<Episode 20>
"Arista, don't overdo it."
Just then, Arista staggered to her feet from behind. Lucia and her friends rushed to her side.
Arista used the prepared towel and blanket to raise her lowered body temperature, and touched her throbbing forehead.
"Arista, if you're feeling up to it, can you explain what happened on the mountain?"
A professor asked cautiously, and Arista carefully opened her mouth.
"Well… it suddenly started raining while we were heading to the target point."
Arista slowly explained what had happened to her.
"I was going to just keep going if possible, but it was pouring more than expected, so I was wondering what to do. But then, a flare signaling a retreat was fired."
The academy, judging that the practical assessment could no longer proceed due to the pouring rain, fired a flare to allow the students to retreat.
Arista clearly saw the flare as well.
"So, I hurried to retreat. On the way down, I ran into Herwin by chance and was going to go with him, but in the middle… we encountered an Ogre."
A sound of sharp intakes of breath could be heard from around.
People who hadn't believed it even when Brian and Ethan had said they definitely saw it began to stir.
"Herwin discovered the Ogre first and protected me. In the process, Herwin was seriously injured."
Lucia bit her lower lip tightly at the heart-stopping words.
It was truly a stroke of luck that they had shaken off the Monster and made it all the way here in a situation where one person couldn't even move properly.
"It was a tense situation, but you returned safely. It's a relief that you weren't hurt."
"What happened to the Ogre you encountered? Did you shake it off safely?"
The professors were relieved that Herwin and Arista had returned safely and worried about what had happened to the remaining Ogre.
Arista hesitated for a moment, glancing around. She seemed reluctant to say something.
"It's okay, go ahead and tell us."
Another professor patted Arista on the back, thinking that she still hadn't recovered from the shock of encountering the Ogre.
The more that happened, the more Arista's face turned red.
"The truth is… I defeated the Ogre."
The words that followed were shocking in themselves.
People belatedly gasped in amazement.
Arista rolled her eyes, feeling awkward at the reactions erupting from all directions.
"Wow… to defeat an Ogre. That's amazing."
"What happened? Did Herwin defeat the Ogre?"
Christine and Bianca buzzed. Lucia, who was next to them, also widened her eyes and couldn't take her gaze off Arista.
"Who defeated the Ogre? Ogres aren't Monsters that can be easily defeated. At least a skilled knight with a lot of combat experience or someone who has reached the realm of Sword Expert…"
A professor, who had been rambling in shock, stopped speaking and turned his head sharply towards Arista.
His eyes were wide open.
"Could it be… that you can use Aura?"
Arista glanced around and reluctantly nodded slightly.
It was a small but affirmative sign. This time, the surroundings became chaotic in a different way.
To be able to use Aura.
That meant she had reached the realm of Sword Expert.
"How did you become able to use Aura?"
"I don't really know either. It's just that when the Ogre was about to hurt Herwin, my body moved on its own… and when I came to my senses, the Ogre had already fallen."
Come to think of it, Arista's clothes had Monster's green blood splattered on them.
At first, she thought it was plant sap, but it wasn't.
"So, you definitely defeated the Ogre and were on your way down."
"Yes, that's right. But the road was slippery because of the rain, and Herwin was badly injured, so it took a while to get here."
"No, we're just grateful that you returned safely. You must have been very surprised to encounter an Ogre, but I'm sorry for asking without giving you time to rest."
"No, it's only natural. Cough, cough… Professor, how is Herwin?"
"He's getting first aid right now. We're planning to move him to the academy soon. You can rest easy and get some rest too."
"That's a relief then…"
Arista was led by the professor and slowly lay down on the stretcher. As soon as her back touched the fabric, Arista's eyes flickered.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she noticed Lucia and her group approaching after the professor had left.
Even though she was exhausted, Arista smiled.
"…Thank you for saving Herwin. I will never forget this favor."
Lucia carefully grasped her limp hand tightly.
At the tip of her hand, she felt the calluses of a knight wielding a sword, not the soft touch like other women.
Lucia felt a surge of emotion again at the fact that this hand had saved Herwin.
"No… I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Herwin either…"
Arista's voice was full of fatigue.
"I'm sorry for not letting you rest because of me. I'll be going now, so get some rest."
As Lucia stood up, wiping away the tears that had welled up, Arista grabbed her hand.
"…Lucia."
"Yes?"
"If you're really grateful… could you do me a favor later?"
"A favor? What is it?"
"Later… I'll tell you later…"
With those words, the eyelids that had been half-closed finally closed completely. Soon, soft, even breaths could be heard.
Lucia had no idea what favor Arista was going to ask.
"Achoo!"
Lucia, who had been pondering deeply, sneezed, feeling the cold.
"See, what did I tell you? I told you to change your clothes."
"Yes, Lucia. Herwin will be moved to the infirmary soon, so let's go to the dormitory and change our clothes first."
Lucia, who had been stubbornly unyielding, finally stopped insisting after sneezing once more.
* * *
The day after the disappearance of Herwin and Arista.
In less than a day, the story of the two spread rapidly throughout the school.
Duke Peneus and Lady Lydia, who had disappeared together, returned safely by the skin of their teeth.
It was a phrase that was enough to stimulate curiosity.
The two most famous men and women in the first grade disappeared together and returned safely. Wasn't it a topic that those who liked to write novels would welcome?
People who usually whispered that the two looked good together speculated that something must have happened between them when they disappeared.
They speculated that they had taken off their clothes and hugged each other to maintain their body temperature when it rained, or that they had overcome a moment of desperation together, so they had become aware of their feelings for each other on this occasion, and in more extreme cases, there were even rumors that they had already discussed their engagement.
Everyone was excited and let their imaginations run wild, but the reality was different.
The two fell fast asleep and haven't woken up until today, a full day later.
Poo-achoo.
Lucia suppressed the continuous sneezing since yesterday and hurried to the infirmary.
After returning to the dormitory yesterday to change her clothes, she started to get a slight fever.
She had been soaked in the rain for an hour, and the sudden stress had added to it, so she eventually caught a cold.
The nurse said that she would get better soon if she rested for a day or two, but Lucia was busy nursing Herwin instead of resting.
She wanted to stay by his side all day and nurse him, but she was a student.
The professors would not excuse her from class just because she wanted to take care of her friend without a special reason.
If she wanted to nurse Herwin so much, she could skip class by being cunning, but Lucia couldn't do that and had no choice but to attend class.
Of course, she didn't forget to run to the infirmary to check on Herwin during breaks.
After all classes were over.
As soon as Lucia arrived at the infirmary, she checked Herwin's condition.
Herwin was lying on the bed as if dead.
His appearance, which elicited admiration even when he was sleeping, was still the same.
His jawline and nose, which were becoming sharp but still slightly rounded as his baby fat began to disappear, and his straight eyelashes cast long shadows, gently falling on his white cheeks.
If it weren't for the breaths that leaked out between his slightly parted lips, one might have mistaken him for a sculpture.
Lucia, on the other hand, frowned at Herwin's face, which others might have stared at in a daze.
"He's gotten thinner…"
It was very subtle, but his face was slightly paler.
He hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, so he would definitely be hungry when he woke up.
Lucia prepared a simple meal that he could eat right away when he woke up.
"Lucia, how is Herwin?"
Just then, Bianca appeared.
"He hasn't woken up yet."
"I was sure he would wake up soon…"
"He must have been very tired. He's not unconscious, so you don't have to worry too much."
"That's a relief then. It's almost dinner, have you eaten?"
Lucia shook her head.
"You're going to get into big trouble if you keep doing that. You barely ate breakfast and lunch. At this rate, you'll collapse before Herwin wakes up."
"Hey, it's not that bad. I just don't have an appetite because of the cold, so don't worry too much."
"The more that happens, the more you should eat. What if your cold gets worse?"
Bianca was busy taking care of Lucia even while grumbling.
"Lucia, have you heard that story?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The rumor that Herwin might like Lady Lydia."
Bianca lowered her voice, worried that someone else might hear.
"I think exaggerated rumors have spread because of what happened yesterday, but there was such a story?"
"Yes, but when I heard it, it sounded quite plausible."
"Bianca, you know that even if it sounds plausible, it can't be true. They both collapsed as soon as they arrived yesterday, so where would they have time to talk about love or anything like that?"
"But, Lucia, listen to me once. Yesterday, Herwin was injured while protecting the Lady, and the Lady defeated the Ogre to save Herwin. Aren't those actions because they have enough feelings for each other? Of course, I know you like Herwin, but what if Herwin likes the Lady…"
"Who wouldn't help a friend in danger? I would have helped Arista even if I were Herwin. Don't get caught up in unnecessary rumors."
Lucia cut off Bianca's words and drew a line.
"Sorry…"
As Bianca's shoulders drooped, Lucia quickly waved her hand.
"I'm the one who's sorry for speaking coldly."
"No, it's a story that wouldn't be good for you to hear anyway, so I said it for no reason. I'll be careful in the future."
Bianca stuck out her pinky, saying that she would never say such a thing again.
"Um…"
Just then, a groan was heard. Lucia turned her head sharply.
Long eyelashes fluttered, and as heavy eyelids slowly rose, red eyes were revealed.
"Herwin!"
"Oh my god! I, I'll go get the nurse!"
Bianca hurriedly left her seat. Lucia wiped away the tears that had welled up and called out to Herwin anxiously.
"Herwin, are you feeling better?"
The red eyes, which had been staring blankly at the ceiling, slowly turned to the side.
"Lucia…"
"Yes, it's me, Lucia. Ah, thank God."
She had been told that he would wake up soon, and she had been waiting for him to wake up, but when she saw his red eyes again, she couldn't control the emotions that welled up.
"…Where am I?"
A voice that was deeper than usual because it was hoarse was heard.
"You're in the infirmary. Do you know how surprised I was to hear that the guy who was supposed to return as the first place in the practical assessment had suddenly disappeared?"
Lucia scolded Herwin.
She was scolding him with a scrunched-up face, but she looked exactly like a kitten chirping.
