Chapter 263

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The smell of disinfectant, unique to the infirmary, mixed with a metallic tang.

Frey looked down with trembling eyes.

Her uniform, drenched in blood, was a mess.

The dark red blood staining her palms made Frey feel as if her mind was slipping.

Lucia had collapsed, losing consciousness.

Suddenly, she vomited bright red blood and fell like a marionette with its strings cut.

Frey, who had frantically caught Lucia as she slumped, trembled as she held her.

What’s going on? All of a sudden?

What’s happening?

Lucia collapsed? Vomiting blood?

Lucia, of all people? Why? How?

Her Supernatural Ability is “Super Regeneration”.

She’s a Supernatural with an extreme level of regenerative power.

Frey had witnessed Lucia’s regeneration countless times. Even when her neck was severed, her heart pierced by a demonic sword, or even when her upper and lower body were torn apart, she regenerated without issue. That’s why this made even less sense. Damage that surpassed Lucia’s regeneration? Enough to knock her unconscious?

Could it be… an attack?

Did someone attack Lucia?

But if that were the case, Frey would’ve noticed.

No matter how shaken she was, she wasn’t so distracted that she’d miss an attack strong enough to knock Lucia out.

Though she didn’t have Arin’s Danger Sense, the intuition of one close to god could mimic foresight. In fact, Frey had sensed something was off even before Lucia vomited blood. There had been no external attack. Frey could confidently say that.

If it were someone strong enough to deceive even her, that would be a different story, but only the Captains could pull that off.

What reason would a Captain-level figure have to ambush an academy student?

“Lu, Lucia…”

Frey stared at Lucia with a blank expression.

What should I do in a situation like this? If it were Lucia, she’d recover from any injury with her Supernatural Ability, but without knowing the cause, Frey couldn’t be sure.

One thing was certain: she couldn’t leave her like this.

As Frey frantically tried to think of what to do, Alice, who had gone through a similar thought process, made a decision first.

“Frey, let’s lay Lucia down on a bed.”

A soft mattress would be much better than the cold, hard floor. Fortunately, they were in the infirmary. Given the nature of the academy, injuries were common. There were plenty of beds prepared for patients.

Frey nodded at Alice’s suggestion.

First, lay Lucia down, then go get someone who can help.

The academy’s health teacher should be able to provide proper first aid.

“…If you just lay her down, her airway might get blocked.”

But before Frey could lay Lucia on the bed, a low voice spoke up. Frey’s gaze followed the sound. A girl with messy purple hair was looking at them with a gloomy expression. It was Regina, the problem child of Class D.

“When did you wake up…”

“This isn’t the time to worry about that.”

Regina’s voice was hoarse, as if forced out. Her complexion was extremely pale. She looked just as bad as Lucia, who had collapsed after vomiting blood.

“She vomited blood. Make sure there’s nothing left in her airway… ugh.”

She tried to sit up from the bed, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. She almost fell over. Regina grimaced. Was it anemia? She wasn’t the one who had lost blood. The familiar metallic smell tickled her nose, making her nauseous.

“If it’s Lucia’s Super Regeneration… it shouldn’t be a problem even if she can’t breathe for a bit, but it’s still better to be careful, right?”

Frey responded to Regina’s remark with action. She wasn’t wrong. Frey had heard that people often died from airway obstruction after vomiting. If any foreign material remained in the airway, it could block breathing. She must’ve been really panicked. How could she forget such basic knowledge?

Frey held Lucia from behind and clenched her fist. She pressed her fist against Lucia’s abdomen and pulled upward with force. After a few repetitions, a small amount of blood trickled from Lucia’s lips. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to block her airway.

Once she confirmed Lucia’s safety, Frey lifted her and carefully laid her on the bed. She grabbed an extra pillow from the neighboring bed and propped up Lucia’s neck and head. This way, even if she vomited blood again, her airway wouldn’t be blocked.

“I’ll stay by Lucia’s side, so you go get the health…”

Frey’s words trailed off as she glared at Regina. The Class D kids were all suspicious. Frey still hadn’t let go of her suspicions about Regina. She hadn’t forgotten the incident where Regina and another Class D problem child had come to hypnotize her. She couldn’t leave Lucia alone with someone like that.

But seeing Regina’s dark circles, pale complexion, and gaunt face… she couldn’t bring herself to tell her to go get the health teacher. Regina looked like she needed to lie down next to Lucia herself.

“I’ll go get the health teacher. You stay by Lucia’s side. You can do that much, right?”

“…Fine.”

Frey hesitated for a moment, but the situation was urgent.

After hearing Regina’s answer, Frey immediately rushed out of the infirmary.

The hinges creaked as if they might break, but Frey didn’t even glance back.

The sound of her footsteps quickly faded. Regina stared blankly at the half-broken door. She must’ve used so much force that the door was partially destroyed. Regina let out a hollow laugh.

For a moment, she had completely lost track of Frey’s movements. She was already strong, but how much stronger had she become now?

“Lucia.”

Left alone, Regina quietly spoke her name. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her. She didn’t have the courage to face Lucia’s blood-stained face. The image still haunted her whenever she closed her eyes. To face that sight again in reality… it was beyond cruel.

“Sigh.”

Her sigh was heavy. Regina tugged at her hair and forced herself to turn her head. She looked at Lucia, who was lying unconscious. The area around her mouth was a mess of bloodstains. A terrible headache stabbed at her temples. It felt like a nail was being driven into her skull.

Regina grabbed some wet wipes from the health teacher’s desk. She tried to wipe away the blood, but it wasn’t as easy as she thought. Her clumsy attempts only smeared the bloodstains further.

She threw away the wipes once they turned dark red and grabbed new ones to clean Lucia’s face. As she repeated the process, Regina twisted her lips. Words swirled in her mouth, rising to her throat.

“…Is it true?”

She barely managed to utter a word.

Of course, there was no answer.

She had expected that, but Regina couldn’t help but ask.

“Was what that brat said… true?”

Why were you awake?

If only I had stayed unconscious.

Then I wouldn’t have heard.

I could’ve remained ignorant.

No, I could’ve pretended not to know.

I could’ve turned a blind eye.

“You… tried to die…?”

Even as she asked, Regina already knew the answer. Of course. After what happened to you. Wouldn’t it be stranger if you were fine? I’ve been suspicious all along. Your seemingly fine appearance was all a facade. Your insides must’ve been rotting away. You were wearing a mask of smiles.

“…”

I knew.

I knew, but I had secretly hoped.

That my suspicions were just that—suspicions—and that the reality was completely different.

That Lucia wasn’t pretending to be fine but was actually fine.

That I had been overthinking things out of guilt.

That this foolish, kind girl was much stronger and more amazing than she thought, and that she had endured the horrific and cruel hell without a problem.

That if she ever confessed the truth, Lucia might be a little surprised but would forgive her with a smile.

She had hoped for that. Even she thought it was a truly pathetic delusion, enough to make her heart burst. She felt so ashamed and self-loathing that she thought her eyes might pop out. Yet, there was still a glimmer of hope. A wish. A dream. That her stupid, selfish dream wouldn’t end as just a fantasy. Please. Let it come true.

“Ha…”

Dreams are just dreams.

Fantasies are nothing more than sweet dreams.

This is reality.

The obvious reality.

The reality she had desperately wanted to ignore.

“…I’m…”

I’m sorry.

She couldn’t say it. Regina bit her lip. She couldn’t say it. What right did she have to apologize? What would change by apologizing to someone who wasn’t even conscious? It would only make her feel a little better. She’d just be comforting herself by saying she apologized. In the end, nothing would change.

“…Sorry…”

Even so, if she wanted to say it, was that selfish?

Regina felt her eyes growing hot. Her throat trembled. Her vision blurred. Even just a little. Even a speck would be fine. She wanted to ease this unbearable guilt. She wanted to shake it off, even just a little. Even if nothing changed, she wanted to satisfy herself.

“…”

But before Regina could finish her apology.

Lucia’s tightly closed lips twitched.

“Lucia?”

Regina flinched. Had she regained consciousness? Did she hear what I said? Panicked, Regina examined Lucia. Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. Lucia’s eyes were still closed. She was tossing and turning, but it was more like sleep-talking. Just as Regina sighed in relief, a faint voice reached her ears.

“…No.”

Her hand fumbled across the mattress.

As if searching for something, it gradually moved upward.

The destination it reached was her own neck.

“Stop… please… no more…”

Lucia began to strangle herself.

No, that motion.

It was more like she was struggling to stop something from strangling her.

“I… I was wrong… please…”

At the girl’s sobs.

Regina couldn’t say anything.

She couldn’t respond at all.

“…”

Truly.

Nothing at all.

She couldn’t do anything.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia shot the small ball.

Belial caught it and started rolling it.

It was truly a combined attack of the two!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Everyone loves Regina so much!

This is why I like this novel, heh.

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