PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

Dirt poured into the trench. I covered my head with both hands.

The rough mound of dirt struck my palms repeatedly. Perhaps a larger stone had fallen, as my hands throbbed with pain.

My vision became blurry. The noise from all directions dulled. A piercing pain resonated from my eardrums, distorting my face.

Someone suddenly grabbed my face. I couldn’t see clearly due to the haze in my sight. The person holding my face shook my head back and forth while shouting something.

“…Get a hold of yourself! Do you want to die…! Not yet…!”

I blinked blankly. Instead of seeing the person holding my head, I stared into the void beyond their shoulder. Looking at the distant mountains somehow brought me a sense of peace.

No thoughts crossed my mind. I felt nothing at all. Just like this, simply…

…Tatata-tang! Bang! Kwang!

“…Gah!”

My mind snapped back to reality. The sudden crack of gunfire and artillery pierced through my ears. The acrid smell of burnt magic circuits pricked my nose.

“Reverend Antenelli! Can you hear me? Get a grip! Hey!”

The face of the person shaking my head finally became clear.

It was Meijhem. The two eagle emblems gleaming in the middle of his crooked cap caught my eye.

Thank goodness. I’m still alive.

Cough! Cough! I spat out the dirt that had lodged deep in my throat. The continued shelling left me disoriented.

“I-I can hear you. I’m alright. Commander. What happened… What is happening?”

“The battalion command post was shelled! Our position has been compromised! We need to evacuate immediately!”

“What do you mean…?”

“Hey! You! Take Reverend Antenelli and evacuate! Hurry! He cannot die in a place like this!”

Someone slipped their arm under mine and began dragging me somewhere in a hurry. My limp arm dangled helplessly. I noticed blood pouring down from my shoulder. Did I get hit by shrapnel?

“They said… the battalion command post was shelled…”

“Reverend! You mustn’t speak! Just focus on stopping the bleeding!”

The soldier dragging me shouted. But they needed me. I had to heal them.

I stared blankly at the fading figure of Meijhem. He was shouting loudly, veins bulging in his neck.

“Damn it! The crystal ball is down! Observer! What about enemy fire?!”

“Magic waves detected! Enemy artillery ready to fire! Currently loading high-explosive shells!”

“When is allied artillery support even coming? Communication officer!”

“The communication officer has fallen!”

“Damn it! There must be at least one communications soldier left! Tell them to deploy the communication magic circle! Right now!”

Kaboom—!

“Smoke observed from enemy positions! Impact in 20 seconds—!”

The observer threw down his binoculars and screamed. Meijhem, who was fighting with unparalleled courage, roared.

“Shit! If you want to live, everyone, get down!!”

“Impact in 10 seconds—!”

The observer threw himself into the trench, letting out a rip of a scream.

As everyone lay flat on the ground, I saw it.

The injured outside the trench were screaming, desperately trying to pull her in.

“No, please…!”

“Everyone, get down! If you value your life, get down!”

The soldier pulling me felt cruel. I had to help her, but I couldn’t. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Helena! Just leave me and come in! Damn it! Get in here and lie down! Helena—!”

“Impact in 5 seconds! 4… 3…!”

Meijhem, also a 5th circle sorcerer, summoned every ounce of strength to deploy a magic shield. But perhaps he had used too much magic; it was a thin, truly pathetic barrier.

The enemy’s artillery was imminent.

“Enemy shells dropping—!”

High explosive! Damn it! It’s going to explode! We’re all going to die!

And the shells struck. Right in the middle of the trench. Right before my eyes. The collapsing mound of the trench.

In other words, right above her head.

“Helena! No—!!”

“Huff…!”

A gasp escaped me. An immense pain surged from my left chest. My face twisted involuntarily.

My heart raced violently. It felt as if I had run a marathon without stopping. The pounding of my heart echoed mercilessly in the dark room. My lips trembled uncontrollably.

“Eh, huff… Damn it…”

I hurriedly searched for water. My hand reached for the cup set on the bedside table. It slipped a few times, but I finally grasped it. I tilted the cup and emptied its contents in an instant.

“Phew…”

The empty cup slipped from my hand, rolling carelessly across the floor. The cup rolled until it hit the wall and stopped.

I wiped my face with both hands. Cold sweat soaked my skin. Leaning back, I felt the damp pillow fall into my hands.

I had no energy left to feel annoyed. My body leaned against the wall, exhausted. I managed to lift my head slightly and looked at the clock on the wall.

It was 6:47 AM. The hour and minute hands approached me sharply. My mind screamed in extreme exhaustion. Waking up like this every hour meant I couldn’t possibly get a good night’s sleep.

“…I have to get to work.”

The academy’s work start time was precisely 8 AM. I had to finish preparing for my lecture by 9 AM. Anyway, it was time to get up.

After taking a deep breath, I slowly got out of bed. The trembling had subsided. My heart had calmed down, as if it were now going to ignore me.

I tossed the damp blanket into the laundry basket and started filling the bathtub. My whole body felt sticky; I would be in trouble if I didn’t take a bath. That unpleasant feeling made me grimace.

“…This sucks. Really.”

It was another dirty morning. Just like any other.

* * * * *

Chloe felt good since the morning. She sang cheerfully.

Today was finally the day of her first class at Caldera Imperial Academy.

“I can’t believe I’m going to take classes at Caldera Academy…. I’m so excited…”

With her eyes sparkling, Chloe walked across the academy courtyard, while Elin, with impressive dark circles under her eyes, staggered beside her.

“I couldn’t sleep a wink because of you… Aren’t you tired?”

“Hehe… I’m too excited to sleep!”

“Excited for what? People like us commoners can only play supporting roles, you know?”

“What are you talking about? Everyone is equal at the academy!”

“Oh really? So, we have a revolution in our midst…”

Seeing her naive friend, Elin shook her head. It seemed Chloe still hadn’t come to realize the reality.

“Do you think those noble boys just waltzed into admission? They’ve all been elites supported by their families since childhood, going through tutors, training, and family visions. They are on a whole different level compared to us lucky ones who barely passed the exams. We just need to work hard to support that, understand?”

“…Uh, that’s not true! I’m confident I can work hard too! I have so much talent in magic!”

“Sure. Good luck with that.”

By the time Chloe’s lips started to pout, Elin perfectly timed the end of their conversation. Seeing Chloe’s somewhat unsettled expression, a chuckle escaped Elin.

The two talked about various things and entered the main building of the academy. A faint aroma of coffee wafted from the entrance.

“Was the first class theology? We were in Class A, right?”

“Hehe. Yeah. All that hard studying paid off.”

Chloe and Elin had studied diligently to the point of their eyes turning bloodshot. Regardless of the test results, it was truly a remarkable achievement for both to get into Class A.

Chloe pulled out the pamphlet handed out yesterday. Amid detailed explanations regarding today’s first class, a certain name caught her attention.

– 1st-year Class A Theology instructor, Professor Lucio Antorelli.

“Professor Antorelli… He’ll be teaching us. I wonder how he will conduct the class?”

“He looked a bit unwell.”

“Elin! What kind of speech is that about the professor…!”

Chloe, unable to hide her excitement, and Elin, with an indifferent expression, slowly moved forward.

How long did they walk? Their steps halted in front of the classroom. Elin glanced at her wristwatch. The hour and minute hands pointed to 9:20.

The class was scheduled to start at 9:30. Although they arrived a bit early, once they opened the classroom door, their thoughts changed.

Chloe wasn’t the only one eager about the first class. Observing that more than half the classroom was already filled with students, Elin couldn’t help but admire.

“Everyone’s quite diligent…”

Chloe and Elin slowly stepped into the classroom. Students were pulling out their notebooks and stationery, greeting each other and building friendships with the new faces.

“I saw it yesterday, but this classroom is pretty clean.”

“Cleaning must be tough…”

Settling into a seat about halfway back, they could see the platform at the front of the classroom clearly. Chloe was secretly pleased thinking she had the best seat.

It was slightly smaller than the stage they saw in the auditorium. A lectern that reached to the chest sat at the center, and a large blackboard took up the whole area behind it.

Chloe’s gaze roamed around the room. Then, she spotted what she was looking for, and her eyes widened.

“Elin! Look! In the front row!”

“…It’s the noble lady of Adelheit. How does she sit so straight even when she’s just sitting there?”

“I want to be friends with her… But that might be a bit much…”

It was like gazing at an ex-lover; Chloe’s eyes dripped with longing. Elin looked at her in disbelief.

“What the heck… You’re seriously something else. This is a severe case. A severe one.”

“Elin, don’t you want to be friends too? I’ll definitely have to talk to her later.”

“Good luck with that. Sure.”

Elin, resting her head on the desk, absentmindedly glanced at her wristwatch.

The current time pointed to 9:29. The second hand ticked forward. 57 seconds, 58 seconds, 59 seconds…

Bang—! Thud!

The sound of the door opening roughly caused the noisy classroom to fall silent in an instant. The front door of the classroom swung open, and a man stepped inside.

Clop. Clop.

He wore a well-pressed black clerical robe. The robe, reaching down to his ankles, resembled a coat.

His hair was carelessly arranged, his complexion pale. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he wore glasses resting on his nose. The eyes behind those glasses showed no vitality at all.

As he reached the center of the platform, the man placed several books on the lectern. For a moment, he looked at the books; then his eyes began to scan the students filling the classroom.

“…Nice to meet you all. This is our first encounter.”

As his gaze slowly panned across the classroom, it landed on the front row.

And at that moment, for some unknown reason, Chloe caught sight of Adelheit’s noble lady flinching, as their eyes met.

“I am Professor Lucio Antorelli, responsible for the theology class of 1st-year Class A. I also serve as the principal priest of the academy chapel. I look forward to working with you.”

Professor Antorelli weakly smiled. As applause burst forth from somewhere, the classroom quickly filled with resounding claps.

Clap clap clap!

Professor Antorelli flinched at the round of applause, and his brow furrowed slightly. He looked as if he was barely holding back a rising irritation.

After hesitating for a moment, Professor Antorelli then nervously opened his mouth.

“…From now on, I will prohibit the act of clapping during my class. Do you understand?”

With those cold words, the applause abruptly ceased.

“Students, do you understand?”

His lifeless gaze turned to the student who had started clapping first.

“…Y-yes?”

“…Do you have trouble understanding what I’m saying?”

“N-no. Yes… I-I understand.”

“Good.”

The unexpected attitude of Professor Antorelli enveloped the classroom in a cold silence.

“…Hiccup.”

Chloe’s hiccup quietly echoed.

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