Jay had seen many students while conducting classes. They all seemed independent, and it seemed there was no interaction with other people. Ivan and Vittorio were no different. At Connubium, the concept of friends was questionable as to whether it even existed.
But Class A Jin having a friend. Jay looked at Jin, who seemed to have a friend, with surprised eyes and said.
“Jin, do you have a friend?”
“I have classmates I interact with.”
“Ah……”
Jay was a little disappointed at that answer. The words ‘classmates I interact with’ seemed similar to friends but had a different meaning.
Things like interactions that happened at ordinary schools weren’t permitted at Connubium. The word ‘school ties’ undoubtedly couldn’t be established at Connubium.
As the conversation ended awkwardly and they walked quietly, the air changed subtly. A red butterfly fluttered and disappeared. Jay didn’t notice it. Only Belly in his pocket noticed it and alertly checked the surroundings.
“It’s this way.”
The place Jin pointed to was under a willow tree. Though Jay had stayed at Connubium for quite a while now, this was the first time he’d seen such a willow tree. The tea table placed neatly under the fluttering branches was lacquered furniture popular in Garan Kingdom.
Jay, who confirmed with his eyes the benefits Class A students received, widened his eyes. In surprise, Jay unknowingly sat down and fingered the table. The smooth texture seemed to wrap around his fingers. It was a quality item.
Seeing Jay’s surprised reaction, Jin, who sat across from him, opened her mouth.
“This was sent from my home country after news that I became Class A. His Majesty cherishes me, you see.”
“Oh……”
Jin’s voice was cold as ice. It was a cold voice that didn’t match her faintly smiling expression. At that sight, Jay couldn’t find words to say and only let out a meaningless exclamation.
Jin’s appearance, coldly calling her father ‘His Majesty,’ seemed dry. Moreover, the content of those words was also problematic. Because those words could be interpreted as her not being cherished before becoming Class A.
When Jay just smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to do, Jin quietly poured tea into white teaware. A deep lotus scent bloomed fragrantly.
“Wow, it smells good.”
“It’s white lotus tea.”
Jay kept exclaiming in admiration and inhaled the scent. At that frivolous appearance, Jin smiled deeply and pushed over some jeonggwa. The one made from lotus root went well with white lotus tea.
Having grown accustomed to the scent, Jay calmed down and quietly looked at Jin. Jin sat without a single disturbance in her appearance.
“So…… is something wrong?”
Even after hearing those words, Jin didn’t answer right away and quietly looked at Jay. Her eyes shone beautifully like blooming red peonies, but without a smile, she examined him coldly and dispassionately.
“This Connubium…… originally opens only once, when the spring semester begins. To welcome new students.”
“Ah……”
“The door opening in the middle, or going outside, is a truly rare occurrence. Even if it rarely opens, only a very small number of people can go out.”
Jay didn’t know why Jin was talking about this, but he listened quietly. Her soft voice clearly filled the space.
“Recently, a very interesting story has been going around the school. Do you know about it?”
“Well, what kind……?”
Jin smiled brightly and spoke as if singing. It was like a lark chirping.
“A man tells students alone in the dark night to seek the Holy Grail. Asking if they want to live as losers. Telling them to seize victory.”
“Huh? Holy Grail?”
“And Professor, you can assume there’s no one at this Connubium who would say such things. Because subversive thoughts have already been removed and turned to ash. Even if they had such thoughts…… who would speak them when they’d be reported and punished the moment they spoke?”
Jay couldn’t say anything and closed his mouth. Snake-like cold eyes examined Jay in detail and flicked a red tongue.
“The only people whose subversive thoughts haven’t been removed are outsiders. Yes. Only you, Professor.”
Holy Grail. The vessel that held the blood of God. The cup that grants wishes. The most precious ancient cup. Traces of the divine. That was all Jay knew. The Holy Grail appeared quite often in classical literature, and thanks to that, Jay couldn’t help but be familiar with it.
But that was really all. He had no idea about the subversive thoughts Jin was talking about.
“Uh……”
Jay’s throat went dry from bewilderment. Just then, a teacup touched his hand, and seeing the rippling tea, he grabbed it rashly without thinking. He was so flustered he couldn’t even care about the hot teacup. Jay gulped down the tea hastily.
“Ah, hot!”
“Oh my, you should be careful.”
Jin handed Jay a handkerchief. The handkerchief, embroidered with small green flowers, had a nice scent. Jay, who hastily wiped off the tea that had spilled on his clothes, felt belated guilt thinking he had dirtied a luxury item, someone else’s at that.
“You can keep it.”
Jin, who smiled affectionately, said so, but Jay had no intention of readily accepting it. Because he was a person with decency, he accepted it thinking he’d wash it and return it later. It was fabric with a texture as fine as silk, so he would struggle with washing it, but that was Jay’s problem, not mine.
When Jay neatly folded the handkerchief and put it in his pocket, Jin spoke again.
“So, do you know anything?”
“That…… um…… you mean the Holy Grail?”
Jay let out a deep sigh. In fact, he felt wronged. Because he truly knew nothing. Moreover, the Holy Grail Jin was asking about wasn’t the Holy Grail in literature that he knew. Even Jay could notice that much.
‘The only people whose subversive thoughts haven’t been removed are outsiders.’
The common sense he knew was absurd at Connubium. But that absurdity was also so ordinary when outside that no one would notice. It was ironic that such a person was a sharp stone at this school.
Jay continued speaking, pretending not to notice what Jin was saying.
“The Holy Grail I know is only what appears in books. Though it doesn’t seem to be taught well at Connubium. Perhaps, is it because you don’t know about the Holy Grail?”
The Holy Grail grants wishes, and wishes also symbolize hope.
Connubium engraved obedience and submission into students. The school didn’t want students to harbor hope. Because hope made them want something beyond their station.
In fact, the syllabus Connubium put together didn’t include books on topics that would inspire hope. He wanted to include various novels in class, but Jay didn’t have the authority to do so.
“No. I know that well too. What I want to ask is something different.”
As if she had no intention of letting Jay’s pretense of ignorance pass, Jin smiled and said firmly. Jay eventually let out an inward sigh and answered.
“Um…… you mean subversive thoughts?”
Jin didn’t answer and smiled more deeply. At her appearance like a flower in full bloom, Jay seemed to smell a deep flower scent that shouldn’t exist. Though there were no words, Jay knew it was an affirmation.
“Um, those kinds of thoughts you’re talking about…… I don’t really know, no, I really don’t know.”
“Is that so? But the only suspicious person is you, Professor.”
At the answer like a repeat sign, Jay eventually let out the sigh he’d only been swallowing inwardly. He was worried the ground might cave in from all the sighs he’d let out today.
“Jin. I’m a temporary professor, and an outsider. I think it’s reasonable to be suspicious.”
“Yes.”
“But even if temporary, I’m a professor. I’m someone who has a duty to report all your actions first of all.”
Jay was tired. All of this, which he had initially thought was good, brought deep fatigue. He thought that if he were a formal professor at Connubium, it wouldn’t be like this.
Until now, Jay had, without a doubt, been grateful he hadn’t attended Connubium. However, at this moment, receiving unfair accusations, he regretted his background.
Meanwhile, inside Jay’s body, I felt perplexed. To suspect Jay as the person wandering around spouting nonsense in the middle of the night. Was Jay that strange?
……When I thought about it carefully, it made sense. Unlike Carl, who had infiltrated properly and officially, Jay was practically thrown in suddenly. Though things like paperwork were all done properly, of course in this situation he was bound to be the most suspicious.
“I know you won’t do it.”
“Why are you so sure of that? I could go find Professor Vinoshu right now and report.”
Of course he wouldn’t. Jay just wanted to end this conversation.
Jay was surprised that Jin had noticed his heart, but even so, he spoke strongly as if deliberately putting on airs. At such airs, Jin just smiled leisurely without any movement.
“If so, you would have reported long ago. Scotilino’s condition too. Valli’s condition too.”
“That……”
It was correct. It was already too late to threaten. Inside Jay, I giggled. Jay let out another deep sigh and said.
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Fufu.”
Jin laughed languidly. It was a contrasting appearance to Jay, who found this situation frustrating and uncomfortable.
“But I really don’t know about it. I don’t even know why you’re asking me about it in the first place.”
“Because I desire it.”
“Huh?”
Jay widened his eyes. Jay already had large eyes to begin with. When he opened his eyes wider, it looked like his eyeballs might roll out. It was obvious that thoughts were swirling dizzyingly in his head.
Anyway, she desires the Holy Grail? Jin might be a more ambitious character than expected.
Jin, looking at Jay who had opened his eyes wide, a mess of confusion and surprise, spoke clearly once more.
“Because I desire the Holy Grail, Professor.”
From the face where the flower-like smile had disappeared flowed a cold-blooded aura like the North. It was also like a snake with smooth scales densely sprouted. At that appearance seen for the first time, subtle goosebumps rose on Jay’s body.
