Sharltia, with a gentle smile, placed her hand on the teacup and spoke in a low voice.
"There was a fire at the academy."
"You mean the fire in the manufacturing lab? I know it's famous. Maybe... They said they couldn't catch the culprit."
"..."
Shalltear smiled bitterly and held back her words. She had to be careful with her words in front of the Information Guild leader, who traded information. Shalltear wanted to avoid a single slip of the tongue and have rumors spread across the empire.
The guild leader let out a hearty laugh and expressed his regret at Sharltia's reaction, who was keeping her mouth shut.
"You're not coming over. I thought you might have brought some good information."
Sharltia said with a smile.
"Don't be too upset. I'm still giving you some valuable information. Since the guild master is the only one who hears the story of the man who saved the princess's life, it's not bad information, is it?"
"Puhaha...! That's true too. The princess's story is just over 1000 gold."
"Please keep this a secret."
"I'll think about it."
At the mischievous guild leader's prank, Shalltear smiled slightly and continued her story.
"The fire at the academy caused a stir in the capital..."
"Yes. I remember there were a lot of complaints about the academy going under and wasting taxpayer money due to student mistakes."
"Yeah... It was really hard back then, I don't know how I endured it."
"Haha...! If it were me, I would have embezzled the money and run away."
"I should have run away then too."
Shalltear smiled gently.
“That day, as always, I was cooped up in my office. I always had a lot of work to do….”
"I could hear students running around the hallways, and there were also students sneaking out during class to play."
“And not long after….”
Shalltear, who had been smiling gently, clenched her fist and unleashed it in the air with a "pop" sound effect.
"bang."
He started talking about what happened that day.
*
That day was also an ordinary day.
I was spending my time dealing with the piles of paperwork in my office and sighing at the new students' childish complaints.
-The academy seems too drab. I think it would be nice to install a rose garden in the center. Please help.
"What the hell. There are more than three gardens in the Academy, and you haven't even visited them yet, so what are you talking about?"
My history professor gives me too much homework. I wish he'd replace me with a younger, more handsome professor.
"Ha... I wish I could do that too."
Shalltear's physical condition wasn't very good that day, as she was spending time surrounded by useless documents.
Because I was tormented by Princess Desmund for a while.
-What's wrong? He's a chocolate thief!
-...I have to run away!
-Eeeeek!!!! If you have any hidden chocolate, show it to me!
-If only it weren't for that kid...!
I was already exhausted from overworking myself, and now I was getting sick from the constant barbarism of Princess Desmund, who came into the office every other day.
"That son of a bitch... Go ahead and ruin yourself."
Even while sick, one of Shalltear's pleasures was to find the name of a student named 'Ricardo' and deduct points from his attitude score.
If you received a bomb, it was polite to return it.
"I couldn't take a break to get my credits up. Hehehe..."
Shalltear, who had deducted Ricardo's attitude score again today, was nodding off at her desk in the office.
Because I wasn't feeling well that day.
I wonder if there was something wrong with the black tea I drank.
Or maybe it was because I skipped the night and was so absorbed in my work that I felt like my body was in trouble.
"Sigh... why does my head hurt so much?"
I couldn't concentrate on my work because of the fever that wouldn't go away even after taking antipyretics. The letters and the paper seemed to be playing off each other.
“I have a ton of work to do… My head hurts so much it feels like it’s going to split open.”
My head just wouldn't turn.
Students were moving around to change classrooms for class, and the sound of late students running around could be heard.
"..."
If I just did a little more, I could probably finish today's work, but my head hurts and I don't have the energy to work anymore. Shalltear stretched and let out a languid sigh.
"Should I sleep a little?"
Anyway, no one will come into the office.
Unless it was official business, few people entered the student council president's office for personal reasons. Some came to scold, but no one came to flatter.
At that time, my personality was so twisted that no one came to see me.
-I heard a rumor that they are compiling a list of student council members.
-...Who did you hear that from?
-It's a secret. Anyway, please include our young lady in the student council.
-...ah?
Except for that guy.
Just thinking about the man who entered my office without permission gave me a headache I never had before. He'd always give me chocolate and make weird noises.
-Today is a good day for snorkeling.
-It looks like it's going to rain. And go to class. You won't graduate at this rate.
-Hmm... It looks like it's going to rain suddenly. Would you like to go with me to fix the waterway?
-Are you crazy?
-...Huh.
"...Oh my."
Knowing that no one would come to her room except for that man who came every time, Shalltear closed her eyes softly and tried to sleep.
vestige.
Yeah, I think I dozed off a little bit.
I had a nightmare.
I'm talking about the nightmare where my second brother played a prank with the sewage right in front of his nose.
-You can wash away dirty blood with water.
-Ha...don't do that.
"Are you scared? If you wash with this water, you too can become royalty just like us. If you wash away the blood of commoners with this pure water, you too can be treated just like me."
-I... don't like it.
-Hey, get out.
-Ha...don't do that.
-What are you doing that's not fun? I told you that if you miss it once, you'll tell your mom to be nice to you.
-...Ugh...Ugh...Don't do that. It's scary... I was wrong.
-Why are you crying? Are you scared because it's too deep?
That day, he was having nightmares about his second older brother, whom he couldn't win against even though their age difference wasn't that big.
-Mommy...
I couldn't even flinch, not in my dreams or in reality. Having nothing, I could only stare at the filth reflecting my weeping face.
Cold.
-I'm scared...
I'm scared.
-I was wrong...
I am talking about my weak self who feels like he is about to fall into a bottomless pit and die.
Even though I knew this wouldn't happen anymore, I still felt like my body was shaking with fear when I had these dreams.
Around that time, in my dream, my brother's hand moved roughly.
"..."
'The car...? Is it hot?!'
I felt like I was out of breath.
I opened my eyes slightly.
It was the same office, but my body felt strangely heavy. It was as if someone was weighing me down, and I couldn't open my eyes easily.
I clearly slept, but I felt something strange about my physical condition, which had gotten worse rather than better.
-Whoooo...!
A hot breeze brushed against my face as if trying to bring me to my senses.
"...!!!"
Shalltear, who had barely come to her senses, opened her eyes in surprise and looked beyond the door.
"What is this...?"
-Fire!!!!
-Fire!!!
The office was strangely undisturbed. Unlike the commotion outside, it was as if I'd just taken a nap.
but.
"...Uh...Uh?"
From the moment I saw black smoke coming through the crack in the door, I began to feel terrified.
The room is completely black.
The rising smoke filled the room and stung my eyes so much that I couldn't open them.
As my thoughts began to clear, I began to cough violently.
"Cough... cough...!"
Sharltia tried to open the door in a hurry.
"Oh, it's hot...!!!"
I failed to turn the doorknob, which was already hot.
"...Uh...uh uh..."
Panic set in.
I could have easily gotten out using magic, no, I could have jumped out the window, but I couldn't make the right decision in this new situation.
"Cough... cough..."
I can't breathe.
I couldn't move because I inhaled so much smoke.
"Ah... ahhhh..."
Shalltear, whose body felt so heavy that it wouldn't be strange if she fainted at any moment, let out a long sigh and pulled herself towards the window.
perhaps….
"no."
Because I wondered if there were any students left who couldn't escape.
If no one escaped outside because of her nap, Shalltear, who was not confident that she would take responsibility, looked out the window.
"thank god."
-Fire!!!
-Where are the other students!?
-All of our undergraduate students came. I think all the other students came too...!
Only after seeing the students outside the window did I breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed like everyone had come out.
It's too late to do anything.
The office windows were made of tempered glass, unbreakable by even the most powerful magic. I didn't think of breaking them like a fool. Perhaps my body had reached its limits the moment I woke up.
"...Cough."
Because it felt like God gave me one last chance.
When I intuitively felt that death was just around the corner, many thoughts came to mind.
I also thought about playing around a bit more. I also felt regretful that I should have shouted at the royal family who had been ignoring me.
Terrible memories.
Happiness I don't want to forget.
As I watched my thoughts flash by like a revolving lantern, I realized that I had lived a truly fleeting life.
In the meantime, I felt like such a fool for thinking of that man.
-Are you working again?
-Don't do class. If you do that, the attitude score I lowered will be meaningless.
-Oh...! The mastermind was here. Anyway... If you keep working like that, you might die.
-don't mind.
-I'm saying this because I'm worried, but aren't you being too cold?
-...ha.
-No, that won't work. Let's skip work today and go out and play...
-go away.
-Hmph...
Strangely enough.
so.
"I don't want to die."
I didn't want to die.
No matter how shitty life can be, there are so many things I want to do, so I thought dying would be too much. I've never even dated.
I gathered my magic power to break the window.
"I'm going to live..."
-bang!!
"I can't die yet...!"
-Bang...! BANG!!!
"Not yet...!"
-bang...!
"Cough! Cough...! I can't die yet.... Please...! Pleaseaaaa!!!"
When tears start to fall on the window that doesn't crack.
-Choooo.
"it's crazy!!!!"
Outside the window, I could see students chattering and someone entering the building.
The students were trying to stop him.
Because of my blurred vision, I couldn't see the student pouring water on his head, but I secretly felt envious. The person the man was going to rescue must be someone precious.
I wonder if I was precious to someone. If so, someone would have poured water on me and come to my rescue.
I don't think so.
Because I haven't lived that kind of life.
Regrets will inevitably remain, no matter what you do. Even if you make choices in life without regrets, regrets will remain in the future.
"...I don't want to die."
Tears well up in my eyes.
I hadn't shed a single tear since coming to the academy, but today I felt like I was going to burst into tears.
If only I hadn't taken that nap back then. If only I had always lived responsibly, instead of being lazy, I could have achieved better results.
Tears well up in my eyes as I continue to think about the regret. Having endured such unbearable injustice, I find myself shedding tears like a child.
"...I want to live..."
Is it ending?
As my heavy eyelids begin to close.
-bang!!!
"Are you there?!"
A man covered in water came in through the door with a bright smile.
"...uh?"
It was Ricardo.
The uninvited guest who barged into his office every day was standing right in front of him.
Ricardo checked the complexion of Shalltear, who was looking at him with a trembling expression, and then pointed to his own hair.
"Oh, I have red hair. I'll be fire resistant."
"..."
Ricardo was smiling.
With burn marks all over his body.
"Maybe."