Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

20 – 20. Blessed, Truly Blessed (3)

Here, there is a grain of sand.

The grain of sand is infinitely small, easily swept away by a gentle breeze.

At times, it floats on the water, at other times, it rolls along the shore covered with countless grains of sand. Sometimes, it finds its place between different grains of soil and sand.

On the foundation of settled grains of sand, more grains accumulate. The grain of sand becomes one of many identical ones.

Upon the accumulated pile of sand, other things start to gather. Fragments of broken rocks, layers of soil, and even the rush of water.

Thus, the tightly packed small grain of sand gradually becomes solid and eventually swells in size. It grows into a larger cluster of sand and, under the pressure from above, transforms into a stone.

It was a day when a storm poured down. The soil and debris covering the stone were swept away, just as the grains of sand had been swept away in the time when the sand grain was swirling.

So, it becomes a solid stone revealed to the world. Finally emerging from the pile of dirt.

It is different from the past when it was merely a grain of sand in a seemingly inconspicuous, towering heap of sand. The stone is now visible to the eyes of people and the eyes of other animals.

The enlarged stone silently holds its ground. It doesn’t flinch in the face of storms, and it remains unbroken even when someone steps on it. To others, it may appear as just an insignificant stone.

Then one day, someone picks up the stone. They touch it, examine it, sweep it off, and even smell it.

The stone remains solid and silent. However, it could feel the warmth of the hand that picked it up.

The name of this stone is Faith.

And the one who discovers the stone is the Lord.

* * * * *

Does learning have an end?

If someone were to ask, Laura von Adelheid could confidently answer.

There is no end to learning. Even an old man with graying hair can still learn something from a child.

But what about now?

Deng— Deng—.

A relentlessly harsh bell rang out. Laura, awakened from her thoughts, unknowingly furrowed her brows.

“Everyone, I hope you gained some insight from today’s lesson. Don’t forget to submit your assignments before the deadline.”

The class was over. Students stared blankly at Professor Antonelli. He gathered the books on the lectern and, as always, concluded the class.

“Well then, see you on Friday.”

With confident strides and without paying any attention to the students staring at him, Professor Antonelli left the classroom. There was no hesitation in his steps.

Sophia Buse, holding her enticing materials, followed him out silently. With that, the classroom fell silent.

The students did nothing. During the first class, they either took notes or attempted to draw the scenes they witnessed.

However, now, those actions seemed meaningless. Students gazed into the air, staring blankly into space.

The sound of students from another first-year class heading to lunch echoed in the hallway. Some students rushed to the cafeteria, forming groups with friends.

Normally, the students of Class A, Grade 1, would have joined them. However, they didn’t move.

There were only students sitting in the classroom, gazing into the void, looking at distant mountains, or closing their eyes in silence. No one inside the classroom moved their feet.

No, it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t move.

If they were to stand up now and head to the cafeteria, just like any other day, they would undoubtedly miss something elusive that seemed within reach.

Professor Antonelli’s class and the subsequent manifestation of Cloé’s sanctity. Students saw it and realized something. They had crossed a certain barrier.

However, they couldn’t clearly understand what that something was or why they had crossed the barrier. Unconsciously, they stood there in confusion, trying to figure it out.

That elusive something, that tickling of the heart with this unknowable snippet of knowledge.

Now, at this moment, Professor Antonelli couldn’t help but feel resentful. He never expected to come across such a frustrating situation.

And there it was, a student anxiously biting their nails, completely forgetting about maintaining their composure.

“What on earth…! What is it…! I feel like I know, but I’m clueless…!”

Laura von Adelheid was in the same state. Her lips were chewed to the point of bleeding.

There was definitely an epiphany. It was what Laura von Adelheid, known as a genius prodigy in the Department of Magic, knew best.

An epiphany that passed through her mind like lightning. Accompanied by an electrifying, ecstatic sensation.

However, this kind of situation was new. Behind the sweet euphoria of discovery, there remained a frustrating and headache-inducing sense of growth.

Laura glanced at the theology students. Did they know something? With their rich theological knowledge, did they understand what Professor Antonelli was trying to convey?

However, there was no fool in 1st Year Class A who would approach the theology students and ask them about it.

Ever since class ended, they closed their eyes and prayed without any movement. They were as motionless as stone. The solemn sight made it impossible to strike up a conversation.

Apart from that, a dominant reason was the secret desire. They wanted to solve this problem on their own. They wanted to catch hold of this elusive key without help from anyone.

I want to solve this problem first…

Class A consisted of the most exceptional students among the 89th group of newcomers in the Chaldea Imperial Academy. Among these talents, if someone were to solve the problem first, confidently stand up and leave the classroom, they would become the object of envy and admiration for all the other students.

Just the imagination of that was thrilling. It was a crazy idea. And the students in this classroom were truly crazy.

They were crazy about theology. The greater meaning within theology. And the epiphany within it. The students were running towards the gleaming jewel hidden within theology, their eyes flickering with excitement.

Has there ever been anything so deeply engraved in the study of theology? At least, excluding the students in the theology department, there hadn’t been.

As other students, bustling and heading towards the cafeteria, passed by their classroom, it was not difficult for them to look at the 1st Year Class A students with eyes filled with curiosity.

Professor Antonelli clearly intended for this to be the case. Laura was well aware of that fact.

The assignment he presented during the first class. He wanted the students to search for the answer themselves.

That’s why he would give clues that seemed like he was revealing the answer, but ultimately leave them vague and ambiguous. It wasn’t a behavior that Laura couldn’t understand despite finding it frustrating.

Laura sighed. Suddenly looking at the clock, she realized that twenty minutes had passed since class ended.

Thud!

She nervously scratched her head and fell onto her desk. Although there was a loud sound, none of the students paid any attention.

“Am I really getting overwhelmed like this…? Me, Laura von Adelheid? All the clues have been given! This shouldn’t be happening!”

And even Chloe, a student who had received a firsthand demonstration of sacred power from Professor Antonelli, was not an exception. Though Professor Antonelli had shown her a demonstration, she was still in a state of not fully understanding his intentions.

“Ugh…! I don’t know…! Maybe I’m just a fool… Should I discuss it with Ellen?”

Ellen, sitting next to her, had her eyes lit and was reading the Bible. Chloe quickly gave up on the idea.

Time passed as everyone was consumed by their distress. Twenty minutes turned into an hour, then two hours, and finally, even lunchtime came to an end.

Until the bell announcing the afternoon class rang, there was not a single student who left the classroom.

* * * * *

After finishing my work in the professor’s office, I suddenly looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

The direction of the hour and minute hand, indicating 5 p.m., was incredibly joyous. Just one more hour and it would be time to go home. Could there be anything happier than this?

Today was an especially exhausting day. Assisting Chloe in using her divine powers was a more demanding task than I had anticipated.

Chloe’s level of divine power was almost nonexistent, despite her lifetime of accumulating it through faith and prayer. It was a burden for me to transfer my own divine power to her.

Fortunately, my right arm only experienced a slight spasm and I did not feel any severe pain. I did well to only give her a small amount of divine power.

Stretching myself lazily, I stood up from my chair and did some proper stretching. I could feel the gaze of Sofia, the assistant who was sitting on the professor’s office sofa.

“Sofia, have you finished the task I asked you to do?”

While belonging to the Holy Caldea Academy, Sofia was also my assistant and played a dual role as a theological professor. She always seemed busy, partly due to the professors at the academy having more work than expected.

Sofia, who was buried in the sofa, opened her mouth and looked at me with lifeless eyes.

“Yes… I just finished it.”

“When will the visiting priests from the Holy Kingdom arrive?”

“I contacted them, and it seems they will arrive next Monday.”

“Good job. Please give me the rest of the documents, and I will take care of them.”

Sofia, as if she had been waiting, handed me a stack of papers. I placed the thick pile of papers on my desk.

“Sofia, I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Sofia, humans don’t die that easily.”

“Huhuhu… maybe the esteemed professor is mistaken….”

To think she would make such weak remarks. I shook my head in disappointment.

“Sofia, do you have any free time this Sunday?”

“Huh?”

Sofia, who was groaning in pain, suddenly stood up as if having a fit. Her sparkling emerald eyes were lost and shaking uncontrollably.

“W-why… are you asking that…?”

“Even if you have a schedule, I would prefer if you could keep that day free.”

“W-why…?”

With her face turning red, Sofia continued to question the reason.

However, it was actually me who wanted to ask the question. Why would I keep my schedule free on Sunday? Well, of course…

“Don’t we have to hold Sunday service? We couldn’t do it last week due to unavoidable circumstances, so we must ensure it takes place this week.”

“….”

Sofia’s eyebrows twitched. Her green eyes, which had been wandering all over the place, suddenly lost their light and became like dead fish. For some reason, Sofia’s expression became slightly unsettling.

“Sigh… I guess that’s true. I was foolish.”

“What are you saying?”

“Oh, nothing. I just had a misconception. Sunday service. It should definitely be open. Yes…”

Sophia’s subtitle became even more weak and weary. I continued to look at her with a perplexed expression, still not understanding.

“Ah… Why did I have such a misconception… against that foolish priest…”

“I heard everything.”

“Oh.”

Leaving behind the foolish Sophia, I turned my chair and looked out the window.

I saw students returning to the dormitory, students walking through the courtyard, and students heading towards the training field.

Among them, there were familiar students walking towards the dormitory with weak and hesitant steps.

“The white hair must belong to Laura… and the pink hair must be Chloe.”

Laura is the genius of the magic department, and Chloe is the protagonist of this world, so I had high expectations for both of them. How would they approach the task I presented? How would they interpret the proof of faith that I offered? Even I couldn’t know the end result, but surely it would exceed my expectations and reward me with sweet fruits.