30 Penumbra (1) - 28
Four and a Half Years Ago:
"Did she accept the invitation?" I asked, directing my question at Gwen.
It had been a few months since I had started training, and I was currently reading some new books that Char had somehow managed to procure in such a short time.
"Yes, the return letter arrived just yesterday."
"This late?"
"..."
"Well, whatever, just prepare me suitable attire for tomorrow."
"Yes, Young Master."
I continued flipping the pages of the book in my hands as she bowed her head and left the room.
...
Everything still gray, we set off the next day from the castle and descended into the town.
Getting my cloak forced onto my body, and being continuously protected from the never ending blizzard's snow by a barrier made purely of Char's aura, we stepped into the restaurant that we had fully rented during the lunch rush.
Quickly closing the door as to not let the cold air in, we removed our cloaks and cold protection gear, before following a waiter as they took our clothes away and escorted us inside.
Walking into a private dining room, we found Karina already sitting there, fumbling with the glass of coffee cupped in her hands.
"A coffee, tea, and hot water please."
"We will bring those out shortly."
Bowing, the waiter left the room, before coming back a while later with the three beverages in her hands.
During the entirety of the wait, we had all just sat there in silence, knowing that we all should wait until we had ordered before beginning our discussions.
Expertly reading the situation, the waiter put the coffee in front of Char, the hot water in front of Gwen, and the small teacup and teapot in front of me, pouring the first cup of tea for me.
Holding the teacup over the top in the same fashion as one of the most famous fictional characters back in my old world, I took a sip.
Putting the cup down and seeing them standing up, I called to them before she left.
"We'll each have whatever the chef recommends, as long as he believes it tastes good."
"Then your meal will be coming in exactly 45 minutes."
"Thank you."
I nodded to the waiter and she left the room.
Immediately afterwards, Karina's demeanor broke.
"S-so, I-I..."
"Please speak normally, Karina, after all, it wasn't really your fault."
"B-but...!"
"No "buts", I was the one that crossed the border, so it was only natural for you to be suspicious of me."
"But I almost killed you!"
"Again, my fault, so please, don't worry."
'And you've already paid with the lives of your men.'
"What about the children?" She asked, the volume of her voice less than a whisper.
She must've been worried that she had traumatized them, but due to the belief that Sari had in me, they never strayed from the right path back then.
"They're all fine, Sari was able to keep them from being hurt either physically or mentally."
Hearing this, I guess she was really worried about the children, as she deflated like a balloon, finally released from her pent up stress.
(A/N: During the editing, I noticed how weird that last line sounded...)
"But are you, Lysander, fine?"
"Yes, I've been through worse, this much is nothing..." I replied looking down dejectedly.
"..."
"W-what do you mean?"
"Oh, you don't know?"
"Know about what?"
"Ah, it has been a long time since you last visited the estate after all..." I said, looking up into nothingness as I seemingly reminisced about the past.
"You see... Well, have you wondered why I'm all the way up here?"
"!!!"
Her expression said it all as she realized what had happened.
"Why?"
"I'm a demon."
"..."
"A-a d-demon?" She asked, her voice containing the slightest amount of fear at the end.
"Ah, don't worry, I haven't awakened yet, and I won't anytime in the future, I'm fine waiting for Sis to kill me."
"W-what do you mean?"
"Ah, Eve has to kill me once she becomes powerful enough."
Hearing this, her expression became even more distorted.
After all, she knew about the love that we held for each other, how we used to be inseparable. Even when she had tried to get Eve to do girl things with her back then, like play with dolls, Eve would always stick by me no matter what.
"T-they want her to kill you?"
"Of course, who else would kill the demon if not the hero?"
There was only silence after this, as I let her absorb all the shocking information that had just been thrown at her.
"Why did you guys not run away?"
Hearing this, I knew I had her.
This whole time, I had been deliberately withholding information from her, and now, it seemed like she had created the final emotional connection between me and herself.
It would be extremely hard for her to join the hero's party now because of her guilt.
She was probably thinking about how she could have "saved" us if she had just been there instead of having to go to the academy.
Her imaginary regret would now eat her up from the inside, and she now felt like she owed both of us.
So, I continued ensnaring her in my trap.
"We were only 10, we weren't powerful enough to resist anything."
'If only she knew that I killed a decent number of the servants that evening...'
"I should have been there for the both of you..." She said, almost as if she was berating herself.
'Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!'
I mean, I had to say that, after all, I had been an integral part of that operation back on Earth.
Anyways, after that, it was an easy task to convince her to leave her post up here in the north and be a teacher at the Pantheon
At first, she questioned why, but after I told her it would be invaluable to me if she could do that, she complied, and the rest was history.
...
Present Day:
Noticing the unnerving expression on their teacher's face, as if she had seen a ghost, the more perceptive students turned to look towards the back.
But, because she only had that shocked look on her face for only a fraction of a second, they were never able to pinpoint where her gaze fell.
Of course, that was with the exception of Vasilie, as, although she didn't move or even show a single emotion, I could tell that she knew.
All I could do was sigh, before giving my attention back to the class.
"You are all considered to be the cream of the cream of the crop of the next generation, so, it will be my job to push all of you to your full potential in these next however many years."
She continued introducing herself and what we would learn in the class, before finally, the bell rang, and we were dismissed out of our homeroom for a 10 minute passing period.
Of course, although a most of the students stayed in their seats due to having their next class with Karina, there were two exceptions, Vasilie and I.
Both reaching the exit door of the classroom at the same time, I motioned for Vasilie to pass through first, before I followed, like a true gentleman.
Not even sparing a glance at her, I started walking towards my next class.
"Uhm... Wait!"
'Hmm?' I thought, a bad feeling rising up in the back of my mind.
This wasn't good.
---
I'm back!!!!!!
Let me tell y'all, it wasn't fun being sick.
Anyways, there will only be two chapters today and two chapters tomorrow since I had to take an SAT today, and tomorrow, well, let's just say that the teachers were dumb enough to make it so that almost all my classes have a major grade due this weekend, so I have to do 6 projects/tests.
Welp, the second chap will be for THWO, and the "trying to build up the hype" pic will be there.
See y'all in two or so hours!
