With a cough, blood was spat out.
It was due to the sudden shock that I couldn’t withstand. Seeing this, the Lady Virgin Saint’s complexion turned pale immediately.
She had seen countless injuries worse than this, so it was unclear why she was so flustered. However, from her stumbling tone, it was clear that she was worried about me.
“Ar-are you okay?! We must treat you immediately…”
No, it was you who hit me.
Those words rose in my throat, but I held them back with superhuman patience. I already knew she meant well.
Of course, that didn’t mean I would relent.
Shaking my head, I gathered my breath, which was steeped in the stench of blood.
Another boast slipped from my mouth.
“There are more serious injuries around, and I can manage this much. I’ve been injured plenty of times…”
And with my arm resting on the ground, I slowly raised my body. It was a staggering motion.
Bitter groans involuntarily escaped my lips, but it was bearable.
At the very least, my injuries weren’t at a level that made immediate combat impossible.
I brushed off the dust that clung to my clothes, revealing my unbroken fighting spirit. The Lady Virgin Saint looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
Yet that was just a fleeting moment. A surge of anger filled her trembling pink eyes.
She seemed upset that I was trying to head back to the battlefield without even receiving treatment.
At that moment, as she was about to burst out in protest.
“Ian!”
With a heavy presence, a large man stood close to me. Landing beside me, he immediately threw my shoulder over his.
It was Professor Derek. He soon asked with a worried voice.
“Are you okay?”
He had originally been at the front lines, holding back the monsters. It seemed he sensed something was wrong when a loud explosion echoed from the center of the formation.
So, he flew over to the central area and stood by my side.
It was a quick response. It made me think he truly was a hero who had crossed countless battlefields.
After contemplating how to respond to Professor Derek, I reluctantly managed a wry smile and spoke.
“…No.”
“That’s bearable!”
Professor Derek burst out laughing at my honest confession. For him, these kinds of wounds were likely just a minor inconvenience.
He had been hunting monsters for decades, putting his life on the line.
I’m sure he had faced death countless times.
However, the reason Professor Derek came to find me wasn’t solely out of concern for my well-being. His lowered voice revealed the main issue.
“Ian, a few rookies recklessly ran towards the academy. I didn’t pay much attention thinking it was just cats around, but if there are monsters that can move through the air, the situation changes.”
“…It’s possible that the monsters followed them.”
At my cautious prediction, Professor Derek nodded silently.
It truly was a strange harmony.
Currently, there were two types of cat monsters attacking the formation.
Those that self-destruct and those that grow suddenly to fight.
The only commonality between these two types of cat monsters was that they had small bodies until they mutated.
That’s why they can be caught and transported by the crow monsters’ claws.
Because of this, we had to be on guard against both the ground and the air. In fact, flocks of birds were flying towards the academy, darkening the sky.
It was hard to think it was a simple coincidence. Just the fact that two monsters from different species were cooperating showed that the current ambush was abnormal.
There was a hidden orchestrator.
This was something I had already confirmed multiple times in letters, but experiencing the ambush made the signs clearer. As I reached that conclusion, I bit my lips for a moment.
If the monsters were being controlled, they would likely show more intelligent movements.
The bombing of self-destructing cat monsters from the air, like just now, was one example. It would not be surprising if they attempted to pick off the jumbled lower-year students chasing after them.
It was dangerous.
If there were non-combat personnel among those who fled, it would be even more so. Someone capable had to head towards the academy.
In the battlefield, where protecting the injured and civilians was paramount, it wouldn’t do to have many people desert. If they had to leave, only a reliable few would have to go.
Professor Derek had chosen me as that suitable person.
“Ian, you have plenty of combat experience, and your agility has always been exceptional. Hurry and chase after them to ensure their safety.”
“What about here?”
Instead of answering, Professor Derek swung his longsword once.
Since he had been carrying me on his shoulder, it was a technique made with only one arm. With that alone, countless lines of light were etched into the air.
And a surging crimson radiance.
The crow monsters rapidly ascended in response to the unexpected blow. But the speed at which the aura crushes them was faster.
Screams and the plummeting of blood and flesh followed.
At least, there seemed to be no worry about allowing another surprise attack from the crow monsters. No matter how much Professor Derek was capable of, he couldn’t use a technique like that indefinitely.
I nodded to the somewhat fatigued Professor Derek and immediately turned my body.
Just as I was about to take off, the Lady Virgin Saint blocked my path.
Hearing the conversation between me and Professor Derek, she quickly stood up and blocked my way as I prepared to leave.
With a resolute gaze, she said to me.
“No, no! You’re injured! Are you going to fall into a coma again?! That cannot happen…”
Our expressions were mixed with a strange desperation as I and Professor Derek looked at her.
It felt like I had to leave, but the fact that the Lady Virgin Saint, who was practically in charge of my care, was pleading made it difficult to move my feet.
However, the reality was that it was awkward to send someone else instead of me.
It was hard to dispatch Senior Elsi, who was a mage, in a maneuver where a small number of forces would clash, and Senior Delphine, who was leading the group, couldn’t afford to leave either.
Of course, Ceria was also a capable expert, but being a lower-year student dampened her presence.
Moreover, there was hardly time to receive treatment from the Lady Virgin Saint.
Just pouring in divine power wouldn’t completely heal me.
To recover without any issues, repetitive and delicate treatment was essential.
If I were willing to accept the side effects, I could at least receive emergency treatment. However, given the Saint’s attitude right now, it didn’t seem like she would allow that.
In the end, I sighed and pulled a healing potion from my pouch.
Then, I downed it in one gulp. A faint bitter taste touched my tongue, and the throbbing pain began to gradually subside.
Even this was merely a temporary measure. But it was enough to show my will.
Even as I trudged forward, the Saint remained unmoved. The trembling eyelids reflected her feelings.
Fear.
I couldn’t tell what she was afraid of. But one thing was certain: the Lady Virgin Saint was very worried about me right now.
Thinking back, I had embraced the Lady Virgin Saint twice today.
Once from the first explosion and once from the explosion dropped by the crow monsters.
Perhaps that was why she was especially concerned about my condition. The Lady Virgin Saint was kinder and more caring than I had imagined.
Just after a couple of steps, the distance between the Lady Virgin Saint and me was remarkably close.
She was turning away from me with her eyes tightly closed. It was clear that she wouldn’t listen to anything I said.
The scene was reminiscent of a wife trying to hold back her husband going off to war. Even Professor Derek, witnessing the poignant sight, cleared his throat and subtly diverted his gaze.
The others were likely rolling on the ground with limbs torn apart or dealing with the incoming monsters, so there was no need to mention it.
Thank goodness no one was watching the Lady Virgin Saint and me.
As I gazed at her with a longing expression, I let out a sigh and lowered my head.
A small voice slipped from my lips.
“…Lady Virgin Saint.”
“No, no!”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s determined shake of her head was something I had anticipated, and a wry smile spread across my face.
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
It was clear that there was no convincing her with ordinary means.
So, I decided to take extraordinary measures.
A sensation coursed through my fingers.
My index finger sunk into a firm mass.
It was the Lady Virgin Saint’s ‘holy power pocket.’
I had felt it a few times before, but pressing my fingers on it made it all the more pronounced.
The sensation was incredibly pleasant.
I wanted to keep experiencing it as long as possible.
But before I could fully savor that feeling, the Lady Virgin Saint reacted immediately.
“Hii, Hiyah?!”
With a peculiar sound, she jumped back, taking a few steps away. Her pink eyes opened wide.
The Lady Virgin Saint glared at me with an expression mixed with astonishment and embarrassment.
She struggled for a moment to articulate words, and it was only after a few seconds of seeing my disappointed expression that her voice finally broke out.
The Lady Virgin Saint’s scream echoed, assaulting my eardrums.
“Y-you’re insane?! T-this is sexual harassment… I’m going to drag you to the inquisition!”
So filled with shame, the Lady Virgin Saint blushed deeply and pointed at me.
Yet despite her threat, my expression remained serene.
“What does it matter between us?”
“W-what does it matter between us…!”
“If we go to the Holy Kingdom, we might share special, secret touches?”
At my suddenly blurted-out revelation, the Lady Virgin Saint quickly covered her mouth. Perhaps conscious of the eyes gathering on us, she rushed over and whispered to me.
“…W-what are you saying in front of others! You’ll cause misunderstandings!”
“See? We are special, just as I said.”
My hands gently rested on the Lady Virgin Saint’s shoulders.
At first, she flinched, but slowly, her blank expression looked up at me.
My lips still had a wry smile on them—a playful grin.
“So I won’t die. Someday I’ll go to the Holy Kingdom and get to touch that holy power pocket too. Don’t worry, it’s just… going to slice through some monsters. It’s what I always do.”
“…You’ve also gotten seriously injured doing that before.”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s pouty rebuttal was quite on point.
With nothing to counter that, I smoothly shifted the conversation.
“Let’s make a bet, just one.”
As if to say, “What do you mean?” she gazed at me.
Her eyes were tinged with worry and embarrassment. While I found her look endearing, I still had things to do.
I calmed my breath, making my voice steady.
“I’ll resolve everything… The friction with the Imperial Court I’ve built up these past few weeks and the monster ambush. Everything.”
“…And if you fail?”
Hearing her voice soaked with worry, I shook my head reassuringly.
“Then you win. I’ll grant you one wish then. But if I win, you also grant me one wish.”
“What is that supposed to mean…?”
The Lady Virgin Saint asked back with a vague smile, as if incredulous.
“What if you die in the process? What am I supposed to do then?”
“Still, having one wish is better than nothing to keep a will to live, right?”
In the end, the Lady Virgin Saint let out a resigned sigh, her expression as if she were saying she couldn’t stop me.
That was her answer instead.
I patted the delicate shoulders of the Lady Virgin Saint a few times before leaving my last request.
“Lady Virgin Saint, those who are injured need you. You must not waste your divine power. And especially for Her Highness the Imperial Princess…”
My continuous words abruptly halted at that moment.
‘Her Highness the Imperial Princess,’ the moment those words left my mouth, my eyes quickly scanned for her.
She was nowhere to be found.
“Her Highness the Imperial Princess…”
The Imperial Princess walked accompanied by several guards. Naturally, she stood out even more.
But no matter how much I searched around, or how much I racked my memory, the formation had no sign of the Imperial Princess.
The implication of that was clear.
The Imperial Princess was also gone.
Most likely toward the academy.
“…Damn it.”
A curse slipped from my lips involuntarily. The Lady Virgin Saint looked a bit surprised, but I didn’t have the energy to care about her feelings anymore.
The ‘me’ from the future had deliberately contacted the Imperial Princess and even sprinkled holy water.
There was no doubt she was one of the key figures behind this ambush. Yet, to think she had vanished without a trace was utterly ridiculous.
My mind seemed to be in a frenzy with the sudden surge of injured individuals calling for help.
I left behind a parting remark as I prepared to leave.
“Let’s talk later. Anyway, once everything is over, come to the Verlata Palace.”
Then, without waiting for the Lady Virgin Saint’s response, I bolted towards the ground.
In an instant, space compressed. The surrounding scenery stretched out like a line, and silence enveloped my senses.
I had to find and protect the Imperial Princess immediately.
That sense of mission spurred me on. An instinctive intuition constantly warned me.
The Imperial Princess is in danger.
That conclusion, devoid of any basis, lodged itself in my mind like a wedge.
Now was the time to save the Imperial Princess.
