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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Ugh…”
Egenir groaned, opening his eyes to a familiar ceiling.
‘Twice in one day…’
He’d experienced things usually reserved for the demon war, and he was still in the early stages of this regression. A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
“You’re awake.”
A woman sat beside his bed.
“You’re a patient too, why are you up?”
His words were sharper than he intended.
Ella, her upper body wrapped in bandages, simply stared at him.
“…How are you feeling?”
“Fractured right femur and knee, first-degree burns all over, third-degree burns on my fingertips and back. The doctor said it’s a miracle I’m alive.”
“I meant you.”
Ella hesitated to answer.
“Always like this…Never talks about her own injuries.”
“How did you…”
“It doesn’t matter. How’s Cecilia?”
“She only suffered minor burns thanks to her trait. She’s currently asleep.”
“I see.”
He sat up, wincing. He was wearing a hospital gown.
‘My clothes burned off, huh?’
He didn’t care. He’d worn the same clothes countless times in his eight regressions.
‘Two witnesses.’
Three, including himself, but he was glad it hadn’t been worse.
“Let’s blame the fire on a boiler malfunction.”
“But…”
“Cecilia wasn’t in her right mind. It’s not fair to hold her responsible.”
“…The rules…”
“And you? Didn’t you break the rules by entering the girls’ forbidden zone?”
“…”
“Let’s just say you two were patrolling the area and saw the fire. You went in to search for survivors and…rescued me.”
“Egenir.”
“What?”
“What you did was heroic.”
“Don’t be ridiculous…”
“No, you were calm and brave. More than me, with my…Gainz family title…”
“There you go again with your self-deprecating nonsense.”
A fleeting memory flashed through Ella’s mind.
[Why do you put yourself down? There’s no need.]
Egenir, offering her a hand, a brief moment of kindness.
“…”
She dismissed it as a hallucination and sighed.
“Are you…that kind of person?”
“What kind?”
“Someone who downplays their own achievements.”
“It wasn’t an achievement. And what if rumors spread about me rescuing two girls from the forbidden zone? Or about Cecilia burning down the dormitory in a fit of rage? It’s pointless to argue about what happened. Cecilia wasn’t in her right mind because of her trait, and you rushed in to save me…It’s fine. Just let it go. If you don’t agree…”
“If I don’t?”
“I’ll tell Harfon to stop training you.”
“Then…may I continue attending his classes?”
She seemed concerned about his permission.
[Ella’s affinity increased by 6.]
Her affinity was now at 30.
‘It’ll go up, then down again.’
He knew how the affinity system worked. But Ella, who had shut him out in previous turns, refusing to answer his questions…He snorted and lay back down.
“Fine. Just keep quiet, and it’ll all be resolved.”
Except for one more thing.
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“You troublesome girl.”
He’d sent Ella back to her dormitory and was now visiting Cecilia, under the pretense of a patient interview.
Cecilia, as a student supported by the Magic Tower, was supposed to be in a higher-class ward on the second floor, but the nurses, touched by his story of rescuing her, had made an exception.
‘Enjoying special treatment while claiming to champion the commoners.’
Nothing had changed. The academy’s hierarchy remained intact.
“You’re a real handful.”
He’d let his guard down around Cecilia. It was his fault.
‘That damn Salamander trait…’
He’d been blinded by the powerful trait, forgetting about her volatile personality and the toll it took on her.
‘Perhaps I was feeling sentimental, knowing I could finally leave.’
He looked at his bandaged fingers. A bitter smile touched his lips as he remembered the moment.
The memories of their first encounter, so long ago…He’d kept his distance, treating her like a stranger, but a small part of him still cared.
‘That’s why I’m such a sucker…’
Why had he risked his life for a girl who’d killed him in previous turns?
“Egenir…”
Tears welled up in Cecilia’s eyes.
She’d been drawn to him, inexplicably. Her feelings, suppressed by his constant rejection in previous regressions, had finally erupted, fueled by his unexpected kindness in this turn.
The Salamander trait, resonating with her emotions, had gone haywire.
“Cecilia.”
He whispered in her ear.
“Egenir…”
She was still mumbling in her sleep.
‘You troublesome girl…Wake up.’
He poked her cheek, and her eyes fluttered open.
“You’re awake?”
He leaned closer, shielding his face with his hand, as if whispering a secret.
“What…”
“Shh, we’re on the second floor. Lots of nurses. We have to be quiet.”
“What…did I do…”
He covered her mouth before she could shout.
“It’s okay, Cecilia. It was just your Salamander trait acting up.”
“Mmm?!”
He continued, his hand still over her mouth.
“Ella, remember? The girl I sparred with on the first day? We covered for you. We told them there was a boiler explosion, and you two were talking at night, and you went in to check for survivors and rescued me.”
“Mmm!”
He shushed her, and she nodded. He removed his hand.
“Your hand…”
She’d noticed the thick bandages covering his burned fingers.
“I…remember…”
“What?”
“While I was unconscious…you crawled towards me…to save me…”
Damn it.
[Cecilia’s affinity increased by 20.]
“Because of me…you…”
He’d crawled towards her, his body covered in burns and blood. Then he’d passed out, probably from the impact of hitting the ground. Ella must have taken care of the rest.
‘But…’
He’d been naked. Stripped bare by Cecilia before he’d even rescued Ella.
‘Oh, shit…’
He cringed.
“Keep quiet. This is our little secret, okay?”
“Secret…”
“So please, don’t say anything. It’ll be trouble for all of us, you, me, and Ella.”
“But…why…”
She remembered him saving both Ella and her. He deserved a medal.
Politically, he’d saved the daughter of the Gainz family and the protégé of the Blazing Magic Tower. Sponsors would be lining up, offering him deals far beyond the reach of his meager barony.
He was the key to connections with both the Gainz family and the Blazing Magic Tower.
“If they find out you went berserk, the Tower won’t let you off easy.”
He didn’t want to get involved in any more trouble, but since she wasn’t getting the hint, he pressed on.
“And the Gainz family…Ella had a reason for being there, searching for survivors, but entering the girls’ forbidden zone alone would get her reprimanded. That’s why you’re important.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you and the protégé of the Blazing Magic Tower went in together to rescue survivors. That’s a perfectly acceptable explanation. And you’ve formed a connection with Cecilia, which will silence the Gainz family.”
“Will…will they forgive me for what I did?”
“Of course. I’m studying magic too, so I understand. Your trait, if properly controlled, can be a great asset.”
A burning dormitory was nothing. If the demons weren’t stopped, the entire academy could be engulfed in flames.
The Salamander trait, if properly managed, could be their salvation.
“Thank…you.”
“Just rest now.”
Cecilia, exhausted from the ordeal, drifted off to sleep.
Egenir, having extinguished a major fire, returned to the first-floor infirmary, where the low-ranking students were being treated.
Most of the nurses were attending to Cecilia on the second floor, so he could finally rest in peace.
“Egenir!”
The next day, Spenny visited him.
“What happened? I heard the dormitory boiler exploded?”
“Ah, Teacher.”
She gasped, seeing him covered in bandages, hobbling on crutches.
“You heard…yes, the boiler exploded…It’s a good thing Ella and Cecilia were nearby. I almost died in my sleep.”
“That’s…strange. I heard you sent out a distress signal.”
“What?”
“They said you searched the dormitory for survivors until you collapsed from smoke inhalation, and Ella and Cecilia rescued you.”
‘Ella, that crazy…’
Ella must have fabricated the story, feeling guilty about his sacrifice.
That useless idiot!
“Ha ha…”
“Egenir, it’s okay that there weren’t any other students in the dormitory. You did the right thing. It’s not useless, it’s an inspiring story.”
“…Right.”
“Just rest now. I brought some potions for burns and fractures.”
She pulled out several vials from her bag. He’d already received the standard recovery potions from the infirmary, but Spenny’s concoctions were far superior.
Her potion-making skills were second only to her mana circuit method research.
“Here, drink this.”
He swallowed the bitter potion just as a booming voice echoed through the room.
“Egenir!”
“This is an infirmary! Be quiet!”
“Yes! Sorry!”
Harfon.
Followed by a crowd of students from the low-ranking dormitory.
“Egenir! You passed out trying to save us?!”
“We were at the Magic Tower! We’re fine!”
“You didn’t collapse from a little fire, did you?!”
“Only four visitors allowed! Everyone else, please leave!”
Harfon was allowed in, and they began selecting a few students to join him.
‘Am I this popular now?’
He was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of low-ranking students.
Among them…
“Can we visit a patient in the second-floor ward?”
“They said it’s okay…”
“We’re with Teacher Harfon.”
Egenir stared at Cecilia and Ella, dumbfounded.
“No, I need to rest, so please leave.”
“What?!”
“That’s right! He needs to recover so he can train harder! Ha ha!”
“…Understood.”
“E-Egenir!”
Spenny raised her voice.
“Teacher Spenny…is here for my morning class…and she brought potions…so she can stay.”
Spenny’s face lit up, then she quickly composed herself, glancing at the others.
“Th-That’s right. We can have magic lessons even while sitting down.”
She fumbled for her textbook, eager to begin.
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Thanks for the chapter!