Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Resolve
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My head hurts.
No, rather than hurting, it feels a bit itchy and out of place.
Like the sensation when a scab on a wound is about to peel off.
As my mind gradually sharpened, I belatedly recalled what had happened just before I passed out.
“Ugh…”
Among the various problems plaguing me, the most difficult to resolve was the fact that I wasn’t the only one controlling my own body.
‘My body feels heavy.’
At this point, I couldn’t tell if this was a lingering effect of blood loss or just from handling my body so roughly.
While I was barely moving my fingertips and toes to check if my body was obeying me, I realized there was someone sitting with their back turned not far away.
“…so…that’s why…”
‘Who is that?’
And the moment I tried to lift my body, I realized I was tightly bound to the bed…
This had never happened before.
Just as I opened my mouth in disbelief, the muttering from someone lost in their own world grew louder.
“…considering Arma Cruise’s body weight… it’s not a lethal dose, but… whether there are ingredients that interact with the components of the regular medicine…”
…What is that supposed to mean?
More importantly, is it okay to leave someone muttering such creepy things by my bedside? I’m tied up here?
My mind was a mess.
Should I let them know I’m awake, or just keep listening to that ominous monologue? I had to choose.
But my dilemma didn’t last long.
“You’re awake?”
“Uh… you’re Theodore, right?”
“Yes.”
The name of the dangerous individual who had been muttering suspiciously about lethal doses next to a bedridden patient was Theodore White.
I was starting to worry if I’d somehow become the target in one of his assassination plots…
“I’ll call the medical staff.”
“Yeah, thanks. But hey.”
Should I ask them to repeat what they just said…
I was agonizing over it fiercely.
Unlike his usual emotionless demeanor that made you question if communication was even possible, Theodore was looking down at me with an icy cold expression.
‘Better not ask.’
I was self-aware that I had a knack for pissing people off.
I’d probably do the same in their shoes.
Anyway, it was pretty pathetic that after agonizing so fiercely, my decision boiled down to self-harm.
“But first.”
As I was subtly trying to wriggle my arms free from the bindings, Theodore snapped his fingers and released me from the bed with ease.
The loosened restraints slid down across my stomach.
When I clumsily pulled my arms out, Theodore placed a transparent glass vial about the size of two fingers on my abdomen.
“What’s this?”
“Water blessed by Adrian Nell Elman.”
“W-who’s that person?”
“A researcher in the Silver Chalice Class. His major is theology theory.”
Recalling Arthur’s Master Class exam, Adrian had been a white mage who used holy power.
But instead of choosing the path of a priest, he’d gone the way of a scholar.
Judging by his future career and treatment, it was clear he’d chosen a thorny path, but in the academy, five out of ten cadets were like that, so it wasn’t particularly unusual.
“Why give this to me…”
“I requested it. Drink it.”
Is it safe for a person to drink blessed water? Well, they wouldn’t give it if it wasn’t, right?
I obediently opened the vial as Theodore instructed and drank the blessed water.
I figured conversation wouldn’t flow smoothly until I did.
“Done?”
I turned the empty vial upside down to show him, and only then did Theodore nod.
“…”
“…”
And the room fell into silence.
I had no choice but to speak first.
“So, what happened after I collapsed?”
“Arthur passed the Master Class exam. Since the victim, Arma Cruise, says she’s fine, the charges were dropped. He’s undergoing some additional investigation, though.”
“Oh, good. Even Makina isn’t completely rigid despite being such a stickler.”
“I think Arma Cruise is the real problem.”
“…”
I decided to keep the retort ‘We were just talking about how rigid Makina is…’ to myself.
“The method—”
“There was no other way but self-harm. Nothing awakens a clouded mind like pain. That’s exactly why it’s a problem, though. So I came up with that simplified test using the blessed water earlier.”
“Oh, that’s what it was for.”
I rolled the vial in my palm, lost in thought.
As expected of a mage, his way of thinking was more flexible than mine.
What if I’d been possessed by the guardian angel? I could’ve ended up vomiting blood or something…
“I heard that informal blessed water like this wouldn’t cause deep internal damage, and the bracelet made by Tower Master Maha blocked any fatal injuries. Of course, I also heard it’s slightly damaged.”
“Uh-huh…”
It was frustrating in every way.
This was the only method I had, and the people watching me get hurt in the process.
Plus, during Arthur’s promotion exam, I’d shocked everyone by bashing my own head and self-harming, so plenty of people must have witnessed it.
Probably why they tied me to the bed. I might be classified as a dangerous individual in the hospital ward now.
“What about the others?”
“Cadet Shirley Spencer was dragged off by the Safety Management Committee, and Cadet Judith Taylor was summoned by President Makina Christie.”
“Those two keep getting tangled up in bad ways.”
“I heard Senior Judith Taylor is being persuaded to advance to Master Class.”
“Really?! Why hasn’t she ever mentioned it to me?”
“Would you have the chance to tell someone tied to a bed something like that?”
Every word from Theodore was like a blade.
I’d been wondering if Makina had been unusually pestering Judith lately, straining their relationship, but it turned out to be the opposite.
‘Wait… Makina’s graduating anyway, so why persuade Judith?’
Especially since she hadn’t advanced to Master Class herself.
Questions piled up, but more than that, I felt sorry for my friends suffering the aftermath of yet another incident caused by me.
“How’s Arthur?”
“After finishing his testimony about the cadet who tried to attack Arma Cruise, he’ll return to his room and participate in the purification ritual.”
“Tried to attack me?”
“More than that—”
“No, who was it? Why dodge the question?”
“It’s more productive to think about countermeasures going forward.”
Unknowingly, I gripped the empty vial tightly, and Theodore snatched it away.
“Countermeasures…”
“When I spoke with Arthur briefly, he said he sensed unfamiliar mana from Arma Cruise. It seemed to interact with that mana, making those golden eyes flash.”
“You noticed that during the test? So he wasn’t swinging the sword at me, but trying to find some unknown attacker.”
“In the end, he didn’t find them, so he just ended up as a dangerous figure swinging a sword at a non-mage.”
Angry Theodore… was scary.
Arthur had clearly done it to save me, and Theodore knew that full well.
“What we learned from this is that the eye reaction lags behind the actual possession time. It’s a very slight difference, but it’s enough to imagine what major incident could arise from it.”
It was ambiguous whether he was frowning and speaking to me or to himself.
Theodore pocketed the vial I’d given him and stood up.
“Time to switch with the medical staff. Your wounds are already healed, so discharge procedures will begin. I’ve scheduled meetings with Izmel and Cadet Adrian Nell Elman, so see them soon.”
“Who and who…”
“We’re connecting a communication with Tower Master Maha.”
“Who are we communicating with…”
For the record, it wasn’t that I hadn’t heard properly and was asking again.
The names being mentioned were just so out of left field that I wanted more explanation.
But Theodore, already lost in his own world, stood up abruptly without answering and left the room.
“Phew…”
Fatigue washed over me.
But I knew why Theodore was in such a hurry.
Worn-out sanity doesn’t recover easily.
I was becoming aware that my choices were growing more extreme as time passed.
Before things reached the point of no return, some extraordinary measure was needed.
***
Discharge procedures were incredibly swift, and by the time they were done, it was already midnight.
That was because half a day had already passed while I was unconscious.
My mind was utterly exhausted, but with no physical issues, it confused me whether I was actually tired or not.
‘Still, they gathered at this hour because of me, so I should go.’
While switching with the medical staff, Theodore had brought my unstained outing clothes and a change of clothes, watching me with hawk-like eyes to ensure I didn’t slip away.
“But how did that lineup come about? Why call Izmel and Cadet Adrian?”
“One said she was bored and would help, and the other will handle blessings going forward.”
“…Aren’t they both just regular cadets? Actually secret power players in the academy or something…”
“No. They’re just both quirkier than average.”
It was amusing that the fate of me and the others rested in the hands of above-average eccentrics.
I nodded and obediently followed behind Theodore.
Theodore had a habit of walking silently, matching my pace despite the height difference.
“This is the first time solving such a difficult problem. And the first time having someone trapped in a complex web of traps right beside me.”
“…Yeah, same here.”
At first, it was fellow cadets, then the academy and their experiments, guardian angel, magical beasts, circumstances, fate—all expecting me to die.
I shouldn’t have accepted help from anyone, but things twisting this far was ultimately due to my own weak heart.
‘Let’s stop testing Makina’s lukewarm response.’
Unlike me, who’d gained zero proper harvest, Makina’s position seemed more solid than ever.
It was too much to say this was all a scheme from the start, with so many unpredictable elements for her.
Rather, with the guardian angel weakened now, I had to find a way to stabilize my current state somehow…
At this point, where it was reacting to my fear and growing ever more cunning, no matter what, I had to.