The Worldview Where Everyone is Destined to Die

After two challenging weeks, a dispatched priest arrived from the kingdom.

Upon learning the news, my mother, Tessa Cruz, and the eldest daughter, Ruin Cruz, sent several messages expressing their desire to visit the academy, but unfortunately, they weren't allowed.

The academy strictly restricts the entry of outsiders, and since we are all cadets, our status is different from that of normal people.

"Cadet Arma Cruz, look at this candle."

"Yes."

The dispatched priest, adorned in a white belt and a red belt that extended to the thighs, unpacked the bag he had and brought out a lit beeswax candle.

While they observed the flickering candles and awaited the priest to conclude, the guard stood with a straight back, and Enoch turned away from us.

'Did he get caught by Machina or something? Why did he do this?'

When I couldn't focus on the candle, the priest cleared his throat to get my attention, and I waited for his next instructions while watching the flame flicker on the candle.

The priest rang the small bell on the velvet cloth and prepared to perform a consecration type of white magic.

The process of solemn proclamation and expressing faith and obedience is essential to increasing the effectiveness of the consecration, but the process felt like seasoning to prepare a dish.

-clang. Clang.

"Believe that God is watching over me, and here, in this place, I dare you to be anyone but the servant."

...

The sound of the bell ringing at a steady beat, the priest's soft voice, and the flickering candlelight were perfect for inducing sleep.

Then, it suddenly occurred to me that this process was close to the hypnosis, which was in the <Basic Spiritism>, that I glimpsed in the Crown of Thorns.

"Cadet Arma Cruz, would you please raise your head?"

I obediently raised my head as the priest said, and then he had this kind smile.

"With this, the wound vanishes without a trace."

The priest took out this small mirror from the bag and reflected it on my face. The red-raised scar had vanished, and there was even no trace of the ache I had from it.

"I am sorry for being late. We received the request a long time ago, but we were short on manpower."

"Short on manpower?"

"Because of the Autumn Holy Spirit Festival, which is coming just around the corner."

The autumn holy spirit festival.

It would be easy to think of it as a national festival in appreciation of fall, like we do at the Academy.

The reason for the different names is because of the regions. But I think the fact that it is a festival that lasts for 4 days, unlike the Autumn Holy Spirit Festival, which is a grand festival of ten days held across the nation, might have a big role to play.

"There aren't many priests who handle this like me, so even if I go around diligently, it ends up like this."

"I completely understand. And it wasn't such a huge deal."

When it comes to work that requires consecration, it usually isn't treating minor wounds like mine, but seriously ill patients facing a life-threatening crisis or people who have been attacked by demonic beasts.

The mere fact that the dispatched priest arrived during this busy time could be said to be me being lucky.

'Mother must have a hand in this.'

Even though she couldn't see me, there are cases where the families of the cadets supported them from the outside.

My face felt so hot at the thought of my mother trying to do this.

"Then I have a long way to go, so I will head now."

"Please do."

"God will remember you."

...

Instead of doing a cross like the priest, I bowed and waited for him to leave.

-clack!

The priest bowed before leaving and closing the hospital door.

'So boring~!'

While I was stretching my hands out, Enoch quietly turned around.

"Thank you for the work. Now I will have to report to President Machina and then proceed with the discharge process."

"No, why?"

"Uh?"

"It would be meaningless to ask for my opinion; just convey it all to her."

I thought the tedious life of being confined to the bed and room would finally be over, bringing happiness, but Enoch was following the manual-like nature till the end.

If you make a manual for a human, then it has to look like him.

"Ah, and Cadet Enoch worked too hard this time."

"It wasn't to the extent of hard."

"I know that it wasn't an easy task to care for me. At some point, you must have voluntarily taken up the role."

"How did you...?"

Well, it wasn't difficult to know.

I have received the most attention since I was born.

The reason I didn't bother to remove the boards from the hospital window was because I wanted to be away from any burdensome gazes.

"Even though you were here only to check and not leave unless something important happened, it is strange for Cadet Enoch to constantly guard the door."

...

Enoch shyly touched the end of his hair and lowered his head. It seemed like he was embarrassed.

"Furthermore, Theodore and Arthur just visited once, so I couldn't tell for sure, but Judith and Shirley had visited multiple times. Each time, the cadet who followed them had changed, and I knew it when I saw that."

"I wasn't trying to fool you."

"I never thought that was your intention."

I also thought that Enoch had simply taken over for me. However, his attitude had been polite and cautious.

Shirley's influence might be great, but I felt some kindness to me.

"But I know it wasn't easy for you to approach me while the academy's cadets are being this hysterical."

Overall, Enoch was one with a compassionate nature.

Not only was I accused of murder, but on the day of the trial held by the student council, when my head was hit with a rock, he stood with me.

In my words, Enoch had this troubled face.

"You will be given permission to leave soon. Rest assured that Cadet Arthur Usher will take over while I am away."

"Uh? Who?"

Enoch left right away without answering my question.

At almost the same time, Arthur Usher slowly approached in his academy uniform, making the sound of his shoes tapping the floor.

"You seem disappointed."

"No, what is there to be disappointed about? It is a misunderstanding, and I was just surprised because it was unexpected that you came."

"I was surprised too."

Although Arthur said it was a surprise, his expression didn't say it.

He was younger than me, but I had no idea where the arrogance came from.

"Is it possible that the decision was made by drawing lots or something like that?"

"No, Cadet Shirley Spencer asked for it."

"Shirley?"

Did something happen?

I jumped up without realizing it, and Arthur, as if reading my thoughts, had sat me down.

"Has something happened to Shirley?"

"If it happened, it happened; worrying now would do no good."

"What kind of joke is that? Or maybe she had a fight? How is the opponent?"

Perhaps because I was excited, my voice turned louder.

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, like he was shocked, but he quickly erased the expression.

"Cadet Spencer asked me not to talk. It is flustering."

"What is even happening... Uh? Flustering?"

If it was a plan to kill me by making me anxious, this was the right way. I might die of old age waiting for Arthur, who isn't even opening his mouth right now.

"Even if one thinks about it in many ways, I don't think it will be hidden if one tries to hide it. Cadet Spencer was selected as the incarnation of Aegis at this fall's festival."

"The incarnation of Aegis, huh?"

The words Shirley and Aegis incarnation felt so odd that I had to think for a moment.

"If it is the incarnation of Aegis, then... at the end of Thanksgiving, they dress up and raise the torch."

"Yes."

It was then that I realized why Shirley had sent Arthur instead of coming.

The incarnation of Aegis meant the symbolic role of a 20-year-old woman who was chosen as the incarnation of the God of Creation to decorate the final day of fall thanksgiving.

The problem is that the woman chosen for the role had to gradually cut out meat and grains for the purification ritual and then fast until the last day of the festival.

"She must be locked up for fasting..."

"Yes."

"Then Judith is her attendant?"

"You found out."

I couldn't help it.

I don't know why it felt like it, but if Shirley was chosen as the incarnation of Aegis, who had to fast, then there was just one woman who could endure her cruel nature: Judith.

Since it was a formal event and a festival too, she wouldn't starve herself to the point of death, but for Shirley, not being able to eat meant going mad.

"Shirley would never have volunteered, so why did it go for her?"

"Of all the cadets who came of age, Cadet Spencer was probably the best."

If that is what it was, it meant the standards weren't high, but I still didn't like it because I already had a problem to solve.

"It's not like something will happen...."

"It is a waste to worry about things that haven't happened."

Arthur answered bluntly.

I somehow felt that his bluntness was a sign of consideration.

Besides, isn't Arthur someone I will have to see again and again in the future?

The moment the talks stopped, Enoch, who had gone to report, came back.

"Ah, thank you for the gift."

"It is just something that came from my hobby."

"Ehh, but did you really do it? You have a cute taste."

"..."

Perhaps deciding not to respond to my joke, Arthur didn't say anything until we left the place.

After sending them off, I looked at the backs of Enoch and Arthur disappearing, and it overlapped with the Arthur of the memory.

'Arthur Usher, I saw in the dream, definitely looked older than he is now....'

What can I say? The Arthur I saw in my dream looked like a finished weapon.

Would you say that it is the blade that was refined so well that now everything about him feels sloppy?

But what concerned me the most was the look of the grown-up Arthur---an empty shadow on the face.

'That cannot happen.'

If it is an approaching misfortune, then I need to prevent it, but what do I do?

Darkness is already lurking around.