My People
Click.
The firmly shut door finally opened. Shuske and Elaine, who had been pacing back and forth in the corridor like caged animals, froze mid-step.
Aidan emerged first, followed by Eli, Quinn, and Logan, and finally Bayul, each filing out one after another.
"B-Bayul! Are you okay?"
Even amid their physical scuffle, Bayul's scream had come through loud and clear. Shuske hurried over, his face tight with anxiety.
Elaine, who had climbed onto Shuske and gone berserk, swinging fists wildly, also came back to her senses at the sound and reluctantly lowered her fist.
Neither of them had been in their right mind. They didn't like each other, sure, but they had never once traded blows like this. Their damn pride had ruined everything in the end.
It should have blown over if they'd each just held their tongue a little longer — instead they'd blown it up into something huge and dragged an innocent person into it. With ten mouths between them, they still had nothing to say.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"I-I'm sorry... it was all my fault."
Shuske and Elaine bowed their heads deep in apology. All traces of their earlier fury had vanished, replaced by faces that looked ready to burst into tears on the spot.
Elaine was a holy knight trainee sworn to protect the gods. The priesthood had once been her dream, but her explosive temper had forced a change of course.
If word of today reached the faculty professors, punishment would be the least of her worries — far worse would be their disappointment. It would be a betrayal of the trust they had placed in her.
Not to mention, if it got back to her family that she had struck the son of Duke Randert himself, the verdict would be obvious. Well, what else would you expect from that little hellion?
She could already picture her siblings' smirking faces flickering before her ears.
Shuske was no better off. As an honor student of his faculty, he was supposed to set an example, and instead he'd committed a completely senseless act of violence. Even he hadn't known such brutality was hiding inside him until today. What would they write in his student record? The shame was so crushing that if a mouse hole had been nearby, he would have crawled in and hidden.
Setting aside all those considerations, the greatest wrong of all was that their foolish quarrel had injured Bayul — a person with no part in any of it.
"Shuske, wipe your face first."
"...Huh?"
Shuske stared blankly up at Eli, who was offering him a handkerchief.
"Your face is an absolute disaster right now. What are you going to do when the professor sees it?"
"Is that really the problem here? We need to treat Bayul first."
The urgent thing was Bayul's injury. His own wounds would heal in a few days, but Bayul was a different story. With a scream like that, he ought to be rushed to the temple for treatment this very moment.
"Right now, your face is the biggest problem. Patch yourself up before the professor arrives, and then just pretend to sleep or something. Keep a low profile."
"But—"
"I said hurry up."
Eventually Eli physically shoved Shuske toward his seat.
"Elaine, you too!"
"...Is Bayul okay? We should at least know where he's hurt and how badly."
Elaine backed away and sank into the seat beside Shuske as if collapsing. Bayul was standing at the far end of the corridor, which made it impossible to get a good look at him from here.
"You were ready to fight like maniacs a minute ago, and now you've come back to your senses?"
"I'm truly sorry. I think I lost it for a moment there."
"Whatever punishment comes, I'll accept it gladly. Let me apologize again."
"Save your apologies for the man himself later. Right now, worry about your own state. Just look at the state of your clothes."
Elaine had no visible injuries, at least, but her shirt and tie were an utter wreck. To Eli, who took fashion seriously, it was nothing short of unforgivable.
"The professor will be here soon. Everyone can act like nothing happened, right?"
Eli addressed the whole group, Lanasa and Lubinsky included.
"We're arriving at the Imperial Palace soon. No point getting scolded before we even get there. For now, let's just keep it quiet and move on. Understood?"
With Eli's warning delivered, the friends who had crowded the corridor hurried back to their original seats.
"Bayul..."
Shuske and Elaine gazed at Bayul with guilty expressions — at the one who wouldn't spare them so much as a glance. Somehow, the fact that he looked completely fine worried them even more.
"Don't worry. There are some bruises on his arm and shoulder, but nothing serious."
"...Just bruises? Really?"
"The shock cramped his arm for a moment. That came with a bit of temporary shock as well. He's better now, but he'll need a full day of rest, so don't go pushing forward to apologize and make a fuss. Just don't touch him at all. When someone's feeling rough, even talking is annoying — you know that, right?"
At Eli's warning, Elaine and Shuske both lowered their heads at the same time. The scream hadn't been from pain but from shock — that much, at least, was a relief. They had been terrified his arm might actually be broken, and relief poured out of them in a long exhale.
Still, Bayul didn't seem fully recovered — his expression was remarkably stiff. Almost like a man who was angry.
He was only trying to help, so he must be really upset.
If I were in his position, I'd be furious too.
The two of them resolved to give him a proper, heartfelt apology the moment the chance arose.
"Bayul, are you alright?"
Lubinsky had worried about Bayul just as much as the two responsible parties. In the chaos she hadn't been able to see where he was hurt, but she had ears — she'd heard the scream.
"Do you really not need the temple? If it hurts, tell us. We'll help. Just leaving it alone might make it worse. Bayul? Are you listening?"
Lubinsky added a few more words, but Bayul gave no response. No — not so much as the slightest twitch.
Bayul wasn't the only strange one. Aidan, who had been chattering nonstop until now, was uncharacteristically silent, staring out the window.
What's going on? Why are they all like this?
Lubinsky nudged Lanasa's arm. She wanted to ask whether she knew what was wrong with everyone. But Lanasa was lost in her own thoughts, in no state to answer a friend.
Why are his fingers perfectly fine?
It was only a fleeting moment, but Lanasa had seen it clearly. Bayul's broken thumb — and his face, twisted with pain because of it.
Why...?
She wondered if she'd imagined it for an instant, but there was no way. When it came to her eyesight, she was confident she was second to none.
Had he gone off and gotten treated in the meantime?
But by whom?
They were on a moving train right now, and there wasn't a single healer or priest aboard. So who had treated Bayul? The only ones beyond that door had been students.
Don't tell me those kids healed him... No, that's absurd.
It was far more believable to assume she'd simply seen wrong.
Did I really imagine the whole thing?
As Lanasa stared down at Bayul's fingers as if trying to pierce them with her gaze, her mind was chaos itself. And though Lanasa didn't know it, Bayul was every bit as confused.
Crushed by the excruciating agony in his fingers, screaming as he collapsed — the last thing Bayul remembered was Quinn gathering him in his arms and carrying him somewhere.
The terrible torment that had torn through his whole body had left him half unconscious, if only briefly. It was on another level entirely from the time he'd broken his leg as a child. That was long ago, so he didn't remember it clearly, but he was certain it hadn't hurt like this.
How much time had passed like that? As the pain gradually faded, Bayul's vision slowly returned too.
"...Quinn."
Quinn was the first thing he saw. And around him stood the others, their faces stricken with disbelief. They must have been badly frightened because of him.
"Guys, I'm sorry. I was just trying to break up the fight..."
Bayul was half-risen from where he lay when something felt off, and he froze.
"Qu-Quinn?"
And no wonder — Quinn was clutching a broken finger of his own, wracked with pain. He hadn't screamed like Bayul had, but the sweat dripping down and the dark look on his face spoke volumes about how much he was suffering right now.
"Quinn, what's wrong! Why all of a sudden—"
Dreaming was the only place Bayul could have imagined any of this was his fault. He shot up and grabbed Quinn by the shoulders.
"Are you okay? How did this happen?"
"Don't make a fuss... This is nothing."
For all his words, Quinn's shoulders were trembling faintly.
And then, something bizarre happened. Quinn's broken thumb began to move, slowly. As if searching for its proper place, the finger that had been bent grotesquely backward returned to its original shape.
No one — not a single person — had touched it. Which meant it was Quinn's own power.
Nobody said a word. They simply watched Quinn with wide, unblinking eyes.
Quinn's complexion gradually took on a calmer light. It seemed he still needed time for his condition to fully return, but he rose as if to say this much was enough.
"Don't tell me... self-healing?"
Swallowing hard, Eli finally burst out with the question he'd been holding back. Beside him, Aidan couldn't hold back his curiosity either.
"How did Bayul's broken finger... get transferred to you?"
"My finger got transferred?"
Bayul couldn't make heads or tails of what Aidan was saying.
"I think we should head out now."
"Hey, Quinn! You just—"
"Isn't it about time for the professor? I'll explain later."
Quinn wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked utterly exhausted.
It was maddening not to receive a single explanation for what had just happened, but Quinn was right — they did have to go out.
"Fine. Best to rest quietly for now."
And with that, they opened the door and stepped outside — without a single question answered.
"What's the matter? Why does everyone look so deflated? Tired already?"
While Bayul was lost in his thoughts, Professor Rothius returned from the dining car along with the rest of the group. Fortunately, the few passengers who had been peeking at the students' scuffle passed by without a word. A small mercy.
"Everyone, look to the left."
It was blinding. The rising sunlight reflected off the water, and the whole expanse flashed brilliantly.
What is that?
The moment the question formed in every mind, Professor Rothius spoke.
"Welcome to Vergara."
There was a trace of longing in his voice, almost like homesickness.