NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
The cool breeze brushed against their skin…
“Is this really okay?”
With a worried voice, Leje burrowed closer to Rudell.
“Of course. Are you scared?”
“Who’s scared?!”
Despite her following question, Leje forced a calm response.
Though, her gaze was still sneaking a peek at the dizzying drop below.
They were currently at the top of the west tower of the Academy.
A place at least dozens of meters above ground.
“Don’t worry, if you fall, I’ll catch you.”
“I’m not going to fall!”
As Rudell chuckled, Leje blushed and shouted back.
“Let’s see… it seems like it’s almost time to start…”
Muttering to himself, Rudell pulled out a pocket watch.
It was now six-thirty.
According to the schedule, the fireworks should be starting soon.
“By the way, how did you manage to find this place? You’re not coming up here regularly, right?”
Leje, looking a lot calmer now, asked Rudell.
Climbing to places like this was naturally against the rules.
It wasn’t something a member of the Student Council’s Discipline Corps would do.
“Well… sometimes?”
“You do realize you’re in the Student Council, right?”
“Ever heard this saying? If you don’t get caught, it’s not illegal.”
Leje looked at him as if she had lost her words, while Rudell let out a giggle and stared up at the sky.
Amidst the dimming blue of the night sky, countless stars glittered brilliantly.
It’s always been like this; it was Rudell’s favorite view.
“What are you staring at?”
“Just some stuff? Stars, sky, Milky Way, moon, and shooting stars…”
“Nothing special, right?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
Perhaps this was the difference in perception.
With that thought, Rudell chuckled softly.
Unlike Leje, who was born and raised in this world, Rudell had memories from his past life.
The skies he remembered were always gray, with a musty smell, and not even a glimpse of starlight at midnight.
But the sky of this world was different.
Clear, clean, and filled with countless twinkling lights at night.
To Rudell, that scene was truly magical.
“How romantic. When did you become like this?”
“What do you mean? I’ve always loved looking at the stars.”
Now that he thought about it, he had heard that telescopes existed in this world too.
Thinking of checking it out someday, Rudell responded to Leje.
“You think it’s that pretty? I don’t get it.”
“Everyone has their own tastes.”
Leje tilted her head up at the sky, and Rudell, amused, pointed at the sparkling stars.
“Look over there. Can you see that shining star? That one over there with three stars clustered together, and if you connect them, you get the Big Dipper. And that star there looks symmetrical, like Gemini…”
Recalling the knowledge from books he read as a child, Rudell continued speaking.
“I don’t see it that way at all.”
Squinting, Leje replied as she looked at the constellations Rudell pointed out.
“That’s how constellations are; it’s not about how they look, but the stories tangled within them.”
In fact, constellations appear differently depending on who’s looking at them.
But the meaning of a constellation lay in the stories it contained.
The stories of the people, objects, and lives connected to them.
That’s what made a constellation a constellation, in Rudell’s mind.
Just then, while Rudell was talking about various constellations to Leje…
“Ah…”
“What’s wrong?”
Glancing at the quietly muted Rudell, Leje spoke in confusion.
“A shooting star just passed! You should make a wish.”
“Make a wish on a shooting star? Why bother?”
“It’s a thing! They say if you make a wish before it completely disappears, it comes true.”
“What’s that all about?”
Saying that, Rudell clasped his hands together, and Leje made a face like it was ridiculous, but as she watched his serious demeanor, she joined him, her hands neatly pressed together, staring at the fading shooting star.
“Alright.”
A few seconds passed, and as both opened their eyes just in time to see the shooting star entirely vanish, Rudell muttered softly, and so did Leje.
“What did you wish for?”
“It’s a secret.”
“What secret? What’s wrong with just telling me?”
“They say if you tell someone your wish, it won’t come true. Ever heard of that?”
“How annoying is that shooting star!”
With a sly grin, Rudell commented, and Leje replied in exasperation, quickly turning her head away.
What could she do if that was how he felt?
With that thought, they continued gazing at the stars.
How long had they been watching the stars?
Peeewwwww!!
With a sharp sound, they both turned their heads.
And what appeared in their sight was a firework soaring into the sky, trailing a long tail.
Before long, the fireworks that had shot up began to fade…
Pereung!!
With an enormous boom, it started to decorate the sky with an array of colors.
From that moment, numerous fireworks began shooting up from different spots in the academy, painting the dark night sky.
“Wow…”
A gasp escaped from Leje as she watched the display.
The fireworks unfolding right before their eyes.
It was a sight not easily seen by anyone.
“That’s amazing…”
Seeing the fireworks up close was the first time for Rudell, including his past life.
“So? Now do you think it’s worth breaking the rules?”
“Well, uh…”
It seemed she couldn’t quite bring herself to agree, as Leje trailed off, and Rudell looked at her with a soft smile.
Honestly, no matter what answer she gave, it wasn’t that important to him.
He just wanted to capture this sight in his eyes for just a little longer.
Just then…
“…?”
Feeling a strange sensation at his fingertips, Rudell turned his head in confusion.
And what caught his eye was Leje, who had unknowingly grasped his hand.
“…”
Seemingly unaware of her actions, Leje’s gaze was still fixed on the brilliant fireworks in front of her.
‘Seriously…’
Rudell couldn’t help but chuckle quietly as he watched her.
How cute it was that she acted nonchalant most of the time, but her true feelings came out like this.
Feeling a sudden urge to tease her a little more, he shook his head and turned back to the fireworks.
It was okay to let things be like this for now.
With that thought, he directed his gaze back at the sky filled with the fireworks.
And so, the Sabbath Festival was drawing to a close.
*
“That’s amazing.”
Kaylee said as she watched the fireworks explode outside the window.
She couldn’t see it clearly due to the buildings obstructing her view, but she could easily tell how grand and dazzling the fireworks were.
“Don’t worry about me; you should go out and enjoy them too.”
“Where would I go without you, Princess? I’m not exactly someone with free time, you know.”
As she said this while setting down her teacup, Jade responded to Kaylee.
Officially, Jade was supposed to have returned to the royal castle.
However, she had secretly returned to the academy due to some revelations that arose during her investigation.
“So… do you know what this is?”
After peering out the window for a while, Kaylee returned to her seat and handed something to Jade.
It was a piece of jewelry shaped like a cross, adorned with red eye-shaped decorations.
“The Church of the Eaters of Death…”
“The Church of the Eaters of Death? What a cheesy name.”
“It’s a cult that serves a wicked deity responsible for countless deaths in the shadows of history. I had thought it was completely extinguished long ago…”
“Villains who were thought to be dead but turned out to be alive are a common trope in old stories, aren’t they?”
Jade muttered seriously as she looked at it, causing Kaylee to react as if she wasn’t amused at all.
“It’s not something to take lightly. Every time they reveal themselves in history, unimaginable disasters follow…”
“Ugh… this is so frustrating.”
Hearing that, Kaylee pressed her forehead and let out a short sigh.
Why did something like this have to happen in her time?
Her expression seemed to convey that thought.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“I’ll need to consult with others, but first, I have to gather trustworthy people.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
At Kaylee’s question, Jade silently nodded, her gaze shifting to the documents laid out on the table.
With a short sigh, Jade looked up, then nodded toward Kaylee.