Chapter 198

Chapter 198. Interlude – A Warm Winter (1)

After bringing Lanes back to school.

She was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit.

The wounds caused by ice fragments embedded all over her body were bad enough, but the most severe injury was the necrosis of her entire arm.

The cold that penetrated her internal organs due to overtraining, which had already damaged her magic circuits, and the complete necrosis of the nerve cells in both arms.

Even if Iris used the “Seven Eyes,” it would not be easy to heal such wounds.

“Dale, give this to Lanes-senpai.”

Yurina handed me a potion emitting a pure white light.

God’s Favor.

A legendary elixir from the Holy Kingdom said to heal any wound as long as the person isn’t dead.

“…Are you sure about this?”

God’s Favor is known to be the most expensive potion on the continent, worth enough to buy a large mansion in the heart of Valhalla City.

Even as the daughter of the Helios Family, it was a treasure too precious to hand over so easily.

“If a comrade is this badly injured, when else would I use it if not now?”

Yurina shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing.

“Ah.”

Yurina, who was about to turn and leave, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Her eyes sparkled as if she had a good idea, and she quickly approached me.

“Dale, I did a good thing, right?”

“Huh? Well… yeah?”

To willingly hand over such an expensive potion for a comrade.

Even devout priests who have served the Seven Stars Church for a long time would find it hard to make such a decision.

“Then… I want a ‘reward’…”

Her eyes shining brightly, Yurina looked at me with an expression that said, “You know what I want, right?”

I stifled a laugh as I looked at her.

For Yurina, there was only one thing that could be considered a “reward.”

“Alright.”

I slowly reached out and placed my hand on Yurina’s hair.

The soft silver hair brushed through my fingers.

Swish, swish.

Not too strong, not too weak.

With just the right amount of force, I gently stroked her head.

“Hehehe…”

Her usual sharp demeanor was nowhere to be seen as she melted under the touch, rubbing her forehead against my hand.

If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging like a puppy’s right now. I continued to stroke her head until she was satisfied.

“Then I’ll go see Lanes.”

“Okay. Tell her I was really worried.”

After receiving God’s Favor from Yurina, I headed to the intensive care unit where Lanes was admitted.

“Ah, uh.”

Lanes lay on the bed, breathing heavily.

Her arms, severely frostbitten and necrotic, were connected to healing magical tools.

“Da…le?”

Did she notice me?

Lanes, despite wincing in pain, managed a faint smile.

“Drink this.”

“…What… is it…?”

“You’ll know when you drink it.”

I opened the potion and carefully poured it into her mouth.

The white liquid flowed between her cherry-like lips.

Uuuuung!

Soon, the holy power contained in the potion burst forth, filling the room.

“…Ah.”

Color returned to Lanes’s pale face, and her necrotic arms returned to their original state in the blink of an eye.

“Is this…?”

“Yurina gave you God’s Favor.”

“Go, God’s Favor?!”

Lanes’s eyes widened as she tried to sit up.

I chuckled lightly and gently pressed her shoulder.

“Don’t get up yet. Even though your wounds are healed, the fatigue will still be there.”

That’s something I know all too well, having died and revived countless times.

“Bu, but…”

“Save the thanks for later. First… can you tell me what happened?”

The place where I found her clearly showed signs of battle.

A battle so intense that she had to draw upon the power of the “Blessing of Frost” to the point of losing control.

“……”

Lanes, with a troubled expression, finally opened her mouth.

“…There was an attack.”

“An attack? By whom?”

“I don’t know.”

Lanes shook her head slightly.

She slowly explained the situation to me.

“Not long after leaving Valhalla City, a masked figure with a wolf mask appeared.”

I narrowed my eyes.

‘They were targeting Lanes from the start.’

That leaves two questions.

‘Who, and why?’

Who is the “person” the Wolf Mask mentioned?

And why are they targeting Lanes?

“Lanes.”

“Y, yes?”

“You said they were a hero, not a demon, right?”

“…Yes.”

Lanes continued, recalling the battle with the Wolf Mask.

“I didn’t sense any demonic energy at all.”

“……”

A hero, not a demon.

Naturally, Jackal’s words echoed in my mind.

‘Among the heroes… there is a traitor colluding with Mephisto.’

And that traitor.

‘Is not just one.’

A deep sigh escaped my lips.

“Ugh…”

Perhaps because my expression was so dark.

Lanes looked at me with a frightened expression, like a child caught stealing.

I decided to set aside thoughts of the traitors for now and placed my hand on her forehead.

“Let’s see… no fever for now.”

“Da, Dale…”

“Do you need anything?”

“Need anything?”

Lanes, who had been cowering in fear, suddenly perked up.

She pulled the blanket up to her chin, fidgeted a bit, and then, avoiding eye contact, spoke in a soft voice.

“I’m… hungry.”

“Huh?”

“I’m… hungry.”

“Ah.”

Right.

After dropping out and leaving school, she probably hadn’t had a proper meal until now.

“Wait a moment.”

I requested warm mushroom soup from the treatment center, something easy for a patient to eat.

“Here’s the soup. Here’s a spoon.”

“Th, thank you.”

“…What?”

Her expression still seemed uneasy.

“Ah, no! It’s nothing!”

Lanes hurriedly took the spoon and started eating the soup.

Then.

“Ah.”

Splat!

Perhaps because her body wasn’t fully recovered yet.

The bowl slipped from Lanes’s hand and fell to the floor.

The bowl, typical of those used in the treatment center, didn’t break, but the soup splashed and got on my clothes.

“Sorry, sorry, Dale! I, I didn’t mean to…!”

“It’s fine, don’t panic. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I, I’m fine… but Dale…”

“I’m fine too.”

It’s just a little soup on my clothes.

“Da, Dale! Give me your clothes! I’ll wash them and return them later!”

“It’s fine. It’s just a little soup…”

“No, no! Please… I insist!”

As if worried she’d get scolded.

Lanes shouted with a frightened expression, and I stifled a laugh.

‘Well, Lanes is still Lanes.’

I thought her personality might have changed a bit after controlling the Blessing of Frost alone.

But seeing her like this, she was unmistakably Lanes.

‘Well, that pouty face is cute though.’

Like a frightened rodent.

Watching her somehow stirred a protective instinct, and a smile naturally formed on my lips.

“Here.”

I took off the shirt with soup stains (I was wearing an undershirt) and handed it to her.

“Ah… th, thank you.”

“Then I’ll clean up the spilled soup and bring you a new one.”

“…Okay.”

After finishing taking care of Lanes.

Lanes was soon discharged from the intensive care unit.

“I’ll walk you to your room.”

“Ah, no! It’s fine! I can go alone!”

Lanes refused my offer to walk her to her dorm room and headed there alone.

And so.

The tumultuous incident of Lanes’s unauthorized withdrawal from school came to an end.

‘Though… there’s still some aftermath to deal with.’

I looked around the school building with a bitter smile.

Sigh.

I took a deep breath and headed to Professor Lucas’s office.

* * *

“Impossible.”

Professor Lucas’s office.

Professor Lucas, sitting in his chair, shook his head firmly.

“Candidate Lanes has committed one of the most serious offenses within the Hero School. She cannot avoid punishment.”

“She returned within a day.”

“By that logic, if you return a stolen item, does the theft charge disappear?”

“……”

At Professor Lucas’s words, I let out a deep sigh.

As expected.

It’s not easy to let things slide as if nothing happened.

“What kind of punishment will she receive?”

“Well, it will be decided after a disciplinary committee meeting… but in the worst case, she could be stripped of her candidate status and expelled.”

“……”

Expulsion from the Hero School doesn’t just mean being kicked out of school.

For the rest of her life.

She would have to make a magical vow not to use the power of the Holy Mark and live like a criminal, wearing a monitoring magical tool.

“Is there no other way?”

“…No. It’s already been reported to the higher-ups.”

Professor Lucas bit his lip and continued.

“If she had just run away from school without a word like you did before, I could have reduced the punishment to a suspension…”

Sigh.

Professor Lucas let out a deep sigh.

“Why did she have to write a withdrawal letter…”

As Professor Lucas said.

The withdrawal letter Lanes left when she left had been reported to the school, making the situation too big to handle.

If, like before, I had left school without permission to save Yurina, the professors could have covered it up by saying, “There was a mistake in issuing the leave permit.”

‘But now the evidence is too clear.’

It’s clear that Lanes left school with the clear intention of withdrawing without permission.

Just as the severity of a crime depends on whether there was intent or not, the withdrawal letter Lanes left has become shackles binding her.

“At least… since she returned to school, I’ll do my best to defend her…”

Professor Lucas sighed again and closed his eyes.

“Most of the professors already don’t view Candidate Lanes favorably, so it will be hard to avoid severe punishment.”

“……”

Lanes is someone with demon blood.

Not just the candidates, but many others see her as a thorn in their side.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do…”

“I made her do it.”

“…What?”

I leaned back in my chair and spoke with a relaxed expression.

“I threatened Lanes-senpai and forced her to write the withdrawal letter.”