Chapter 67

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 67

Chapter Title: That Thing (3)

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I had been asleep for a very long time.

In between, for some reason, one of the Aegis Church hymns I'd never heard in my life, "You Shall Surely Come in Light," kept resounding.

'So noisy...'

Even trying to toss and turn, I couldn't muster any strength below my waist.

Maybe I'd never wake up again... that anxiety crept in, but the fatigue crashing over my body right now took precedence.

I didn't know if Machina had saved my life, or if it was some other Black Lily Class cadet or a medical officer who arrived first.

At any rate, just having consciousness, even if dull, and feeling pain was a relief.

〔You shall come in light, you shall surely come in li-ight.

Mother Aegis, who stands tall to judge us all born in sin, shall come in light.〕

'The chorus too...? I'm the patient here? In the hospital ward, this much...?'

Even grumbling in my thoughts was exhausting.

My consciousness sank back down.

.

.

.

When I finally opened my eyes, a whole week had passed since that day.

I'd obviously missed finals, and promotion exams were right around the corner, but there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was something even more astonishing.

I was tilting my head at a note scrawled with absurd content.

'A wisp... auspicious energy pouring out... the form of an angel... what is this? Ugh, it hurts.'

'How much longer for the painkiller? What else? It's the eyewitness accounts about you circulating outside.'

Judith replied with a troubled expression, looking like she had a headache.

'Me...?! Aaah, it hurts so much-'

'Medical officer! Painkillers here!'

This was a hospital room in the medical building, all windows covered with thick blackout curtains.

Judging by the sliver of light filtering through that was white, it seemed like dawn or morning.

I was a critical patient now, lying helpless because any movement made my half-healed wounds burst or split open.

'You really almost died, Arma Cruise. For some reason, divine power barely worked.'

'Maybe I built up a resistance or something...'

'They said that could be possible.'

Judith, who had stayed by my side constantly since I woke, pulled the slipped blanket back up to my neck and sighed.

'Thanks to that, we learned that dumping divine power during short rests doesn't heal the wounds. No more reckless moves; I need to take care of myself.'

'That I could help someone... really glad... ugh.'

'Painkillers here. Excuse me for a moment.'

I'd tried to lighten the mood with nonsense, but right on cue, the summoned medical officer intervened.

Unlike the hired help, this was a young medical officer with their face covered in white cloth.

The medical officer gave me a rod glowing with blue light, then cautiously asked if they could lift the blanket.

I answered with the rod in my mouth.

'Gently... even blanket pressure hurts...'

'Yes.'

The medical officer examined my abdomen, treated the wound with fresh bandages brought along with the painkiller, retrieved the rod from my mouth, and left.

That blue-glowing rod must have been the painkiller; the pain dulled again.

'So... anyway. What was that? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The form of an angel... who?'

'You. You, Arma Cruise.'

'Oy...'

That kind of talk suited Machina, not me.

Above all, this was a very bad sign.

'Now that you're in decent shape to listen, I'll explain in detail.'

Judith leaned deeply back into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠armchair by the bed, gazing obliquely at the ceiling.

Her loosely tied hair flowed over her shoulder in elegant waves.

'I don't even want to tell you anything, in case you pull some crazy stunt again.'

'...I can't do anything right now anyway?'

I tried my best to look pitiful and in pain, but Judith just looked down at me with an expression that saw through everything.

'Not buying it...'

But fortunately, Judith relented quickly.

'Right after you got shot, it was like a brilliant light shot down from the heavens, and some auspicious energy spread out, they say. That energy soon took form and bisected the Chimera Wolf.'

'......'

'That Chimera Wolf had already been targeted for extermination by Silver Chalice Class, but it escaped after injuring twelve people. Not something Wooden Cross Class could handle.'

Judith paused for a moment.

Then she furrowed her brow and ground her teeth in frustration.

'Swordsmanship majors happened to be away at the time.... No, if even Sherry struggled, maybe it wouldn't have changed much even if we were there.'

In Wooden Cross Class, only swordsmanship and spearmanship majors could really fight back; the rest were mostly arts and athletics majors with token skills.

Maybe before I woke, they'd been grilling the swordsmanship majors about responsibility.

'Not your fault.'

'I don't think it's our fault either.'

Judith said firmly.

But even as she spoke, Judith's gaze stayed fixed on my abdomen—precisely where the bullet had pierced.

'Anyway, among the cadets, the story's twisted into thunder from you smiting the Chimera Wolf.'

'Thunder... smiting...'

It was getting more absurd by the minute.

I couldn't wield thunder, and I wasn't pure enough to smite anyone.

'They heard the gunshot and thought that? But plenty know I'm the only one in the academy majoring in marksmanship.'

'That's not the point.'

No sooner had she finished than Judith went to the window, slipped her hand between the curtains, and began pushing the window open.

It was a cautious, unnatural motion, like she dreaded the curtains parting.

-Click.

〔You shall come in light-〕

She'd only cracked the window a tiny bit, but through that gap came "You Shall Surely Come in Light," the hymn I'd heard endlessly in my haze.

Judith firmly gripped the curtains to keep them closed and shut the window again.

'The cadets need an idol right now, it seems.'

'Idol or whatever, fine. But why me?'

I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hoped it wasn't true, but the hymn I'd heard while delirious wasn't a hallucination.

And the reason they were belting it out was none other than me.

Talk about a leap.

Just days ago, I was the cursed senior shunned worse than the plague.

'They've all forgotten what they did and see you as some persecuted saint. Or maybe they're scared of being labeled "impure" themselves if they don't jump on the bandwagon.'

'These bastards really try everything.'

My teeth ground involuntarily.

Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to get any angrier.

Talking increased abdominal pressure or something, intensifying the pain.

'Things got complicated, huh? Arma.'

'......Yeah.'

In a cornered spot, I thought to exploit the guardian angel attached to me.

So when I shot the Chimera Wolf, I calculated the ricochet path of the missing bullet and fired it to hit my own abdomen.

It was a superficial major, but ten years of training made such a stunt possible.

I even deliberately induced a severe wound, figuring a light one wouldn't kill the Chimera Wolf. Looking back, it was insane.

Somehow, the situation forced me into it.

'In the end, the guardian angel kept its promise.'

The bullet ricocheted off the Chimera Wolf's barrier toward me, and the guardian angel must have counted it as an attack by the Chimera Wolf.

Directly attacking an enraged Chimera Wolf would've meant instant death, so it was a desperate choice, but somehow it worked out, and I'm alive.

'At first, I thought the Chimera Wolf was obviously the guardian angel, but it attacking me was weird.'

'It's the exact opposite of what it's done so far. Being a "guardian angel" and all.'

How that nickname stuck is beyond me. Utterly ridiculous.

'But no matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem human. So I figured I'd use it. A powerful being that could kill me anytime but doesn't—basically protecting me.'

'And that's why you pulled this? You're insane. Make a counseling appointment.'

'I was planning to anyway.'

The stubborn tendency to isolate myself, the reckless choices in critical moments, the following auditory and visual hallucinations....

Now that it's clear I'm no different from being possessed by this guardian angel entity, I need to steel my mind.

Better late than never, but Ibong's existence is surely the guardian angel too.

'It gets stronger the more attention it draws.'

Which makes the current situation extremely dangerous.

The deranged cadets have started venerating me as a persecuted saint, deifying the moment I exploited the guardian angel, spreading it as the will of Aegis.

What else could pull off such a cunning, insidious ploy but a demon or evil god?

'I need to downplay it and shake it off as much as possible. But how? Is this really something I can handle?'

The terror I'd sunk into my subconscious surged up, but even that felt like it'd fuel the guardian angel, so I forcibly rerouted my thoughts.

'Whatever, discharge comes first. Divine power resistance means a long hospital stay this time.'

'We'll test again once the resistance fades. Don't be too disappointed.'

'Don't worry. I'm sick of being in pain too.'

'Sure you are.'

Judith replied curtly to my grumbling.

I gazed at Judith, who was preparing to leave and half-closed my eyes.

Aftereffects of blood loss, maybe—my eyes were still tired.

Judith, wearing the wool coat that matched the academy uniform, approached me.

'And this. I'm leaving it; don't take it off.'

She pulled out the arm tucked under the blanket, forcibly removed the bracelet Machina had put on with brute force, and fitted a new one.

'Huh? Hey. That's a restraint bracelet-'

'No need anymore.'

'No need? And what's this? Gah. That's a magic stone, isn't it?!'

Judith watched me groan as my abs tensed involuntarily, then answered after a long pause.

'Machina Christie declared full armament on campus because of this incident. She can use not just weapons now, but magic too.'

'...What?!'