Love Letter From The Future

The next morning, I visited the temple once more.

Coincidentally, the one in charge again was the Lady Virgin Saint. Recently, I had been encountering her quite often. Before I lost my memory, we were merely acquaintances who knew each other’s names.

Of course, the reason for that was entirely my fault.

The duty of a cleric is to heal the wounded. And for at least the past month, there was no one who had visited the temple as frequently as I had. It was inevitable that I would run into the Lady Virgin Saint regularly.

Frequent meetings often lead to fondness. It was a basic principle of socializing I had read in my childhood. However, for some reason, the Lady Virgin Saint’s gaze on me as she stared blankly was chilling.

Her light pink eyes alternated between looking at my face and my hands, which were dry with blood and pus. As soon as I read the emotions glimmering in her eyes, I instinctively lowered my head.

As my bent neck cringed, excuses flowed out naturally.

“I’m sorry, Lady Virgin Saint. But this is all part of the plan overseen by Arus, isn’t it…?”

“Don’t speak irreverently about the Lord.”

“Yes.”

However, my nonsensical ramblings were quickly subdued by the Lady Virgin Saint’s cold voice. I promptly straightened up and glanced sideways to gauge her reaction.

She shook her head as if to say it was hopeless and let out a deep sigh.

Her ample bosom swelled and then sank again. She always had a presence that was hard to ignore. I stared at the sight momentarily in awe before snapping back to reality and averting my gaze.

No, no. I might receive divine punishment this way. Only the daughter whom the Heavenly Deity Arus cherishes could ascend to the position of a Lady Virgin Saint.

She was such a noble and pure being. Even the mere thought of lusting after her was unfathomable. She was a flower I could never touch, and had I not enrolled in the academy, she might have lived her life without ever knowing of my existence. The gulf between us was that vast.

Compared to that, how happy my situation was now.

That beautiful Lady Virgin Saint was personally worried about my body. With her shimmering silver hair and mesmerizing light pink eyes, along with her clear and transparent skin and delicate features.

She was proof that even the Heavenly Deity Arus played favorites. Like a piece of sacred art, her appearance was a perfect harmony.

Moreover, her feminine curves drew the attention of many men.

If the Lady Virgin Saint’s beauty proved the existence of the Heavenly Deity Arus, her body evoked thoughts of the Evil God Omelos.

The curve from her neck down to her thighs possessed both smoothness and elasticity. Of course, that curvature was also quite significant. I couldn’t comprehend why a Lady Virgin Saint, who should be pure, was born with such a provocative body.

Jokingly, it was said that the repentant prayers of male students in the theology department increased around the time of her enrollment.

The fact that such a woman was cautiously inspecting my hand with a worried expression was an overwhelming honor. To exaggerate a bit, just today’s encounter made it worth enrolling in the academy.

In many rural villages, there were countless people who believed that merely touching the Lady Virgin’s hand could cure all kinds of ailments. Yet, very few could touch her noble body.

It was only possible because of the academy. I thought to myself as I tried to calm my fearful heart.

It was strange. I couldn’t tell why, but sometimes, I felt fear when I looked at the Lady Virgin Saint.

Even though she was famously benevolent. She was known to be pure and kind to all, regardless of status.

There was no element that should make me feel fear. Still, each time I stood before her, I felt like a mouse in front of a cat.

I could understand why I obediently extended my hand to her now. The Lady Virgin Saint carefully began to unwrap the bandage around my hand, widening her eyes in shock.

It was because the state of my injuries was worse than she expected. It was not just a puncture wound; there were also burns combined into the injury. The pain that stemmed from it was nothing short of terrifying.

“Ian brother, did you really come to the temple just now with this level of injury…?”

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head at her words. Then, with a hint of pride in my voice, I said.

“Yes, I thought it wasn’t good to wake clergy at night for personal matters… Ah, that hurts!”

However, contrary to my expectations, the Lady Virgin Saint’s reaction was not good. Her palm sharply slapped my forearm. The force was unexpectedly strong, and as the shock reached my wound, a scream involuntarily escaped from my lips.

I looked at the Lady Virgin Saint with eyes of grievance, but she merely sighed deeply. She looked at me with an upset expression.

“Puncture wounds and burns. The injury area was cauterized with heat, so the bleeding was thankfully less. Still, it must have been immensely painful…”

“No, well. It was more bearable than I expected?”

Her light pink eyes glared at me sharply. I immediately shut my mouth. As a patient, adding more words to a cleric’s diagnoses would only hinder the treatment.

It was certainly not because I was afraid of her. When I quieted down, the Lady Virgin Saint began to reprimand me earnestly.

“Ian brother, didn’t you recently say you’d cherish your life?”

“Y-yes, I did. But you know, living brings various circumstances…”

“Is it already the second day since you declared your precious life, and you’re back in the temple with injuries like this? And this injury… It’s not something one gets from a mere accident. Did you get into a fight with someone again?”

With the Lady Virgin Saint’s pointed remarks, I had no choice but to be flustered.

I wasn’t particularly skilled in oratory to begin with, and I also felt sorry for returning just two days after I boasted about being careful.

Even while scolding me, the Lady Virgin Saint diligently attended to my wounds. True to her title of ‘Saint,’ her divine power was extraordinary both in quantity and quality.

Slowly, new flesh began to sprout from my gnarly wounds. It was always a marvelous sight. Although mages could learn magic that accelerated healing, it merely sped up natural healing processes.

Only priests with divine powers could heal serious burns or regenerate severed body parts. That’s why it’s called ‘the power of God.’

While the Lady Virgin Saint’s scolding continued for quite a while, my hand became so clean that the traces of my injury were hardly noticeable. The only thing left was a lingering slight pain.

“…So, please value your body from now on. Your life, Ian brother, does not belong only to you. It belongs to everyone who relies on you and whom you rely on.”

As usual, I nodded along to the Lady Virgin Saint’s ongoing sermon, letting it roll off one ear and out the other. Sometimes, if I felt I was too silent, one word from me would suffice.

“Emmanuel.”

“Indeed, Ian brother, you are well aware of the crucial part of this story. That’s right. When the Heavenly Deity Arus created humans in the beginning, he promised infinite life and glory…”

Then, as the Lady Virgin Saint continued speaking enthusiastically, it became an easy task to endure the boredom. She even looked cute when she was so excited.

This was a temple, and there were always patients. No matter how much the Lady Virgin Saint was, she couldn’t only spend time on me. In other words, it meant that even her lengthy sermon would eventually come to an end.

After quite a lengthy sermon, the Lady Virgin Saint suddenly seemed to snap back to reality and checked the time. She looked startled and shuddered slightly. Her eyes went wide.

“The t-time is already…?”

“U-uh, Lady Virgin Saint. While I enjoy spending time with you very much, I’m worried if other patients are waiting…”

At my words, the Lady Virgin Saint’s complexion turned pale. For once, she stumbled over her words.

“Y-yes… Then I will see you next time, Ian brother. Emmanuel.”

At last, liberation. I felt a sense of relief, preparing to rise and leave the temple without hesitation.

If it weren’t for the Lady Virgin Saint’s last question that held back my steps.

“…But brother.”

My steps towards the exit came to an abrupt halt. When I glanced back with a question in my eyes, the Lady Virgin Saint was staring at me calmly.

As if her previous flustered demeanor had been a lie, she asked in a subdued voice.

“What happened last night?”

I paused for a moment. Last night.

Blood and water, pain that felt like it was burning my brain, and yet the ecstasy I felt in the end.

I recalled the crimson eyes that had stared at me blankly and the silver streak that pierced directly down.

As I stood there in a daze, the Lady Virgin Saint put on a wry smile as if she had expected this.

“…Indeed, it’s a secret.”

“They say having many secrets makes one popular these days.”

With a bit of “mystique” or whatever you want to call it, I left the temple with that trivial joke.

As dawn had passed, the sun was now shining warmly in the sky. It was morning. Crowds of people were bustling about, signaling the start of the academy’s day.

And as students passed in front of the temple, they seemed startled upon seeing me. The footsteps of those passing by abruptly came to a halt, and their gazes seemed glued to me.

But it was only for a moment. They resumed their paths, and the academy returned to its usual routine.

Except for one thing: the whispers among them.

“That’s him, that’s the ‘Lord Handaxe’… last night he…”

“Could it be that he attacked Senior Delphine… Ah!”

As my golden eyes scanned those whispering, the noisy surroundings fell silent. I could only let out a deep sigh.

Indeed, the speed at which rumors spread in the academy was rather strange.

*

Delphine Yuridina recalled the memories of that night.

It was a strike of fate. There was no way to evade it. At least, that was what she thought. Naturally, she was filled with confidence that she would win again. Yet, blood suddenly splattered on her.

It was the hand of a man. Her dagger was halted by that hand. However, the blade in the man’s other hand was different.

It was the memory of the day when the handaxe came crashing down.

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