Chapter 52 - The Girl Wants to Be M*rdered

**Chapter 52: The Battle of Awareness** * * * ** Pandora, the first woman from Greek mythology. Her name signifies “the one to whom everything is given.” She was bestowed with many blessings and gifts from the gods, but, unfortunately, curiosity was also given to her. Unable to resist her overwhelming curiosity, Pandora ignored the warning to never open the jar, and secretly opened it wide. How frustrating it must be when an urn, created to be opened and closed, must never be opened. Spear and shield. In other words, a contradiction. Consequently, the urn was destined to eventually be opened. Even if not by her, it was only a matter of time. If there is a crime Pandora committed, it was merely being the one who carried it out. Disease, poverty, disaster, death, hatred, sorrow, resentment, anger, greed, jealousy. The urn contained everything evil the gods placed in there to plunge humans into hardship. At the very bottom of the heartrendingly frightening evils, for reasons unknown, a small hope was said to be contained. A primal human desire for the unknown, a small gesture to resolve it. But the cost of that small action was monumental. In a very short time. As the lid of the urn was opened, everything inside escaped in an instant, and by the time the utterly shocked Pandora closed it again, the evils had already spread all over the world. No matter how hard she struggled, it was long after these evils spilled like water on a sandy beach that they could never be retrieved. In the end, humans were torn apart, divided, and had to live a lifetime of suffering due to one person's small curiosity. Even at the moment of being swept away and dying in the great flood sent to exterminate humanity, they ceaselessly blamed one another. It seemed the story concluded on such a sorrowful note. But then it emerges, that only hope remained trapped, unable to escape from the jar, forever confined. Yes. Hope did not come out. Eternally, it remained locked back in the box without ever emerging, leaving a small moral: "Curiosity comes with a price." This fictional tale, unsure if it's true or false, ends happily, as humans always might believe hope is in the box. Why. Even though hope remained trapped without spreading to the world, people were able to think of hopeful tomorrows, persevering through each difficult day. How. Amongst the evil calamities that wrecked the world, something singular called "hope" existed. What if. If the thing called "hope" had indeed escaped from the jar, what would have happened in the world? That curiosity indeed needs no consideration. The story has already ended with everyone living optimistically. There’s nothing more for us to ponder there, indeed. Therefore. "Suppose," "How," "Why." Such useless curiosity. Should never, ever be uttered. ** Again, she’s looking this way. "........" "........" I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve felt the intense gaze from right next to me. It was so blatantly piercing that it felt as if a hole might form in my face, completely ignoring the reactions around us. Cold sweat was already trickling down my forehead. The owner of that gaze was Remi Akaia. The person I most wished to avoid, my notable number one. For the record, my opinion of her has been plummeting day by day. On top of that, some people had noticed the awkward tension between us, casting curious gazes that only made my head throb more. She was royalty, and I was a mercenary. Besides, I was just a commoner. I grasped my head with both hands, trying to relieve the stress and muttered to myself. Why is she doing this to me? I knew roughly the reason, but my mind twisted with nonsensical thoughts: Is this some new form of bullying, or discrimination because I'm a mercenary? "—Therefore, these policies were known to lead the empire’s golden age under Emperor Di Buonaparte—" "........." Remi Akaia’s gaze intensified whenever the bracelet on my wrist peeked out from my sleeve while I was jotting notes. As if trying to recall something, she watched intently as my hand trembled. Her unpredictable behavior since our first encounter. The moment I realized her attention wasn't on me but on this item, I was utterly shocked. My heart dropped so sharply, I could almost hear the clunk. "......Bu...ona, pā...rte..." The pleasant, gentle scratching of the reservoir-tipped dip pen gliding along the paper’s rough surface accompanied me as I glanced down at my wrist. There was a bracelet made from vividly hued, beautiful little flowers I had never seen in my life. Specially crafted for me, it clung to my wrist as if it had always belonged there, providing comfort and reassurance. The warmth emanating from it was my lifeline, granting me the strength to endure each day in a foreign place in constant anxiety. Perhaps just my imagination, but even the counterfeit flowers seemed to emit a faint fragrance. It could be dismissed as simply interest in a rare ornament. But given how much I had to hide, I couldn’t disregard it so lightly. ...Because this was made by Alice. Indeed, I currently had a live bomb with me. If it were to explode, it's a dangerous bomb that could potentially endanger not only my life but also the lives of everyone I know. I tightly held onto that ticking time bomb in my possession. This is driving me crazy... I once thought about discreetly removing it from my presence. However, this bracelet was precious, handmade by Alice as a mercenary inauguration gift, after she saw me wearing the bracelet she had made until the flowers and stems wilted. She told me to always wear it on my wrist, reassuring me that there would no longer be any worry of it fraying and breaking. The one and only bracelet, crafted uniquely for me alone. My one and only treasure. 'Congratulations, truly celebrate!!' '...Alice.' Words could hardly express the emotions I felt when I first received it. I was blissfully happy, as if soaring through the skies, and simultaneously, something swelled from within my chest. Because I could easily picture Alice staying up late into the night, tirelessly working with her awkward hands to craft my gift. Thus, I could neither laugh nor cry. All I could offer as a response to Alice was a distorted smile and tears flowing down my cheeks. Despite being afraid of accidentally ruining it, Alice approached me with a bright smile and whimsical hands, fastening the bracelet on me herself. She assured me that if I lost it, she'd make another at any time. If I didn’t like it, I could throw it away. Hearing Alice murmur these words, I vowed I’d never part with this bracelet. Yes. Surely, Alice wouldn’t have minded if I didn’t constantly wear this bracelet. After all, the promise was just a figment of my imagination, something I had conjured up all by myself. Yet, despite everything. I could never bring myself to let go of this bracelet. Now that it had already been noticed. Avoiding suspicion by suddenly not wearing the bracelet might arouse more questions than usual, rather than appearing normal. Besides, to deduce that a bracelet alone links me to her deceased sister is a far cry. So, I decided to simply let it be. ...Eventually, this excessive scrutiny would fade away with time. ".........." ".........." So. All I could do was silently take notes on the teacher's lecture at the front despite sweating bullets and feeling their gaze comb over my entire body. Being exactly a commoner among commoners, I didn't even entertain the notion of raising complaints or starting a conversation under the insistent scrutiny. I needed to quickly wrap up my time at this academy, really. I wouldn't last long, truly...!! "—That concludes today's session." "....!!" Thud. As soon as the last grain of sand fell in the hourglass that had been turned at the start of the lesson, the seemingly endless sound of the teacher’s writing ceased as if it were never there. At the sound signaling the session's end, a collective groan erupted from the students in the classroom. Noises akin to zombies sluggishly crawling. I let out a sigh of relief and promptly began to tidy up my writing tools. "Thank you for the lesson..!!" "........." After offering a small farewell to the teacher's retreating back, I made my way to the training ground for the next class, 'Self-Defense Swordsmanship.' Desperate to elude her, lest she read my thoughts. To keep my secret safe. "...Phew." I fled, overwhelmed with anxiety. Without looking back. ** "Here, is where Sia resides." Soon, an encounter awaits. ** * * *