Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: A Wound That Won't Heal (1)
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A long day finally came to an end, and after receiving Collette's devoted care—insisting on being my attendant—I returned to my bed.
Peeling off the bandages stuck to my skin hurt like hell again, but each day felt noticeably better.
‘It looks like I'll be fully healed soon.’
The bracelet's color had returned to its original state, now just a faint mix of pink and black.
Once I'm discharged, the first thing I'll do is thank Shirley.
“Hoo…”
Even if I had to force it, I wanted to go back to my own room instead of the hospital, but I knew better than anyone that I wasn't in any condition for that.
Patients are kept in hospitals to protect them from infections. Besides, a sick person's condition can change suddenly. That's especially true for burn victims like me, who are at high risk of infection.
I knew there was no helping it, but being cooped up in the hospital still put me in a foul mood.
‘Is that why?’
The words I'd heard from Judith a couple of hours ago kept nagging at me.
Theodor was starting to get bullied in Crown of Thorns Class.
“Damn it.”
“Executor…”
“It's nothing.”
I'd apparently gotten worked up and cursed without realizing it. Collette, who was passing by outside the door (probably on night duty—she had to be), called out from beyond it.
I tried not to notice her presence and closed my eyes.
But it was only for a moment.
-That's weird, Theodor. Who decided the value of your eyes?
-I needed someone like that.
-Think again. No one needs someone like that.
-Just like Arma Cruise said, you've just proven for yourself that souls really do exist.
A conversation I'd once had with Theodor came back to me, chasing away the sleep that had been creeping in.
I didn't know exactly what my future self had said to him, but from the nuance, it didn't sound like anything good.
It came off like I'd used him as a tool.
How could he have smiled while saying something like that?
‘The current Theodor is a different person from that Theodor.’
For some reason, even though he'd lost one eye, the current Theodor was different.
He was just a taciturn boy with a stubborn streak—no grim resolve like he was prepared for death, no heartbreaking sense that he might vanish at any moment.
Resolve and pathos weren't virtues a boy his age needed to live by.
I thought Theodor shouldn't have to go through any more hardship.
.
.
.
I finally managed to fall asleep.
My sleep, which had started breaking into fragments at some point, lasted at most two hours, or as little as one—enough to torment me plenty. Fortunately, having dealt with insomnia and sporadic pain for so long, I was pretty good at enduring this level of stress.
-Ding.
Thanks to the water and washbasin prepared on the bedside table, I handled my basic morning wash alone before ringing the bell to summon Collette.
“Good morning, Executor.”
Collette looked perfect as always today, her jet-black hair neatly tucked into her nurse's cap.
It had already been two weeks since I'd started hearing her sing-song morning greeting.
“Yes, good morning. I was hoping to go out today.”
“Ah, going out. Just a moment, let me check your bandages.”
The weight of the blanket was burdensome on my wounds, so I hadn't covered my legs and feet—and my chilled toes warmed a bit as Collette's hands touched them.
“Sorry, my feet are a little cold.”
“It's fine. And they're not as cold as you think.”
The bandages were in better shape than expected, so she didn't do much before leaving the room right away.
-Roll, roll.
She soon returned, pushing the wheelchair I'd used yesterday.
“The priest will visit this afternoon. Can you be back before then?”
“It won't take long.”
“Have you called your friends?”
“No, I'm going alone.”
“Oh my.”
At my words, Collette pulled back the wheelchair she'd brought right up to the bedside.
It was as if she was blocking me from getting in.
“No, Executor. Not alone.”
“My specialty is marksmanship, so I carry a gun all day. Naturally, I have plenty of arm strength to push a wheelchair. And now that the burns on my hands have healed enough, there shouldn't be any problem, right?”
“But you can't run away like that. What if something dangerous happens when you're not free to move?”
That seemed to apply even now, while she was fussing over the wheelchair.
Hiding my inner thoughts, I persuaded her with a smiling face.
“Don't worry too much. Besides Collette... I know there are plenty of people who care about me.”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
Plenty of people follow me besides you, right?
That was the intent behind my words.
Since she didn't deny it, it meant she accepted them.
In the end, Collette helped me transfer to the wheelchair and escorted me all the way to the first-floor entrance.
“Come back before the two o'clock bell. Got it?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Collette watched me with a worried expression before hurrying back into the hospital building.
I waited until she was completely out of sight, then turned the wheelchair toward the northeast sector where Crown of Thorns Class was.
“Executor—need help?”
As I was pushing along, someone grabbed the wheelchair from behind and lent a hand.
My hands were starting to ache, so I let go of the wheels and glanced back. My eyes met those of a kind-looking cadet from Silver Chalice Class, a textbook tucked under their arm.
‘Since I don't remember the name, they're probably not from some prominent noble house.’
Back when my guardian angel was rampaging, the noble brats from powerful families who'd messed with me had sent proxy cadets to take their curses instead.
Most of those proxies were from lesser houses, and I'd memorized all their names to stop them from giving fake ones and taking the curses on purpose.
“Where are you headed?”
“Thorn Crown House dormitory.”
“Yessir, got it.”
I wanted to refuse the help if possible, but with the priest due before two o'clock, time was tight.
“Who are you going to see with your injuries not fully healed yet?”
The cadet behind me asked in a bright, almost fabricated voice—I couldn't see their face.
I couldn't bring myself to ignore someone being kind to me, so I answered.
“Cadet Theodor White.”
“Ah, the White family…”
The tone felt suspicious somehow.
Before I could ask if something was wrong—my mood soured—we arrived at Thorn Crown House dormitory.
The cadet had pushed at just the right speed, neither too fast nor too slow. They introduced themselves as Aria Janet Vanson, gave a polite bow, and left.
‘What was that?’
Something felt off.
But chasing after Aria Janet Vanson would eat up too much of my remaining time.
Besides—
“Stairs.”
I'd visited Theodor's dorm once before, during that typhoon, so I knew where his room was.
The problem was it was on the top floor—fifth floor—of Thorn Crown House dormitory.
‘The priest isn't guaranteed to heal my feet, so climbing barefoot on faith isn't smart.’
It would've been a lie to say I wasn't agonizing over it.
But I was worried about getting tired halfway up and not making it, or stumbling pathetically back down in the wheelchair—any situation that might damage my dignity.
‘I don't want to call a servant.’
I stopped at the Thorn Crown House dormitory entrance, locked in fierce deliberation.
Of course, if I called a servant, one would appear in under ten seconds to help.
But sending an armed servant to summon an already unstable Theodor? That would only make things worse, not better. It wasn't rational.
“Senior Arma Cruise?”
Just then, a welcome voice came from behind me.
It belonged to Arthur Usher, the academy's unrivaled powerhouse—no one came close.
“Perfect timing. I came to see Theodor, but I can't get up. Can you send him down?”
“I'll just get Theo for you.”
“You're so smart.”
Come to think of it, there was no need for me to go up when I could just have him come down.
I asked Arthur to handle it and turned left into the parlor, with its large fireplace and chairs upholstered in black velvet.
Arthur seemed to guess why I'd come and sent for Theodor without many questions.
-Click.
The moment Theodor arrived and I saw his face, rage boiled up to the top of my head.
“What happened to your face?”
The shallow, long cuts from the fork had mostly faded.
But there was a new wound there I'd never seen before.
I didn't even feel like pointing out the bruised fingers and wrist.
What enraged me was the acid burn splatter marks on his face.
“It was an accident.”
“A black mage of your caliber accidentally spilling experimental solution on yourself?”
“It wasn't quite spilling on myself.”
“Never mind the details. Who did it, and how?”
“I did it.”
“Do you have a hobby like that? I'm asking seriously.”
Theodor clamped his mouth shut at my question.
Why would a guy without any such hobby hurt his own face?
“I came because Judith said you were in a tough spot, and yeah, you are. What the hell happened to you?”
“…”
“Fine, don't tell me if you don't want to. I've become quite the power player while you didn't know. I'll just grill those guys and find out.”
Theodor finally reacted to my words.
“Please don't. They're... off.”
“Off? Off? The weird one is Theodor White, the black mage taking random headbutts from nameless cadets.”
Theodor's lips twitched in delayed indignation before he shut his mouth again.
“Why are you just taking it?”
It might've been because of the restrictions placed on him back in the White family due to his black magic talent, but here at Aegis Academy, that didn't apply. And yet Theodor wasn't striking back, not even verbally—he was just enduring it silently.
The problem was there was zero benefit to him acting that way.
“Ha... This is going to take longer than I thought. Let's talk at length tomorrow. I actually have someone to meet this afternoon.”
“Worry about yourself.”
“Worrying about you is part of taking care of myself, so cooperate a little. See you tomorrow.”
I said my piece and spun the wheelchair to leave the parlor.
Theodor let out a rare short sigh laced with irritation and pushed my wheelchair from behind.
‘He's so nice even now.’
Not even in proper outing clothes, Theodor in his light attire saw me all the way back to the hospital building.