episode_0449

“Is Mezlen student’s blood type CS-UR?”

I slowly tilted my head at the familiar voice coming from behind me.

“… … Yes?”

“I’m glad you’re still safe. I’ll prepare the blood transfusion spell right now.”

“… Professor Harold? Are you thinking of using blood transfusion magic?”

“I just heard there’s only two hours left. Do you have enough time to verify my identity?”

“Sorry, sorry! Come here right now… .”

The church hospital room becomes busy with Harold’s sudden appearance.

As I was blankly staring at his back, unable to grasp the situation, I felt Ethan’s arm grabbing my body from behind.

“… Release, let’s go out for now. He said that if you want to use blood transfusion magic, everyone but the person involved has to leave.”

“Oh, yes… .”

Even before leaving Princess Mezlen’s hospital room, all that can be seen is Harold quietly preparing a blood transfusion spell and Saint Cerista remaining to coordinate the spell.

Still unable to sort out my confused mind, I was dragged halfway out of the princess’s hospital room.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“… … .”

About two hours have passed since Harold suddenly appeared and said he would perform a blood transfusion spell.

Even though I had left Princess Mezlen’s hospital room, I was still wandering around in front of it, unable to sort out my complicated thoughts.

I was worried about Princess Mezlen’s health, and I couldn’t believe that Harold really said he would use blood transfusion magic on her… but more importantly, the thoughts that had been in my head a little while ago hadn’t been completely sorted out.

‘… Saving Lizzie at the masquerade ball ended up putting Mezlen’s life in danger.’

On one side, the lives of the entire Auguste family, including Lizzie and Karaham, and on the other side, the life of Princess Mezlen.

If you were to ask which life would be wiser to save… it would probably be the former.

Both Lizzie and Mezlen were precious people to me, but in addition to the former, the lives of the entire Auguste family were at stake.

So, conversely, let’s think about it this way.

If I do nothing, the entire Auguste family, including Lizzie, will be wiped out, but if I just press one small button, I can replace those countless sacrifices with one life.

… and if that one person is Princess Mezlen, can I press that button?

“… … .”

I don’t know.

Even though I knew what was right and what was more precious, I couldn’t make a decision.

This time, since what I had already done has come back to haunt me, I was just struggling to overcome the crisis right in front of me, but if I continue to interfere with the original story like this, eventually, someone who shouldn’t have died will die because of me.

No, there are already people who have actually become like that. And maybe the next person to be targeted will be someone even closer to Princess Mezlen.

Even if Ethan is an exception since I saved his life once through rehabilitation, what if another person who didn’t die in the original story was in danger of death in a similar crisis?

If my past choices resulted in the deaths of children like Agnes, Natalie, or Isabelle, would I be able to forgive myself?

And if one day there is a life that can only be saved by sacrificing someone like that, or if it is my choice that ends up being that, then what on earth would I do… .

‘I’m not exactly the main character of ‘Luminor Academy’, so why am I having such worries…?’

One thing is for sure, when Mezlen almost died a little while ago, my heart really felt like it stopped. In fact, my relationship with her wasn’t that close in terms of human relationships.

There was no guarantee that the crisis that had befallen Mezlen would not affect Agnes or Isabel. Or even Ethan.

As I sat on the chair with those thoughts in my mind, the door to the hospital room quietly opened and Serista, with an exhausted expression, appeared.

-Knock knock.

“Whew, Whew… .”

-Thud.

“Se, Serista!”

“Saint Serista!”

The moment when the warrior catches the saintess who collapsed with a tired expression at a glance, and words of concern for her come out of my mouth.

In a way, I wondered if it would be okay to ask Cerista, who seemed to be just another patient, about Princess Mezlen’s condition, but fortunately, she was the first to open up about the princess’s condition.

“… Me, Princess Mezlen… . I, please be safe… .”

“… First of all, you said… .”

“hae, it was fortunate that Professor Harold had the same blood type… . Joe, if I had been a little later, it would have been difficult to use the blood transfusion magic, how could this coincidence have happened… .”

“… … .”

“From now on, I have no choice but to pray for the princess’s recovery power. Since you received so much divine power today, from now on, you will have absolute stability without any recovery spells, ul… .”

“Se, Serista?!”

-Ku, kool… .

“… Looks like you were quite tired from treating the princess.”

“… Well, Serista must have had a hard time too.”

With those words, Geumjeongjossegi lifted Serista’s legs, who was sleeping in his arms, with one arm and placed them in his arms.

“Cerista, I’ll let you rest. I know where the room is.”

“… Do that.”

“Ril… Miss Rosewood, please relax your expression. Since the princess is safe, you don’t need to make that expression anymore.”

“… Yes. Thank you for your words, warrior.”

… Maybe that guy knows why I have such a troubled expression. For one thing, he probably knows that there is no route in the original where Mezlen dies.

My complicated thoughts still haven’t been resolved, but at least my heartbeat has decreased significantly. At least I won’t have to see Princess Mezlen lose her life because of my fault.

-Knock knock.

“Are you still waiting?”

“How was the blood transfusion?”

“It wasn’t much. After doing it once, my body just felt a little sore. Since he said I’d probably have to do it a few more times, I guess I’ll have to stay in the room next to Mezlen’s for a while.”

“Are you okay? The new semester starts in two days… .”

“I guess I’ll take the first two weeks off and make up for it at the end of the semester. My class schedule isn’t your concern, Lilith.”

“… Oh, sorry, sorry.”

“… … .”

I felt like it was my fault that Harold had to be reinforced, so I became overly interested. In the first place, Harold didn’t even know why I was obsessed with Princess Mezlen’s life… .

“You. Judging from your reaction, it seems like you know why Mezlen student became like that.”

“… … Yes?”

“Did you lead the kidnapping of the Mezlen students? Or did you cooperate with the perpetrator?”

“… … ?!”

-Twist, twitch.

“That’s not true! I, I was hoping that Princess Mezlen would be safe!”

“… Despite all that, she looks at me with a strangely guilty look. She was crying in front of Mezlen earlier, as if she had done something wrong.”

“… Oh, no. That, that’s… .”

Harold glared at me with a suspicious look as if he knew all my feelings.

His gaze, which seemed as if he would pull out his sword at the slightest movement, made me freeze like a frog in front of a snake.

“Stop it, Father.”

“… … .”

“… Master Ethan?”

“Up until a moment ago, Lilith was praying for Princess Mezlen’s recovery more than anyone else. Are you suspecting that Lilith might be related to the culprit who kidnapped the princess, Father?”

Harold started to look at me with suspicion at my awkward attitude, and Ethan stood between us.

While I was hesitating, not knowing how to react, Ethan stood in front of Harold and began to defend me.

“The one who was most active in the kidnapping of Princess Mezlen was definitely Lilith. It was Lilith who first found the place where the princess was kidnapped, who carried Princess Mezlen’s body from the underground and brought it here, and who shouted all the way to find Princess Mezlen’s blood type. I was so worried that I waited here for two hours until the princess’s treatment was finished. ”

“… I also heard the general story from the Serista student while using the blood transfusion magic. However, no matter how I look at it, the guilty feeling in your eyes doesn’t disappear, so I asked. ”

“Are you doubting Lilith just by looking at her? It’s been almost ten years since Lilith started working as a maid in the Blackwood household… .”

“Look me in the eye and answer honestly. Are you the one who kidnapped the Mezlen student?”

“Father!!”

“… … No.”

“If so, have you ever helped in a kidnapping or helped anyone associated with the kidnapper?”

“… … No.”

“… Do you want Mezlen student to wake up safely, or do you want him to never open his eyes again?”

“… … I hope you are safe.”

“… … .”

“Even if I have to die in your place.”

“Stop it now, Father!!”

“… … .”

Harold looks at me without saying a word, regardless of whether Ethan gets angry at my remark or not.

After staring intently into my eyes for a while, he quietly turned his back on me and muttered a word of warning.

“If you haven’t committed a crime, just keep your usual confident look in your eyes. Don’t make a criminal-like expression that doesn’t suit you.”

“… Yes, Professor Harold.”

“… I apologize for doubting you for even a moment. I’m sorry.”

“… No, Professor Harold.”

Harold left quietly with his last words, but I was still frozen in my seat, unable to let go of my pent-up emotions.