Love Letter From The Future

That day, Ceria was not feeling well.

It was because Senior Ian did not show up for the morning training. The reason was unknown. Still, considering it was Senior Ian, she thought there must be some unavoidable circumstances.

She understood, but despite that, Ceria’s mood was inevitably disheartened.

It was a time she had been waiting for. It was one of the few moments that illuminated Ceria’s day, which had been plagued by mockery and torment.

Before she knew it, Ceria’s day had become centered around Ian rather than the sun. The morning training with Ian marked the start of her day, and similarly, the evening training with Ian marked its end.

The other times felt meaningless. They were merely mundane routines, as always.

It was the first time in her life that she eagerly anticipated spending time with someone and went to bed with such fluttering feelings.

Though it was a faint emotion, Ceria had lived a life drier than anyone else’s. She was gradually awakening to her emotions like a colorblind person beginning to perceive colors.

Thus, Ceria’s heart felt gloomy today. It was unpleasant, and moreover, it became anxious.

Just like when one eats food seasoned with salt and spices and is startled by the dry texture and peculiar smell of unseasoned meat.

Ceria felt the same way. If she had been unaware, it might not have been so troubling.

However, Ceria’s mouth had already tasted delicacies. She was gradually getting accustomed to the time spent with Ian. She wanted to be even more accustomed to it. That was the way she felt.

The fact that Ian was absent on such a day made Ceria suffer beyond imagination. A sense of impatience, with no known source, tightened her chest.

Ceria recalled the events of the previous day.

Ian, who had been quietly listening to Ceria’s inner thoughts, abruptly stood up and left.

He had looked very angry. Ceria was somewhat surprised.

First of all, she was astonished that she had opened up about her mother. Until now, it had been considered a taboo in the Yuridina Clan, and so Ceria had intentionally avoided speaking about that day’s events to others. It was a vulnerable part of her.

But on that day, when she showed her pitiful side to Senior Ian, Ceria accidentally revealed the memories she had kept hidden. It was inexplicable.

More surprising than that was Ian’s reaction after hearing the story.

Ceria had expected him to sympathize with her or look down on her. However, Ian’s reaction was neither of those.

He chose anger. When Ceria said, “It’s okay,” he replied, “It’s not okay.”

Not for Ceria, but for himself.

That statement left her quite stunned. It was bewildering that someone would be angrier than she was when her vulnerabilities, buried deep in her heart, had been exposed.

It was a tightness in her chest.

And more than that, she began to worry about Ian.

There were many who disliked and tormented her. Their numbers were significant, and sometimes their clan’s power or their own skills were superior.

Ceria had empty worries, wondering if Ian might resort to violence out of anger towards them.

It was a ridiculous thought, even to her.

After all, she was merely a somewhat close junior to him. Ceria knew this as well. She understood that she was Ian’s only significant presence, but it didn’t mean the same for him.

That realization was painful and felt unfair, but it was unavoidable. After all, Ian was a being that shone brightly to anyone who looked.

He was someone who could even embrace people as clumsy in relationships as Ceria. The way he thought of her and the way she thought of him could never be equal.

Yet, she still hoped. She wished that Ian would not be hurt because of her.

Ceria had already received too many wounds, and though she could handle a few more, Ian could not. Somehow, she had come to cherish Ian deeply.

And Ceria’s mood worsened when she heard mocking voices still targeting her today.

“Hey, there comes the girl without a mother.”

“Oh, the half-orphan?”

During sword training, the usual snickering sounds were heard.

Half-orphan? Did they think being an orphan was some kind of mixed race?

Normally, she would have pretended not to hear, but Ceria’s anxiety and unease about not having seen Senior Ian made it a difficult situation.

In such times, mockery and insults leave deeper scars. She believed she should endure, but Ceria’s eyes turned cold.

Her deep blue eyes directed toward the source of the mocking. There stood three girls clad in brown cloaks.

As Ceria’s chilling gaze met them, they stopped their giggling. Instead, they responded with sneering smiles, meeting Ceria’s gaze with challenging eyes.

So, what will you do about it?

She tightened her grip on the hilt of her training sword. If she wanted to, taking them down would be easy.

She was the top of her class. Even among the upper-grade students, there were none who surpassed her skills. Even those three, who looked unfamiliar to her, seemed to be mere mediocre students.

Though they could be considered skilled outside the Academy, they were nothing compared to Ceria.

Her magic surged with the ebb and flow of her emotions. A clean blue aura gathered around her sword.

She truly wanted to swing her sword. But both she and the group mocking her knew one thing.

Ceria could not wield her sword.

In the end, she bit her lip and extinguished the aura surrounding her sword. The aura dissipated like a flame blown out by the wind.

This was evidence not only of the amount of magic she possessed but also of her ability to control it. If that blade danced, the group mockingly tormenting her would be slaughtered in mere seconds.

But that couldn’t happen. A clearer justification was needed. Ceria desperately wished for those who would cross the line someday.

She was not someone who loved violence, yet the excessive mockery and torment over the past few days had left her spirit in ruins.

She had only been enduring by focusing on Ian. But today, Senior Ian was absent. It was only natural that Ceria’s patience reached its limit.

Upon seeing Ceria extinguish her aura, the three girls burst into mocking laughter again.

Someone who couldn’t even compete in skill had to keep her mouth shut in response to their blatant ridicule.

It was a situation too joyful and delightful for them, at least.

That base pleasure of trampling over an existence they couldn’t even look up to sent shivers down their spines. What a wonderful society this was.

No matter how strong an existence might be, they could not overpower the strength of the collective and its rules. Their sinister desires further fueled their mockery.

“I guess you weren’t raised properly; did you see that look? Ugh, disgusting.”

“Not that she wasn’t raised properly, but she probably only got half of it. She probably didn’t get her mother’s share, right? Still, it’s impressive she could hold back until now.”

Again, the giggling sounds arose.

Every single word dug into Ceria’s painful memories. Memories of her mother, who was precious to her and yet a nightmare at the same time.

It was being trampled upon casually by strangers who had no idea. And though they didn’t directly ridicule her, their eyes gleamed with pleasure and enjoyment.

The baseless malice felt almost unbearable today.

Ceria’s body trembled. She desperately wanted to shake off that miserable feeling. She needed to concentrate on her sword, but perhaps due to her insufficient training, her feelings just wouldn’t cooperate.

“She might cry at this rate!”

“Let her cry, it looks like that brat has some tears. But I guess she can’t stand the stories about her mother, right?”

“For a while, she received less abuse thanks to Senior Ian, but what is she going to do now that he isn’t here?”

Eventually, Ceria’s cold gaze turned back to them. She thought.

Even if it wasn’t a sword, perhaps she should at least say a word.

Ignoring them would be the best course of action.

They were the kind of people who enjoyed the attention drawn from reactions. Ceria, mocked since childhood as a child born from a lowly family, knew very well the ugly side of humanity that anyone can possess.

However, reason could not always overpower emotion. Ceria felt at her lowest, and enduring it any longer was tiresome.

Yes, say a word.

She didn’t even know what to say. But her unstable mind demanded that she express her rage to the fullest extent. Though her words might not convey even a tenth of her feelings, she decided to follow that command.

Just as she resolved to take a step forward, at that moment.

“…Stop it.”

A heavy voice resonated through the training ground.

Ceria noticed that the bodies of the three women who had been mocking her flinched. Like children caught doing something bad.

That was how the atmosphere worked. No matter how bad a deed was, if no one pointed it out, it seemed as if nothing was wrong. But once someone began to point it out, everyone would finally realize.

That it was indeed wrong.

All eyes in the training ground turned toward the source of the voice. The first to react were the three girls mocking Ceria.

Their brows furrowed, and a harsh tone spilled from their mouths.

“Who do you think you are, how dare you…”

At first, the voice was sharp, but it quickly lost its edge.

Everyone’s expression turned blank. Ceria, surprised by the sudden change in atmosphere, followed their gaze to find the source of the voice.

There stood a man.

Tean Eitrie, a strong man hailing from the Southern Kingdoms.

He was skilled, ranking among the top tier in third year. Though he couldn’t quite compare to Ceria, most of the students in the training ground could not overcome him.

Hence, everyone could only gawk in shock.

His face was a mess. Swollen, bruised, and just looking at the remnants one could guess the extent of the brutal violence inflicted upon him.

With a face even his own brother could barely recognize, Tean sighed and scratched his head.

“Because of you guys, I got beaten up alone… you bastards…”

As always, he muttered profanities.

A chill ran down the spines of the three women who had mocked Ceria.

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