Damn Academy - Chapter 162

[Episode 162] Recompense (6)

Georgia, the art department advisor and professor of herbal science, was calmly watering the plants in the greenhouse. It was a peaceful evening bathed in the light of the red setting sun. Students’ easels were neatly aligned in one corner, and in the center of the greenhouse, five paintings by a single artist were displayed in a row.

While Georgia was serenely calling out, a girl knocked on the greenhouse door. Georgia turned to check the door, which was made of glass, easily revealing the visitor.

Upon recognizing the girl, she said,
T hi s was co p i e d f ro m k ing m t l .o rg

“Come in.”

The girl was the owner of the five paintings arranged in the center of the greenhouse. Georgia had placed them there because she wanted to discuss them with the girl.

As the girl entered, she gathered her hands politely and bowed to Georgia.

“…Did you call for me, Professor?”

“Yes. Just wait a moment, sit down. I’ll bring some tea. You like jasmine tea, right?”

T h i s w as c o p i e d f rom k in gmt l . o rg
“No, Elcanto.”

“Ah, right. That’s fine.”

Georgia set down her watering can and walked over to where the dried tea leaves were kept.

Shortly after, she returned with two teacups in hand and placed them on a paint-splattered table where the girl was waiting.

The girl took a respectful sip from her teacup.

Observing the girl, Georgia said,

“It may be too blunt to say in front of the others, but I always thought that you, Haley from the first year, and Lilith, make such a beautiful trio in our art club.”

“…Thank you.”

“You remind me of snowflakes. So white that they seem almost blue.”

“…Is there a reason you called me here?”

“Oh, yes. You’ve been consistently working on your art, attending well, so… your pieces have accumulated quite a bit. They’re excellent enough for an exhibition, but first, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“…Yes.”

“Have you ever heard that paintings are the mirror of the soul?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right. Whether intentionally or not, sometimes the soul of the artist emerges in their work. And that’s one of the greatest things about art. I… I like the drawings of children. There’s a sense of unspoiled purity and genuine vitality in them.”

“…”

The girl listened quietly, without any change of expression.

“As most of life is pain, it’s common to find that anguish reflected in paintings. The life of an artist is so often impoverished and arduous.”

“…”

“And…”

Georgia looked towards the girl’s paintings lined up on the left with a troubled gaze.

“I feel such things in your paintings, too.”

It wasn’t just simple loneliness or sadness.

Forms melted away, disintegrated, smudged with murky colors, and the backgrounds were twisted.

Such expressions couldn’t be mimicked by merely imitating something seen.

The girl’s inner world seemed to be in a state akin to illness. What could have happened to twist her inwardly so, while she bore such a delicate and beautiful countenance? Georgia found it painful just to look at the paintings.
T h is w a s c op i e d f rom k i n gmt l. o rg

“Pavela… are you really alright?”

***

Damian and Vivi returned to the castle in the carriage. Vivi, possibly feeling slighted because Damian did not reveal his forehead, sat across from him, donning a wide-brimmed hat and looking out of the window in silence.

Upon reaching the castle on the hill, Vivi probed a few questions about Silveryn, but Damian evaded them without providing a straightforward answer.

“It was an enjoyable outing. I’ll come back this evening, so wait for me.”

Th i s w as c o p i e d f r om ki ngm t l .o r g
“I have plans to be with the teacher at that time.”

Vivi’s rosy lips twitched nervously, then she remarked as if to challenge,

“Do as you wish.”

She then disembarked from the carriage, leading her entourage of servants away with a swish.

After a temporary farewell to Vivi, Damian made his way up to the castle and returned to his room with a good view, where he usually stayed.
T h i s w a s co p i e d f r om k i n gm t l. o r g

That evening, contrary to Damian’s expectations, Silveryn did not show up.

Could it be an important matter? It was rare for Silveryn to break a promise.

After all, a journey from the cathedral city to the Duchy was not something that could be concluded in half a day.

Before dinner, a tailor came unexpectedly to take Damian’s measurements, leaving a message to not overeat so as not to alter the dimensions for the attire needed for an upcoming event.

The servants delivered his meal, and Damian dined alone, modestly.

Silveryn still did not arrive after that. If he had known, he might have listened to Vivi’s request.

Waiting until the moon rose, he eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Deep in unconsciousness, he was suddenly awakened by a tickling sensation at the tip of his nose.

The room was still dark, and a fist-sized red glow circled above his head.

As the moisture returned to his eyes, he recognized it as his elemental spirit.

“Peep!”

Soon, something brushed down his nose. At first glance, it looked like a brush, but upon closer inspection, it was hair twisted like a brush in someone’s hand.

The hair, moving like a paintbrush, tickled his face.

He turned his head to the side, where Silveryn lay next to him, playing with her hair on his face, a playful smile full of mischief on her face.

“Teacher?”

“Swoosh, swoosh.”

She continued making sound effects while painting his face with her hair.

“…It’s not a dream.”

He had expected to meet her in the morning, but he never thought she would come like this at dawn.
T h is wa s c op i ed f r o m k i ng mt l. or g

T his w a s c op i e d f r om k i n g m t l.o r g
Silveryn teased him, tickling his face.

“Have I ever appeared in your dreams?”

“Of course.”

“Do boys your age not often have strange dreams…?”

“What kind of strange dreams?”

“Uhm… dreams that include attractive members of the opposite sex?”

“I’ve had dreams involving the opposite sex, but… I’m not sure if they were strange.”

“How was I in your dream?”

“Spreading out a mat and enjoying a view of the lake.”

“Is that all? It sounds a bit bland.”

“I enjoyed it.”

“Really?”

Th i s wa s c o p ie d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g
He shifted his gaze to the elemental spirit spinning in the air.

“Why is it acting like that?”

“Peep!”

“I’ve been making it exercise. It’s gotten chubby after not seeing it for a while.”

Silveryn was responsible for that, then. It was the first time he had seen the creature move so agilely.

“…Aren’t you tired, Teacher? How come you arrived so late?”

Silveryn stopped her hair-brushing and continued.

“That’s the thing. Why are there so many people who need my help in this world?”

“…?”

“I wanted to come to you early in the evening, but kept being delayed by tasks. It’s like they weren’t ordinary issues but created just to hinder my path to you. It felt as though even the highest leader of the Duchy joined in keeping me from your side. They didn’t do it openly, of course.”

“…Is the Duchy treating you poorly?”

“No, it’s the opposite. They treated me too well, which annoyed me more. After my duties, they gave me the best mansion in the city for lodging, only to find out it was the furthest from your room. I wonder why.”

“…?”

T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
“As I thought about it, my anger grew. Why do they seem to be interfering with my visit to my own student?”

“…?”

She seemed to be getting angry again, just thinking about it.

“My precious student. The one I’ve nurtured with affection… The interference with my visit to my student infuriated me… so I left everything and came here.”

“I was waiting for you.”

Suddenly, Silveryn pinched his cheek.

“You did wrong too. If I didn’t come, you should have sought me out.”

“…?”

That was beyond Damian’s authority. How could he intrude upon the gatherings of such high-ranking individuals? It would be a nuisance to Silveryn.

“You should’ve pleaded like this: ‘I’m sad without the teacher. I feel like dying without her. Please let me see the teacher. I miss her so much.’ And then you should’ve come to find me.”

Silveryn seemed half-joking.

T hi s w a s co p ied fr o m k i n g m t l. o rg
“…Next time, I’ll come find you, even if I have to make a scene.”

Her pinching hand softened and began to stroke his cheek gently, evidently satisfied with his response.

Now he saw that Silveryn hadn’t even had time to change out of her formal wear or remove her accessories. She must have rushed here right after finishing her duties and lay on his bed.

“Do you know how much trouble I had sneaking into your room?”

“Couldn’t you just walk in?”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds. This castle has a foolish tradition or whatever. If an unmarried woman enters the chambers of a knight who’s staying alone after dinner, they write a statement on a banner saying they spent the night together and hang it on the castle walls.”

“Couldn’t you have disregarded that tradition?”

“I thought so too, but even kings and princesses are not exempt.”

“Why does such a tradition exist?”

“The first owner of this castle was a historian. Known for accurately recording the history of the Duchy, the only errors in the records were the secret relationships among the ruling class. It became a grudge that led to mischievous pranks, eventually turning into this tradition.”

“…”

Vivi’s face, glaring at him as if to say ‘try me,’ flickered in his memory.

Silveryn tapped the tip of his nose with her finger and said,

“Scandal with a student might be amusing… but I had to protect you for tomorrow’s event.”

Her words seemed too casual. Such a thing would not be amusing. Silveryn’s reputation was far more valuable than his own insignificant honor.

“Do you know what the event is for?”

She smiled lightly and replied,

“It seems the Duchy intends to reward you.”

Meanwhile, footsteps echoed from the corridor, growing closer to Damian’s room.

“Oh.”

Silveryn’s playful expression returned as she covered his mouth with her hand.

He expected it to be just a maid passing by, but when the footsteps stopped right in front of his door, the atmosphere changed.

The sound of a deep breath came from outside, followed by a knock.

“Are you… asleep?”

It was Vivi’s voice.