A Secret Kept in the Infirmary
Inside the infirmary, Kanteil felt uncomfortable under the intense, unblinking gaze of the girl standing before him.
"Is there a reason you're staring so intently, Senior? It's a bit overwhelming."
"Hmm. You're definitely handsome, but I'm not so sure about the strong part..." Irelia Leonhart muttered to herself.
Around her, members of the Disciplinary Committee were glaring daggers at Kanteil.
"I appreciate the compliment on my looks... but this is quite a lot of pressure. It feels like an interrogation."
"Oh, it's nothing like that. Just simple curiosity. I'm just wondering how a mere second-year cadet managed to create such a scene. That kind of question, you know?"
"I told you, the irregular slime was weaker than expected. Even if it's an irregular, it's still just a slime."
Of course, the irregular slime had been far too powerful to be dismissed as "just a slime." But telling the truth would only draw Irelia's attention. Irelia was the type of person who attracted all kinds of incidents and accidents, much like the protagonist, Idrian Goldenroad. If Kanteil caught her eye, his dream of a peaceful life after graduation would be blown to smithereens. He was aiming for a happy ending precisely so he could live in peace. Drawing unnecessary attention would render all his efforts useless. He had to remain, at all costs, a normal victim who had simply been caught up in an unfortunate incident.
"You know slimes well, Senior. Even an irregular is a weakling that can barely exceed C-rank."
"I know. I know very well. But this slime was incredibly massive. It was over seven meters tall. Do you know what that means? Excluding the Mother of the Great Ocean—which is practically a sea itself—it's the largest slime ever discovered."
"Even so, it's still just a slime. And size isn't everything when it comes to slimes."
What was the most dangerous type of slime? A Giant Slime, which was larger than a human? A Shadow Slime, possessing stealth capabilities that even superhumans struggled to detect? A Blue Slime, capable of melting steel armor? No. The most powerful among them was the Poison Slime, the smallest of its kind. In inverse proportion to its size, it possessed a deadly toxin that could instantly kill even a C-rank monster. Because of its incredibly slow movement, it was classified as a D-rank threat, but its practical danger level was equivalent to a C-rank—the highest rank an irregular slime could reach.
"Fine, fine. I'll believe you for now."
"Chief. The Student Council President wishes to see you."
The Disciplinary Committee member guarding her side checked their Device and whispered in Irelia's ear. At those words, Irelia's eyebrows twitched.
"That guy?"
"They found something strange with this irregular slime. It's an urgent summons."
Although the Disciplinary Committee had technically become independent from the Student Council, it had originally been a subordinate organization, meaning it was still practically under their thumb. That fact always grated on Irelia's nerves, but there was nothing she could do. The difference in power was simply too overwhelming. In Teonor Academy, where meritocracy reigned supreme, the Student Council's power was absolute.
"Understood. Tell him I'm on my way. I wanted to chat a bit more, but it's a shame that lunatic is calling for me. Let's have a deep conversation later when you have some time."
Irelia gave Kanteil a playful wink before sweeping out of the infirmary. The burly Disciplinary Committee members filed out after her, leaving the once-crowded room instantly quiet and spacious.
I knew Irelia treated the Student Council President casually, but I didn't expect it to be to this extent.
Still, calling the leader of the Student Council—the largest and most powerful organization in the academy—a "lunatic" was bold. It wasn't factually incorrect, but how many people could actually say that out loud? Probably only the Student Council Vice President, the executives of the Occupation Clubs, and the Disciplinary Committee Chief, Irelia. Since Teonor Academy granted students a vast amount of autonomy, even the professors couldn't treat the Student Council President lightly. In certain cases, the President even held the authority to dismiss a professor. Of course, such an extreme measure was only possible in cases of severe crimes like murder, rape, or the use of demonic energy, but it proved just how immense the President's authority was. Naturally, abusing such power would lead straight to the imperial guillotine, but still.
"It's quiet now. Almost feels a bit empty with those noisy people gone," Kanteil muttered insincerely, casting a sidelong glance at the adjacent bed.
When they were trapped in the training ground, he hadn't had the luxury to look closely. But now, he could see her peach-pink hair, fair skin, and cherry-like lips. Despite her fierce personality, Seril Lever was a beauty so striking that even Irelia, hailed as the academy's top beauty, would have to take a step back.
"Just what happened to you that you can only use that kind of power by losing your mind?"
His hollow question echoed through the quiet infirmary. When no answer came, he lay back down on his bed, feeling a bit embarrassed. His physical condition was perfectly fine, but they had told him to wait until the test results came out.
Squeak.
At that moment, the sound of rolling wheels echoed from outside. Soon, the sound stopped right in front of the infirmary door.
Slide.
The door opened, and a boy in a wheelchair rolled inside. He had the same pink hair and fair skin as Seril, with delicate, fine features. If Seril were a boy, she would look exactly like this. However, there was one stark difference between them.
The boy had no legs.
"Seril Sister... you're okay... Thank goodness..." Tears welled up in the boy's eyes.
"Are you her family?" Kanteil asked.
"Are you the one who saved my sister?"
The boy's eyes met Kanteil's. His gaze held a depth that suggested he already knew everything that had transpired in the training ground. Slowly, the boy bowed his head.
"Thank you for saving my sister."
"It was the natural thing to do. No need to bow."
The boy raised his head, but this time, his eyes held a completely different light. If his previous gaze had been filled with gratitude, it was now filled with a fierce determination to protect. It was the exact same look Seril had when she lost her mind and unleashed her magic.
"Could you... perhaps forget about my sister's Magic Rampage?"
Magic Rampage. As expected, Seril's younger brother knew that his sister had lost her mind and used magic.
"Magic Rampage? You knew your sister lost her mind and used magic?"
Kanteil hadn't said a word about it to anyone. Even when Irelia was questioning him, he had kept his mouth shut. To be precise, Irelia had already classified Seril as a non-combatant.
She probably knew Seril couldn't use magic.
From what he had heard, Seril was known as the academy's sole dunce. People only worried about her health; no one could have ever imagined she would be the one to subjugate an irregular slime. Yet, the boy who appeared to be her younger brother was absolutely certain of her rampage, even without having stepped foot inside the F-1 Monster Training Ground. It was as if this wasn't the first or second time this had happened.
"Of course. My sister is a genius incomparable to me. Although her heart is deeply wounded right now, preventing her from using her true power... eight years ago, when she was ten, she was already a 5th-Circle mage. A genius who reached the realm of high mages."
"A 5th-Circle at ten years old? Eight years ago?"
A Circle. The ring of mana that mages weave around their hearts. As the number of circles increased, the amount of mana they could safely manipulate grew exponentially. Before the concept of Circles was established, the side effects of magic rampages were so severe that mages rarely lived past thirty. Even a 1st-Circle mage, who had woven only a single ring, was a powerhouse far surpassing ordinary humans. And she had woven five of them by the age of ten? It was impossible. Unless she was like Idrian, who had regressed with the memories and experience of the first hero, there was no way a mere ten-year-old could reach the 5th-Circle.
Yet, hearing this finally explained her absurd, logic-defying combat power. The terrifying destructive force that would have instantly killed even Kanteil—despite his physical reinforcement—if it had so much as grazed him, the mastery over four distinct elements, and that mysterious, unidentifiable attribute. She was undoubtedly a superhuman-level monster, or perhaps something even greater. The only irony was that she currently couldn't use magic normally.
"Then... what about now?"
"Father is certain that Sister has reached the 7th-Circle."
Kanteil stared at the boy, deeply puzzled by his willingness to share such a monumental secret.
"Why are you telling me a secret like that?"
At seventeen, the future master of the Ice Magic Tower—hailed as the greatest genius mage among the protagonist's companions—had still not crossed the wall of the 5th-Circle. A 7th-Circle mage was a transcendent being who could crush a 5th-Circle like a bug. In martial terms, that was a 7th-stage martial artist, a superhuman referred to by the world as a "Master." They were strategic weapons closely monitored and controlled by nations. If the Disciplinary Committee had known this, they would never have left her alone. This meant the family had kept it strictly under wraps until now.
"I figured I had to tell you since you've already witnessed her power. You saw it firsthand, so there's no hiding it anyway," the boy replied with a bitter smile.
"But why ask me to forget it? Is it because of the accident from ten years ago you mentioned?"
"Yes. That's right. Whenever she recalls those memories, she rampages. She goes into a rampage when her life is in danger, or when someone she cares about gets hurt. Since you're a senior who entered the academy before her, you must know how dangerous a mage's rampage is."
Of course he knew. When a mage went into a rampage, their own mana ran wild, tearing their body apart from the inside. The most prominent side effect of this was a drastically reduced lifespan. Each rampage shaved off nearly three years of their life. While a 7th-Circle archmage would have transcended human limits and possessed an extended lifespan, a rampage would drain even more of their life force than it would a normal mage, simply because the sheer volume of mana they operated was on a completely different scale.
"When Sister wakes up, she won't remember anything from the rampage. So, to prevent her from recalling those memories, could you please claim that you defeated all the monsters she killed? I will pay you a fitting price."
For some reason, the boy's words reminded Kanteil of his past self. It was the exact same request he had made to Miruel and Idrian—to take all the credit. While Kanteil had given away his achievements to Idrian just to avoid annoying hassles, this boy was bowing his head and begging for the sake of his sister's peace.
Kanteil scratched his head roughly. It was an incredibly bothersome favor, but...
"If you ask like that, I have no choice but to accept."
How could he ignore a plea made with such desperate humility for the sake of another? He felt a sudden pang of shame for his past self, who had contemplated dragging Seril into the original plot just to secure his own peace.
"Really?!"
"But I will take that compensation. I hate troublesome things, and I'm doing you a massive favor here."
"Of course! The compensation I can offer is..."
The boy's lips moved rapidly, whispering the offer.
Kanteil stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"You can give me that?"
An item that defied all common sense had just slipped from the boy's lips.