Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

62 – 62. Interclass Competition (11)

Squeak—!

Making a tearing friction sound, the train came to a stop. I slowly stood up from my seat.

– This station is Bruttany Station. Bruttany Station. Before disembarking, please make sure you haven’t left anything behind.

The train, having traveled for almost a full day, safely brought the students of the Chaldea Imperial Academy to Bruttany. I got off the train with the students from the Occult Research Department that I was accompanying.

“Oh… this is the port city Bruttany?”

“I smell the sea. It’s been a while since I’ve smelled it.”

Chloe and Ellen were looking around with sparkling eyes. The breeze blowing from beyond the station carried the scent of salt.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Bruttany campus.”

“I know, right? They said they were going to hold an exchange meeting for the outstanding students. That was last year, I think.”

Vivian and Daniel, who were calmly surveying the station, seemed to have visited the branch campus in Bruttany before.

By the way, an exchange meeting between outstanding students. That was truly unexpected. I only knew that they spread strange rumors about the school, but I wonder if there was a time when I was recognized as an outstanding student.

“Have you ever been to the sea, Head Priest?”

Sophia, who couldn’t hide her excitement by my side, asked with sparkling eyes.

The sea. The sea… It was a question that was difficult to answer.

In the world before the possession, I had been there, of course, but since the possession, I hadn’t been. However, if I were to be precise, it would be correct to say that I had been.

“Yes. I have been.”

“Oh…! When did you go?”

“…I went a long time ago. It was so long ago that I can’t even remember.”

I remained silent. There seemed to be no point in continuing the conversation; a proper story was unlikely to emerge. Perhaps Sofia noticed the peculiarity in my response, as she, too, fell silent.

Suddenly, a light tap on my back jolted me. I turned around.

“Professor Lucio!”

“Professor Esther.”

It was Professor Esther. Behind her stood the students she was guiding, among them a familiar face.

“Lauren von Adelheid. Heading towards Professor Esther’s direction.”

Lauren, with her usual composed demeanor, glanced around, yet her gaze darted to Chloe standing behind me. I subtly positioned myself in front of Chloe and addressed Professor Esther.

“It seems like there are quite a lot of students.”

“Well, yes. With all the students from the Chaldea Royal Academy moving at once. By the way, Professor Lucio, which club are you in charge of?”

I glanced briefly at Daniel. Avoiding eye contact after meeting mine, there was something suspicious.

“I oversee the Occult Research Club.”

“Ah… come to think of it, those kids from back then. Daniel and… Vivian, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Vivian still stuck to informal language, yet the lack of disrespect didn’t feel odd.

Professor Esther smiled widely at Vivian, nodding her head, then proceeded to introduce the students behind her. Not a single male student was in sight, only the female students.

“I’m in charge of the Magic Theory Research Club. I’m a consultant professor here.”

“Is that so?”

Listening to Professor Esther, something felt off. Glancing around, other guiding professors were predominantly with students from their respective clubs.

Turning towards me, Professor Esther spoke up.

“Surprisingly, Professor Lucio, I thought you’d be in charge of a club related to theology. Was it perhaps because of that incident with the fingers?”

“What do you mean?”

“Huh?”

Professor Esther’s words suddenly felt unsettling. Unconsciously, a lump formed in my throat.

“Um… because of that incident, weren’t you assigned as the consultant professor for the Occult Research Club?”

“I haven’t been assigned to any club as a consultant professor yet.”

“Huh…? That’s odd…? This time, the criteria for guiding students was supposed to be based on the respective consultant professors for each club.”

“…”

Unintentionally, I must have looked bewildered. Slowly turning to Damian, he awkwardly flashed a smile.

“W-Well… the Senior Professor asked about the consultant professor’s name, and I, without realizing…”

“Uh… Oh, it’s fine! Professor! You haven’t completed the paperwork yet, right? …Maybe?”

Three months into my tenure at the academy, I found myself unexpectedly appointed as the advisor professor for a club I had never even imagined.

And all without my knowledge.

* * * * *

Brutany Branch. More precisely, the Chaldea Royal Academy Brutany Branch.

As I walked out of the station, we had somehow arrived there.

The first thing that caught my eye was the blindingly white sandy beach. The coastline stretched so far that its end was beyond sight.

In front of this beautiful beach, the Brutany Branch of the academy stood. I scanned the correction of the Brutany Branch in front of me.

In general, the architectural style was similar to the Chaldea Royal Academy, unmistakably a branch that had branched off from the same roots.

The only difference from the main campus buildings was, perhaps, the outer walls of the buildings, also painted in a bright white. It was a style commonly seen in buildings erected on the beach.

“It’s beautiful.”

As I stood there quietly admiring the correction, Professor Esther approached me. With a bright smile, she spoke to me.

“The sandy beach is white, and the buildings are white too… It feels like we’re on a vacation resort, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“The sea is also a long-awaited sight. See? The water is incredibly clear. I should have brought a swimsuit…”

Her words aside, the sea, crashing against the sandy beach and breaking into white foam, was incredibly beautiful. It was exactly the image of the sea I remembered.

No, perhaps it was even more beautiful than the sea I remembered.

On the clear and blue sea, there were also vacationers enjoying water activities. Watching them swim in the clear sea, it wasn’t unreasonable for ordinary people to feel a desire to dive in for a refreshing swim.

Of course, I was not one of them.

“Do you know how to swim, Professor Lucio?”

“I can’t.”

“Oh… really?”

Professor Esther looked at me with an expression of disbelief. I shrugged my shoulders and muttered.

“Really. I don’t even know how to float in water.”

“Hmm… a little surprising.”

“Is that so?”

Although I said that, it’s not that I don’t know how to swim. It’s just that looking at the sea brings back unpleasant memories.

– Buuuuuuuzzzz—!

At that moment, a faint sound of a boat’s horn came from the far distance of the sea. My gaze, along with Professor Esther’s, turned in that direction.

Beyond the horizon, several boats were floating. Professor Esther opened her mouth as she observed the scene.

“Even though they call it a port city, such huge ships are roaming around. Certainly, I’ve heard there’s a big harbor nearby.”

“……”

I had a distaste for it. The sea, to me, wasn’t a welcoming place. Why was that?

Was it because of my childhood memories of being stung by jellyfish before I became a vessel?

Or was it the news of briefly losing territorial control to the dwarves?

Could it be due to the shortage of supplies because of the territorial struggle, leaving us without provisions for a month?

Running low on ammunition, failing to fend off the joint assault by elves and dwarves?

…Was it because you died in that battle?

I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t know, but…

At least it was certain I didn’t quite like the sea as much as I used to. Even so, I found myself gazing at it.

“When the war ends, I want to see it with my own eyes. The sea.”

“……”

For a moment, I fixed my gaze toward the sea. Undoubtedly beautiful, yet for some reason, it felt immensely lonely.

“Professor Lucio? It’s about time to head back to the dormitory.”

“Understood.”

Following Professor Esther, who walked ahead, I turned my back on the shimmering blue sea.

In my ears, the sound of the waves reverberated hauntingly.

Persistently, endlessly.

…Suddenly, to the point where I wanted to tear my ears off.

* * * * *

The Bretonnia branch had fewer students than the main Chaldea Imperial Academy, but it was known for an additional large dormitory built for students who frequently visited from the main campus.

It was fortunate for us. If we had tried to book accommodations in the city center, they might have overcharged us.

When it comes to the Chaldea Imperial Academy, perhaps they could allocate such a budget, but… anyway, now wasn’t the time for that discussion.

What I really wanted to question was…

“Wow! Look, Vice Principal! You can see the sea from here!”

“Wow…”

“It’s been a while here. Ugh… Vivian, I’ll use the restroom for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“……”

Why did I end up sharing a dorm room with students from the Occult Research Department?

Actually, when you think about it, it wasn’t that strange. Even if there’s a separate dormitory for students visiting the main campus, it’s only natural that it falls far short of accommodating all the students at the Chaldea Imperial Academy’s main campus.

Moreover, the two rooms within the dormitory are so distinctly divided that they might as well be considered completely different. Perhaps, if one were to sleep in those rooms, it could prevent some unfortunate incidents.

However, what I really wanted to question was an ethical issue.

Even if the rooms are divided, I never dreamed that the academy would assign rooms to each club without much thought. It might lead to a situation where male and female students end up in the same dorm room. The fact that each club has its own dedicated tormenting professors was an added concern.

I was tempted to immediately confront Headmaster Damien about it, but I could already predict hearing something like, ‘Professor Antonelli is not a clergyman, is he? I believe no unpleasant incidents will occur. Haha.’ Would the world in the novel really be like that?

In fact, the biggest problem was that the students I ended up with were members of the Occult Research Club. Realizing that, I felt a strong urge to scream.

Instead of screaming, I quietly summoned Sophia Subtitle, who was stuck to the balcony window. She followed me to a room not visible to the students, and I cautiously asked her.

“Sophia Subtitle, is it okay like this? What do you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

Do I have to explain this with my own mouth? I tried to make a face that showed sincerity, but Sophia Subtitle still tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“Um… about the dormitory. Both I and Daniel are male students… I’m worried that the other female students, including Sophia Subtitle, might feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh… that’s fine! The bedrooms are completely separate anyway, what’s the big deal!”

“Oh, no….”

Am I too stuck in my narrow-minded thinking? It’s been over ten years since the possession, but is Confucianism still lingering in my inner self?

“…Is it really okay? If it’s uncomfortable, feel free to let me know anytime.”

“Oh, come on… it’s really fine. If you insist, should I ask the students once?”

“Yes, I would appreciate that.”

Shockingly, however, the students didn’t express any discomfort. Instead, they just looked at Sophia Subtitle, who asked such a question, strangely.

As I stared blankly, Chloe and Ellen stuck to the window again, gazing at the sea.

“Wow… the sea is really beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… Ellen, when we have time, do you want to go to the sea?”

Just thinking about controlling these golden kids made the scene in front of me dizzying.

I just earnestly wished for the annual class duels to end soon.