“Ugh.”
I felt utterly worn out, as if I had just come from a fight. Unconsciously, I made a sound and pressed my fingers against my eyelids.
Still, with a sense of satisfaction for accomplishing something significant, I headed towards the next hospital room.
As I turned the doorknob, I thought I should have called the witches, but when I stepped inside, I found Eris and the witches already waiting in this room.
“……Sister.”
Unlike the other kids, Diana, who was using the room alone, smiled slightly as she sat on the bed and looked at me.
It felt like the sister who had been waiting at home was welcoming me, but the horns on her forehead and the wings on her back brought more pain than a sense of alienation.
“Daniel, you’re here?”
Despite being the one who should be suffering the most, she pretended to be indifferent and patted the chair next to her, urging me to sit down.
“Are you okay?”
It was a question I had asked multiple times today.
Diana still wore a smile as she answered.
“Yeah, I’m used to it by now.”
I didn’t bother to ask what she was used to, and she didn’t mention it either. I glanced at the Grand Witch beside her and asked.
“How about the treatment?”
It was the result of No. 17, born from the witches. Naturally, I thought a Grand Witch could manage a treatment, but—
“It seems difficult.”
The answer that came back weighed heavily on my heart.
“Why? It should be possible for you. You’ve been studying magic for a long time, so you wouldn’t say a material can’t do anything, would you?”
As I pressed, raising my voice, Diana grabbed my hand to calm me down, and Eris came over to rest her hand on my shoulder.
“Research is needed for transplantation, but we can replicate it to some extent. However, extracting it is an entirely different matter.”
The Grand Witch began to explain calmly. It was a complex issue involving magic, the human body, and the abilities of magical beasts, so I honestly found it hard to understand.
Adriana, sitting next to her, tried to simplify it.
“Think of it like dyeing water. We can squeeze out the dye, but we can’t put it back once it’s in.”
“……”
My fists clenched.
In the end, that meant Diana would have to live like this for the rest of her life.
“For now, I can mass-produce a magical potion that can hide the characteristics of dragonkin. I heard graduation isn’t far off, right?”
Diana nodded at the Grand Witch’s question. Since she was a fifth-year student at Aios Academy, she had less than half a year left to attend.
“Yes, so I don’t really need to go to lectures anymore; I just need to prepare for graduation.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“What’s so great about it?”
I had been quite irritated by the Grand Witch’s comments earlier, but Eris jumped in, saying not to worry.
“I’ll go look for a treatment method. So try to calm down a bit, Daniel.”
“Eris is?”
“There are dragonkin at Yggdrasil, you know? And there’s also a Heretic Inquisitor we’ve caught near the Dragon’s Boundary. They might know something.”
“……I’ll go too.”
I said immediately, but Eris shook her head.
“Absolutely not.”
“……”
“You’re still a student, right? As a student, you should study at the academy. I’ll find a solution to this situation. Not just me, Regua and Hatzim will accompany me too.”
I could at least trust those two. Though we hadn’t known each other for long, their high status instilled some confidence in me.
“I’ll also accompany you. We witches can’t avoid our responsibilities either.”
Adriana smiled slightly, saying not to worry.
I wanted to join them too, but Diana, who was still holding my hand, tightened her grip.
“There won’t be many days left for us to attend the academy together. Stay with me.”
Hah I sighed and spoke to Eris.
“……I have a beastman with tiger ears that I missed. If I chase after him, something will come up.”
In the end, I had no choice but to step back.
After that, Diana and I talked about various things. It was surprisingly normal conversation, which helped ease my heart a bit.
My jaw was tired, so I went out for some fresh air for a moment.
Outside the hospital room, I saw Rin leaning against the wall, staring blankly out the window.
“Rin?”
When she noticed me, she smiled with consideration and asked.
“Did you have a good talk with your sister?”
Realizing she had intentionally waited outside so as not to interrupt my conversation with Diana, I felt a bit embarrassed and scratched my head.
“Uh, sort of.”
“Hehe, look at you blushing.”
If you know, then don’t say anything.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Nope, you protected me.”
Rin smiled bashfully. She looked so beautiful, like a painting, making me remember why I had liked her when we were kids.
“You kept your promise, huh?”
“……”
The promise of protecting her at Yggdrasil resurfaced in my mind. Suddenly, my face heated up a little, and I tried to slip away, but Rin followed me.
“What’s wrong?”
Wondering if something was up, I turned back, and Rin, puffing out her cheeks, expressed her dissatisfaction.
“What about me?”
“……Huh?”
“Ib and Sen patted my head, and Hayun gave me a high five.”
“Wait, hold on!”
Panicking, I lunged to cover Rin’s mouth, but she playfully dodged back and kept talking.
“Elise kissed my hand, and May hugged me.”
Rin crossed her arms, giving me a sidelong glance as if to ensure I could hear.
“So what about me? As your childhood friend, I single-handedly took down the base of the Tudogs and fought their leader?”
What should I say in this situation?
This was Ares’s area of expertise, and I felt helpless about it.
“Uh, should I buy you lunch or something?”
Recalling Tana wanting me to treat her, I casually suggested, but Rin crossed her fingers into an X.
“Try again.”
I was rejected.
From experience, I knew if I didn’t settle this properly now, the aftermath would hit me harder later, so I started to think of a solution.
Fortunately, Rin offered a suggestion first.
“Can you say it again just once?”
“……What?”
Feeling uneasy, I asked back, and Rin took a step closer with a radiant smile.
“Remember what you told me at Yggdrasil? Say it again while hugging me.”
I didn’t want to.
I had said that in a burst of emotion back then, but I wasn’t bold enough to say such things under the broad daylight.
“Come on, come on!”
Rin loosened my arm and nestled into my embrace.
It was confusing, but I thought I should quickly say it while no one was around.
“I—I’ll protect you.”
“Yeah, thank you.”
She hugged me tightly, burying her face in my chest. I wondered if she was sniffing me, feeling flustered, but her whisper echoed through my body.
“I’ll protect you, too, Daniel.”
Suddenly, a chilling sensation washed over me, one that was more than just goosebumps. I was startled and instinctively tensed up, but when I looked up to meet Rin’s gaze, her expression was so pure and innocent.
‘Did I interpret that wrong?’
No, but I couldn’t have misunderstood something like this.
“Ah, that was nice. I’m off now!”
With that, Rin freed herself and ran away to hide her flushed face.
Watching Rin’s retreating figure as she dashed down the corridor, I was still trying to process my bewilderment when—
“Huh?”
A voice came from behind me.
It was different from earlier, but it poked at my back sharply.
“You two seem close.”
A dizzying sentiment plummeted in my chest. I stiffened and turned to find the elf looking very displeased.
“No, it’s not like that! I just wanted to thank her for helping me out recently with a simple hug…”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
Oh no, this is bad.
She must feel seriously offended.
“I’m still remembering the confession you made to me. It seems like human emotions flare up and fade quickly, huh?”
“No, that’s not it!”
“It’s okay. I have already turned down your confession. Of course, I told you that once you sort out the mess you’ve got yourself into, I would like you to confess again, but…”
“……”
Eris’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Don’t tell me you actually thought I took that rejection seriously?”
“W-well, of course not!”
I remembered Hayun had advised me that I still had a chance and that there was plenty of potential.
“Let’s—let’s settle this for good, Daniel!”
Eris suddenly shouted.
Startled by her intensity, I immediately nodded, and she stepped closer, standing right in front of me.
“Because I’m waiting for you, Daniel. I’m preparing things in the forest, saying that a Guardian can befriend a human to the other elves.”
“……”
In that moment, I felt my face heat up.
I had no idea how to react to this, but somehow I realized it was also an act of gratitude to stay quiet and respect Eris’s courage.
“I know Daniel has complicated circumstances wrapped around him! So, uh…”
As she stammered, trying to say something, Eris just mumble in frustration.
“Just don’t make me wait too long, okay?”
*
Looking at the red-haired female student, Arni Duratan, asleep beside him, Ares Helias fell into deep thought.
His right hand rested lightly on her head.
He thought he would never be able to wield a sword again, but the old woman Daniel McLean had brought had reattached it.
With just a little more time, she had said that he would be able to move as usual again, and indeed, his fingers were slowly moving, and he felt sensation.
And the mark of Helios engraved on the back of his hand.
Ares couldn’t help but be troubled.
Every time he looked at the mark, the face of that monster-like mage who had cut off his hand flashed in his mind.
“Why?”
He had thought he had lost all power.
The power of the sun god had left him, and though he felt a bit relieved, there was still a tinge of regret.
He pulled out his left hand, which had been tucked away under the blanket.
The same mark was etched on the back of his left hand as well.
His right hand had been severed, and the very next day, he was looking at the mark that had appeared on his left hand, feeling a bit of fear.
‘What does this mean?’
Whether his hand was severed or the mark fell away, it did not affect Helios’s choice at all.
What could this god’s intention be?
What in the world did he want from him?
Ares sank deeper into his thoughts.
