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    # 30


    Chapter 4: Other People’s Stories (3)


    #5 Their Circumstances: Sia Nell Karan’s Circumstances.


    “Are you awake?”


    “Ah…”


    As the sound of a familiar subordinate’s voice reached her ears, Shia Nell Karan’s eyes slowly opened, revealing the expanse of a ck ceiling.


    Yes, she’s gone. Left without a trace… That thought persisted, circling in her mind


    – When I wake up, I’ll find my way home.


    Still, he’s a bad person, saying such words to an orphan with nowhere to return


    There’s only one ce I want to return to.


    “By any chance, did you get caught by the princess?”


    “Yes. The personnel who defeated the ck Star were identified as Astral Knights, or rather… eventually revealed to be Rain, the leader’srade, and were chased away.”


    “What? Rain defeated the ck Star? He was the weakest among us, right?”


    “ording to eyewitness ounts, that seems to be the case.”


    Judging by what I’ve gathered, it seems the master must have defeated the ck Star. Rain must have been unconscious if he needed to be carried. Probably not in perfect condition, but still, it’s the ck Star.


    It’s unlikely for Rain to defeat an awakened ck Star.


    Perhaps…


    “You surpassed Iron Bat.”


    “Iron Bat?”


    “Yes, the ultimate weapon of humanity.”


    If that’s the case, it makes sense.


    With the help of the shadows directly under the emperor, the creatures I secretly raised, and even the princess, the total number is 200.


    Intentionally reducing the number of torches to underestimate in the darkness.


    But my master is always one step ahead of me. Sadly, even in the most crucial moments, he was one step ahead.


    Truthfully, I was uneasy.


    My master, who is not superior to anyone, became superior to everyone, and my master, who was not sophisticated, became more sophisticated.


    Eliminating weaknesses at any cost, constantly developing strengths.


    It sounds easy, but realistically, my master always did the difficult tasks.


    Honestly, I was anxious about this operation, and, in a way, it turned out as expected.


    “Any casualties?”


    “Surprisingly, none. Even the personnel attacked in the chaos have been treated. Honestly… we still don’t know what we faced.”


    “Well, that’s true.”


    Once you’re hit, it hurts.


    Even I, who trained and developed resistance, couldn’t avoid the pain. But ironically, that’s the treatment.


    Once, when Maren suffered a serious injury during training, the master arrived with Iron Bat.


    Ah, looking back, that was also the first moment I saw Iron Bat.


    – P-Professor! Even if you say that, it’s too much!


    – I’m trying to give pain to those who haven’t finished training… Huh?


    We all had to watch that scene with wide eyes.


    The man who, whileughing, dered he’d go first, even as he cried out in pain and begged for death with entrails spilling out from a torn side, was experiencing a phenomenon beyond a miracle—where the wounded area gradually healed.


    – K-Kill me… Please, kill me…


    – Well, disciples. It’s okay to get hurt. There’s a way to heal. So rest assured.


    At that time, the smile on Master’s face was a smile that made even me, who loved Master more than anything else, take a step back, and the impact of the iron bat I receivedter was enough to deepen my affection for Master in an instant.


    And at that moment, as Mareny on the ground, receiving treatment from the iron bat, he came back to life. Perfectly fine.


    The next day, he woke up more refreshed than us. Incidentally, due to the trauma of this incident, Maren declined numerous offers from various military organizations and strongly desired an administrative position, eventually joining the finance department. It was because he feared getting hurt.


    “Heh… hehe… hehehe… Yeah, I don’t know.”


    “Shia, are you okay?”


    I looked at the ceiling, letting theughter flow.


    It might seem a bit unattractive for a woman tough like this, but for some reason, I just want to keepughing like this.


    “Yes, Master is… an enigma.”


    “Enigma?”


    “Yes. Master is the unknown itself! An unknowable person.”


    It cannot be known by anymon sense. Even after looking for a long time, it’s still unknown.


    Honestly. Whether the Master’s name is Naran, Ast, Herman, or Esedna.


    Or maybe it’s something I don’t know, I really don’t know anything.


    The territory where Master lived, which I diligently searched for, has already been engulfed in mes by the empire, leaving no records. The movements of the Master, which I secretly pursued, were ever elusive. Even when I stole and checked records of others investigating Master, the information never matched.


    Sometimes, I feared that I might mean nothing to Master


    Sometimes, I felt afraid that I might be nothing to Master.


    Sometimes, I felt emptiness, questioning if the Master I love actually exists.


    So, despite feeling embarrassed, I went to Master and asked.


    – Master, Master!


    – Professor.


    – Yes, Professor. I came because there’s something I want to ask.


    – Although you’vepleted your education, well, what is it?


    “What is love? Is love something that exists? If so, why does love change?”


    “Heh… youe to me with a sudden question.”


    Master seemed tired or, in a way, almost helpless. However, he answered my question seriously.


    “Most people fall in love with something unusual when they first fall in love. Something mysterious. Something interesting. Something different. They fall in love with such things. But they don’t really care whether it’s real or fake. Why is that?”


    “Answering a question with a question. It’s frustrating.”


    “Wisdom acquired without depth is easily forgotten.”


    I pondered deeply.


    What made me like Master?


    Yes, at first. I cursed him.


    “Crazy bastard! Why did that bastard have to die in the Great War and survive to do this nonsense?!”


    A veteran among veterans who participated in the mission in the Great War, the best of Professor. But when hit by the recently developed imperial magical bombardment, you couldn’t help but curse. And then. What was it next?


    Yeah. Still curses.


    “Kuaak! What’s this! Seriously! Is that guy even human?!”


    But there’s nothing you can do. Getting hit by the bat for the first time just happens. Oh,e to think of it, why did I end up liking Master?


    “Do you know? What? What does Professor know about me! Even I don’t know who I am! What do you know about me! Do you have any evidence that you know about me?”


    Ah, it was then. Looking back now, it was extremely embarrassing and probably just adolescence.


    Just a day when I could only think that way.


    On that day, when my already foul mood shed with meing to terms as a woman, it was embarrassing and humiliating. It even made me kick the nket in my dreams.


    “I don’t know.”


    Genuinely indifferent, to the point of appearing so. However, that answer prated deeply into my heart.


    “I can’t im to know you even when you don’t know yourself. No, from the beginning, there is no need for mutual understanding between an Professor and a disciple who met as enemies in an evil organization. Only, I teach you, and you grow. And originally, the truth itself is not something visible. So, I cannot show you true evidence.”


    Oh,e to think of it. I can’t understand my own existence. Where did I fall for Master exactly? Ah, I remembered.


    – So, you also don’t know yourself, and I don’t know you either. We are the same.


    Funny.


    It’s not really saying anything, but it’s funny.


    The word “same.” That word was salvation to me.


    Later, by chance, I stumbled upon the secret of my birth, which was not even funny, and learned about the nonexistent father when I was born.


    The events that followed were a series of unimaginable events, but even so, I thought I had somewhat figured myself out. However, I still don’t understand Master.


    – Don’t you know?


    The awakening voice was the leisurely voice of Professor.


    I answered in a hurry.


    – Th-that’s… because it’s unfamiliar?


    Honestly, now I don’t resist saying such things.


    Honestly, my love for Master remains the same, but I couldn’t understand it back then. But Master nodded.


    – Yes, it’s because it’s unfamiliar. I want a love that is splendid and cunning. So, I yearn to im a young and beautiful soul or find a way to make an extraordinary person mine, keeping them within my sphere of influence. Believing that elevating one’s worth constitutes genuine love. This is why people often grow weary of it swiftly and, naturally, move on when it no longer aligns with their preferences or when they find someone even better.


    – Then… does love undergo a transformation as one bes more ustomed to it?


    Surprisingly, Professor smiled gently and patted my head in response to my question.


    – Yes. More precisely, love matures rather than merely getting used to it. As a person matures, they willingly embrace the profound truth that they might have initially overlooked as simple or trivial. Regardless of beauty or craftiness, truth holds the greatest value for an individual.


    – It’s a challenge.


    – Huh, who is the one posing this difficult question?


    – I-it’s me, Master?


    – I’m your Professor.


    Master, who messed up my hair recklessly, waspletely different from the usual demeanor of the Master.


    Later, during my investigation with individuals who coborated with Master in the organization, I discovered that Master’s typical demeanor vastly differed from their mission persona. And the Master I knew was charming, but the Master at that time was also charming.


    So I heard various stories from the Master, but at that time, I couldn’t fully understand those words.


    Just conversing like this intensifies my fondness for this person.


    That’s all I could realize.


    Oh, one thing. I kept only this saying in my heart.


    – Love permits. Love allows, even the embrace of desire.


    “It’s urgent! It seems that Professor Naran’s purpose is to live a farming life in thend’s end vige on the continent. And it seems that the princess herself is moving on behalf of the imperial family.”


    Ah, it’s been a while. Nostalgic memories crossed my mind. However, that princess has set her ns in motion


    Despite leading vastly different lives, our paths converged toward the same person.


    “It seems like she’s decided to move on her own now.”


    By the way, Professor, farming? What is this peculiar yet fitting sensation?


    “How will you proceed?”


    “I will move independently, excluding the princess’s side. The princess’s team members will withdraw. Kindly inform His Majesty that I’ll be taking a break.”


    “We don’t get vacations.”


    “Huh? I have a lot of umted vacations. The empire is a ce with pretty good welfare.”


    “We are irregr workers.”


    “Well, I see. You guys aren’t officially organized. Okay, then I’ll tell you the story.”


    As it turns out, serving as a shadow to the imperial family is an irregr position.


    As I contemted it, a brightugh escaped me.


    “The first vacation is a continental trip. The goal is the vige at the end of thatnd.”


    “It seems more difficult than a mission.”


    “That’s not my part-time job.”


    If you’re going to make fun of it, you should.


    That’s why Her Majesty assigned you to me, as my beloved Master mentioned.


    Love permits. Love allows, even the embrace of desire.


    Therefore, allow me to be greedy ording to my desires.


    “If you can escape, try to escape.”


    I will capture Master ording to my desires.