Chapter : 17
In the Bad Ending Route, I’ll Save You
A Gift the Heart Understands
Wow… it really looks like a gem… a ruby…
His red eyes shimmered, so deep and radiant that I couldn’t look away. A breeze of green magic brushed past Damian, and the hair covering his other eye lifted for a moment.
It was the eye cursed completely black. No pupil—only a pitch-dark abyss.
“Ah!”
Realizing his cursed eye had been exposed, he gasped and covered it, cautiously watching for my reaction.
I simply smiled. It wasn’t something shocking to me.
“…Yeah, I just wanted you to feel calmer.”
Damian’s face suddenly relaxed to a surprising degree. Somehow… it felt like this was the real him.
Without the weight of his trauma, Damian looked clear, transparent—deeply thoughtful.
Maybe my desire to soothe his heart resonated with Airan’s magic.
“Thanks… I—I’ve never settled down this fast before… A-Airan’s magic is… s-so warm…”
Color returned to his cheeks as he murmured. His voice sounded so much brighter.
“Good.”
I smiled again—then remembered something.
“Oh, right! There’s something I wanted to give you.”
I pulled out the Tears of Laotis I always carried in my pocket and handed it to him.
I wasn’t sure how to explain, but words rose naturally from my heart.
“Thank you for saving me today. I really wanted you to have this. They say dark wizards suffer from magic sickness, right?”
He stared blankly at me as I pressed the bottle into his hand.
“Don’t feel burdened. I hope you don’t hurt this new moon.”
His eyes welled again. His hands trembled.
He looked nothing like the Damian from when I first offered him a potion. He slowly lowered the hand covering his cursed eye and held Tears of Laotis with both hands.
“You can do it, Damian. I know you can control your magic—master it.”
For a fleeting second, a smile touched his lips. His eyes still quivered with tears.
“For me… It’s the first time… someone’s cared this much…”
He held the potion like a precious treasure.
Silent for a long time, Damian hugged the bottle to his chest almost dazedly.
He finally drew in a breath.
“I…”
He squeezed his eyes shut, sorting through his thoughts, then spoke clearly.
“I don’t have… enough experience. I still… don’t think there’s anything great about me… But…”
He spoke in a small voice, almost as if remembering his father. He closed his red eye tightly, then looked at me again.
His gaze traveled from my hands up to both my eyes.
“…I want to try being brave. If it’s with you… I think it’ll be okay. With you… um… what I mean is…”
His crimson eyes trembled fiercely. I waited quietly.
He stumbled over his words.
“I want you to take me as your partner. I want to try—just like you said. I want to not let you down. I want to be brave! And if I’m with you, I think I can control my magic!”
His voice rose with determination—his expression sincere.
I smiled, and for the first time, he smiled back with ease. And I realized it—not through攻略 gifts, but through my own power, I had opened Damian’s heart and made him my partner.
It made me unbelievably happy.
With Professor Sophia’s help, we filled out the registration for the Magician Promotion Exam together.
As soon as I finished, exhaustion washed over me and I fell into a deep sleep.
I felt so light.
The storage room incident ended without trouble. The school took responsibility for the broken door, and I was hospitalized for three days.
After being in the cold so long, I’d caught a cold. Which meant I got to skip legally and lie on the infirmary bed doing nothing.
I had a fever and a cough, but it felt amazing to rest without worrying for once.
I finally did it… I got a partner… I can take the Orion exam now!
I was so happy about Damian that I barely registered the symptoms.
Because colds were contagious, no visitors were allowed for two days. I just rolled around in bed—and this morning I heard about Damian.
He had passed this month’s new-moon sickness without much pain. When the professor told me, something clicked.
Right… Damian always lost control during the new moon. That’s why he never had a roommate.
In the game, Damian always suffered alone—trauma making him thrash and lose control every month. But this time, I’d saved him—and his future roommate.
I was thrilled.
Now only the Orion exam is left! I’ll crush it!
By the third day, I was mostly recovered and felt lighter than ever. Being inside the game but finally getting to rest felt amazing.
When break time hit, the hallway got noisy and students poured into the infirmary.
“Airan!”
“Pina!”
Pina burst in carrying a bouquet. I greeted her cheerfully.
“Feeling better? I was so worried…”
She held my hand with teary eyes.
“I’m fine. Just a cold. Almost gone.”
She placed the flowers beside my bed. She had taken notes and copied assignments for me for all three days—her handwriting pressed hard into the page. It warmed my heart.
“Damian eats lunch with me now.”
“You and Damian?”
I laughed at the unexpected pairing.
“How did you get that close?”
“He helped save Lana—of course we got close! He’s shy, but he’s really nice.”
I nodded vigorously.
“And we actually talk really well…”
Pina nervously tugged her braid. Right—she once said she wanted a study friend. Wish granted, Pina.
I felt proud Damian already had a new friend.
Suddenly the hall quieted. Urgent footsteps approached—the infirmary door swung open.
“Airan!”
Silver hair streaming, Freya swept in, followed by a male student struggling with boxes of gifts.
Freya hurried to my side, gripping my hands with shockingly cold fingers.
“You were trapped in a storage room?! What kind of door was that?! It must’ve been terrifying—are you alright? I’m sorry I’m so late!”
Her blue eyes trembled with worry.
Freya worried about me this much…?
My chest warmed.
“I’m okay. I’m almost better.”
“How bad was it? How sick were you?”
“Just a light cold.”
“Light?! There’s no such thing as a light illness!”
Freya shrieked.
“You need to rest and THINK ABOUT NOTHING for days, understood?!”
She nagged with motherly ferocity. I just laughed.
Is she fussing more because she thinks of me as a friend?
Then she signaled to the boy—and box after box piled near my bed.
Wait… these weren’t carried… they were carted in?!
“F-Freya? This is…?”
“This tea helps with colds. Drink it before bed.”
“Wh—yes?”
She pulled out fancy teacups and leaves. Before I could respond, she opened another box.
“These are thermal pajamas—wear them at night. Your cold will disappear fast.”
“But I—”
‘Freya, I’m already fine—what IS all this?’
“I—Freya, colds don’t last three—”
“And these books so you won’t get bored. I selected them carefully. Especially this one—‘101 Magic Survival Tricks in Emergencies.’”
She didn’t hear a word I said, piling gifts in my lap and on the bed. That’s when I realized—Freya had NEVER done a hospital visit before.
This was her first—and she’d come fully prepared.
The sheer mountain of gifts blurred my vision. Pina froze, then hurried to help me hold things.
F-Freya, what is happening—I’m ALMOST BETTER?!
Around then, Pina’s eyes began to sparkle—she looked at Freya like a shining prince. Soon everyone in the infirmary was staring.
“Whoa… that’s the Page of Lady Freya…”
“So jealous… I wanna be sick if that’s what Freya brings…”
“Look at those cups—how much do they cost?”
‘I—I’m mortified!’
Everyone whispering while I got showered with gifts—embarrassing, though kind of nice.
I’m happy! But seriously—I’m almost over it! People will think I’m dying!
Freya reached for a fruit basket when I stopped her.
“F-Freya. Really—I’m fine. I’m almost done with the cold.”
“A COLD IS DANGEROUS! It can turn into lung disease! Even if you’re almost better, it can get worse!”
“Y-yes ma’am.”
My attempt to calm her only stoked her determination. I surrendered to the tidal wave of care.
Well… who knows when I’ll be pampered like this again… even if it’s just a cold.
Just then, screaming echoed down the hall. A tall, handsome boy walked in.
“You look worse than I expected.”
Aaron.
Aaron’s visiting ME? Or is he here for Freya?
Without changing expression, he strode over—and kicked Freya’s gifts aside with his shoe.
I shouted without thinking:
“That’s from Lady Freya!”
Everyone’s heads snapped toward me.
Freya looked touched. Aaron looked baffled. Pina stared like I’d become legendary.
Aaron sighed, then picked up the boxes properly and set them on a chair.
This day is insane.
“Didn’t recognize it. Thought it was clutter for a terminal patient.”
“How can you say that?! Airan has a cold!”
Freya exclaimed, sitting down dramatically. Aaron gave us a look like we were idiots.
“It’s just a cold.”
“Are you underestimating colds? They can turn into lung disease!”
“I know. And she’s almost better.”
Freya shot Aaron a death glare—sparks flying. He finally relented with a sigh.
“You’re right.”
“Exactly!”
I looked at Aaron fondly.
But I already guessed why he gave in.
Freya had severe asthma as a child…
She only recovered once her ice magic awakened—cold tolerance curing her symptoms. Aaron had seen her struggle countless times.
And suddenly, I knew what to say.
“I’ll be better soon. Thank you both for caring.”
Hope you enjoyed!
Let me know if you want it polished into novel-style prose or kept literal line-for-line ♥
