PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

Rina von Adelheit, the second daughter of the Adelhaid Ducal House, had recently found herself lost in the exotic joys of everyday life, as if each day were something new.

Although the wind was still chilly, life was beginning to blossom everywhere. Even before the flowers had fully bloomed, the scent of flowers seemed to tickle her nose, evoking the unique spring fragrance that only came with the season.

A new sky, new nature, a new academy, new encounters.

Everything felt just new. And while Rina was stuck in the corner of the mansion, gazing aimlessly out the window, she was filled with curiosity.

It was indeed a dream come true for her to enroll in the Caldera Imperial Academy, where her one-of-a-kind sister, Laura von Adelheit, was studying.

There is a warmth in people, and Rina yearned for it deeply.

The seed of such longing was sown during the past few years that Rina spent lying in bed.

Rina wanted to meet new people and form connections, not just with her family or servants.

She wished to explore the vast world a little more and see everything she had yet to discover.

She wanted to visit the Holy Empire, see the Papal States where the Pope resided, and visit the famous cathedral.

She also wanted to take a trip to a beautiful coastal city by the sea, to see the shimmering blue waves crashing onto the white sandy beaches. Just once, she wanted to see with her own eyes the endless expanse of the ocean.

Thus, in Rina’s mind, while she spent most of her time on her bed, countless curiosities and questions bubbled up.

Sometimes she would wander around the mansion, and on days with good weather when she felt healthy, she would visit the garden created specifically for the mansion, chatting and playing chess with her close servants or family members, or even Priest Luciana, but still, new experiences were meaningless unless experienced firsthand.

After finally fulfilling her first wish of enrolling in Caldera Imperial Academy, Rina busily moved as if to resolve everything she had accumulated over time.

Only a day had passed since the entrance ceremony, yet Rina had already made a few new friends. Though she was weak, she had improved enough that walking around or even a short sprint didn’t pose any problems.

The friends she had made in just a day remarked, “Rina is quite thin! How enviable!” without really probing deeper.

While they outwardly said that, they were genuinely concerned and curious about Rina’s health. Although Rina was still awkward when interacting with others, she knew how to distinguish certain types of people.

So, after successfully finishing the entrance ceremony and spending her first night in the dormitory, the second morning began.

“Hmph… Hmph…”

On the beginning of her second day at the academy, Rina unconsciously hummed while quickly getting ready for school.

After getting out of bed, tidying her quilt, brushing her teeth, and washing her face, she pulled out her school uniform and was more or less ready for school.

While other children her age might doll themselves up with makeup or don pretty clothing over their uniforms to show off their looks and follow trends… Rina found no need to do such things.

“Rina, you look pretty today too!”

Well, the fact was that her appearance was outstanding. Rina smiled slightly at Yulia’s compliment, then promptly bowed her head and shook it.

“Oh, no… Yulia-san, you’re more beautiful.”

“Uh, um… that’s a bit.”

Yulia scratched her cheek with a shy smile. Rina believed that Yulia was quite pretty. Compared to her sister, who was often regarded as the most beautiful woman in the Empire, she couldn’t measure up.

Rina’s first friend and roommate in the academy dormitory, Yulia von Volta, was remarkably friendly.

Even after hearing about Rina’s family background, Yulia didn’t seem uncomfortable treating Rina normally, and instead, she was always smiling and looking out for her.

Having read many books, Rina possessed a unique insight compared to her peers. This insight also extended to noticing unfamiliar faces.

Yulia’s friendly behavior towards Rina wasn’t merely to satisfy some ulterior motive. It wasn’t driven by a desire to secure the power of the Adelhaid Ducal House.

At her core, Yulia was simply kind and friendly.

Sometimes, due to her lively and outgoing nature, Rina did feel a bit of exhaustion… but it wasn’t too much yet.

It was still just the second day of their friendship.

“Your eyelashes look nice today. Oh, this side could… maybe use a little trimming. Like this?”

Yet despite that, Yulia treated Rina as a true friend. Although just a day had passed, Rina gradually lowered her guard around Yulia.

“Ah, um… thank you…”

Avoiding Yulia’s serious gaze as she inspected her face closely, Rina spoke with a slightly shaky voice.

‘Uh, what should I do? Just now, my voice sounded super shaky…!’

Suddenly, Yulia closed the distance and began to closely examine her face, causing Rina to reflexively speak in a tense voice. It sounded clumsy, like a goat bleating after she caught herself.

“Hey, what’s with that? By the way, when are you going to stop using honorifics? We’re the same age after all!”

But Yulia was indeed a kind girl. Rina smiled softly and nodded her head slightly.

“I find this manner of speaking comfortable. Thank you for understanding.”

“I think Rina expresses her gratitude too often. You don’t need to thank me for things that don’t require it, you know?”

“Is… is that so?”

“Yeah. But, you know… this is what makes Rina cute. It really makes you feel like a lady raised in a privileged environment or something.”

“But Yulia-san, aren’t you also the daughter of Count Volta? I’ve been raised no differently.”

“No, no, my dad is a complete fool. Maybe I inherited a bit of his randomness because I’ve often been called scatterbrained myself.”

“A bit? That sounds like an understatement.”

Rina swallowed back the words that almost spilled out. A sense of pride welled up within her.

“Anyway, we need to get going soon or we’ll be late. Let’s go!”

“Yes…!”

With a fluttering heart, Rina left the dormitory. Today marked her second day at Caldera Imperial Academy.

She had heard that today was when the actual classes would begin. Rina felt a slight tension in her heart and took slow, deep breaths to calm herself as she started walking.

“By the way, Rina has something intriguing on your wrist.”

“Oh… this? ”

“Yeah, Well, Rina looks good in anything… Oh no! We’re really going to be late!”

Yulia briefly showed interest in the silver necklace Rina wore everywhere but quickly lost interest. She was the type to read the room. Not someone who would pry into her friend’s private life.

Yulia grabbed Rina’s hand, and they exited the dormitory together. White clouds floated in the blue sky, while warm sunshine washed over Yulia and Rina as they walked below.

It was a bright morning again. The chirping of birds, the gradually reviving grass and trees, the lively academy students greeting each other on their way to school, and…

“What… what is that?”

“Yeah…?”

Suddenly, a startled voice floated from somewhere. Rina turned her head in the direction Yulia was looking.

Not far from where they stepped out of the dormitory, the thing on the academy main campus courtyard was truly strange.

A pitch-black face that revealed no facial features, taller than Rina by a bit.

Unless one looked closely, it would be hard to even realize it was a person in disguise as a monster — the mask was so intricately crafted.

It was standing in the courtyard of the main campus, handing out something resembling flyers to the students. Rina and Yulia, who happened to pass by, were no exception to this.

“What… what is this… huh…? Occult Research Club…?”

“…Occult Research Club?”

“It was a club advertisement. That gave me quite a scare…”

While Yulia sighed in relief as she tried to put the flyer into her bag, Rina found herself staring intently at the flyer handed out by the student dressed as a monster.

[ If you are interested in the occult, everyone is welcome! For more details, please come to the club room listed below! ]

Most students were crumpling the flyer and tossing it away, but Rina was different.

She stared at the flyer for a long time. Her eyes glinted with rare enthusiasm.

“So, today’s first class is Magical Studies…”

“……”

Rina walked alongside Yulia, unable to respond, utterly captivated.

* * * * *

“Is this really the right thing to do?”

Elin, having shed her monster disguise, grumbled to herself. I couldn’t provide her with a definitive answer and, like her, merely shook my head.

“I’m not sure.”

“I followed Senior Daniel’s advice, but… whether this will actually be effective is uncertain. From what I’ve seen, most of the freshmen threw the flyers away.”

“……”

“Or rather, why did I disguise myself as a monster? If it had been Chloe, she would’ve jumped at the chance…”

“Elin, you’re the tallest among us. Don’t worry, it’ll only be this once.”

“Sigh…”

Elin let out a deep sigh. Though I felt sorry for her, I also wished I could have expressed my own frustration.

I thought it might be too much, and I was right.

It was a brilliant idea to hand out club promotional flyers during the most accessible time for meeting freshmen, but the execution was flawed.

I realized from the beginning that it would be a stretch, but Daniel and Vivian’s eccentric method was bound to earn us a bad reputation among the newcomers.

Even from an objective standpoint, Daniel’s hasty monster disguise he put on Elin was quite bizarre. It had no facial features, just an entirely black face, but even that was unsettling.

Of course, the new students wouldn’t like what they saw…

– Knock, knock.

…Would they?

I stood up to the sound of knocking on the clubroom door and walked over. Upon opening it, I was greeted by a familiar face, eyes wide in surprise.

“I-I came because I was interested in the Occult Research Club… Oh?”

“…Rina?”

It seemed Daniel’s approach wasn’t as completely misguided as I had thought.

That was a fact I found hard to accept.

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