Love Letter From The Future

This day has been strange since morning. To be precise, it has been that way since I finished getting ready to go out.

As usual, I washed my face and got dressed. And lastly, as I was about to grab the belt, there was a weapon I'd never seen before hanging there.

It was a small hatchet. Up until now, the only weapon I've ever used was a sword, but out of nowhere, I came to possess another weapon.

It felt strange, but I put on the belt while feeling perplexed.Someone must have given it to me when I was drunk, so I simply decided to return it later.

Wearing the red cloak that symbolizes the third-year students of the academy, when I went outside, there were already a lot of people walking around the campus.

From this point on, I started to have a serious feeling of astonishment. Of course, it wasn't caused by the presence of so many people loitering around.

The Academy houses tens of thousands of people, including students, faculty, and other residents who manage the academic facilities. Even though it was crowded with people in the morning, it was not unusual.

What I found bizarre was not the size of the crowd, but the degree of interest they showed in me.

As soon as I walked down the street, countless gazes followed me. And soon a whisper began to tickle my ears.

“That person, isn’t it him?”

“I heard that Yurdina's bastard was beaten to the point of being half dead…”

At that word, my eyes flickered, and I turned to the source of those whispers. But as soon as my gaze landed on them, they simply cleared their throats and scampered away.

Could it be that they are talking about me?

Puzzled, I tilted my head once more. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand.

This is the ‘Leaf Academy’.

The best educational institution on the continent, both in name and reality.

It’s a place where renowned scholars and geniuses from all around the world gather to teach the best talents on the continent. Its history and scale were also qualitatively superior to other educational institutions.

Since it’s a place that prides itself on being the best in the world, it isn’t easy to enter this academy.

Only talented people from across the continent are able to cross the threshold and set foot in this place. The entrance exam, which boasts a competitive rate ranging from hundreds to thousands, was equal to all.

Whether it’s the Imperial family, the aristocrats, or the commoners, whenever they look back on their entrance exams, it’s common for profanities to come out of their mouths.

It's been a long-standing tradition at the academy to sign a liability release form stating that you are aware of the risks concerning your life before taking the exam. Although casualties were rare, the fact that such a form had to be submitted proved how dangerous the academy's entrance exam actually is.

And in such a difficult exam process, you had to overcome hundreds of those who are called the best in each country to be able to become a freshman at the 'Academy'.

Of course, even if they somehow enter the academy, that isn’t the end. After that, during the four-year curriculum, about 10% of students fail every year.

Failing at the academy means expulsion. Naturally, students who have struggled to enter the academy fought with all their might to avoid failing, and so the competition intensified even more.

It’s an educational experience that resembles the law of the jungle. It was only when one didn't fall behind in this race for survival that lasted for four years that they could enter society with the tag of 'Leaf Academy Graduate'.

Still, it wasn't a bad investment since, once you've graduated, your career would be secured.

Rather, there were many parents who wanted to send their children to the academy, coveting the title of a 'Verified Talent'.

For example, my parents did.

From a young age, I wasn’t interested in most jobs, let alone managing the estate, and that soon became a concern for my parents.

The eldest son had been designated as the heir a long time ago, and I was not as bright in business as my younger sister, so my parents couldn’t help but worry about my future.

By the time I was eight, my parents finally made a decision. If there was no field that I showed interest in, then we we'd first focus on securing a way to make a living.

From an early age, rigorous training and strict discipline were enforced. Fortunately, my talents weren’t abysmal, so my hard work bore fruit; and with a bit of luck, I somehow managed to get admitted into the academy.

Of course, now that I was in the academy, those talents of mine became trivial.

It’s a place where all kinds of geniuses from the continent gather. Naturally, there was a gap that couldn’t be narrowed with some clumsy effort and innate talent.

If there were any talents, I could be proud of, it was my amazing footwork and my knack for riding horses. Thanks to them, I was part of those who somehow managed to avoid failing.

In other words, if you were in the middle or lower classes, you would be able to graduate from the academy without difficulty. That alone was enough to satisfy me.

Knowing your place has always been a thing of importance. After all, I had let go of the idea that I was the main character of the world back in my delusional teenage years.

So, until now, I maintained my presence at a level where if one were to ask for my name at the academy, the response would be 'Ah, that person!'

In harsher terms, it meant that there was nothing worthy of attention, and in nicer terms, it also meant that I had comfortably adapted to this sort of life in the academy.

So today, the reaction of the surrounding people was something unfamiliar.

Every step I took was accompanied by a whisper. At first I thought I was wearing the wrong clothes, but that wasn't the case.

I wanted to think that it was just my imagination. However, the eyes of those who glanced at me belonged to the kind that could not be mistaken at all.

There is nothing more terrifying than unwanted attention. Especially when you didn't even know if it was a good or a bad thing.

The gossiping that bothered me did not go away even after a long time. I was on my way to one of my classes, and if I went on like this, I’d have to hear them again during its course.

However, I couldn’t just grab a passerby and ask why they were talking about me.

As I was looking around with a troubled countenance, a savior caught my eye.

The stuttering figure was a familiar person. A pale light was reflected on his face, which still had a youthful vigor. He must have drank a lot yesterday as well.

He was a good friend of mine. He had brown hair and green eyes. We had frequent exchanges from when we were children, and this strong bond was also one of the reasons for me entering the academy.

'Leto Ainstern' was such a famous person that if you were to ask who is the most famous playboy in the academy, his name would always be mentioned.

He yawned, seemingly still suffering from last night's hangover, but when he saw me approaching him his body stiffened. The emotion that flashed in his eyes was unmistakably panic.

However, the relationship between him and me was not so fragile that I'd care about every single reaction he had. I immediately raised my hand to say hello to him.

Yes, Leto must know the reason. Why are the surrounding people anxious and began to gossip upon laying their eyes on me?

“Hey, Leto!”

I trudged towards Leto without hesitation. But for some reason, Leto seemed to be restless.

He hesitated and looked into my eyes, his eyes then widened as if he just had realized something. The cause was unknown, but it was a very surprising sight.

He examined me for a long time after that. As I was standing in front of him, Leto hugged me tightly as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Ian, you’re back……!”

Wait, what is this bullshit?

The sudden embrace made me dumbfounded for a moment. However, when I came to my senses, my hand immediately pushed Leto away.

I never had a hobby of sharing passionate hugs with a guy in broad daylight. And as far as I know, neither did Leto. He used to call himself 'a lone wolf that roams the taverns every night and hunts for lonely women'.

That’s why when he suddenly embraced me, I couldn't help but be embarrassed. It was like he was welcoming back a friend who just returned from a battlefield.

I got goosebumps. Unconsciously, swear words at Leto poured out of my mouth.

"No… Hey, are you crazy?! Why are you hugging me in broad daylight and making a fuss? It's disgusting...…!”

But despite my distress, as I yelled and trembled, Leto kept weeping and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He then whimpered and said.

“Yeah….. Yes, this is Ian. Yes, this is Ian... Welcome back, my friend!”

Then he tapped me on the shoulder as if to congratulate me. My stunned gaze turned to him, but he seemed to be basking in his own emotion, and didn't even seem to care about my reaction.

Slowly, my shoulder started to hurt because of the continuous patting. My expression naturally wrinkled, and an inquisitive tone came out of my mouth.

“……What are you doing?"

It was Leto's side who was instead surprised by my reasonable question. He opened his eyes wide and immediately jumped back and asked me.

“Hey, don’t you remember? What crazy things have you been doing for the past week?!”

“Week?”

I questioned Leto's dramatic reaction, with an even more puzzled expression on my face. Then Leto pounded my chest as if frustrated.

Being a mage, his body was weak, so he looked just even more annoyed.

"Y-You… Don't you remember that as well? In the last lecture, you tried to kill Yurdina's bastard!"

“…I?"

I pointed my index finger towards myself. Hearing another question that was spat out in disbelief, Leto nodded his head violently to reaffirm his statement once again.

“Yeah, you idiot! In the last class, the 3rd and 2nd graders were supposed to pair up and have a duel, but you beat Yurdina's bastard until she couldn't even stand up? Do you know how surprised me and Celine were to hear that? Don’t tell me this bastard drank the wrong liquor while drinking yesterday...….”

Then, Leto's rant continued, but I could only answer with a shocked expression on my face.

Because it wasn't something I remembered doing.

Last week? Then, does that mean that I've been unconscious for a week?

If it was 'Yurdina's Bastard', that derogatory term belonged to that woman.

The eldest daughter of the Marquis Yurdina, ‘Seria Yurdina'.

Even though she was born out of nowhere, she was a woman who inherited the blood of Marquis Yurdina, a Great Northern Ruler of the Empire. Even in the academy, which gathered all kinds of talented people, her swordsmanship talent was unparalleled.

Even before entering the academy, she had already been tagged as a promising senior candidate for the Knight Faculty. Although she was still only a sophomore, she was able to compete with any 4th grader.

Because of her talent, background, and beauty, many people approached her, but she consistently ignored them. That's why she got the nickname 'Yurdina's Bastard'. By now, a faction had been formed to secretly shun her.

Still, the reason they couldn't bully her openly was because she is skilled. And, in the academy, skill is all that matters.

She is that talented. Although she is not as good as Yurdina's heir who is in the 4th year, she is a female knight who has the talent to compete to be the best in the 2nd year.

By the way, you said that I beat Seria Yurdina until she was half dead?

It was so ridiculous that I couldn't even laugh. As I cracked a self-deprecating smile, Leto now turned serious.

“Hey, you really don’t remember? Looking back, you were a little strange, you had strangely hazy eyes... Were you under some kind of curse?”

It was then that I realized that Leto's words were neither a joke nor a lie, but a serious matter. I knew it because of the faint look of concern in his eyes.

He always seems to be carefree but he turns serious when it comes to important matters. Hence it would be correct to assume that most of the words he shared so far were in fact the truth. I then immediately felt dizzy.

You say I've been doing that for a week? Why the hell?

Then I felt a minor headache. I think I was about to remember something, but that vexing feeling made me unable to remember anything at all.

Common sense dictates, I should have taken this matter very seriously, but for some reason, I took it for granted. Rather, this gave me a stronger sense of incongruity.

As I reflected for a while, the look of concern in Leto's eyes deepened even more. He soon mumbled.

“Hold on, what kind of curse can remove your memories or alter your personality? Banshee's cries, Pan's lute, or the possession of a high-ranking Ghost...….”

I had a foreboding that if I went on like this, I would get involved in even more troublesome things. Maybe I would be taken to a laboratory in the Mage faculty and be subjected to all kinds of experiments.

It was the worst I could have imagined. I first raised my hand and interrupted Leto's next words.

“Okay, don’t worry too much. What… Who would curse an inconspicuous second son of a Countryside Viscount like me?”

When I said that it wasn't a big deal, Leto shut his mouth and stroked his chin. He still had a questioning look, but it seemed that he thought that what I was saying had some truth in it.

That was it. What reason is there to place a high-ranking curse on the second son of an aristocratic family who lives in the countryside?

Still, when Leto's expression did not recover, I laughed and threw a tantrum. It was to show that I was fine.

“You know what? Perhaps a graduate student majoring in science who had been locked up in his lab all day may have gone mad and cursed.”

“Hey, that’s right. If he’s a graduate student, it's understandable...… .”

It was meant as a joke, but Leto seemed to be taking the possibility quite seriously.

What on earth is even a graduate student of Science Faculty? Do they even exist?

I was shaking my head like that, and before I knew it, Leto placed his hand on my right shoulder and stroked his chin once more.

He had a wonderful smile on his face. He seemed to felt relieved now.

“I'm glad you're okay. To be honest, I thought you would be absent from the next class.”

Next lecture? As soon as I heard those words, I remembered where I was going now.

The memories of the week were erased, but the place I had to go didn’t change since all classes were scheduled based on the day of the week.

And there, at the knight’s training ground.

A shrieking sound was heard, it was a distorted scream that induced panic.

“I heard that Yurdina’s bastard was discharged from the hospital yesterday.”

Then, with a warm smile, Leto tapped my shoulder a few more times.

“You claim to be fine, still don’t you need to worry?”

No, I guess that's something to be concerned about.

With that in mind, I broke out in a cold sweat.

Because it was an obvious fact that a wild beast, whose pride had been hurt, would retaliate.

I felt like a sheep being led to the slaughterhouse.