Chapter 33: Aftermath and Recovery

“Sayoreinne, are you really alright?”

“You’re so pale…!”

“Let’s get you somewhere comfortable to rest.”

“Come this way.”

“……Thank you. It’s not… that bad. I just need to rest for a bit…”

Seeing Sayoreinne’s pale face, her eyes still wet with tears, her legs trembling, Euru, Nell, Soine, and Miner rushed to her side, supporting her as they led her away.

‘Haah… That was rough.’

She had been somewhat apprehensive, but the experience had been far worse than she anticipated. She hadn’t expected to actually cry. She had imagined a vague sense of fear, like watching a horror movie, but it was different.

At first, it had been mere disgust, triggered by the monster’s appearance and unsettling aura. Then, a creeping sense of dread had begun to build, followed by dizziness, whispers in her ears, flashes of incomprehensible images. Finally, a wave of negativity had washed over her, threatening to consume her.

Despite all that, she had managed to maintain the shield. Even now, she was surprised she had been able to hold on. She had almost lost consciousness.

It was an experience she never wanted to repeat.

“Let me wipe your tears.”

Nell gently touched Sayoreinne’s tear-stained cheeks. Her touch was hesitant, almost reverent. Sayoreinne closed her eyes, simply letting Nell’s ministrations wash over her. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she didn’t react as she normally would have.

‘This is… a first.’

Since her transformation, Sayoreinne had occasionally smiled, blushed, even acted cute, but Nell had never seen her so vulnerable, so distressed. She hadn’t even imagined that Sayoreinne had such a fragile side. No one who knew the old Sayoreinne would have.

And while Nell’s feelings for Sayoreinne had been born of a one-sided admiration, a fantasy, she hadn’t wanted to see this weakness, this vulnerability. Yet, a selfish part of her was also thrilled. In this weakened state, perhaps Sayoreinne wouldn’t resist her touch, her embrace.

She wanted to pull Sayoreinne close, to hold her tight, but she restrained herself. Not with Euru, Soine, and Miner watching, not with the curious gazes of the other students upon them. She could control herself. So, she settled for sitting beside Sayoreinne, their shoulders touching, sharing warmth and comfort.

“Sayoreinne, if you’ll excuse me.”

Euru gently took Sayoreinne’s arm, the one wrapped around her knees, and pulled it towards her. Sayoreinne’s hand was trembling slightly.

‘Honestly, I thought she’d be the type to stare down a monster for hours, even days, without flinching.’

When Sayoreinne’s name had been called, Euru had expected her to return quickly, unfazed. But contrary to her expectations, Sayoreinne had been affected by the monster just as much as the other, more timid and seemingly fragile students. While Sayoreinne’s aggression had certainly lessened, she was still Sayoreinne. She still projected an air of strength and confidence. Euru couldn’t understand it.

Euru began gently massaging Sayoreinne’s soft palm. She had never given anyone a massage before, other than her parents, the King and Queen, but she wanted to do this for Sayoreinne. Euru’s hand moved upwards, massaging Sayoreinne’s arm, her shoulder, her neck, then down her other arm. Normally, Sayoreinne would have been slightly embarrassed by this level of physical contact, perhaps even resisting subtly, but now, emotionally vulnerable, she simply sat still.

Her fragility, her vulnerability, was both heartbreaking and strangely alluring. Euru pushed those thoughts aside, resting her shoulder against Sayoreinne’s.

Perhaps thanks to their care, Sayoreinne’s trembling subsided, her dizziness faded, her emotions stabilized. The warmth from both sides was comforting, reassuring. She felt much better than before. Her recovery was surprisingly swift, which was a relief. But…

‘This is so embarrassing…’

‘I… I actually cried?’ ‘…No, no. I didn’t cry. I just… teared up a little. Like… like getting teary-eyed watching a sad movie. It’s nothing.’ ‘I’m a grown man, almost thirty, who served in the military. I can’t possibly have a weaker mentality than an average high school girl.’ ‘I’m not that weak.’ ‘Today was just… a bad day.’

‘……’
Even if that were true, she had still teared up in front of all the other students. She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Nell, Euru, Soine, or Miner. All she could do was stare at the ground, searching for patterns in the dirt.

Now that she was regaining her composure, the close proximity of the other girls was becoming uncomfortable. They had been simply touching shoulders before, but now, one arm was around her shoulders, the other around her lower back. It was meant to be comforting, but now that she was more aware of it, it felt… overwhelming.

Unable to do anything about it, she simply waited for time to pass. ‘Please, let this be over soon…’

When lunchtime finally arrived, Sayoreinne declared that she was feeling better, suggesting they go eat. The other four fussed over her, checking to make sure she was truly alright.

“I really am fine…. I think I’ve held everyone up. Let’s go eat.”

As she stood up, the four girls hovered around her, offering their support. Sayoreinne insisted she could walk on her own, but they wouldn’t hear of it, so she reluctantly allowed herself to be led towards the dining hall.

“Here, have some of this!”

“What…?”

“You should eat a lot of different things, since you’re not feeling well.”

“This is quite… delicious.”

“No, thank you. I can’t eat that much…”

“…Everyone, please calm down. You’re making Sayoreinne uncomfortable. Hand-feeding her… that’s hardly appropriate behavior for noble ladies. Please maintain some decorum.”

The large building Sayoreinne had been curious about earlier turned out to be the dining hall, though it seemed to serve other purposes as well. However, Sayoreinne was too preoccupied to care.

Several chefs were already there, the food prepared and ready to be served.

Just as Sayoreinne thought she could finally relax, Nell, Soine, and Euru began offering her food, as if trying to hand-feed her. It was mortifying. She hadn’t taken much food, as she wasn’t very hungry, and accepting more would mean wasting it. And being hand-fed by girls in such a public setting… She couldn’t do it. Thankfully,

Miner intervened.

Miner’s words, directed primarily at Euru, seemed to have the desired effect. The other girls finally calmed down and resumed their own meals.

‘Miner…’ Sayoreinne was grateful for the presence of at least one calm and rational person. She gave Miner a small nod of thanks. Miner simply smiled and elegantly picked up her spoon.

Thanks to Miner, Sayoreinne was able to finish her meal in peace, enjoying a brief moment of respite.

The afternoon was relatively uneventful. A few students were randomly selected to participate in a live combat exercise, this time allowed to attack and kill the monsters.

While the selection was supposedly random, it seemed that an equal number of mages and Reinforcement mages were chosen.

As expected, the low-level monsters were easily dispatched. The mages seemed unfazed, though one of the Reinforcement mages grimaced at the feel of the monster’s flesh.

After the exercise, they were allowed to briefly enter the gate. Just like in the game, the interior was a strange, purple-tinged space. It felt slightly suffocating, and there was a strange heaviness in the air.

They exited the gate, listened to a few more instructions from the professors, then descended the mountain. The day ended earlier than usual, and Sayoreinne returned to her dorm room.

“Welcome back, Miss!”

Perhaps because of the emotionally draining day, Ahrin’s cheerful greeting and bright smile seemed especially endearing. Forgetting her shyness, Sayoreinne pulled Ahrin into a hug. Ahrin, her expression a mixture of surprise and delight, hugged her back. The familiar warmth and softness were comforting.

‘…Today, I’m just going to rest and not think about anything.’