Love Letter From The Future

2. The Lord is with you (16)

The process of choosing a request for practice dispatch took a long time.

Each request had different levels of difficulty and additional bonus points. The majority of academy students have no choice but to care about their grades, so which request to choose was the main topic of discussion for the 3rd year students ahead of the final exams.

If you just wanted to avoid failing, choosing a safe quest wasn’t a bad choice. Although the score for dispatch to practice was high, it was not at a level that could not be handled as a theoretical subject.

There were also a few Joes who failed to achieve their goals after challenging unreasonable requests every year. It would have been a waste if he had chosen a high-difficulty quest that did not fit the subject and failed.

Because there were no points given to those who failed the quest.

As the practice dispatch accounted for a high proportion of the grade, failing the request also meant that the probability of being a failing student for the year was very high.

So, the students who went out to practice are struggling to avoid the failure of the request somehow. There were even students who died because of it.

At this point, the academy would have to come up with a plan to reduce casualties, but the academy had never abolished the tradition of dispatching students for practice.

This is because the academy is both an educational institution and a training institution.

Until the lower grades, the focus is on education and protection, but from the upper grades, the focus gradually begins to focus on combat and training. It was good to see that the practice dispatch was the beginning of that.

There was no such thing as a real battle where you didn’t have to risk your life. The academy hoped that the students would realize the cruel reality at least a little.

Because of these circumstances, the front of the request board ahead of the practice dispatch period was always crowded with people. It was the same today.

On the bulletin board where new quests were added every day, there were more quests that were created than disappearing. It meant that there were many places on the continent that needed talented people.

However, among them, the relatively high points and safe missions quickly disappeared. So, some of the 3rd graders took a break from class altogether and camped out in front of the bulletin board all day long.

As much as that, there were many students who were eager to request a practice dispatch. Of course, I was an exception to that.

I was the one who wasn’t very interested in grades in the first place. Originally, it was a satisfactory achievement just to be classified from the upper middle to the upper ranks after moving from the middle to the lower ranks.

It was a great achievement considering the growth in a short period of less than a month, but in the end, that was the limit when it came to diagnosing my objective level.

Defeating the seniors of each grade was nothing more than a combination of coincidence and luck.

If it was ‘me’ who came from the future, I didn’t know again. Seeing as Delphine abandoned Ajak, it was clear that he had more skills than that. With that level of skill, becoming the top of the grade was not a dream.

But it was laughable to talk about the future, which might be a few years from now. The letter had even been dated to say that it came from 7 years in the future, but I couldn’t even tell how many years in the future the ‘me’ of the future came from.

It wouldn’t be strange if he flew from the future decades later. By that point, he would have reached a mature stage as a prosecutor, so he might be able to play with at least academy students with relatively little practical experience.

It would be nice to be able to reproduce the skill as it is, but it was impossible at the moment. For now, it was right to be satisfied with the recent achievements without being greedy.

Therefore, what I am interested in right now is not improving my skills or high grades. A more important responsibility remained with me.

Saving the world didn’t feel real at all, but that was the mission given to me anyway.

And for this, I needed to go on a practice dispatch to an ‘orphanage’. It’s been hundreds of years since the war ended, but as long as the enemy called the Witchcraft exists, the continent is overflowing with orphans.

In other words, there were countless orphanages. So, the first priority was to set the conditions for which place to go to among the orphanages.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to start from scratch. It was thanks to the note he received from the saintess.

An orphanage located in the eastern part of the continent and suffering financial difficulties while receiving support from the Holy Land.

At first glance, it seems like a tricky condition, but even if you narrowed down the scope, the list of orphanages that were applicable reached dozens. I was now comparing the list with the client one by one.

Fortunately, among the remaining requests on the request board, there was only one request that matched the list.

Guilford Orphanage.

The contents of the request were reconnaissance and subjugation of demons.

At most, it was a request from the orphanage, and reconnaissance and subjugation of monsters belonged to very common requests. The expected difficulty is not very high, and the pay is low.

In other words, it meant that it had all the conditions for an unpopular request. In fact, how long it had been neglected, the request site was already tattered.

I carefully removed the request sheet. This was also written in the second letter.

‘It doesn’t help grades.’

It was a request that perfectly met the conditions. It was a choice that Delphine and Elsie would hate, but it didn’t matter because they would have earned points anyway.

The hesitation did not last long. A new request might come in during that time, but my intuition was telling me. That this choice is right.

It was a heavy, yet bleak feeling. I couldn’t even imagine what the hell was going on in this orphanage.

There are only two words left in my mind.

‘Raid’ and ‘Nest’.

In the end, the meaning could only be known by going to the site and investigating it step by step. For now, nothing was known about it other than that there would be an attack and that there was a nest behind it.

With that thought in mind, I turned around and headed to the External Relations Headquarters with Cho and Gu Sung to inform me of the acceptance of the order.

A familiar shadow caught my eye in the distance. A skinny man with a grim face.

It was Fermin senior. He was a monk who went with Delphine, and he owed him in many ways.

First he gave me first aid, and I returned the favor by biting my nose.

It was unavoidable at that time. Also, since Delphine was the one who took the lead, it was self-defense. Even so, the human heart was not that simple.

I still felt sorry for him. So when I was hesitant about how to open my mouth, my eyes met with Fermin-senpai.

His eyes widened. It was a look of surprise. I raised my hand with an awkward smile.

“Hello, Senior Fermin.”

“Junior, it’s been a while… Have you been at peace? Emmanuel.”

After hearing Seongguk’s unique greeting, Fermin seemed a bit like a monk. I didn’t know he was always wearing a sword, but the last time he experienced it, he was a skilled martial artist.

Even his swordsmanship skills were never at a level he learned as a hobby. His name was not particularly known among the 4th graders, but he was very strong in practice.

He was truly a man who was called a ‘hidden strong man’. From a skinny body and a pale complexion to someone you can’t even imagine, he has a heart that worries about his opponent even during battle.

Whether it was his personality or his skills, he was not an opponent that I could ignore.

So, with respect and sorry towards him, I bowed my head deeply.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the last time. Is your nose okay?”

At my cautious question, Fermin-senpai burst out laughing. He smiled kindly and shook his head.

“There is no need to apologize, junior. In terms of right and wrong, my fault for cowardly attacking must be even greater. Junior Ian, he just chose the best he could in that situation.”

I felt even more sorry for saying it in such a humble voice. If I had raised a blood clot to my neck and argued, I would have snorted, but I was embarrassed and cleared my throat.

Senior Fermin said that, but there was no need to drag the matter further. I decided to settle the debt of my heart that I had left behind.

It was then that greetings flowed out of my mouth, as usual.

“Come to think of it, Fermin-senpai was a monk.”

“Did you know it wasn’t?”

To Fermin-senpai who asked back with a wry smile, I quickly shook my head to express my denial.

“No. No. He was so good at using his sword that I just couldn’t realize it until now. But when I see you say ‘Immanuel’… … .”

“That’s a nice greeting.”

Senior Fermin smiled brightly. He seemed to feel better when a question related to his faith came up.

It was characteristic only of the clergy. If he just agreed with a few words like this, Fermin-senpai would continue lecturing on theology for hours.

As expected, commentary soon began pouring from Fermin-senpai’s mouth like a waterfall.

“As you know, ‘Immanuel’ means ‘May the Lord be with you’. However, because of its simple meaning, it is used in more diverse situations. It is a word to wish the other person a blessing, it also means to do one’s duty, and it can also mean to obey the will of the Lord because the Lord is with him.”

He seemed to have a quiet personality, but Fermin-senpai also seemed to be a priest. It was like that when I saw him reciting things he hadn’t even asked.

As usual, I would have chosen to nod my head silently and match my mood, but there was one word that stuck in my ears today.

It was also the scrawled words in the second letter, ‘obedience’.

“… … Is it ‘obedience’?”

“Yes, ‘obedience’… It is also one of the core tenets of the Tenshin religion. In the beginning, Arus created human reason and spirit, and the evil god Omerus formed the body. As a result, humans have a sinful nature. In other words, the instinct to sin is built into our bodies.”

The uninterrupted explanation was something I was already familiar with. I couldn’t figure out how it connected to the concept of ‘obedience’, so I turned my eyes to Fermin.

His pale face was suddenly bright. In any case, the priests were all alike.

“So we cannot live without sinning on our own. Only by emptying ourselves and obeying the will of the Lord can we live a pure life.”

“… … Is that possible?”

“It is not easy.”

Fermin-senpai declared that with a wry smile. He immediately added a detailed explanation.

“Everyone is afraid of abandoning ‘me’. Even more so even I, who decided to devote my life to the Lord, what about other people? Abandoning oneself is only possible when one is prepared to end one’s own life.”

“But do you really need to do that?”

“I don’t know that either.”

At the same time, Fermin-senpai drew me his last name. A mysterious smile hung on his lips. It looked like he wanted me to find the answer myself.

“I am a priest, but there is no reason why juniors should obey. But maybe someday we’ll meet… A situation where you have to give up on yourself… … .”

Senior Fermin left without saying whether it was a prophecy or not. I did not forget to bow my head until the end and greet ‘Immanuel’. I stood there for a while, lost in thought.

Obedience, abandoning oneself?

For now, it was nothing more than an obscure religious slogan. However, since the future self insisted on scrawling the words, it is not meaningless.

With those two letters in my heart, I started walking again.

It was time to leave soon.

**

The Warp Gate was the center of transportation connecting the main hubs of the continent.

Although the toll was expensive because it required a huge amount of mana, it was an advantage of civilization that once it passed, it was possible to move at once, even a distance that would have taken several days. It was good to say that it was the essence of modern magic science.

Originally, even low-level nobles used to boast of expensive expenses that could not be recklessly used, but the students of the academy were able to use the warp gate for free only for dispatch work.

Even so, my destination, ‘Gilford Orphanage’, was located quite far from the main city, so I would have to borrow a horse and ride for about half a day more. It was unfortunate, but I couldn’t help it.

I had no choice but to be grateful for the fact that I could avoid homelessness thanks to the warp gate, so I looked at the items I had brought with me.

Clothes and other daily necessities, as well as some potions Emma gave, were mixed in the pile.

One potion that reduces the heart rate to kill the presence, one potion that increases natural healing power, and one antidote.

I don’t know if there will be a situation where I need to use them, but they were all useful potions. As you never know what will happen, it is better to be well prepared.

In the end, the dispatch was not four, but three.

Originally, a group of 4 was the rule, but since each student’s friendship is very different, there were many groups that left in groups of 2 or 3 depending on the situation. I also decided to follow that precedent.

Aren’t the two people who were together in the first place senior Delphine and senior Elsie, who belong to the top ranks even in the 4th grade? Quality was more important than numbers, as you never know what kind of unexpected situations might arise.

Bringing the idiots along would only cost a precious life. Based on such calculations, I organized a practice dispatch group.

However, if there was one thing that was a little lonely, it was that senior Elsie and senior Delphine had a lot of things to organize as they lead their respective gangs.

In other words, it was impossible to leave at the same time with me. Still, since he said he would come back in a day or two, he would have had to wait a few days.

That’s when I entered the warp gate with such thoughts.

“… … Ugh.”

A disgusting voice came from across from me. Silver hair, light pink eyes, and a man with jade blue hair following him like a shadow.

It was the saintess and her escort knight Yuren.

As soon as Yuren saw me, she smiled and waved at me, but the saintess frowned and slightly lowered her upper body as if she was in a bad mood.

It was an expression of blatant dislike. Apparently, after finding out that I was the culprit of violence against Delphine, it seemed that her hatred towards me grew stronger.

That heart is understandable. But that didn’t mean I didn’t feel bad.

I had the urge to pull out the hatchet impulsively, but I held back.

The reckless use of force was not in the spirit of the nobility. I wanted to subdue the saintess with a dignified attitude.

“… … You don’t have anything to hate that much, do you?”

However, unlike the imaginary me who subdued the saintess with her elegant words, the real me only let out a rough voice. At times like this, I was resentful of my poor verbal skills.

If it had been Leto, he would have been able to bruise the saintess in a more sophisticated way, but now that I think of it, Leto didn’t even come to meet me today.

What’s going on? But the one who broke my stream of consciousness was the saint this time too.

“Heh, excuse me. Without realizing it, my true feelings came out.”

“Even now, it is dripping down.”

“Ah, please understand… Because I’m not an introverted person.”

At the same time, the saintess bowed politely and asked for my understanding. Because of that voluminous chest curve, other places didn’t even catch my eye.

But being a man, I can’t be possessed by breasts, so I told her with a clear cough.

“Without prudence, what nonsense… Rather, where are you two going? The practice dispatch is basically a group of 4 people.”

The saintess snorted and shrugged. He had the attitude of asking what it mattered, but unexpectedly, the answer itself returned meekly.

“Doesn’t it seem like a place where saintesses roam everywhere? Instead of dispatching for practice, I should go on a ‘volunteer dispatch’. Go to a place designated by the Chengdu, stay for a few days, and manage your image. What, it would be nice if you could also evangelize with both sides?”

It was an overly pretentious statement. It was to the point where I felt like the ‘Saint’ I had met before and the Saint now.

No, half of it was. According to Yuren, there are only a few people on the continent who can see that ‘angkal face’.

I was really proud to be one of them. Of course, it was ironic.

It seemed like his head would only hurt if he kept dealing with the saintess. I shook my head with a sigh and waved goodbye.

“okay. Please manage your image with that skillful sham, Emmanuel.”

“Then, please suffer as much as the sins you committed. Emmanuel.”

Anyway, she was a woman who never lost a word. I clicked my tongue inwardly and hurried my steps.

The Warp Gate was a huge building. Once inside, it was necessary to go through dozens of short passages, depending on the city you were aiming for.

In other words, it meant that the saintess and I would be normal only after we separated.

But it was strange. Even though it was normal to go our separate ways a long time ago, the saintess and I were still walking side by side.

The eyes of the saintess and I collided in the air. It meant that he was pretending not to know, but that he cared.

In the end, it was the saintess who reached the limit of her patience first.

“… … Hey, why are you following me?”

“Isn’t that what you’re after? I am on my way.”

As the two of us showed signs of bickering, Yuren, who was watching, giggled and stroked his chin. The eyes of the saintess and I were directed to Yuren.

He was smiling like a bad boy who had discovered a funny prank. It seems like you intuit something.

“Ian, where did you say your destination was?”

“… … Guilford Orphanage.”

Upon hearing those words, the saintess’ eyes widened. Looking at it, I was able to deduce one fact.

The smile on Yuren’s lips grew wider.

“Win! I guess I’ll have to eat a pot of rice for a while?”

The saintess’ light pink eyes met my golden eyes in a panic.

‘Gilford Orphanage’, it was the moment when the eyes of the two men and women heading there finally met.

It was said that for the next two weeks, I would have to stay with the saintess.