Chapter 26
The moment the broken sword blade flew toward Lucia, time seemed to stop for Herwin.
The scenery around him slowed until everything was nearly frozen, and even the blade—flying at a deadly speed—suspended in midair.
Even though he was experiencing this strange phenomenon, Herwin didn’t notice. His eyes were fixed only on Lucia.
Before he could even consciously recognize that she was in danger, his body moved on its own.
When he came to his senses, he was already standing in front of her, blocking her.
It was sheer luck. If that blade had struck Lucia, she would have surely…
He didn’t want to imagine the rest. Just the thought alone was unbearable.
Seeing her vivid blue eyes, still brimming with life, made him feel overwhelming relief.
But as Lucia fainted right after, a fresh wave of panic surged within Herwin.
“Lucia!”
He felt like he was going mad. His heart pounded so violently that he wondered if he would lose his sanity.
The only thought filling his head was that he had to save her.
Quickly, Herwin gathered her into his arms and ran to the infirmary.
All the students in the training hall stared blankly at his retreating figure.
“……Did anyone see how Lord Peneus moved?”
“I didn’t. One blink and he was gone.”
“Wait, what? Isn’t he supposed to be a swordsman? How could he use magic too?”
“And I swear I saw aura radiating from him.”
“Yeah, it rose from his entire body. That’s supposed to be possible only for someone who’s reached the level of a Master.”
“Could that really have been aura? That makes no sense—Lord Peneus is only sixteen!”
“Unbelievable. Two aura awakeners in the first year alone?”
As the students whispered in shock over Herwin’s strange actions and his aura awakening, Brian snapped out of his daze.
“This isn’t the time to be standing around! Let’s go after him!”
“Brian! Wait for us!”
Brian hurried after Herwin, with Ethan following close behind.
“W-wait! Me too!”
Arista, the cause of all this chaos, dropped her sword with a pale face and rushed after them.
Seeing her friends chase after Herwin, Christine quickly packed up her things to follow as well. She wanted to move as fast as possible, but Bianca just stood there in shock.
“……This can’t be.”
“Bianca! What are you doing? We need to go too!”
Christine shook her friend’s shoulders, but then noticed something strange about Bianca’s expression. Still, checking on Lucia’s condition was more urgent.
After hesitating, Christine left first.
Left alone, Bianca clenched her teeth as she stared at the spot where Lucia and Herwin had just stood moments ago.
Lucia let out a groan as she lay on the stark white bed.
“……Mmm.”
Her eyelids trembled and slowly lifted, revealing her clear blue eyes.
“Lucia……!”
Through her hazy vision, she saw a familiar face, twisted in anguish.
“……Herwin?”
“Are you feeling better?”
“Huh? Yeah, I think so……”
As relief softened Herwin’s expression, Lucia felt uneasy.
Just this morning, he had been cold and distant toward her. But now, he seemed even closer than before their fight. She couldn’t figure out why his attitude had suddenly changed.
Before she could dwell on it, she noticed her surroundings—familiar yet strange.
“The infirmary? Why am I here……?”
“Don’t you remember what happened?”
“What happened? No, wait, why am I even here…….”
Lucia tried to sit up, then suddenly remembered the moment before she fainted.
She thought she was going to die, but Herwin had appeared and saved her.
And then—
‘Did I pass out?’
Her cheeks flushed. She hadn’t been struck by the blade, nor was she injured at all. Yet she had fainted from sheer fear. It was humiliating.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Should I get the nurse—”
“N-no, I’m fine! I’m not hurt anywhere. But… how long was I out?”
“Three hours.”
“Oh, only three hours… wait, WHAT? Three hours?!”
Lucia, who thought it couldn’t have been more than an hour, was horrified.
“Oh no! I missed class! I need to get back—”
But before she could leave the bed, Herwin pressed her back down by the shoulders.
“I already told the professor. It’s fine.”
“B-but still……”
“You nearly died today. And you’re worried about class?”
His voice tightened, his expression contorting. Only then did Lucia freeze.
Herwin, realizing he had raised his voice, quickly softened his tone.
“No, what I mean is… don’t worry about that. Just rest.”
“……Alright.”
“……Sigh, I wasn’t scolding you. Don’t make that face.”
He gently brushed her loose hair behind her ear. After being snapped at, Lucia’s face turned sullen.
“But wait… class isn’t over yet, is it?”
Realizing something, Lucia turned her head.
“Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be in class?”
“Missing one or two classes won’t matter.”
“What? How can you say that? It’ll affect your grades!”
“Do you even realize whose fault it is that I’m missing them—!”
Herwin abruptly stopped. His eyes met her clear blue ones, and he clamped his mouth shut.
“……Never mind. I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about me.”
A heavy silence settled between them.
Earlier, she understood why he was annoyed—she had been obsessing over attendance right after waking up. But now? Why was he angry again?
Didn’t this look like he had stayed because he was worried about her?
Lucia considered asking but closed her mouth when she saw his sullen face.
‘What if it’s just my imagination?’
If she asked and it turned out she was wrong, the disappointment would be too much to bear.
Clatter—
The sound of the infirmary door opening broke the silence. Familiar voices reached Lucia’s ears, and she perked up.
The curtain was pulled aside.
“Lucia!”
“Guys.”
“Thank goodness, you’re awake. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Do you know how scared we were when you collapsed?”
Brian, Ethan, and Christine all rushed over, worry written all over their faces.
Lucia laughed at their fussing. But then she spotted a head of pale blond hair among them.
Arista.
Their eyes met, and Arista immediately bowed deeply.
“I’m so sorry! It’s my fault you were in danger…!”
Lucia blinked, not understanding why she was apologizing.
But when she saw her pale face and the guilty atmosphere, she began to piece things together.
‘So this happened because of Arista?’
The incident had happened so fast that she hadn’t even realized who caused it.
Arista squeezed her eyes shut, bowing low as she apologized sincerely.
Lucia stared at her for a moment, then gave a small smile.
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt. You didn’t do it on purpose.”
Arista’s head shot up at once.
“But still—!”
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but you didn’t mean it, right? If you had, you wouldn’t be here apologizing to me. Isn’t that true?”
Arista bit her lip hard, then nodded.
“Then that’s enough.”
Arista’s face was a jumble of emotions—guilt, relief, and gratitude.
“I… I really am sorry. When I thought something might happen to you, I—”
“W-wait! Don’t cry! I told you, I’m fine!”
Despite Lucia’s reassurance, Arista’s tears spilled over.
Lucia hadn’t expected her to cry and panicked. After a moment’s hesitation, she awkwardly patted Arista’s hand.
Overwhelmed by Lucia’s forgiveness, Arista clasped her hand tightly, as if pledging loyalty to her.
“I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life! Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it!”
It was a bit much, but Lucia could see she was trying to mend their awkward relationship. So she accepted her gesture.
“Alright. Deal.”
Arista’s face lit up with joy. Watching her, Lucia felt a pang of guilt.
‘What on earth have I done to Arista…….’
She had tried to cause her trouble out of jealousy. It should have been Lucia who apologized.
‘I’m sorry.’
The words circled in her mouth, but she didn’t have the courage to say them aloud.
Just as Arista vowed to treat her well, Lucia silently vowed to make amends.
Seeing her serene face, Herwin turned his head away.
“Where’s Bianca? Didn’t she come with you?”
“Huh? Oh—she said she had something urgent and left. She should be here soon.”
“…I see.”
At Ethan’s reply, Herwin frowned slightly.
Bang—!
“Where’s my sister?!”
The infirmary door slammed open, and a familiar voice rang out.
“What the—?”
“Did her sibling get hurt too?”
Lucia rubbed her face in embarrassment.
“……I’m doomed.”
“Lucia!”
A man burst into the room, scanning the area until his eyes fell on her. He rushed forward with long strides.
“W-who’s that?”
“He looks a bit like Lucia……”
Lucia’s friends, who had never met Lucas before, were overwhelmed by his fierce presence and instinctively backed away.
“Which bastard did this to my sister?!”
“If anyone hears you, they’ll think she’s dead.”
“Who was it? Step forward! Was it you? Did you hurt my sister?!”
Lucas pointed at Ethan and Brian, who quickly shook their heads in terror.
Lucia was mortified by her brother’s loud outburst shaking the infirmary walls.
“Be quiet! It’s not just us here!”
Unable to take it anymore, she clapped a hand over his mouth.
“My sister! Are you hurt anywhere? If you’re hurt, then I—”
“If I’m hurt then what? I’m not hurt at all!”
She appreciated her friends’ concern, but her brother’s overprotectiveness was just exhausting.
Especially because she knew how much Lucas doted on her, she suddenly felt weary.
Lucas, still fuming, only relaxed once he had checked every part of her—from her hair down to her fingers and toes—to make sure she was unharmed.
