“…This must be the right place?”
A few days later, Altina stood in front of the hospital room door, clutching the class materials she had been tasked with delivering.
The homeroom teacher of Class A had prepared special class materials for Jin since he hadn’t been able to attend class while lying in the hospital, and asked her to bring them to him.
[For Jin]
Judging by the nameplate in front of the hospital room, this should be the room where Jin was currently resting.
In fact, she had already asked the nurse at the counter several times, so there was no way she could be mistaken. Yet, something about the situation made Altina’s heart race with an inexplicable nervousness.
Why did she feel so strange? She was simply there to deliver the teacher’s request and the missing class materials.
But why did she keep thinking about that man? Why did her heart flutter every time his name crossed her mind?
‘Altina!’
And why had he looked at her like that and called her in such a way?
It drove her crazy. Just thinking about him lying in this hospital room made her head spin.
It had barely been two days since they met, and here she was, worrying about him this much. Was she really losing her mind?
Altina von Ruddell Seryas was not the kind of woman who could be easily swayed by someone else’s charm.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. Yes, this was really nothing to be getting worked up about.
She was a proud descendant of the Seryas family. It was ridiculous that she couldn’t even open the door to this hospital room properly.
She was just here to hand over some class materials; it had nothing to do with him, whether he had been injured or how long he had been lying in bed!
Resolutely, Altina gathered her courage and pushed the hospital room door wide open—
“Alright, open wide. Ah—”
“Come on, I can feed myself, you know?”
…And the moment she saw that scene, Altina felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.
In her eyes, Jin lay comfortably on the bed, while Claire, carefully like a mother hen, was feeding him as if he were a chick that needed to be looked after.
And seeing that moment, Altina was suddenly filled with deep regret for having worried about him even for a moment.
What was I thinking? Why did I ever care about someone like him? If I had known he would be lounging around like this, I wouldn’t have come here at all.
But why on earth was Claire nursing him so devotedly?
Right when she had been puzzled about why Claire seemed to disappear right after class ended lately, was it possible she had been coming here to take care of him during every break?
“Ah, Altina! You made it!”
“What are you doing here?”
As Altina stepped into the hospital room, Claire greeted her with a bright smile while Jin responded with a grumpy expression, questioning her presence.
…That rude brat. I’m struggling to deal with everything because of you, and the only thing you can ask me is why I’m here?
“Don’t worry! I didn’t come here just because I wanted to see you.”
“Well then?”
“The homeroom teacher asked me to bring you the class materials you missed while you were cooped up in here.”
Saying this, Altina carefully placed the neatly organized class materials onto the bed where Jin was lying.
“Well, thanks. But I’m not sure if that’s really going to help.”
Jin spat out his thanks in a snarky manner, still slouched as he spoke.
“No, that’s not true at all! Altina, thank you so much for taking the time to do this.”
Ironically, it was Claire, standing next to Jin, who was eagerly bowing her head toward Altina in appreciation.
…What is this? Since when did Claire become his spokesperson?
“I don’t know either. While we’re at it, you should take him with you. I’ve told him a countless number of times that he doesn’t need me hovering about anymore, but he just won’t listen.”
“B-but the healer said he still needs to rest. And have you forgotten? He couldn’t even go to the restroom properly without me on the first day!”
“…Can we please stop bringing that up? It’s embarrassing enough as it is.”
Even as he grumbled, Jin accepted Claire’s words, while she smiled brightly at him.
Watching the two of them talk fluidly, as if there were no barriers at all, Altina felt an inexplicable tightness in her heart.
…But why was she feeling this way? It was as if she had been robbed of that man by Claire. In reality, she had no connection to him at all.
“You two seem to have gotten quite close in just a few days, huh?”
Yet, without showing any hint of her feelings, Altina said this, prompting Claire to tilt her head in confusion.
“Well, you see, I have a lot of younger siblings at home. Taking care of Jin feels familiar, like babysitting. So, it’s not that difficult for me.”
“Hey, saying ‘taking care’ sounds a bit weird. Just call it caregiving.”
“Perhaps I will?”
Altina felt an uneasy sensation creeping up from the depths of her heart.
Claire was supposed to be a precious friend to her, yet she had spent more time with that man than Altina had.
Why was it that Altina felt this way? Why did Claire, who was sitting across from Jin and having a conversation with him, evoke such dislike? Why?
“By the way, do you know there’s a duel assessment coming up soon?”
Realizing this conversation was not good, Altina quickly changed the topic to something that would prevent the two of them from continuing their light-hearted chat.
“A duel assessment? What’s that?”
Jin tilted his head in confusion, prompting Claire to kindly explain.
“At Nineveh, we have students duel each other every quarter to score them. In a way, it’s an assessment more important than midterm or final exams.”
“Is that so? That’s interesting,” Jin replied as if it were someone else’s affair. Altina couldn’t help but find his attitude absurd.
“But it doesn’t seem like you should be so casual about it right now.”
“Me? Why should I be concerned?”
“Hugo has been openly saying he intends to target you in this duel assessment.”
“Hugo? Who’s that? Is he in Class A?”
Jin looked genuinely clueless about who Hugo was, staring blankly at Altina.
“…You really don’t remember?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t ask if I remembered.”
“The big guy you had a fight with right after enrolling. His name is Hugo. Hugo Bright.”
“…Ah, that pig? What a name.”
Finally recalling, Jin smirked, while Claire fidgeted nervously beside him.
“Isn’t that a big problem? As far as I know, Hugo aims to be a knight, and he’s among the top ten in the first-year martial arts classes.”
“I’m fine, so why are you worried? Did he forget how he flinched and stepped aside when he saw me?”
“Bu-but you’re really weak. And other students have said that what happened when you made him step aside must have been some kind of trick…”
“What? Weak? Trick?”
“Yikes!”
When Jin gave Claire a baffled look, she shrank back as if she had committed a crime.
“Hey! Why are you blaming Claire like that?”
With a sudden surge of indignation, Altina stepped in and hugged Claire.
Jin was just being incredulous. Why was he acting like he was being beaten? Why did Claire flinch just because he glared at her?
With that reaction, it seemed as if he had indeed hit her when no one was watching!
“…Anyway, whether that pig is targeting me or not is none of my concern. After all, I haven’t learned anything since enrolling in Nineveh, and I’ve just been lying in bed the whole time. There’s no way I would even be included as a candidate.”
“They say you will be.”
“…What?”
“The homeroom teacher mentioned earlier that you will definitely be included in this duel assessment, and they plan to schedule the exam on the day you are set to be discharged.”
At that, Jin’s face twisted like a crumpled piece of paper.
What an insufferable bunch of higher-ups. They were being so blatant about trying to dig up dirt on him this time.
“If you really can’t deal with it, should I just nominate Hugo as your opponent?”
“Nominating? What are you talking about?”
“During a duel assessment, you can generally choose your opponent. Even if Hugo plans to target you, if Claire chooses Hugo as her opponent first, then your duel won’t happen.”
Thanks to Altina’s kind explanation, Jin finally understood what Claire had meant.
Simply put, Claire was effectively volunteering to be Jin’s black knight.
“But are you sure about this? This isn’t just a simple duel; it’s a form of evaluation, right? I don’t think battling someone of that caliber will benefit your score much.”
“Well, it’s my fault that you ended up injured like this. So I want to ensure I take full responsibility—”
“Enough. Even if it’s about nursing you back to health, I don’t want to drag you into this.”
Through their conversations over the past few days, Jin had also learned about the various circumstances Claire was dealing with.
For instance, he discovered why Claire had used such powerful magic in the last practical exercise, why she was so enthusiastic in class, and why she had to attend Nineveh with such urgency.
Regardless of whether Jin’s academic performance was poor or he had to repeat a year, it was a different story for Claire. She had a compelling reason to achieve excellent grades.
Jin did not want to impose an unfair disadvantage on Claire simply because he found it bothersome to duel that pig.
“Well, never mind me. What about you? Who do you plan to duel?”
In a bid to shift the topic bluntly, Jin asked, and Altina answered without hesitation.
“Erekaya del Pendragon.”
“W-Wait, are you really going to duel Kaya?”
“Yes. We’ve been rivals for a long time, and if I don’t duel someone of Erekaya’s level, I won’t get enough points.”
At that moment, just as Claire was about to widen her mouth in awe, a blunt voice interrupted from beside her.
“With your skill level? You’d definitely lose if you dared challenge Erekaya.”
“What did you say?”
Instantly, Altina was provoked by Jin’s comment.
“It seems you’ve gotten a bit carried away since recently surpassing some barriers, but with your current ability, you can’t even hope to win against me, let alone Erekaya. Just because you’ve awakened your Aura, you think you’re different?”
“You, just wait—”
But at that moment, Jin pointed his finger at Altina.
His extended finger wasn’t particularly fast. In fact, it was so slow that even Claire, who was unfamiliar with martial arts, could easily track its trajectory.
To Altina, who was an Aura user, Jin’s finger appeared almost suspended in the air. She tilted her head slightly to evade it—
“…Huh?”
Tap.
Jin’s finger had unexpectedly touched Altina’s forehead. She had tried to dodge it, or rather, she was confident she had, but now it was there.
Despite mobilizing her senses as an Aura user, she had failed to evade the finger of an ordinary person who wasn’t using Aura.
Why? How could something like this happen?
“I told you. You can’t beat me, let alone Erekaya.”
His tone was almost mocking. However, Altina found herself with no retort.
“So, it would be best for you to change your duel opponent. If you want to achieve a score similar to mine, I won’t stop you.”
Jin spoke in the coldest tone he could muster.
Currently, Erekaya had been using her Aura for two years, possessing a level of skill that was well-honed. For Altina, who had only just awakened her Aura, defeating Erekaya was nearly impossible.
Even though she had finally overcome the barriers and awakened her Aura, the rival she considered a peer was already far ahead of her.
No matter how hard she tried or how much she reached out, that rival was positioned too far from her grasp.
Though they looked at the same goal, their current standings were by no means the same. Rather, they seemed to be looking down upon her from a lofty height.
That was not a pleasant feeling. After all, Jin himself had often felt that same emotion after witnessing countless ‘geniuses’ over the years.
It was better to feel resentment toward herself for having unreachable talent rather than feeling envy and ultimately despair.
— You really are too hard on Altina.
‘Currently, all I can do is this much.’
Even if Altina ended up disliking him for this, it didn’t matter.
He was quite familiar with the role of the villain.
