Love Letter From The Future

Since the day the Great Witch designated me as her apprentice, I naturally started to serve her.

“Honestly, with that temper… You should be thankful for the wonderful body I gifted you; why are you angry?”

The sound of fabric brushing against itself.

The Great Witch was murmuring softly as she walked briskly. Despite her small stature, her pace was slow.

I carefully matched my stride so as not to disturb my teacher’s pride and asked, “You gifted me a body?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention? That girl’s body. I thought it would suit the sword madman too well, so I sent it as a gift a while ago. Now, she comes today and raises her voice…!”

The Great Witch, lamenting like that, genuinely looked aggrieved.

Having given a precious gift only to receive cold treatment instead, I briefly pondered how to react. The options I could choose from were limited.

“…The swordsman seems to lack aesthetic sense.”

How could I possibly say something like that to a teacher as exalted as her?

In response to my empty remark, the Great Witch chuckled joyfully.

“I told you! After swinging a sword all his life, what do you expect… Hmph, well. It’s fine. I didn’t return it, so let’s get to what we need to do.”

‘What we need to do.’

It was exactly what I had been yearning to hear. I nodded silently and took in the sight of the magnificent building that had now revealed itself.

I recalled it used to serve as a temple long ago.

Even now, there were numerous injured at the Academy. Thus, it was only natural for the temple dedicated to healing to be large, similar to the buildings erected hundreds of years ago.

It could accommodate at least around a hundred patients.

However, those lying here were not mere patients.

A silence akin to death.

If it weren’t for the occasional groans or sniffles, I would have thought this place was a graveyard rather than a temple.

“Let’s go in.”

The Great Witch’s voice was calm. It was a composure befitting a woman who had witnessed countless tragedies.

Perhaps unable to rid herself of any bitterness, a pipe was now lodged between her lips.

Addiction is indeed terrifying. Even though it was no longer necessary to smoke, she couldn’t seem to part with her pipe out of boredom.

With such unnecessary sentiments, I placed my hand on the old door handle.

Creeeak—

The unpleasant sound of rusty hinges pierced my eardrums, and finally, the interior landscape was unveiled.

It was a field of corpses.

Though they still drew breath, could beings that exhaled only faint breaths and not even trembled truly be called alive? Only those presumed to be relatives occasionally shed tears before them.

I hesitated to step forward. As I stood still, the Great Witch accompanied her explanation with a sigh.

“Victims bitten by the retinue of a vampire… To think they would end up like this right after the subject of the contract, the vampire, perished.”

“Do you know the cause?”

“Not everything about vampire blood is disadvantageous. There are benefits like enhanced physical strength and increased immortality. But if that modified body loses the source of its power…”

The pale green eyes swept the surroundings. The scenery that appeared on her retina was likely the solution to the Great Witch’s trailing words.

“That’s what happens. This is a calamity… It appears the brain has been affected.”

“Is there really nothing that can be done?”

“Well, there might be. But time is absolutely insufficient… How long can they hold on like this?”

The Great Witch pressed her hands against her head firmly.

A faint groan escaped from the woman’s lips as she frowned.

“If only I had enough time!”

That was the source of the noise that emerged in the quiet space.

By now, the eyes and ears of the people standing nearby had shifted their focus to me and the Great Witch. Though there seemed to be no one of high enough status to recognize the Great Witch.

But it was not a meaningless act. When I met their gazes, the sadness and despair they carried resonated deeply within me.

My pupils instinctively wandered somewhere.

There lay a girl with luscious golden hair. She seemed to have briefly stepped away, but there were traces of relatives having visited her side.

The woman with scarlet hair must have come to visit her.

I had vowed to protect her. To ensure she wouldn’t shed any more tears; such a promise I thought to myself.

But how many of those who remained by my side could I count on?

Emma’s tears, Celin’s disappearance, Ceria’s guilt.

Everything felt like my responsibility. This was the essence of the relentless whip that urged me on.

‘Time, time, time.’

I merely repeated it blankly while activating my mind. What must I do, how can I resolve the root of all these problems?

Then it happened.

A figure suddenly flashed through my mind.

“…Huh.”

A dumbfounded sound escaped my lips. It was inevitable that the Great Witch glanced in my direction.

“What’s wrong, my apprentice?”

“Senior Elsi.”

There wasn’t much information that the Great Witch possessed, and so she couldn’t possibly comprehend the name I suddenly mentioned.

Thus, the only option was to squint my eyes and retort.

“Are you referring to the second one? Hmph, I told you it was time to say goodbye to family. Since you have to take that ‘graduation exam’ or whatever, I managed to convince that Delmore fellow to replace it with an assignment in the Great Forest. If you endure a few months under me, you’ll be good enough to…”

“Not that Senior Elsi.”

The suspicion in the Great Witch’s eyes deepened.

Just before the inevitable question could be unleashed, I interrupted.

“I must see Senior Elsi.”

My body bolted forward immediately.

I heard the Great Witch calling after me, but I paid it no mind. I rushed forward like the wind, rifling through my memories.

Where could Senior Elsi be now?

It had barely been a few months since we last met, yet we had crossed countless life-and-death situations together during that time. It wasn’t hard to fathom the heart of someone I was about to be engaged to.

The Great Witch had said that Senior Elsi was facing a farewell.

Once she began her training in the Great Forest, she wouldn’t breathe the outside air for at least several months. Thus, she would want to say her goodbyes, but the individuals who were dear to her were few and far between.

Especially if one excludes me.

There was only one.

Once the person I had to find was determined, the search became significantly smoother. Unlike Senior Elsi, who had tidied her human relationships while traveling with me, that man still had friends across the Academy.

In just a few minutes.

That was the time it took for me to find Senior Elsi.

Pairs of couples sat on benches along the autumn-invaded walking path. Most of them radiated a sweet and fresh atmosphere, but there were some whose relationships seemed shockingly out of place.

Elsi and Ru Pin.

The two siblings portraying a bizarre scene. The male was sobbing, while the female looked left in a state of awkwardness.

To someone observing, they might appear like a couple about to part ways.

However, the truth was quite different.

As soon as I emerged panting, Senior Elsi immediately brightened.

“Oh, Master? What good timing! I mean, you see… that Ru Pin refuses to go to the Great Forest even if he dies…”

“I-I never said that!”

Ru Pin, who had been pouring tears, hopped up and shouted.

Of course, there was no credibility to his plea, yet he did not relent and continued to argue.

“I only said it wouldn’t matter if I went after graduating from the Academy! T-The prince of the Rainelle Clan wouldn’t cry over such trivial matters, would he?! You think so too, right, I-an… Eek! Don’t come any closer!”

Of course, I didn’t have time to entertain Ru Pin’s nonsense.

My steps advanced without hesitation. One step, two steps. And before long, I stood before the Rainelle siblings.

Ru Pin, perhaps conjuring up some horrific memories, shrieked and hunched his body. Yet, my purpose lay somewhere else.

I placed my hand firmly on the girl’s shoulder.

I couldn’t know, but this time my expression must have been exceedingly grave. The frozen gaze from Senior Elsi was sufficient to help me guess that.

Suddenly arriving with a serious demeanor.

For Senior Elsi, this must’ve been quite a shocking circumstance. Nonetheless, it was an urgent request that only ‘Senior Elsi’ could fulfill, so I spoke in a subdued voice.

“Senior Elsi… may I hit you once?”

And silence.

My fiancée blinked, unable to comprehend the situation. The same was true for Ru Pin, who was watching from the side, and for those who had turned their attention to us due to the unexpected appearance of a notable individual.

All eyes and ears were fixed on me.

It took some time for the atmosphere to sink in.

“Hey, you… you crazy bastard!”

Ru Pin lunged at me while rolling his eyes, but his fragile fist failed to inflict any meaningful damage on my body.

It was a melancholic season.

*

At the Academy’s main gate.

There stood a guard with a highly tense expression. Usually, he would be pondering ways to pass the time while yawning, but recently, the Academy had become far more than just a hot potato.

A new hero had emerged.

And following that, the schemes of the Dark Cult and the visits of powerful figures to handle the aftermath had sufficiently rekindled a lost sense of duty.

Rumor even had it that an important transport was arriving soon.

There was likely no way to stand vigil more anxiously than this.

The guard thought so, but that belief shattered in no time.

By the arrival of a woman who appeared against the sunlight.

“Um, uh….”

The guard froze in thought.

Not only him, but any man would find himself in the same state. Facing a flawless white-skinned beauty, exquisitely crafted features that seemed to be made by a master artisan, and silvery hair that could be believed to be woven from pure silver.

A pink dot on the breathtaking scenery created by a divine entity. The color fit her so well that the guard felt as though he stood before a pure work of art.

Perhaps she rushed over.

Her breath was ragged, and her complexion was not entirely intact. Yet, her appearance bore no trace of even the slightest flaw.

Beautiful. Exquisite. Various praises echoed in his mind, yet when her lips moved, all thought processes whitened.

“Where is he?”

“…What?”

The guard could only genuinely repeat the question.

He desperately wanted to help her. It wasn’t simply due to her beauty.

A small sun hovered above the woman’s head.

Halo.

A symbol that only those referred to as heavenly deities or saints could possess.

The woman’s lips moved once more.

“Ian Fercurus.”

The mention of a man’s name brought a natural smile to the woman’s face. It was a heart-stoppingly radiant line, yet for some reason.

A chill settled in a corner of his chest.

The guard’s forehead became damp with cold sweat.

Before long, he clenched his fists in frustration.

“…My husband.”

Indeed, the season was autumn, a time when long-lost wives return home.

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