Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

3 – 3. First Class (1)

Dirt poured into the trench. I covered my head with both hands.

The rough pile of dirt struck my palms vigorously. I wonder if a slightly bigger rock fell, my palms stung with pain.

My vision blurred. The noises from all around became muffled. My face twisted in agonizing pain resonating from my eardrums.

Someone grabbed my face tightly. My vision was unclear, so I couldn’t see properly. The person gripping my face shook my head back and forth, shouting something incoherent.

“Get it together! I want to die…! Not yet…!”

I blinked dumbfoundedly. Instead of the person’s face holding my head, I blankly stared at the empty air beyond their shoulder. As I looked at the distant mountains, my mind inexplicably calmed.

I don’t have any thoughts. I don’t feel anything. Just like this…

…Tatatang! Tang! Kwang!

“Ugh!”

My consciousness returned in a flash. The sharp sound of gunfire and explosions pierced through my ears. The acrid smell of rapidly dissipating magical circuits reached my nose.

“Father Antonelli! Can you hear me? Snap out of it! Hey!”

The face that had been shaking my head finally came into focus.

It’s Major Mayhem. The two striking eagle patterns shining amidst his skewed hairstyle are impressive.

Thank goodness. I’m still alive.

Cough! Cough! I coughed out dirt and dust that had entered my throat. The continuous bombardment left me disoriented.

“I-I can hear you. I’m… I’m okay, sir. What happened… what happened?”

“Artillery struck the battalion headquarters! Our position has been compromised! We need to evacuate!”

“What… What…”

“Hey, you! Take Father Antonelli and evacuate! Quickly! He shouldn’t be in a place like this!”

Someone put their hand under my armpit and urgently began pulling me somewhere. My weak arms swayed limply. I noticed blood trickling down from my shoulder. Did a fragment accidentally get lodged in?

“Artillery struck… the battalion headquarters…”

“Father, please don’t speak. Keep applying pressure!”

The soldier pulling me shouted. But they would need me. I have to heal them.

I stared blankly at Lieutenant Mayhem, who was getting farther away. The lieutenant had veins bulging in his neck as he shouted hoarsely.

“Damn it! The crystal core is malfunctioning! Observers! Where’s the enemy artillery?!”

“Detecting magical energy waves! Enemy artillery positions heating up! High-explosive shells are currently being loaded!”

“When the hell is our artillery support coming?! Communication officer!”

“Sir, the communication officer has fallen!”

“Damn it! There must be at least one communication soldier left! Deploy the communication magic array immediately! Right now!”

Kurrrung—!

“Enemy artillery observed from the front line! Impact in 20 seconds!”

The observer screamed, tossing his binoculars aside. Lieutenant Mayhem, who fought more bravely than anyone, shouted.

“Damn it, if you want to live, everyone get down!”

“Impact in 10 seconds!”

The observer leaped into the trench, screaming as the shells tore through the air.

As everyone lay flat on the ground, I saw her.

The one outside the trench, trying to drag the wounded inside at any cost.

“No, this can’t be!”

“Everyone, get down! If you value your lives, get down!”

The soldier pulling me down was ruthless. I had to help her, but I couldn’t. I screamed until my voice broke.

“Helena! Just leave her and come inside! Damn it! Get in here and get down! Helena—!”

“Impact in 5 seconds! 4… 3…!”

Lieutenant Mayhem, also a 5th Circle magician, desperately erected a magic shield with all his might. However, perhaps due to using too much magic, it was a pathetically thin and feeble defense.

The enemy artillery was imminent.

“Enemy shell dropping—!”

High-explosive shell! Damn it! It’s going to explode! We’re all going to die!

And the artillery hit, right in the middle of the trench, in front of me, on the collapsed pile of trench walls.

In other words, on top of her.

“Helena! No—!”

“Cough…!”

I gasped for breath. Intense pain radiated from my left chest. My face contorted involuntarily.

My heart pounded fiercely, as if I had run a marathon without rest. The thudding of my heart echoed through the dark room. My trembling lips uttered dry words.

“Ah, damn it…”

I hurriedly searched for water. My hand touched the cup of water placed on the table next to the bed. It slipped a few times before I could finally grasp the cup. Holding the cup, I tilted it and emptied it in an instant.

“Whew….”

The empty cup slipped from my hand and rolled haphazardly on the floor. It stopped when it hit the wall.

I wiped my face with both hands. Cold sweat oozed out. Leaning my body back, I grabbed the pillow soaked with sweat.

I had no strength to show annoyance. My body slumped against the wall. I barely lifted my head and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

6:47 AM. The hour and minute hands approached me sharper than anything else. My mind was screaming in extreme fatigue. Waking up like this every hour, I couldn’t get a proper night’s sleep.

“… I have to go to work.”

The Academy’s working hours were from 8:00 AM. I had to finish preparing for the lecture by 9:00 AM. It was already time to get up anyway.

After taking a deep breath, I slowly got out of bed. The trembling had subsided. As if to say, my now quiet heart was frustratingly annoying.

I threw the damp sheets into the laundry basket and started filling the bathtub with water. Because my whole body felt sticky, it seemed problematic if I didn’t take a bath. With that uneasy feeling, I sighed with annoyance.

“… It’s infuriating. Seriously.”

Another dirty morning. Just like any other day.

* * * * *

Cloé felt good from the morning. She hummed continuously.

Today was finally the day for her first class at the Kaldea Imperial Academy.

“I’m going to attend class at the Kaldea Academy…. I’m so excited….”

With sparkling eyes, Cloé walked alongside Ellyn, whose sagging dark circles were impressionable, staggering.

“I couldn’t sleep because of you…. Aren’t you tired?”

“Hehe…. I’m so excited that I can’t sleep!”

“What’s there to be excited about? We, commoners, can only play supportive roles.”

“What are you talking about? Everyone is equal at the Academy!”

“Really naive. Did you think the nobles just decided to attend school? Those nobles are all elites who have received tutoring, training, and support from their families since childhood. It’s completely different from us who passed the exam by luck. We just have to lay the groundwork diligently. That’s what it means.”

“Oh, no, not me? I have confidence in my talent for magic.”

“Sure. Work hard then.”

As Cloé’s lips began to protrude, Ellyn ended the conversation with impeccable timing. Seeing Cloé’s slightly uneasy expression, Ellyn couldn’t help but smile.

The two chatted and stepped into the main building of the academy. Faint coffee fragrance wafted from the entrance.

“Was the first class Theology? We were in Class A, right?”

“Hehe. Yeah. It was worth studying hard.”

They were Cloe and Elin, who had studied diligently until their eyes were bloodshot. Even if their exam results were decent, both of them entering Class A was truly a remarkable feat.

Cloe took out the pamphlet she received yesterday. Among the densely written explanations for today’s first class, a certain name caught her eye.

– Professor Lucio Antonelli, in charge of Class A, first-year theology.

“Professor Antonelli… So, he’s the one teaching. I wonder what kind of teaching style he has?”

“He seemed a bit unwell.”

“Elin! That’s not a good habit to talk about a professor!”

Cloe, unable to contain her excitement, and Elin, with an indifferent expression, slowly moved towards their destination.

How long did they walk? Their footsteps stopped in front of the lecture hall. Elin glanced at her wristwatch. The hour and minute hands pointed to 9:20.

The lecture was scheduled to start at 9:30. Despite arriving a bit early, their thoughts changed once they opened the classroom door.

Cloe wasn’t the only one with expectations for the first class. Looking at the students who had already filled more than half of the lecture hall, Elin couldn’t help but admire.

“They’re diligent… all of them.”

Cloe and Elin entered the classroom slowly. Students were either taking out notebooks and stationery or making small talk with those they hadn’t met before.

“Saw him once yesterday, but the classroom is surprisingly neat.”

“Must be hard to clean….”

After finding seats in the middle, the podium in front of the classroom came into view. Cloe felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought of finding a good seat.

It was a podium slightly smaller than the one in the auditorium. A desk reaching up to the chest was centered, and a large blackboard occupied the space behind it, leaving an impressive impression.

Cloe’s eyes rolled around. Soon, her pupils dilated as she spotted the person she was looking for.

“Elin! Look there! In the front row!”

“…That’s Miss Adelheid. How does she manage to sit so straight even when just sitting?”

“I want to become friends… But, it might be difficult…”

Like looking at a former lover, regret oozed from Cloe’s eyes. Elin looked at her with a tired expression.

“What… If it’s bothering you that much, it must be serious. Seriously serious.”

“Elin, don’t you want to become friends too? We should definitely talk to her later.”

“Do your best. Sure.”

Elin looked at her wristwatch while lying face down on the desk.

The current time indicated 9:29 AM. The second hand was moving rapidly. 57 seconds, 58 seconds, 59 seconds…

Drrrring! Thud!

At the somewhat rough sound of the door opening, the bustling classroom instantly fell silent. The front door of the classroom opened, and a man stepped into the classroom.

Tock. Tock.

He was a well-dressed man in a black cassock. The cassock extending to his ankles resembled a coat.

Roughly arranged black hair. Pallid complexion. Thick, dark circles under the eyes and glasses perched on the bridge of the nose. The eyes behind those glasses lacked vitality.

The man who reached the center of the platform placed several books on the lectern. His gaze, which had momentarily lingered on the books, began to scan the students filling the classroom.

“…Greetings, everyone. Nice to meet you for the first time.”

As the man’s eyes slowly scanned the classroom, they eventually reached the front row.

And at that moment, for some reason unknown to him, Adelheid’s young figure, whose eyes met his, trembled in Cloe’s vision.

“I am Professor Lucio Antonelli, who will be teaching theology for the first-year class A. I am also the head priest at the academy. Please, take care of me.”

Professor Antonelli flashed a weak smile. With applause erupting from somewhere, the classroom was soon filled with thunderous claps.

Clap, clap, clap!

As Professor Antonelli, receiving the applause, shuddered once, his brow slightly furrowed. It was an expression as if he were barely containing rising irritation.

After a brief pause, Professor Antonelli, who had been hesitating, opened his mouth with a hint of irritability.

“…From now on, I will prohibit the act of applauding during my class. Understand?”

At that cold statement, the applause abruptly ceased.

“Students. Do you understand?”

His lifeless gaze returned to the first student who had started clapping.

“…Yes, yes?”

“…Is my statement difficult to understand?”

“Oh, no. Yes… I get it, I understand.”

“Good.”

In response to Professor Antonelli’s attitude, which deviated significantly from expectations, a cold silence filled the classroom.

“…Thump.”

Cloe’s sigh quietly echoed.