Chapter 15 : Beauty

“It’s an unfamiliar ceiling…”

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling.

A ringing sound briefly echoed in my ears before disappearing. I felt dizzy.

As my mind cleared, I recalled the fight disguised as a sparring match from earlier.

‘Ah.’

What have I done?

A person with a mental age of over thirty got provoked and spectacularly set things on fire.

My words and actions were completely those of a little kid.

Was that level of fighting for real? My chest felt embarrassingly grand.

‘I should have just died.’

Unfortunately, the human body was much more resilient than I thought.

My face flushed with shame.

However, self-loathing was an even stronger emotion.

‘…I shouldn’t have done this.’

Amiter was definitely an extraordinary powerhouse.

It was strange that I hadn’t heard her name in the original story.

But to struggle so much in a mere fight like this.

I felt uneasy. I feared my future, which was destined to be a gruesome death.

I chewed on my lip before stopping and looking around.

‘Where is this…?’

I didn’t know for sure, but since I was injured and brought here, it must be a place like the infirmary.

The walls, bed, and blanket were all white, which further solidified my belief.

“Ugh, huh.”

I tried to sit up, but my right arm was too painful.

It seemed to be broken.

“Oh? You shouldn’t move yet.”

Someone rushed to my side as I groaned while holding my arm.

“Where is this?”

“It’s the infirmary. The infirmary’s inpatient ward.”

Bingo. Then that person must be the school nurse.

With that conviction I looked to my side, Professor Heitz was there.

“Ugh.”

“…Why are you reacting like that when you see me?”

“It’s nothing.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it was because the male professor was wearing a medical apron.

Although ten years had passed since I became a woman, I still couldn’t like men.

I’d rather like women.

That’s why I had rejected all the marriage proposals and meetings from noble families, causing a lot of trouble for my family.

“Don’t worry. As a swordsmanship professor, I know a thing or two about medicine.”

“…Isn’t there a healer?”

I ignored his words and looked for a healer.

After all, a professional would be a hundred times better.

Academies like this usually had resident professional healers or clerics.

Of course, healers weren’t omnipotent in this world.

They healed wounds using divine power, but unlike the name ‘miracle’ suggests, their abilities weren’t that impressive.

Although it couldn’t compare to modern medical technology, it wasn’t like they could immediately regrow flesh or regenerate lost limbs.

It’s definitely not because I watched it so often when I was young that I know so much about it.

“They have other business today, apparently. Tch.”

Heitz forced me back down as I leaned against the headboard.

Lying down made me feel more comfortable than before.

…Awkward.

It was incredibly awkward to think that someone was watching me.

Should I gently close my eyes?

“You were amazing.”

He said as I was about to slowly close my eyes.

He pulled up a chair and sat on my left side.

“Your mana control, purity, and skill flexibility all far surpassed the level of your peers. Even in the kingdom where I used to serve, I haven’t

seen anyone as skilled as Miss Treah.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I turned away from him at his compliment.

I didn’t want to show him the smile that was naturally creeping onto my face.

I couldn’t even suppress the snicker that escaped.

Ugh, turning to the right made my broken right arm hurt a lot.

“Yes, you really have amazing skills.”

“Well, it’s nothing much.”

I desperately tried to maintain a neutral expression.

If I grinned here, I would definitely look like an idiot.

I heard the ticking of an old-fashioned clock.

The silence continued, but the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed than before.

In that silence, he suddenly brought up something completely unexpected.

“Do you have any urgent business?”

“Pardon…?”

“Hmm, how should I put it…”

Heitz stroked his chin, pondering what to say.

It was funny to see him, still in his thirties, imitating an old man.

“When I look at Miss Treah, I get the feeling that she’s somewhat impatient.”

“…Impatient, you say?”

Impatience.

That was a word I had never heard when I was alone.

I briefly replayed the battle from earlier in my mind.

I definitely could have fought better.

What if I hadn’t given her space from the beginning?

What if I had focused my mana on my eyes to pinpoint her location?

What if I hadn’t taunted her?

Looking back on my fight, there were definitely many things I could have improved.

“I was definitely impatient. It’s because I lack practical experience. Thank you for the advice.”

“No, the impatience I’m talking about is a bit different. It’s more like Miss Treah is always being chased by something. She always seems

tense and rigid.”

“When have you watched me for so long?”

I chuckled softly.

I had only known Professor Heitz for a week at most.

“There are things you can see even if you haven’t seen someone for long.”

He said again with a serious face.

He was definitely a genius in swordsmanship.

Enough to earn a position as an academy swordsmanship professor in his early thirties.

His insight would be better than mine.

“Impatient, huh.”

I had certainly been running non-stop for the past 10 years.

If I didn’t push this talentless body so hard, I would quickly fall behind.

It had been 10 years in terms of time, but if I included the time I had lived with accelerated mental processing, I had been running for more

than twice that long.

“Relaxing and resting are also part of training.”

“…Thank you for the advice.”

“And making friends is also a good way to do that.”

Heitz got up and pulled the curtain next to him with a swish.

Beyond it… Amiter, collapsed, was lying on a bed.

No, why was that kid here?

“Eek?”

“Well, good luck.”

“Wait, close that curtain again… Hey! Professor! Hey!”

That damn swordsman left me and Amiter in the infirmary and left.

The already cramped space felt even more suffocatingly small.

The air was very, very, seriously stuffy.

“Crap…”

It’s embarrassing to see each other’s faces right after a fight.

Fortunately, she had her eyes closed, as if she was sleeping.

Amiter’s appearance was surprisingly less injured than I expected.

She must have recovered in the meantime. That damn beastman.

Looking at her like this, she had a pretty decent face.

Her skin was very white, unlike a wolf’s.

In fact, if you took away the wolf ears and tail on her head, she could pass for a human.

“Never seen a beastman before?”

Sh*t, you scared me!

A voice came from her mouth when I thought she was asleep.

It was the same thing she said when I first saw her.

“You weren’t sleeping?”

Blinker, blinker!

My heart sank, but fortunately, I didn’t react much outwardly.

My voice was as cold and low as usual.

Amiter still only moved her lips as she spoke.

“Beastmen have very good hearing. I woke up because it was too noisy.”

“…When did you wake up?”

“From the beginning. I heard everything, including you idiotically grinning.”

No, you heard that?

I tried to deny it, but that seemed really pathetic, so I stopped.

When I didn’t say anything, the room became quiet again.

“To have lost to me.”

This time, it was my turn to retaliate.

The thought that it was childish welled up from deep inside me, but I tried to ignore it.

A rematch? Let her try. Now that I had figured out her patterns, I could win a hundred out of a hundred times if we fought again.

“You lost.”

…If you admit it so easily, I’ll look pathetic.

What the h*ll am I doing at my age?

Amiter slowly opened her eyes.

Her bright yellow eyes gleamed in the darkened infirmary.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

I looked at the ceiling and scoffed softly.

There was no answer. I guess that meant it hurt?

Even though beastmen recovered quickly, her injuries seemed pretty severe.

Unlike me, who had only broken an arm at most, she had been hit from the beginning to the end of the fight.

I was really glad I chose to be a mage.

Amiter’s mouth opened again.

But the words that came out were completely unexpected.

“I’m sorry.”

I heard a small, mumbling voice.

“What did you say?”

Again, there was no answer.

I glared at her and called out to her several times, but she closed her mouth and pretended to sleep.

That damn b*stard had a style of only saying what she wanted to say.

“B*stard…”

I felt uncomfortable too.

Even though she had started the fight, I had said some harsh things in response.

It wasn’t my style to only receive things. Even if it was an apology.

“Me too.”

I’m sorry.

I whispered so softly that no one could hear me.

After all, that kid had good hearing, so she would have understood.

Shame, regret, and resentment made my heart beat a little faster.

Could she even hear this sound?

I felt the atmosphere had eased a little.

The infirmary with the windows covered was so dark that it was perfect for falling asleep.

The surroundings were so quiet that I could barely hear the soft breathing sounds.

There was an old saying that friends become closer through fighting, so since we had fought so much, wouldn’t we be able to become friends

faster?

I turned my head in the direction of her.

“Hey.”

As expected, she didn’t move at all and didn’t even respond.

I didn’t care and continued to speak.

“Can I touch your tail just once?”

“…Get lost.”

A cold answer came back, but I didn’t expect much, so I quickly turned back.

I was weak, so not only my arm but my whole body ached.

Maybe it was because my body was in pain, but I quickly fell asleep.

Together with the person who had knocked me out.