Chapter 99 – Side Story – Shadows Underfoot (2.5)

“I’ll try it when I move to Saya. Good luck, sister.”

“Uh… Buy?”

“Saya unnie.”

“Hey.”

“It’s erotic.”

“…”

“… I’m sorry. I had a nightmare about a hatchling today, and I’m out of my mind.”

“…”

It had been about a month since we escaped from the island.

On the train heading to the port, we were all going crazy. Due to the uncertain future and various situational factors, it was rare for me to be sober.

But in the meantime, there was one problem that couldn’t help but be addressed. After thinking for a bit, I cautiously opened my mouth.

“You had a nightmare about a hatchling?”

“Yes. At the end, he even spewed fire and I thought he was going to pee.”

“So… You’re saying you saw a hatchling in your dream?”

“Wait a minute, are you blaming the fact that you saw it?”

“I’m curious about how kids like you dream.”

“You’re rude, sir. The Imperial Blind Association will never sit idly by and watch this situation.”

One day, he frowned lightly and tapped my shoulder with his foot. It was a question based on pure curiosity, but it seems that the listener was upset.

“To begin with, I wasn’t blind to begin with. So, of course, I can see in my dreams. Moreover, I can tell what those disgusting guys look like without even having to look.”

“You’re laughing. Did you even touch it?”

“There is a way to know everything. You could say it is an extra sense unique to blind people.”

“Then tell me. What does it look like?”

“First of all, thighs the size of a house and thighs dangling hard underneath them…”

“From there, you are eliminated. One day.”

Haru’s imagination went astray in a spectacular way despite all of his expectations. Instead of swallowing my nonexistent regret, I put a loaf of bread in his mouth.

“Still, my curiosity was satisfied. It was one of the things I was curious about.”

“Hmm… It was quite a rude question, but since I received a bribe, I’ll look at it. At this rate, it’s still a good deal.”

“Was it that bad?”

“It’s a discriminatory remark. Even if I told my mom about it, it was something I had nothing to say about, but now I think she’s looking after me because I don’t have a mom.”

“I’m so thankful I’m on the verge of tears.”

“You only say thank you at times like this. You usually do that.”

One day, I yawned profusely and lay down in my seat. Then he suddenly turned to Saya and asked.

“Then, since this has come to an end, I will also ask you a rude question. Are you okay, Saya?”

“Me? Do you have any questions for me?”

“Yes. Can I?”

“It doesn’t matter, but… What is it?”

What kind of nonsense are you going to say again this time? When I saw the corners of his mouth turn up, I already felt anxious. A day with such a strange atmosphere brought up a question that no one expected.

“Are you really the same age as your senior?”

“… One day? What do you mean?”

“That’s literally true. Actually, I was wondering if my sister was older than my senior.”

“So I don’t know why I suddenly thought that way. Did I do something strange?”

“That’s not true. Hmm… How should I explain this?”

One day, he twisted his lips as if he was thinking for a moment, then answered in a light tone.

“Why do they say that elves live much longer than humans? We only live less than a hundred years, but your people live several times longer than that. Five hundred years? Or a thousand years?”

“Some people live longer than that. But why is that?”

“So, they will definitely live with a different concept of time than us. For example, they will enter the academy at the age of ten instead of eight. They will be recognized as adults at the age of 100 instead of 20.”

“Isn’t that too extreme?”

“It’s extreme. How many times does this kind of development appear in novels? The elf she thought was her same age is actually a grandmother over 200 years old. And isn’t it true to some extent?”

“That’s…”

“I’ll take that to mean so.”

The blind girl, who was convinced by her own will, showed a somewhat triumphant expression. Then she continued speaking with even more confidence.

“And even though she’s a harp, she’s an elf anyway. It’s also true that she will live much longer than us.”

“Uh… Uhh.”

“From that perspective, I wonder if she, like her sister, may have lived with that world’s concept of time. Moreover, she was born in the land of the elves.”

“…”

“Then your sister… Didn’t she enter the academy according to her human age, but according to elf standards? So she’s actually much older than her senior…?”

“Uh… Uh… Um…”

A face that looks like someone is in trouble. Saya, who was so restless, eventually turned her gaze in this direction. It was as if she wanted to ask me for help.

But I quickly turned away from that gaze. I know it’s a ridiculous speculation, but I was just a little curious about the ending of this story.

“Oh. Why isn’t there an answer? Was it true?”

“It’s not like that, Haru. It’s such a random story that I’m a little embarrassed…”

“It’s strange. She even stutters, which is uncharacteristic of her older sister. Now that she thinks about it, she always felt like her older sister was more mature than other people. In fact, maybe it was because she was really older?”

“Oh… No! Really not. I just looked that way because I was timid.”

“Hey, don’t worry about what you think, senior. If it bothers you, should we go out and talk about it?”

“One day…”

One day, he seemed to be completely energized, so he even pretended to put on glasses with his finger and stuck it in her face. Saya, overwhelmed by her literally invisible gaze, gave her an even more pitiful gaze.

“Now that you think about it, she doesn’t seem to be the same age… How much older is she? My sister.”

“You can’t see it, Haru…”

“Hehe. A woman’s age cannot be seen with her eyes. Now, would you please tell me honestly? You are an age fraudster.”

“… Ugh.”

“If you don’t intend to confess, there is nothing you can do. The only way is to choose the interrogation method based on involuntary consent. Then, where should I start harassing you… Evil!”

“Do it in moderation.”

At that point, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him towards me. Nevertheless, Haru did not give in and shook his head and struggled.

“Let go of this, you bastard! The desire for truth cannot be stopped by violence!”

“I know you’re curious, but stop now. That doesn’t mean I’m going to ask you to bring me the admissions documents.”

“I probably would have gotten into the academy through manipulation anyway. I don’t mean to embarrass you, so don’t misunderstand. I don’t think anyone among these people got into the academy through the proper process anyway.”

“What are you talking about? I went through the legal process to get in.”

“Huh? Senior?”

At my words, Haru pretended to close his eyes with his hand and turned his head this way. Then he asked in a somewhat suspicious tone.

“That can’t be true. It’s a lie, right?”

“Why would I lie about something like this?”

“Who prepared the admission documents?”

“Of course my parents made it.”

“Oh, so you have parents?”

“You…”

If it were like before, I might have hit him with one. However, seeing the guy smiling brightly at times like this made me sigh rather than see violence.

“To be exact, I entered on an athletic scholarship. Even though I was useless at a magic-centered academy, my father was also a nobleman, so I received a letter of recommendation.”

“Huh? You were a master from a noble family?”

“He is a low-level noble with no fiefdom. Even he died of old age as soon as I entered the school. Moreover, I am the child of a concubine, so I have no connection to the family.”

“It’s because of old age. You must have been a late bloomer.”

“Because he is a senile, fallen nobleman, he must have done something terrible to a young maid. His mother even died during childbirth. I wonder if he was sent to the Academy out of pity, or as a last-ditch effort to claim that he had this much power. Either way, I am not very grateful. “

“Wow, there was another strange fate here. If you look at it, you don’t know whether this academy is a place for education or a camp of misfortune.”

“There is no way for normal humans to enroll in an academy stuck on an island. How did you get in?”

“Me?”

One day, she pricked her ears as if she didn’t know the arrow would come back to her. Then he suddenly spoke in a blunt voice.

“The director of the orphanage sent him to me. Even so, they say that you have to go to the academy to become a human being. Although his expressions were a little harsh, he was the kindest person I knew.”

“But you managed to get in here.”

“Surprisingly, there was a preferential system for students with disabilities. I guess they wanted to break away from the image of being a camp for problem children from aristocratic families.”

“I know. But I understand that the document screening process is strict.”

“Hey, there’s a way.”

A hand gesture that seems somehow unclean. I felt like I could roughly guess what method was used based on that alone. As I laughed, the guy’s elbow poked my side and came in.

“Why are you acting so clean now? Like someone who has never done anything bad in their life.”

“When you say that, I have nothing to say.”

“That kind, kind girl, Saya, also came in by lying about her identity. She said it was me, so why would she enroll honestly?”

“Well… But…”

“… And honestly, you lied about your age by one or two years before coming in. Didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

A malocclusion that suddenly appeared sparked a fire of suspicion. Haru, who had been tilting his head for a long time, soon smiled and opened his mouth.

“What is your reaction? Normally, everyone is one or two years older than their age on paper.”

“Uh… Huh?”

“You have to wait a year or two after birth to report or do anything else. There are many children who get sick and die at a young age. Everyone around me did that.”

“This is my first time hearing this.”

“Oh, by the way, you said you were born into a noble family. So you don’t understand. They would have reported it as soon as you were born.”

“Probably so.”

“Wait a minute. That means…”

“…”

After finishing our conversation, we looked at each other for a moment. I looked at the junior in front of me with a truly stupid expression, and on the contrary, the blind junior slowly began to smile.

I sensed a crisis from that expression and quickly took action to resolve it.

“Well… Thinking about it again, I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Because I was also the child of a concubine, so I can’t proudly announce that I was born.”

“Hmm.”

“So I may have been late in reporting it too. That’s something no one knows.”

“Aha. I see.”

“Besides, you’re not sure. I’m just saying it could happen.”

“Well, that’s right.”

“… Speech becomes shorter?”

“Oh my. Is that so?”

“…”

For a brief moment, I had the urge to grab that thin cheekbone and shake it. But I couldn’t do anything and just stared at Haru’s face in a cold sweat.

If it turns out that that arrogant junior is really older than me, it will be a truth harder to accept than the destruction of the world. While I was obsessed with that thought, Haru started talking more excitedly.

“This has become very difficult. The junior I thought was my younger brother may actually be my older sister.”

“It’s not even certain.”

“So, the circumstances are clear, but there is no physical evidence. It’s a very precarious situation. Isn’t that a potential younger brother?”

“Stop it.”

“What? Please stop, sister?”

“I told you not to do it.”

“Huz mlrg huth~”

“Hey!”

When I finally got up from my seat, Haru also leaped towards the other side with surprising agility. Then he made a provocative gesture and quickly walked away.

“Why are you trying to touch my older sister? Anyway, I didn’t receive any home education…”

“Yum!”

“Anyway, since there is no physical evidence, let’s go to the land of the elves and check for accuracy! They probably have that kind of technology there!”

“Hey…”

“Ugh! Rebecca! You’re hitting me!!!”

“…!”

Shame and fatigue. And her name, Rebecca, made me lose my will to chase. Even if I tried to force myself to follow her, I couldn’t because my legs were so weak.

I eventually sat down again and sighed quietly. Then, Saya next to me apologized in a hushed voice.

“I’m sorry, Lope. I feel like this happened because of me.”

“It’s not like that, so there’s no need to apologize. And, well… It’s good to cheer yourself up like that.”

“Really? But your ears are really red?”

“Huh?”

As I urgently covered my ears, hot heat spread throughout my palms. Saya looked at him and gently pushed up the corner of his mouth.

“You were very embarrassed, Lope.”

“I… I’m just embarrassed. This isn’t the first time Haru has behaved like that.”

“It’s okay. It’s cute.”

“…”

It was a pleasant compliment, but it did nothing to lower my fever. I scratched my cheek shyly and then tried to change the topic to somewhere else.

“Anyway, it seems clear that she fantasizes about elves. A hundred-year-old elf pretending to be a student is nonsense.”

“Ah… Yeah. That’s right.”

“If you think about it a little, there’s no way you lied about your age and came in. Right?”

“How can you be so sure? Honestly, I’m not even sure about my age.”

“It is true that she used the elf calendar. But it doesn’t matter. If you know her mother’s age, you can roughly guess it. By any chance, what is her mother’s age?”

“Hmm…”

If you can’t be sure of the elf’s age, you have no choice but to infer it from your human mother’s age. It was a question she asked with that in mind, but Saya thought about it longer than expected. It was as if she had been asked a question that was difficult to answer.

Then she finally opened her mouth and answered in a hushed voice.

“Thirty-two years old.”

“… Huh?”

“He was 30 years old when I entered school. So, he turned 32 this year.”

“Now… Wait a minute. Thirty? Not forty, but thirty?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I never asked if it was based on the human calendar or the elven calendar…”

“…”

“Anyway, from what I know, yes.”

…

I’m 30 years old.

Based on the human calendar, this means that 30 years have passed since birth.

If you think that Saya’s age is calculated by subtracting the marriageable age from that, then Saya is not older than me, but rather…

“…”

“Lope? Are you okay?”

“… Do elves grow faster than humans?”

“I don’t know. I never went to school in the land of the elves. And like I said before, I don’t know what race my mother’s age is based on.”

“Then I can find out more details only after I go there.”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

“Ha…”

Another sigh escaped me. Just today, I don’t know how many times it has happened. Suddenly, I looked up at the sky and saw ash and dust flowing over the mountain ridge in the wind.

Running underneath them are a corroded iron horse and a rusty human. And there are only difficult problems that cannot be solved.

It can’t be a truly heartless world.

“For some reason, I’ve caused you trouble again. I’m sorry, Lope.”

“It’s nothing in particular. They’re all just unclear stories.”

“Then shall we stop talking about this now?”

“Yes. And anyway, everything will be revealed when we get to the land of the elves.”

I started to feel scared about going there for the first time. The only paradise in a destroyed world. Such a stinging thorn was hidden in that hope.

Of course, that is something that can only be done if we go. It must be too much to think about like this right now. Having come to that conclusion, I let out a deep sigh for the last time.

Then he stroked the back of his hand and told a joke that didn’t even seem like a joke.

“For now, let’s just think about arriving as healthy as possible.”