Chapter 57
A ceiling that felt both familiar and strange.
A soft, fluffy blanket.
A calming herb fragrance.
I jolted awake and threw off the covers. I wasn't lying in my own bed.
Looking around, this was definitely Silveryn's room. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.
Silveryn wasn't visible. She seemed to have left after letting me sleep here.
Her long strands of hair were scattered and stuck to my body.
I took a deep breath. Silveryn's bed had been an untouchable domain, even for me. Had I climbed in unconsciously, like a sleeping habit? I hoped I hadn't made any improper mistakes.
I examined her bedding carefully. Thankfully, it was spotless without even a speck of dirt. At least I hadn't drooled in my sleep.
What a relief.
I was breaking into a cold sweat over nothing.
I quickly tidied my clothes and stepped outside.
The sun was high in the bright blue sky. I had overslept completely unaware. No wonder I felt so refreshed.
While descending the stairs, I encountered a maid.
She bowed slightly and said, "You're awake? Lady Silveryn said you have training scheduled today."
"Ah... yes, understood."
The maid looked up at my face, startled, and quickly averted her gaze.
"...?"
Then she fled up the stairs as if escaping.
On my way to my room to change clothes, I met another maid in the corridor.
She too was startled when she saw my face.
"Oh my."
Then she covered her mouth with her hand and quickly disappeared from my sight.
What's going on?
I ran my fingers through my hair. Though it was a bit messy from sleep, it wasn't horrifically disheveled.
Is there something on my face?
I entered my room and firmly closed the door. Then, I approached the mirror.
I stood dumbfounded for a moment at my reflection.
"..."
Bright red lipstick marks were stamped on both my cheeks.
***
A small girl was walking down the corridor hugging a teddy bear.
When it was time to sleep and all the servants had gone to bed, with no one around, something always happened.
Windows would shake, books would fall by themselves, and candles would suddenly light.
Though she had clearly seen and heard these things with her own eyes and ears, no one would listen to the terrified young girl's words.
That night too, the girl came out to the corridor to escape something that was tormenting her. Relying on a single candle, she moved through the darkness, hoping someone would come out and stay with her.
Then she heard an angry voice from one end of the corridor.
Light leaked from where the sound came from.
"Please... please... spare me."
"Shut up and stay still... it'll be over soon..."
The girl, not knowing what was happening, approached and peeked through the door.
There she witnessed a grotesque scene.
A man had pushed a maid against the wall and was undressing her.
And the man was someone all too familiar to the girl.
The man, unaware of someone behind him, was focused on violating the maid.
The girl dropped her teddy bear.
"F...father?"
***
Luna woke up drenched in cold sweat.
"Haah, haah..."
She hadn't had a proper night's sleep since the entrance exam ended.
Luna hurriedly took out a jar of herb powder from her drawer, spooned some into her mouth, and drank water.
Despite taking even addictive medicines for stronger effects, Luna's condition wasn't improving.
Her nails were breaking easily, and her hands trembled even holding a water cup. Dark circles were gradually forming under her eyes.
Luna was withering like a tree in drought because of these terrible nightmares.
The mental anguish was the worst.
The horrific trauma that had stained Luna's childhood visited her every day.
Every night she became that young girl again, vividly reliving the filthy memories she wanted to forget.
Luna left her room, steadying herself against the wall.
Her body had become extremely weak.
She couldn't understand why this torment kept repeating.
I need stronger medicine.
She entered the living room and began searching through drawers.
If Silveryn were here, she would surely solve the problem, but Luna didn't want that. She had already received enough help, and besides, Silveryn wasn't someone with enough leisure or closeness to care about her.
Just then, a woman's laughter echoed in the corridor.
Luna turned toward the corridor, startled.
But there was nothing there.
"Who's there?"
As Luna wondered about this, mocking laughter rang in her ears again.
It seemed to become one with the walls and ceiling, resonating throughout the house.
Luna shouted irritably.
"Who are you? Come out, come out!"
[Over here.]
A voice came from a corner of the living room where candlelight didn't reach.
There stood a pitch-black human figure, silently watching Luna.
Luna spoke with hostility.
"You... what are you? How did you get in here?"
[I've always been with you. Since your childhood.]
"Don't be ridiculous."
[Poor thing. If the professor were here, you wouldn't be suffering like this.]
Luna had been able to sense things others couldn't see since childhood. Having dealt with them for so long, she knew how to handle these things.
"Shut up."
[You hate men, don't you?]
"What do you know to talk like that?"
[Men are ruining you. Your father destroyed you. Though you barely found salvation, a strange man has wormed his way into your savior's side. A worthless one who knows neither magic nor spirit arts has taken the place beside the Archmage. That should have been your place. You should have been that woman's disciple. Then you wouldn't be suffering like this now.]
"The professor made her own judgment. Don't talk carelessly about that."
[Isn't it unfair? There was no one more suitable than you to be that woman's disciple.]
"Get out. Get out. Get out.”
Luna's nerves were so raw her head hurt. Hearing such nonsense from this unwelcome visitor was extremely painful.
[Just burn it all and start anew.]
"I know what you are. You're probably just a half-formed thought entity coveting my power."
Luna summoned a fireball in her hand. Though she knew it would be useless, just listening was so painful she felt she needed to destroy something to calm down.
"Where did you come from? Who sent you?"
[Kekekeke. I am you. I am your darkness and shadow. I've always been with you. You've just been living while ignoring my existence. These are my thoughts, but they're also your thoughts.]
And most annoyingly, the black figure's words were striking precisely at Luna's core.
"Shut up... shut up, shut up!"
Luna threw the fireball at the dark figure.
CRASH!
Something shattered loudly.
The dark figure was gone, and in its place laid shards of a broken mirror.
***
Though I'd heard it was training, Silveryn's bright and light attire made it look more like we were going on a picnic.
Silveryn and I packed lunch boxes and got into the carriage. I hadn't even brought my sword, and I didn't know where we were heading.
What is she planning?
The carriage moved at a perfect speed for enjoying the scenery.
Inside, Silveryn stared at my face and said, "Disciple."
"Yes."
"Why can't you look me in the eye?"
"...Me?"
"See? Even now you can't."
"..."
Silveryn stared at me intently with narrowed eyes.
"Did I say something strange yesterday?"
"No. Um..."
"What is it? I feel like I mumbled something in my sleep."
"You told me to stay until you fell asleep."
"That much I remember."
"That underground..."
Silveryn asked with a clueless expression.
"Underground?"
"No, you just said you'd scold me severely if I left first."
"I said that?"
"Yes..."
Silveryn paused briefly and quickly turned her gaze to the window. She seemed a bit embarrassed by her own behavior.
"Hmm, I was quite drunk..."
Silence followed.
This was the first time being with Silveryn felt this awkward.
My inability to look at her face wasn't because of what she'd said. It was because of what had been left on my cheeks.
Her lips were the same color. Though she had clearly done it, she hadn't said a word about it. This sly behavior made her seem quite fox-like.
Fortunately, the carriage didn't travel far. We reached our destination while I was briefly distracted.
If it had been longer, the awkwardness would have been unbearable.
The training location Silveryn had chosen was the riverside beach I'd seen before while traveling to and fro Eternia.
Like Lake Wiesel, it had an open view, but the difference was that here the mountains and river created a more dynamic feeling.
With no sword or logs, what could we possibly train with?
"Come, my disciple."
I gathered the lunch basket, blanket, and mat before getting out. The sand gleamed silver-white. It was quite a beautiful scene.
Silveryn chose a spot with good sunlight and level ground, then beckoned to me.
"Here, here."
As I approached and spread out the mat, securing the corners with pebbles, Silveryn immediately lay down on it.
"Nice. Come lie down too."
Then she patted the space beside her.
Well, it's all fine. Fine, but I don't see what this has to do with training.
"Teacher, this is..."
"It's training, so hurry and lie down."
"..."
"This training will be different. I'm going to teach you spirit arts."