Chapter 36
Ominous Contract (7)
I sat across from her in the makeshift tent the knight had guided me to, and we exchanged brief greetings.
“I’m Hailey Gardwin, Captain of the Imperial 4th Knight Order.”
“I’m Edith Crowell.”
…I wondered why the Imperial Knights arrived so quickly, but it was the Gardwin family. It seems Ian Gardwin’s survival and direct call to the Imperial Knights had this effect.
When she removed her helmet, a face resembling Ian Gardwin’s but with deeper lines and a gentle charm was revealed.
She didn’t really ask me much.
She only inquired about the course of events during the subjugation practice, and I gave a brief statement, just enough for the pieces to fit together.
Hailey Gardwin seemed to consider even that sufficient.
She focused particularly on the appearance of the mutant monsters and the part about being able to heal somewhat using the core of the mutant monsters.
‘At this rate, there shouldn’t be any reason for suspicion.’
I cupped the warm tea a knight had brought me in both hands and sipped it.
It was a little sweeter than the tea Camilla Guinevere had given me, but similarly soothing.
I quietly drank the tea while watching her summarize my story on parchment.
‘…In the past, I always woke up around this point.’
The starting point of the regression was getting closer and closer.
And many things had changed.
Hailey Gardwin rolled up the parchment, tucked it into her chest, and smiled gently.
“Thank you for cooperating despite the difficulty. The healing ability in that new monster’s ‘core’ is fascinating.”
“If it weren’t for Young Lord Behemoth, we wouldn’t have known about it.”
At this point, modesty. I can’t afford to attract more attention.
Who knows when another variable like Therion might appear.
However, as if she already knew my intentions, Hailey Gardwin responded with a relaxed smile.
“Perhaps the Magic Tower will soon send an official letter to student Edith Crowell.”
🥀
And her words were not wrong.
A week later, almost all students had returned to the academy.
I was carefully watching the ‘dead’ professors, knights, and students, anxious that they might start smelling of death at any time, but unlike corpses revived by a necromancer, they were truly living like people with intellect and self-awareness. My worries seemed foolish.
Students returned to the academy sequentially according to the severity of their injuries, with those who were part of the scouting team returning more slowly.
Three days ago, Ian Gardwin returned, and two days ago, Camilla Guinevere came back. And today.
Ethan was said to be returning.
I couldn’t use the temple like other students.
Not only was it expensive, but if a priest noticed I had made a contract with a demon, it would be over.
So instead, I roughly patched up my internal injuries with the mountain of elixirs Ian and Camilla had gifted me as thanks, and recuperated at school.
Therion, who was responsible for about half of those internal injuries, chattered right next to me.
“Miss Edith, are you sure you’re alright with just that?”
“Yes. I think I’m completely fine now.”
I frowned as I peeled off the bandage on my cheek.
‘…It stings.’
The scratch on my cheek had also healed.
I had received this wound simultaneously with this regression, so truly stormy days had passed.
In the meantime, the way people looked at me had changed quite a bit.
The harassment from Cain Guinevere’s group had significantly decreased, and seeing the heirs of influential families like Ian Gardwin and Camilla Guinevere take my side, it was a natural shift in attitude.
Especially that guy, Chester or Castanets or whatever, who had even drawn his sword demanding I give up my spot in the subjugation practice, now ran away as soon as he saw me. He seemed to think I might actually gouge out his eyes.
‘Kids these days…’
Wherever I went in the academy, eyes followed me. Perhaps because of this, Therion didn’t stop pretending to be weak.
“I’m still feeling dizzy…”
“……”
As I was side-eyeing Therion with an exasperated look, a bird with burning feathers flew down from the sky, circled above my head, and lightly perched on my shoulder.
‘…This bird.’
The phoenix, a magical messenger used by the Magic Tower to send official documents, handed me the parchment it had been holding in its beak.
[To Miss Edith Crowell.]
‘…Could it be, really?’
With a doubtful heart, I unfolded the parchment, and its contents were indeed a summons from the Magic Tower, just as Hailey Gardwin had predicted.
[To Miss Edith Crowell,
We plan to proceed with the ‘development of a treatment using the core of mutant monsters’ that you discovered at the Magic Tower. We are contacting you to encourage a promising student to participate in the research.]
To summarize the content, it was saying that given my outstanding talent at such a young age, how about ending my academy life and spending the rest of my days researching at the Magic Tower.
If I hadn’t experienced this regression, I would have accepted immediately.
Therion rolled his eyes to read the letter’s contents with me and whispered in a small voice.
“Are you going to go?”
“Hmm….”
How should I answer?
As I was pondering, suddenly a dark shadow fell over me from the front.
“…?”
What is it?
As I looked up, Ethan was standing there.
“Ethan?”
He seemed to have arrived, just as I heard he’d be returning today.
Without asking for permission, he glanced at my parchment.
“…Are you going to the magic tower?”
Why are you curious about that?
I deliberately didn’t answer and instead asked about his physical condition. That’s what I’m more curious about, you know?
“Welcome back. Are you sure you’re okay without resting more? Why did you come looking…”
At that moment, a very faint memory flashed through my head. You, don’t tell me.
“We agreed to do strength training after finishing the subjugation practice, didn’t we?”
“…Was that serious?”
“Of course. And.”
Really?
Ethan Behemoth is quite an oddball.
To remember such a thing after all that trouble…
Ethan opened his mouth as if he wasn’t finished yet.
“…”
He looked at Therion with disapproving eyes.
I could feel the unsettling gaze even standing right next to him.
Therion, who usually pretended to be weak, was tilting his head slightly and smiling coldly at him, for some reason.
Somehow, a chilly tension flowed between the two.
Ethan continued what he was about to say.
“…Can we talk for a moment? Just the two of us.”
The emphasis on ‘just the two of us’ was not my imagination.
When I glanced back at Therion, he just shrugged with a slight smile. As if telling me to go ahead and talk.
…Having an idea of what this was about, I cleared my throat and nodded. Finally, it’s here.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
I quietly nodded and followed Ethan, who headed toward the bench in front of the fountain.
It was the same place where Ethan had once applied ointment to my cheek.
Today, there were students already sitting there, but when they saw Ethan and me walking over, they blushed and quickly vacated the seats.
Why are they like that?
As soon as we sat down and the surroundings became somewhat quiet, Ethan Behemoth began to speak.
“I heard you’ve been getting close to Rimos Therion lately.”
“Yes.”
“If I’m not mistaken… Didn’t he clearly give orders to the monsters in the ravine at that time?”
My heart sank, but I shook my head firmly without showing it.
“You must have seen wrong.”
Right, I wondered when he would bring this up.
I was so nonchalant that I thought he might have forgotten, but Ethan would clearly remember the monsters flying towards him.
And Rimos Therion’s hand gesture as he stood with his back to those monsters.
Ethan tilted his head curiously.
“Really?”
“…Yes.”
“Then what was that? Clearly…”
“Besides mimics, there are several types of monsters that imitate appearances, right? It was one of those. Later, when I cross-checked Rimos Therion’s memories and the incident, it turned out he couldn’t have been there at that time and place.”
I rattled off the excuse I had prepared.
I’m quite good at lying, but for some reason, my lips felt dry in front of Ethan Behemoth’s gaze that seemed to trust me absolutely.
“I see.”
“Above all, how could a holy magic user handle monsters?”
I added that and licked my dry lips once. I was out of breath.
Only then did Ethan nod as if he understood.
“I almost made a big mistake.”
“……”
I got goosebumps. He really was going to take action. Well, he is a man of action after all.
After a moment of silence, Ethan asked again.
“So, are you going to the magic tower?”
What should I do about this miraculous change of subject?
There’s no point in trying to dodge the question anymore when he’s this persistent.
Running my hand through my hair, I answered slowly.
“…No.”
There’s no reason to go to the magic tower right now. Because.
“Then, from tomorrow, we’ll start strength training with me—”
“That would be difficult.”
“Why?”
I took out another letter from my pocket.
It was a letter on stiff, high-quality paper with a red seal in the shape of a crow carefully attached.
A long letter that arrived by express a week ago, right after finishing the subjugation practice and first aid.
It was a letter from my beloved sister, Diana Crowell.
“They’re worried at home and asked me to show my face, so I’m thinking of returning home for a short recuperation.”
Originally, the academy didn’t allow long absences for new students, but as an exception, students who were involved in this subjugation practice, especially those in the reconnaissance team, were allowed for recuperation purposes.
I thought my plans to return home were ruined because the academy wasn’t completely destroyed, but look at this opportunity.
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of seeing my family.
‘Diana, at this time, must be very lovable. Mother and father should be well too.’
Ethan, who couldn’t take his eyes off my slightly raised corners of my mouth, suddenly threw out a question.
“…May I accompany you?”
“…What?”
Why would you come to our house?
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
