Love Letter From The Future

3. The dragon’s eye, the human mind (28)

Irene Lupermion hated Ian Percus.

It was a feeling that I didn’t know whether to say fear or reluctance.

Anyway, she hated Ian Perkus.

If you were asked to give reasons to hate him, you could name several.

First, in front of everyone, Irene insulted her master by throwing water on her.

As a loyal knight, it was an unbearable injustice. Not to mention her master, Shien, was just having a conversation.

It was customary to solve problems that started with the tongue.

Even if it wasn’t for the relationship between the imperial nobility and the princess, it was grave rude to suddenly pour water on them in the middle of a conversation.

And secondly, he was even brazen after he had made such a mistake.

It was a confident attitude, as if he had done what he had to do. On the contrary, it was to the point where I was able to restrain Irene from pulling out the sword.

Even on the topic of third year academy, what?

If you don’t want to regret it, take your hand off the sword. It was the first insult I’d ever received in my life.

Irene had enough reason to punish him.

Finally, the third time, Irene, who had been so energetic, was defeated by him.

It was only one battle.

That alone could clearly feel the difference in skill.

Irene realized that her sword path was twisted and her world turned upside down in an instant.

Can’t win.

She couldn’t even come to her senses, but she thought so as she slumped to the ground, struggling to breathe.

It was the moment when I finally realized the identity of the strange anxiety I felt right before I met the man.

The opponent was more like a monster than a human.

Eyes that couldn’t even feel the slightest emotion, the skill to read the flow of magical power, and the guts to carry the princess’s royal guard without hesitation.

Still, until the end, Irene still had a determination.

I knew that suppression was impossible. But the lord was insulted, and she fell with a single blow.

I couldn’t keep my head up if I didn’t feed even one shot.

It was then that the ax was thrust into Irene’s shoulder.

The ax blade, which pierced through the bones with a rattling sound, was also terrifying in power in proportion to its speed. It was to the point where I was screaming out loud.

After that it was a nightmare.

Blood splattered, the bones shattered in half, and the marrow was exposed.

The feeling of pain had long since been numb. Only with her clouded mind did she clearly feel the approaching death.

However, what pierced Irene’s heart more intensely than the physical pain was the evaluations Ian threw out.

“The level of escort knights is appalling. I will need mental training.”

“Do the so-called escorts even hesitate to leave their master behind?”

“This is the share your lord had to suffer.”

Every single word of the man’s careless voice pierced his heart like a blade.

For Irene Luphemion, who was full of pride as a knight, the evaluation was tantamount to a death sentence.

The reason her lord was spared was purely because of the man’s mercy.

In terms of punishing Irene and other escort knights instead, Irene was on the verge of being grateful to the man.

It felt like an intolerable insult.

It was a disqualification both as an escort and as a knight.

Expecting mercy from the other person was something anyone could do.

Rather, it was better to bow down and fawn to beg for mercy. The more such thoughts were repeated, the more Irene had to be overcome with a sense of shame.

It was a disqualification.

Both as an escort and as a knight.

Naturally, Irene had to stay in a hospital room for a while.

The longer she spent alone in bed without doing anything, the deeper Irene’s depression got.

It was the same even though Shien, who noticed this, often visited and chatted with him.

On the contrary, Shien’s favor was more frightening.

It seems that she will not be able to remain as an escort knight worthy of that favor, so isn’t she lacking in content?

Irene was able to leave the temple only after a few days had passed.

Rather, it was better than her. Escort knight Zeros, whose arm was cut off by Ian, was judged incapacitated for a while and had to return to his hometown.

Nevertheless, the reality of waiting for Irene, who was discharged from the hospital, was not easy.

Every time I took a step, I heard a whisper.

“Is that the driver?”

“I heard you were robbed by Senior Ian from the Swordsmanship Faculty.”

“I heard that you are our senior, so I’m really f*cking ashamed.”

The ridicule and ridicule inflicted on Irene was not limited to the academy students.

Letters from families worried about the family’s prestige and honor, as well as mail from the Royal Guards, which showed signs of openly disappointing, arrived.

It was Irene who had never let anyone down before.

In fact, no matter how you think about it, it wasn’t Irene’s fault. If not only her but four escort knights were defeated in one fell swoop, it would be more correct to think that the opponent was stronger than expected.

But people don’t think in only one direction.

If Ian Perkus was evaluated as stronger than expected, at the same time, Irene and other escort knights would be evaluated as weaker than expected.

It was because it was the only way to fit reality into common sense.

Irene, who was the proud daughter of the Luphemion family and stayed close to the 5th princess, became a loner in her room.

But Shien couldn’t give up on her.

He knocked on the door every morning and tried to persuade him personally.

Although loyal, in fact, Irene treated Shien with a snobbish calculation that she could stay by the princess’s side. I couldn’t help but feel the sincerity.

Even so, Irene was too afraid to go out of the room.

The world existed outside the room.

A world where you have to hear ridicule and criticism every time you take a step, and mails with more luxurious packaging that tell you that you are disappointed in her are constantly flying in.

There was no way I wanted to go out. Then, it was Shien, the lord whom Irene respected, who brought her out again.

It seemed that Shien wanted this opportunity to shake off Irene’s fear.

The whispers could still be heard, but the princess’s duties were still dignified. It was as if Irene was not ashamed of it.

Deeply comforted by that fact, Irene thought.

This time, I won’t disappoint Her Highness.

It’s only been a few hours since I made such a firm resolution.

Irene’s face turned pale. It was right after I saw the man throwing an axe.

There seemed to be no hesitation in that nimble linking action.

It was the same as back then. That man was still a monster.

Irene’s hands were wet with sweat from the tension. Swallowing dry saliva, she had to watch the approaching man.

And when the man couldn’t resist the princess’s provocation and took out an axe,

Irene drew the knife as if she had been waiting.

Now was the opportunity to wash away all the humiliation.

As befits an escort knight, I will confidently fight fear, overcome fear, and protect my lord.

The moment when Irene’s knife, drawn with such determination, spreads a sharp metallic sound.

‘Sir Irene… Get your hands off the sword, if you don’t want to regret it.’

One indifferent voice I heard that day.

Cook, he stabbed Irene’s spinal nerve. Her body stiffened.

It was only a brief moment of hesitation.

However, in the match of the masters, sometimes only a moment was all.

Before Irene could even stretch out her sword, the man’s ax blade was already dripping with chills.

It was right above the princess’s shoulder.

The princess’s body trembled at the heavy murderous intent she felt. Those light gray eyes that were wide open filled with astonishment. He was staring at the ax in disbelief.

The wavering gaze spoke of her fear.

The man didn’t even care about that, and with a casual expression, he lowered his head and whispered.

“… … So, do you think the outside world will save Her Highness now?”

If he put his mind to it, it would have been easy for the man to slap the princess on the shoulder right away.

Of course, with the same reason, he could have killed the princess.

No one in this place was unaware of that fact.

So Shien and Irene had no choice but to stand there frozen.

The man continued to whisper in a low voice.

It was a sweet voice with a sense of weight, but perhaps because of the atmosphere, it was a tone that gave off a chill.

“The real world is both inside the academy and outside the academy. The reality right in front of Your Highness’s eyes and ears is the truth.”

Like this hatchet, Ian smiled bitterly.

The princess’s eyelids trembled, but soon closed.

He wanted to say something, but he seemed unable to open his mouth.

Irene’s eyes widened as she watched.

again

Disappointed again.

Whether Irene did it or not, the man briefly admired the trembling princess.

And soon he took the ax and threw it away.

The princess’s puzzled eyes turned to Ian. It seemed like he wanted to shoot at me, but his lips repeated opening and closing in vain, as if the fear hadn’t gone away yet.

As if he knew what it meant, Ian replied in a relaxed voice.

“Poor people are not cut down with an ax. The people I shoot with the ax are the only people who deserve it.”

In other words, it meant that the princess wasn’t even worth taking down with an axe.

I don’t know why, but it’s because I’m sorry.

It was an intolerable insult. Isn’t sympathy the feeling that the strong give to the weak?

It wouldn’t be strange if the princess burst into anger right away.

In fact, her teary eyes turned to Ian for an instant.

However, the moment he met those golden eyes, Shien had no choice but to lower his gaze.

To refute Ian’s words, all he could say was that he wanted to be stamped with an axe.

That proud Shien was broken by the man’s hatchet just now.

Irene gritted her teeth with a more miserable feeling.

Even that was felt to be due to her incompetence as an escort knight. It was then that the man finally cast his gaze on Irene.

“And the escort knight. you… So… … .”

Ian hesitated at the end of his words, then tilted his head.

“Who was it? Anyway, sorry for the hesitation at the end.”

The man then smiled softly.

The words ‘Who was it’, without knowing that it may have pierced Irene’s heart.

Doesn’t that mean that the man is not even worthy of remembering his name?

Even though he called me ‘Sir Irene’ until last time.

The man, whether he knew Irene’s feelings or not, started walking again.

And as he passed by her, his hand tapped Irene’s shoulder a few times.

“… … If I hadn’t hesitated, I could have stopped it.”

Like a rope being cut, somewhere in Irene’s heart was cut off.

The man left like that, and Cien and Irene, who were left alone, sat down on the spot without asking anyone first.

Shien still had a dumbfounded expression, and Irene was gasping for breath in despair.

Irene thought.

Failed.

That man was right.

Yes, she was defective. You will never be accepted by that man.

But if she couldn’t be recognized by that man, who in the world would ever acknowledge her?

In front of him, I will remain an eternal loser.

Like earworms, the world’s ridicule pierced Irene’s ears. Letters of rebuke from the knights and families scattered in lines and poured over the heart locked in despair.

The fact was so suffocating that Irene wanted to squeeze her throat and scream.

Ian Perkus, Ian Perkus, Ian Perkus… … .

In Irene’s expression as she muttered inwardly, the depth of despair was revealed.

You have to win, or be recognized. Otherwise.

At the end of that last assumption, I couldn’t bear to say anything.

because it was pointless

Otherwise, it was pointless.

Whether it’s her pride as a knight she’s been protecting, her life, everything.

Irene’s eyes became desperate.

*

It was after that that I heard strange rumors in front of the temple.