PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

Here, there is a grain of sand.

The grain of sand is infinitely small. It is swept around by even the slightest breeze.

Sometimes it floats on the water’s surface, and at other times it rolls around on a beach covered in countless grains of sand. It also sometimes finds itself nestled among other grains of soil and sand.

As it settles down, other sands pile on top of the grain. It becomes one of the many similarly shaped grains of sand.

On top of the mound of sand, this time, other things pile up. Split rock fragments gather, dirt accumulates, and water begins to seep in.

In this way, the tightly packed little grain of sand gradually hardens and eventually swells in size. It becomes a larger mass of sand and, under the pressure pressing down from above, finally turns into stone.

One day, amidst a torrential storm, the dirt and debris covering the stone are swept away, just like when the grain of sand was being blown about.

In this way, the solid stone emerges into the world. It finally breaks free from the heap of dirt.

It is no longer just one grain of sand, unnoticed among a large pile. The stone now catches the eyes of people and animals alike.

The now massive stone quietly holds its ground. It remains unyielding against the wind and rain, and even if someone steps on it, it does not crack. To others, it may seem like just an insignificant stone.

Then one day, someone picks up this stone. They touch it, run their fingers over it, and sniff it.

The stone remains solid and silent. But the stone could feel the warmth of the hand holding it.

The person who picked up the stone soon takes it away somewhere. The stone simply moves along with that touch.

The name of this stone is faith.

And the one who discovers the stone is the Lord.

* * * * *

Is there an end to learning?

If someone were to ask, Laura von Adelheit would confidently respond.

Learning has no end. Even an elderly man with gray hair can find something to learn from a child.

But what about now?

Dong— dong—.

The endlessly relentless sound of a bell rang out. Laura, awakened from her thoughts, unknowingly furrowed her brow.

“I hope everyone has gained some insights from today’s class. Don’t forget to submit your assignments before the deadline.”

The class is over. The students stared blankly at Professor Antorelli. He gathered the books on the lectern and, as always, concluded the class.

“Well then, see you on Friday.”

With his long legs stretching out, Professor Antorelli left the classroom without paying any mind to the dazed gazes of the students. There was no hesitation in his step.

With Sub-priest Sofia hastily following him with handouts in hand, silence filled the classroom.

The students did nothing. In the first class, they had tried to take notes or sketch what they had witnessed at the time.

But now, they questioned whether those actions held any meaning. More and more students found themselves staring blankly into the air.

Noises came from the first-year students in another class venturing into the hallway for lunch. Some students rushed to the cafeteria, and others clustered together with their friends.

On a normal day, the first-year A-class students would have mingled among them. However, they remained motionless.

Only students staring into the air, gazing at distant mountains, or sitting in silence with their eyes closed occupied the classroom. No one sitting inside moved a foot.

No, it would be more accurate to say that they could not move.

If they stood up from this spot and headed to the cafeteria as usual, they would surely miss this elusive something that felt so close yet so far away.

The class of Professor Antorelli and the subsequent demonstration of Chloe’s divine power. The students realized something from that. They had crossed over a wall.

Yet, there was no clear way to understand what that something was—or why they had crossed the wall. They stood there blankly, not knowing the reason, despite having unconsciously crossed it. Therefore, they continued to investigate.

That elusive something, this vague fragment of knowledge that tickled their hearts.

At this moment, Laura found herself almost resenting Professor Antorelli. She never anticipated encountering such a frustrating situation.

And that was the case for one student who had forgotten to maintain their composure and restlessly bit their nails.

“What on earth is this…? What is it…! I feel like I understand, but I don’t…!”

Laura von Adelheit felt the same. Her lips were tightly pressed together.

There was definitely some kind of realization. It was something the genius, prodigy known as Laura von Adelheit in the Department of Magic knew better than anyone.

The realization that zipped through her mind like lightning. The exhilarating and ecstatic pleasure that came with it.

However, this was the first time any of this had happened. After that sweet growth experience, such a frustrating and headache-inducing growing pain remained.

Laura glanced at the students in the Department of Theology. Do they know something? Given their wealth of theological knowledge, did they comprehend what Professor Antorelli was trying to convey?

However, nobody in first-year A-class was foolish enough to approach them to ask.

Since the end of the class, those who had their eyes closed in prayer without moving even a bit were as still as stones. That pious scene did not exude an atmosphere in which one could casually speak.

Separate from that, the gloomy desire also played a dominant role. I want to solve this problem myself. I want to grasp this annoyingly elusive key without receiving anyone’s help.

I want to be the first to solve this problem—.

A-class was made up of only the most outstanding students among the 89th cohort of new students at the Caldera Imperial Academy. If among such talents, one were to be the first to solve it and confidently rise to leave the classroom, that would make them the envy and jealousy of all other students.

It was an event that excited just by imagining it. It was madness. And the students in this classroom were thoroughly caught up in it.

They were passionate about theology. The great meaning hidden within theology. And that realization. The students were charging forth with their eyes lit up in search of that shining gem.

Had they ever delved this deeply into the study of theology? At least, excluding the students of the Theology Department, none had.

It was no surprise that the other students, noisily chatting on their way to the cafeteria, glanced into the first-year A-class classroom with questioning looks.

Professor Antorelli had certainly intended for this. Laura was aware of that fact.

The assignment he presented on the first day of class. He wanted the students to explore the answers themselves like this.

That’s why he gave them a hint that seemed to provide answers yet remained intentionally vague. It was understandable that Laura felt agitated by this.

With a sigh, Laura glanced at the clock and realized that twenty minutes had already passed since the end of class.

Bang!

She irritably scratched her head and threw herself over the desk. Although it made a loud sound, none of the students paid it any mind.

“Am I really struggling like this…? Me, Laura von Adelheit? All clues have been thrown out! It shouldn’t be possible!”

And Chloe, who had personally manifested divine power under Professor Antorelli, was no exception. Although Professor Antorelli demonstrated it himself, she too had not fully grasped his intentions.

“Uuugh…! I don’t get it…! Am I just an idiot…? Should I consult Elin?”

Elin, who sat next to her, was intensely reading the Bible with her eyes lit up. Chloe quickly abandoned her thought.

Thus, the time of everyone being lost in contemplation extended. Twenty minutes turned into an hour, then two, until even the lunchtime passed.

Until the bell signaling the afternoon class rang, no student was able to leave the classroom.

* * * * *

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

The hands indicating 5 o’clock filled me with joy. Just one more hour until quitting time. Could there be anything more delightful than this?

Today was particularly tiring. Assisting Chloe with her divine power proved to be more challenging than I had expected.

Chloe had almost no divine power, accumulated over a lifetime through faith and prayer, so drawing upon my own divine power to provide it was the real issue.

Fortunately, my right arm felt only a slight twitch, and I didn’t experience significant pain. I was wise to have only given her a bit of my power.

Stirring in a big stretch, I got up from my chair to properly stretch out. I felt Sofia the Sub-priest’s gaze from the sofa.

“Sofia, have you finished everything I asked of you?”

Though part of the main chapel at the Caldera Imperial Academy, as a professor in the Theology Department, Sofia also occupied the roles of my sub-priest and assistant. She always seemed busy. There was more work for an academy professor than I expected.

With her body sunk back into the sofa, she looked at me with a lifeless gaze as she spoke.

“Yes… I just finished.”

“When is the arrival of the priest group from the Holy Empire?”

“I contacted the two, and it seems they should arrive next Monday.”

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

As if she had been waiting, Sofia quickly handed me a stack of paperwork. I placed that heavy bundle of papers on the desk.

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

“Sofia, humans do not die that easily.”

“Oh dear… You might be mistaken, Head Priest…”

How could I listen to such weak phrases? I shook my head in disapproval.

“Sofia, do you have time this Sunday?”

“…Huh?”

Sofia, who had been groaning, suddenly jumped up like she had a seizure. Her sparkling emerald-colored eyes were in a state of agitation, darting around anxiously.

“W-why do you ask that…?”

“Even if you have an appointment, I would prefer you to keep that day free.”

“S-so, why…?”

Her face flushed bright red as she persistently questioned me.

However, I wanted to ask her instead: why keep that day free? Well, of course, it was…

“Isn’t it necessary to hold Sunday worship? We couldn’t hold it last week due to unavoidable circumstances, so we must do it this week.”

“…….”

Sofia’s eyebrows twitched. Her previously darting green eyes lost their light, becoming like the eyes of a fish out of water. For some reason, her expression had turned somewhat frightening.

“Hah… I should have realized. I was the fool.”

“What do you mean?”

“No, I just misunderstood on my own. Sunday worship. Of course, it should be held. Yes…”

Sofia seemed to deflate further. I merely continued to watch her with a bemused expression.

“Ugh… I can’t believe I thought that. To someone as foolish as the Head Priest….”

“I can hear you.”

“…Huh.”

Ignoring the evasive Sofia, I turned my chair to look out the window.

I could see students heading back to the dorm, students walking through the courtyard, and several students making their way to the training ground.

Among them, there were familiar students trudging towards the dorm with tired steps.

‘The white-haired one must be Laura… and the pink-haired girl must be Chloe.’

Laura is a genius in the Department of Magic, and since Chloe is the protagonist of this world, I personally had high expectations for both of them. How would they approach the assignment I had presented?

How would they interpret the method of proof of faith I showed? I had no idea what kind of results my efforts over the past month would yield.

But surely, I would taste sweet fruits that surpassed my expectations.

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