Chapter 57 – Resolution and…

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Editor’s Note

Edited

‘It hurts….’

There was a pain like my whole body was burning up. But I thought I could endure that itself.

I was used to withstanding heat since childhood.

Whether it was internal heat or external heat.

When she was young, she had asked her mother.

‘Do I have a special talent?’

Her mother replied with a somewhat bitter face that perhaps she did.

It was an unsatisfying answer, but she felt her heart swell.

What child wouldn’t like being told they were special?

And so she, Aikatherin Scarlet, grew into a bundle of pride alongside a small doubt.

Under her mother’s strange neglect that wasn’t quite neglect, Aikatherin reached the age to enter the Academy.

Through her mother’s persuasion… no, unilateral notification, she went to the Academy.

Nominally, Aikatherin was heading to the Academy to hone her abilities.

But she saw it.

The smiling face of the woman who was sending her away.

It might have been a smile of pride for her going to the Academy.

But Aikatherin could instinctively tell.

It was.

A face that seemed relieved, as if glad to be rid of her.

While she was dazed, the departing carriage rushed tirelessly toward the Academy.

Blankly reflecting on her childhood, she suddenly realized that her mother had been avoiding her for some reason.

Thus pushed into the Academy, Aikatherin gradually lost confidence as she compared herself—who couldn’t control her abilities well—with others who handled everything with ease.

The plan to accomplish things impressively and return proudly to her mother seemed forever distant.

But since she hadn’t yielded to others, her relationships with fellow students weren’t particularly good, even at the beginning of the term.

Contradictions¹ piled up.

And eventually they coalesced.

Thump, thump.

Boom boom.

Aikatherin felt her heart pounding as if someone was squeezing it, draining her energy, and thought.

Perhaps I don’t have anything special after all.

Boom, boom.

As her heart beat violently, the energy already rapidly escaping began to run wild. Her body grew hotter.

Feeling this, Aikatherin was certain.

If she had special talent, she would be able to control it on her own.

…Instead of coming all the way to the Academy.

Was that why Mom… Mother had that expression? Because she could get rid of something useless?

Is that it?

Her heart ached as if it would burst, and her body grew increasingly hot, but Aikatherin’s mind was rather calm. Or rather, pretending to be calm.

In this situation where she could clearly feel something leaking from her heart.

She could clearly feel her life fading away.

Maybe it would be better to just die like this….

At the moment when Aikatherin’s will to live was growing dim.

She trembled at the soft touch at her head.

She couldn’t remember when she had last felt someone else’s skin against hers, so it was a bit… unfamiliar.

But she felt a cool yet warm and soft touch.

What could it be?

No, who could it be…?

I don’t know.

Why would that matter now anyway?

However, the situation began to change moment by moment.

This time, she felt a smooth hand come up over her chest.

Then.

A refreshing energy she had never felt before began to envelop her entire body.

‘…?’

The energy flowing into her chest spread throughout her body and suppressed the energy that had been heating her body.

“Hauk….”

Eventually, the energy that had leaked from her heart and spread indiscriminately began to be gathered back into her heart.

It seemed the unknown person was trying to save her.

Why would they do such a thing?

I don’t know.

How could I know when I couldn’t even understand the heart of my mother who had been with me for quite a long time?

As the swirling energy was gathered into her heart, Aikatherin felt her eyelids, which had been stuck together, slowly opening.

Who is it…?

In her half-opened eyes.

‘…Breasts?’

She saw large breasts.

With that, all her energy gathered, and she lost consciousness.

Just before fainting, breasts floated in her mind.

*

*

*

*

“Is it over?”

– For now, yes.

“That’s a relief.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but El’s energy flowing through some part of me entered the red-haired student’s body.

Then, a water pillar rose from where the flames had been burning and began to gather around me.

Fire and water rushed toward me.

…Honestly, it was a bit scary. To the point where I wondered how many people could remain calm in this situation.

But I could feel El’s majesty.

The fierce flames that had been burning the forest subsided in an instant, and the pale face of the student, which had been full of agony, began to show signs of life.

As a modern person, I couldn’t exactly understand what was happening.

…But I deeply knew it wasn’t an ordinary matter.

Among these things, was my role to be a conduit between El and the student?

In a way, it might be an extreme case of ‘doing it for someone else,’ but since it couldn’t even have been attempted without me, aren’t I also amazing?

No, not me, but this body is amazing.

…Is that the same thing?

Anyway.

As the red-haired student’s condition improved, the resolution of the situation progressed very quickly.

As the flames disappeared, I could see Philia and the instructors and professors I had seen at departure approaching me, dripping with sweat.

Since the cause was clear, the resolution itself wasn’t too difficult, but what came after was the problem.

The others praised me, saying it was fortunate I was there, how amazing I was.

But Philia looked at me with quite a disgruntled expression.

After the others left to check on the students, she looked at the red-haired student and then asked me.

“…Is this why you were looking for her? Did you know from the beginning?”

Cold sweat ran down my spine.

Philia looked at me with a very complicated expression. She seemed to reproach me for not preventing it in advance, and perhaps also seemed to suspect me of being somewhat suspicious.

While I was feeling somewhat wronged and hesitating about what to do, I heard giggling in my head.

Along with El’s voice saying she would help a little, a water membrane wrapped around me and Philia.

“…Teacher?”

“Uh, that… I-I didn’t do this.”

“What on earth are you talking about? Would you explain properly?”

Why are you suddenly doing this without saying anything?

– Contractor. Repeat exactly what I say.

There doesn’t seem to be any other choice.

Gulping, I looked at the confused-looking Philia and waited for El’s voice.

– The fact is, there was a prophecy from the Spirit Queen.

“Um, there was a prophecy from the Spirit Queen.”

“…What?”

– I’ve done this much, so you should be able to handle it now? Hmm… well then, I’ll rest now because I’m tired. I look forward to the price I’ll receive when we return.

This is… the end?

At that moment, I felt a refreshing energy from my forehead.

As my consciousness focused there, Philia’s gaze also turned to my forehead.

“Huh…?”

Philia’s dumbfounded voice could be heard.

She must have seen something on my forehead.

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and stared blankly at my forehead.

“…T-Teacher, why do you have this on your forehead?”

“Wh-what’s there? I can’t see anything.”

Then she replied in a bewildered voice.

“The Queen’s mark… then it makes sense. If she speaks to you and you have such impossible affinity… no, but why to a human? Why?”

…Somehow, the tone doesn’t sound very good.

Weren’t we in a contract relationship?

– I want to keep my direct presence a secret. It’s just words, but it’s a very honorable mark. And I’ve made it visible temporarily, so there’s no need to worry.

…Well, more than such trivial matters, Philia’s face worried me more.

She was staring at my forehead with a dumbfounded expression, as if she had seen the sky falling.

In her eyes now, there was a kind of bubbling heat that I had never seen before.

To the point where I honestly felt a bit scared.

“Um, President Philia?”

“…Ahem.”

Coming to her senses at my voice, she cleared her throat and then heaved a deep sigh.

“…I understand for now. Let’s talk about the rest… when we get back.”

Speaking in a low voice, she shook her head, entrusted the red-haired student to me, and left.

Not long after she departed, the schedule changed, and the field training, which originally required one more day, was terminated as is.

It was changed to return to the Academy immediately.

I could see Charlotte and Evelyn, who had been at the temporary infirmary, running over with surprised faces.

Responding to their concerned voices, I took care of the red-haired student.

Then they too asked me questions similar to Philia’s.

Questions like whether I knew in advance.

…Since things had already come to this.

“There was a prophecy from the Spirit Queen.”

“…?”

“…”

Evelyn looked at me as if I was saying something stupid, while Charlotte looked at me with a surprised face.

It doesn’t seem to be a universal excuse that works for everyone.

…That aside.

Looking at the red-haired student being carried on a stretcher, I thought.

A half-dragon heart… does that mean she’s not a full dragon? Half? Half-dragon?

Reflecting on the image that comes to mind when thinking of dragons, she didn’t seem like an ordinary person either.

…She doesn’t seem like a character who would be passed over with just a few lines of text in the game.

Somehow, I had a bad feeling.

This feeling of unease, as if I had touched something I couldn’t handle, when I thought I was just saving one person.

But since there was no turning back now.

I returned to the Academy carrying this anxiety.

I laid the still unconscious red-haired student in the infirmary, and sent Michelle, who had come to check out of concern, and the two temporary health committee members back to the dormitory.

…I decided to stay at the infirmary since there was a patient.

There were many beds anyway, and they were quite soft, so there was no particular problem.

However.

In the infirmary where silence had descended after everyone left.

El appeared with a stream of water.

She approached me with a smile in her eyes, looking quite anxious.

Was it a lie when she said she was going to rest?

Then, as if reading my thoughts, El said.

“It can’t be helped with such a contract. I didn’t want to do this either, but… unpleasant things would happen if the price isn’t paid.”

“…Is that so.”

“It is.”

…I never dreamed I would become the informationally disadvantaged party here.

Anyway.

If the Queen says so, what can I do?

I could only hope that the price wasn’t what I was thinking.

Editor’s Note

Time for more snu snu~