Chapter 54
Ban, seeing Raina’s sword connect, immediately thought of [Resonance].
The Serenia style of swordsmanship focused on the absorption and release of aura. That was why aura was essential to its advanced techniques.
When two Serenia-style swords clashed, [Resonance] occurred—both techniques absorbed and expelled aura in rapid succession, releasing a shockwave in an instant.
If successful, the shockwave discharged from inside and outside simultaneously could deal a fatal blow to a field boss.
He disguised himself first with black clothing and a mask. Then, with earth magic, he created a dummy, dressed it in a spare uniform, and made it look like himself.
I can’t let my identity be exposed, after all.
Resonance required powerful aura, but Raina’s current output was lacking. So Ban had to make up the shortfall.
He drank a mana recovery potion and used [Mana Compression].
Everything except what I need to escape—I’ll pour it all in.
Other than the mana necessary for escape, he used it all for [Mana Compression].
The compressed mana heated his sword; crimson deepened until it turned sky-blue in an instant.
The aura was not just sufficient but somewhat excessive. The problem was his swordsmanship skills—only mid-to-low tier.
I’ll patch up my lack of precision with other techniques.
Based on [Supernova], he reinforced it with [Flame Release] and [Ignition].
Other than [Flame Burst], his thought process was uncannily identical to Raina’s.
When his preparations were complete, the monster’s camouflage rippled violently. Raina’s sword pierced again, emitting light.
This time, it drove in deeper. Ban smiled.
Better than expected.
Without hesitation, he thrust his sword.
The shockwave created by the resonance of their auras cleaved the field boss apart.
Escaping from the collapsing body, he slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Seeing Raina, Drener, Sonia, and Ceres, he smiled. But they tensed at the sight of him.
Everyone was already at their physical limits, and now an unexpected figure appeared.
Drener and Ceres, seeing him for the first time, mistook him as the culprit behind the incident and tried to muster strength—but could barely stand.
Behind his mask, Kim Sehyun smirked.
Perfect timing to make a clean getaway.
The problem, however, was that Raina could still move.
“Haaaah!”
She rushed him with [Ignition], so Kim Sehyun threw Ridiphin toward her.
“Wh-what?!”
Startled, she instantly halted her technique and caught Ridiphin. In that moment, Kim Sehyun widened the distance, releasing a strange electronic sound.
“Ban Astraea is coming with me.”
“No!”
Ceres, in desperation, solidified space with her mana to block his path. But he used it as a foothold, leapt, and sprang away.
Then, Raina shouted:
“Oppa!”
Landing on a tree, Kim Sehyun froze for just a moment before fleeing farther away.
I used [Fall Delay] to adjust my weight as I dashed through the forest terrain.
Below, strange plant-type monsters swarmed, leaving me with no proper place to land.
Leaping higher, I glanced around. The other two field bosses all looked different from what I remembered from the game.
If only I had encountered the boss a little later, escaping would have been easy. My timing must’ve been off.
The professors who came as reinforcements began subjugating the field bosses one by one, and a blue flash surged skyward from where I had been.
Hazzen seemed to have cleared out most of the monsters nearby.
Perhaps sensing danger to its main body, the monsters that had been prowling all around moved en masse toward the field boss.
Thanks to that, a safe landing spot opened up.
Ah, I feel like I’m really about to die.
I lowered my mask and collapsed onto the ground. The dummy I had carried crumbled to pieces.
Before anyone arrived, I quickly changed clothes, stuffed my dirtied uniform into my subspace pouch, and lay down flat.
This feels just like the freshman initiation all over again.
For some reason, I chuckled.
My disguise had two purposes.
First, to hide the fact that I could use aura.
Second, to plant the thought that I was not Ban.
Ceres’s Mystic Eyes were a concern, but in the chaos she likely had no room to see through me.
Regardless of whether my intentions succeeded or not, I had no other choice.
There was no way but to use [Resonance].
To cover any remaining suspicion, I deliberately paused when Raina called me “Oppa.”
I had sensed since initiation that Raina suspected something. And during the dungeon conquest competition, members of Lost Paradise had mistaken me for a mercenary hired by her brother. Over time, misunderstandings would only deepen.
For now, all I had to do was lie here, and when people arrived, pretend to wake up at the perfect moment.
Right on cue, I heard footsteps drawing near.
I tilted my head slightly, squinted in their direction, and saw the ones I’d been waiting for.
Drener at the front, then the recovered Ridiphin, Raina, and Ceres being supported by Sonia.
Alright, then…
I needed to get up and confirm whether my plan had worked, whether anyone suspected anything strange, and above all, whether Raina was safe.
She looked outwardly unscathed, but after being swallowed, she might have internal injuries.
But my body was too heavy—even raising an arm was impossible. I quickly understood my state.
By the second time, I was starting to get used to this.
As my vision blurred, I faintly heard Raina’s cry tickling my ears, and then—
“Ban!”
Raina, the first to arrive, checked his condition. It was only fainting—his breathing and heartbeat were stable.
“Thank goodness…”
Ceres, supported by Sonia, stumbled forward and collapsed into Ban’s arms, her pent-up anxiety releasing at once in tears.
Finally, Ridiphin arrived, took Ban’s hand, pressed it to her forehead, and wept—tears of apology, gratitude, relief, and worry all mingled.
Watching from a step back, Sonia and Drener spoke.
“Ban sure is lucky. Such cute girls crying out of worry for him.”
“…True enough.”
Her reply came a beat late, so he asked:
“Were you lost in thought?”
“No. It’s just… never mind. I’m not envious. If what you gain from risking your life is only another’s worry, that’s hardly worth it.”
“You’re so blunt. But doesn’t it mean Ban is a good person?”
“That’s true.”
When I opened my eyes, I saw a medieval-style gray ceiling—the infirmary of the Church building.
By the third time seeing it, it felt familiar.
I tried to sit up, but my body was too heavy. Still aching, not fully recovered—wait, something felt off.
My torso was heavy, but my arms and legs felt strangely light.
Lifting my neck, I saw the blanket bulging.
No way…
When I pulled it back, there was Ceres curled up on top of me like a cat.
The moment I gently tried to move her aside, she slowly opened her eyes.
Half-asleep, she rubbed them, then froze as soon as she met my gaze.
“Sleep well?”
I gave an awkward smile and greeting, but Ceres just stared blankly without answering. Then, a system message appeared before me:
[Character Event – Ceres Laplace 1 has begun.]
Immediately, Ceres threw herself into my arms, ignoring the system window.
“I was so worried.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“Yeah, I see.”
My chest felt damp, but I pretended not to notice and gently patted her back.
She sniffled as if regaining composure, yet still clung to me.
“Do you remember what I said before? That Ban is someone special to me.”
“Yeah. I remember.”
It was something we had talked about after the dungeon competition, during something like a date.
“I thought you were dead. I got so angry.”
“You got angry?”
“Yeah. Just like Ridiphin did before. No, even more than that.”
I was a little surprised. In the game, even with maxed affinity, she never showed her emotions so openly.
Maybe things were different because this was reality now.
“You once said this reaction wasn’t romantic feelings. I thought so too. But after experiencing it, I’m not so sure.”
“I see.”
Ceres had been born with Mystic Eyes. To her, everything—auras, mana, divine power, even cracks in space—was visible. She could see both process and conclusion at once, so she often gave only conclusions without explanation.
“Something like this… it’s been a long time. To understand, then not understand what I thought I understood.”
Like most Mystic Eye bearers, young Ceres had little interest in the world. Having seen too much too clearly, the world seemed overly simple to her, like a toy grown dull.
That way of thinking naturally created distance with others. She couldn’t be understood by anyone, nor could she understand others. She accepted that as normal.
But there were always exceptions.
Though she believed only other Mystic Eye users could communicate with her, her father—who had none—understood both her and her mother well, even reading her unspoken thoughts at times.
She knew what it meant not to be understood, yet paradoxically could not understand it.
“I waited a long time for someone like you, Ban. Desperately.”
Ceres’s childhood had been happy with her parents—until then.
Her father, always frail, passed away like a falling autumn leaf when she was nine.
Since then, she had felt a deep emptiness, waiting for someone who could understand her like he had.
“I tried so hard. I read books, I approached people.”
She changed her thinking: if she could understand others, maybe others could understand her.
So she read novels, especially romances where emotions intertwined.
And she sought out unusual people, thinking they might share common ground with her.
“But the person I was waiting for never appeared. And I still couldn’t understand anyone.”
Despite all her effort, nothing improved.
“But then, I met you, Ban.”
She lifted her face from my chest and looked straight into my eyes, as if expecting something from me.
But I wasn’t the person she wanted. I couldn’t fully understand her words. Each time, I had to think hard just to grasp her meaning.
In the first place, I wasn’t sure what “understanding” even meant. Seeing through someone? Accepting them? Or something else?
Did she read my thoughts? Ceres’s expression saddened, and she buried her face against me again.
“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to do anything. Just… stay alive.”
“Alright.”
I gently patted her back.
“Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“For making you worry.”
Ceres shook her head.
“As long as you’re safe, it’s fine.”
“Alright.”
Her spoiled, vulnerable expression reminded me of someone else, and I smiled unconsciously.
Then she asked:
“Can I ask you one favor?”
“What is it?”
“Learn spatial magic from me.”
Ah. So this is how it connects.
The reward for Ceres’s first character event was [Spatial Magic: Beginner]. Unlike hers, it came with many restrictions, but still a very useful skill.
“Of course. I’d be grateful.”
Ceres hugged me tightly. It hurt a little.
[Character Event – Ceres Laplace 1 has ended.]
[You have acquired the skill: Spatial Magic (Beginner).]
Just then, the door burst open and a priestess entered.
She had long straight hair, amber eyes, and wore priestly robes with elegant orange patterns matching her hair color. She was the “Saint of the Battlefield,” Maria Daut.
“You’re awake—”
She strode in confidently, then paused at the sight of me and Ceres, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. She carefully closed the door.
“My apologies…”
“Don’t tease us, Maria!”
“No need to be embarrassed, youth! If you want, I can keep everyone away for an hour!”
“We don’t need that!”
“Fine, fine.”
With a chuckle, Maria dragged over a chair and sat.
Ceres, noticing her, offered a polite greeting.
“Hello, I am Ceres Laplace.”
…Why was she greeting while still sitting on my lap?
It could have seemed rude, but Maria only laughed as if entertained.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Maria Daut, head of this Church facility.”
She must have been used to the Laplace family’s eccentricities.
“But Ban, I didn’t expect you to remember me. It’s been so long, I thought you’d forgotten.”
“How could I forget the Saint of the Battlefield?”
“Hahaha, that title is ancient history.”
Since Maria had once mentioned Ban in the game, it was natural for me to play along as if I knew her.
She had worried that though I was brilliant as a child, only bad rumors followed me as I grew.
Her connection seemed to be through Castro, with whom she was close. During the Eastern-Western War, fresh graduate Castro had served in her special squad. Afterward, she recommended him for headmaster, and now she herself was head of the Church facility. Since Castro was friendly with Ban, it wasn’t strange she had met me several times.
Flipping through a file, Maria explained:
“This is the intensive care unit. You had no major injuries, but since you’d been swallowed by a monster, a thorough checkup was needed.”
So that’s why she had cleared the room for me.
At Iris Academy, serious injuries were rare, so the ICU was almost always empty.
“The results show you’re in good condition. Some toxins from the monster remained, but they were well neutralized. You must have taken an antidote potion, right?”
“You can tell that?”
“Of course. Priests have great analytical ability.”
“Then why did I faint?”
“That was mana depletion syndrome.”
I’d heard of it before.
When someone uses too much mana at once, they temporarily lose the ability to absorb mana from nature.
It must have been because I overused [Mana Compression] in one go.
“Your body has been strained all around, especially your mana circuits. This battle finally pushed them to the limit.”
So using magic constantly in my free time was the cause? Treating reality like a game had caught up to me. I’d need to pace myself better from now on.
“So my recommendation as a priest: no magic use for now, and don’t overexert yourself physically either.”
“And if I don’t listen?”
“Well, if I catch you… you’ll get a beating—I mean, you’ll face some very stern scolding.”
From the look in her eyes, the “scolding” would definitely be with fists. I nodded vigorously.
As expected of the one person who could even make the infamously lazy Castro move—she didn’t rely on words.
