Departmental Showdown - Epilogue
"You seem to spend more time in the infirmary than your dorm since enrolling."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Silvena Bronheim's words, spoken from the guardian's chair, drew a wry smile from me. Right now, I was wrapped head to toe in bandages, sitting once again in the same infirmary room I'd occupied last week. All because, in my single-minded determination to save the young miss at the end, I'd charged in recklessly and got swallowed by the storm surging up from below—leaving my body in tatters.
At least there were no major internal injuries, thank goodness. It was just that my skin had been shredded like it'd gone through a blender, so the recovery mages had slaved away all night patching me up.
To me, though, this sorry state of my body was the least of my concerns. There was a far more pressing issue.
She must have sensed me about to ask, because the grand duchess spoke first in her businesslike tone.
"Roze Tail will be fine. No need to worry."
"How do you always time it perfectly to cut me off just as I'm about to ask?"
"You're surprisingly easy to read. Right now, you're probably thinking, 'How can you be so sure?'"
"Whoa…."
She nailed my exact thoughts without missing a beat, sending a slight chill down my spine. At this point, it wasn't reading expressions—it was straight-up mind-reading. This woman belonged in the magic department instead of that narcissistic purple-head.
"I don't know the full details myself, but Professor Rudin passed along the word. It was serious enough to warrant expulsion under normal circumstances, but as a special admissions student and top of her class, they're unlikely to boot her out carelessly."
"Makes sense. Technically, it wasn't even her fault."
Sure, the young miss was at fault for invoking the Spirit King's power, but she couldn't have foreseen it spiraling out of control and damaging the academy. It wasn't like indirect intent—where you know the consequences but ignore them anyway. She probably hadn't anticipated what came after, so there was room for leniency.
"Still, they can't just sweep it under the rug. The damage was too extensive."
"Yeah. The arena was practically half-destroyed…. At least no one died—we can call that a silver lining."
With so many professors on site, casualties were limited to minor injuries. If there had been fatalities despite no material damage, expulsion might have been unavoidable. In a way, it was a blessing amid the disaster.
"Have you seen Roze Tail since then?"
"No chance."
I passed out the moment the incident ended and woke up already in the infirmary. My wounds were severe enough that, unlike the others, I'd given my statement right here in bed. Word was, the young miss had been all but dragged off to the disciplinary committee and was still under questioning.
No way we'd crossed paths.
"Actually, I got a chance to see Roze Tail briefly today."
"How was she?"
"She looked fine, thankfully. The academy doesn't seem to be grilling her too harshly."
"That's a relief."
I'd half-feared they were starving her or interrogating her under a single flickering lamp in some dingy room like in a crime drama. Good to know that cliché hadn't played out.
"That said, she seemed desperate to apologize to you."
"Apologize?"
"Yeah. She was worried you might come to hate her."
"Hmph…."
There might have been some of the grand duchess's interpretation mixed in, but it sounded just like the young miss I knew.
Still, hearing it secondhand stirred something before any pity—pure exasperation.
"…That's ridiculous."
"Hm?"
Yeah, ridiculous.
"Come on. You think I'd hate the young miss over a few scratches? After all our years together? She didn't even ask me to step in—I did it on my own and came back banged up. What’s there to hate?"
I pounded my chest in frustration, words spilling out like machine-gun fire. Our young miss knew nothing but spirit arts—she was hopeless otherwise. Instead of wasting time on nonsense like that, she should cooperate with the investigation and show her face already. Or was she moping alone because she felt too ashamed to face me? She needed to ditch these bandages and come see me ASAP.
"So you're not resentful toward Roze Tail at all?"
"The premise is all wrong. There's nothing to resent in the first place—why would I?"
The grand duchess stared at me, her face twisted like she'd swallowed a hundred sweet potatoes. Then, out of nowhere—
"Oh? So that's how it is. Did you hear?"
"…Pardon?"
As if addressing a third party, she glanced toward the infirmary door. I turned too, half-expecting a ghost—and there was a familiar figure peeking in like a shy squirrel.
"…Young miss?"
"H-hi, Aren."
Tiabel Roze Tail, twirling her trademark pink hair, stepped into view. For a split second, I thought I'd been hit with illusion magic. My dumbfounded expression amused the grand duchess, who smirked.
Finally piecing it together, I let out a hollow, "Ha."
You traitor! Bronheim!
"It's getting late. I'll leave you two to talk."
Leaving us alone in this atmosphere? Duchess, I never pegged you for the scary type….
"B-Bronheim…!"
The young miss shot pleading glances for her to stay, but whether oblivious or pretending, the grand duchess rose calmly, shut the door behind her, and left.
What kind of irresponsible thrill was this?
"Don't just stand there awkwardly—have a seat, young miss."
"O-okay. Thanks."
Figuring I had to break the ice, I gestured to the now-empty chair. She sat but couldn't meet my eyes, instead gazing around the barren infirmary with a hollow, "Wow…."
Anyone would think she'd never been here before. This from the woman who'd visited me daily while I was laid up.
"Must've been rough."
"H-huh?"
"The questioning. You were up until 4 a.m., right?"
I tossed her a word of comfort. She waved her hands frantically, shaking her head like her life depended on it.
"No, it wasn't bad for me. Everyone else suffered because of me. You too, Aren."
"I'm your bodyguard—that's my job. This doesn't even count as hardship. So, how'd it go?"
"Pretty good. A week's suspension plus community service, and a probation officer during that time. Light punishment, really—thanks to Professor Rudin vouching for me."
Oh ho, the professor had pulled out all the stops. For an incident that size, suspension and service was basically a slap on the wrist. The probation was probably just for show.
"…And sorry it's late, but—I'm sorry, Aren."
"Aw, come on, not this again. You're killing the mood. I really don't mind."
I tried lightening the heavy air, but she stubbornly shook her head, determined to say her piece—more clearly and sharply than before.
"No, it's not just about dragging you into the mess. I want to apologize for assuming things about you on my own."
"Assuming what?"
Her unexpected words drew a puzzled look from me, and she continued in a calmer tone.
"Truth is, before coming to the academy, I was a bit arrogant. Special admissions, top of the heap—no one could match me, I thought."
"You had every right to."
The young miss I knew had the talent and the work ethic to back it up. You can't beat a hardworking genius, right? Even Professor Rudin had raved that she was top three among all his students.
"So once enrollment was set, I started thinking, 'I've always relied on Aren for protection, but now I can protect him.'"
"Classic you."
"Yeah. But it was a stupid idea. The academy's full of people not just on my level—better."
"Hmm…."
Better, huh? If she felt that way, fine—but I hadn't seen anyone that impressive. Among the first-years, maybe Neriel Marit or the Bronheim duchess. But I'd never once thought the young miss was inferior to them. Combat power aside, anyway.
"And seeing you come back injured from places I couldn't follow… Seeing you beat Bronheim and Marit, whom I couldn't touch… It made me anxious."
"Anxious how?"
"That I could never protect you. And that you'd hate having a weak master like me."
"What a foolish thought."
It came out sharp, but I couldn't sugarcoat it. It was beyond foolish—anyone else, and I'd have smacked them upside the head.
She knew it too, flashing a wry smile and muttering agreement.
"There was pride as a woman, too. Sure, you're my knight, but I'm still a girl, right? I felt this duty to protect you. Especially since you're more than just a knight to me."
"True enough."
Bodyguard or not, we were practically childhood friends. No point denying what even I knew.
If I'd seen our bond as mere lord-vassal, I wouldn't treat her this warmly.
"So when I sensed defeat yesterday, all these thoughts hit me. 'Am I doomed to rely on Aren forever?' 'If only I were a bit stronger….'"
"And that's when you called on the Spirit King."
"Yeah. A voice promised the power to protect you."
I see. That explained it. The young miss I knew wouldn't cave to outside power so easily. What kind of trickery let her hand over control like that?
And that damn Spirit King—did it screw up the delivery? Whispering crap like 'Don't you want to protect your precious one?' to worm into her heart? If I ever met the bastard, I'd file a formal complaint.
"Young miss, remember what I said yesterday?"
"Yesterday…? That?"
"Yeah. When I entered your mental space to wake you."
"Y-yeah. I remember."
No idea why her cheeks flushed, but good—she remembered.
"Like I said then, if you don't want me to hate you, there's only one thing you need to protect."
"Don't hate me?"
"Exactly. See? Smart as always, young miss."
I clapped exaggeratedly, earning an embarrassed look. Anyway, if she got it, no more to say.
"I'll get stronger to protect you. Even if you end up ant-level weak from my perspective, I'd never hate you."
"A-ant is too much!"
"Just a figure of speech."
Not that the original heroine could ever drop to ant level. If anything, I'd be lucky not to get left in the dust.
"So no need to race ahead or trail behind trusting only me."
These corny words didn't suit me, but they needed saying now. I pushed down the itch and spoke from the heart.
"Let's keep walking side by side, like always. Not ahead, not behind—right next to each other."
"Side by…?"
"Yeah. Side by side."
I nodded, and her cheeks turned bright red.
"Th-that's a proposal…."
"Pardon?"
"N-no! Anyway… I get it. Wait for me till then, Aren."
Wait for what? Oh, like 'Wait till I catch up!'? Kinda shonen manga-esque—I liked it.
"I'm a girl too…. I want to say it at the end!"
"…?"
Huh, not quite? Well, as long as her fire was back, that was fine.