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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Bright sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains. A warm, southern island breeze drifted in through the open window. Beyond the square window frame, a dazzling white beach stretched out before me.
I could hear the occasional sound of children laughing.
Ah, this was the quintessential island morning.
A fleeting moment of youthful bliss.
The problem was, I couldn’t enjoy it.
Damn it.
I was lying in the infirmary.
After Lien had knelt, I had collapsed, my mana completely depleted. I hadn’t lost consciousness, but the pain had been so intense that I wished he had.
It was a miracle I hadn’t collapsed sooner.
I had pushed myself too hard.
I had fought off hordes of undead on the first day, gotten lost in the forest and fought the death knight on the second day, and then faced the undead army again.
It was an absurd amount of physical exertion for just two days.
I was overworked and exhausted.
[My lord, how are you feeling?]
A voice echoed in my mind.
Only Lien and I could hear it.
I had used a significant amount of my mana to resurrect Lien.
And now Lien resided within my shadow.
Lien had absorbed my mana like a sponge.
As a result, he had evolved from a Death Knight into a Chaos Knight.
Immediately after kneeling, his appearance had transformed, resembling a knight from a mecha anime.
He looked incredibly powerful.
I wasn’t sure if I could even defeat Lien now.
That was the main reason for my mana exhaustion.
[I’m fine. I’m alive, aren’t I?]
[I see. I did not intend to absorb so much of your mana.]
Ethan hadn’t anticipated using that much mana either.
I stared blankly out the window.
Recalling yesterday’s events.
Arthur had suggested keeping Lien’s resurrection a secret.
‘A secret? Keep Lien’s existence a secret?’
‘It’s probably for the best…’
The professors would have a difficult time dealing with the situation.
They weren’t sure what the proper protocol was for a resurrected death knight.
So, they had decided to keep the necromancy a secret.
It was a decision they had made after talking to Lien, mainly because they were worried about what would happen to him.
The official story was that their club members had been scattered across the island by a demon’s trickery, attacked by demons and undead, and had managed to survive through teamwork.
It was enough to draw attention. Three demon attacks before the end of the first semester.
I yawned and stretched.
The school trip had been canceled.
It was an unusual decision for an academy that prided itself on rigorous training. As a result, the Hero Candidates were enjoying their unexpected vacation.
They were playing beach volleyball and swimming in the warm, turquoise sea.
I felt a pang of resentment.
My friends and I had done all the work, and now the others were having all the fun.
Of course, I was too exhausted to join them, even if I wanted to.
Whatever.
I laid back down on the bed.
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In Tia’s room.
Tia took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her long, red hair was her pride and joy.
Her blue eyes complemented her fiery locks perfectly.
Her slightly pointed ears, peeking through her hair, were also considered charming.
She could pull off any dress, red or blue, with effortless grace.
But today, she wasn’t satisfied with her hair.
She tried tying it in twintails, a ponytail, and a braid.
The twintails looked too childish, the ponytail was her usual hairstyle, and the braid was too similar to Sepia’s style.
‘I don’t like any of them.’
She gave up and let her hair down.
An hour had passed.
Time is money.
Her father’s words echoed in her mind.
“Ugh…”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and put on her uniform.
‘It’s just a hospital visit…’
But she felt nervous, as though she were about to close an important business deal.
Tia had taken charge of everything after Ethan had collapsed.
She had suggested coordinating their stories with the others.
The professors, who had arrived late, were shocked by the carnage at the castle entrance.
Tia had given them a carefully edited version of the events, omitting any mention of Lien.
Lien, who had evolved into a Chaos Knight, was currently residing within Ethan’s shadow.
By keeping Lien a secret, they had inadvertently diminished Ethan’s achievements.
Tia picked up a basket filled with premium juices.
It contained a variety of tropical fruit juices, as well as fresh melons, oranges, and mangoes.
She took one last look in the mirror.
She was wearing earrings and a necklace, and she had even dabbed on some perfume. It was a casual yet elegant look.
‘Perfect.’
Tia smiled at her reflection.
“Apologize first. Then explain the situation. Ethan will understand.”
That was the best approach she could think of.
Tia opened her door.
And found Sepia standing in the hallway.
“Oh my god! You scared me! What… what are you doing here, Sepia?”
Tia almost dropped the basket. Sepia was staring at her intently.
“Where are you going? With all that juice? Are you visiting someone in the infirmary?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Sepia stepped closer and leaned in, sniffing Tia’s neck.
“Hmm? Perfume? Why are you wearing perfume to visit someone in the infirmary? And it’s Luzel perfume.”
It’s not like you’re trying to seduce someone. Is your goal to make the patient sick with the strong scent?
Sepia swallowed the rest of her sentence.
Luzel was a luxury perfume brand.
Almost every noblewoman in high society owned at least one Luzel perfume.
It was obvious what Tia was trying to do.
“I don’t understand your question. I can wear perfume if I want to.”
Sepia narrowed her eyes.
“Do you like Ethan?”
“I’m not obligated to answer that question.”
“He was pretty impressive yesterday, wasn’t he?”
“…Would you mind moving? I’m trying to visit someone in the infirmary.”
Sepia shrugged, but she didn’t move.
“You’re not being honest. You criticized me for being dishonest, remember?”
“I don’t recall ever saying that.”
“Playing dumb again?”
“Sepia…”
Tia’s voice was low and steady.
“I didn’t want to say this, but…”
“But what?”
“Worry about your own arranged marriage.”
Tia’s words struck Sepia like a slap to the face.
The Logness family had a long history of arranged marriages with powerful mages.
It was how they maintained their magical lineage. And it resulted in increasingly powerful mages being born into the family.
Even Sepia couldn’t avoid an arranged marriage.
Tia smiled triumphantly and walked past Sepia.
Sepia stood there, stunned.
Then a surge of annoyance washed over her.
“What a bitch…”
She thought they were finally getting along, but it seemed like they were back to square one.
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Tia took a deep breath.
Knock, knock.
She knocked on the door, and Ethan’s voice called out from inside.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Tia Erze.”
“Oh, Tia. Come in.”
Tia cautiously opened the door and peeked inside.
Ethan looked sleepy, as though he had just woken up.
She couldn’t help but smile at his disheveled appearance.
He looked nothing like the warrior who had defeated the death knight.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to come in?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Why?”
“I came to visit you. Can I sit here?”
“Yeah, make yourself comfortable.”
Tia walked over to the chair and sat down.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m going stir-crazy from lying in bed all day.”
“But you need to rest.”
He had suffered from mana exhaustion. If he had pushed himself any further, he could have fallen into a coma.
“Okay, okay, I get it.”
“I brought some tropical fruits. They’re good for mana recovery.”
“You bought all of this?”
The gift basket was huge.
It was enough for three people.
“Um… yeah, thanks.”
Tia placed the basket on the table.
Oranges, mangoes, pineapples… They were good for both mana and stamina recovery.
“Is there anything you want to eat? I have oranges, mangoes, pineapples, aloe… It seems like I have everything.”
“Grapes.”
Tia rummaged through the basket.
“…I don’t have any grapes. I’m sorry. I thought I packed everything…”
“Don’t worry about it. Then I’ll have mango juice.”
Tia handed him a glass of fresh mango juice.
“Thanks.”
Ethan was thirsty.
He downed the juice in one gulp.
Tia was glad she had brought it.
“…Ethan, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I… um… I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
Tia felt grateful and embarrassed.
Ethan had risked his life twice to save her.
He was her lifesaver.
She didn’t know how to repay him.
‘Ethan is a true hero… It would be an insult to try and repay him with money…’
And yet, all she could think about was money.
She felt ashamed of her materialistic nature.
Ethan would be disgusted if he knew what she was thinking.
“I took care of everything. I couldn’t tell the others about the Death Knight, so… they don’t know that you defeated Lien.”
Ethan had already heard that from Arthur.
It couldn’t be helped. He had gained a powerful knight.
“Oh, really? Well, it can’t be helped.”
Ethan’s nonchalant response surprised Tia.
She had planned to thank him, but she had been so distracted that she had forgotten.
‘He really is a true hero.’
That was the only explanation.
Mercenaries always exaggerated their achievements.
It was a way to increase their value.
But Ethan had risked his life to save them.
“The Erze family always repays its debts.”
She wanted to repay him somehow.
“Debts? What debts? Ah…”
“If there’s anything you need from the Erze family, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Tia removed the pendant she was wearing and placed it in Ethan’s hand.
Ethan chuckled.
Tia had only said that after being indebted to Arthur several times.
“Thanks… I appreciate the sentiment.”
Tia stared at Ethan’s smiling face, speechless.
No one had ever thanked her for her feelings. She had always been praised for her appearance, intelligence, and rational judgment.
‘Ah… I finally understand…’
Tia clenched her hand.
It was a feeling she hadn’t felt since she was a child.
The feeling she had when she listened to stories about heroes.
‘This feeling… I admire you.’
Tia smiled, a sense of clarity washing over her.
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