“…He’s heavy.”
Although, he wasn’t that heavy for me though, of course.
I couldn’t help but think how much we had both changed and grown.
I was carrying my childhood friend, Maro Burn. I played a lot together with Alice and him back when we were little, and now, before I even knew it, in the blink of an eye, he was insulting me and I was punching him.
“…What the heck,” I muttered to myself as I reached the infirmary.
The school building was a five-storey building with a tasteful exterior, and while it most certainly wasn’t much when compared to its sister-school, I still felt it boasted a rather fine scenery.
The infirmary was at the right end of the hall that stretched left to right as you stepped in through the main entrance on the ground floor.
It seemed like there were quite a few injuries during the training period for the competition, so it would be safe to say that there was someone in the infirmary already.
I took a deep breath before putting my hand on the sliding door.
First-times were always nerve-wracking, no matter what they were the first time of.
I had actually never been to the infirmary before.
I knocked on the door and received no answer even after waiting for a short while.
Wondering if it was empty after all, I decided I couldn’t just keep standing there forever.
“’Scuse mee…” I said as I slowly opened the door.
––A gentle breeze caressed my cheeks.
A strange scent made its way to my nose.
It was the slightly sharp and strong smell of vegetation wafting in from outside. And – that of blood.
The window was open.
The same moment I noticed that, I also noticed a shadow blocking out some of the sunlight.
There was a boy sitting in the window, holding one of his legs resting on the windowsill, his back against the window-frame.
He had a pretty nose and black eyes that made one feel like they were being sucked into them. He glanced at me with a sorrowful expression as he wrapped a white bandage around his arm, his unusual black hair ruffled by the wind.
““……””
Our gazes met.
I felt almost overwhelmed by his neat appearance.
As far as I knew, Kraim was the most handsome person.
To be on the same level as Kraim… no, they were incomparable to each other.
For example, if Kraim was the Sun, then this boy would be – the Moon.
The types of their handsomenesses differed. But, he was, undoubtedly, frustratingly, even, handsome.
“…Interesting. I wonder if fate is at work again,” he murmured in a low voice, the corners of his mouth arching upwards.
‘…He says things that Lucifer would say,’ I thought to myself as I gave him a curt bow.
He was probably an upperclassman. He was taller than me and had a calm and collected air about him.
“Is what happened to the guy you’re carrying your work?” he asked, glancing at Maro.
“…Well, stuff happened,” I answered as I let Maro down on a white bed next to the door.
It didn’t seem like there was a teacher present. I wondered if I should call one, just in case.
While I was thinking, the boy just stared at me.
…I can’t calm down. I suppose this is what they mean by upperclassmen being imposing.
“Did… you get injured?” I asked, glancing at the bandage on his right arm even while feeling slightly under pressure.
“……Oh, this?” he said, glancing at his arm, then back at me.
“Yep,” I nodded.
The boy’s face turned terribly sad.
Whoops. I wonder if that was too personal of a question…
Whether he knew of my distress or not, the boy continued on with a sad tone of voice.
“Nay, this is no wound. This… is merely a seal.”
It must really hurt, huh.
“I-I see.”
‘It’d be better if I didn’t get involved,’ was the conclusion I came to in a split second, so I turned my back to him to leave.
“Then, I’ll be going,” I said, walking towards the door.
––And that was when–
“The evil god Noah.”
“––Eh?”
My heartbeat sped up as I couldn’t help but turn to look at him over my shoulder.
“You saw, right? The new legend, and its god,” he said, his sharp gaze piercing through me.
“…What are… you talking about?”
We had been issued a gag order in regards to that case. As such, my response was the right one.
“…How loyal of you,” the boy said with a suspicious smile as he gracefully jumped down onto the floor.
Feeling like this conversation was going to drag on, I turned around to face him.
“My name is Lloyd März. Have you heard of me?”
Lloyd März…
I felt like I had heard the name Lloyd before, at least.
And as for März, I was pretty sure they held the position of count.
I had also heard that they were in charge of important jobs for the country.
“Of course I have. The März family plays a rather important role for the country, I’ve heard.”
“We play a rather important role, eh… Fufu. Seems like you haven’t peeked into the abyss yet,” the boy – Lloyd said, a dark smile appearing on his face.
Seeing his face, I thought to myself that I had come into contact with something rather horrible.
“My family has a grasp on everything happening inside this country. Naturally, that includes the clash between the goddess Astaroth and the divine beast. And it also includes the appearance of the evil god Noah.”
…I see. It seems like the März family has deeper connections to the country than I thought.
“So, I ask you once again, Yuno Astario – how did the evil god Noah look to you?”
…That’s right, just speak my name as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. Well, actually, I’m rather well-known for being incompetent, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to have heard of me before.
I was more curious about his goal, however.
“What do you mean by… how?”
“…I dislike this whole fishing for information thing. I meant exactly what I said.”
…It seems he’s quite smart.
“…Very scary. I heard the royal knight were like newborns compared to him.”
“And what did he look like?”
“Silver hair, blue eyes, male. He wore a black robe. And had white wings on his back,” I answered truthfully. He likely already knew I had been present, and while that had in fact been Fenrir disguised as me, there was no way for him to have known that.
…Right?
I became rather worried. His eyes made me feel like he had seen through everything.
“…I see. And what did you think when you saw him? Did you think the god was beautiful?”
The question puzzled me somewhat.
“…Yes?”
“I see… that’s good then,” Lloyd said, his smile widening.
“When I heard of Noah’s descent, I thought to myself that finally, a god after my own heart had appeared, one I could make a contract with…” he said, grabbing his right arm with his left hand as if to hold it still.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He looked like he meant what he had said, but…
“…Noah is an evil god?”
“Apparently, yes. However, Noah is the only one who shines in this boring world,” Lloyd said, walking past me, then looking at me over his shoulder. “Just what exactly did that god do, anyway?”
By the time I understood what he meant by the question, my whole body was covered in goosebumps.
“He’s the mastermind behind the stampede.”
“…Do you really think that?” Lloyd asked, glaring at me.
“Then, what do you think the truth is?” I countered.
“The divine beast Fenrir was the one who caused the stampede, and the goddess Astaroth went to fight it off. That’s the most convincing scenario.”
I was really disappointed by that.
I see. So in the end, it–
“––You’d be disappointed if I said that, hmm, Yuno Astario?” Lloyd grinned.
Hearing that, –– I grinned in return.
“I dislike such too-perfect-to-be-true scenarios. Legends should be complicated, bitter, and beautiful. Looking at it like that, Fenrir was not the one who caused the stampede. And, I doubt it was the Blue Meteor either.”
“…So?”
My whole body was feverish.
Wow. He’s amazing.
I can understand what he meant with what he said when we first met.
“The goddess Astaroth – she was the one.”
––––This meeting, really must have been fate.
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