Tap-
Closing the door of Isajangsil and heading back to the classroom, my mind was a mess filled with dark clouds.
It felt like nothing was going according to my will, from the first thing to the last.
I clearly knew all the content of the novel, yet so much was going off course to the point of it being meaningless.
Even this Anima thing I heard about recently.
A sudden disease where multiple people mysteriously died after their souls vanished.
Four years ago, when I was possessed, or even before that incident.
I couldn’t even begin to guess what had happened.
Everything was beyond my expectations.
I questioned whether this place was really the world from the novel I knew.
‘…..If I just defeat the Demon King, everything will be fine.’
After all, all the evils of the world stemmed from the Demon King.
If I could just take him down, everything else would just be trivial matters.
I made an effort to uplift my thoughts, and began walking with heavy footsteps again.
Time passed, and it was late at night when I arrived.
I leaned against my window, stroking the head of a crow perched on my finger, and opened my mouth.
“Go and tell Helis.”
Then, the crow with red eyes rubbed its head against my finger a few times and flapped its wings into the night sky.
[Servant Beast.]
“Oh. You’re here?”
[Yeah. It seems like something’s been happening in Seonggye lately.]
I heard my teacher’s voice in my mind.
Honestly, at first, I thought it would only be uncomfortable.
But as I chatted with her, I found myself feeling a sense of closeness before I knew it.
Now, I wouldn’t even be concerned if she were beside me.
“What’s Seonggye like?”
After a moment’s hesitation, my teacher replied.
[Hmm… Well, it’s not much different from here. It’s a space where people and various mysterious beings live.]
“Really…”
Isn’t Seonggye typically the place where scholars reside?
A mystical space with clouds floating around and old men flying above them.
[What were you expecting?]
“Nothing particularly…”
Ah, right. I had meant to ask her about it when I met her.
Suddenly, a thought popped into my head, and I immediately spoke to my teacher.
“Teacher, do you know anything about Anima?”
[Anima? Why do you ask?]
“Well… I heard the person I was looking for died from that disease.”
[Oh dear. That’s unfortunate.]
Hmm…
It doesn’t particularly feel unfortunate.
After all, even if they weren’t Anima, they would have been someone who would torment others and ultimately fall into the Demon Race.
I shouldn’t feel sympathy for such a person.
“So, do you know anything?”
[I don’t really know much. It’s quite a mysterious event. One might even wonder whether it can be classified as a disease.]
“Is that so…”
[Yeah. The simultaneous disappearance of people’s souls has never happened before.]
“Umm…”
It seemed like my teacher didn’t know either.
In that case, it would be best to give up.
If someone as knowledgeable as her didn’t know, I doubted I could figure it out.
As time passed, I thought I might learn eventually, and taking a glance at the clock, I noticed it was almost the time I promised Lily.
“I should be heading out soon…”
[Huh? Where are you going?]
“Yes. I have plans with a friend.”
[Hmm… At this late hour? You aren’t going to meet a lover, are you?]
What is that even supposed to mean, teacher?
Is it because she was born a fox that she can only think in such a sly manner?
“Ha… She’s a girl, you know?”
[….That doesn’t seem to mean much to you.]
“Stop saying strange things and help me out.”
[Hmm? What do you mean?]
“Teacher, you’re good at reading people’s feelings, right?”
To that, my teacher answered in a lively voice.
[Of course. Understanding people’s hearts is essential for enchanting them. That’s my specialty.]
I felt relieved by her response.
With her help, I should be able to understand why Lily was upset.
Honestly, I felt frustrated not knowing why she was so down.
But if my teacher helps, I should be able to unravel that reason.
“My friend I’m going to meet is upset with me. Could you find out why?”
[Hmm. Did you make a blunder?]
“I don’t know. Honestly, I just can’t guess…”
As I let out a shallow sigh, my teacher chuckled gently to comfort me.
[Don’t worry. I’ll help you out.]
“Thank you, teacher.”
Honestly, I had been wondering what to do about Lily.
Now it felt like I had a reliable ally.
*
Having left my room, I passed through the academy’s garden and arrived at a riverside.
The round, bright moon illuminated the river, creating a beautiful scene, and the fragrant scent of grass and the pleasant cool breeze complemented it perfectly.
“Did you come?”
Lily, sitting on the grass and gazing at the moon alone, had her silvery hair radiating beautifully beneath the moonlight.
She smiled as she looked at me.
“Come sit here, Sera.”
“Okay.”
Lily patted the grass beside her.
As I sat next to her, she rested her head against my shoulder and spoke.
“Isn’t the moon beautiful?”
“Yeah, it really is.”
Just like Lily said, the big full moon shone with a delicate brilliance, beautiful enough to rival the sun.
The moon, casting silver light across the world, looked too much like Lily.
“I often gaze at the night sky.”
“Really?”
Maybe the poetic scenery had made her sentimental, but Lily began to share her story.
“When I look at the night sky, I think of the person I love.”
“Oh…”
“Just to let you know, it’s not Robin.”
At her words, my body shivered slightly.
Could it be that Lily was upset with me because of some misunderstanding?
By the way, thank goodness it wasn’t Robin.
’Then who could it be…?’
Lily looked at me for a while before she turned back to the moon and spoke in a soft voice.
“Do you want to know who the person I love is?”
“Huh..? Are you going to tell me?”
“Hehe.. There’s no reason not to.”
“Uh… Yes, please tell me.”
I was curious.
If it wasn’t Robin, then who could Lily like?
How did they meet?
When it came to Lily, I couldn’t help but be concerned.
“It was a coincidence that we met, but I fell in love at first sight.”
Lily continued her words while gazing at the moon with an empty look in her eyes.
“It felt like a hero had come to save me. I couldn’t take my eyes off them for a moment.”
Love at first sight…
What kind of person could it possibly be?
“After that, my feelings didn’t cool down; they only grew hotter. Eventually, I came to love that person more than anything else in the world.”
“…..”
“The person who always smiled warmly at me. I wanted to be with that person for the rest of my life. I wanted to share love for eternity. I wanted to get married and stay close to them.”
I was taken aback.
I never imagined Lily could fall in love so passionately…
Who in the world could it be…?
“Every day spent with that person was my happiest days.”
In an instant, the smile vanished from Lily’s face as she recited her words.
“But eventually, I ended up parting ways with that person.”
Her mood suddenly changed.
The wistful and nostalgic air that lingered just moments ago dropped to a cold silence.
“Th-that’s…”
“After that, I could no longer meet that person.”
My heart ached.
How could anyone abandon Lily?
I didn’t know who it was, but if I got my hands on them… I’d beat them to a pulp.
I was determined to convey my consolation to Lily.
“Are you okay now?”
“…Before we broke up, we made a promise.”
“What? A promise?”
“Yeah. Just three things.”
“What are they?”
A promise…
It seemed there was more to their breakup than just that.
“To make sure I go to the academy. To make friends and gain experience there. And to always smile brightly… That person asked me to do those things.”
“I-is that so?”
It seemed that person really cared for Lily.
And for some reason, the words Lily spoke felt vaguely familiar.
“And that person promised they would definitely come find me.”
“Uh…?”
Lily gazed only at the moon with an even emptier look in her eyes.
“But even after three years, that person has not contacted me even once.”
“…..Three years?”
I felt a shiver run through me at her words.
Three years… That would have been around the time Lily and I were together…
To be precise, that was the year I ended up parting ways with her.
“I waited all this time. Each day without that person felt like hell, but I endured because we made a promise.”
“……”
Something… something felt off.
Lily’s tale seemed too familiar to me.
Three years ago, and the promise I shared with that person. Everything felt hauntingly familiar.
“I followed that person’s promise and came to the academy, forcing smiles I didn’t want to give and trying to make friends while waiting for them to fulfill their promise.”
“That’s… that’s…”
“When we meet again, I vowed not to let them slip away. I trained to the point of exhaustion to be strong enough to at least defeat that Athena girl.”
“…..Huh?”
Boom-
Upon suddenly hearing Athena’s name mentioned, my heart dropped.
To be robbed by Athena…
This was…
No way…
It felt as though Lily’s words were slowly fitting together like puzzle pieces.
Something I shouldn’t know… that something…
“But should I say it’s fortunate? I ended up meeting that person again.”
“Oh… Is that so?”
I felt a wave of relief wash over me.
If she met that person again, it surely couldn’t be me.
After all, I had never revealed myself to Lily.
But still, the ominous feeling lingered as everything she described seemed to point to me.
“But that person pretended not to know me when they saw me. As if all our memories together were completely erased.”
“……”
“In that moment, I realized. Ah, this person wants to forget me. They want to abandon me. I had waited desperately for three years.”
“Li… Lily…”
“I resented that person so much. I was the one waiting, but they had forgotten me. Yet oddly enough, I still love that person more than anything.”
“…..N-no…”
“So I reached my own conclusion. Though I can’t share the details.”
“…..”
“Well, that’s my love story.”
Lily concluded her story with a soft smile.
Hearing her tale left me confused and overwhelmed.
My heart was racing furiously.
Though Lily was right next to me, I couldn’t bring myself to look at her.
No way…
It couldn’t be… but could it be?
Is it possible she’s speaking about me?
As I was engulfed in confusion, Lily’s voice came drifting back to me.
“What do you think, Unnie?”
“Me…? I… I…”
I didn’t know.
My mind was a complete whirlwind.
Could it be that the person Lily loves is really me?
I couldn’t shake that thought from my mind.
I couldn’t believe it, but every detail she said was pointing to me.
What if…
What if it’s really about me?
Then what should I do…?
“………?”
Wait…
Just a moment…
What did you just say…?
“What… What did you say?”
As I turned my trembling head,
Lily’s hollow, amethyst-colored eyes
were boring into me.
“Long time no see, Unnie.”
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