Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

5 – 5. First Class (3)

“Sigh… I almost passed out right there in the classroom.”

After introducing myself, a sudden thunderous applause erupted, and I was a bit surprised. Unconsciously, I almost took cover behind the lectern.

The sound of cannons firing at Goksa Port, the gunfire that rings in the ears right next to me. Because of all the blast sounds, including the sound of applause, it constantly brings to mind unpleasant things. To me, the booming sound was torture.

During the entrance ceremony, I was fine immediately after taking medication, but not now.

My steps towards the school cafeteria are heavy. I adjusted the solid theological books held in my left hand. Sweat had formed on my forehead without me realizing it.

“Handkerchief, handkerchief…. Oh.”

While searching through my pocket with my right hand to take out a handkerchief, my arm started trembling and stiffening. Because of that, the handkerchief fell to the floor.

“…Damn it.”

My right arm continued to tremble without pause. Reflexively, I used my left hand to press down on my right arm. The theological books held in my left hand falling to the floor was the natural course of events.

Leaning against the wall in a wobbly position while pressing down on my arm, passing students gave me strange looks.

As I continued pressing down on my arm for a moment, the pain in my right arm began to reduce. I sighed and gathered the fallen theology books from the floor.

Just as I gathered the books with difficulty, in the moment I was about to pick up the handkerchief that had fallen to the floor.

Swoosh–.

A bluish black hair fluttered before my eyes. A white hand that caught the handkerchief I was about to pick up came into view.

“Professor Lucio. Are you okay?”

The person who appeared in front of me like a savior was my academic lunch mate, Professor Esther Garrett.

* * * * *

“Thank you earlier.”

“What for? But by the way, why did that happen suddenly?”

I put down my fork and locked eyes with Professor Esther. Her mysterious purple eyes pierced through me.

“What are you talking about?”

“I was walking down the opposite side of the hallway when suddenly Professor Lucio was causing a commotion in the hallway. I was wondering if something happened.”

“A commotion….”

I made an embarrassed expression. In response, Professor Esther smirked like a mischievous child.

“Hehe…. Just joking. Just joking.”

“No, you’re not. I did cause a commotion, for sure.”

“Huh? You were joking?”

“I understand. I understand.”

“So, why did you really do that?”

“….”

It was a scar I received during the Civil War. Shrapnel had lodged in my shoulder. I injured the nerves and muscles in my right shoulder, resulting in a permanent disability.

…But I couldn’t bring myself to say that. The meal I had eaten seemed like it would come back up for no reason.

“Just suddenly, a rat came out.”

“Hmm…”

“Really.”

As if she did not like my answer, Professor Esther stared at me while chewing on her chicken. Her fork was now moving the salad from the plate.

“Well, let’s leave it at that. Maybe it’s not the right time yet.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

After taking a sip of water like a rabbit eating salad, Professor Esther pointed at the stack of theology books next to my plate and asked,

“By the way, what are your thoughts on the first class?”

“Thoughts?”

What thoughts? Did she want to hear my thoughts about almost wetting myself because of the applause?

As I frowned and asked, Professor Esther shrugged her shoulders and replied,

“Well, it is understandable. It was a class at the Chaldea Imperial Academy, after all. Even I, who came from an academy in a provincial town, was sweating. The level of students’ questions is on a different plane. Thanks to that, I had to put so much effort into adjusting the difficulty…”

“Well, I’m not that great. I’m not comparable to other professors.”

Professor Esther narrowed her eyes and looked at me. When I met her gaze without understanding English, she quickly averted her eyes and sighed.

“…Professor Lucio, you need a bit more confidence.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s the renowned Chaldea Imperial Academy, you know? It is the best prestigious academy that produces royal officials every year and even the nobles of neighboring countries want to be admitted! Professor Lucio, you started your career at such a prestigious place, need I say more!”

I was well aware of the reputation of the Chaldea Imperial Academy. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out why I was able to get a job here.

Even when I recalled the interview, my attitude towards the interview was not that great. To be honest, I didn’t think there was a possibility of being hired.

If there was anything surprising, it was that the Dean, Damian, already knew about my military service before I even brought it up.

“Well… yes. Now that I think about it, it doesn’t make any sense. How did I get hired?”

“Oh, no… I told you to have confidence, but if you end up crawling on the floor even more nervously…”

Professor Esther muttered with a disappointed expression as she stabbed at her salad. I looked at her for a moment, then picked up the plate with some food still left and stood up from my seat.

“I’m sorry, but I think I should go and see for myself.”

“Oh…Why? You haven’t finished eating yet….”

“I have no appetite, and I also need to visit the Academy headquarters.”

“Oh, I see….”

Come to think of it, even though I had become the head priest of the Academy headquarters, I hadn’t thought about visiting there yet. Since there was still a little time before lunch, I had planned to visit the Academy headquarters while taking a walk.

“Well, then I’ll go with you! Just a moment! I’ve almost finished eating…!”

“…Take your time.”

I tidied up the dining area and slowly walked out of the restaurant. Professor Esther, with her bloated cheeks, followed closely behind me.

“Oh, wait! Check my mind! My hat!”

“…….”

Thanks to Professor Esther forgetting her hat at the restaurant, there was an unexpected small incident that caused a slight delay in time.

* * * * *

Arriving at the Academy headquarters, Professor Esther and I strolled slowly outside the cathedral. There were benches scattered around, making it a good place to rest, and the landscaping was well-maintained, making it aesthetically beautiful.

“It’s really huge. It’s even more impressive compared to the cathedrals in the city center.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Well, to begin with, it’s unreasonable that there is a separate cathedral dedicated to the Academy.”

The Royal Academy of Chaldea. As a prestigious academy that even gained fame in the empire, the grounds of the Royal Academy of Chaldea boasted a size beyond imagination.

And naturally, a cathedral dedicated to the Academy was built on such a massive academy grounds. That is the Academy headquarters.

“Yes, it truly is. In the previous academy where I worked, there was no cathedral, so the theology professors suffered. The theology students also felt uncomfortable.”

“Indeed….”

As we briefly explored the cathedral, we eventually stepped foot inside.

Then, the largest space in this Academy headquarters was the first thing that caught our eyes.

“This is the chapel.”

“Wow….”

The stained glass basked in the sunlight, radiating a beautiful iridescence. Its appearance harmonized with the serene atmosphere of the cathedral, exuding grandeur.

Inside the chapel, several priests dressed in robes and some students who appeared to be affiliated with the theology department were in the midst of praying. The priests in robes were probably professors from other theology departments in the Academy.

As I entered the chapel with Professor Esther, some theology professors glanced this way, bowed slightly, and lowered their heads. I also nodded quietly in greeting.

Although I had been appointed as the head priest of this Academy headquarters, it seemed that the theology professors who were previously employed didn’t seem to be jealous of me. They didn’t give me any special attention.

Being the head priest, especially in a position like the head priest of the Academy headquarters, where incidents and accidents caused by unruly students are constant, is not just a good position, and they clearly knew that. It’s like a sense of camaraderie between colleagues in the same profession.

“I’m planning to go to the head priest’s office. Professor Esther….”

“May I enter such a place?”

“Professor Esther, I am the head priest here.”

“Oh.”

Esther’s earlobes turned crimson as she asked me with a worried expression, looking embarrassed for asking such a foolish question.

I chuckled and slowly moved forward. There was no reason to disturb those quietly praying.

How long did we walk? We ascended to the second floor of the cathedral, and soon we found the head priest’s room. I reached for the doorknob…

“…Lord, please fill our souls with grace and save us….”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you like that?”

From inside the head priest’s room, a voice filled with doubt murmured. When I stopped reaching for the doorknob, Professor Esther stuck her head out as if to ask what was going on.

“Do you not hear something?”

“What sound… huh?”

“…Today is the first day we meet the head priest. We pray for the head priest who will support the main academy firmly….”

“A person? No, this is… the sound of prayer?”

Someone seemed to be offering prayers inside the head priest’s room. Without realizing, I found myself biting my tongue as I forcefully opened the door to the head priest’s room.

“Today, once again, like dew-like grace…. Uh-oh!”

In the center of the head priest’s room, a girl who was kneeling and praying looked at me with surprised eyes. No, I should be the one surprised.

I scrutinized her face. A girl with golden short hair that reached her shoulders and impressive emerald-green eyes. Below that, she wore a black priest’s robe with a white surplice draped diagonally.

“What’s this? Professor Lucio. Do you know this person?”

Professor Esther asked me closely, as if interrogating. Even if she asked me like that…

“Um, who are you?”

I had no idea who she was.

“I don’t know who you are, but this is the head priest’s room. You shouldn’t enter without permission.”

“By any chance, are you Senior Priest Lucio Antonelli?”

“Yes. And who might you be, sister?”

Since she didn’t look like a student, I added the term “sister.” The attire she wore with a white surplice diagonally over her black priest’s robe was the attire worn by subordinate priests.

After clearing her throat with a cough, she confidently placed her hand on her waist and spoke.

“I am Sister Sophia, dispatched as the assistant priest under the head priest! I’ve cleaned thoroughly before the head priest arrived and was just offering a pre-meal prayer!”

With a face that looked barely like that of a newly-adult, she must have been appointed as an assistant priest shortly after graduating from the Theological Academy of the Holy Empire. Nevertheless, a pre-meal prayer?

“A pre-meal prayer, you say?”

“Yes!”

Sophia enthusiastically replied. I looked down at her hand with a sense of unease.

She was clutching a hard black bread.

“Is that… lunch?”

“Yes!”

An unnecessarily energetic response. Without realizing it, I found myself furrowing my brow.

“Why didn’t you eat at the academy cafeteria…?”

“Well, um… on my way from the empire to here, I lost my appointment letter as a subtitle…. Unconfirmed outsiders are not allowed to eat at the academy cafeteria….”

“…. Let’s go to the cafeteria then.”

We headed back to the cafeteria.

I had a strong feeling that the interrogator had come.