Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: 25. Wilderness Festival (End)
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Every step I took changed the scenery around me in a flash, harsh winds stabbing into my lungs.
But the heavy lump weighing down my chest showed no sign of budging.
The black sphere tucked safely in my pocket.
The cool touch of the relic they'd craved so desperately pulsed unpleasantly in time with my heartbeat.
'Damn it.'
I bit my lip hard, and the metallic tang of blood spread through my mouth.
It tasted bitter.
Bitter as hell.
I'd thought it was a perfect plan.
Iris and her companions would hold off Aria, giving them a chance to grow.
And I'd reap a little fisherman's profit from the shadows.
But my arrogance must have invited disaster.
I never imagined he'd pull off something so utterly unforeseen.
Or that Kaien would throw himself in harm's way to stop it.
It was a variable I hadn't accounted for at all.
'When the fight breaks out, do not inflict any fatal wounds.'
That command was etched deep in my subconscious.
A rule I could never break as long as reason held.
Right—as long as reason held.
Which meant the moment reason crumbled...
The rule became nothing more than scrap paper.
Even so, I'd never dreamed it would happen.
I figured a situation like that wouldn't come easily.
'Fear.'
A monster growing in real time.
Attacks that worked one moment were blocked the next.
The more you pressed, the stronger it bounced back—an irrational crystallization of talent.
He must have been terrified of that talent.
A primal fear that if he didn't cut it off now, he'd never handle it later.
It must have shattered the constraint buried in his subconscious and pulled the trigger.
'I got complacent.'
And the price was Kaien taking a wound he never should have.
"...Calm down."
I roughly swept back my hair.
I couldn't undo what had happened, but I had to avert the worst outcome.
As I entered the academy grounds, a clamor reached me from afar.
People rushing to put out fires, medical teams transporting the injured.
The festival's joy was gone, replaced by horrific screams and groans filling the streets.
"..."
I knew exactly where I had to go.
I slipped through the crowd like a shadow.
One destination: the medical wing.
+ +
Central Medical Wing of the Academy.
The moment I stepped inside, the stench of blood and medicine assaulted my nose.
The corridor, which should have been empty on a festival night, was chaos with medical staff hurrying to treat students.
"M-My arm... my arm..."
"I can't feel my legs at all. Healer... please..."
I pushed through the bustling healers, scanning the interior quickly.
Soon enough, familiar faces came into view, huddled in a corner of the hall.
Among them, covered in blood and staring blankly into space, Celine suddenly turned her head.
Our eyes met.
"B-Brother...!"
Life flickered in her hollow eyes, and she stumbled toward me.
Her singed clothes and bloodstained white cheeks tugged at my heart.
"I'm so glad you're safe. Really..."
She pounded my chest, bursting into tears.
I silently endured the touch laced with worry and resentment.
"Sorry. For making you worry."
No excuses—just a curt apology as I bowed my head.
The warmth from her tapping hands only fanned the cold guilt inside me.
Celine buried her face in my chest and sobbed.
Elysia slumped to the floor in relief, wiping away tears.
"We were so worried... You vanished so suddenly. I know it's unlikely, but just in case..."
Seeing their tears made a corner of my heart throb.
I'd made someone cry again—because of me.
"Is everyone okay?"
I soothed Celine and looked up, taking in the rest of the S-Class group.
Not a single one looked unscathed.
Proof of how fierce the battle had been.
"...We're fine. Just some scrapes."
Elysia answered weakly.
Her eyes, usually sparkling with vitality, were now dulled by deep despair.
Her gaze fixed on the firmly shut door at the end of the hall.
A bad premonition crawled up my throat.
The heavy lump that had been pressing on my chest was now swelling, threatening to burst my heart.
"...Kaien."
I licked my dry lips and forced the words out.
My voice trembled pathetically, but I had no time to care.
"What happened to him?"
I tried not to imagine the worst.
But my mind kept replaying his final image—vomiting blood as he collapsed.
Please. Please, no.
I didn't believe in gods, but this time I prayed over and over.
Elysia turned to look at me.
Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, tear tracks stark on her cheeks.
"...It was touch and go."
She spoke in a trembling voice.
"The bleeding was too severe. Our potions and spells couldn't handle it..."
My heart plummeted.
My fingertips went ice-cold.
"B-But...!"
As if to reassure me, Elysia hurried on.
"Professor Ingrid used a recovery scroll, so he barely pulled through. He's stable now."
Only then did my held breath escape.
Probably a high-grade scroll.
"Haa..."
Tension drained from me, my legs buckling.
I grabbed the wall to steady myself.
As long as he's alive.
It's not too late.
"Can I go in?"
"Huh? Oh, he's still unconscious, but visitors are allowed..."
Before she finished, I flung open the heavy door.
Even hearing he was alive wasn't enough—I needed to see for myself.
Creeeak.
The sterile room reeked of disinfectant.
On the pristine bed lay Kaien.
His face was deathly pale, his breaths shallow and faint.
Thick bandages wrapped his abdomen, faint red stains seeping through.
'He's alive.'
Only then did the rock on my chest lift.
I approached the bedside slowly and looked down at his face.
Guilt crushed me.
Gone was his usual prickly demeanor.
Just a fragile girl lay on the bed.
"...Sorry."
My whisper cracked dryly as the apology escaped my lips.
I knew he couldn't hear, but I couldn't hold it back.
"Huh?"
Then—a strange exclamation broke the silence.
I whipped my head around.
Only now did I realize someone else was in the room besides Kaien.
How zoned out must I have been to miss the presence?
By the window, under the moonlight spilling through the curtains.
Someone sat in a chair, watching me.
"Who are you...?"
She stared at me with wide eyes, equally startled.
Our gazes met, and her lips quivered.
An incredulous voice slipped out.
"...Huh?"
Her beautiful pink hair framed a face that was familiar—impossibly so.
"Clow!"
She called my alias.
"...Senior Sera?"
The utterly unexpected face drew a dumbfounded response from me.
Why was she here?
"It's really you... really Clow, right?"
Sera's eyes sparkled with joy.
She jumped up to approach me but swayed, dizzy from the sudden movement.
"Whoa, careful."
I lunged to support her.
Her body in my arms was light as down.
"S-Sorry. I was just so happy..."
She blushed and pulled away.
But her gaze stayed fixed on me, dreamy as if in a dream.
"I've been looking for you, Junior Clow."
"...Me?"
"Yes. You saved my life back then. I wanted to thank you properly, but no one by that name..."
Of course not.
It was just a throwaway alias I never planned to use again.
She clasped her hands, voice full of emotion.
Her pure eyes made it impossible to confess the truth.
'Sorry, that name was fake.'
Seeing disappointment cloud those eyes? No way.
"I-Is that so? Nice to see you again."
I forced an awkward smile and played along.
Escape the situation first.
"But... what brings you here, Senior?"
I changed the subject.
Sera's excitement had calmed; she answered steadily.
"I was worried about this kid. Kaien."
"...You know Kaien?"
"Of course. He's my fiancé."
Her bombshell, dropped casually as if heading out for a stroll.
I nearly choked on my own spit.
Fiancé?
Kaien?
Reading my shock, Sera gave a wry smile.
"Oh, don't misunderstand. It's a political marriage."
"Political?"
"Yeah. The Rose and Raven families have been close for ages. Our parents arranged it when we were kids."
She gazed at Kaien's pale face and whispered softly.
'Political marriage, huh...'
Fair enough—noble houses did that all the time.
But Kaien's a girl. Does she know?
"Do you... know?"
I probed cautiously, watching her reaction.
"Pardon?"
"That Kaien is... uh..."
She tilted her head at my hesitation, then let out a soft gasp.
A sad smile spread across her face.
"Yes. I know."
"I was the one who treated her, after all. Couldn't leave it to anyone else."
"You treated her?"
"Don't let appearances fool you—I'm confident in my healing magic."
She flexed her slender arm playfully, but the shock hit harder.
She knew the full truth.
'Then...'
She accepted the engagement knowing Kaien was a girl?
As I blinked in confusion, Sera continued with a bittersweet smile.
"Surprised? Makes sense. Almost no one knows Kaien's a girl."
Her eyes turned to the sleeping Kaien.
She gently brushed away sweat-matted bangs from his forehead, her touch tender.
"I didn't know at first either. Not until our engagement talks and first meeting."
Sera's gaze drifted into the past.
"It was an accident. He got badly hurt in training, and I rushed to heal him..."
She trailed off, cheeks flushing.
Undressing the bandages must have revealed everything.
"You can't imagine how much he cried. Begging me to keep it secret."
"It broke my heart."
Her distant gaze softened as she watched Kaien.
"That's when I decided. I'd protect his secret. No matter what—even if it cost me my life."
Every word dripped with deep compassion and affection for Kaien.
What to call it?
More than a mere arranged marriage partner—a bond like shared fate.
'She's strong.'
"So... you planned to hide it and go through with the marriage?"
Sera nodded at my careful question.
"Yes. My body's not long for this world anyway."
"...!"
She spoke of her death sentence calmly, like someone else's story.
"Until I die. At least until then, I wanted to be his shield."
An expression only someone who'd let go of everything could wear.
Overwhelmed by her quiet confession, I fell silent.
"Mm..."
A small groan from the bed shattered the heavy air.
Mine and Sera's eyes snapped to the bed.
Kainen's lashes fluttered, eyelids slowly rising.
His unfocused eyes wandered the air, then locked on us.
"Where... Evan? Sis Sera?"
"Kaien! You're awake?"
Joy lit her face as she caressed his cheek, tears of relief falling.
She'd been holding strong, but her worry ran deepest.
"Thank goodness... really..."
"S-Sis? Don't cry."
Kaien weakly raised a hand to wipe her wet cheek, but it flopped down, strengthless.
His cracked voice was heartbreaking.
I watched quietly, then decided to slip away.
They needed time alone, not me.
Creeeak.
Closing the door behind me, cool air filled my lungs.
The medical wing's bustle finally felt real.
"Hoo..."
I leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh.
Tension gone, exhaustion hit.
So badly I didn't want to open my eyes.