Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Will You Inherit My Sword?
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Professor Navian’s attempt to drag my subconscious to the surface ended without any real success.
But she didn’t give up.
[Tonight.]
That was what Professor Navian said right before she disappeared.
“Phew.”
I let out a sigh and turned, only to flinch.
Glaring.
The twin sisters were staring daggers at me.
The usual class time had long since passed. I had no idea why they were still here.
And what was the source of the hostility and disapproval in their expressions?
“Don’t be disappointed. It always takes time for a chrysalis to break free of its cocoon.”
And why was Lian still here, offering such cryptic words of comfort?
I couldn’t understand any of it.
“Haaah.”
I collapsed onto the floor.
I desperately needed a rest.
To an onlooker, all I had done was stand there blankly, flinching whenever a sword flew at me.
But they only knew half the story.
Just because the blade didn't touch my body didn't mean I was unscathed.
That was true even though she hadn't revealed her true skill.
As proof, my body, which had never been struck, ached as if it had been beaten.
My jaw, which had nearly been split open several times, stung as if it had actually been cut.
“Huh? You’re bleeding.”
Damn it all.
No wonder my chin felt wet.
At Lian’s words, I frantically wiped away the blood.
“Whoa. Why is this…”
I wiped the blood with a trembling hand.
“Ahaha. It’s not stopping.”
But the blood showed no signs of stopping.
“Ugh. Such a drama queen.”
“It’s just a little scrape from the sword wind.”
The sisters’ words made me flare up in anger.
Making a fuss over a little scrape from the sword wind?
How could they say that after seeing this blood?
Besides, this wasn't from some mere sword wind.
The strike of a master knight does more than just wound the flesh.
Even if you dodge or block it, something is bound to get hurt.
In this case, it just happened to be my jaw.
This should rightfully be seen as a scar left on my soul by the will of the greatest knight of the era.
“Phew. Fine. You win.”
“A scar on your soul, or a medal on your soul.”
The sisters didn't believe a word I said and just sneered.
They could afford to be so nonchalant because they didn't know Professor Navian's true identity.
Ah, the injustice. And I couldn’t just blurt out who she really was.
“…Whatever, just do something about that blood.”
“Leader! Why aren’t you helping? Are you just going to stand there and watch?”
The sisters cut me off and forcibly pulled me to my feet.
*Drip, drip.*
In an instant, a pool of blood formed at my feet.
“Why won’t the bleeding stop!”
“Huh? Huh? What’s wrong with him!”
Just a moment ago, they were chiding me for making a fuss.
Now, the sisters were panicking even more.
“See? I was right. A sword wind wouldn’t do this…”
I was about to say something, feeling smugly vindicated.
“Aaaah! He’s going to die from blood loss…”
“Get the professor, now…”
The sisters suddenly screamed.
The moment I heard their high, long shriek…
*Whoosh.*
The world before my eyes suddenly spun.
“Huh? Uh-oh?”
And just like that, without even a scream…
“Guh.”
I let out a pathetic sound and passed out.
* * *
“Hah.”
When I came to, I was lying in the infirmary.
“Again. I fainted again.”
It hadn't been long since I'd lost consciousness during the celestial observation class and been carried here. Now, I’d fainted and been brought in again.
This never happened in my past life, even when I was constantly injured while fighting on brutal battlefields.
Is the Cradle a more dangerous place than I thought?
“Oh my. You’re awake already? Must be because you’re young. You woke up sooner than I expected.”
Just then, the Cradle’s most dangerous person appeared.
It was Professor Yuria.
“…For some reason, I felt like something scary would happen if I woke up any later.”
“There’s no one here but me. What scary thing could possibly happen?”
She set down a bundle of things she was holding and began to explain my condition.
“The bleeding has stopped. The wound wasn’t that big to begin with.”
“That’s a relief…”
I nodded at Professor Yuria’s explanation, then froze.
My eyes belatedly fell on the items she had set down.
A tube with a needle, a long pipe, and containers for holding liquid.
They were suspicious-looking objects to anyone.
Especially coming from Professor Yuria, who had previously drawn my blood without my consent.
“More importantly.”
Professor Yuria stood, blocking my view of the items.
“That new professor from Gaznae caused this wound, didn’t she?”
Her intention to distract me was obvious, but I decided to let it slide.
There was nothing to gain from arguing when her attempt at drawing my blood had already failed.
*Nod, nod.*
When I nodded, Professor Yuria sighed as if she’d expected it.
“It seems not just the family head, but all their knights are obsessed with that ‘Simgeom’ or whatever.”
I answered her in my head.
The person who’d sent me to the infirmary was the very one obsessed with that Simgeom.
Of course, I only said it to myself.
“Ah, you wouldn’t know. My family has some history with theirs, so I know a bit. Their family head is really serious about Simgeom. Seeing your wound, it seems the knights under her have been influenced by their superior. That’s probably it.”
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Professor Yuria continued.
“Anyway, your body itself is fine. Though you might get a scar on your chin.”
As she said, aside from feeling a little dizzy, I felt no other abnormalities.
Honestly, if the twin sisters hadn't screamed and made such a scene, I wouldn't have fainted so disgracefully.
After a quick check of my condition, I sat up in bed.
“Oh, why are you getting up?”
Professor Yuria stopped me.
“You said I was fine.”
“That’s true, but wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit?”
She tried to hide it, but watching her repeatedly glance at the blood-drawing tools only strengthened my resolve to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
“That scar, I can get rid of it for you.”
I shook my head, enduring the pressure of her hand gently pressing on my chest.
“It’s alright. I’ll think of it as a medal of honor.”
I wasn't just saying that; I couldn't care less about a scar.
In my past life, I was covered in scars from head to toe. What did I care about a tiny mark on my chin?
“No, don’t do that. You have a pretty face, it would be a waste.”
But she wouldn’t leave me alone.
“I’ll heal the scar, so just rest a bit.”
“It’s not like I make a living with my face. A wound like this is nothing. No, more importantly, your hand…”
I tried to get up, but it was impossible.
Her hand, pressing lightly on my chest without any apparent force, felt like a boulder crushing me.
Even if she was a white knight with no connection to combat, a Vowed Knight was still a knight.
“Nngh.”
Faced with that overwhelming difference in strength, I finally gave up my resistance and lay back down on the bed.
“There. Good thinking.”
Finally satisfied, Professor Yuria smiled and removed her hand from my chest. After a brief pause, she spoke again.
“By any chance…”
“No!”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You were going to ask to draw my blood.”
“…Would that be a problem?”
“Would you really do that to a cadet who was brought in for blood loss?”
“To be precise, it wasn’t because of blood loss but because the tissues of your body were destroyed by Simgeom…”
“Whatever it was, no.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
When I answered firmly, Professor Yuria clicked her tongue.
“What a shame. I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with what I already collected.”
“I can hear you! And is it even okay for the head of the infirmary to draw a cadet’s blood without their consent?”
“Yeah. It is.”
“…It is?”
“I’m the head of the infirmary. Who’s going to say anything if I draw a little blood to check for any long-term side effects on a cadet’s body? And it’s not like I stuck a needle in you. I just collected some of that precious blood that was dripping away anyway. Do you think I’m some kind of vampire?”
Her shameless retort left me speechless.
“Since it’s come to this, couldn’t you cooperate just a little?”
“No! I won’t! Help me!”
As I resisted with my entire being, the persistent Professor Yuria finally backed down.
But I couldn't relax.
I had to stay on high alert until the very moment I left the infirmary.
“I’ll share the research results next time, so be sure to stop by again soon.”
I didn’t even answer, just fled the infirmary as if escaping.
“…I rested, so why do I feel more tired?”
By the time I trudged back to the dormitory, it was already night.
*Yum-yum.*
I gave the Mandragora, which greeted me as always, a quick pat and then flopped onto my bed.
[Come out.]
Not long after, I heard Professor Navian’s voice.
[Behind the dormitory.]
I desperately wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard, but I wasn’t brave enough to blatantly ignore the words of the greatest knight of the era.
Besides, she wasn't the type to give up and leave just because I pretended not to hear.
“Ugh.”
In the end, I staggered to my feet and headed to the back of the dormitory, where Professor Navian had indicated.
“Whoa. There was a place like this behind the dorm…”
Dragging my tired body to the back of the dormitory, I was greeted by a sight I’d never seen before.
A place where the edge of the satellite city met the sky.
The sky and the earth, that ambiguous boundary.
Professor Navian was waiting for me there.
She, who had always been inhuman and mysterious.
Now, that atmosphere was even more pronounced.
Her form, clad entirely in black as if a part of the night itself, and the way her silhouette was as indistinct as the surrounding landscape against the night sky.
Unlike her usual self, which was as rigid as a single sword, she was sitting on the edge of the satellite city, dangling her feet, looking like a mischievous messenger of the night.
*Shake, shake.*
I shook my head vigorously.
A mischievous messenger of the night? What an embarrassing thing to even think.
I felt ashamed of myself for coming up with a phrase worthy of a third-rate bard.
*Shake, shake.*
I shook my head once more to clear my thoughts.
“If you’re here, why don’t you come closer?”
Professor Navian beckoned to me.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I quickly sat down beside her.
“Hah.”
And I froze.
A dizzying expanse of sky stretched out below my feet.
One wrong step would mean a fall from which not even my bones could be recovered.
My hands and feet trembled.
“Your energy is unstable.”
Just then, Professor Navian placed a hand on my shoulder.
A gentle energy bloomed from her hand and spread throughout my body.
“Ah…”
An exclamation escaped my lips before I could stop it.
It was unexpected.
I thought the energy of a Black Knight would surely be domineering.
But the energy flowing through my body was exceptionally gentle.
The moment I realized that…
“To think there was a place like this so close by.”
My heart grew surprisingly calm.
The dizzying height beneath my feet, the pressure and reluctance I felt from the Black Knight’s excessive interest in me—it all vanished as if it were a lie.
With a peaceful mind, I waited for Professor Navian to speak.
The atmosphere wasn't right for continuing the sparring session we hadn't finished during the day.
If that had been her intention, she would have just swung her sword at me from a distance without telling me to sit.
“Child.”
After a long while, Professor Navian spoke.
Normally, I would have been trembling, wondering what strange thing she would say next.
But I felt none of that pressure.
It felt like I could accept whatever she said.
That was why.
“Will you inherit my sword?”
“Ye…s-what?”
I had almost accepted her offer.
My goodness. Gracious.