Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

59 – 59. Class Duel (8)

The weekend passed quickly.

Students, each striving to improve their skills, made use of the training ground until late hours, turning it into a spectacle even from my dorm room.

Chloe, Elin, and even Laura were seen, which was quite unexpected.

Laura didn’t show much tension for the class duel, but for some reason, she revealed herself in the training ground this weekend.

Since the class duel would start next Monday, Laura probably came out to practice not to lose her touch.

Other than that, it was a normal weekend with nothing special.

Of course, the nightmares persisted. Professor Moritz advised me not to attach meaning to every little thing, but…

I don’t know. Am I the type to attach meaning to trivial things?

“Phew….”

Having finished all the tasks, I sat on the bed in my familiar dorm room and absentmindedly looked out the window.

The sun was setting, casting its glow through the various buildings of the vast academy grounds beyond. The sun was setting like that.

Considering that summer has long daylight hours, I could tell it was around 8 p.m. now.

I had a busy weekend. After the treatment with Professor Moritz, I stopped by the chapel to clean it with Sophia, spent Saturday cleaning, and on Sunday, as usual, attended the Sunday service and blessed the believers who came to the academy chapel, just like any other time.

This whole sequence of events made me realize once again that I was living in a peaceful era….

“…I’m tired.”

Ironically, the chaotic and tumultuous era I experienced just a few years ago now feels like a lie.

Did I dream it all? In fact, those I met on the battlefield… could they all be characters from a dream?

Again, this time has come. It’s a time when emotions intensify, and a feeling of sadness amplifies. As my head was spinning, I shook my head vigorously.

The sunset that tinges my face and eyes red is surreal. I immerse myself in it and my mind becomes cluttered.

I took out a cigarette from my pocket. Because I was busy all day today, I didn’t have the luxury to smoke cigarettes. I put the cigarette in my mouth.

“….”

I sat there blankly with the cigarette still in my mouth. That’s all.

Clearly, the Great War has ended. The scene of killing and being killed has already moved to the past.

Yes. And yet, I lost the leisure of life. Even though I realized that I was living in a peaceful era, I couldn’t find peace of mind.

So, I…

Perhaps, I miss the chaos of war. Maybe I feel a sense of weariness from enjoying peace, a topic that I had longed for.

“…It’s funny.”

I chuckled. I didn’t have any logical reason. I lit the cigarette.

Like the burning sky far away, my cigarette also started to burn. As I was about to inhale the cigarette, something suddenly came to mind and I got up from the bed.

– Really, not even a badger’s burrow… Please ventilate properly from now on.

I opened the balcony glass door. The cigarette smoke that was filling the room traveled with the wind outside and flew away in the distance. I looked at that sight and walked out to the balcony.

Staring blankly outside, I blew out cigarette smoke. The refreshing scent of peppermint wrapped around my lungs.

And, a sudden thought came to mind.

The reason I’m cautious about being immersed in peace, the reason I feel a sense of weariness in this life.

Perhaps, it’s because I’m living in a world without you.

That was a thought that hit the spot.

* * * * *

After the unusually long weekend, Monday morning arrived. I went to the professor’s office with a slightly different mindset than usual.

“Oh! Assistant Professor! Good morning!”

“Good morning.”

Sophia sub-professor, who was already in the professor’s office before me, greeted me energetically. I lightly responded to her greeting and placed my bag on the desk.

Meanwhile, Sophia sub-professor, who was happily laughing and organizing piles of documents, had a cheerful expression. That was because today was the day they would leave for the port city Bruttney for the annual intergrade competition.

The port city, Bruttney.

I heard that there is a branch of the Chaldea Imperial Academy in Bruttney. The training ground for the intergrade competition, where students from all grades attend, was also located in Bruttney, at the branch campus.

In terms of distance, it’s relatively not far, but it’s definitely not a close city.

For the intergrade competition, all students from the 1st to 3rd grade participate, and apart from the professors who will remain at the academy for duty, the rest of the professors also leave the academy.

To bring this many people to Bruttney, taking the train is indispensable.

“Sofia, what time is the departure?”

“I heard it’s at 10 in the morning!”

In that case, maybe I’ll have lunch on the train.

I heard it takes a full day to get to Brittany, but there was no help for it. The Empire’s territory was so vast.

I sat in the chair in front of my desk. The lightweight travel bag was lying on the floor.

Despite calling it packed luggage, all I had was toiletries, pajamas, a Bible, rosary, priestly robes, and a short-sleeved shirt. Besides these, I couldn’t find anything else worth packing.

“Hmm. Mmm-hmm~.”

Sofia was humming a tune while carrying out her duties, and I was worried she might make a mistake.

I slowly closed my eyes. I was quite tired since I had trouble sleeping last night.

As soon as my eyes closed, my consciousness settled slowly. I felt my body weaken, engulfed in a lethargic sensation…

“…Sir… Father Assistant…!”

That’s how, as I was falling asleep, Sofia’s whispering voice woke me up. I opened my eyes, rubbing my tingling ears.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Sofia’s innocent face filled my sight. I moved my stiff neck and nodded with effort.

“Yes. I am awake. What’s the matter?”

“I think you should get up soon. It’s almost time to leave…”

Sofia’s words were followed by the clock pointing at 9:45 in the morning.

It was 7:30 in the morning when I entered the office. Has time passed this quickly?

It felt like I had blinked once, and more than two hours had already gone by.

“Are you very tired?”

Sofia looked at me with a worried expression. I waved my hand and slowly stood up.

“I’m fine.”

“But… you look really exhausted.”

“I’m really fine.”

Anyway, I can just sleep on the train. I stretched to relieve the fatigue that had gathered in my shoulders.

“Ah…”

My right shoulder cracked. It was painful enough on its own, but not being able to sleep properly on top of the fatigue made it feel like I was dying.

As I slowly loosened my body, I still felt some vitality running through my body. I picked up my travel bag and left the office with Sofia.

* * * * *

“Departure is in five minutes! Passengers who haven’t boarded yet, please board quickly!”

Chloe hurriedly boarded the train. Distracted by the fragrance from a bakery at the station, she almost missed the train.

If Professor Antonelli hadn’t urged her to get on quickly, she might have stayed at that bakery indefinitely.

“Phew…! That was close. I almost missed it.”

“I told you to stop eating.”

“Ellyn, you enjoyed it too…”

“…Ahem.”

With Ellyn’s fake cough, Chloe found her seat according to the ticket. The compartments were already noisy with students.

“Compartment A-3 of carriage 5… A-3…”

After passing a couple of carriages, the fifth one finally appeared. Chloe slowly opened the door.

The corridor of carriage 5 was quiet, as if no one had boarded yet. Silently, Chloe and Ellyn stepped in.

“Compartment A-3… Ah, is this it?”

It was the passenger compartment marked A-3. Chloe glanced inside.

Though it felt occupied, the fogged window prevented them from seeing who was inside. Chloe hesitated, scratching her cheek, before deciding to open the door.

“What are you waiting for? Open it quickly.”

“Yeah, let’s go in.”

At Ellyn’s urging, Chloe’s hand opened the compartment door.

Creak…

“Huh?”

There, familiar faces were seated.

* * * * *

“Head Priestess… Shouldn’t we hurry?”

“I’ll take one more look around.”

I comforted the restless Sophia, scanning the station. It was to check if there were still students who hadn’t boarded the train.

It was a common occurrence when students went on field trips or picnics—getting left behind at the station or missing the departing bus or train.

I never dreamt I’d be in the position of searching for those students.

“Phew…”

After one more glance around the station, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Apart from discovering that Chloe and Ellyn had been captivated by the aroma of bread, there didn’t seem to be any students left behind.

I turned my steps toward the direction of the train. Looking at my wristwatch, there were about two minutes left until the train’s departure.

“Sophia, we need to run a bit.”

“Yes!”

Let’s hurry a little faster, and soon the train appeared. I could see the railway crew members hurriedly letting the passengers board.

“One minute left until departure! Please board quickly!”

Thanks to running ahead, we were able to board the train with one minute left until departure. I can’t help but think that if we had walked, we would have been left behind instead.

“Heh…! Herex…!”

“Good job, Sofia Busje.”

“Wa… water….”

I took out a water bottle from my bag and handed it to Sofia Busje. After gulping down the water, she quickly drank half of what was in the bottle.

“Phew…! I finally feel a bit alive….”

“…Let’s go to our compartment.”

We headed towards the compartment. In the midst of doing so, I felt the floor slightly sway. The train must have started moving.

“Excuse me, attendant, what is our compartment number?”

“It is Compartment A-3 of Car 5.”

Fortunately, the train we hastily boarded seemed to be Car 4. We quickly reached Car 5.

“Is this A-3…?”

Sofia Busje pointed to one of the compartments. The door of the compartment had the inscription A-3 above it.

I nodded and placed my hand on the compartment door. Inside the compartment, I could hear the sound of people talking, as if there were already passengers inside.

“We should be quiet.”

Given how exhausted I was at the moment, I greatly desired to sleep quietly. With an uneasy feeling, I opened the door.

Creak—!

“So… eh?”

“Oh my…”

Silence filled the compartment. The faces looking at me were familiar.

Chloe and Ellen, as well as Daniel and Vivian that I had seen before. The members of the Occult Research Division were gathered in one place.

“Isn’t that Professor Antonelli?”

“Wow! Professor Antonelli! Together with us…!”

Creak—! Thud!

I quickly closed the door. I couldn’t help but feel a dry sensation on my face.

“…Ah.”

My plan to relax and relieve fatigue had already gone astray from the beginning.