Sorting Out My Thoughts
After Elene left, Professor Laen asked after me.
“How’s the body holding up?”
“I’m fine, sir.”
“Anything that feels off?”
“Just a little stiffness in my back. Otherwise I think I’m all right.”
Even though he was clearly worried about me, the man’s background made the questions feel more like an interrogation than concern.
“I see…”
Laen let out a quiet sigh.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sir?”
The sudden apology pulled the question out of me on reflex.
“I’ve gotten old. I was careless. Of course invaders would hide and… no. There’s no point in excuses.”
Self-reproach colored his voice.
“I’m sorry, Lutes.”
He met my eyes as he said it.
In the end he had been the one who set the students in motion, and that decision had led to casualties. The guilt must have weighed heavily. And given that he had once belonged to the Imperial Inspection Bureau—even if he was retired—this failure would have cut even deeper.
I sorted through my own thoughts.
Professor or not, I had been careless myself. I wasn’t in any position to accept an apology. Besides, nothing truly catastrophic had come of it. That alone was something to be grateful for.
“I’m really fine, Professor. No problems at all.”
Laen studied me for a moment. I couldn’t read every shade of the complicated expression on his face, but the tight lines around his eyes eased a fraction, as if some of the burden had lifted.
“…Thank you for saying so.”
He rubbed his limping leg and continued.
“But this was still my mistake. Looking after the students’ safety was the professors’ responsibility.”
A cool breeze slipped through the open window, stirring the curtains. Laen drew a deep breath, smoothed his expression, and looked at me again.
“The mood’s grown heavy. Shall we continue?”
“Yes.”
I agreed readily. I never had much fondness for heavy atmospheres.
“Thanks to you and Elene, we arrested the three intruders on the spot. They’re being held temporarily in the northern building of the Academy. Once the Inspection Bureau arrives, the investigation will begin.”
“I was useful too?”
I thought back over what I had actually done. Get hit. Dodge. Get hit again. I had managed to take one of them down, but only by exploiting the moment he was distracted by Elene.
“You played a major part. The time you bought and that flash you set off let us restrain them.”
“Ah.”
“I also heard you took command of the other students.”
Command?
“…You mean when the guards were attacked?”
“Yes. Lindel told me. He said you gave orders with remarkable composure.”
Had I been composed? I remembered trying to keep a clear head, but everything had been so chaotic I had simply spoken whatever came to mind.
“Are those three all right?”
“They’re resting in the dormitory now. None of them are seriously hurt, so don’t worry.”
“That’s a relief.”
“The guard you saved is still receiving treatment, but the Contamination Magic hit him hard, so he’s been transferred outside the Academy. We haven’t located the remaining guards yet… but their identities should be confirmed soon.”
I nodded, and he went on.
The sequence of events. The intruders had slipped in through an artifact planted by someone inside the Academy. Their goal, just as Professor Laen had guessed, had been to sow chaos within the grounds.
“…Was causing internal chaos really their only aim?”
“That’s the only conclusion I can reach for now.”
“Why… would they?”
“As I said before, they may simply be the sort who need no reason to start trouble… The Inspection Bureau will sort out the details once they arrive.”
Laen rested his head back and fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
“Still, the string of incidents across the continent lately… something about them doesn’t sit right.”
“…”
Sudden monster outbreaks. Increasing friction with the northern tribes. The resulting regional tensions and the deepening factional strife inside the Imperial Palace. If you started connecting the dots, the threads could stretch forever. None of it felt like something that could simply be brushed aside.
Conspiracy theorists would have a field day.
“Just an old man’s rambling. Don’t dwell on it. Focus on recovering.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And because of this incident, the Academy is closed temporarily. The academic schedule will shift as well.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Classes will resume normally next week once the professors return, so don’t worry about falling behind.”
With that he planted his cane and rose.
“Also, almost no one knows you’re in this room, so don’t expect many visitors.”
“Is it a secret?”
“It is. I don’t care for it, but the Academy has ordered that the incident not be made public.”
“They’re really covering it up…”
“This time, it seems the right call.”
Laen offered no further explanation, as though it were simply adult business, then turned and left the room.
…
In the quiet that followed I looked out the window again. A clear sky filled my vision. Something vast and complicated was clearly unfolding, yet my place in it was still that of a student. Better to act according to my station than to overreach with idle speculation.
I should just rest properly.
I had been fretting about missed lectures, but with the temporary closure that worry vanished. And since no one had suffered lasting harm, I could count myself lucky.
“Finished talking?”
Someone popped into the room without warning.
“Yes.”
It was Romi, the Medical Bureau staffer.
“Good to hear. Oh—and what I was going to say earlier: we’ll keep an eye on you for another two or three days, then you should be fine to leave.”
“That’s sooner than I expected.”
“Right? The wounds weren’t that deep to begin with, and we’ve already finished treatment. Of course, if you want to stay longer, you’re welcome to!”
“…Hmm. That actually sounds nice.”
“Understood!”
Even after the conversation ended he remained standing there.
…I want to rest.
Did he have something else to say?
“Why are you still here?”
“Ah, I’m bored. As you can see, I’m the only one left. Everyone else is either out on assignment or treating the guards.”
“…”
“You’re alone, I’m alone—so let’s kill some time together. Wait right there!”
Without waiting for an answer Romi vanished somewhere. A moment later came a clatter and rustle, and he returned carrying something with great confidence.
“All right, one game.”
What he held was a board of alternating black and white squares. Seeing it here felt unexpectedly nostalgic.
“Chess.”
“Yep. I may not look it, but I’m pretty good. Best in the Academy Medical Bureau, in fact!”
“Really?”
“Of course. I’ve beaten every staff member here.”
He declared it proudly and began setting up the pieces.
“I’m fairly confident myself.”
At that Romi lifted his head and looked at me.
“I’ve heard that line from more than a few challengers who then got crushed, student.”
“Then how about a light wager?”
His eyes lit up at the suggestion.
“A wager, a wager… Haha, I hate to go all-out against a patient, you know.”
Ignoring his posturing I considered the stakes, then made a light flicking motion with my fingers as if snapping them.
“Forehead flicks. Loser takes one.”
“Deal. No backing out!”
Apparently deciding further talk was unnecessary, he unfolded a small table and began deploying his pieces.
A low growl from my stomach broke the silence. Outside the window the sun was sinking behind the mountain ridge. Evening had arrived without my noticing.
Already?
I had been so absorbed in the games that I had completely missed dinner.
“Shall we stop for now?”
“Why did I do that why didn’t I take the knight why did I push the pawn forward like an idiot no if I’d just played properly from the start none of this would have—”
Romi was muttering to himself over the board, completely lost in his own world. His broad forehead, having taken countless flicks, was flushed red across its entire surface.
“I told you I was confident.”
Mid-review he jerked upright and looked at me.
“J-just… go easy on the last one…”
I raised my hand, ready to deliver the final flick. His whole body began to tremble as though an earthquake had struck. My fingers snapped; a crisp sound rang out, and Romi toppled straight backward.
“Done.”
With that calm declaration the one-sided forehead-flick show came to an end. Romi rolled on the floor, clutching his brow.
“Ssssss… haaaa…”
After several rounds of rolling and rubbing, the pain seemed to subside. He took a few steadying breaths and managed to push himself upright.
“…Let’s call it here for today. I’ll come back stronger.”
He cleared the board with a drained voice.
“I’ll leave the meal, so make sure you eat. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
He rose with difficulty and set down the patient meal he had prepared earlier.
“This can’t be… this can’t be…”
Still muttering, he closed the door behind him. Silence settled over the room once more.
…
A familiar atmosphere. I took a spoonful of the patient soup.
“Ugh.”
Just as expected, it was terrible. Not metaphorically—there was simply no taste at all. Thick yet bland, like milk diluted with water, and thoroughly unpleasant.
One spoonful.
Two.
I set the spoon down.
“I’ll skip it.”
This wasn’t happening. Better to lie down and sleep; that would help recovery more.
I stretched out and pulled the blanket all the way up.
“…”
I had noticed it sometime earlier: when I was hurt, quiet had become familiar.
I stared at the darkened ceiling for a while, then closed my eyes as drowsiness washed over me.
How long had I slept?
“…Mm.”
I felt a gaze. Probably just my senses being oversensitive after everything. I rolled over. At first I thought it was my imagination, but the more I shifted the clearer the sensation became.
…What is that?
A ghost? Just in case, I slowly opened my eyes. The only light in the dark room was the green mana-stone lamp by the door. In that eerie atmosphere I turned toward the window.
Someone was watching me.
“Whoa!! Who’s there?!”
I bolted upright, yanking the blanket up with me.
“It’s me.”
A voice answered. As my blurred vision cleared and my eyes adjusted to the dark, the figure came into focus.
“…Elene?”
It was Elene.
“Did I startle you?”
Who wouldn’t be startled by someone quietly staring at them in the middle of the night?
“Why… why were you just watching? If you came, you should have woken me.”
“You were sleeping so soundly.”
So she had simply stood there watching. I pressed a hand to my racing heart and lowered the blanket again.
“Are you even allowed to be here?”
“Mm-hm.”
She nodded with complete confidence, yet in principle the Academy forbade students from leaving their dorms at this hour. My hospitalization itself was a secret; she couldn’t have used a hospital visit as an excuse.
Suddenly I remembered her looking at the window that morning.
Don’t tell me she came through the…
I didn’t want to imagine it.
Right. She must have gotten permission. Let’s go with that.
“You didn’t eat the soup?”
She glanced at the half-finished bowl I had left.
“…I didn’t have much appetite.”
Elene quietly cleared the dish away.
“You still need to eat if you want to recover.”
She was right.
“I’ll finish everything starting tomorrow.”
Hearing my answer, Elene sat on the edge of the bed rather than the folding chair, just as she had that morning. Then she rested her hand on the back of mine.
“How’s your body?”
“Better. The pain’s eased a lot.”
“…Good.”
In the moonlight her expression had softened with relief. Unlike that morning she looked well-rested; color had returned to her cheeks.
“I’m sorry for showing you that side of me this morning.”
Her voice was calm now, as though she herself had recognized how unsettled she had been.
“It’s fine. You were just worried about me.”
When I answered evenly she stared at me for a long moment. Then, carefully, she took my hand and lifted it.
“Elene?”
And as naturally as breathing she guided my arm around her waist.
“Do what you did this morning. Again.”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“…Right now?”
“Mm.”
At her request I drew a single breath, nodded, and brought my other arm around her as well, clasping my hands behind her back. When I pulled gently she settled into my arms. The scent of her shampoo filled my senses more strongly than before.
“…Hah.”
Elene exhaled softly. More at ease than that morning, she wrapped both arms tightly around me, resting her face against my shoulder and drawing me in deeper.
I had felt it that morning too.
It really was a comfortable place to be.
Without a word she began to pat my back carefully. Each light vibration seemed to resonate with the beat of my heart. For a long while she continued, and I could no longer tell whether time was moving slowly or racing past.
My eyes began to drift shut again.
“Lutes.”
“Mm.”
Breaking the brief silence, Elene spoke.
“…Do you remember what I said in the library last time?”
What she had said in the library. There had been so much… I couldn’t quite pin it down.
“Um…”
Perhaps my hesitation showed.
“You don’t remember?”
Her voice seemed to drop a little lower.
“N-no, I do… I remember…”
I scrambled through my memories in a panic. What exactly was she referring to? She had said so many things.
“…Then I’ll say it again.”
Say it again? What did that mean? I was still trying to parse her way of speaking when—
Softly—
Elene shifted the face that had been resting on my shoulder, angling it toward my ear.
Whoa.
Just like when I had carried her on my back, her breath brushed straight into my ear.
This was…
Dangerous.
In every possible sense, extremely dangerous.
“Elene, wait a second—”
The moment I tried to pull away she locked both arms around me, holding on with a strength that said she had no intention of letting go.
Then her chest rose as she drew in a breath.
“Lutes.”
She whispered.
Her voice reached me right beside my ear, sliding along the canal and straight into my brain. I needed to speak, yet no sound came out. The distance was far too close.
Softly—
She took a short breath that tickled the shell of my ear. My blood felt as though it were racing out of control. A brief moment passed, and then, in a voice so small it seemed meant only for me, she whispered again.
“Always.”
Each syllable deliberate, as if she meant to engrave it into my mind.
“Stay by my side.”
