Nocturne (2)
Steps leaving the hall.
The sky was dark.
It was a backdrop where night was beginning to settle.
Two figures crossed the dim landscape.
Fortunately, there was a garden near the building, so we moved there to avoid the students' attention.
A garden where not a single flower bloomed in the dead of winter was quite desolate.
Instead, the lightly piled snow added to the charm.
Even without life, it was a season where even death was beautiful.
We simply walked.
"······."
A serene silence.
The woman in my arms didn't say a word.
I could only feel her presence from our skin and body heat pressed against each other, and her thick scent.
Her exhaled breath bloomed into long, white flowers before shattering.
Suddenly, something touched my chin.
That faint warmth felt exceptionally hot.
I cautiously asked.
"Aren't you cold?"
"······I'm alright. I was just surprised."
A composed reply.
I felt a strange awkwardness.
Perhaps it was because of her somewhat revealing attire, and the soft touch of her skin against mine in various places.
I usually didn't pay attention to such things.
The unfamiliar perfume mixed with the woman's scent created something intoxicating, something that made my mind go blank.
The dizziness spreading from the tip of my nose made me unusually silent.
Of course.
It wasn't any different for the drunkard.
Perhaps she felt the same awkwardness.
I had been seeing her for over half a year, but this was the first time I had witnessed such a clear reaction of unease.
Her crimson eyes wouldn't meet mine.
Her posture remained stiff, her lips showed no sign of parting, and earlier, she had even stuttered, which was rare for her.
Bewilderment.
Perhaps she was just unaccustomed to the warmth of another person.
We simply walked through the winter garden.
"There's a place to sit over there."
Soon.
We settled on a nearby bench.
I carefully lowered the woman.
As it was late, the weather was chilly, so I draped my outer coat over her shoulders.
Afterward, I knelt on one knee to examine her injured ankle.
Selena said,
"I'm fine."
"It's no use saying that while you're limping. Let me take a look; please just relax."
My firm tone prevented her from pushing me away.
I took off her shoe.
Her bare foot gradually emerged. Beyond it, I could see her fair skin and ankle.
It was slightly swollen, likely from the sprain.
The snake reached out its hand.
"Eup···."
The drunkard flinched at the same time.
My touch was delicate.
I gently massaged her foot.
The smooth feel of her toes was particularly captivating.
The lukewarm warmth of her sole, the coolness of my hand that had been chilled by the winter, gradually mixing and creating a sticky temperature, the sense of defiling it creating a feeling of transgression.
The shadow I subtly conjured covered her slender ankle.
The snake caressed it with care.
"Ugh, ugh··· haa···."
I could hear her faint breaths.
But I pretended not to notice.
Even as I did so, the encroaching darkness alleviated the swelling.
When even the pain remaining in her ankle had completely disappeared, her slightly disoriented gaze looked down at me.
I smiled brightly at her blurred focus.
It was an innocently crafted smile.
"It won't hurt anymore."
"······."
"Teacher?"
"Ah··· thank you."
The drunkard belatedly came to her senses.
A short intake of breath.
She muttered as if trying to gauge my reaction.
Only bitterness was reflected in her blood-red pupils.
"I'm sorry··· I feel like I've become a burden."
"Not at all."
"But, I couldn't join you for the ball that student Judas was looking forward to."
"Hmm."
Was that what she was worried about?
Since my disciple had asked her to be his partner, perhaps she wanted to meet his expectations.
A woman who seemed stern but possessed her own warmth.
I shook my head and said,
"I'm actually happy."
The user wants me to continue translating the Korean text provided in the previous turn. I need to maintain the narrative flow and continue translating from where I left off."Really?"
"Because I was able to be of some help to you, even if it was just a little."
"I don't understand."
"I'm usually the one receiving help, so being able to return that favor, even if it's small, feels very meaningful and joyful to me."
"······."
"I'm fine. Please don't worry about it."
"······Is that so."
The woman replied a beat later.
The atmosphere grew quiet.
Was she troubled by complex thoughts, as usual?
She couldn't speak for a while, then inadvertently muttered to herself.
It was a lament.
"Student Judas is··· a truly good person."
Or perhaps regret.
I echoed the drunkard's words.
"That's because he's the disciple of a good person."
"Thank you for the empty compliment."
"I'm speaking sincerely. Where else would you find someone who accommodates a student who acts as selfishly as I do?"
"It's not like I specifically intended to help you."
"That's also proof. Proof that, though outwardly indifferent, your inner self holds a warm heart."
"You're praising me too much."
"I'm simply stating what I've observed."
I learned it while watching you.
Your kindness.
The way you put your best effort into lessons while pretending to be nonchalant, the meticulous way you organize every single textbook, and lastly, the way you're never harsh with the children.
From an objective standpoint, Selena was quite an excellent educator.
Except for her chronic alcoholism.
'You are.'
A pretty good person.
I wanted to convey that encouragement, but Selena simply shook her head with a hollow laugh.
Only the image of one adult remained in her extinguished pupils.
It was a terribly lonely atmosphere.
"I··· wasn't like that. It was merely the result of following my own desires from beginning to end."
"Everyone lives for their desires."
Everyone is like that.
Humans cannot live without clinging to desires, and that is why the qualifier of 'creatures' is placed before their name.
I was no different.
The desires I held in my previous life were countless.
The desire for them to live.
The desire for their illness to miraculously disappear.
If even that couldn't be achieved... the desire to die in their place.
Though they were all wishes that ended in regret.
Back then, those feelings were what kept me going day after day.
So I think.
Desire isn't bad.
If lonely adults don't even crave desires, they will no longer find meaning in life.
This was the last vestige of self for us to exist as ourselves.
Even if it was somewhat twisted.
"So··· no one will blame you."
I wore a bright smile.
As if to say that you haven't done anything wrong yet.
"Please refrain from self-reproach."
"······."
The woman blankly looked down at me.
Before long, the dark clouds disappeared, and a brief smile blossomed on her face.
It was as if the anguish weighing down her shoulders had been swept away.
She said,
"I can't possibly win against you with words."
"Hehe."
"Aside from being a 'good person'··· Student Judas, you need to be careful not to get stabbed somewhere."
"I feel like I've heard similar things a few times."
"Take it to heart."
"I certainly will."
Her tone had softened somewhat.
The atmosphere had lightened.
Had the lingering pain in her ankle disappeared along with that short conversation?
The drunkard moved her legs, which had been stretched out.
Swoosh-.
Her bare feet touched the ground.
The garden's blades of grass softly enveloped her delicate soles.
Her uncomfortable shoes had been pushed aside.
Selena staggered slightly to regain her balance, then turned to me and held out her hand.
Her purple hair, harmonizing with the moonlight and darkness, was exceptionally beautiful.
Her lips said,
"Although we left the ball··· if this place is alright, shall we continue our dance?"
"Aren't you going back?"
"If I put my shoes back on, I feel like I'll sprain it again."
"In that case··· it will be an exclusive ball for the two of us."
"Meaning is what you make it."
The bushes where no one else's gaze could reach.
The garden where the stars and the moon twinkled.
A landscape of a field of grass crossed by bare feet.
In its center stood only the woman and the boy, and soon, their hands clasped together.
Their lukewarm body heat, blending together, erased the winter.
"How is it?"
"I gladly accept."
The two began to move slowly.
The faint melody drifting from the distant hall served as their background music.
A clumsy serenade, one step at a time.
And one step at a time.
We took steps.
"It's strange. I never thought there would be a day when I would dance with a man in my life."
"Surely you've had at least one?"
"To be precise, I had no intention of doing so. I never had any interest in anyone from the start."
"In that case··· does that mean you have no related experience whatsoever?"
A superstition suddenly flashed through my mind.
Something about a pure man and woman becoming a couple at a ball, and their love being fulfilled.
That particular detail happened to come to mind, so I asked.
The woman replied in a hushed voice.
"Well, what do you think?"
It was a look I had never seen before.
A very faint but playful smile, which made it feel even more dizzying.
The drunkard placed her hand on my waist.
She whispered in my ear.
"If that's the case··· will you take responsibility, like in the superstition?"
"Willingly."
"You don't even hesitate."
"If that is your wish."
"You're saying dangerous things."
Of course.
I won't accept.
"I'm alright."
"That's a shame."
"It's just··· there are already too many things I've done to pass off my responsibility."
"Still, your words made me happy."
I, too, am waiting.
Until you escape from that dark situation.
Until you fully forgive yourself.
"Someone's 'first' is something that remains special in their memories."
That's why.
The fact that I would be remembered specially by you was as joyful to me as the starlight in this garden.
The drunkard let out a hollow laugh at these words.
As if to say I was incorrigible.
"If the other students knew··· I might be quite disliked."
"Hehe."
Hands intertwined.
Between the flowing wind and the stars, the final nocturne resonated.
Perhaps it was a melody weaving together fate.
""······.""
Silence descended.
We were both fully focused.
Whatever meaning it held.
Each time we drew close, the shape of our flesh blurred, the heat of her body was like a brand, her perfume subtly captivated my nose, and even my own reflection was caught in the bewitching crimson of her eyes.
The curves accentuated by her dress were captivating.
It was a scene that anyone would covet and envy, yet her appearance was solely granted to me.
A strange atmosphere flowed between our clasped hands.
However.
Neither of us spoke.
Only the wind brushed through the night sky and the starry backdrop.
Even that lingering silence was enchanting.
And so.
The night passed.
***
Meanwhile.
In a pitch-black underground.
Figures draped in dark crimson robes had gathered.
The surrounding floor was splattered with blood.
""The time has finally come.""
The grotesque figures chanted in unison.
Their vocal cords were all twisted.
Beyond the chorus of demons, resonating with sacrilege, an ominous energy writhed, announcing its birth.
Magical energy shattered like broken glass.
The symbol of the dark mages.
""With the blood of the young, we shall cleanse all creatures, and nobly ignite pure hatred.""
Ominous phrases.
The end result of their contemplation was none other than a festival of blood and slaughter.
On the altar lay stacks of documents pertaining to a certain academy.
It was none other than Gallimard Academy.
""The Lord commands to awaken the slumbering calamity.""
The increasingly terrifying melody filled the deep underground.
What filled their eyes.
Was only madness, thirst, and carnage.
The combined words cried out.
""Deliver the will to the betrayer.""
And so, the world is.
Into an uncontrollable danger.
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