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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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Time passed.
May arrived.
Just like in my previous life, May in this world was vibrant with greenery, from the sky to the trees. It was a time that made me yearn for rest and relaxation. But rest was a luxury I couldn’t afford. I had to catch up on the schoolwork I’d missed during my hospitalization.
The material was only at a middle-to-high school level, but I realized I hadn’t studied in far too long. The realization that I was confined to the infirmary made my skin crawl.
It was agonizing, being stuck in bed, unable to move, regardless of my lifespan.
“Deron!”
The only consolation was their regular visits. After the Morax incident, Lee Han and the others had all visited me in the infirmary.
Erina Philstine was the most frequent visitor. She would come by regularly, just to chat. She had been so timid when we first met, but my image seemed to have changed after the Morax fight.
“Let’s go to the Spring Festival!”
“What?”
I stared at Erina, dumbfounded by her cheerful suggestion. Was she serious? Asking someone who couldn’t even take a step out of bed…
“You’re cleared to leave.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
The nurse in charge of my care nodded. She looked at me, then said bluntly,
“You would have snuck out anyway, even if I told you not to.”
“Haha…”
I couldn’t help but avoid her gaze. Weeks of being bedridden had made me restless. There wasn’t actually a dedicated nurse position at the academy. They had assigned a nurse to watch me because I had a habit of escaping the infirmary.
The nurse sighed as I averted my gaze.
“You need to start moving around anyway. Being cooped up isn’t good for you.”
“I was getting so sick of it.”
“….”
“Sorry.”
I didn’t know about the others, but I couldn’t bring myself to argue with the nurse. Especially after being caught breaking the rules.
“But there’s a condition.”
“A… condition?”
“Yes.”
The nurse nodded, and Petra entered the room, carrying something.
“What’s that?”
“A cane made from the material you brought back. It can also be used for self-defense in emergencies.”
“Oh.”
I examined the cane. It was sturdy and straight, like something an old man would use.
I used the cane to support myself as I got out of bed. For a brief moment, I relished the sensation of wearing shoes again. Then, using the cane to support my body, I cautiously took a step forward.
It was… comfortable. Surprisingly so. There was a reason old people used canes.
“This is quite comfortable.”
“There’s a button on the handle, like an umbrella. Press it and pull, as if drawing a sword.”
I followed Petra’s instructions, pressing the button and pulling on the cane.
Shing
An ivory blade slid out smoothly and silently. I stared at Petra, wide-eyed.
“The entire blade is made from the material you provided. Modifying it into a cane form took some time, though.”
I looked at the Black Blood Wyrm’s fang, now transformed into a cane-sword. Petra hadn’t asked about the wyrm, having noticed my reluctance to speak about it in the dungeon. She still seemed to be respecting my desire for secrecy.
‘You recognized it immediately.’
Is it because they’re both reptilian? I decided to leave that part unsaid.
‘Really?’
Well… it was quite powerful.
Though it didn’t have even a sliver of a core.
“Anyway…”
I was still marveling at the blade when the nurse interrupted.
“No using mana while you’re out today.”
“Aw, but it’s the festival! What reason would I have to use mana?”
“….”
“Sorry.”
Always with the apologies. I was always apologizing to her. The nurse gave me a look. Did she really have so little faith in me?
“You’re still not fully recovered. Using mana could trigger a backlash, so absolutely no mana usage.”
“Understood.”
“Promise me. Promise!”
Seeing the nurse’s insistent look, I nodded repeatedly, forgetting all about my noble pride.
Since when were nobles immune to a nurse’s scolding?
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The midday sun shone brightly on the vibrant sea of people celebrating the Spring Festival. The streets were lined with blooming flowers and trees in full spring glory.
A vast plaza and numerous buildings stretched out before us. The air was filled with cheerful chatter and laughter, the marketplace bustling with activity.
The Spring Festival. An event that would have turned into a mass funeral due to Morax and Ruberic, but had thankfully proceeded as planned.
“Wow…”
Erina’s red eyes sparkled as she took in the sights, as if seeing it all for the first time.
“Erina! Don’t wander off! You’ll get lost!”
“It’s fine. She’ll find her way back. She’s a mana user, after all.”
Agnes started to go after Erina, who had already disappeared into the crowd, but I stopped her.
‘Erina Philstine lived a privileged life.’
She had grown up without any shortcomings, the daughter of an Earl, with a pampered upbringing.
But she wasn’t arrogant. She was sensitive and resilient, always putting others first, even when hurt.
Her courage stemmed from that empathy and her unwavering determination. It was evident in her decision to enroll in the academy, despite her father’s objections.
In the original story, she had witnessed the aftermath of Morax’s attack, the bodies of her fallen comrades. The image of a young girl weeping before their graves, apologizing… That scene hadn’t occurred this time.
Instead, she was simply excited to experience the Spring Festival for the first time.
I should let her enjoy it. She deserved it.
Agnes, understanding my reasoning, didn’t pursue Erina.
“By the way, Han, I didn’t expect you to be here. Aren’t you usually at the training grounds at this hour?”
“Erina begged me to come with you.”
Well, that explained it. As described in the original story, Erina was like a little sister to everyone. Despite being the same age, they all treated her as such, except during combat.
And who could refuse such a cute and earnest request? Only a heartless bastard.
“More importantly, Deron.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re really alright?”
At Han’s question, I lifted my cane slightly. I had to rely on it to walk, so was I really okay?
I could walk without it, but the cane definitely alleviated the pain.
“I can manage. I can at least walk around.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Han headed towards a nearby stall. He was probably going to buy his favorite lizard skewers, just like in the original story.
As expected, he returned with a skewer in hand. But…
“You eat that?”
“A festival delicacy. It’s good for you, too.”
Why did it look like that? The novel described it as appetizing.
Perhaps that was just the protagonist’s perspective? Han offered me the skewer.
I waved my hand in refusal.
‘But I should eat something at the festival.’
I looked around. Had they recreated Korea’s street food scene here? I spotted familiar treats like hotteok and tteokbokki.
But I wanted to try something unique to this Empire.
“…?”
Wait, was that…? I spotted a type of candied fruit, similar to tanghulu.
It was too sweet for my liking in my previous life, but…
I glanced at Agnes. As expected, her eyes were downcast, a look of longing in them. Perhaps it brought back forgotten memories.
I approached the vendor and asked about the price.
“How much for three of these?”
“Just 1 silver!”
One silver? That was cheaper than I expected. Perhaps my sense of money was distorted, but I readily paid and returned with three tanghulu skewers.
Agnes’s gaze was fixed on the candied fruit. Was she still lost in memories?
“Here.”
“….”
I handed a skewer to Lee Han, then offered one to Agnes. Her eyes were glued to the tanghulu, but her hand didn’t move.
I looked down at her and asked,
“Aren’t you going to take it?”
“Oh…”
I took her hand, unclenched her fingers, and placed the tanghulu in her palm. Agnes looked back and forth between the tanghulu and me.
“Deron! Agnes! Han! Over here! I found something interesting!”
Erina’s cheerful voice called out. I left Agnes and headed towards Erina.
She would figure it out. I had done all I could.
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well.. its called rest for a reason
