EP.225 Life is a Flower. Love is the Honey of that Flower (12)
“Really! You just can’t help it, can you?”
“Aha….”
As Dawna scolded with an air of exasperation, Regis chuckled awkwardly in response.
A short girl was roughly tugging at the hand of a tall man.
From a glance, it looked like the man was playing with the child, but in reality, it was the opposite.
“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and come over here!”
“D-Dawna! Wait, just a minute!”
Due to their significant difference in size, Regis’s unsteady posture was swaying precariously with each of Dawna’s small movements.
The reason Dawna was so fiercely urging Regis was simple.
To confirm the possession of Holy Power from a high-ranking clergy member associated with the Vatican, Regis had sent a massive amount of donations to the church.
In order to recover even a tiny portion of that money, he needed to hastily cancel such a hefty transfer.
It wasn’t that they were short on money.
This was purely a matter of Dawna’s pride.
If she truly wished to be inspected by a senior member of the clergy, she didn’t need to resort to such a cumbersome and uncertain method—she could have simply asked Regis for help.
No matter how much she had transferred through a contract with someone else, the thought of her hard-earned money being spent so wastefully was something that the proud Dawna could never allow.
“The possession of Holy Power! If I only had my connections, I could find out anytime! I know you’re a bit slow, but I didn’t think it was this bad!”
“Eh? Well, but I heard that members of the clergy from the Vatican are sworn enemies with the mages of the Magic Tower even if they just exchange glances…”
“Those old conservatives are the way they are! But the clergy who have been appointed recently aren’t like that! Haven’t you read the newspapers!”
“R-Right…”
The sight of a man literally getting schooled by a girl who barely reached half his height was bound to attract the attention of passersby.
Especially since they were currently in the Central Corridor of the Academy, where hundreds of students passed through daily.
If Dawna didn’t care about others’ gazes, that was one thing.
But for Regis, the typical weak-willed citizen, enduring such pressure was impossible.
Whisper, whisper
As the voices of students directed at him grew louder, Regis’s expression stiffened little by little.
Covering his flushed face with his hand, his fidgeting movements were a clear reflection of the intense shame he was feeling.
“By the way, did you want to become a member of the clergy? That’s surprising. I didn’t think you had any inclination at all…”
“Th-That’s…”
Regis stumbled over his words at Dawna’s question.
The Academy was filled with promising students who could become renowned knights or mages in the future.
In that crowd, Regis’s talent, no matter how generously assessed, could never be considered outstanding.
Dawna, possessing exceptional talent, could firmly state it.
Regis was average. Just an ordinary man you could find anywhere in the nearby villages.
While he had a knack for reading the atmosphere, that was more suited for a merchant or a teacher.
Among students vying for the title of hero, such insignificant talent was worse than having none.
Regis himself seemed to have some degree of acceptance about his situation.
The studies and training he had taken seriously at the beginning of the term were now tossed aside, with him solely focusing on making money—a behavior that was the most concrete evidence of that reality.
If it’s a futile dream, it’s better to give it up.
Normally, he would have said that without hesitation, but Dawna instinctively swallowed those words.
The chance of Regis becoming a member of the clergy was extraordinarily slim.
That was the pure and unblemished truth.
Clergy were much rarer than mages, numbering only a few thousand worldwide—true talents called by God.
But Dawna kept her mouth shut.
With her innate talent and status that lacked nothing to cultivate it, she had recently realized that a small word she uttered could become a curse denying someone’s entire life.
Having ignored the thoughts and feelings of others as if they were mere ink splatters from a fountain pen, this could be seen as a remarkable development for her.
This was also likely due to the time spent with Regis.
Though she understood it intellectually, in that moment, Dawna hadn’t matured enough to fully accept that embarrassing truth.
“Uh, um…”
Just then, someone unexpectedly spoke up amidst their unusual scuffle in the middle of the Central Corridor.
“You dropped this…”
The owner of that soft voice was an unknown Academy student, clutching Dawna’s handkerchief.
“Oh, I must have dropped it just now. Did you come all the way to return it? Thank you so much.”
“Ah, yes…”
As Regis received the handkerchief from the girl, he smiled kindly, and the girl blushed faintly, slightly relieved by his warm demeanor.
“Dawna.”
“Oh, I know!”
In that moment, Regis urged Dawna in a voice that was barely audible to others.
Even though Dawna had contracted to be friends with him upon graduating from the Academy.
In reality, there was an additional condition unknown to others.
This is a perfect chance! Now’s the time to show the results of my practice!
Alright! Now stay still! It’s hard to concentrate when you’re moving!
Regis and Dawna suddenly started whispering amidst the commotion.
The girl’s expression shifted to one of deep confusion.
Was she trying to thank Dawna for returning the handkerchief?
For a moment, that speculation crossed her mind, but any hopeful thoughts were swept away by the fluctuating currents of magic swirling with each of Dawna’s words.
“Th-Thank… you… so… much…!”
“Eek!”
Suddenly, the girl let out a moan in the tense atmosphere.
Why was the infamous Dawna chanting something towards her?
That intense suspicion shot a glare towards Regis, but her attempt went unanswered.
“Alright, Dawna! You’re almost there! Almost there!”
What exactly was almost there?
Was it her imminent demise!?
As the girl fell into a pit of confusion, a sudden realization surged in her mind.
“I’m so sorry for whatever it is—!”
“W-Wait!”
The girl let out a terrified scream and fled the scene.
Regis hastily reached his hand out, but it was too late.
The girl had already become a star beyond the horizon.
“Ugh…”
Frustration showed clearly on Dawna’s face as she weakly lowered her head.
Regis, who briefly tried to comfort her shoulder, quickly switched his approach after seeing her gloominess.
“Oh no. She ran away again. That makes thirteen times this week…”
“…that’s twelve. The young man from yesterday didn’t run away; he fainted.”
“Isn’t that the same?”
“Ugh!”
With tears welling up in her eyes, Dawna shot a glare at Regis.
Regis made a gesture of surrender with both hands at her intense display.
Soon after, he spoke slowly.
“If only you could control that bad habit of releasing magic each time you’re nervous, making friends would be a piece of cake.”
“Sh-Shut up! This is enough self-control for me!”
The once-crowded Central Corridor had noticeably become quiet.
Only a few guests remained.
In fact, this was unusual.
In the face of Dawna’s overwhelming magical presence, one would think there would be others who could move with ease.
Yet, in the entire Academy, only Regis, whose magical talent was embarrassingly poor, seemed unfazed.
“Are you saying that a grand sorcerer who can casually cast high-level spells that could turn a house-sized golem to dust can’t even say a proper thank you? That’s amazing.”
“Sh-Shut up! That was just a minor mistake due to not being in good condition!”
“Really?”
“Absolutely! Just you wait! Given enough time, I’ll certainly be able to master saying thank you!”
Crackle!
At that moment, with an unidentifiable noise, Dawna’s vision flipped upside down in an instant.
“Uh?”
Her voice, tinged with deep perplexity, escaped her lips.
Nothing, nothing was visible.
The scenery and figures that had been right in front of her vanished into an encompassing darkness faster than she could blink.
As if a good dream had been turned into a nightmare.
“R-Rowville? Where did she go?”
Like a frightened child, Dawna desperately looked around.
No matter how hard she strained her eyes, the darkness that absorbed all light was so ominous it made her question if she was even awake.
Crackle.
“Ugh!”
“Dawna? Are you okay?”
In that instant, her vision flipped back again.
The colorless darkness filled with nothingness regained its vibrant hues.
The lifeless surroundings took a breath of life once more.
“You don’t look well, Dawna. Are you feeling sick?”
“Uh…?”
The face of the man genuinely worried about her.
The familiar sight brought comfort to Dawna, guiding her mind back to clarity from the depths of confusion.
“Oh, no! I’m fine! Based on the symptoms, it seems I just got a bit dizzy from staying up late last night. No need to worry!”
“Shall I lend you a hand…?”
“Y-Yeah, that would be nice.”
It must have just been her imagination.
For now, Dawna composed herself like that.
But an unsettling feeling, like her self was floundering in a nightmarish quagmire, gnawed at her thoughts slowly.
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