Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Not Your Fault
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[Lucie!! Luuucie!! I thought you were going to die!!]
You said you’d turn my life around! You said you’d be with me forever! So what am I supposed to do if you die first!
Lucillea gently stroked the wailing Cookie, soothing him softly.
“I’m not dead, you know?”
Nestled in Lucillea’s arms, Cookie shook his head from side to side.
[I don’t care! I don’t care! Do you have any idea how scared I was?! That man you call a teacher hurt you again! Last time he made you start a fire! That jerk! I’m going to go peck him with my beak right now!]
Waaah—! Still overcome with sorrow, Cookie was crying, getting tears and snot all over Lucillea’s pajamas.
“No… I was the one at fault for the fire…”
And honestly, it wasn’t her teacher’s fault this time either…
Lucillea was momentarily troubled by Cookie’s misplaced anger, but she soon began to gently stroke the back of his head.
“Alright, alright. It was my fault. I made my Cookie worry. I’m sorry, Cookie.”
[Hmph!]
Cookie snuggled deeper into Lucillea’s embrace.
Just then, the door opened and Mei walked in.
In Mei’s hands was a tray holding a water pitcher and a cup.
Mei froze when she spotted the awake Lucillea.
“Lady Lucillea…?!”
Mei’s usually smiling eyes widened slightly, revealing clear, light-green irises.
It was only for a moment, but what reflected in those eyes was concern.
Lucillea smiled weakly and spoke.
“Hello, Mei…?”
Mei’s expression became a mixture of worry and relief as she hurried over.
“Why are you up?! Please lie down, right away!”
Mei placed the tray on the nightstand beside the bed, then gently but firmly pushed Lucillea back down.
“How are you feeling…?”
Lucillea looked up at Mei and smiled sheepishly.
“Perfectly fine!”
At that, the corners of Mei’s eyes drooped.
“No. You are not fine.”
“Huh?”
As Lucillea blinked, Mei continued.
“You were unconscious for a whole week…”
“Whaat?”
Lucillea cried out in a shocked voice.
***
“…And that’s what happened.”
“Ah…”
Hearing that Lucillea had woken up, Noa came to visit her bedroom.
Noa briefly explained what had occurred at the training grounds.
“So it was like the mana overload I’ve only heard about?”
“It wasn’t *like* a mana overload. It *was* a mana overload.”
Lucillea then asked with a crestfallen look.
“That happens because you can’t control your mana properly, right?”
“Something like that.”
“So, in the end, it was because of me?”
“…”
*So that’s why my teacher got hurt so badly…*
Lucillea’s gaze shifted to Noa’s right arm.
Noa’s right arm was wrapped in bandages.
Seeing the firm splint underneath, it was clearly more than a simple bruise.
Perhaps a fractured bone. His entire arm was completely immobilized.
The corners of Lucillea’s eyes drooped. Her pupils wavered as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Reading her expression, Noa deliberately shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated way and said.
“Why the long face? As if you’re moved by your teacher’s noble sacrifice.”
“…”
Noa raised his heavily bandaged arm into the air.
His expression was as grand as a knight on a battlefield drawing his sword.
“Ever heard of a wound of glory, kiddo? Think of it as a medal for the great wizard who rescued his delicate disciple from the vortex of a mana overload!”
“…”
But Lucillea’s expression didn’t lighten one bit.
“I’m sorry… I hurt the great wizard.”
“…”
An apology finally escaped Lucillea’s lips in a barely audible voice.
At that, the playful smile vanished from Noa’s face.
He pulled over an empty chair and sat beside Lucillea’s bed, his voice softening considerably.
“Listen up, kiddo.”
He held up the index finger of his uninjured left hand.
“First, this incident was not your fault. Second, this mana overload was not your fault. Third, my injury is not your fault. And fourth.”
“…”
“It’s just not your fault.”
“…”
As Lucillea blinked her large eyes, Noa scratched the back of his head and said.
“There was an error in my calculations.”
“An error?”
“Something like that.”
Noa decided not to mention that he had forgotten just how powerful her mana was.
He felt that telling her would only make her blame herself more.
“Anyway! This was entirely the teacher’s negligence, negligence!”
Noa declared, putting on a rather dignified expression.
Then, he reached out with his good left hand and ruffled Lucillea’s still-shadowed hair.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
“Shake off these useless feelings quickly. They’re an utterly useless emotion for your growth.”
Hey! Stop! Lucillea pushed away Noa’s hand, which was shaking her head, and snapped her head up.
Her eyes met Noa’s, which were filled with a warm light.
“What you need to do is not waste time feeling guilty about the past.”
“…”
“It’s to work on making yourself stronger so the same thing doesn’t happen again. Got it?”
“Yessir…”
“Ahem, I can’t hear you.”
“Yes! I understand!”
A playful grin spread across Noa’s face.
“That’s more like it.”
Noa stood up and said in his usual cheerful voice.
“Get some more rest. There will be no classes until I call for you again.”
He waved his bandaged arm dramatically and walked toward the door, then shouted.
“I’m going to milk the Grand Duke for a hefty sum for my medical bills!”
Noa’s cheerful laughter faded through the wide-open doorway.
Lucillea burst out laughing before she could stop herself.
He was eccentric, but somehow, a very reliable teacher.
***
Another two days passed.
“Serdian.”
Someone called out from behind Serdian as he was heading to the training grounds for his morning practice.
Serdian stopped and turned to look at the person who had called him.
It was Irnel.
Serdian regarded Irnel with the same expressionless face he’d had while walking, neither surprised nor pleased.
“Is there something you need?”
Serdian asked, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Irnel took a step toward Serdian and opened his mouth.
“I heard that girl woke up.”
“She did.”
Serdian answered curtly and turned away, as if he had no intention of continuing the conversation.
“Wait a moment.”
Irnel urgently stopped Serdian again.
“You’ve changed.”
At those words, Serdian stopped once more. Irnel spoke to his back, his tone accusatory.
“Since when did you ever show interest in other people?”
“…”
“You, who always went to great lengths to avoid getting involved with others, since when did you…”
“…”
At Irnel’s words, Serdian slowly turned his head to look at him.
Serdian’s red eyes were colder than ever. Like a bottomless abyss, those red irises were exceptionally chilling.
Serdian replied with his usual impassive expression.
“Is it wrong to change?”
“What?”
“Was I someone who wasn’t allowed to have people by my side?”
“…”
“Isn’t it you people who made me that way?”
Serdian’s voice was calm, but a heavy blade was hidden within it.
Irnel’s sky-blue eyes wavered as if they had been wounded.
Serdian’s words had dragged out the cowardice of the past that he had been trying so hard to ignore.
As Irnel’s face turned pale, Serdian spoke coldly, as if he wasn’t worth dealing with any longer.
“If you have nothing more to say—”
“The combat training isn’t far off.”
Irnel said, unable to meet Serdian’s gaze. At that, Serdian’s head tilted.
“So what.”
Irnel hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Tesian and his group are planning something.”
Serdian remained unimpressed by Irnel’s words.
“That’s nothing new. How surprising.”
“No, it’s different this time!”
At Irnel’s shout, Serdian’s eyes narrowed.
Irnel swallowed dryly and, with a trembling voice, let out the final truth.
As if atoning for a sin.
“This time, their target isn’t just you.”
At that, Serdian’s brow furrowed deeply as he muttered a single name.
“Lucillea…?”