My voice cracked as I asked, “...Where is this?”
I was lying on a soft bed, covered in a moderately thick blanket. The fluffy weight of the blanket felt pleasant, and even carried a pleasant scent...
“Mm.” I must have been unconscious for quite a while, but my head was still throbbing.
Judging by what little information I had...
It seemed I was bedridden.
The second I tried to sit up, I felt immense pain rip through my entire body.
“Ack!”
Even someone like me, who was used to pain, couldn’t help but groan.
Man, I feel like shit...
So rather than forcing myself up, I laid back down and slowly scanned around with my eyes.I seemed to be in the academy’s infirmary, and a quick check of my body told me I had received some level of treatment. Considering I could actually feel my body again, it was a good sign.
The lingering pain and stiffness of my joints were enough to make me scrunch up my face, but pain was proof of living, so I decided to think positive.
On the bedside table, there was a teacup filled with an ugly, unappealing liquid. Worse than its appearance, it smelled quite foul. The gritty taste in my mouth made me assume I must have drunk some of it while I was unconscious.
Either way, the last thing I wanted upon waking up was to quench my thirst with that crap.
Apple juice... I want apple juice...
Desperately. With clear, cold ice cubes floating in it.
I could probably chug a liter in one go right now.
I suppressed the sudden childish craving as hard as I could and focused on piecing together the situation.
My last memories were a bit hazy.
Let’s see... I had been fighting the Demon Lord of Blood-Lit Moon on the Veiled Side. We succeeded in dragging out its main form, but after that, I was completely overpowered by that bastard...
And then... What happened?
Judging by the warm sunlight streaming in from the window, it seemed like the situation was pretty much over.
“I see you’re awake.”
I heard a gravelly voice from beside me as the curtain around my infirmary bed was drawn back, and I was caught off guard by who I saw.
Headmaster Alderson was lying there in a bed like mine.
“Oh... You’re... okay?”
He chuckled at my words. “I should be the one asking you that. Your condition was just as bad as mine.”
“Well, I am still young and strong...”
“While I am old and frail?”
“Of course not,” I said with a serious face. “You’re quite healthy for someone your age, Headmaster, but I do think I’m also pretty sturdy for mine.”
“...Judging by your words, I’d say you’re all better now.” Alderson chuckled lowly.
I took a minute to look at him. As I looked closer, it occurred to me that he seemed much older, physically, than when I’d last seen him...
And with that, buried memories resurfaced.
At the very last moment, this old man had cast a spell of terrifying power.
Even someone like me, who wasn’t well versed in magic, had been able to tell how destructive it was.
I guess risking my life to buy time paid off since the demon lord's main form was completely crushed by that grand magic.
“Anyway, seeing how I’m still alive, I take it the whole demon lord incident is over?”
“Incident...” The headmaster let out a dry chuckle at my choice of word, then nodded. “Yes, thanks to your efforts.”
“Mmm.” I cleared my throat.
I was never one to be humble...
But I felt a little embarrassed to hear that from Headmaster Alderson, who played the most crucial role in resolving this crisis.
I tried to think of something to say in response when I noticed the headmaster hesitating.
“Is there something you want to say?” I asked.
“A lot, actually. But I believe I owe an apology first.”
“From you? To me?”
“Yes. Well, to be precise, to all the students who got caught up in this mess.”
“Ah, I see. Now that I think about it, is everyone okay?”
“There’s injuries, some traumatized, but thankfully, no one died.”
I blinked in surprise.
That was unexpected.
“No one died...? Not a single person?”
“Yes. Since it all happened on the Veiled Side, even the students who were ’killed’ by the puppets only passed out. They were not seriously injured.”
“But I still have my injuries.”
“You are a young hero, aren’t you? Those given blessings don’t fall victim to the madness of the Veiled Side, but in exchange, they are somewhat affected by the wounds received there.”
“Then what about the other young heroes...?”
“No one died, but quite a few were injured as badly as you.”
I let out a small sigh of relief.
Even if I didn’t know how serious their injuries were, hearing that everyone had at least survived was reassuring.
“I don’t know if I should be saying this, but it’s a relief that all this happened on the Veiled Side.”
“Indeed. But then again, if not for the unique dimension that is the Veiled Side, they wouldn’t have been able to pull something like this off in the middle of The Empire.”
“That’s also true.”
Alderson, who had been watching me, suddenly changed the subject. “You’ll need to be careful from here on out.”
I gave him a confused look. “That came out of the blue.”
“You’ve been unconscious for a week, and a lot has happened here in the academy in that time.”
That was way longer than I’d expected. I thought I had been out for three days, four at most.
As I was lost in thought, Alderon’s voice dropped an octave. “That power... you must keep it hidden.”
“...”
Although he avoided directly speaking of it, I knew he was referring to demonic energy.
I averted my gaze, starting at the cup of herbal tea on the table. I debated whether I was desperate enough to quench my thirst with something that looked so nasty.
Then I broke the silence. “ ‘I must hide it,’ you say...”
“...”
“You make it sound like it’s still a secret..”
* * * * *
* * * * *
Five people had witnessed me unleash demonic energy. Headmaster Alderson, Sellen, Charon, Evan... and finally, Princess Ferith.
Surprisingly, of the five, the Vice-Cult Leader Evan was the most trustworthy.
In a way, he was my accomplice in all this.
As for Sellen and Charon, I wasn’t sure how they’d react...
That left Alderson and Ferith.
To be honest, I considered these two the most risky, but it turned out, Alderson hadn’t revealed my secret.
Alderson gave a wry smile and said, “Young Hero Luan, if you hadn’t held your ground back there, every single victim would have died. People call me eccentric, but I haven’t lost my mind enough to ignore the debt of a life saved.”
“...”
“Still, I’m curious—why did you do it?”
My thirst won over my resolve and I reached for the cup.
Gulp.
It was just as bitter as I had expected. After gulping down the drink, I answered, “I have more means at my disposal than you might think, Headmaster. I simply weighed my options and decided that using that power, given the circumstances, had the highest chance of success.”
“...”
“I did it because I had to and because I could. I hope that answers your question.”
I laid my thoughts bare, not knowing how Alderson would take it.
But...
After seeing me wield demonic energy, what he was curious about wasn’t how I had ended up with that power or even why.
His question alone told me how considerate he was. That was why I chose to answer honestly.
After a brief pause, Alderson asked again, “Are you able to hide that power?”
“For now, yes.”
The total amount of demonic energy I had was not great.
If my internal energy was a hundred, then my demonic energy’s share would only be around three to five.
That was why I could keep it tightly hidden under my true ki. Unless I purposely released it, there was no risk of it being detected.
“In that case, rather than running away, it would be better to stay at the academy for the time being. It will draw less suspicion.”
“What do you mean?”
“The capital is on high alert right now, and the academy is at the center of it.”
Coincidentally, at this very moment, the laughter of cadets drifted in from outside the window.
I turned my head and looked outside, and saw two students in casual outfits passing by, eating meat skewers.
“It looks peaceful enough to me?”
“The eye of a storm is always calm. What happened at the academy has already spread throughout the capital. It was never something that could be swept under the rug...”
That made sense. There had been hundreds of victims to say the least, a thousand if everyone involved was counted.
“First of all, Princess Ferith won’t be able to escape punishment. There are mitigating factors, so she won’t lose her life, but a harsh punishment awaits her. If it were up to me, I would have postponed it until after graduation, but...” Alderson let out a deep sigh. “I no longer have that kind of influence.”
“You mean...?”
“I am no longer an archmage. I no longer see the Seven Colors in my sight, and the pathways that once served as the conduit have all been destroyed...”
My mouth tasted bitter, and it wasn’t just because of the horrible tea.
“Is recovery impossible?”
“It’s not impossible, but I am too old now. My twilight years passed long ago, so now... I just want to rest.”
“...Mm.”
“I’ll be dismissed as headmaster soon too. I guess that part is a little disappointing.” Alderson let out a deep laugh as if to shake off his disappointment, then turned back to me and said, “Of course, your position is different from mine. As the head of the academy, I should have seen this coming and prevented it, but you? You were just a guest, and yet you performed admirably. Truly heroic, you were. The academy cadets already view you as a hero. Your name will spread, not just through the capital but to the farthest reaches. Soon, you’ll hear good news from the imperial family as well.”
“Mmm...”
“You don’t look too happy about that.”
...I didn’t deny it.
Of course, there was nothing bad about being praised by others, but it just wasn’t my priority right now.
I was more worried that fame would become a shackle.
The issue with demonic energy, as well as needing to meet with my Eldest Senior Brother, a demon lord, and everything else...
Something told me that my future would be spent walking in the shadows rather than basking in the sun.
“You risked yourself to save us, so I won’t ask any more questions since that’s not cool.”
“...I appreciate that.”
“For now, you’d be better off staying here. Kartell Academy is temporarily closed, so if you just stay in the dorms after you get discharged, you won’t run into anyone.”
Confused, I asked, “Run into anyone...? Who?”
“Oh, I did not explain, did I? There are quite a few outsiders in the academy right now. The imperial inspection team, an inquisitor from the Church of the Sun, and even a bishop from the 72 Churches. Plus, there are reporters from various media companies swarming around—”
I began to second-guess my decision to stay in the academy.
If my body were in slightly better shape, I might’ve broken the window and jumped out immediately.
“...But the ones you need to be most wary of are the three heroes from Heroes.”
The Hero Institution, Heroes. The place most likely to be my next destination. At this rate, though, I might never see the inside, let alone enter.
With a sour expression on my face, I said, “Thank you for the advice. I guess that means we won’t get many chances to talk like this again.”
“I suppose so. Once my health recovers, I will have to appear before the imperial court. Probably for a disciplinary hearing.”
“...”
Alderson’s voice was calm, but I couldn’t help thinking that The Empire’s punishment was harsh.
Sure, there was no excuse for his negligence as headmaster... but no one had died, and he had even managed to land a blow on the demon lord. If this were Bednicker, he’d probably be praised.
Still, it’d be ridiculous for a kid like me to try to give comforting words to a mage who had lived for over a century, so I cut to the chase.
“There is something I’d like to ask about Leone,” I began.
“Leone?”
“Yes. Actually, I think she has something to do with the reason I became able to handle demonic energy.”
“Who is Leone?” asked Headmaster Alderson.
...What?
What kind of reaction is that?
____