Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Cleanup and...
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Cleanup and...
'It hurts...'
Pain scorched through her entire body, like she was burning up from the inside. But she thought she could endure it.
She had been used to withstanding heat ever since she was little.
Whether it was heat from within or from without.
As a child, she had once asked her mother,
"Do I have some special talent?"
Her mother had replied with a somewhat bitter expression, Probably.
It wasn't a very satisfying answer, but her heart had swelled with emotion anyway.
What child wouldn't be thrilled to hear they were special?
And so, she—Ekaterina Scarlet—had grown into a bundle of pride, harboring just a tiny speck of doubt.
In the peculiar neglect that wasn't quite neglect from her mother, Ekaterina reached the age to enter the Academy.
And at her mother's persuasion... no, her unilateral declaration, she was sent off to the Academy.
Nominally, it was to hone her abilities, but...
She had seen it.
The face of the woman sending her away, smiling with what looked like relief.
It might have been pride in her daughter heading to the Academy.
But Ekaterina knew instinctively.
That smile...
It was the face of someone relieved to be rid of her.
While she stood there stunned, the carriage she boarded departed without pause toward the Academy.
Reflecting blankly on her childhood, she suddenly realized her mother had been avoiding her for some reason.
And so, pushed into the Academy, Ekaterina compared herself to others who handled things effortlessly while she struggled with control, gradually losing her confidence.
Her plan to master her abilities spectacularly and return triumphantly to her mother seemed farther away than ever.
That said, she never bowed to others, so even early in the term, her relationships with peers weren't great.
Contradictions piled up.
And eventually, they coalesced into...
Thump, thump.
Thud, thud.
Ekaterina felt her heart pounding as if someone were squeezing it, draining her energy, and thought,
Maybe I don't actually have anything special at all.
Thud, thud.
Her heart raced wildly, accelerating the already rapid drain of her energy. Her body grew even hotter.
Sensing it, Ekaterina was convinced.
If I truly had talent, something special, I could've controlled it on my own.
...I wouldn't have had to come all the way to the Academy.
Mom... Mother made that face because she could finally discard something useless.
Is that it?
Her heart ached like it might burst, her body grew hotter by the second, but Ekaterina's mind was strangely calm. No, it was pretending to be.
She could feel something leaking from her heart with stark clarity.
She could feel her life fading away.
Maybe it would be better to just die like this...
In that moment, as her will to live dimmed,
She trembled at the soft sensation touching the side of her head.
She couldn't recall the last time she'd felt another person's skin against hers... it felt a bit unfamiliar.
Yet it was cool, warm, and soft.
What is it?
No, who...?
I don't know.
And what does it matter now?
But the situation began to change moment by moment.
This time, she felt a soft hand gliding up to her chest.
And then.
A refreshing energy she'd never felt before began enveloping her entire body.
'...?'
The energy flowing into her chest spread throughout her body, suppressing the heat that had been raging inside.
"Hah..."
Soon, the energy that had leaked wildly from her heart began gathering back into it.
Someone—unknown to her—was trying to save her.
Why would they do that?
She didn't know.
She hadn't even understood her own mother's heart after all those years together—how could she fathom this?
As the swirling energy settled back into her heart, Ekaterina felt her glued-shut eyelids slowly flutter open.
Who...?
She cracked her eyes open groggily, and in her vision...
'...Boobs?'
Enormous breasts came into view.
With that, all the energy fully gathered, and she blacked out completely.
Just before fainting, her mind floated with the image of those breasts.
"Is it over?"
- For now, yes.
"Thank goodness."
I had no idea exactly what had happened, but El's energy had flowed through some channel, passing through my body into the red-haired student's.
Then, like a water pillar erupting in a blaze, it surged around me.
Fire and water came rushing at me.
...Honestly, it was a little scary. How many people could stay calm in that?
But I could feel El's majesty.
The fierce flames that had been devouring the forest died down in an instant, and color returned to the student's pale, anguished face.
Even I, a modern guy, couldn't grasp the details of what was happening.
...But I knew bone-deep it was anything but ordinary.
My role seemed to be acting as a conduit between El and the student.
It might look like the ultimate "hold this for me," but without me, they couldn't have even tried—so wasn't I pretty amazing?
No, it was this body that was amazing.
...Same difference?
Anyway.
As the red-haired student's condition improved, the cleanup proceeded swiftly.
Once the flames vanished, I saw Philia and the instructors and professor from our departure sweating profusely as they approached me.
With the cause clear, containment wasn't too hard—but the aftermath was the real issue.
The others praised me, saying how fortunate they were that I was there, how incredible it was.
But Philia eyed me with clear displeasure.
Once the rest left to check on the other students, she glanced at the red-haired one and asked me,
"...Is this why you were looking for her? Did you know from the start?"
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Philia stared at me with a complicated expression—like she was blaming me for not preventing it sooner, or maybe suspecting I was some shady figure.
Flustered and feeling a bit wronged, wondering what to do, I heard giggling in my head.
Along with El's voice saying she'd help a little, a watery barrier enveloped me and Philia.
"...Teacher?"
"Uh, th-that... It wasn't me."
"What do you mean? Explain yourself properly."
No, why pull this without warning?
- Contractor. Repeat after me exactly.
No other choice.
I swallowed hard, looked at the puzzled Philia, and waited for El's words.
- Actually, there was a prophecy from the Spirit Queen.
"Actually, there was a prophecy from the Spirit Queen."
"...Pardon?"
- That should be enough for you to handle the rest, right? Hmm... Well then, I'm off to rest. I'm looking forward to the reward back home.
That's... it?
At that moment, a refreshing energy touched my forehead.
As my attention focused there, Philia's gaze followed to my forehead.
"Huh...?"
I heard Philia's dumbfounded voice.
She must have seen something on my forehead.
With an incredulous face, she rubbed her eyes furiously, then stared blankly at my forehead.
"...Wh-why is this on your forehead, Teacher?"
"What's there? I can't see it."
She replied in a dazed tone.
"The Queen's mark... Well, that explains it. That insane affinity, and her obeying you... No, but why on a human? Why?"
...Her tone didn't sound great.
Weren't we in a contract?
- I want to keep my direct involvement secret, that's all. Don't worry—it's a tremendous honor. And it's only temporary.
...Fair enough, but right now, Philia's face worried me more than the details.
She stared at my forehead like the sky had fallen, her eyes burning with an intensity I'd never seen before.
Intense enough to be a little frightening, honestly.
"Ph-Philia?"
"...Ahem."
Snapping to at my voice, she cleared her throat and let out a deep sigh.
"...Understood for now. We'll talk about the rest later."
She muttered softly, shook her head, entrusted the red-haired student to me, and left.
Shortly after, with the schedule changed, the training—which was supposed to last one more day—ended abruptly.
We headed straight back to the Academy.
I saw Charlotte and Evelyn from the makeshift infirmary rushing over with startled faces.
As I reassured their worried voices and tended to the red-haired student,
They asked me the same question as Philia.
Whether I'd known in advance.
...Well, it had come to this.
"There was a prophecy from the Spirit Queen."
"...?"
"..."
Evelyn gave me a look like what nonsense is this? while Charlotte stared in shock.
Guess it wasn't a universal excuse.
...Whatever.
I gazed at the red-haired student on the stretcher and pondered.
A half Dragon Heart... Does that mean she's not a full dragon? Half-dragon?
Chewing on the typical dragon image, she didn't seem ordinary either.
...Unlike some game character glossed over in a few lines of text.
For some reason, my premonition wasn't good.
I'd thought I was just saving one person, but this anxiety felt like I'd touched something I couldn't handle.
But there was no turning back now.
Carrying that unease, I returned to the Academy.
I laid the still-unconscious red-haired student in the infirmary and sent Michelle—who'd come worried—and the two temporary health committee members back to the dorms.
...With a patient here, I had no choice but to stay in the infirmary.
There were plenty of beds, and they were quite comfy—no real issue.
Except.
In the now-silent infirmary, after everyone had left,
El appeared along with a stream of water.
She approached me with an anxious smile.
Hadn't she said she was going to rest? Liar.
As if reading my thoughts, El spoke.
"It's the contract—no helping it. I didn't want to either, but... if the price isn't paid, unpleasant things happen."
"...I see."
"Indeed."
...Never dreamed I'd be the info underdog here.
Anyway.
If the Queen insists, what can I do?
I could only hope the "price" wasn't what I feared.