Love Letter From The Future
Chapter 410: Interlude: Gold and Silver (15)

Chapter 410: Interlude: Gold and Silver (15)

0% The academy I returned to after so long was just as I remembered.

The streets brimming with youth, sweating students, and the familiar grand buildings and shops painted a nostalgic landscape.

For me, this place was nothing short of a second home.

After all, wasn’t this the first place I’ve lived away from my hometown?

Since ancient times, the phrase ‘alma mater’ carried a profound resonance that couldn’t be fully captured in just two syllables.

But I had no time to savor the familiar air of my old school.

It was because I had something urgent to do.

I headed straight for the building where my closest friend practically lived.

The Academy’s Grand Library.

It was a place said to contain all the knowledge of the Empire, the Holy Nation, and the Southern Kingdoms combined.

It was a bit of an exaggeration perhaps, but the sheer number of books stored there was still staggering.

Rumor had it the collection numbered in the millions.

Still, there were probably tens of thousands left uncataloged.

It was the culmination of centuries of knowledge gathered from across the continent.

And where knowledge gathers, so too do those who seek the truth.

The Grand Library was always bustling with scholars, and my friend—one who had devoted himself to the path of magic—was no exception.

Leto Einstern. My most trusted advisor and friend.

It didn’t take long to spot him.

It was because he was an uncommonly handsome man.

His striking features stood out even amidst the sea of books and people.

I practically dragged him out of the library. Leto was startled and tried to resist, but as a mere mage, he stood no chance against my strength.

From the very beginning, he had only one choice.

To have a private conversation with me.

Eventually, Leto sat across from me with a disgruntled look.

But I didn’t feel guilty. I didn’t have time to care how he felt.

I didn’t waste time on pleasantries.

“Leto, have you heard? Celine’s gone missing.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

His attitude couldn’t have been more indifferent.

His expression screamed: I’ve got better things to do. Why are you wasting my time?

At the very least, it wasn’t a welcoming look.

Even so, I slammed my hand on the desk and pressed on.

“No, Leto—Celine is missing! How the hell are you so calm?!”

“Did Ria tell you this?”

Leto’s eyes as he asked back were utterly indifferent.

It was a question tossed out like an afterthought.

But I couldn’t respond with the same nonchalance.

Something was off.

Come to think of it, it was questionable why Ria had come to find me in the first place. Normally, Leto should have been the first to contact me about this.

Leto cherished Celine like his own sister.

Which meant if something happened to her, he’d be the first to lose it. At the very least, he wouldn’t be maintaining his composure like he was now.

As I remained silent with a bewildered look, Leto clicked his tongue.

“Ian, you’ve been ignoring Celine, haven’t you?”

“......Have I?”

Even as I answered that way, I swallowed hard and fell into thought.

Had I been paying attention to Celine lately?

It wasn’t even worth pondering.

I couldn’t help but bite back an awkward smile.

“I guess so.”

“‘I guess so’? Are you serious? You haven’t checked on her in months!”

Leto’s jab made me clear my throat and look away.

He was right.

It had been ages since I last checked in on her.

Sure, she’d come to me now and then, but that was it.

I hadn’t even noticed until now. We’d been close for so long that I’d taken her and Leto for granted.

Celine and Leto’s presence was like air to me.

Absolutely necessary for my life, but always there without needing to worry.

Perhaps I had been taking advantage of their kindness.

Even though they too surely had lives of their own.

While I was having this moment of reflection, Leto let out a long sigh.

His gaze deepened and I could even see a faint hesitation in his eyes that were tracing the past.

He seemed to be contemplating what to say next.

“Has it been tough lately?”

That was what he finally said after much deliberation.

It was just a cliché question, asking if I was doing alright.

But I knew. That beneath that voice was a deep weariness.

I paused for a moment, but eventually my head nodded a couple of times.

There was no point in deliberating, as no brilliant lines would come to mind anyway.

It was best not to hide my true feelings from Leto.

“Honestly, it’s been tough... I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been able to rest comfortably in the past few months. Just when I think I can catch a breath, another incident pops up......”

“The people following you are also struggling.”

Leto stated in a grave voice.

The content of his statement was also extremely sensible.

“Especially for some, it’s even harder. You’ll somehow continue to move forward despite the difficulty, but those lacking talent can’t even follow your steps. There exists a gap that can’t be closed no matter how hard they try.”

“Are you saying that’s the case for Celine?”

“She’s been struggling with a lot of things these past few months.”

Just then, our drinks arrived.

The server, who appeared to be a young woman, glanced at me as she set down the drinks. It was a face as if she had discovered a rare spectacle.

No, actually, it wasn’t just her.

Everywhere I went, eyes followed me.

There were quite a few hushed conversations that had me as their topic.

This starkly revealed how my status had changed over the past few months.

Ian Percus, the second son of a rural viscount, was no more.

Only Ian Percus, the Empire’s divine prodigy and humanity’s rising hero, remained.

I had shed an immense amount of blood to reach this point, but it wasn’t something just anyone could achieve.

I was merely fortunate.

Conversely, perhaps someone else lacked that fortune.

I silently sipped the drink placed before me.

The cool liquid traveled down my throat, making me more aware of the beads of sweat clinging to my skin.

“She must’ve been struggling. You know how exceptional everyone around you is. She’s been swinging her sword until her hands blistered, but it’s not like that would make her stronger overnight, and lately, she’s even been having auditory and visual hallucinations.”

“Auditory? Hallucinations?”

My brow furrowed immediately at Leto’s words.

Auditory and visual hallucinations were symptoms usually accompanying serious mental illnesses. I couldn’t imagine that Celine had felt such pressure.

If I had known, I would have stopped her somehow.

That there was no need to force herself to follow me.

Leto clicked his tongue as if he had expected this.

“Stop it, stop. You’ll only make it worse... And it’s still manageable now. After a bit of meditation, the symptoms will disappear again.”

My body, which was about to go search for Celine, flinched.

Come to think of it, Leto didn’t seem particularly worried even though Celine had disappeared.

It didn’t take long for the reason to be revealed.

“It’s been like that for a month or two now. When the pressure becomes too much, she goes to take a breather... Ria probably didn’t know because she hadn’t seen Celine in a while.”

“But......!”

“And you probably didn’t know because you weren’t interested.”

In the end, I swallowed a groan and admitted defeat.

I had nothing to say.

Celine had reached such a state, and I had continued on without even knowing it had happened.

It was all my fault.

Seeing my dejection, Leto scoffed.

“Don’t get too down about it. It can’t be helped.”

Instead of answering, I sighed.

I felt like banging my head against something out of frustration.

Leto’s calm advice continued.

“You’ve got your own stuff to deal with right now. Focus on that.”

“What if it’s too late?”

“It’s never too late.”

Leto’s voice was unwavering as he answered the question with an unclear subject.

He even leaned his upper body slightly forward.

His emerald eyes held a serious light. It was a look he rarely showed me.

“That’s why everyone is struggling and trying their best. So that it won’t be too late... You do what you need to do. We’ll somehow take care of the rest.”

Do what I have to do.

It was a reasonable statement.

On my shoulders rested a burden that only I could carry.

To read the letters from the future and save a world rushing toward destruction.

It was undoubtedly a mission that should take priority over everything else.

Even so, I couldn’t shake off the bitter feeling, and as I was about to say something—

My eyes suddenly caught the title of the book he was reading.

‘Hypotheses and Examinations of Time Travel Theory Based on Space-Time Relativity’

Leto didn’t even notice my gaze as he continued to lecture me with a smug expression.

“And did you hear about the Alpenhauser Young Lady? Apparently, Celine doesn’t remember, but she came to see you. As you know, the older sister is notorious for looking down on others......”

“Leto.”

Come to think of it, there was still some time before the exam period.

There was absolutely no reason for Leto to look this worn out.

Funnily enough, I only realized that fact now.

“Are you also having a hard time?”

At those words, my friend’s mouth, which had been chattering non-stop, quickly closed.

The silence didn’t last long.

Leto soon burst into a hollow laugh and said,

“Don’t worry about it, you bastard.”

It was a classic Leto-like answer.

I smiled bitterly for who knows how many times and muttered inwardly.

The Alpenhauser Young Lady came to see me, huh.

Then it would be polite to go and greet her.

Like a proper junior should.

And I could also ask about the last conversation she had with Celine.

Leto said it was fine, but my instincts were sending me a subtle warning.

The auditory and visual hallucinations Celine was experiencing.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to look into that as well.

**

Emma had been pinching her cheeks every time she opened her eyes these days.

“.....Ouch.”

Emma’s eyes remained dreamy as she murmured in a hazy voice.

She looked like she was still wandering in dreamland.

But it didn’t take long for vitality to fill Emma’s eyes.

The smile that spread across her face proved her joy.

It hurt.

In other words, it wasn’t a dream.

The confession shared on that snowy night.

The kiss with Ian, and even the warmth of his embrace.

There was no lie anywhere.

Those memories warmed her cheeks like a gentle flame.

Covering her flushed face with her palms, the woman giggled.

It was rare for her.

Emma was a diligent and hardworking person. She rarely lingered in the afterglow of sleep after waking up in the morning.

Yet here she was, dawdling in bliss.

Even her roommate tilted her head in confusion.

But what could she do?

Love could turn someone’s world into ruins, but it could also turn it into a flower garden.

The world of a woman whose first love was realized was undoubtedly closer to the latter.

Of course, being inherently diligent, Emma still didn’t spend too much time in bed.

While she couldn’t control her constantly rising corners of her mouth, she had enough time to get up and wash her face.

It was just as she was about to leave the room...

It started with her friend who opened the door first flinching and stepping back.

Only then did Emma sense something amiss and opened her eyes wide. Before her stood a small pointed hat.

The uninvited guest was a small girl.

At first glance, she looked as lovely as a doll, but she was a famous figure whose notoriety was known to everyone in the academy.

Elsie Rinella.

While Emma instinctively stumbled back, Elsie took a step forward.

And with a swift movement, she grabbed Emma’s collar and pulled her close.

In the end, Emma had to bend over in an awkward posture.

Right in front of her were blazing blue eyes.

Emma unconsciously gulped.

Dangerous.

She wanted to shake off her hand, but her opponent was a high-ranking noble.

A commoner like her couldn’t resist.

Elsie wasn’t the type who beat around the bush.

“Hey, you. Let’s have a talk.”

A stern expression and a cold voice.

As soon as Emma heard Elsie’s words, she thought:

This wasn’t an offer—it was a command.