Episode 83 Festival: Encounter (1)
On the second day of the festival, just past midnight.
Knock, knock.
A woman knocked on the door of the principal’s office.
“Uh, come in.”
As soon as Media finished speaking, the door opened wide. The woman bowed to her. Her short orange hair swept over her shoulders.
“It’s been a while, Principal.”
The woman who entered was All Mute, Khan Elizabeth.
Although she was wearing a costume with the American flag on it, it suited her slim body perfectly.
“That’s right- Ellie, it’s been five years since you graduated!”
Media pointed to the side with a bright smile. Olmute bowed politely again and sat down.
“Anyway, welcome back. Are you enjoying the festival?”
“Yes, I am enjoying it.”
“Hey, why are your answers so stiff now as when you were a student?”
“I will take that as a compliment.”
“Are you following the trend these days? Was it the Soulless Seat, that one?”
All Mute had a puzzled expression on his face.
‘Soul? Less?’
She pondered Mediah’s words for a moment and then replied.
“I have a religion.”
“Oh my, how can you take a word for it? It’s so damn hard, really.”
All Mute tilted his head. Media sighed, shook her head, and suddenly stopped talking.
“Ellie, are you curious about our sword?”
“… … .”
Olmute frowned and thought of a face. A black-haired cadet, whose name, according to Media, was Geumma.
‘…however.’
The modifier ‘we’ before the name is strangely annoying.
Media had never called a mere cadet so affectionately before. Her mint-colored eyes were filled with more than just affection.
Knock, knock.
Media lightly tapped her temple. All Mute, who had turned his thoughts away, sighed softly.
“What is the identity of that cadet named Geomma?”
“Well, well. What do you mean by that?”
“Doesn’t it deal with the realm of imagination?”
A faint hint of hostility appeared in All Mute’s pupils. Media tilted her head slightly.
“Ellie, you know how to handle it physically, right? What’s wrong with our swordsman handling it?”
“Principal! I didn’t come here to play with words!”
All Mute slammed the table down as if he couldn’t stand it any longer. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the principal’s office became fierce.
“Ellie.”
“… … !”
Media called out softly to Olmute. At the same time, the windows she had turned away from began to crack like chains.
“You, you’ve become a lot less polite since I last saw you.”
The half-open pupils beneath the eyelashes were cold. Olmute’s entire body trembled slightly as he looked at the sight.
The heavy weight of the words pressed down on my shoulders. I just stared at him with my chin resting on my hand, but my heart pounded.
In fact, Media had another nickname besides ‘The Wise Man’.
‘Tyrant Media.’
Although her languid appearance was hidden, those who knew of Media’s power did not dare to treat her comfortably.
When the media reveals their true intentions, even the other seven constellations, Changseong and Jeolgung, break out in a cold sweat.
The fact that the elders couldn’t easily treat her despite her short stature was proof of her power. Olmute could feel a hint of it on her skin.
‘It’s a tremendous amount of pressure.’
All Mute swallowed dryly. Media stared at her intently, then smiled brightly.
“How long are you going to stand there?”
“Ah, ah, I’m sorry.”
All Mute sat down on the road seat, feeling uneasy. Only then did Media lean back against the back of the chair.
“Sorry, I got a little excited. I’ve been really stressed out lately because of that damn Zeke. I guess I was a little sensitive.”
Media continued speaking with a bitter smile.
“Anyway, I don’t know what rumors you heard and why you’re curious about the swordsman. But anyway, because of my job, I can’t tell you any information related to the students. As the headmaster, you’re supposed to treat all students equally, right?”
“…yes.”
“And Ellie, I told you this over and over again when you were at the Academy.”
“yes?”
“If you have any questions, just run. Remember?”
All Mute was deep in thought. She nodded in agreement and stood up.
“Thank you for your time, Principal.”
“Hey, what’s going on between us? Well, you didn’t even say anything. How long are you going to be at the Academy?”
“It was originally scheduled to depart at noon tomorrow, but… … .”
“What, is there such a rush? It’s a festival. Just take your time and enjoy it-,”
Media waved her hand as she saw him off. As Olmute bowed and was about to head toward the door, a question suddenly occurred to him.
“Director.”
“Huh? Do you have any more questions?”
All Mute hesitated for a while and then asked cautiously.
“You said you treat all cadets equally. Does that apply to that cadet as well?”
“Well, well. To be honest, our swordsman is more like a cadet to me.”
A strange line was engraved on the corner of Media’s mouth.
“A man… I guess?”
widely.
All Mute closed the door and left without saying anything.
I felt even more goosebumps than before.
“Sword Demon, who the hell is that guy… … .”
She muttered, running her hands over the goosebumps on her arms.
* * *
The festival is almost over.
Last night, I was in the dormitory, organizing my thoughts. The previous two days were so hectic that I couldn’t even rest. The sight of my club members sweating profusely in the blazing sun caught my eye.
‘It feels like we’re just spending too much time working and missing out on the festival.’
I thought back to the purpose of the festival. It started out as something to enjoy, but suddenly the crowds gathered, and my club members and I were working hard.
The decision was made quickly. Before I opened the booth tent, I called the members together.
“Let’s just do this until the morning and then we can each have free time in the afternoon. How about that?”
As he said that, the faces that had been tired from hard work began to come back to life.
The members kept nodding with sunken faces. Among them, Weapon in particular let out a loud cheer.
‘The guy who suggested it was me.’
As soon as the last booth opened, customers flocked in.
Maybe because it was the last day, there were more people than yesterday.
However, the members who had finished adjusting for two days were experienced. With the hope that they could rest in the afternoon, everyone was tense.
“I, Geomma-kun.”
Chloe, who was chopping green onions, said. She now took her eyes off the cutting board and looked at the edges of the ingredients. I was inwardly amazed at the level that a culinary idiot had reached in just two days.
“Yeah, why?”
“Do you have any plans for this afternoon?”
I didn’t have any specific plans. I was just thinking about wandering around or going back to the dorm, but judging from Chloe, it seemed like she wanted to do some more schedules together.
‘If I think about it, this one had the hardest time.’
Chloe took care of most of the kitchen work, since I could only use a knife for 50 seconds a day. I just stood by and swept the ingredients and seasoned them.
And Chloe had said something similar before the festival even began. I paused for a moment to choose my words, then opened my mouth.
“I don’t have any specific plans. If you have time, would you like to go around the festival with me?”
“Oh, oh really, really!?”
Chloe’s round eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what I said. Maybe double it if I exaggerate a bit? I nodded slightly in agreement.
“Are you okay?”
“of course!”
A deep blush appeared on Chloe’s cheeks. Her lips quivered.
Then she turned her gaze back to the chopping board.
Bang⎯ bang⎯ bang⎯ bang⎯ bang⎯
The blades crashed down on the chopping board like a shower. It was a circus-like feat.
It’s hard to believe that this was accomplished in just two and a half days. Some of the guests captured the scene with their cameras.
‘Chloe has great potential with a knife.’
As I stared at Chloe’s profile for a moment, I felt a sharp gaze on the back of my neck. I turned my head.
Ryozoh glared at me with his hazel eyes wide open. My eyes met with hers.
There was a clear look of anger in his eyes. Ryozo bit his lip once and then turned around.
‘Why did Pinto leave?’
I thought about the reason for a moment, then shrugged. There was something odd about the expression on my face, but… Well, I guess I was frowning because of the weapon again.
I sighed inwardly and spurred myself on, trying to calm my mind from becoming lax as the end approached.
‘A chef must serve his guests with all his heart until the very end.’
The words my first teacher emphasized to me.
‘You may be one of many guests to me, but you are his first meal.’
The vivid voice seemed to linger in my ears. I laughed briefly.
“That gentleman said something really good.”
I tightened my shoulder muscles, which had become sagging from fatigue.
* * *
The sale is finally over.
I told the members that we should postpone the cleanup until tomorrow, since there was only half a day left in the festival. Their answer was a unanimous ‘yes’.
The members stretched and groaned, then dispersed to enjoy their own festivals. Among them, only Ryozo returned to the dormitory, saying he was tired.
I guess he must have been exhausted from the argument with reporters yesterday and today.
‘After all, mental labor tires the body more than physical labor.’
I returned to the dormitory. Then I washed my body of sweat with cold water friction and left right away.
Because there was no air conditioning in the room, it was hotter inside than outside. It was sad.
I checked the time on my phone. There were about 30 minutes left until my appointment with Chloe.
‘I guess I’ll have to wait somewhere.’
I set out to find a place to rest my body. As I was moving my legs busily, a bench in the shade of a tree caught my eye.
It was not far from the meeting place, and there were no people passing by, so it was quiet. Soon after, I leaned my back against the bench.
A cool breeze brushed my cheek for summer. The humidity was low, so my body felt less sticky and more comfortable.
“… Good.”
I lean my head back against the backrest and close my eyes. The fresh scent of the green leaves fills my nose.
Sleepiness began to creep in.
I was just going to let out a sigh, but then I came to my senses and chased away the sleep.
‘Because the appointment time is approaching soon.’
As I was yawning so loudly that my mouth was about to burst, someone stopped in front of me.
An old man with a cane. He pointed to the seat next to me with his cane.
“Can I sit down?”
I stared at the old man for a moment, then pushed my buttocks to make room. The old man smiled kindly, expressed his gratitude, and sat down.
There was a moment of silence. It was already quiet, but the awkward air made it even quieter.
Then, the old man who had been wiping sweat with a handkerchief for a long time spoke first.
“As I get older, the heat becomes harder for me.”
“… … .”
I glanced at the old man with blank eyes, then looked forward again and answered.
“What do you want to say?”
When asked like that, the old man tilted his head and asked back.
“What are you talking about?”
“You have come from far away.”
I added, keeping my gaze straight ahead.
An old man staring blankly at me.
“Lord Altaïr, the lord of Auditore.”
He raised the corners of his mouth.
“He is a young man with good sense.”
