Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

58 – 58. Yearly Combat (7)

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was the weekend.

I left the staff dormitory early in the morning. Some students who spotted me bowed their heads and greeted me.

“Professor Antonelli, good morning.”

“Good morning.”

I nodded briefly in response to the students’ greetings. The students, who had paused for a moment to greet me, resumed walking.

I watched their retreating figures intently. Lately, I’ve been noticing that on weekend mornings, there were significantly more students wandering around the academy.

Of course, the reason was that the yearly combat was just a few days away. The students woke up early in the morning and secured their spots before the training grounds opened.

I recalled what Professor Esther had told me about the yearly combat.

The yearly combat. It wasn’t included in the comprehensive performance of the academy, but it wasn’t an event that could be ignored either. It was because various benefits, including scholarships and honors students, were scattered throughout.

I heard that some departments, including the Theology Department, were exempted from combat training and were designated as non-combat subjects.

Of course, I wasn’t particularly interested in that. I just had work to do.

“…I wonder if I’ll have to use Sacred Power.”

If the combat opened, it was obvious that I would be in charge of nursing the students who finished the combat. In that case, using Sacred Power was essential. I looked intently at my right shoulder.

– Mr. Antonelli, your condition has improved quite a bit.

Last month, I heard some pleasant news during my appointment with Dr. Moritz. I didn’t show it outwardly, but at that moment, I was feeling a considerable sense of joy and excitement.

I stopped gazing at my right shoulder and continued walking. The stone pavement of the academy courtyard, which had been chilling all night, was gradually warming up again thanks to the rising sunlight.

Today was the day of my appointment with Dr. Moritz. Hopefully, good news would reach my ears just like the last time.

Suddenly, I glanced at my wristwatch. The clock hands indicated that it was eight o’clock in the morning.

Usually, I would have gone for my appointment in the late afternoon, but today, I had scheduled it for the morning.

Previously, I was considerate of the patients waiting behind me, but today was different.

The appointment seemed like it would end early, and I wanted to change myself as well. I was fed up with putting on a facade and shedding tears easily in front of others.

The reason I had left the dormitory right after breakfast was precisely for that. I had set my own time limit.

“Let’s return before lunchtime.”

I didn’t want to inconvenience Dr. Moritz and the other patients who had to see him. Before I knew it, I had reached the entrance of the academy and took a step outside.

* * * * *

“Hmm…”

Dr. Moritz adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. With every movement of his slender fingers, the muscles on his shoulders twitched and trembled.

Observing his actions closely, Dr. Moritz soon returned to his seat.

“Mr. Antonelli.”

Father Antonelli, with his sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, looked at Dr. Moritz with a stern face.

“Yes.”

“Could you rotate your arm once? Slowly, very slowly.”

Father Antonelli followed Dr. Moritz’s instructions. He slowly rotated his shoulder and stopped at a certain point. Dr. Moritz cast a quick glance at Father Antonelli’s face.

“Indeed…”

It was just for a brief moment, but during that short time, Dr. Moritz’s face became noticeably wrinkled. It was undoubtedly the expression of someone enduring pain.

“That’s enough. You can stop now.”

After gently patting his shoulder for a while, Father Antonelli lowered his sleeves. The rolled-up shirt sleeves slowly fell back down along his arm.

Observing this scene intently, Dr. Moritz spoke.

“Mr. Antonelli.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“It seems you have improved slightly compared to before.”

Father Antonelli’s expression brightened slightly, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Moritz was not tormenting hope. He is a doctor. And doctors should not lie to their patients about the results of their treatment. It was a kind of belief that Moritz held.

In fact, Moritz was also surprised. The wound that he thought would take a very long time to heal was showing slight signs of improvement.

“I will prescribe the medication as I did last time.”

Father Antonelli nodded. His expression looked as stoic as usual, but Moritz could tell that he was quite pleased.

“Yes, understood.”

“The dosage is the same as before. Take it when you feel pain.”

Leaving Father Antonelli, who nodded his head, Moritz immediately began writing the prescription.

His beautiful handwriting flowed continuously, and a neatly written prescription was completed in a short time, which ended in a stylish font and landed in Father Antonelli’s hands.

“You can get the medicine on the lower floor. Abusing it is strictly prohibited.”

“Understood.”

Looking at Moritz with a slightly nostalgic expression, he asked, “Father Antonelli, recently… are you okay?”

“What are you talking about…”

“Don’t you have trouble sleeping a lot?”

Father Antonelli’s expression, which had brightened up a bit, instantly turned cold. Although his expression seemed unchanged at a glance, Moritz saw a very subtle difference.

Father Antonelli’s eyes deepened. Even though he met those pitch-black and troubled pupils, Moritz remained somewhat composed.

It was because he had been seeing this patient for a long time. Moritz knew best about the wounds and pain that Father Antonelli carried.

“It may be a bit impolite of me to say this, but you seem quite tired, Father Antonelli.”

Aside from being pleased with the improvement of his shoulder, he looked very tired. There were long shadows under his eyes, and his face was paler than usual.

Father Antonelli did not answer. He just looked into Moritz’s eyes. The trembling focus of his gaze made Moritz feel a sense of unease.

After chewing his lips for a moment, mumbling to himself, and opening and closing his mouth several times, Father Antonelli finally said, “I’m… fine. For now.”

He responded with an appearance that did not look fine at all. Moritz, who was considering asking further, eventually nodded in response.

“Understood.”

Father Antonelli’s expression relaxed a little. Moritz had no idea why.

For a while, Father Antonelli silently endured Moritz’s gaze, then slowly stood up.

“Well then, I will go now.”

“Are you leaving so soon? There is still plenty of time…”

“It’s alright.”

No, it didn’t look alright at all. Moritz called him back to the chair again.

“Father Antonelli, please have a seat. I feel you should receive a bit more counseling before leaving.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, please sit. It won’t take long.”

Father Antonelli, who hesitated for a moment, soon took his seat again. Moritz took off his glasses, pressed his temples, and began to speak.

“Father Antonelli, do memories from the past still come to you in dreams?”

“…It seems that way.”

“Specifically, what memories come to you?”

“I… I can’t remember.”

Moritz looked into Father Antonelli’s eyes. They were a bit shaky, but there was no sign of deception.

“I’ll say it again; this trauma stems from the thought, ‘It’s my fault.’ Don’t attach too much meaning to trivial things.”

“…Understood.”

Father Antonelli nodded and stood up. Moritz, thinking that today’s session had come to an end, stood up to see him off. Father Antonelli’s eyes met Moritz’s.

And so, the two who had been silently looking at each other.

“We’ll meet again in a month. Thank you.”

“…Take care. See you next month.”

As Father Antonelli opened the door to leave the consultation room, they could finally break away from each other’s gaze.

Moritz, wearing a weary expression, suddenly wore a bitter look.

“…I wonder when that patient will find happiness.”

Because he always heard only gloomy and dark news, he genuinely felt sorry for him.

* * * * *

“Yay!”

Cloé shouted with enthusiasm. Following the magic wand in her hand, a magical rune slowly formed with magical power.

However, the speed was painfully slow. At this rate, it couldn’t be applied in grade-level sparring. After struggling with the rune for a moment, Cloé, watching the completed magic strike the training dummy, sat down on the floor with a disappointed expression.

“Hmm… I thought it would work for sure…”

“…What on earth changed your mind?”

Watching Cloé’s state from behind, Elin approached her reluctantly and asked. Cloé answered with sparkling eyes.

“But I really had some kind of revelation…”

So, what was it?

Elin sighed loudly, pressing her forehead. Tangled up in Cloé’s persistence, three hours had already passed since they entered the training ground.

During that time, Cloe had truly attempted a variety of magic. All the spells worked well, and the results were not bad at all. She was a student in Class A of the first year, even though she could be a bit of a troublemaker.

However, the problem was that there was no magic that felt particularly fitting. By now, Elin was starting to find it a bit burdensome to watch her.

Not wanting to waste a golden weekend in this way, Elin also began training in elemental magic, albeit reluctantly.

“Sigh… I wonder what revelation there was…”

Even that became difficult due to Cloe, who had been emanating an odd energy since a while ago.

However, it wasn’t in Elin’s nature to say unpleasant things to her only close friend. She stared at the slouched Cloe and soon showed her something.

“Here.”

“Uh, yes…?”

The peculiar creature wiggling its arms and legs was the fire elemental that Elin frequently used. Cloe looked at it blankly.

“From now on, this friend will evaluate your magic. I’ve been watching, and you haven’t tried fire magic yet, right?”

“Um… fire magic…?”

The spells Cloe had used until a little while ago were the ones she was most confident in—ice magic and matter manipulation.

Having received significant help during the entrance exam, Cloe believed she could achieve success with these magics.

“Let’s start by testing elemental magic in order. Then, gravity manipulation, illusion magic… there are still many possibilities.”

Looking at the elemental being in front of her, Cloe gathered her resolve and nodded.

Cloe closed her eyes. Recalling the fire magic rune she had learned before, she slowly opened her eyes and began drawing the rune.

“In the center, the spark.”

A rune formed by molding the spark into the roundest shape possible. She made it the core of the rune and quickly built the framework around it.

“Outside of that, merge with the surroundings.”

Thus, the spark of the rune merged with the oxygen in the surrounding air. The spark that quickly absorbed oxygen resonated in Cloe’s mind.

“Ignition, and expansion. A larger expansion…!”

The rune became more and more complex. Lines connected to form shapes, overlapping in the rune. Elin observed the scene silently.

Phew—.

Cloe let out a deep sigh. The almost complete rune was in front of her. Now, if she engraved the ignition mechanism into the rune…

“Ignition, another ignition. A massive ignition. And… burn (Κάψτε το)!”

Kwaaah—!

The gleam emerging from the center of the rune turned into dozens, then hundreds, shooting in all directions.

The sparks, as if hitting an invisible wall in the air, bounced off and greedily absorbed the touching oxygen.

Igniting, igniting again, and igniting once more from those sparks. After three ignitions, what had transformed into a giant pillar of fire…

“…Ah.”

As if in a lie, she shrunk unattractively. Chloe turned to Elin with teary eyes.

“Hing…! Elin! It doesn’t seem to be a fire type…!”

“……”

“Elin…?”

Elin’s expression was frozen stiff. She stared into the air for a moment, then turned her head towards Chloe.

“…Chloe.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“You… you’ve definitely gained enlightenment, haven’t you?”

As she spoke, where Chloe pointed with her finger, a roaring pillar of fire elemental magic soared.

– Burst…!

For a moment, the floor of the training ground, where the fiery column had vividly appeared, was boiling and bubbling.

It was the most destructive magic Chloe had showcased so far.