Chapter 85

Come spring (3)

Dark adaptation ended in both eyes a long time ago. Because it was a life full of darkness to begin with.

The experience of opening his hazy eyes and seeing a world covered in blood gnaws at Clevius’s heart.

The scene that remains most deeply in my mind has been decided.

When I opened my eyes it was the moment I saw a knife being driven into my brother’s heart.

Even when all members of the family turned away from Clevius he was the one who stood by his side. He couldn’t resist the accursed blood and turned his blade towards his brother whom he considered his only ally.

His brother who was spitting out blood and looking down at Clevius with bloodshot eyes opens his mouth.

Grinding his teeth he gritted his teeth and spoke to Clevius in a blood-boiling voice. Perhaps with the meaning of a curse. The words he said with his blood flowing down──

“You said all academic work had to stop until the snow storm period ended so why did you come all the way to the academic lab? “You don’t have to go to work?”

In vain Clevius quickly came to his senses. He almost lost his mind again due to the hallucinations that came to him from time to time.

“The weather is going to be different today and tomorrow so wouldn’t it be better to not leave the dormitory as much as possible?”

“That being said Assistant Professor Claire is at work... ”

“That’s what being the youngest professor is like~. It’s my destiny to work until the limit... Ugh... ”

Assistant Professor Claire lowered her head and sighed.

Rich clouds gradually filled the sky and fluffy snow was falling occasionally. It may seem like a cozy winter scene now but it won’t be long before the snow and wind become stronger.

Aken Island was also busy preparing for the storm and Laplace Bakery was also closed. It was a mistake not to buy snacks in advance.

“... What you said last time... “I’m talking about being an undergraduate assistant.”

Clevius spoke of his business first without any further details.

“You mean becoming part of a research lab? It won’t be that bad~. “The staff has expanded considerably so the workload each person is responsible for will be manageable.”

“That’s not it I... “I just think it would be better not to do it.”

Eh? Why all of a sudden? “Long time in another lab?!”

“No it’s not like that... ”

Clevious spoke in a shaky voice.

“It’s nice to be treated but I don’t want to do something so responsible... I came to tell you... ”

why? “Clevius is the type of person who carries out his duties well and faithfully right?”

“That’s it... Because it is compulsory... Still there is nothing that requires more responsibility or ability than this... I don’t like it that much... ”

Clevius swallowed dry saliva and spoke clearly.

“When duty is demanded in this way... Since I have failed most of the time... Would you say that you have accumulated some wisdom in life now? It’s better not to start from the beginning... I would rather go around and turn around and in the end it was the correct answer... In most cases there were more cases of causing inconvenience to others... ”

Clevius who spoke hesitantly looked as haggard and gloomy as always.

okay? “You thought I was treated poorly or that I received a love call from somewhere else.”

“It’s not like that. I don’t even know how to do that and the treatment was really good in the first place... I like it but... ”

okay? So you’re saying you can do it if you want to?”

yes? Ah yes... That’s right... ”

Facing the hesitant Clevius Assistant Professor Claire smiled brightly and innocently and immediately blocked the nail.

“Then do it.”

Assistant Professor Claire was the same as usual but for some reason it seemed like she wouldn’t tolerate the loud talk anymore.

Clevius was sweating profusely... He couldn’t answer any further.

* [Magic ability details]

Grade: Skilled Magician Specialty: Elemental Common Magic: Fast Casting Lv 10 Mana Detection Lv 10 Fire Elemental Magic: Combustion Lv 16 Wind Elemental Magic: Wind Blade Lv 15 Intermediate magic can now be acquired!

Spirit World Magic: Spirit Sensitivity Lv 13 Spirit Understanding Lv 13 Spirit Appearance Lv 4 Sensory Sharing Lv 3 Spirit Slot: Lower Fire Spirit Mug Sensitivity Level: 3 Elemental Efficiency: Good Unique Granted Skill: Protection of Fire (Temporary Fire Immunity Explosion) Explosion ( Lesser Explosion Magic)

Increases fire magic ability Spirit slot: High-ranking wind spirit Merilda Sensitivity level: 1 Spirit ceremony Efficiency: Very poor Unique granting skill: Protection of the storm (periodically neutralizes damage) Updraft (intermediate wind magic)

Wind Magic Ability Increase Spirit Slot: Empty New Spirit Slot! : empty

“Ed I guess I’ll have to make a contract with the lieutenant spirit soon!”

The next day Yenika came to the camp for the first time in a while and her face was shining.

It was only yesterday that I was completely depressed and walking around with a gloomy face but today I am completely revived and sitting around the campfire the temperature difference is enormous.

“You seem to have regained your strength Yenika.”

huh? Oh Ed too... “When you say that it makes me sound like I was downcast!”

“Are you saying that? ? Last time I came to camp... ”

“Last time?! When was the last time?! I forgot... !!!”

Yenika frantically fanned her face and raised her voice.

The memory of coming to the camp with everyone’s dying faces and covering them with blankets seemed to be quite embarrassing.

At that time I felt like I reacted strangely emotionally. It was a bit difficult to leave him alone as he looked like a lost rodent shivering and holding his knees.

In the first place I felt like a layer of my heart was loosening when dealing with Yenika probably because Yenika is a character who is completely outside of the scenario. The only friend of her age with whom she can really communicate well is Yenika...

My personal relationships... Is it okay if it stays like this? ?? The thought comes to mind. It makes me think that we need to broaden the range of human relationships.

In the end isn’t the reason why we grit our teeth and survive in this forest so that we can eat well and live well later?

I don’t know how much of a brute force achievement it may have been but compared to the core members of the scenario it is still a bit weak. Especially from the third act onwards the growth was so rapid that I had to actively follow along.

I’m always struggling financially and my interpersonal relationships are limited... It feels like there’s still a long way to go.

Above all it is rare to find a place like Sylvania Academy where you can meet all kinds of noble people without any restrictions. It’s an opportunity too precious to throw away. My first impression was so bad that things didn’t go as well as I wanted...

Still I’m glad I have Yenika.

“I just had a little misunderstanding with my friend. huh.

okay?

“Yeah it was a misunderstanding that was so trivial and insignificant that Ed didn’t really need to worry about it. “Now all the misunderstandings have been resolved and our relationship is good again!”

She was smiling brightly just like the old Yenika so I felt very relieved.

“Well anyway we should talk about Ed now. I knew you signed a contract with Merylda... No matter how much I thought about it it was strange. “Ed isn’t skilled enough to handle high-ranking spirits yet.”

“I did a little trick.”

Didn’t Merilda tell me about the ring? It was strange that she was so talkative and yet kept secrets that she wanted to keep private.

I intended to keep the truth about the ring to myself as much as possible but I think it would be okay to share it with Jenica.

Above all Yenica is providing a lot of help in training in elemental magic and since she originally signed a contract with Merilda with this amount of magic power there are probably more than one strange part so it cannot be hidden.

It doesn’t matter because Yenika is not someone who spreads rumors and is a trustworthy colleague.

I told him in detail about the golden phoenix ring that Professor Glast left behind.

Yenika sat neatly listened and finally nodded in understanding.

“Then Ed can’t use magical power. “It would be difficult to make a contract with the lieutenant spirit right now.”

Even his strangely sharp features seem to have become gentle and benevolent. Clarisse finally felt a sense of relaxation as she returned to her familiar self.

However although my body is comfortable my mind is not.

I lie down on a luxurious bed with lots of frills and quietly look up at the ceiling.

When I close my eyes the scene from a few days ago which I have recalled dozens of times is once again engraved in my mind.

The disappearance of the brooch. The illusionary magic that gradually unravels. The movement of the hand that places the brooch in the arms of the flying flame bat.

The sight of the third-year senior sitting in front of the altar and looking down at the freshmen was full of fear but once the exam was over that sharp atmosphere disappeared in an instant.

And what follows is a feeling of discomfort.

Tanya didn’t seem to notice because she was in a half-panic state but even so Ed Rothtaylor should have felt uncomfortable.

There is no question about Clarisse’s appearance changing depending on whether she has a brooch or not. She looked so natural that I wondered if I had never seen her before.

How can you not see it from that distance? Even leaving it aside. I’m also really worried about the mistake I made after that.

No matter what anyone says it feels like they have discovered Kylie’s fake identity... Clarisse’s heart started pounding.

How much effort did you put in to lead such an ordinary bachelor’s life?

If it were not for the natural protection of the Holy Law it would have been difficult for the request to minimize the number of guards to be passed.

Also how many days did she spend arguing with the priests of the church who tried to persuade Clarice that she should study magic?

How much time and effort went into finding a double?

In addition to all his efforts a condition was imposed: if even one person’s true identity is discovered by an outsider he must quit living an ordinary bachelor’s life.

Clarice wanted to grunt at the archbishop’s words but her status and position did not allow it.

A girl that age would have been tempted to throw a tantrum but Clarisse was already accustomed to her status.

‘... Rather than being noble... He looked like a barbarian... ‘

No matter how much Ed’s style is full of life it would be too much to say that he is a barbarian.

However for a girl who has lived her entire life in an orderly environment and with a neat demeanor Ed’s human side is truly a new world that she has never experienced.

Do you really know Clarice’s identity?

It was extremely difficult to endure the ambiguous situation so I tried asking various questions but to no avail.

This is Clarice who took it upon herself to break the protection of the Knights Templar. There was a limit to the number of people Clarisse could mobilize.

Therefore it was not until dinner tonight that I was able to earn a proper income.

– ‘Has anyone gone all the way to the altar during the placement test? That blonde senior who was there. A senior named Ed Rosstaylor. When I asked my sister she said that she doesn’t live in a dormitory but lives by the river in the northern forest.’

– ‘what? North forest? ‘In this cold winter?’

Freshman dinner party.

Before the start of the semester first-year students gather together in the student center and get their faces stamped.

Clarice just sat quietly and listened to the conversation between the head of the Ministry of Magic Josef and his colleague Aig.

– ‘Ah did you say you were eliminated in the middle? Kkakakak. You act like you’re so proud but it looks like you can’t even come near the altar.’

– ‘Poetry is noisy. I was just taken by surprise by an unexpected surprise. If you changed your position you would definitely have been eliminated right?’

– ‘Even the excuse is ugly. Anyway it seems that everyone among the seniors in their third year of school knows Ed and they say he is famous for being the nerd of nerds. They say you are the one who does it when you do it... When I saw him he didn’t seem like an ordinary human being.’

After that Clarisse was able to catch several conversations about Ed Ross Taylor.

Most of the Knights Templar pretend to escort fake saints. The only members of the Knights Templar who follow Clarice are the two elite members who hide inconspicuously.

Even so the two are escort personnel and have strong military power but they are not good at gathering information.

As a result Clarice could not help but feel frustrated as if her eyes and ears were covered.

When I imagine Ed looking down from the altar in a state of complete disrepair a shiver runs down my back.

He is a scary person. In most cases I don’t want to get close.

But if that man really has any idea about Clarice’s identity... It’s difficult to leave it alone.

It would be a good idea to meet the man right away and find out how he found out if he really knew his identity. Of course I had to keep quiet.

However you cannot leave Ofilis Hall for at least a week from now.

The man said he lives in the northern forest but I don’t know how he will survive this time of snow storm... Anyway I am in a position where I can roam around freely outside.

While you’re stuck in Ofilis Hall you don’t know what’s going to happen outside. Clarisse doesn’t even know if the man is loud-mouthed or clumsy.

Of course I wonder how many people I would meet if I went out during a snow storm... Still Clarisse trembled with anxiety.

When the snow storm ends spring comes and the new semester begins. If you try to silence him or anything by then it may be too late.

But I can’t run out now. You might be able to escape if you go out through the window and land beautifully using sex magic but... School rules are school rules and if you make a mistake you could get caught in a snowstorm.

You can’t ask the escort knights to go for you. If the news that Clarisse’s identity was discovered reached the guards’ ears they might report it to the capital. Then it means nothing.

“Ugh... ”

Clarisse got up from her bed.

When I look out the dark window the snow is not heavy yet.

The protection of holy law and sex magic. Clarice who wields the power of both is free from threats of force. However whether it can survive extreme cold and distress is a completely separate question.

But the fear of being discovered... It comes before the fear of shipwreck. If you are in distress it is highly likely that you will be lost inside Aken Island. Buildings and facilities to immediately escape the cold were widespread.

okay... I can’t stay still... !”

Clarisse flung open the window.

-Wheeeeeeeeee!

The bitter wind blows past my pale cheeks. Silver hair spread like a fan in the wind.

-Crash.

Clarisse closed the window again.

scary.

It’s so scary!

I’m scared of Ed I’m scared of the dark I’m scared of the cold I’m scared of shipwreck... !

– ‘If you live looking only at pure white walls and ceilings your eyesight will deteriorate. ‘The romance of a world full of natural colors can never be known unless you experience it.’

However what soon comes to mind are the words of Adele a romanticist who overcame her fear of the unknown and always pursued freedom.

How moved Clarice was by the singing voice of the bard who was sitting at the window of the Holy Palace and plucking at his instrument.

I have not yet met Adele who is currently attending Sylvania.

Still that romantic voice that once made Clarisse’s eyes sparkle... He pushed the scared Clarisse back again.

When I opened the window again a sharp wind rushed into the room.

Clarice looked out the window. Maids patrol outside periodically but it is impossible to mark all areas thoroughly in this weather.

At that moment the road leading to the garden was empty. Clarisse gritted her teeth and jumped down putting on his clothes tightly and putting the brooch back on.

I go to meet the man and check the facts.

If you wait for the snow storm to end... It might be too late.