TL/Editor: Butter Cat

    Status: 4/week mon-thurs

    Illustrations: none

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    〈 Chapter 52 〉 Chapter 52. Staring Contest.

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    Pandora, the first woman in Greek mythology.

    Her name means ''the all-gifted''.

    She was blessed with many gifts from the gods, but unfortunately, she was also given curiosity.

    Pandora, unable to resist her overwhelming curiosity, ignored the warnings to never open it, and secretly took out a jar and opened it wide. (TL Note: In the original Greek myth, it was actually a jar, ‘box’ was a popular mistranslation.)

    To think that a jar, created to be opened and closed, was forbidden from being opened, how frustrating.

    A spear and a shield.

    A contradiction, in a word.

    That''s why the jar was destined to be opened eventually.

    Even if it wasn''t her, someone else would have done it.

    If she was guilty of anything, it was simply that she was the one who did it.

    Disease, poverty, disaster, death, hatred, sorrow, malice, anger, greed, jealousy.

    The jar contained all the evils that the gods had put there to inflict suffering upon humanity.

    And at the very bottom of that jar, filled with evils that would make anyone shudder, for some reason, a small hope was placed.

    The primal human desire for the unknown, a small act to satisfy that desire.

    But the price for that small act was enormous.

    In a very short time.

    The moment the jar was opened, everything inside escaped, and by the time the horrified Pandora closed it again, the evils had already spread throughout the world.

    She struggled desperately, but they were like spilled water on sand, irretrievable, long gone.

    And in the end, humanity, because of one person''s small act of curiosity, was torn apart and divided, destined to live a life of suffering.

    Cursing each other, even as they died, swept away by the great flood sent down to exterminate humanity.

    The story seemed to end with that sad conclusion.

    But then it''s revealed that only hope remained trapped inside the jar, unable to escape, forever imprisoned.

    Yes.

    Hope couldn''t escape.

    Forever, until the very end, it was trapped inside the box, unable to come out.

    Leaving us with a small lesson, ''curiosity comes at a price'', the fictional story, whether true or not, ends with the usual happy ending where humans continue to live, believing in the hope that might exist inside the box.

    Why.

    Why could people, despite the fact that hope was clearly trapped in the jar and couldn''t spread throughout the world, endure their hardships, believing in a brighter tomorrow.

    How.

    How did that absurd thing called ''hope'', exist alone amidst the evils that were destroying the world.

    What if.

    What if that thing called ''hope'', had been released from the jar. What would have happened to the world.

    There''s no need to even consider those curiosities.

    The story had already ended, with everyone smiling, living a hopeful tomorrow.

    We shouldn''t think about those things anymore.

    Yes.

    So.

    ''What if'', ''how'', ''why''.

    Such useless curiosity.

    Should never be entertained.

    **

    She''s looking at me again.

    "........"

    "........"

    The intense gaze from the seat next to me, I had given up counting how many times it had happened.

    Such a blatant stare, as if trying to bore a hole through my face, completely unconcerned about the reactions of those around her.

    Cold sweat was already trickling down my forehead.

    The owner of that gaze, was Remi Akaia.

    The person I was most trying to avoid, she was number one on my list.

    For the record, my opinion of her was plummeting by the day.

    And the questioning glances from a few people, who had noticed the awkward tension between us, only made my headache worse.

    For one, she''s royalty, and I''m a mercenary.

    Plus, I was just a commoner.

    I held my throbbing head with both hands from the stress and muttered to myself.

    Seriously, what does she want from me.

    I even started to wonder if this was a new form of bullying, if she was discriminating against me because I was a mercenary, my mind was filled with such absurd thoughts.

    Well, I knew the reason, more or less.

    "—Which is why, this is especially true for the policies of Emperor Di Buonaparte, who is known to have led the golden age of the empire—"

    "........."

    Especially since Remi Akaia''s gaze intensified whenever the accessory I was wearing on my wrist peeked out from my sleeve as I was taking notes.

    Twitching her hands and feet, as if trying hard to recall something. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Staring intently, this way.

    Her behavior had been unpredictable ever since she entered the academy.

    When I first realized that she wasn''t looking at me, but at this, I was truly shocked.

    For a moment, My heart skipped a beat, and I felt like I was sinking.

    "......BuBu...onaona, PaPa...rte.."

    Scratch, scratch.

    I glanced down at my wrist, listening to the pleasant sound of the dip pen''s nib, equipped with a reservoir, gliding across the rough surface of the paper.

    There was a bracelet made of small, beautiful, colorful flowers, the likes of which I had never seen before in my life.

    The comfort and security of the bracelet, custom-made just for me, fitting perfectly on my wrist as if it had always belonged there.

    The warmth emanating from it was my source of strength, helping me endure each day, a girl alone in a foreign land, living in constant anxiety.

    Those flowers, which were clearly artificial, seemed to emit a faint fragrance, though it might have been my imagination.

    You could interpret it as just a gaze directed at a rare accessory, but I, who had too many things to be guilty about, couldn''t just relax and think that way.

    …Because, Alice made this for me.

    That''s right. I had a bomb on my hand.

    A dangerous bomb that, if detonated, could endanger not only my life, but the lives of everyone I knew.

    And here I was, clutching it tightly.

    This is driving me crazy…

    I even considered taking it off and hiding it.

    But this was a precious bracelet, made by Alice, who had stayed up all night to create it with artificial flowers (??) after seeing me wearing the bracelet she had made for me before, the one with real flowers and stems that had withered. It was a gift for becoming a mercenary.

    She told me to always wear it on my wrist, that I wouldn''t have to worry about it wearing out and breaking anymore.

    A bracelet, one of a kind in the world, made just for me.

    My one and only treasure.

    ''—Really, Congratulations!!''

    ''.....Alic,e.''

    The feeling I had when I first received it, was beyond words.

    I was so happy I felt like I could fly, and at the same time, something welled up inside my chest.

    Because I could clearly picture Alice working late into the night, her small hand diligently crafting this gift for me.

    So I couldn''t laugh, nor could I cry.

    Just a twisted smile and tears streaming down my cheeks were the only way I could express my gratitude to Alice.

    I was just staring at it, afraid of accidentally breaking it, unable to even wear it on my wrist, and Alice, with a bright smile and her tiny hands, approached me and put it on for me.

    She said she would make me a new one if I ever lost it.

    She said I could throw it away if I didn''t like it.

    Hearing those words, I vowed to never let go of this bracelet.

    Yes.

    Alice probably wouldn''t say anything even if I didn''t wear this bracelet.

    It was just a promise I made to myself, a delusion after all.

    But, even so.

    I could never let go of this bracelet.

    Well, now that she’s seen it.

    It would be even more suspicious if I suddenly stopped wearing it, wouldn''t it? It wouldn''t look normal.

    And it was too far-fetched to think that she would realize that I had a connection to her supposedly dead younger sister just because of a bracelet.

    So I decided to just leave it as it is.

    …In time, this excessive attention will fade away.

    ".........."

    ".........."

    Therefore.

    The only thing I could do was to diligently take notes on the teacher''s lecture, sitting stiffly with a straight back, sweat trickling down my face

    Even with her gaze scanning my entire body as if trying to see through me, I, a commoner among commoners, couldn''t even think about complaining or speaking up.

    I have to get out of this academy quickly, somehow.

    I can''t live like this…!!

    "—With that, we''ll end the class here."

    "....!!"

    Thud.

    The hourglass that had been flipped over at the start of the class.

    The moment the last grain of sand fell, the teacher''s seemingly endless writing stopped abruptly, as if it were a lie,

    The sound signaled the end of the class, and the classroom was filled with the groans from the students.

    It sounded like a horde of zombies, groaning.

    I let out a sigh of relief and quickly packed my things.

    "Th-thank you for your hard work..!!"

    "........."

    I gave a small bow to the teacher as she left the classroom.

    And then, I headed towards the training grounds, where my next class, ''Self-Defense Swordsmanship'', would be held.

    To get away from her, afraid that she might read my mind.

    To keep my secret hidden, as much as possible.

    "…Huu."

    Filled with fear, I hurriedly escaped.

    Without looking back.

    **

    "This is where, Sis Sia is."

    The crossing paths, will be soon.

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