Ch.3232. The Weak (1)

In the past, Charlotte Ashlet’s rampage had been foreseen.

A teammate who didn’t act efficiently. Though dissatisfied, she still had to work with them this time.

And the weakest vanguard who picked fights at every turn, to the point of nearly attacking fellow teammates.

This team’s future wasn’t bright in the past either.

Charlotte attempted to mediate once. Simultaneously, she gave a stern warning to all four people. That at this rate, their shared goal of good grades would remain at the bottom.

However, the male vanguard, unable to endure the continued discrimination and tyranny from teammates, eventually became isolated from the team.

Charlotte, too, recognizing the injustice, soon left the team.

Then, did giant Kud Rats appear at that time as well? The answer is yes.

Charlotte and Junon, who were attacked nearby, tried joining forces, but without a neutralizer and without having conserved energy as skillfully as before, they were helplessly pushed back.

They were driven to the brink of becoming food.

How could the two of them easily defeat those giant rats?

Therefore, Charlotte’s rampage occurred in the past as well.

Though the rampage progressed with similar reasons and in the same manner, fortunately, because they had ventured deep into the forest following Junon, there were four more people nearby to suppress her.

Afterward, all members of the Tembris party suppressed the rampaging Charlotte.

That was Charlotte’s past when she joined the Tembris party, and the first memory that came to mind as she accepted Junon’s magical power.

Recalling those alien memories again, Charlotte reflected on herself walking in the distant future of the empire after so much time had passed.

“Why… did I hate you so much back then…”

In her memory, she was weak.

Becoming a beast to replenish her depleted magic, she rampaged and attacked indiscriminately.

She couldn’t even control herself, and after her first rampage, she always had to rely on others to hold onto her sense of self.

That version of herself in her memories, that incredibly weak girl.

Filled with anger, she had told Junon.

That she couldn’t acknowledge him.

That he was too weak and should leave the party.

That the party fell apart because of him.

“Really…”

She had been utterly foolish.

“Why. Why on earth did I say such stupid things…”

How dare she spout such words to a man who could save lives by sacrificing himself for others?

That was why Charlotte lamented her past self.

“That was me, but it’s so foolish. Having learned so much, how could I be so stupid?”

Looking at the senior lying in bed two years her senior, she continued to compare herself to him.

He deflected attacks without wasting energy, conserved his strength as much as possible while minimizing damage.

Despite facing overwhelming differences, he didn’t falter and subdued his opponent.

In the end, he sacrificed himself to save others.

Even though he was in Class E.

Even though unflattering nicknames followed him.

He was far more admirable. Far more impressive and strong. This man was undeniably powerful.

Unlike some fool who couldn’t even properly control herself.

Soon, Charlotte grabbed the patient’s arm with both hands and spoke while looking at his closed eyes.

“Thank you, senior. I’ll come see you again soon.”

For now, she had to explain the circumstances of the rampage and calculate hospital expenses, so she needed to leave briefly.

She hoped he would be awake when she returned to the hospital room.

To properly express her gratitude and apologize to him directly.

She decided not to dwell further on what Junon was like in the past or how he was treated in the Tembris party.

-‘That guy. At first glance, he seems weak because he doesn’t handle flashy magic, but unlike appearances, he’s the strongest one in this party.’

Words about Junon left by a man named Goden who was central to the Tembris party, from a memory that had flowed in.

She could deeply empathize with those words.

If the Tembris party from her memories were to form again now, there would be no one weaker than her when she rampaged.

Because the boy she had once denounced as weak had subdued her more decisively than anyone else.

Slowly, she placed Junon’s hand back on the bed.

Recalling the pleasant sensation of warm magic flowing from his wrist, Charlotte stepped out of Junon’s hospital room.

***

My entire body aches.

It feels like I’ve been beaten fifty times with a club all over my body.

Having to face Charlotte head-on without using my unique magic because I was focused on transferring magical power… it’s no wonder my body is screaming in protest.

It hurts so much I can’t do anything.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a pure white ceiling. Based on experience, this must be a hospital.

Who’s going to help me? I need to get up myself and see what happened.

But my body won’t cooperate at all.

“Junon! You’re finally awake!”

“Ugh…”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. How did you end up so injured…”

I thought Professor Jake might have come to lecture me again, but this voice clearly belongs to a female student.

It’s that female student I’ve been hearing often lately. Silvia was in the hospital room, which I had expected would remain empty.

“Oh, was I disturbing your rest when you were sleeping well…? S-sorry.”

“That’s not it… cough, cough…”

I tried to tell Silvia it wasn’t her fault, but my throat felt as dry as a drought.

I shouldn’t force myself to speak.

“What am I thinking…! I’ll get you water first.”

Silvia brought a cup and poured water without issue, but sadly, I didn’t have the arm strength to hold it.

Seeing this, Silvia pondered what to do.

“…Excuse me for a moment.”

With a face that showed she had made a decision, she stood up from her chair and bent over.

‘Silvia… is she going to…’

She was going to help take care of me, knowing I couldn’t move.

I wanted to say it was fine, but I couldn’t even say that as a white lie. My body wouldn’t move, as if it had turned to stone.

Silvia put one arm behind the pillow, grabbed my opposite shoulder, and with some effort, raised my upper body.

She skillfully propped me up, using the pillow as a backrest, and with her help, I was finally able to take a sip of water that felt like holy water.

“Thanks. I feel a bit better now.”

“No… it’s nothing…”

It might seem trivial, but I was grateful that she came to visit and helped take care of me.

“Anyway, Junon. How did you get so injured…?”

Silvia must have seen the state I was in when I arrived.

She probably means I was reported to the faculty during the semester evaluation test and brought here.

“Well… there was a reason for it.”

Thankfully, Silvia just said “I see” in a slightly dejected voice and moved on without pressing further.

Instead, she reached into her bag and seemed to be searching for something…

Scritch-scratch-

The sound of something being peeled echoed through the hospital room, and naturally, my gaze was drawn to it in the otherwise empty room.

A lusciously ripe apple skin was being thinly peeled, beautifully revealing the bright yellow flesh.

“…An apple?”

“Yes. For you. You haven’t eaten anything, after all.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t we have lunch together less than three hours ago?”

Looking at the clock, it’s 3:46 PM, just 1 hour and 46 minutes since the test started.

I had lunch with Silvia around 12:30 PM.

I didn’t think I’d be hungry… but seeing the apple makes my mouth water. Why?

“I see… you might not know. I didn’t think of that.”

What does she mean by not thinking of that?

Silvia finished peeling the apple beautifully and set the knife aside on the table.

She stuck a fork into a piece of apple neatly arranged on the plate, and holding it out to my mouth, she said:

“You’ve been asleep for two days since you were brought here, not just one day.”

“What…?”

She was saying that two days had already passed at this time showing 3:46 PM.

“Do you have any idea how much weight you’ve lost in just two days?”

Silvia took out a small hand mirror, and only then could I see my condition.

My cheeks were gaunt. Is this a person or a skeleton? Seriously, I look terrible.

Plus, I never thought I’d crave a simple piece of apple so much.

I thought I was weak because I was sick, but it was because I hadn’t eaten anything.

“Here. You can’t move anyway.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll return the favor later.”

“N-no…! What favor… considering what I did to you before, this is nothing…”

“Thank you for the food.”

There’s no need to bring up old stories.

I cut off Silvia’s words in that context.

She then silently fed me the apple pieces cut into bite-sized portions, waiting for me to finish chewing each time before offering the next.

Before I knew it, I had finished one apple, and she was peeling another.

It’s heartwarming to see how skilled she’s become, when at first she couldn’t even handle a knife properly and would cut her hand.

Thanks to that, it was fun teaching Silvia things.

Now, her face seemed capable of expressing various emotions.

The girl who used to be like a doll, always wearing the same expression and repeating the same words, was gone.

She knows how to acknowledge her mistakes and humble herself to others.

Seeing how she accepts someone as unremarkable as me as a friend and even visits me in the hospital, I think she’s really changed for the better.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that…?”

Oops, I must have been staring too intently. That’s rude too.

I hurriedly shifted my gaze toward the apple.

“Nothing. Just watching you peel the apple.”

“I’m still not skilled enough to peel as quickly as you. If you wait a bit, I’ll have it peeled soon.”

“I’m not rushing you. Just… I thought it would be boring if I were alone.”

Silvia’s hands briefly stopped peeling the apple, and she blinked.

It was just for a moment, but she seemed to have something to say yet was too timid to speak up.

I just told her to speak freely if she had something to say.

“Then… can I visit you tomorrow too?”

“I’d be grateful if you did… but is that okay?”

“Of course! I’ll bring something even more delicious tomorrow. For today, please be satisfied with this.”

Silvia showed a bright smile as she carefully wiped the knife with a handkerchief, put it back in its sheath, and tossed it into her bag.

I felt a bit sorry that Silvia had suddenly become my caretaker.

It would be a waste of her time. When I said that, Silvia brushed it off, saying she had nothing else to do anyway.

“This might be a bit hot. Huff- huff-.”

After confirming I had no issues eating the apple, she apparently had saved some money she earned before to buy ingredients and make porridge herself.

Getting a home-cooked meal like this… I really need to properly return the favor next time.

The mealtime, during which I depended on Silvia for nutrition, gradually passed, and then a visitor arrived.

“It seems the meal is finished. May I come in?”

“Professor Muniher…?”

It was Professor Muniher, with Charlotte following behind him.

***

How Junon and Charlotte were discovered.

There was Junon, collapsed and covered in blood, and Charlotte, who looked as if she was drenched in his blood.

The witnesses, Noel and John, testified that after Charlotte suddenly bit into the rats’ hearts, she attacked Junon.

Other witnesses—Goden, Michelle, Senia, and Erika—arrived too late and could only report what they saw.

According to the healer Erika’s report, although it was somewhat strange, Charlotte’s magical power was present in Junon’s wounds.

And Charlotte cleanly admitted to this without offering any excuses.

-‘I don’t know why… but there’s no doubt it was my doing. I’ll accept whatever punishment.’

Professor Muniher had seen many criminals who constantly made excuses.

For a culprit to admit their crime so easily, there must surely be some reason.

There was too little information about what happened at the scene, so he had no choice but to ask the parties involved.

So he made this judgment:

“It’s difficult to punish based on one side’s story alone. So, how about we go talk to him directly?”

“What…? But I might go berserk again…”

“No, I have some idea why you rampaged. It shouldn’t be too much to have a conversation while wearing magic restraints.”

On the condition that he would accompany her.

Professor Muniher allowed the three-way meeting with those words.

They eventually reached his hospital room. But to their surprise, the door was open.

“Um… could we wait a moment before going in…?”

Professor Muniher made a puzzled expression but nodded.

‘Who’s there…?’

Charlotte tensely peeked into the room to see him.

As expected, Junon wasn’t alone in the hospital room.

“Does it taste bad…? It’s my first time cooking… you can spit it out if it’s too bad.”

“No. I’m actually surprised at how well you made it.”

“Really…? Ahaha… that’s a relief.”

It was a female student.

Rather than having a bubbly or energetic image, she seemed more quiet and mature.

Her straight hair, which looked as if it had been let down completely unlike Charlotte’s own aristocratic roll bun, perfectly matched her doll-like appearance.

Though it might not be visible from the front, from behind Charlotte could see her ears were flushed red, suggesting she was quite shy.

But what did it matter?

She herself couldn’t approach Junon so easily.

Fearing she might suddenly change and harm him again. Even with magic restraints on, the anxiety remained the same.

‘Still, it’s fortunate.’

She had been worried that no one would visit him.

At least the person by Junon’s side must be someone who recognized his true worth.

Charlotte felt relieved that this girl—no, Silvia—would be able to help Junon.

She silently thanked Silvia for raising Junon’s immobile body and slowly feeding him easily digestible fruit and food, one bite at a time.

How much time had passed? Professor Muniher lowered his voice and asked Charlotte:

“Hmm, I’m going to go in now. Will you wait longer? You can just listen from outside if you prefer.”

“…”

With Professor Muniher watching from outside the hospital room, Charlotte couldn’t delay any longer.

With magic restraints on and Professor Muniher by her side, this might be the last chance to face Junon. So…

“No. I’ll go in with you.”

Reverting to a child-like state, she allowed herself a little selfishness.