Chapter 24 : Break

“What’s the problem?”

Cled asked, picking his nose with his pinky finger. Carne, visibly upset by this, yelled loudly.

“An F? That’s strange! We had two bags of bloodstones!”

“I evaluated it thoroughly according to the standards. There were only empty bags where you were fighting.”

“Empty bags…? That can’t be…”

Carne and I exchanged glances. In the end, I confessed the truth.

“…It was empty. I poured all the bloodstones into the intermediate magic.”

“…All of it…?”

Her expression turned chilling.

“Hehe… Hehehe…”

Carne, seemingly in shock, stumbled and leaned against the wall before exiting the room.

“It seems like she was greatly shaken,” Cled remarked.

Now, only Cled and I remained in the hospital room.

He took out a bottle of alcohol, took a sip, and said to me,

“Did you two deploy intermediate magic with just bloodstones? That’s impressive skill.”

“…It’s thanks to Freesia.”

Successfully casting magic with an impromptu catalyst was entirely due to Yuri Freesia’s skill.

“You’re brave. For not running away.”

I had thought he was just a drunk, but unexpectedly, he knew how to give praise.

“Then, our grade…”

“That’s a separate matter.”

He was really stubborn.

Come to think of it, I had something to ask him.

“The technique you used when fighting the Sarkas—it’s the beastmen’s martial arts, right?”

The movements Cled used when slashing the Sarkas were unmistakably the beastmen’s martial arts.

“…It’s surprising. There’s a human who recognizes it.”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I learned it from an old friend. We used to work as mercenaries together.”

It was surprising to hear that someone else had such deep contact with the beastmen besides me.

But more than that, the most pressing question was different.

“Excuse me, but how did you get the instructor position…?”

There had to be a reason why he, who had no magic or Osteon, had caught the academy’s attention.

“…You seem to have a lot of questions. Well, it’s fine. Since classes are suspended, there’s plenty of time.”

Putting down the bottle of alcohol, which he had emptied at some point, he opened a new one.

“About 20 years ago, before you were born, ‘Gula’ started its activities. You must have heard of it at least once?”

A name I hadn’t heard in a long time came up.

‘Ancient species Sarkas, Gula.’

Actually, the exact name I had given it was Gula of ‘Gluttony.’

An ancient Sarkas, an ancestral creature of the current Sarkas.

The Seven Deadly Sins were always a popular theme, so I had given each of the seven entities a corresponding trait.

Among them, Gula was the ancient Sarkas representing gluttony.

“At that time, I was 17 years old. While traveling as a mercenary, I visited a village that was being destroyed by Gula. It was terrible. Everything—buildings, crops—was gone.”

It devoured everything in its path.

It ate until it was full, burrowed deep into the ground, and woke up at regular intervals, making it the worst Sarkas from a human perspective.

“When I was about to lose my life after encountering Gula, who attacked the village that day, I was saved by Spirit Commander Violet.”

“The headmaster…?”

“Yes. She wasn’t in her current position yet, but she was strong enough to face Gula alone.”

‘An ancient species, alone…?’

“The fight lasted for three days and nights. It was a monster. More than twice the flesh grew back where it was cut. Countless Spirit Masters died. In the end, only Violet was left standing on the battlefield.”

“Then, Violet ended Gula’s life?”

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“No one watched the battlefield until the end. However, since Gula hasn’t appeared since then, it’s presumed she killed it.”

Violet was promoted to the position of Spirit Commander in recognition of her merit in subduing Gula of Gluttony.

“I decided to become a Spirit Master after seeing her. Even though I didn’t have a Mark.”

I couldn’t fathom how much effort he must have put in to get this far without a Mark.

“And a few years ago, I met her again while traveling around, killing the heteromorphic Sarkas that started appearing.”

The Master Sarkas, which emerged due to Chaos, became the reason Cled got involved with her again.

“…I think I’ve answered your questions to some extent. Do you have any more?”

“…No, that’s enough.”

“Take care of yourself.”

He left a simple greeting and exited the hospital room.

When I looked out the window, it was pouring rain.

I felt a small sense of satisfaction imagining Instructor Cled getting soaked.

‘What’s the Chaos level?’

…After a long time, I checked the Chaos level.

Ding.

[Current Chaos Level: 1.7]

…The last time I checked was during the manifestation ceremony, and it was 1.3. It had already risen to 1.7.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before it reached 2.0.

Click.

While I was lost in thought, the door opened with cheerful footsteps.

“Let’s eat!”

Luna came in with a meal she had prepared herself, her usual bright demeanor intact.

Since I injured my arm, it had become a daily routine for Luna to feed me directly.

Honestly, I could eat with my left arm, but I quietly accepted it, sensing that Luna would be sad otherwise.

“Open wide.”

“…Ah.”

I took a big bite of the food Luna was feeding me.

“How is it?”

“…It’s tasty.”

Actually, it was too hot to properly taste.

In my memories after we separated, she had always seemed like a child, but now the roles felt reversed.

Luna’s hand feeding me was still gloved.

It seemed she didn’t neglect training even after coming to the academy, always ready to practice at any moment.

At that moment, a flash of light streaked through the window, followed by the sound of thunder.

“Eek…!”

Hearing the noise, Luna dropped the spoon and buried her head in the blanket on my lap.

“…Luna?”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

Was she afraid of thunder?

It was the first time I’d seen Luna afraid of anything.

I got up from my seat and closed the curtains.

“It’ll be a little better like this.”

“…I’m not scared at all! I was just cold, that’s all!”

Her claim wasn’t convincing at all, given she was hiding under the blanket with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

After some time, I spent a peaceful moment as Luna brushed my hair, now calmed down.

“Hmm…”

She rested her chin on her hand and stared at me intently.

“What, what’s wrong…?”

“Come to think of it, shouldn’t you wash up soon?”

“…That’s right. I haven’t been able to wash properly since the battle.”

I was about to get up from the bed, but she stopped me.

“Wait, with that arm? What if water gets into the wound?”

This was starting to feel unsettling.

“Wouldn’t it be okay if I’m careful not to get water on it?”

“No. I’ll help you.”

Why did things always turn out like this when I was with her?

“Come to think of it, I think I can wash tomorrow…”

“Heave-ho.”

While I was trying to change the subject, she picked me up in a princess carry.

“Luna!?”

No, how could she be so strong…?

“Luna, I’m really fine…! I can do it myself…!”

“Don’t be stubborn. Leave it to me. We used to wash together when we were little, didn’t we?”

No, it was different from back then.

Both physically and mentally.

“Okay, take it off quickly. Oh, it’s hard to do it with one arm, right? Heave.”

Before I could protest, my top was removed.

“Luna, wait a minute…”

“What’s wrong? Okay, let’s take off the bottom too.”

Flap.

In the end, I was helplessly stripped naked by Luna.

Even though we’d seen each other’s embarrassing sides as children, I felt a little shy showing my body after puberty.

“That’s strange, Saya. Why are you covering up so much?”

Luna removed her armor and reached for the hem of her top.

“Are you going to take it off too?”

“Of course! I can’t get my clothes wet.”

And with that, she lifted it up.

Unlike Captain Baekmyo’s muscular build, Luna had a healthy, toned body with fair skin that didn’t seem typical for a knight.

My head spun at the unexpected sight.

I was pushed into the bathroom by her.

“It reminds me of the old days, right?”

“…Yeah.”

I was a little embarrassed at first, but I quickly got used to it.

Luna’s body had changed since we were kids… but we were friends, so it didn’t matter.

A cloth covered in foam was applied to every part of my body.

I flinched at first, but eventually gave in and let her take over, finding it oddly comforting.

“You’ve grown a lot, Saya.”

“Don’t say things like a mom.”

“Hehe.”

I finished by rinsing off with water.

‘…..?’

At that moment, Luna’s hand caught my eye.

For a brief instant, a faint Mark flickered on the back of her hand as it passed by.

“…Luna.”

She had definitely said that her Mark hadn’t manifested.

What was that Mark on the back of her hand?

“Yes, is something wrong?”

When I fell silent, Luna asked, sounding worried.

“…No, nothing.”

I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to ruin the peaceful atmosphere.

But it was clear she was hiding something from me.

Behind Luna Grace’s innocent smile, there was a secret.

I put on my clothes and went to Yuri’s hospital room.

Yuri had been asleep since the battle. Her Osteon was damaged, and she had used too much energy deploying intermediate magic with excessive output.

But there was someone by Yuri’s bedside.

A man with long white hair and pure white armor.

‘Spirit Commander Violet…’

Why was he here?

He watched Yuri for a while, then stepped out into the hallway and ran into me.

“Hello…?”

“…Miss Saya, was it?”

I had seen him during the disciplinary action, but he felt even more mysterious after hearing Cled’s story.

“I heard that you helped defeat the Master Sarkas that attacked the students. You’re already a splendid Spirit Master.”

“…That’s not true.”

I felt a strange sense of pride hearing praise from him.

In truth, I couldn’t have finished it without Cled.

“I was worried about Miss Freesia’s condition. I’m relieved to see you’re doing well too. …Should I leave now?”

Violet placed a hand on my shoulder and said,

“I have high expectations for both of you. I hope you’ll continue to work hard.”

“…”

I watched his back as he left.

Violet was a dark-type Spirit Master, like me. How strong was he to have faced an ancient Sarkas alone?

‘…What should I do now?’

There was nothing to do if I went back to my room, so I decided to check on Yuri’s condition.

“Excuse me.”

I knocked and entered, but Yuri Freesia was still deeply asleep.

I moved closer to the bed and observed her carefully.

I didn’t think I’d ever seen her this close before.

As the protagonist of my novel, her appearance was just as I had imagined.

Silver hair that reached her waist, long eyelashes, and pale, flawless skin.

A beauty so unreal, it was as if she had stepped out of a book.

…Except for her personality.

“…Ah.”

While I was lost in thought, her eyes fluttered open.

Yuri, waking from a deep sleep, looked at me and said,

“Water.”