episode_0015

While Cain and other cadets were engaged in practical skills sparring, Cecil remained in the dormitory as always.

She was always observing Cain, but there was no need to do so during regular academy hours.

It would have been difficult for him to do anything during the lecture.

So, whenever she had free time like this, Cecil was busy playing with her pen.

This is one of the few, very precious routines in her day.

Cecil was in the midst of writing a letter to deliver to her younger brother.

It’s already been half a year since my younger brother lost consciousness.

Even at this very moment, she was dying little by little.

‘sister… ‘

“… … .”

I remember her crying and struggling to call me.

At the time, it felt like my heart was breaking just by itself, but now I felt like I was going crazy because I missed even that.

I still have memories of happy days with her in my mind…

Cecil felt so sick and scared that she might never be able to recreate him again.

Still, she writes letters.

It’s a very low probability, but if a miracle really happens, I really wanted to tell this to my younger brother, who might open his eyes again.

He says he cares for you this much. The fact that I love you this much.

―――Too-duk!

“… … .”

But maybe the weather wasn’t good?

Today there was one distraction that broke her concentration.

The sound of tapping on the glass window, which wasn’t particularly nice to hear, began to reach her ears.

Could it be raining suddenly?

The weather was so nice this morning, but maybe the sky was acting capricious for the first time in a long time.

―――Too-duk! Fight!

I just tried to ignore it, but little by little the sound got louder and the frequency also increased.

I couldn’t do it.

She put down her pen with a sigh and turned her head to confirm the identity of the intruder.

“… Nyang.”

It was a cat.

For some reason, the cat that Cain had brought was tapping the window with its front paws.

‘Is there a bird outside?’

I looked out the window to see what caught the cat’s attention, but there was nothing there.

What comes into Cecil’s field of vision is the peaceful campus he has always seen. That was it.

―――Chollarak!

I just closed the curtains. I don’t know what was there, but I didn’t really want to know.

If you can’t see outside, won’t your cat lose interest?

―――Too-duk! Fight!

“Nya!!”

But the cat didn’t know how to stop.

Her front paws hit the glass even more violently, and she even cried out earnestly, as if she were a tragic heroine.

“Why on earth are you doing that?”

“Nya, nya!!”

Cecil had no choice but to pick up the cat.

However, even in her arms, the cat never stopped crying, and its two front paws waved endlessly in the air.

Because of his struggles, Cecil almost dropped him.

His legs were sore and he was almost like a cub, but his strength was beyond imagination because of how desperate he was.

‘There’s nothing in particular… ‘

Cecil had no choice but to check outside again.

But once again, only a peaceful sight caught her eye, and there was nothing special about it.

“Nya, nya!!”

The cat’s glow still doesn’t stop. Rather, it seems that the intensity is gradually increasing.

“… … .”

Cecil then turned on the observation eye.

I had to find a reason.

Otherwise, it seemed like this struggle would never stop.

Cecil slowly looked around, expanding her range little by little.

“That… ”

An object caught her eye that was difficult to ignore.

**

“… … .”

When I opened my eyes, a familiar sight greeted me.

As I looked around, I naturally realized that I was lying on a bed in my dorm room.

Was it just a dream?

It was too vivid for that to be true.

The miserable expression that idiot had drawn was still firmly etched in my mind.

I needed to check. The target was my magic core.

I gathered my mind, raised my senses, and began to focus solely on the magic core.

“… … .”

decreased.

To be precise, it has decreased. The amount of magical power I had.

This made it clear.

Sparring with an idiot wasn’t just a dream, it was reality.

Then why on earth am I here?

No matter how much I remember, the last time I passed out was in the sink.

Could it be that an Academy official took pity on me and brought me there?

‘That’s crazy.’

If they had found me, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they had just thrown me into the mountains.

The one that seems to have the least chance is Cecil.

However, she was nowhere to be seen in the room. Even though it was very late at night.

Maybe he went out for a walk?

There was no way for me to know her location anyway. There was no need for her to worry about me.

What is more important than that is my current state.

“After… .”

I pulled out a thin thread of magic power from the magic core and wrapped it around my entire body.

It is a method of using magical power to check whether there are any problems with the body.

After sweating profusely and examining it carefully, I found that there was nothing wrong with my body.

It really is for the body. The problem lay elsewhere.

‘It’s gotten bigger… .’

The place where something strange was discovered was none other than the magic core.

This does not mean that the crack has grown larger or that additional broken parts have occurred.

What grew in size was another entity nestled within my core.

The existence that dwelled within me that very day.

I had a guess as to its identity, but I wasn’t sure.

I’ve tried many times to figure it out using magic.

However, that strange being violently pushed away my magic power.

No matter how much magic power was poured into it, it resisted strongly.

Even water and oil, which are so close to each other, even touch… The being was rejecting my contact with it itself.

Nevertheless, there have been no problems so far.

Just like I did, the guy stayed still, as if dead, and there was no change in his appearance.

But really suddenly, he started to change.

There was one reason that could be inferred.

‘Serious level of magical exhaustion… .’

After the sparring, my magic core was empty, and I guess he took advantage of that gap to start working.

No matter how much I thought about it, that was all there was to it.

―――Quick

As I continued to think about its existence, the door opened.

The identity of the guest is Cecil.

She, still without any emotions on her face, quietly entered the room.

“You’re awake. I thought that maybe he would never be able to wake up again.”

“Cecil… .”

“… … .”

“Did you bring me here?”

“… … .”

There was no answer to the question.

But no matter how I look at it, I think she’s right. My intuition was pointing to her.

“Ha… .”

As I stare at her in silence, a long sigh comes out of her.

And before long, the answer I wanted came out of her mouth.

“That’s right. I brought you with me.”

“… … .”

“It was really hard to see. You’re lying on the floor, bleeding profusely… I thought I had fainted after being hit in the face with a rock.”

“Haha… Because I used up too much magical energy.”

“Is that so? That’s truly unfortunate.”

It was a sarcastic tone toward me, but I didn’t feel particularly bad.

For some reason, I don’t think that’s what she really means… I had that strong feeling.

“Please be careful next time. I’m also human, so I don’t want to waste my energy on useless things.”

I felt the same way again.

All I hear from her is that she will help me next time too.

“Okay, I will do that. Because I can’t bother you again.”

“… … .”

“You know, Cecil.”

“… … .”

“Thank you. Sincerely.”

It wasn’t exactly an affectation, it was something he said from the bottom of his heart.

It was entirely thanks to her that I was able to come this far alive.

Cecil will definitely hate me.

She also didn’t trust me, so from her perspective, I was still the person who touched the taboo.

I also resented her a lot… Now I think I’ll try to hate it a little less.

It was like that until now, and it was going to cause a lot of trouble to her in the future.

“… … .”

She turned away from me.

I guess he didn’t want to face me anymore.

My relationship with her will never go back to what it was before. But I think it’s enough for now.

**

“Thank you. Sincerely.”

After hearing those words, Cecil turned around without realizing it.

I don’t know why.

Maybe she didn’t want to show him her face right now. I couldn’t even guess what kind of expression I was making.

What was his intention in saying that?

One thing is for sure, it caused her quite a lot of confusion.

Something was starting to boil like crazy inside her.

What on earth could it be?

pleasure? sadness? anger?

I don’t know either.

She couldn’t figure out anything at first, and because of that, she had to spend the night with her eyes wide open.