Chapter 104

Ｒ​ｅａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅ​ａ​ｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

“…I have no excuse.”

Kaen fidgeted with her fingers, her face sullen.

Her posture, with her shoulders hunched and her head bowed, made her look like a child waiting for a scolding.

In truth, Kaen felt exactly that way.

She lacked the courage to face her seniors.

In the end, they had let the girl with the red fox mask escape.

They had tried to pursue her, but whether she had soared into the sky or disappeared into the ground, there was no trace left behind.

“It’s all my fault…”

Kaen believed that she was the decisive reason Astaroth had been able to escape. If she hadn’t fallen for such a shallow trick, this unfortunate outcome wouldn’t have happened.

Not just once.

This was the second time Kaen had made a similar mistake.

The first time, when Astaroth had shot an arrow into the sky, Kaen had pulled back out of fear instead of seizing the opportunity to stop her. It was a mistake. If she had charged forward without hesitation, the situation might have been different. At the very least, they wouldn’t have lost her so embarrassingly.

Her judgment had been flawed. She had missed an opportunity despite having it within her grasp.

Not just once, but twice, she had been outwitted by the enemy’s schemes.

Rather than being helpful, she had only been a hindrance.

Kaen closed her eyes tightly, waiting for her seniors’ reproach.

“…Huff.”

Kallad sighed heavily, as if reprimanding her.

Kaen flinched at the sound.

“I told you, didn’t I? You’re a captain now.”

However, what followed was different from what Kaen had expected.

“It’s been several months since your promotion. You should be used to it by now. Don’t bow your head so easily. Especially not to other captains. Do you still think of yourself as the vice-captain of the 1st Division?”

The relationship between the captains was a horizontal one, with no one holding a superior position.

The only exception was the Grand Commander, who oversaw all the captains.

There was no reason for the 7th Division captain to bow to the 2nd or 3rd Division captains.

“It’s also your role to consider the feelings of the 7th Division members. If their captain consistently adopts a submissive stance toward other captains, it will hurt their pride. If you are the captain of the 7th Division, you should never speak weakly, no matter who the opponent is.”

“But this time, it was my fault…….”

“It’s not just your fault. It’s our fault.”

The fact that they had let Astaroth escape wasn’t solely Kaen’s mistake.

It was a collective failure of everyone present.

It wasn’t the fault of any single person.

“Well, kid. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Isabella said with a forced smile. There was no end to the blame if they went point by point. If her barrier hadn’t collapsed, Astaroth would have been trapped without a chance to escape. If that had happened, they might have easily defeated Astaroth, who would have been weakened after taking Kaen’s full-power attack.

But there’s no point in dwelling on “what ifs” about the past.

Knowing this better than anyone, Isabella changed the subject.

“So, what did you think of her?”

“What do you mean?”

“The masked girl’s abilities. Do you have a sense of them now?”

Despite sending three captains against her, they had failed to capture Astaroth.

Of course, the captains had their own limitations. 

The national park wasn’t built in a desolate, uninhabited area.

Being in the city center, their use of power was restricted, and they had to restrain themselves to avoid causing collateral damage.

There were several opportunities to land effective blows, but they had to be cautious to prevent civilian casualties.

The fundamental reason they had allowed her to escape was closer to an accident caused by their efforts to protect the citizens.

Even so, Astaroth’s abilities far exceeded their expectations.

“…I hate to admit it, but that girl was stronger than us. If it had been just one of us, we would have lost.”

It was an unsettling truth, but denying it wouldn’t change anything, so she accepted it calmly.

Three captains had faced her, yet it wasn’t even an overwhelming victory—it was a draw.

If three other captains had teamed up against one, they could have subdued them, even capturing them alive. But not only had they failed to capture her, they had even let her escape? Even though they had prepared for the worst-case scenario and aimed to kill her?

“This is troubling.”

“It’s a shame the Grand Commander isn’t here.”

“Is there still no contact with the Grand Commander?”

“Yes, communication was cut off before he said he would return soon…”

Astaroth was far more powerful and dangerous than they had anticipated.

Perhaps she had even surpassed the jurisdiction of the captains.

In such a critical situation, the Grand Commander should be personally commanding the Celestial Corps…

“There’s nothing we can do. Since the Grand Commander is absent, we’ll have to hold another captain’s meeting. We need to inform the other captains about this.”

“Agreed. But first, let’s clean up here. The rift won’t close for a while, right?”

“…I’ll take the lead. I’ll make up for my mistake.”

A rift of level 5 or higher.

A highly dangerous battlefield where large numbers of high-level monsters emerge.

But then, lightning flashed.

A blizzard swept in.

Golden light shook the ground.

It was no longer a battle.

It was a one-sided massacre.

◈

I didn’t expect to be back here again.

Lucia’s supernatural ability is super regeneration, right?

The hospital should be the last place she’d ever want to be.

I never dreamed that I’d be readmitted to the same ward so soon!

Last time, it was because of a drug addiction, so I could understand, but this time it feels a bit unfair.

All because my heart was damaged? Come on, she’s making a big deal out of it. What? If your heart is damaged, you die? Lucia doesn’t die!

But I get it.

Super regeneration isn’t a cure-all.

They just want to make sure the regenerated heart is fine with a thorough checkup.

If there’s any problem, it could be serious.

But my super regeneration has no flaws. Ah, aside from the first few times I used it, but that’s besides the point!

Don’t treat it like some mediocre ability.

The “super” in “super regeneration” isn’t just for show.

The damaged heart was perfectly regenerated.

The death energy from the black knight was also purified.

It was a bit of a pity, but……well, I can’t keep that kind of thing in my heart forever, can I?

Otherwise, I’d never be discharged.

“Ugh……I’m so tired…….”

As the tension eased, drowsiness began to set in.

It was only natural, given how much I had pushed myself today.

Super regeneration might restore stamina, but there are limits to everything.

Exhausting my supernatural ability had drained my mental energy.

Being torn apart by Murmur had also taken a significant toll.

Not killing me? What does “half-dead” even mean?

The hole in my heart had also hurt quite a bit.

Today has been an incredibly exhausting day.

It was supposed to be a day for Eugene and Alice, but how did it end up like this?

Of all things, why did Murmur and Astaroth appear?

Should I say it was bad luck, or was it a good thing?

Hmm, I can’t decide. At least we were there to save some people…

By the time the Celestial Corps arrived, our job was done.

We were handed over to the medical team and immediately left the scene.

Based on the information we overheard before leaving the national park, it seemed Astaroth had escaped after being attacked by the captains. The captains were unharmed, and Astaroth had fled…

Well, she probably never intended to win from the start. If she had fought seriously, the captains wouldn’t have come out unscathed.

In the novel, battles between captains and devils were almost always suicidal struggles.

Since both sides were unharmed, it was clear that Astaroth had fought half-heartedly and retreated.

The ‘active time’ penalty was a fatal weakness for devils.

The rift would automatically close after a certain period, eliminating the rift itself.

The problem was the monsters that invaded during that time, but that was the Celestial Corps’ job to handle.

As students, we had done our best.

Let the adults handle the rest, as Ariene said.

The damage probably wouldn’t spread any further.

With a leader present, the situation would be quickly resolved.

Alice (Frey) had no injuries, so she only needed a checkup, but Eugene had to be hospitalized.

There were no critical injuries, but he was covered in wounds.

Besides, he had been injured by the black knight’s demonic sword.

Even though we burned all the death energy, it was natural for him to be hospitalized just in case.

Will Leo be in the same room again this time?

Hehe, it’s like last time all over again.

Anastasia was fine since it was just a clone, and Arin only had minor injuries thanks to her danger sense.

But Leo was different. Unlike last time when only his arm was broken, he was now covered in fractures.

Seeing him wrapped in bandages like a mummy was really…enviable, no, pitiful.

I’m curious about what happened, but I’ll ask him tomorrow.

Today, I’ll go to bed early. Even though the sun hasn’t set yet, I’m going to sleep.

I’m tired. Good kids go to bed early and wake up early.

Lucia is a good child, so she’ll go to bed early.

I pulled the blanket up to my chin and slowly closed my eyes.

Shadows fell on the white ceiling, and darkness filled my vision.

The faint smell of medicine unique to hospitals wafted through the air.

My body felt sluggish, and I realized I had pushed myself too hard.

I didn’t dislike the feeling. It felt good to be so relaxed.

It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a while.

Yes, it was the same tiredness I felt after secretly training in the dormitory.

Hehe, I can sleep comfortably tonight.

All my pent-up frustrations have been resolved, and I feel quite refreshed.

“What, are you already sleeping?”

The door to the ward opened silently, as if it had been well-maintained.

I opened my eyes in surprise. It was a familiar voice.

When I sat up and pushed the blanket aside, I saw dark blue hair enter my vision.

“Alice? I thought you went back to the dormitory?”

Unlike me and Eugene, who were hospitalized, Alice only needed a checkup and went home.

There was no reason for her to be hospitalized or receive treatment since she wasn’t injured.

“I did. I went back, showered, and came again. I was sweating too much and felt uncomfortable.”

“Ah…it’s Frey.”

“Are you disappointed it’s me?”

“Hehe, no. I really like Frey too.”

“…Is that so? You’re quite peculiar.”

Frey closed the door to the ward.

She stood still by the door for a moment, looking at me.

I heard a click.

Huh, she locked the door? Why?

“Hey, Frey. Where’s Alice?”

“She’s inside me. We switched places for a while.”

Frey walked over and plopped down on the visitor’s chair.

Perhaps because it had been a difficult day, Frey looked quite tired.

“I asked her to do me a favor. To give us some time alone together.”

“Huh?”

“So Alice is deep asleep inside me. She won’t wake up unless I give her a shock, like last time.”

Frey said that and firmly closed her mouth.

After a brief silence, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

“That means it’s just you and me here.”

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
You’re not imagining anything strange are you? It’s just two people…

This novel is rated r-15…

I know.

In fact, everyone hates r-19!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Avoiding the obvious ‘heh.’ in the room here, if you think about it, Lucia just debunked the argument about most supernatural abilities being on par with each other by existing with super regeneration, heh.