༺ A Tale of the Past, I Am The Teacher And You Are The Student ༻

“… You dare deceive me?”

“Hahaha. You were basically a sitting duck.”

“You’re dead meat!”

“UAHH! Careful! Knives are dangerous!”

“If you knew to be scared of knives…! Then you shouldn’t have done that! Eeek! Let go…!”

“Ah. The reason I said to be careful was because of your hand, Lady Sephier, not because of me. If you swing it like that, you might end up cutting your own fingers. Do you know how important that hand is? It is one that will lead the way for Seamless Cloths from now on.”

“I don’t need it…! I’d rather have no fingers, then…!”

“Does your determination to protect Seamless Cloths amount to only that much? Your grandmother is still alive, right? Seeing her granddaughter’s fingers cut off would break her heart. She would probably feel like the whole world is collapsing around her.”

***

“…You. You will never die comfortably.”

“I already expected that. But rather than how one dies, isn’t it more important how one lives? Even if the world ends tomorrow, I would still drink a cup of tea right now… Huh. The taste is a bit strange. Did you perhaps put poison in this tea?”

“… Laxative.”

“Hoo… Hoo. I drank it despite knowing that.”

“Don’t lie! Tsk, I should have put poison instead…!”

“Let’s keep on talking after my visit to the lavatory. Oh, apologies, but kindly hold off any attacks while l endure this bodily inconvenience. Even if it’s me, I don’t have any means of resistance without making a me… Keuk, it’s coming.”

“Stop saying such disgusting words. And I hope scum like you get sucked into the drain!”

***

“… Why do I need to learn how to shoot?”

“Everyone should learn when they have the chance. I mean, how else is someone like me supposed to master marksmanship if it isn’t now, when I can freely use as much ammo as my heart desires?”

“Was that your intention all along?”

“Oops! Busted!”

“How dare you try to revel in extravagance with my grandma’s funds…!!!”

“Bad girl. Wait. Don’t get wrought up. The most crucial thing when shooting is a calm mind and a slow heartbeat. Cool your head, aim over there, pull the trigger, and shoot. No, not in this direction!”

“Meet your end, Scum! … Huh? Flowers?”

“Ta-da! It’s actually a fake bullet engineered to release flowers. Haha, you were surprised, r… Ow! Ow! Even if it’s fake, it still hurts! Haven’t you ever heard ‘Never hit people, even with flowers!’?”

***

“Hey, What’s this?”

“It’s alchemy class today.”

“Alchemy? A class? From you? To me?”

“Oh, did you perchance think something like…’Someone like you? How dare someone like you try to teach me, the successor to Seamless Cloths?’?”

“Exactly. Then I thought, ‘Go to hell, idiot’. I guess you didn’t know that, huh?”

“Huhu. Well then, shall we put it to the test? Whether I have the ability to teach alchemy or not.”

“How?”

“Just give me any problem. I’ll solve them all.”

“Just you wait.”

***

“…Here.”

“Wowww. I asked for a problem, yet you brought an entire exam. I haven’t solved anything like this since the final evaluation at Secondary Military School.”

“I personally created all the questions. Based on what I learned from Grandma.”

“It’s challenging. Hmmm. This is this one. And that one is that.”

“Hmph, Grandma reached the pinnacle of sewing and alchemy, practically a living legend, as well as the very definition of ‘Seamless’. She had the ability to intricately manipulate the order of each alchemic thread’s formation, creating clothes with exceptional craftsmanship. Thanks to her, the ingenious concept known as the clothing packet became possible! I doubt you can comprehend even a fragment of that ski….”

“I finished.”

“No way! Don’t lie! How so?!”

“There’s nothing I don’t know. If you know it, Lady, I know it too.”

“Hpmh. You must have scribbled some wrong answ… Eh? You got it rig… How?”

“I told you I know about it.”

“Im…possi…ble. Then, why… why did I…?”

“Ah, right. Lady Sephi.”

“…What.”

“I was thinking, though I’m the Lady’s teacher and the Lady is my student, how you address me is a bit rude. Now that the hierarchy is established, how about we settle what we call each other?”

“…To what?”

“Address me as Teacher. In turn, I shall address the Lady as Sephi. Understood, Sephi?”

“Fine… Ugh, T…ea…“

“Bad girl! You’re not enthusiastic enough. Yes, Teacher! That’s what you’re supposed to say!”

“Get lost!”

***

“Sephi. A guest coming today, you see?”

“…Teach’s guest?”

“A guest of us all.”

“Who is it? A friend or a foe?”

“I’ll explain later, so could you please take off your clothes first?”

“How much?”

“…What do you mean how much? This is a bit perplexing, even for me. Wouldn’t I obviously be talking about the outer garment?”

“Oh uh, r-right… By the way, in this weather?”

“I asked precisely because it’s currently this weather.”

“Alright… Uuuu, achoo. It’s cold.”

“Endure just for a bit. Apologies.”

Teach opened the door and went outside. In the chilly room, not yet warmed by the fire, Sephier shivered alone. Even though only one person out of two left, it felt like winter had returned once more to the already cold room.

Sephi shuddered in this room that was a bit too spacious for one person.

“…Actually, why am I even following what Teach tells me to do….”

Surprisingly, Teach knew a lot. Sephier could feel that she was learning while being with him and that fact hurt her pride.

Even when Sephier studied much more difficult contents and came back to spite him, he answered effortlessly. There was hardly anything Teach didn’t know; if there was, it was so esoteric that even Sephi couldn’t find anything about it.

After a considerable amount of time, Sephier acknowledged Hughes as her teacher and took his teachings seriously.

She was honestly half in anticipation and half in worry for what he prepared this time.

How long had she been shivering in this cold? Finally, a voice came from the other side of the door.

“You bastard! No matter how you try to coax me, I will never cooperate with the Bakiyas, who merely make rags!”

“Ahhh, Mr. Smen. I told you. All you need to do is watch.”

Bang. The door opened and an elderly man with a scruffy beard strode in with shoed feet. He looked around the room with a face that seemed to find everything unpleasant and grumbled.

“Hmph. Even if it’s called a workshop, there’s not much to it! Rather, this is a factory! Where are the clothes?! There’s not a tiny bit of artistry right before my eyes….”

The old man was wearing old-fashioned clothes, but his attire was neat. He scowled, before spotting Sephier crouched in a corner, shivering. The old man snorted.

“Hah! Those who claim to make clothes seem to find it too wasteful to give even a piece of fabric to a little kid! Are you a servant here? Does your owner not give you clothes?”

“This is Lady Sephier Bakiya.”

“…What? The granddaughter of Seamless Cloth?”

Smen’s complexion changed.

“How can this be? Why is the granddaughter of Seamless Cloth not wearing outerwear in this weather…? Even though there are clothes everywhere?”

“She is being punished. Her godfather, President Alexei, is a strict man and whenever there’s a setback in the production of Arch-Avatars, he administers a harsh penalty to her.”

“I heard Seamless Cloth had become bedridden …. But even so…”

“Ah, he doesn’t beat her savagely. It’s just a method to scold her by taking away the essentials of life one by one and returning it when she is good. Food, clothing, shelter… It must be clothes today.”

‘Teach, you’re the one who told me to take it off….’

Smen could not hear the truth that Sephier muttered in her mind. Smen shouted with such fury that his beard trembled.

“How could this be… Even so, she is the only successor of Seamless Cloth! How can she be reduced to such a state…!”

“Why are you acting like you’ve never seen something like this before? Mr. Smen, you also used to make such thin and airy clothes, right? And in even colder weather than this, at that.”

Smen, who was struck right in the heart, shouted as if to make excuses.

“That was for balls!”

“If you just add the moniker of ball, does that somehow make a similar abuse acceptable?”

While looking at Smen, whose wrinkled eye area trembled, Teach smiled ominously again.

Now, it was a somewhat familiar, yet even more eerie smile. While Sephier bit her lip and turned her head, Teach whispered in the old man’s ear.

“Mr. Smen, you said it yourself, didn’t you? That the clothing packet of Seamless Cloths, which trims away everything but the functional aspects of clothing and stitches them together, is no different from a road that leads to the extinction of aesthetics.”

“That’s…“

“However, who was the one, in pursuit of the pinnacle of aesthetics, that dressed young girls in thin clothes to dance? The girls who, shivering in the clothes you made, danced until their feet were blistered, trying to elevate their worth. What difference is there between them and the Lady here, suffering under her uncle?”

“It wasn’t…abuse… As always, I was only doing that… by request.”

“Thanks to such requests, all the clothes you made were dresses that barely covered half their bodies, weren’t they? Ones that did not provide any protection against the cold air of winter and the even colder gaze of the world. Haaaa. I now understand what the clothing packet is. So that’s where all the functionality you threw away went.”

“That was because of the culture of the kingdom.”

Bang. Teach slammed the desk hard. Smen, who must have been three times his age, clamped his mouth shut and froze.

“Nonsense! Those like you, who forsake the true essence of clothing for mere fashion, can not be said that they truly make clothes. What you had crafted was a manifestation of vanity and extravagance! Garments that were woven by taking away the blood and sweat of subjects, as well as the cherished warmth needed to endure each day! They were clothes that killed people!”

‘Ah. He got another one.’

The elderly tailor from the old kingdom, burdened with regret and remorse, eventually conceded to Teach’s words.

It was unknown whether to consider it sweet talking or administering bitter medicine, but in any case, Smen was utterly defeated and bowed his head.

“…What is it that you need my help with?”

“For now, teach Lady Sephier all your secret techniques, Mr. Smen. In doing so, you might gain something as well.”

In the end, all that increased was Sephier’s study load, but now, she no longer rebelled pointlessly. Believing that all this would be helpful one day, she diligently continued her studies.

Days of study continued without stopping. Knowledge was stacked upon knowledge, bit by bit. Slowly ascending onto the shoulders of giants, crushing obstacles underfoot one by one.

Sephier, wearing neat attire, patiently waited for her teacher. She had thoughtfully prepared tea beforehand, sitting calmly with her hands folded. Teach, just arriving, shook off his coat and entered the room.

Sephi spoke gravely to him.

“Teach. I heard that Alexei is expanding the business.”

Teach turned his coat into a packet before speaking.

“Ah, you heard about that? Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard that Smen is assisting Alexei.”

“Yes. After all, he has experience with leather accessories. Since a skilled and experienced technician has joined, Alexei seems to be extremely pleased.”

In the face of her calm teacher, Sephi gritted her teeth.

How could he betray her with such a calm expression?

Sephi was soaked in anger, disappointment, and sadness as she spoke.

“…Leather can’t be alchemized. After all, the structure of animal leather is intricate and dirty. The only way to craft superior products is to use the hides of inherently powerful beasts.”

“Yes. I did hear about that. Leather typically has more use in accessories unless it’s of high-quality.”

“So… if Alexei is dabbling with leather, there’s nothing I can do. It’s beyond my expertise.”

“I suppose so.”

Thud. Sephi forcefully slammed the desk. The air was filled with alchemic threads and fabrics, scissors, and Arch-Avatar diagrams, all cascading down in chaotic disarray.

Sephier’s voice was more subdued than ever. A hue with a texture similar to dew shimmered in her violet eyes.

“Teach… Weren’t you on my side?”

“Strictly speaking, it can be said that I’m closest to Sephi’s side.”

“But then, why? Why did you assist Alexei?”

“Since I’m not Alexei’s enemy either?”

“If Alexei is filling his own pockets…. I now have no way to intervene. I’ll just become a machine crafting Arch-Avatars.”

“Well, that could happen, I guess.”

It was that important of a matter. Yet, when she received such a nonchalant response, Sephier’s spirits waned.

To be honest, she had secretly held hopes. Hope that Teach aligning with Alexei was merely a disguise. Anticipation for the moment of betrayal when Alexei was most vulnerable.

Yet, that was not the reality. He assisted Alexei in every aspect. Wholeheartedly.

The moment Alexei lined his pocket, Sephier’s influence would rapidly dwindle. Now, unless Sephier was prepared to eradicate Seamless Cloths of itself, there was no stopping it…

No, it was already unstoppable. Seamless Cloths were Sephier’s everything, as well as her dream. After all, it was something she had to protect at all costs.

“Please leave, Teach.”

Sephier spoke with a feeling that tore apart her own body. Teach, who silently sipped the black tea for a moment, adjusted his coat and nodded.

“If that’s what the Lady desires.”

There was no poison in the black tea. Though, her tears were mixed in it.

That day was the first time Sephier had ever shed tears.

A few weeks later, someone from the Military State sought out Sephi. Clad in a uniform, with the collar pulled up to his mouth, he wordlessly presented her with a letter.

The Ministry of Public Safety.

A secret division that could even silence crying children. The Special Operations Division that managed confidential missions within and beyond the Military State; every aspect, from its existence to the intricacies of its investigations, was shrouded in secrecy.

Whether it was a company, an individual, or even a loyal officer to the Military State, the merciless gardeners of this concrete nation ruthlessly trimmed and cut them away when necessary.

In the letter from the Head, the Camarilla of the Five Star Generals who had shaped this nation since the early days of the Military State, it was filled with unbelievable contents.

“…Huh?”

[To My Dear 3rd Generation Seamless Cloth,

Our motherland expresses deep regret for the unfortunate circumstances of the two existing Seamless Cloths. We hope you are aware that all the citizens of the State feel immense gratitude for the diligence and dedication of Seamless Cloths.

However, while Seamless Cloths bears such a name, its origin lay within a tailor who had truly reached a realm fitting of the title ‘Seamless’. The profound purpose passed down from the 1st Seamless Cloth continues to be upheld through the generations. But regrettably, in recent times, some inept individuals seek to tarnish that lofty ideal, that noble intent and reputation…]

The letter exhibited a level of courtesy that was rare to see from the Military State, yet strangely, it evoked an unsettling feeling, almost as if a monster was wearing human skin.

With trembling hands, Sephier finished reading the letter.

Although the letter continued with various ill-fitting flowery expressions, the main point was in the very last line.

[… Therefore. The motherland plans to carry out a purge operation against such individuals.]

Seamless Cloths was on the brink of extinction.

***

“I have taught enough in one year, Sephi. Now, it is time for you to make a choice.”

Teach, who had perhaps orchestrated all these events, imposed a choice on Sephi.

“Sephi. Your desire was to completely put Seamless Cloths in your hands. You wished to cleanly cut out Alexei and his close associates, who dared to defy the 2nd and 3rd Seamless Cloths without knowing their places.”

In front of Sephi laid the possessions and personnel records of Seamless Cloths. Sephi, with trembling hands, took hold of the pen.

This was a list that would record who would die. Sephi was now the Yama of Seamless Cloths; one who decided their lives and deaths.

“However, will this truly be fine? Is Alexei, who devoted himself to the company, not a part of Seamless Cloths? Do the relatives, who managed to support the company during a financial crisis by endorsing a coup d’etat, not have the right to enter the beautiful Seamless Cloths you’re envisioning?”

If Alexei truly did not have any ability or skill, could he have become the President, albeit temporarily?

He worked under the 2nd Seamless Cloths for a long time, handling all sorts of miscellaneous work. Most of his younger days were dedicated to Seamless Cloths.

“In a position where, without the ability to create the Arch-Avatar, he could be replaced at any moment, all Alexei did was frantically try to protect his place. It was just the effort of someone not chosen by Seamless Cloth.”

After the 2nd Seamless Cloth collapsed, Alexei took on the role of acting President instead of the young successor. No one questioned his handling of the situation.

Given his experiences surpassing those of a mere seventeen-year-old child, Alexei proved to be much more reliable.

“However, in his effort to survive, thrashing and kicking, it seems like he ended up kicking a child from an orphanage. To think he claimed it was vocational education and dragged them to work. No matter how indifferent the Military State is to laborers, they do not neglect children who should be attending school. From the perspective of the State, children are like unscratched lottery tickets. But if an old mister, who had already been scratched and was deemed discardabled, engages in such behavior… Sigh.”

However, Alexei had crossed a line and the State could not tolerate any illegally accumulated wealth. It didn’t matter whether ‘illegal’ or ‘wealth’ was the greater issue; either way, there was no reason to spare Alexei.

“Here is where Alexei’s desire reached their conclusion. It can’t be helped. Despite my best efforts to assist, he ultimately demonstrated his own lack of competence.”

He sympathetically lamented, as if considering him a wayward disciple, thus, for some reason, making Sephi shiver.

“Seamless Cloths may be easily discarded, but the Arch-Avatar cannot be lost. Both dealing with the arrogant and presumptuous Alexei and approaching Seamless Cloths were all efforts to tame the Lady. You, who is currently the sole creator of the Arch-Avatar.”

The Arch-Avatar was the pattern of a human being.

Arm, leg, chest, hand, abdomen, knee, foot, and neck.

By gathering each component to make it appear ‘human’, it was a conceptual embodiment of the human form. Only with this could one create clothing packets that automatically adjusted the size by linking with the bio-receptor.

If there was no Arch-Avatar, the clothing packet would be no different from well-folded clothes.

The Military State, too, was in the process of actively cutting off all side branches, leaving only Sephier intact.

“At any rate, though it’s a bit late, it’s now time to fulfill your desire, Lady.”

Now, Teach looked solely at Sephi. Whenever this was the case, Sephi felt an unease akin to standing before a savage beast.

“Sephi. Sephi’s desire lies in building the Seamless Cloths you envision. Yet, something cannot be mended without breaking it first. It cannot be rebuilt without tearing it down. The Seamless Cloths Sephi cherishes is not something so simple.”

That was certainly the case. The more Sephi learned and the further her perspective broadened, she came to understand many, many things.

She understood what she wished to gain, what she had to confront, and to some extent, she also understood Alexei’s standpoint and feelings.

But she couldn’t never have imagined such an ending. In fact, no one could have anticipated it.

Except for Teach, standing before her.

Teach smiled with a carefree mind.

“However, it seemed like Sephi was hesitating, so I took it upon myself to destroy Seamless Cloths on your behalf.”

Alexei, who aimed to build his own company, aggressively expanded the leather business. During this process, he enlisted tailors who originated from the kingdom and made orphans work to satisfy manpower.

Public sentiment grew even more turbulent and the Military State unsheathed its sword. The slight reprieve they currently had was solely thanks to the 3rd Seamless Cloth.

If Sephi so much as nodded, the Military State would tear apart all of Seamless Cloths except her.

“Now, Sephi must make a choice. Put the things that will survive alongside Sephi into your shopping basket and shape the next Seamless Cloths.”

While maintaining that same undiminished, pure, and captivating smile despite toppling the greatest holding company of the Military State in one fell swoop…

Teach started his final practical lesson.

“It is now time for you to create the Seamless Cloths you desire.”