Chapter 25
“Why are you just standing there frozen?”
Eila jerked her head up at the low voice suddenly sounding right in front of her.
“Ah—it’s nothing.”
She hurriedly shook her head and brushed past Felix.
“We’re in a hurry, so let’s keep moving.”
To avoid getting caught for sneaking into the forest at midnight, they needed to move as quickly as possible.
The two walked in silence.
When Eila led Felix to a nearby wall, he asked quietly,
“Why did you bring so much luggage?”
A massive backpack hung from Eila’s shoulders.
“There were a lot of things to prepare.”
With that, she turned to assess the wall’s height—only to find it much taller than she’d expected.
Hesitating, she glanced up at Felix.
“Can you give me a boost? Just until I get over the wall.”
Given the height, there was no way she could climb it with the backpack on.
Felix seemed to agree, silently taking the bag from her.
“You go first. I’ll, uh… mentally prepare myself before jumping.”
Nodding, Felix leapt over the wall effortlessly with light footsteps.
Watching him, Eila couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
‘He cleared that height so easily…’
But her amazement was short-lived, quickly replaced by worry.
‘Can I even make it over?’
Even if Felix could help her down from the top, getting up there in the first place seemed like the real challenge.
‘It’s fine. If I get hurt, I’ll just apply some ointment. Just don’t break any bones.’
She squeezed her eyes shut and reached for the wall—just as Felix suddenly reappeared in front of her.
“W-what?! Why’d you come back?”
He shrugged at her startled outburst.
“What’s taking so long?”
“I’ll get over soon, don’t worry.”
“Are you sure? The wall’s way taller than you.”
Felix stepped closer and turned around, presenting his back.
“Hop on.”
“……”
“You only brought me along to use me for stuff like this anyway.”
“You’re not some tool—what do you mean, use you?”
Felix sometimes blurted things out bluntly, likely due to his youth. But since he wasn’t wrong, Eila clamped her mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Felix crouched slightly, gesturing for her to climb on. His demeanor held no ulterior motives, so after a brief hesitation, Eila gripped his shoulders tightly.
‘Being carried like a child at my age…’
Her face burned, but she had no choice. Her physical abilities were hopelessly inadequate for scaling the academy’s high walls.
In contrast, clinging to Felix’s back gave her the stability of holding onto solid hardwood.
The problem? Every point of contact with him felt like touching fire.
Thanks to his harsh training, Felix’s body was remarkably sturdy—the thick veins along his neck and shoulders, the firm muscles of his back…
Eila shook her head violently, disgusted with herself for fixating on a child.
Unaware (or indifferent) to her turmoil, Felix began ascending the wall at a careful pace—far more cautiously than when he’d scaled it alone.
Eila shut her eyes tightly.
“Done.”
At his voice, she cautiously opened her eyes. Aside from some slight swaying, they’d reached the other side in the blink of an eye.
Looking around, Eila exhaled in admiration.
“Carrying me and still clearing the wall that easily? Impressive.”
“Only because you helped me sense mana.”
Felix replied matter-of-factly as he gently set her down. Then he handed back her backpack.
Slinging it on, Eila offered a small smile.
“Thanks. Let’s go.”
From there, things were straightforward—they just had to walk to the forest entrance.
Step, step. The night was dark, the full moon vivid in the sky.
At the forest’s edge, Felix paused, scanning the interior. An ominous energy radiated from within—if he felt unnerved, what madness had driven Eila to come here at midnight?
“Why insist on this time? Wouldn’t dawn or daylight be safer?”
“……”
“Even upperclassmen only enter in groups during lessons. Just the two of us going in seems risky.”
His skeptical gaze made Eila guess his thoughts:
‘He must think I’m recklessly inviting danger.’
His distrust was understandable—they hadn’t known each other long, and her actions had seemed hazardous from his perspective.
Shrugging, Eila replied,
“You really think I’d suggest this without a reason?”
“……”
When Felix just stared silently, she coughed and added,
“One of the herbs I need only blooms under a full moon. The others can be gathered anytime, but…”
“I see.”
Felix’s lips quirked up playfully, as if to say, ‘Why didn’t you lead with that?’
“Then again, you’ve always had reasons for everything.”
His quick acceptance left Eila momentarily stunned—
SHWIIK!
A sharp sound split the air as a black shadow surged behind her.
Before she could react, Felix moved like lightning. A silver flash severed the dark vine, sending its limp remains crashing down.
“You okay?”
He turned to check on her, but Eila just stared blankly at his sword.
Thick black liquid dripped from the blade like blood, emitting a foul stench far beyond ordinary plant sap.
As Felix narrowed his eyes at his sword, Eila snapped into action.
“Don’t—don’t touch it!”
“Huh?”
“I just remembered. This is Deathvine—a dark-dwelling monster that preys on animals.”
“……”
While Felix studied the liquid warily, Eila hurriedly explained,
“The sap in its vines contains potent paralytic toxins. Best avoid contact… Not that you need to clean your sword. It’ll help against other monsters.”
Having calmed slightly, she wrapped up the situation with relative composure.
Felix watched her curiously before she hesitantly added,
“With the full moon… we’ll need extra caution. The monsters’ powers peak tonight.”
Her apologetic glance seemed to say, ‘Sorry for dragging you into danger.’
“It’s fine. Makes for a proper initiation.”
Felix shrugged, sheathing his sword.
Meanwhile, Eila rummaged through her backpack, pulling out several vials.
“I prepared antidotes just in case. Avoiding poison’s ideal, but that’s not always possible.”
Felix’s eyes narrowed as he studied the items.
‘So this is what she packed so heavily for.’
