Episode 149
When I returned to the room, I saw a happy face.
“older brother?”
“… hmm.”
Was he organizing his luggage?
Hector was conscious of me with his face only half turned.
I said as I hung my coat on the hanger.
“It’s hard to see your face. “Where have you been sleeping so far?”
“… There is a lounge inside the martial arts center. I stayed there for a few days. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. “I was so immersed in it that I didn’t want to interrupt the flow.”
“I’m even sorry. “Do it in moderation.”
“okay.”
I looked at Hector’s back for a moment.
At first glance, the side of his face was slightly swollen.
“… … .”
I can tell because I am also a person who is good at beating people.
Those aren’t injuries caused by simple sparring. There are times when you can feel a person’s malicious intent just by looking at the wound, but this was the case.
I said, scratching the back of my neck.
“The night air is nice, but I think I should go for a walk.”
“this time?”
“I usually like wandering around at night. Brother, you can sleep first. “I even finished organizing it.”
“is it.”
I took my coat again and left the room.
Just before the door closed, Hector spoke in a suppressed voice.
“Luan.”
“uh.”
“thanks.”
I smiled and closed the door.
“It was nothing.”
* * *
the next day.
Finally, the day of Professor Alec’s class came.
Thanks to walking around a lot over the past few days, I am now quite familiar with the Academy grounds. Of course, there are more areas I haven’t been to yet… … .
This means that I can now travel alone.
I’m only going to take one class, but it’s a bit difficult to bring Keian and Arjan with me, so these days I mostly move around alone.
From what I heard, the employee accompanying me also had the right to take classes, so I told them that they could take classes in the field they were interested in.
Kayan then smiled and politely declined, and Arjan expressed his gratitude. Looking at his attitude, I guess there was a class he wanted to take.
I was a little curious, but I thought it would be uncool to force myself to ask questions, so I kept my mouth shut.
No matter how much I was a user, I didn’t want to infringe on an individual’s privacy.
Anyway, that’s how class time arrived.
“Oh, hi!”
“hi.”
I wave hello to Glenn, whom I haven’t seen in a while.
My goal today is not to break up immediately after class, but to have at least a meal with this guy and, if possible, establish a channel for contact.
Of course, you can’t just bring up something like that as soon as you meet.
Aside from being timid, he seems to be quick-witted, so I don’t want to arouse suspicion for no reason.
‘hmm.’
… Anyway, the classroom was unusually quiet today.
That’s because Tallis and his evil friends who occupied the back seat weren’t there… … .
Since I got a real education from Evan yesterday and the bridge of my nose was crushed, I thought I could take a break for a few days.
Grumble-.
At that time, the door opened, and Alec appeared just in time for today’s lecture.
Alec looked at the two of us seated and nodded without saying hello.
“Let’s start class.”
The lecture began in a quiet atmosphere.
I don’t know if it was my mood, but I felt more sincere than the last class and sometimes we even made eye contact.
Has there been a change of heart over the past few days?
While I was concentrating on Alec’s class, I was also thinking about how to persuade that man to get the exploration log.
anyway.
As if the change I felt wasn’t an illusion, Alec said this 10 minutes before class ended.
“That’s it for today’s class. Do you have any questions?”
“… … !”
Glenn sucked in a breath, looking slightly surprised.
Judging by their attitude, it seemed like this was their first time having a question time like this.
“If there isn’t-.”
“Professor!”
Glenn spoke urgently.
“What do you think about the church?”
Alec’s eyes turned to Glenn.
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“You’re not talking about the 72 Churches or the Church of the Sun, but are you talking about the Dark Church?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Alec continued speaking in his characteristic emotionless voice.
“The empire’s main enemy and apocalyptic. It is a distinct hostile force that all citizens of the empire recognize, but in fact, it is also a group whose identity is more unclear than any other mysterious force. Did you get an answer?”
“… “I wasn’t asking about the general perception of the denomination.”
Glenn shook his head slightly.
The eyes seen behind the glasses are unfamiliar.
The prince looked directly at the professor with burning eyes.
“I wonder what the professor thinks of the denomination.”
“… … .”
“The professor said this the other day. “The cult’s main method of inclusion is by inciting fear.”
“… ‘Sailors facing tsunamis sometimes throw themselves into the sea.’ It’s an old saying, but its meaning is misrepresented today. Anyone who jumps into the sea is not crazy because of fear. “The real reason is.”
“To become a tsunami. Then you don’t have to be afraid.”
Glenn took over, and Alec continued after a short interval.
“… The church’s evil scriptures describe ninety-nine apocalypses that humanity will face, and its twisted doctrines pollute the minds of those who listen. And when he comes up to someone who is crazy enough, he whispers.”
-Would you like to join us?
In some ways, it is a classic method of making the victim join the perpetrator… … .
The church’s method goes one step further. It means that it is much more insidious and vicious.
I don’t think the cult simply exploits fear.
The tool they wield better than fear is madness.
The people you should avoid the most in the world are crazy people.
The scariest things in the world are those who know how to deal with crazy people.
Therefore, from my perspective, the Dark Church is the most dangerous group.
“I have a fundamental question. The point is that they are calling themselves none other than religion. “It is a group that cannot exist without faith.”
“What do you want to say?”
Glenn asked after a moment of hesitation.
“Professor, are cults really just evil?”
“… … .”
The sound of taking one’s breath.
Not only mine, but even Alec’s eyes became sharp as he listened to the story.
“-Prince.”
Alec spoke in a different tone.
“Your rank is not important here at the Academy, but please be more aware of your position.”
“I’m telling you this because you are a professor. “In this academy, Professor Alec is more certain than anyone else about the fall of the empire.”
Glenn’s voice gradually became more heated.
In that scene, I caught a glimpse of Alec talking about Youngsan.
I caught a glimpse of the madness.
“Many people are mistaken, but the destruction of the empire is never the destination for the church. It’s the middle point. I want to know. How will the church move after the fall of the Nameless Empire? Since they are people who want destruction, will they all choose to commit suicide?”
“… … .”
“It won’t happen. They have a real hidden purpose. I’d like to know that. Even if… … .”
Glenn closed his mouth and remained silent.
The swirling storm of madness stopped slightly.
But me, and probably Alec too.
It wasn’t difficult to predict what Glenn would say next.
– Even if it means becoming a church member.
Daean-.
The bell rang.
* * *
After class, Professor Alec left.
Alec said he would see him again in three days.
Somehow, it seemed like the class would continue to be taught for the time being.
– I’ll pretend I didn’t hear the question and answer today.
Just before leaving, Alec said… Glenn didn’t respond to that comment.
And now he was back to his usual timid self again.
As someone who listened to the entire conversation right next to me, I felt like I was dreaming.
I saw Glenn sitting on the bench.
The eyes visible behind the glasses are like frozen sun, staring into space with an inorganic attitude.
I sat down next to him and asked him directly.
“Are you a church member?”
“… … .”
We sat side by side for a moment and took in the sights of Cartel Academy.
I could see the young sprouts engrossed in learning under the pouring sunlight.
Someone could paint this landscape as is and name the work “Peace.”
Glenn asked an unexpected question.
“Do you like red?”
“I don’t hate it.”
To me, red is a color of inspiration that reminds me of the sun or flames.
Of course, Glenn probably didn’t mean it that way.
“I am… I hate it. Actually, I really hate it. “I don’t know why red is held up as a symbol of nobility and the color of beginning.”
“… … .”
“I hate my hair. I hate my eyes, and I hate looking at the sunset sky. To me, red is just blood.”
Glenn muttered in a pained voice.
“… “I miss my sister.”
“You mean Princess Perist?”
“no. “My real sister.”
Glenn looked at me and said.
“I asked if you were a member of the church. Could that be possible? However, I think the church is more right than the imperial family.”
“why.”
“Do you know Badknicker?”
It was a random question.
I glanced at the side of his face to see if he was asking knowingly, but it didn’t seem like that.
“I know as much as everyone else.”
“There are many people who say that Sanghyeolgong’s attitude toward his children is harsh and wrong. I don’t think so. “It’s the imperial family that is really harsh.”
Glenn smiled at me.
“You know, Luan. “Would you believe me if I told you that there were hundreds of princes at one time?”
“what?”
Glenn let out a low laugh and stood up.
“Pretend I didn’t hear you.”
“… … .”
“I think I have some business to attend to…” sorry. I’m tired today, so I’ll get some rest. “I’m staying in room 305 of the Red Building, so see you later.”
Glenn left those words and walked away with unsteady steps.
It’s not difficult to catch and interrogate, but I didn’t do that.
Instead, I felt my stomach slowly twisting.
‘… ah.’
I’m starting to get a little annoyed.
* * *
As I said before, I don’t particularly enjoy drinking alcohol.
For some reason, I’ve been thinking about beer a lot lately. Is it because there are so many frustrating things to do?
Probably so.
It was exactly like that when I was a mercenary.
I know the life of living one day at a time, the life of not getting any better, the life of not being able to die.
My chest feels heavy as if it were made of lead, and no matter how long I sleep, my mind does not feel refreshed.
In order to forget my shitty life, I had no choice but to rely on alcohol.
“… … .”
As the sun was setting, I was walking toward [Your Mom’s Trumpet Sound] and suddenly stopped… … .
I felt like if Master saw me looking like this, he would hit me in the back.
“Fuuu… … .”
I let out a suppressed breath and looked up at the night sky.
I didn’t think I could easily find out the whole truth.
The situation was turning out to be much more complicated than I originally expected.
It wasn’t the time to drink alcohol, it was time to clean up first.
Suddenly, I found myself in the middle of the street, my mind a mess.
‘I don’t think Glenn is a church member.’
First of all, that’s my opinion.
If we were to guess from his appearance today, he was closer to hating the imperial family than being friendly to the church.
Does it seem like they hate the imperial family and are trying to force their approval of the church that is the empire’s greatest enemy in order to humiliate them?
It was a somewhat impulsive attitude, but considering his age, it was not surprising.
It doesn’t seem like he’s completely lost his senses, so he probably wouldn’t commit such a crazy act as committing himself to a religious order out of anger.
Of course, it’s okay.
There is nothing strange about a person doing anything when they get addicted. This means that you cannot jump to conclusions.
So, is Princess Perist a member of the church?
I think the odds are higher that way, but you never know.
I realize it again.
I know very little about the church.
Actually, everyone will do that.
Not only the people of the empire, but also the believers of [Great Families], [Hero Organization Heroes], and [Church of the Sun], which are in direct conflict with the church, still mostly do not know about the church.
So who knows the most about the denomination?
“… … .”
I took a step back.
For the first time in a while, instead of taking a train or walking leisurely, I ran through the academy grounds as if I was doing a light attack.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the Yellow Pavilion… … .
I stood in front of room 202 and knocked on the door.
“yes?”
I felt a presence inside, and immediately the door opened.
“Uh, Luan?”
Evan looked at me with a puzzled look.
I know he shares a room with Charis, but it seems like he’s the only one there.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have something to ask about the church.”
“platform? suddenly?”
Evan tilted his head.
It was an innocent attitude, but somehow I laughed.
“okay.”
“It doesn’t matter… “Why me?”
“If it’s about the Dark Church, you should ask the leader.”
“… … .”
A smile spread on Evan’s face.
It was not a radical change, but a slow change, like turning a page.
The human face is truly amazing.
However, the impression can vary greatly depending on the minute position, appearance, or size of the facial features… … .
Even if you smile the same as usual, a completely different atmosphere can be created depending on the situation.
Evan’s smile is definitely the same as I know.
Refreshing, gentle, warm… … . It means a smile like sunshine that seems appropriate for such an expression.
However, smiling heartily even after hearing the word “small religious leader” is an attitude that could never come from the Evan Helvin I knew.
“… “I think the story will be long.”
Evan pointed to the room with a smile.
“Would you like to come in first?”
I nodded.
fantasy,
