The Butterfly That Swallowed the Fog - Chapter 5
After laughing for a long time and chatting as if they were two old friends, Tilia stepped toward the reading room just in time.
“Ah, right.”
Judith suddenly clapped her hands as if something had just occurred to her.
“I received it, didn’t I?”
“What?”
“Why? You know, the thing everyone’s talking about lately. The one I mentioned before.”
Judith, a full head shorter than Tilia, sparkled with excitement and looked up at her.
“Dad bought it because I kept whining that I wouldn’t pass the first stage of the Graduation Exam. Let’s go to the dorm and share it.”
Judith was referring to the very item Tilia already knew all too well—the Holy Water. A single bottle smaller than a palm could cost more than three months of Tilia’s living expenses, packed with enough divine power to make a knight’s stamina feel like nothing.
“My brother said it’s basically a stimulant. After you drink it, you’ll feel refreshed like you’ve slept for ten hours straight, and your concentration and memory will skyrocket.”
Tilia watched Judith’s face beam with joy, then shook her head.
“I’m fine. I’ll drink it alone.”
“Why? I brought enough for the both of us. I even have the certificate stamped by a real High Priest!”
“I don’t need it, really. It’s not necessary.”
In truth, Tilia had seen the effects once already. The next time would only make her crave it again, because tasting something better would leave the present feeling even more lacking. She refused to grow dependent on any external aid, no matter how convenient.
“And you know, I’ve managed well enough without it so far.”
“Wow.”
Judith’s mouth fell open at Tilia’s confident declaration.
“Of course you are. You’re the Salutatorian for four years running! The Graduation Exam is terrifying enough, but you’re a whole different level.”
Judith’s teasing voice carried equal parts envy and playful mockery as she tilted her head.
“But now that I think about it… my brother told me to be careful. You really have to watch it.”
“Why?”
“Holy Water was originally meant for knights. For people like us, if you exceed the dosage, it can overactivate your body’s functions.”
“That’s bad? Isn’t it good?”
“No. When your senses become too sensitive…”
Judith glanced around, then beckoned Tilia closer and leaned in as if sharing a priceless secret.
“You’d end up with nothing but raw instinct left. You’d be turned into a creature that can’t stand to be alone. Only mixed with someone else’s aura would you return to normal.”
Tilia’s eyebrows furrowed at the grotesque image.
“That’s possible? Even if it is Holy Water.”
“It’s probably because they created it to maximize physical functions. And lately the Temple doesn’t feel much like a Temple anymore. Divine power is probably the same. A proper High Priest who actually wields the power could avoid the side effects, but where are those these days?”
Judith, the youngest daughter of a knight family that knew the Temple’s rot all too well, shook her head vigorously.
“So don’t drink tap water anywhere you go. My brother’s warning sounds about right. The upper circles are full of people with money but no class. Just in case… don’t drink it.”
“Then is it even allowed to test it before the exam?”
Tilia gazed at her friend with genuine worry.
“If I get it wrong, I become someone who can’t stand to be without another person. That’s too big a side effect. How am I supposed to pass the exam like that?”
“That’s… well…”
Judith’s face darkened at Tilia’s words.
“I’m at least going to pass the first stage… I did buy one certified by the High Priest…”
Judith’s once-bright eyes had suddenly grown heavy.
“Tilia, you’re definitely passing this time, right? Of course you are.”
“I have to. No scholarship next semester.”
“Then I’ll be alone… without you at the Academy… for another year…”
Judith’s face had gone deathly pale as she muttered to herself, then quickly grabbed Tilia’s arm and hurried her toward the reading room.
“Come on, Tilia. I have to study quickly!”
***
Determined to pass the Graduation Exam at any cost, Judith was fighting sleep by midnight.
When Tilia tried to wake her, Judith mumbled with a book pressed to her cheek.
“Wh-who are you…? Who are you in my room…?”
“Just go back to sleep. I’ll show you my summary notes tomorrow.”
Tilia smiled faintly, pity in her eyes, and packed Judith’s belongings.
“Just go back tonight. We’ll study together in the morning.”
Judith hesitated, then finally agreed to wake up early. She headed back to the dorm.
Even after her roommate left, Tilia stayed rooted in her chair until five o’clock, when the letters on the page finally blurred.
“I guess I should leave too. I have morning classes tomorrow.”
She let out a long yawn and stood.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
The air outside the library was already thick with the biting chill of early dawn. Her nose stung at the sudden gust.
The thin academy jacket was no match for the frosty wind. Tilia pulled her shoulders tight and rushed down the stairs.
The gas lamps along the path back to the dormitory were the only bright spots in the dark, empty campus.
‘Quickly wash up and sleep. Before bed I need to read the summary once more, put Judith’s theology notes on her desk, and…’
While Tilia walked through the dormitory, planning her tasks, her gaze fell on a lone figure standing beneath the lamp at the bottom of the stairs.
Why is he there?
The moment she recognized him, Tilia’s eyes narrowed.
It was obvious from a distance. Only one person on campus could cast such a silhouette.
Beneath the bright gas lamp on the deserted campus, a man’s presence emerged from the shadows.
Even though he was merely darkness, the figure with the high nose cast long, spiderweb-like shadows across the ground.
Following those shadows upward, a man stood bathed in the light as if he were jewelry in a display case.
Golden-blond hair in careless disarray framed neatly arched eyebrows that cast dense shadows across his cheeks. His jawline was sharp, the shadows deepening its definition.
Why is Elex Davenport standing in front of the library clock tower? At this hour?
Tilia’s eyes narrowed further as she studied her rival’s movements.
‘Could it be… he’s secretly studying?’
Checking the weary look on Elex’s face, Tilia bit her lip hard.
Even the Valedictorian must be nervous for the Graduation Exam.
Just as Tilia was sneaking downward glances at her private rival, Elex, who had been dozing with his eyes squeezed shut, turned his face at the sound of approaching footsteps.
His cool gray eyes, still heavy with sleep, met Tilia’s wary green eyes.
Tilia clutched her summary notes to her chest and glared at him.
He did not look away but simply gazed back at her.
‘Where are the books? Did he leave them here?’
Even while descending the stairs, Tilia continued her quiet investigation.
‘Leaving the books behind means he’s staying to study more…’
The central library stairs were steep enough to be called the stair of madness, yet Tilia felt no fatigue at all. The fire of competition burned too brightly.
‘Good. I’ll stay up all night too.’
Just as she had sworn to cut her sleep to the absolute minimum from today onward.
A fierce wind brushed Tilia’s legs. The gray uniform skirt fluttered, and the cold seeped into her thighs.
At the same moment, Elex’s head turned toward the opposite direction in an unnatural motion, as if pulled by an invisible force.
‘What?’
Tilia raised an eyebrow at the strange behavior.
‘Why is he suddenly avoiding my gaze…’
That was when a familiar voice rang out from not far away.
Footsteps—light, crisp, echoing through the lamplit plaza.
“Did you come to pick me up? You weren’t supposed to tell me where.”
The cheerful voice belonged to Cecilia Clayton, the academy’s Red Rose.