16 - I Healed the Male Lead's Trauma
Episode 16
4. A Senior's Guidance is Needed for a Junior (1)
"You don't need to pay attention to it. Just ignore what people like that say."
As soon as we got outside, Hiakin comforted me.
Seriously, he was the one who almost burst out in anger first, yet he's telling me not to pay attention.
If I hadn't grabbed Hiakin's hand, intending to stop him, he would have already rushed out and grabbed Kashiel by the collar.
"I'm not particularly bothered. There are many people who, because their own wounds are deep, end up hurting others. Even though everyone has their own circumstances."
Similar things happened often when I was younger.
Even though everyone was in a difficult situation, there were always those who insisted they were the most miserable and demanded special treatment.
'Compared to then, this might actually be mild…'
At least Kashiel is my age, just a few years past being an adult.
Compared to the shameless adults from my childhood, he's almost cute.
'Not that I want to understand him, though.'
Suddenly, Kashiel's eyes, which had been looking at me but unable to say anything more, came to mind.
I thought the gaze directed at me had wavered slightly, but I couldn't be sure.
Soon, I erased Kashiel's provocation from my mind and walked to the back of the cathedral, where the tombstones of the victims were erected.
Fortunately, considering how long it had been since I last visited, the condition of both of their tombstones was very good.
Although it was a short prayer compared to the number of days I hadn't been able to visit, I offered the prayer I had wanted to say first.
After cleaning the two tombstones, tidying up the surroundings, and finishing everything I needed to do, I came out. The sun was setting, and the day was growing dark.
It was just as I was leaving the cathedral.
"What are you doing? Get in."
I ran into Kashiel, who was still there, once again. Damn it.
* * *
Not even an apology, just telling me to get in.
'He's admitting he was wrong to me, but I can clearly see he doesn't want to lower his pride.'
It seemed Prince Isidor had already returned.
It would be stranger if someone of his status were idly following me around.
On the other hand, Akteon was still waiting for us.
It seemed like he had talked to Kashiel about something, but the atmosphere between them wasn't good, so they must have fought.
I stared blankly at Kashiel, dumbfounded by his command to get in the carriage, pretending I hadn't heard him. Hiakin growled on my behalf.
"Who do you think you are, telling us to get in or not? Did you forget what happened just now?"
"That's none of your business."
"It's not?"
Does that guy only feel satisfied when he turns everyone around him into enemies?
Hiakin's expression hardened at his attitude of telling outsiders to stay out of it.
"Why? Surely, you don't think you only spoke rudely to Liphy alone, do you?"
"Is there anyone else?"
A pure white hand suddenly intervened in the increasingly hostile atmosphere.
"Please stop."
Kashiel glared sharply at Akteon, but Akteon was now looking at me, not the two of them.
"And I cannot leave my brother and senior alone together. You haven't forgotten the rudeness from earlier, have you?"
"……."
"Since my brother tends to be led by his emotions, I thought he might commit an even greater discourtesy while trying to apologize."
"Discourtesy? Akteon Brondearne, surely you're not forgetting that we're the ones who took in your family…."
"As a beneficiary. And the patron is not you, but our father. To us, you are nothing more than a guest, so you cannot treat us carelessly either."
Akteon gave one last piece of advice to Kashiel, who was distorted like a demon.
"So, if you really want to apologize, you should ask for senior's permission instead."
Unlike his smiling eyes, Akteon's voice was full of coldness.
A slight contempt and pity.
And a faint understanding, stemming from the mistakes he himself had made towards me.
'Even so, is there a need for him to act like such a spokesperson?'
I'm grateful, but I'm also taken aback.
However, it wasn't a bad thing that this guy was taking my side. I couldn't deny that it was reassuring.
'Well, we're classmates anyway…'
I'm not thrilled, but I'm curious to hear what he has to say.
Let's listen for once.
Hiakin, who was quicker than anyone to read my mind, tried to dissuade me with a 'are you serious?' expression.
However, at my head shake, he tried to nag me again but quickly stopped.
He probably knew it was no use trying to stop me.
After a silent exchange, I walked past Kashiel.
He must have taken it as a rejection, as he clenched his fists tightly in shame.
"What are you doing? You told me to get in."
When I stood in front of the carriage, his eyes widened as if he had seen something strange.
The venom that had filled his face evaporated in an instant, and for the first time, I caught a glimpse of an impression that was like his peers.
"...I thought you would refuse."
"I could change my mind now."
"No."
As always, I was about to get into the carriage without help, but unexpectedly, Kashiel offered his hand.
"Get in."
I took his hand and gestured to Akteon.
It meant that I would return with Kashiel first, so the two of them should come later.
Akteon's gaze lingered on my hand, which Kashiel was holding, for a moment, then he smiled. That must have meant he understood.
I was going to buy my brother new clothes for once, but I guess it's not happening today.
'Never mind. I'm not in the mood either…. I don't know what happened to Milia, and I want to go back early to clear my head.'
Sighing, I sat down, and then stared at Kashiel, who followed me in.
To rest quickly, I had to get rid of this guy first.
* * *
Quite some time had passed since the carriage had departed, yet not a single word had been exchanged.
It was only when Kashiel had traveled about half the distance along the main street of the central district that he managed to open his mouth.
"You're right."
He cleanly admitted that he had unilaterally disregarded me.
"I don't know. I don't quite remember what I said."
"I was using my wounds as an excuse to avoid seeing anything else."
His clear crimson eyes wandered here and there like a lost child.
He knew he had to apologize, but he didn't know how to do it, so he was rambling.
"As you said…, if Leah had seen me like this, she would have grabbed me by the hair and asked what I was doing."
He wouldn't have realized that on his own.
'Akteon must have said something like that.'
There was no way I wouldn't know who Leah was.
Kashiel's dead twin, probably.
A family member who had grown up as one since birth, now lost.
Having lost a family member who was like half of himself, it was understandable that he couldn't control his emotions and acted like a hedgehog, raising his thorns towards those around him.
Especially since the Duke would only lament the loss of an S-class Transcendent Being and wouldn't be very curious about Kashiel's condition.
'That's that, but I don't need to listen to this guy's circumstances and turn a blind eye.'
As I waited indifferently for him to utter some excuse, Kashiel said.
"Maybe you've even run into her before."
That I had run into Claire Brondearne?
Thinking about it carefully….
'Maybe I have?In the early days of enrollment, I didn't have the余裕to look around because I was busy adapting to the unfamiliar environment.
I might have brushed past her back then.
Kashiel, who started by saying that even the dead Claire would be ashamed of how pathetic he was now, paused for a moment.
He was checking my reaction, as I was quietly listening to him.
Unable to bear the silence, I brought up what Kashiel wanted to say first.
"So, is it that difficult to just say you're sorry? The introduction is too long."
"That's…."
"I don't want to hear about your circumstances in detail. I only got in because I thought you were going to apologize to me."
Claire's story was something I already knew.
Even if I didn't know about this, it wouldn't excuse Kashiel's actions from earlier.
This guy was just beating around the bush, unable to say a simple 'sorry'.
'How frustrating.'
At this rate, he would probably just keep repeating Claire's story until we arrived.
If he was going to apologize, he should have just brought it up and sincerely said he was sorry, and it would have been over.
I almost clicked my tongue, but I held back.
"I'm sor…."
Kashiel, flustered that I had seen through his thoughts, hesitated again for a long time.
And then he moved his lips with difficulty.
"...I'm sorry."
"Do you even know what you're sorry for?"
"For presuming and… belittling you as a B-class…."
I didn't have high expectations that he would truly understand.
Unexpectedly, he's a quick self-reflector.
"Well, fine."
He's returning to the academy soon, and I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble on campus.
I wasn't completely over it yet, but I decided to accept it for the sake of the future.
"But you should be careful about speaking so sharply. I'm used to it, so I can brush it off, but others might not be able to."
Kashiel's complexion turned pale at the mention of Prince Isidor.
"I should… apologize to him separately for showing such an unsightly display."
"Yes, then…."
I've received the apology, so now.
"I'm curious about what kind of person the one who died was."
Should I delve deeper into Claire Brondearne?
More precisely, about the person named Aren, her Guide.
'Akteon mentioned that name carelessly. It must be related to his trauma, even if only slightly.'
Kashiel seemed quite surprised that I was showing interest.
However, he didn't ignore my words that I was curious about her. Rather, his pale face turned bright red, just like before.
He clearly seemed ashamed of how petty he had been.
"Leah not only Evolved early but… her grade was also one of the few S-classes. She was truly a genius."
Estra Academy would graduate talented individuals who could be drafted into the military early.
Evolved Beings were required to attend the academy under the management of the royal family.
But because they coveted that power, they would formally enroll them and then immediately graduate them.
In that way, Evolved Beings who were barely 20 years old were often sent to the battlefield early.
Kashiel's twin, Claire Brondearne, must have been one of those cases.
"After she went to the battlefield, she was constantly tormented every time she came home. She suffered from auditory and visual hallucinations… and she couldn't sleep properly, so she would wander the hallways every night."
What happens when someone who has never killed anyone is forced to kill others simply because they possess great power?
'Even seasoned soldiers suffer, so there's no way a civilian who has received almost no training other than combat could endure it.'
Even Kashiel, who was saying those words, was shuddering at the practice, even though he had never experienced it himself.
"S-classes are monsters. With a single gesture, magic can erupt and kill dozens of people, and as a result, they gradually become desensitized to death."
Listening to Kashiel's words, I finally understood what Claire had been tormented by.
"But there are few Transcendent Beings with monstrous minds, even if they possess monstrous power. That's something that even Guiding can't fix."
That child took her own life, but she certainly didn't die by her own hand.
Post-traumatic stress disorder. Commonly known as PTSD.
That was the cause of Kashiel's twin's death.
Claire Brondearne.
She might as well have been killed by the people who sent her to the battlefield.
