Leia leaned in close, her face filled with concern, and Rourke instinctively leaned back a little as he answered. She let out a deep sigh, as if she had truly been relieved.
“…Really… I’m glad.”
“What about you, Leia? Are you hurt?”
Though not as much as Rourke, she had also used a big technique, so her spirit energy must have been heavily drained. From what Rourke could see, she didn’t seem to have any major injuries, but he couldn’t tell if there was any internal damage.
“Yes, I didn’t sustain any major injuries, so I’m fine.”
“What about the Disciplinary Committee Chair?”
“He doesn’t seem to be hurt either. He’s already returned to the academy.”
Minnea answered Rourke’s question.
Well, that makes sense.
Now that Rourke thought about it, he didn’t get hurt much, so of course he’d be fine.
“Still, lately, you’ve been getting hurt a lot, Areas-kun.”
“It’s the opponents’ fault, really…”
This time, they were up against a monster that controlled evil spirits. On top of that, they were trying to capture Rourke, and judging by their relaxed demeanor at the end, it felt like they were holding back the whole time.
Honestly, it’s almost a miracle that Rourke is still alive.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault for holding you back.”
“That’s not true. If anything, you were a huge help.”
Rourke quickly denied Leia’s words as she hung her head, looking apologetic.
Especially that Salamander strike—it was impressive. Plus, thanks to her, Loxley was able to come as backup. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Leia’s presence was crucial to their victory.
“No… As that man said, I was just a burden in the end.”
“……”
“I forced my way into this, saying all those confident things, but in the end, I…”
Rourke couldn’t see her face, but the droplets falling onto her knees told him enough about her expression. He was at a loss for what to do and glanced at Minnea for help, but she pretended not to notice and disappeared into the back.
“…………”
How am I supposed to comfort a crying junior girl? Rourke scratched his head, struggling to find the right words, but unfortunately, nothing good came to mind.
“…Hey, Leia.”
So, Rourke decided to just say what he honestly thought.
“First, let me correct one thing. I’m not as strong as you think I am. Seriously. I definitely couldn’t have beaten that guy on my own.”
This wasn’t humility or anything—Rourke was just stating the facts.
No matter what others say about his talent, it doesn’t change the fact that he can’t win against someone he can’t beat.
‘I mean, I don’t even have a contracted spirit.’
“That said, I don’t think you could’ve beaten him alone either. Well, considering who we were up against…”
“……”
This was also a fact.
Honestly, among students, only someone like the princess or Trallus could possibly stand a chance against a guy like that.
“This fight was only possible because we fought together.”
“But, I—”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been hung up on that weirdo’s words about you being a burden?”
At Rourke’s words, Leia’s shoulders twitched. It seemed he hit the mark.
“…Leia, I told you back then, didn’t I? That it wasn’t true. Whose words are you going to believe—your senpai who knows you well, or that weirdo’s?”
“That’s…”
As Leia hesitated, Rourke continued,
“First of all, Leia, you’re still a first-year. It’s normal to be weak.”
“…………!”
“Sure, there are some who are ridiculously strong right from the start.”
People like Misha and Trallus were unstoppable from the moment they enrolled. They had skills that even seasoned spirit master couldn’t match.
…Come to think of it, Leia might be similar to them… Well, let’s set that aside for now.
“But most people aren’t like that. Even me and the Chair were really weak when we first enrolled.”
“It’s hard to imagine that…”
Leia said that, but it was true. Back then, Rourke didn’t have a contracted spirit, and he got beaten up every day. If Leia saw him back then, she’d probably think he was a completely different person.
“So, well… There’s no need to despair right now.”
“…………”
At Rourke’s words, Leia slowly raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes were a bit swollen, but her face was still as beautiful as ever.
“Leia, this is just the beginning. Sure, there are still areas where you’re lacking, but you can learn and improve from here. You’ve got a long way to go.”
“…Senpai.”
“In fact, this battle was a valuable experience. You don’t often get to fight an opponent like that.”
Well, it’s not like Rourke wants to fight someone like that often.
“Take this experience and what you’ll learn at the academy and make the most of it. You have the talent to absorb it all.”
“………”
“And when I was shaken by that guy’s words, it was your words that helped me pull myself together. At the very least, I’m really glad you were there with me.”
Rourke concluded with a smile and said, “Thank you.” Leia’s eyes widened, and she stared at him with a blank expression.
…………Huh? Rourke thought he did a decent job encouraging her, but did it not get through?
Ah, maybe she thinks it’s just empty words?
Well, Rourke doesn’t have a contracted spirit, so it’s not like he’s anything special.
“…W-well, that’s how it is. Do your best.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Rourke got up from the bed and, despite his heavy body, headed for the infirmary door. Just then, Minnea, who had noticed he was leaving, peeked out from the back.
“Areas-kun, are you leaving already? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m hungry, so I’m heading out. Thanks, Minnea.”
Rourke wasn’t actually hungry, and his body was still heavy, but if he stayed in front of Leia any longer, his mental state would probably take more damage than his body.
As Rourke wobbled out of the infirmary with heavy steps, he thought he heard Minnea’s voice from behind, saying, “Huh? Leia-chan, you’re a bit warm. Do you want to rest here?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Man, we were so close.”
“Close to what? It would’ve taken a lot more time.”
Dejan responded with a mix of exasperation and disbelief to Haunted’s regretful muttering as he lay on the sofa, his hair being played with by Vlad. The two students they had seen during the final retrieval were definitely not opponents who could be dealt with quickly.
“Honestly, if you had held out a bit longer, Dejan-san…”
“I was up against [Spirit Armament]. I couldn’t do more than that.”
“Seriously? That teacher could use it?”
Haunted’s eyes widened in surprise at Dejan’s words. He had thought the opponent was troublesome, but he hadn’t expected them to be that strong.
Spirit Armament.
A technique that only spirit master with a strong bond with their spirits and overwhelming talent could use. Not many spirit master could wield this skill. Back in the days, three hundred years ago, when both allies and enemies were filled with formidable warriors, it might have been different, but in the current kingdom’s spirit mage corps, only a handful could use it.
“That’s a shame. I would’ve liked to fight him in that state.”
“If you fought him, you’d destroy the temple.”
Dejan frowned at Haunted’s wistful muttering.
If that teacher and Haunted were to fight seriously, there was no doubt that Haunted, who didn’t know how to hold back, would end up destroying the temple.
“That’s harsh. I do know how to hold back, you know. Right, Vlad?”
“…………”
Haunted called out to Vlad, who was trying to tie his hair, but as expected, she ignored him.
“Sure… Anyway, how was your favorite, Roark Areas?”
“I’d give him 80 out of 100.”
It seemed he had a pretty high opinion of him. The way Haunted grinned with satisfaction made it clear that he was pleased with the result.
“Sounds like he gave you quite a bit of trouble.”
“Thanks to him. Well, I guess I underestimated the others too much.”
Especially that Salamander’s flames—they were unexpected. He hadn’t thought they’d have such power. Because of that, he ended up more drained than he had anticipated.
“So, what were the 20 points deducted for?”
“For not using his full power. Or maybe he just doesn’t know how to use it?”
Haunted thought back to his encounter with Roark.
He had looked cornered, but he definitely had the means to turn things around.
“He didn’t even summon his contracted spirit… Well, even if he was hiding it, he should’ve had other good cards to play… I wonder what he was hesitating about…”
“Ah, that evil spirit, right? Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
One of the high-ranking evil spirits released with a temporary contract to search for the fallen angel’s seal—Roark Areas had defeated and retrieved it.
That incident had suddenly raised the boy’s profile within the organization…
“Somehow, it feels like fate, in a way.”
“Fate?”
“Just that a lot of things seem to be aligning at the same time…”
Ignoring Dejan’s tilted head, Haunted got up from the sofa.
“Well, it’s about time to go. Next is the key, right?”
“Yeah, sorry for the back-to-back missions, but I’m counting on you.”
“Sure, sure. Hey, Vlad, you’re going to pull my hair out, so let go.”
“…………”
Haunted grabbed Vlad and pried her off, ignoring her protesting gaze as he cracked his knuckles.
“Alright, Mr. Bora. We’ll leave the transportation to you.”
With Vlad in tow, Haunted made his request, and as the shadow beneath them expanded, they sank into it and disappeared.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
