we paid such a large sum of money to send you to the academy, you still couldn’t be the top student. In this case, do you deserve to be a part of the Arsene family?”

“…….”

“Say something.”

“I……”

Leto became silent. The silence made his mother even furious. It was my first time witnessing such a terrifying silence. 

【Biblias.】

I drew a magic circle on the ground and casted a spell. It was a spell to summon a book. I made the book I wanted appear right in front me then quickly turned over the pages. I’m sure the spell is right here…If I knew this would happen, I would have listened to the magic class without dozing off.

Regretting my past behaviour, I poked my head out and looked at Leto and his mother’s situation. Even then, nothing improved. At the moment, his furious mother looked as if she intended to make Leto kneel.

After hastily skimming through the pages, I soon found the spell I was looking for. Then, I did my best to draw the magic circle on the ground. 

“I said, say something!”

It was when his mother finally roared.

【Poloranis.】

I casted the spell quietly. At that moment, the magic circle shone and the wind gently blew to where Leto and his mother stood.

— Whoosh.

Several flowers flew in the direction of the wind. In an instant, the place where Leto and his mother stood turned into a romantic scene with flowers flowing around. His mother seemed puzzled when flowers suddenly flew during the stinging silence. Although it wasn’t shown on her face, she looked at the petals on her face and plucked them off gracefully with her hands.

Was it too weak?

【Poloranis.】

I wanted to make it slightly stronger…but I might have gone too far. All the flowers on the tree fell in the middle of Leto and his mother. His mother’s head and face were fully covered with flowers.

‘Ah, uh oh, this isn’t……’

Even when I hurriedly tried to cancel the spell, the magic that was already casted didn’t stop. In the end, I merely poked my head out to look at his mother. Still furious that Leto didn’t say anything, his mother frowned and opened her mouth.

“I said talk– Hmph!”

Then, a petal entered her mouth. Unable to bear the bitter taste and itchy nose, his mother’s poised and elegant front finally cracked. Using my hands, I moved away the flowers that were blocking her face. But I couldn’t do anything about the petal that entered her mouth, and she eventually swallowed it.

The scene was clearly visible to me. It was never meant to be a prank. I had intended to lighten the mood, but it was strangely funny. In fact, I was actually really nervous. I was afraid that I would be caught for casting magic at this rate, so I hurriedly erased the magic circle.

Countless flowers sank to the ground when the wind stopped and the atmosphere became quiet again.

“This is frustrating. Seriously, you are really useless.”

In the end, his mother snapped impatiently. At his mother’s cruel words, Leto lifted his head and shook.

“I…I will work hard.”

“How can I believe you?”

“……I will do well in the future. I’ll be the top student. My grades will not drop on the next exam.”

Leto said pitifully. Seeing his face like that would have soothed my anger, but strangely, his mother became furious. She made a disgusted expression as if she didn’t even want to look at Leto’s face. I was afraid that his mother would continue to spit out hurtful things to Leto again.

It was too risky to cast the flower magic again, so I flipped through the book again. This time, the atmosphere between the two became cold again.

【Carminisni.】

Once again, I drew a magic circle on the ground and casted a spell.

“That’s what you always say…!”

— Chirp, chirp, chirp.

— Pip, pip, pip.

Several sparrows landed on the tree and began to sing.

This time, Leto looked around and seemed a bit perplexed. I merely wanted the sparrows to sing…But strangely, things went in a different direction. Suddenly, there was a loud sound of drums coming from the windows of the music club in front.

“W-What? What’s going on?”

“Hey, stop! Why is it moving on its own?”

They didn’t have the ability to control magic. Because of the sudden moving instruments, the kids of the arts department were at a loss of what to do.

“Why is this school so noisy?…Sigh, enough. I’ll be leaving now.”

In the midst of this, a pleasant sound was heard. Leto’s mother turned her head away without saying goodbye to Leto and headed for the carriage in front of her. I took a glance at her back and stroked my nervous chest. Quickly, I tried to erase the magic circle I drew before Leto could find out, but a shadow fell before me.

“…….”

I was scared to raise my head. Because even without looking up, I already knew that shadow was Leto.

“……You.”

— Briseis Pierre, E-Class, first year of the magics department, please come to the professor’s office of the magics department in the main building.

Then, an announcement calling for me rang. Perhaps they thought I used magic to pull a prank in the school. It was terrible news, but it was the perfect excuse to avoid this current situation.

“Oh? They’re looking for me? Then I should go! Haha!”

After smiling awkwardly at Leto, I hurriedly headed to the main building. The problem was that I had used the ‘Carminisni’ spell that made music heard openly. I was then caught by Leto and was eventually called to the academy’s professor’s office.

‘Let’s not doze off in the future and listen to class properly.’

I arrived in front of the professor’s office with determination. The issue now was how do I explain this to the professor and how to reconcile with Leto, who I had just reconciled with difficulty. 

Still, I never regretted my actions.

If Leto wasn’t hurt, then it’s fine.

…I inwardly consoled myself and entered the professor’s room.