Chapter 5
Selina, organizing the tasks she had to complete over the remaining two weeks in her notebook, double-checked the admission form to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.
As she slowly read from the beginning, her gaze suddenly froze on one particular line.
After staring at it for a while, she finally spoke.
“Hey, Luna.”
“Why are you calling me, meow?”
Luna, half-asleep, lifted her eyes sleepily to look at Selina sitting at the desk.
“Are you… going to the academy with me?”
“Of course, meow. If it’s not me, who’s going to take care of you?”
Selina scanned the document again, frowning.
“It says animals are not allowed.”
“…What did you say, meow?”
“It says bringing any animals is strictly prohibited.”
“……….”
A long silence followed. Then an indignant yowl echoed through the room.
“That’s impossible, meow!”
Nyaaaang!
The cat’s cries filled the entire room.
Late at night. Most people had ended their day and were asleep, preparing for the next.
Theodore, too, was finishing his day, lighting a few candles and writing in his diary.
His shadow flickered dramatically with the movement of the candle flames.
Around the places where the shadow fell were symbols of the sun and items from the Sun Temple.
Short black hair, golden gleaming eyes, a well-defined nose and lips—he had the appearance that could ignite the hearts of many young girls.
Knock.
The sound of a knock interrupted his writing. His hand, mid-motion, froze, and he looked toward the door.
“Yes, come in.”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man, identical in appearance to Theodore, entered, holding a bottle of wine and a glass.
“Father.”
“Son, do you have a moment?”
The reluctant Theodore sighed and rose from his seat. The man, assuming silent consent, entered with a broad smile.
He immediately began pouring wine as he sat on the sofa in the center of the room.
Seeing this, Theodore pressed his throbbing temples with a hand.
“How could His Holiness… drink?”
“It’s a gift I allow myself once a month. If I couldn’t indulge a little, I would have long since resigned from the papacy.”
If a clergyman had heard that, they would have foamed at the mouth.
“Father!”
“Oh, hush. Stop nagging and just keep this old man company while I drink.”
Theodore’s father, Dies, was the Pope of the Sun Temple.
Seeing someone holding the papal office casually gesturing with a wineglass infuriated Theodore.
With a resigned sigh, Theodore poured wine for him, but did not pour for himself.
“Tsk, tsk. What’s the harm in drinking together?”
“Father, I’m still underage.”
“But old enough to drink. Back in my day, I started at fifteen…”
“Enough. Why did you come here?”
Theodore cut off his father’s rambling firmly. Dies pouted slightly, annoyed at the lack of attention.
“I came to say goodbye before starting a nationwide pilgrimage. Also, you’ll soon enter the academy.”
“Have a safe journey.”
Selina would have described the words as utterly void of sincerity. Dies shook his head, sighing, ‘Raising a son is useless, indeed.’
“I don’t expect a dramatic tearful farewell like Tania’s. But at least pretend to care a little—you’re too cold, you know…”
“You didn’t come just to make small talk, did you?”
Theodore checked his pocket watch and looked at Dies with a silent glare, clearly telling him to get to the point.
Dies stopped evading and spoke plainly.
“…That girl will be entering the academy with you.”
“That girl?”
“Selina.”
At the mention of her name, the usually indifferent Theodore was visibly shaken. He clenched his fists, flustered.
“Selina… How… she’s never shown interest in the academy…”
“She’s more than capable of being uninterested.”
“……….”
“I hear Fryman decided on this unilaterally. I only found out recently myself.”
Theodore pressed his lips together, silently frozen. Dies’s eyes sharpened.
“Theodore. Conduct yourself properly this time. If something like ‘that incident’ happens again, it won’t be as easy to manage. Remember? Back then, our ties with the Moon Temple almost collapsed.”
Theodore stiffened instantly.
“You just need to handle yourself properly. Others have been pre-warned, so nothing reckless should happen.”
Seeing Theodore still tense, Dies softened his expression and patted his shoulder.
“You haven’t spoken properly since that day, have you? Now that you’ll be entering together, take this chance to talk to Selina.”
Suddenly, emotions surged within Theodore.
“Selina probably forgot everything about that day. When we were young, we were inseparable friends. So reconciling and being close again…”
Dies, sipping wine and mumbling, stopped mid-sentence.
Theodore let divine energy flow from him, his golden eyes widening alarmingly. Dies’s gaze cooled immediately.
“No matter how leniently you were raised, your glare is insubordinate.”
Crack.
A crack appeared in the wine glass Dies held, golden divine energy rippling around him.
“Care to test me?”
The overwhelming divine energy pressed down on Theodore.
Gasping for air, Theodore paled, ultimately surrendering. Dies finally withdrew his energy.
“Did I say something you couldn’t handle? It’s good for you to reconnect with her, isn’t it? You’ve never been able to forget her.”
Theodore clenched his fists.
“I won’t… befriend Selina again.”
He looked as though even speaking the words was painful.
The candle by the diary flickered dramatically.
Next to it, a photo showed a young Theodore smiling brightly, and a scowling young Selina.
Ding-dong.
A large bell rang in the quiet house. No one responded, so it rang again.
“Ugh… Who is it?”
Selina, half-asleep, stumbled to the door, unable to open her eyes properly.
Ding-dong-ding-dong!
Luna, annoyed by the persistent ringing, covered his small ears with his paws.
“Go see who it is already, meow…!”
Selina wiped her sleep away as best she could, draped a shawl over her shoulders, and headed to the door.
“Who could it be this early…”
Seeing the deep navy robes filling her vision, her sleep vanished instantly.
Sure enough, she looked up, and as she expected, a man stood there.
A young man with black hair and eyes, expressionless, stared down at her.
Dark circles under his eyes made his pale skin look even whiter.
“…Priest Baon.”
“Good morning, Selina.”
“H-Haha… it’s been a while.”
Selina awkwardly smiled and adjusted her clothes.
“Sorry for coming so early.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Seeing Baon apologize politely, Selina snapped fully awake and waved her hand.
Only then did she notice not just Baon but other priests, each carrying something in their hands.
“On the Cardinal’s orders, we’ve come this early morning.”
“The Cardinal…?”
Wondering what task Fryman had sent that required even his subordinate Baon, Selina hurriedly opened the door, seeing the trembling priests.
“Please, come in.”
“Thank you. We’ll step inside.”
The three priests, including Baon, placed what they brought onto the table.
“Um… what are all these?”
“These are errands from the Cardinal. All of them are for you, Selina.”
“All for me?”
Seeing her confusion, Baon opened one neatly wrapped box.
Inside were clothes made from obviously luxurious materials.
“Oh… these are…”
“I heard you’ll be entering Perion Academy.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“These are the necessary supplies for enrollment—uniforms, bags, shoes, all the basics.”
Selina’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected gift.
Examining the neatly folded uniform, she gasped when she saw the brand.
“Eek! Isn’t this way too expensive? Even a handkerchief costs over ten gold…”
“I’m merely here on errand. The Cardinal chose everything himself.”
Hearing Baon’s firm words, Selina could only press her forehead in disbelief.
As expected from Fryman. He would always prepare the very best.
“Thank you… for bringing these personally.”
“I was following the Cardinal’s orders. Now that our business is done, we’ll take our leave.”
Baon efficiently sent the priests off first and moved toward the entrance.
Nyaa~
Luna, awakened by the noise, slowly stepped out, half-asleep.
Baon stopped suddenly. Entering here, he was startled for the first time.
He squatted cautiously, and Luna immediately rubbed against him.
As Baon stroked the soft black fur, his expression was gentle.
Though emotionless around people, he always softened with animals.
Selina quietly watched this rare sight, fascinated.
Baon, smiling faintly, suddenly stiffened when he noticed Selina’s gaze and quickly rose.
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No, it’s fine.”
He then strode away. Selina stayed at the door to see them off.
As they slowly left, she was about to close the door when Baon called her.
“Selina.”
“Yes?”
She quickly reopened the door. Baon, already descending the stairs, showed only his head.
“See you again later.”
With a faint smile, he disappeared. Selina froze, stunned, unable to move for a long moment.
