Bonus chapter thanks to '@Zzxx' for subscription to 'Iron Will' tier on Ko-fi.Shatter, Scatter, Hate (4)
*Thump…*
Blood poured from my throat, soaking the floor of the entrance.
In my blurry vision, I could see a black stain spreading across the floor.
My consciousness, which I had been desperately clinging to, began to fade further.My trembling legs gave way, and my body finally collapsed to the ground.
“R-Raiden! Wake up!”
Lorraine, who had been standing outside the door, rushed into the entrance.
Her delicate hands shook my body, which lay sprawled on the floor.
I wanted to answer her call, but all I could manage was a hot breath.
“Ugh… Haah, haah…”
“Goodness… Your body is burning up…”Lorraine touched my forehead and frowned with concern.
She immediately rolled up her sleeves and began to pour divine power into my blood-soaked abdomen.
-Sizzle…
A searing pain, as if my flesh were being burned, shot through my nerves.
It was the golden divine power, burning away the demonic energy that had seeped into my flesh.
“Kuh…!”
“Just bear with it a little longer, Raiden…! I’m removing the rotted parts for now. We’ll go to the infirmary for the rest…”
Lorraine explained as she rose from her spot.
She looked around, seemingly searching for magic mail to contact the infirmary.
‘I can’t go to the infirmary… I’ve already exceeded the sub-quest’s limit on people who know my identity…’
I grabbed Lorraine’s sleeve with trembling fingers.
“Raiden…?”
“No… infirmary… is…”
“What are you talking about! Your wounds…!”
“Not… infirmary… my room… inside…”
I forced the words out, pulling her along.
Her pure white clothes were stained with dirt.
“Please… I beg you…”
As my consciousness faded, I muttered those words.
***
“Please… I beg you…”
With those words, Raiden lost consciousness.
His hand, which had been desperately clinging to her sleeve, fell limply to the floor.
“Raiden?! Raiden!”
Lorraine called his name in a panic, but there was no response.
The only sound in the silent hallway was his faint, shallow breathing as if it might cease at any moment.
“W-What should I do…!?”
Her beautiful golden eyes were filled with confusion.
Lorraine quickly got to her feet, thinking that she had to contact the infirmary.
But just as she was about to move.
-No… infirmary… is…
-Not… infirmary… my room… inside…
The boy’s dying words before he collapsed echoed in her ears.
Lorraine hesitated, unable to ignore the desperate plea that lingered in her mind.
“Why… Why would Raiden say that…?”
Amidst the chaos, the girl felt a wave of dizziness wash over her as she pondered the question.
Why would he refuse to go to the infirmary?
“…Come to think of it, Raiden told me to ‘come alone’ and ‘not tell anyone’ before.”
As if he didn’t want to be seen by anyone else.
As if he had something to hide.
“What in the world…”
Complex thoughts swirled within her, mixing with her urgent concern and causing a dull ache in her head.
With a grimace, Lorraine looked down at Raiden, who lay collapsed on the floor.
His body was bleeding profusely with black blood, slowly dying.
Even in such a dire situation, the boy’s head was pointing towards his room.
As if he had to go there, not to the infirmary.
“…Ugh, fine! I won’t take you there! But don’t blame me if something happens!”
After a moment of hesitation, Lorraine finally lifted the collapsed Raiden into her arms and started walking.
*Click, creak…*
The door creaked ominously behind them.
Lorraine stepped into the darkness.
She gently laid the boy down on the sofa in the middle of the living room.
“Huu… Just lie still for a moment. I’ll see if there’s anything here that can help with the treatment!”
After speaking to the unconscious Raiden, Lorraine began to examine the room.
Her golden eyes darted around, quickly taking note of the location of any useful items.
‘There’s a regeneration potion over there, scrolls over there, clean towels in the bathroom…’
Just then, something white caught her eye.
“Wha…?”
Lying in the corner, stained with blood.
Lorraine stopped in her tracks as she spotted it.
“Why is that… here…?”
It was a mask.
A plain, white mask, soaked in blood.
And it was a very familiar mask.
“That mask… It’s the same one from the invasion…”
Back then, when the monsters had invaded.
The mysterious man who had single-handedly fought off thousands of monsters and protected the rear gate.
This mask was identical to the one he had worn.
“Don’t tell me…?”
Lorraine muttered to herself in disbelief, her gaze fixated on the mask.
The blood-stained mask, revealing the identity of the lone hero.
***
As the Saintess stumbled upon a piece of Raiden’s hidden secret, the Academy was slowly regaining its order.
The Imperial Knights and priests from the Holy Order, who had rushed in to provide support, as well as the soldiers sent from various noble families, were all working tirelessly.
Thanks to their active efforts, the screams and cries gradually subsided, and the Academy was returning to its usual winter silence.
Among them, there were those who were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Huu… It seems like the situation has been brought under control for now.”
“You did well, Margaret. Your help during this chaotic situation was invaluable.”
“I just did what I had to do, Professor Sharon. You’ve been working hard as well.”
Wiping away the beads of sweat that dotted their foreheads, the two exchanged words of gratitude.
Silver and blue hair fluttered in the air as a gentle breeze swept through.
“I have an emergency faculty meeting to attend, so I should get going. Why don’t you get some rest, Margaret?”
“I think I will… I haven’t had a wink of sleep in two days…”
Margaret rubbed her tired eyes and nodded at Sharon’s suggestion.
Sharon smiled faintly at the girl’s response and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Ah… Yes, please go ahead, Professor.”
With Sharon gone, Margaret was left alone.
She stood there for a moment, lost in exhaustion, before biting her lip and pulling herself together.
“I should get back and get some sleep…”
With a meaningless murmur to herself, she resumed her steps.
Her footsteps echoed hollowly through the long, empty hallway of the Academy’s main building.
-Whooosh…
A cold gust of wind blew in through a broken window.
The cold air brushed against Margaret’s cheeks, causing a puff of white breath to escape her red lips.
“…Of all the times for it to be this cold, even the weather is against us.”
Margaret grumbled under her breath at the dissipating cloud of air.
The cruel winter.
Even with its harsh nature, it dared to steal the warmth from those who were already exhausted from this situation. It was a truly hateful season.
“Huu… Thankfully, they said the dormitory building has heating… I should hurry back.”
Margaret walked quietly down the hallway.
As she turned a corner and was about to step onto the stairs.
Something on the floor caught her eye.
“What’s that…?”
It was a slightly crumpled letter, lying on the floor.
On the surface of the paper, adorned with beautiful golden patterns, faint traces of mana lingered.
“Magic mail…? Did someone drop it?”
Margaret tilted her head curiously and picked it up.
She dusted off the letter and glanced at the sender and recipient’s names, hoping to find the owner.
“Hmm, the recipient is the Saintess. The sender is…”
At that moment, as her red eyes scanned the sender’s name.
Margaret gasped.
Written there was a name she had never expected to see.
《Sender: Raiden Lishite》
“Young Master Lishite…?”
Margaret stared blankly at the name written on the letter.
“Why would he… send a letter to the Saintess…?”
The question lingered in the air, carried away by the cold winter wind.
Margaret frowned, her breath shallow.
Knowing she shouldn’t, she unfolded the letter to see what it said.
And then…
“……!”
Margaret gasped again, dropping the letter in shock.
Her beautiful crimson eyes were filled with a mixture of horror and anger.
***
“Um… Come to think of it, I threw away the letter Raiden sent me in a fit of anger…”
Lorraine muttered to herself as she prepared for the treatment, soaking a towel in the water while Raiden lay unconscious on the sofa.
“What should I do…? What if someone sees it…?”
She groaned, suddenly remembering the letter.
Just as she was about to dwell on the thought, Raiden’s groan brought her back to reality.
“Ugh…! Haah, haah…”
“I need to focus on the task at hand…”
Pushing aside her worries about the letter, Lorraine focused her attention on Raiden and began to channel divine power into her fingertips.
“Just bear with it a little longer, Raiden…”
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