#62
“Because of your nonsense, Ana couldn’t even eat a proper spoonful of food.”
“No, that’s not…”
“Really? Andelion, I’m sorry.”
If he’s sorry, I wish we could have continued our previous conversation a bit more. I quickly shook my head and tried to uncover the facts that only the two of them knew. However, both of them firmly shut their mouths as if they had planned it. Even if I wanted to hear more, it seemed they would never speak of it.
Based on the conversation so far, Clum were undoubtedly related to demons. Did that mean yesterday’s outburst wasn’t caused by me? Or, if not that, could this body be connected to demons? Perhaps that’s why the Duke would later use my body as a sacrifice to gain power.
The flood of information all at once gave me a headache. Though I wasn’t hungry, my stomach burned as if someone was stabbing it from the inside with an awl.
Then had the Sword lied to me? I recalled the Sword’s voice asserting that I was an ordinary child. I slowly chewed and swallowed the bread that Persis had torn off for me.
After somehow finishing all the food allocated to me, we parted ways to attend our next classes. After seeing Iria off with promises to meet again, I grabbed Persis as he was about to walk away.
With his sleeve caught in the corridor outside the dining hall, Persis looked at me with wide eyes. He apparently hadn’t expected me to approach him first like this.
“Do you have a moment?”
“Of course, I do. A lot. I have a lot of time.”
Persis, who had been speaking slowly with a dazed face, seemed to come to his senses and nodded hastily, urgently attaching words.
That was fortunate. I suggested we talk somewhere quieter and led Persis to a secluded part of the garden where few people passed.
Standing in the lush garden, Persis looked like a painting. It was amazing how he created his own world wherever he was. He had always shone even as a child; the saying “the sprouting of a promising tree is apparent from its first leaves” must have been made for Persis.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
I had only one question for Persis.
“Could I know specifically how Clum are connected to demons?”
As soon as he heard my question, Persis’s slightly upturned mouth corners slowly descended. He looked at me with a face so cold that just making eye contact sent chills down my spine. Somehow, I felt like I had made a mistake.
“Why are you asking that?”
“I want to investigate Clum in more detail.”
Perhaps I could discover a secret related to my body.
Then Persis took a step closer to me. As our bodies drew nearer, I could feel his breath close by. Feeling somehow embarrassed, I tried to step back, but Persis gave me no space and pushed me against the wall.
“I told you to stay put.”
That was something Persis had said to me once before.
“Ana, please just stay still.”
It sounded as if nothing I did would ever be of any use. In truth, Persis was right. No matter how hard I tried to protect both Persis and Iria, I wasn’t of any help to them. Look at the situation now. The two of them knew information that I didn’t.
I was of no use whatsoever to them. I knew that. But being human, I felt a sense of defiance rising within me.
“Until when? Are you saying I should stay still even when you’re in danger like before?”
“Yes, stay still. Even without Ana’s help, I would have managed on my own.”
“Who doesn’t know that! I know that Persis could have resolved that much on his own! But that doesn’t mean I can just stay still when Persis is in danger! If the same thing happens again, I’ll act just like I did before!”
Staying put in that situation would have been no different from ignoring Persis. How could that possibly be an option for me? I shouted at Persis, raising my voice for the first time in a long while. At that, Persis’s fierce expression gradually softened.
Persis exhaled deeply and clenched his lips shut. Then, as if painfully forcing the words out, he spoke.
“I told you before. I’m scared. Ana, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Now that Persis had responded like this, I was at a loss for words. What could I say when he was afraid I might get hurt? I couldn’t bring myself to tell the child who was anxiously worrying about my body—which I myself didn’t even take care of—not to worry about such things.
“So, please. Just stay like this.”
I couldn’t ask Persis for more details when he spoke like that. I had no choice but to nod and say I understood. I reassured him not to worry, saying I wouldn’t do anything dangerous, trying to ease his concerns.
I thought this might be my first lie to Persis.
* * *
In the end, I couldn’t ask Persis anything more. Neither the Sword nor Persis gave me proper answers. In the past, I could obtain most information from the Duke’s library, but now that I was away from the Duke’s residence, it felt more difficult to gather information.
When I felt overwhelmed as if I was blocked on all sides, I remembered the history teacher who had been researching Clum.
When I bumped into him recently, his research materials fell to the floor. Those materials were definitely related to Clum. I wanted to at least check that. Visiting him suddenly might be an imposition, but I had no other option. I decided to at least get a promise for another time if today didn’t work out.
I was a bit nervous about visiting the office of someone I didn’t know well. In a game, I could have moved around the school freely, but this world wasn’t a game, and I wasn’t the protagonist who could talk to everyone.
I took a deep breath in front of the history teacher’s office. There was a nameplate on the door. ‘Ramtel Ion.’ It was the name of the teacher who hadn’t even been properly named in the game. Even when he appeared as an NPC, he was only called ‘History Teacher.’
Slowly knocking on the door, I heard Ramtel’s voice from inside calling, “Yes, come in.” When I opened the door and entered, I saw the chaotic scene of his messy office. Various books were sprawled open on the floor, and some documents were crumpled in corners, their shapes unrecognizable.
Upon seeing my face, Ramtel brightened up and rushed toward me.
“Isn’t this Young Master! What brings you here?”
“Teacher, please speak comfortably with me.”
“No, I couldn’t possibly do that with Young Master. It’s humble, but please sit down.”
Among the teachers, there were those who valued social status contrary to the school’s philosophy. Ramtel was one of them. It was a bit uncomfortable being called “Young Master” every time we met, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I sat down in the place Ramtel guided me to and looked around. Without someone to clean for him, dust had accumulated throughout Ramtel’s office. It had been described as an extremely dirty place in the game, but it looked more serious than I expected.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I’m sorry for visiting suddenly when you’re busy.”
“Young Master is always welcome. Besides, I just finished my classes, so I have plenty of time.”
Fortunately, Ramtel welcomed my sudden visit so warmly that the burden I had felt was somewhat relieved. Looking at him sitting across from me, I pondered where to start the conversation. Since there was no need to hide anything, I might as well ask directly.
“Have you heard about what happened at the seminar yesterday?”
“Ah, yes, of course. Are you injured anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine.”
It seemed that word had already spread, and he was already aware of the incident that occurred at the seminar. It was fortunate that I didn’t have to explain in detail.
“To think that Clum would suddenly go haywire. Such a thing wouldn’t normally happen. Still, I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
“That’s what I came to ask about.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“Can Clum actually go haywire like that? It’s the first time I’ve heard about Clum going berserk.”
Ramtel was researching Clum. If so, he might know information that only royalty could access. Moreover, there was a high possibility that he knew of similar cases.
Ramtel cleared his throat softly and crossed his arms, choosing his words. After a moment, he glanced at me and slightly opened his mouth.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask why you want to hear about this?”
“It’s personal curiosity. Is this content I shouldn’t be hearing?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
Ramtel, who had been contemplating whether to talk or not, sighed as if he had no choice and said:
“Have you ever heard about the difference between mana and magical power?”
“Yes, I learned it in class. I heard mana is the power possessed by demons.”
“Yes, that’s right. Then do you know exactly what function Clum have?”
Clum are minerals that can hold magical power. Therefore, they were used in various ways, such as creating artifacts or continuously casting magic on buildings themselves. That much information was available with just a little research on Clum.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
