Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Waking in the Infirmary
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“…Where is this?”
A cracked voice leaked out.
I was lying beneath a blanket of just the right thickness on a soft bed.
The fluffy weight unique to blankets felt pleasant. And somehow, it even smelled nice…
“Hmm.”
It felt like I’d been asleep for quite a while, but my head was still throbbing.
For now, let’s judge the situation based on the information at hand…
It seemed I was lying in a sickbed.
“Gah!”
The moment I reflexively tried to sit up, a tearing pain raged through my entire body.
Even I, who was somewhat accustomed to enduring pain, let out a groan for a split second.
‘My body’s in utter ruins…’
Instead of forcing myself up, I lay back down.
Then, rolling only my eyes, I slowly surveyed my surroundings.
It looked like the infirmary attached to the academy…
A quick check of my body showed I’d received some degree of treatment. The fact that I could feel sensations in a body that had been half-crippled proved it.
Most of the pain and stiffness twisted my expression…
But pain was something you could only feel if you were alive, so I decided to think of it positively.
On the table beside the bed sat a teacup filled with a murky-colored medicine.
The peculiar thing was its foul smell.
Somehow, my mouth felt thick and cloying, so it seemed I’d drunk this while unconscious.
In any case, I had no desire to quench my thirst with this nasty herbal tea right after waking.
‘Apple juice… I want apple juice…’
Very, very intensely.
With ice floating in it.
I felt like I could down a liter in one go right now.
Suppressing the childish craving that welled up, I first sorted out the situation.
My memory of the final moments was a bit hazy.
So…
In the reverse world, I fought the Demon King under the blood-red moon, succeeded in dragging out its true body, and then got one-sidedly pummeled by that bastard—
And then… what happened?
Judging from the sunlight streaming through the window, the situation seemed to have wrapped up somehow.
“You’re awake?”
At that moment, a frail elderly voice came from the side, and the curtain drawn between the beds was pulled back.
I was startled.
Dean Alderson was lying on the bed next to mine.
“Ah… You’re safe?”
At my words, the dean chuckled.
“That’s what I should be saying. Your condition was just as dire as mine.”
“I’m still young and sturdy…”
“So I’m old and frail?”
“No such thing.”
I replied in a serious tone.
“You’re hale for your age, Dean, but I’m fairly sturdy among my peers too.”
“…Your tongue looks fine, so your condition seems decent.”
I quietly watched Dean Alderson chuckle.
The moment I thought he seemed much older than the last time I’d seen him…
A submerged memory resurfaced.
In the final moments, this man had cast a grand spell of terrifying power.
Even to an outsider like me, it had been an immense display of destructive force. The time he’d bought at the risk of his life had paid off.
The Demon King’s true body had been utterly shattered.
“Anyway, since I’m still alive, it looks like the Demon King descent fiasco wrapped up well.”
“Fiasco…”
The dean let out a wry laugh at my word choice, then nodded.
“Indeed. Thanks to your efforts.”
“Hmm…”
I wasn’t one to shy from praise…
But hearing this from Dean Alderson, who had played the most decisive role in resolving the crisis, made my face heat up a bit.
As I pondered how to respond, the dean seemed to hesitate.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Plenty. But first… apologies seem in order.”
“To me?”
“Yes. More precisely, to all the children caught up in this incident.”
“Ah. Speaking of which, is everyone safe?”
“Some are injured, some suffered mental shocks, but fortunately, no fatalities.”
I blinked.
It was an unexpected answer.
“No fatalities…? Not a single one?”
“That’s right. It all happened in the reverse world to begin with… Even the cadets killed by the puppets were merely knocked out without serious injury in reality.”
“My wounds are real enough.”
“You’re a Spirit Guide, aren’t you? Those blessed by the spirits aren’t swept up in the reverse world’s madness, but they do suffer the effects of wounds sustained there to some degree.”
“Then the other Spirit Guides besides me…”
“No deaths, but quite a few are injured as badly as you.”
I let out a small sigh of relief.
I didn’t know how badly they were hurt, but everyone surviving eased my mind.
“As odd as it sounds, it’s fortunate it happened in the reverse world.”
“Indeed. If it hadn’t been that special space, they couldn’t have pulled off something like this right in the capital.”
“That makes sense.”
Dean Alderson suddenly spoke up as he looked at me.
“You need to be careful from now on.”
“Suddenly?”
“You’ve been out for a full week since collapsing. A lot has happened at the academy in that time.”
I’d been unconscious far longer than I’d thought. I’d figured three or four days at most.
As I was thinking calmly, the dean’s tone grew heavier.
“That power—you must keep it hidden.”
“…”
He avoided direct mention, but it was obviously referring to the instrument.
I looked at the herbal tea in the cup as if avoiding his gaze, agonizing over whether to quench my thirst with this nasty stuff, then spoke.
“I have to hide it.”
“…”
“And that sounds like it means the secret’s still safe for now.”
The ones who witnessed me unleashing the instrument numbered five in total.
Dean Alderson, Seren, Caron, Evan… and finally, the Perist Princess.
Among those five, the most trustworthy was surprisingly Evan, the young priest. He was my accomplice in a way.
I wasn’t sure about Seren and Caron…
That left Alderson and Perist.
Honestly, I considered those two the most dangerous.
Yet from the situation, Alderson hadn’t revealed my identity.
Alderson smiled bitterly.
“Spirit Guide Ruan. If you hadn’t held out there, all the victims would be dead. I may be called an eccentric, but I haven’t lost my mind enough to betray a lifesaver.”
“…”
“Separately, I’m curious. Why did you do it?”
Receiving Alderson’s question, I finally reached for the herbal tea. I couldn’t resist the thirst any longer.
I swallowed the bitter brew—exactly as expected—down my throat, then opened my mouth.
“I have more means than you think, Dean. I simply judged the options before me. In that situation, using that power offered the highest chance of victory.”
“…”
“It had to be done, and I could do it, so I did. I hope that answers you.”
I revealed my true feelings honestly.
I didn’t know how Alderson would take it.
But…
After seeing me wield the instrument, what this old man was most curious about wasn’t how or why I’d gained that power.
I sensed consideration for me in the intent behind his question.
That’s why I was frank.
After a brief hesitation, Alderson asked again.
“Can you conceal that power?”
“For now.”
The total amount of instrument power I possessed wasn’t that great.
If my internal energy was 100, it was maybe 3 or 5 at best?
Thanks to that, I could keep it tightly sealed within my true energy normally. As long as I didn’t draw it out, there was no risk of discovery.
“Then rather than fleeing recklessly, it’d be better to stay at the academy for a while. It’ll arouse less suspicion.”
“What do you mean?”
“The capital is in a state of high alert right now. And the academy is at its center.”
Coincidentally, at that moment, cadets’ laughter drifted in from outside the window.
I turned to look at the scenery beyond the windowsill.
Two cadets in civilian clothes were passing by, eating meat skewers.
“Looks peaceful from here.”
“The eye of the storm is always calm. News of the academy incident has already spread throughout the capital. It was never something we could contain…”
That figured.
Even minimizing the victims, there were hundreds, and including those connected, it reached thousands.
“First off, Princess Perist won’t escape punishment. There are mitigating factors, so she won’t lose her life, but a harsh future awaits. I’d like to delay it until after graduation if possible, but…”
Alderson sighed deeply.
“I no longer have that kind of influence.”
“You mean…?”
“I’m no longer a grand sorcerer. The seven colors no longer appear in my vision, and the three meridians that served as conduits are all ruined…”
My mouth tasted bitter.
And not just from the herbal tea I’d swallowed.
“Rehabilitation impossible?”
“There’s a chance, but I’m too old now. My life has passed its twilight in the evening. Now… I just want to rest.”
“…Hmm.”
“I’ll soon be removed from the dean position too. That’s a bit regrettable.”
Alderson let out a chuckling laugh as if to lighten the mood, then looked at me and spoke.
“Of course, your position is different from mine. Unlike me, who as head of the academy should have noticed the crisis early and prevented it, you were merely a guest and showed splendid heroism. True heroism. The academy cadets already see you as a hero. That fame will soon spread not just through the capital, but to every corner of the realm. Good news will reach the imperial family soon enough.”
“Hmm…”
“You don’t look pleased?”
“…”
I didn’t deny it.
Being hailed by others wasn’t bad, of course, but it wasn’t a high priority for me now.
If anything, I worried that fame might become shackles.
The instrument was one thing. Meeting my eldest martial brother, the Demon King, was another…
Somehow, my future life seemed more likely to wander dark paths shrouded even from moonlight than bask in broad daylight.
Alderson said,
“You took risks to save us. So I won’t pry further. That would be graceless.”
“…Thank you for your consideration.”
“For now, it’s best to stay here a while. Kartel Academy is under temporary closure, so even after discharge, staying in the dorms means you won’t run into anyone.”
I asked in a bewildered voice.
“Run into who…?”
“I didn’t explain. There are quite a few outsiders in the academy now. The imperial inspection team is here, the Sun Church sent inquisitors, and even the 72 Churches dispatched a bishop. Add in reporters from various press outlets—”
“…”
Was staying at the academy really the right choice?
If my body were even a bit better, I might have smashed the window and bolted right then.
“…But the ones to be most wary of are the three heroes from [Heros].”
The Hero Agency Heros.
It was likely my next destination, but one misstep and I might never even approach it, let alone enter.
With a troubled expression, I said,
“Thank you for the advice. Then we won’t have chances like this to talk soon, will we?”
“Probably not. As soon as my condition improves, I’ll be summoned to the palace. Likely for reprimands.”
“…”
Separate from Alderson’s matter-of-fact tone, I thought the imperial punishment seemed harsh.
Of course, as dean, there was no excuse for his negligence…
But with zero deaths and even landing a blow on the Demon King.
The Bednicker Family would have praised him instead.
Comforting a century-old sorcerer as a novice would be ridiculous, so I got to the point.
“I have a question about Leone.”
“Leone?”
“Yes. The truth is, my ability to wield the instrument seems connected to him…”
At that moment, Alderson tilted his head and asked,
“Who’s Leone?”