20. The Path is the Road to Hell (2)
“Alright, alright. Mage Karla. It’s an important virtue for a mage to see through the essence. In that regard, you have an excellent mindset. Then, let’s talk about something even more essential. Ivan, move aside for a moment.”
Lorenzo pushed Ivan aside roughly and took the seat he had been occupying.
Seated on the bed, Karla quietly observed his action, while Lorenzo smirked and faced Karla.
“Well, there are two options here. One is a prosthetic limb, you know. And the other one… ah, that’s right, Ivan, and the other students—could you give us some privacy? It would be preferable if you all left the room.”
“But, Karla…”
Ivan hesitated, glancing at Karla as he responded to Lorenzo’s dismissal.
Karla seemed unstable—therefore, Ivan wanted to be by her side.
At least, deep down, he felt a twinge of guilt that if he had arrived just a little sooner, her arm might not have ended up this way.
“Leave, Ivan.”
Contrary to his thoughts, Karla, too, gave Ivan a cold dismissal.
Realizing that the patient herself had spoken, Ivan sighed heavily and left the room.
“Ivan, are you okay?”
As Regina patted his shoulder to console him as he stepped out, the door to the hospital room closed. Only after Lorenzo snapped his fingers and cast a soundproofing spell did he turn back to Karla.
“Let’s continue where we left off. One option is a prosthetic limb. But you must know this: a prosthetic cannot allow you to use magic as before. Military prosthetics are still in development and haven’t been properly demonstrated yet. All other prosthetic models are just for daily activities; none can circulate magical energy.”
“…I’m aware of that.”
Indeed, Karla hadn’t shown any interest in prosthetics so far. Technically, her knowledge was limited, but prosthetics were meant to make daily life easier, not to send wounded soldiers back to the battlefield.
“The other option… is Human Transmutation.”
“Human Transmutation?”
“Yes. It’s also called Alchemy. Very few have mastered it, and besides, it’s a forbidden art. That’s why I dismissed the other students.”
“A forbidden art… so that makes sense.”
“Exactly, Karla. As I mentioned, Human Transmutation is a forbidden art. It’s not something openly talked about. It was first developed about 500 years ago, and they say there was a legendary mage who used it to freely replicate human bodies, transferring memories and thus continuing their magical legacy.”
“You mean, that person… actually existed?”
Karla’s eyes gleamed.
If that were the case, creating a living human body wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.
And if that were possible, then surely crafting an arm would be no challenge at all…
“Karla, it’s not that ‘exists’—it ‘existed’.”
“Excuse me?”
“It should be ‘existed’. I suspect, Karla, that the woman who died just the other day was likely that mage.”
“What do you mean…”
Karla fell silent.
She felt a shift in the tense of their conversation, hinting at something ominous.
Could it be…?
“That’s right. I think the mage who just passed away might be the one we’re talking about.”
“That… what do you mean?”
“To be precise, a person presumed to be that mage has died. Karla.”
“No way…”
“It seems that way. That mage, if it was truly legendary, probably didn’t die at the hands of some Academy student. The chances are high that it was just a decoy that met its end at Ivan’s hands… The true form might still be hiding somewhere.”
“So, if we find the real one…!”
There was a glimmer of hope.
Karla clenched her fist, her expression hardening.
Facing a lifetime as an amputee, or having to abandon her dream as a mage—this revelation was heartening news for Karla, who had been at such a crossroads.
“I would search for her myself. But even if we find her, the chances of her cooperating willingly are extremely low. Besides, she fought against you and met her demise—whether a decoy or the real deal—at Ivan’s hands.”
“That’s something we can’t know unless we try…”
“Well, that’s all I have to say to you. Karla, you’re fully recovered physically aside from your arm. You could return to class tomorrow, but… I wouldn’t recommend it. Psychological wounds don’t heal as easily. Rest while you can.”
Lorenzo stood up.
Karla didn’t look at him, and neither did Lorenzo appear to expect her to. He turned decisively and opened the hospital room door.
“—That’s it for my visit, kids. Handle the rest on your own.”
As Lorenzo’s voice faded, Ivan rushed back in.
Regina followed him, her eyes fixed on Ivan rather than Karla.
“Karla!”
Ivan sat down on the empty chair.
Karla glanced at him for a moment before —
—Hey, Karla. I killed her instead of you. Are you satisfied?
—Shaking her head to shake off the thought, she replied.
“…Don’t expect any thanks from me.”
There was no need for her to be deliberately cold, but Karla spoke while facing away.
“Karla, come on! Ivan was thinking about you…”
Regina cut in.
Regina had heard the gist of the story, but significant parts were missing. Believing Ivan had saved Karla, she couldn’t understand why Karla was acting so cold.
Regina hadn’t fully accepted Karla yet.
In her memory, the male version, Carlo, was more familiar. Even if she acknowledged that Karla was female, accepting it wasn’t so simple.
“Regina, she’s just upset.”
“But… Ivan, you saved her…”
“No, Regina. Karla has every right to be angry with me. If I had been stronger… sorry, Karla.”
Karla bit her lips tightly.
“Sorry.”
For what, exactly?
“If I had been stronger, I could have saved you sooner… Your arm…”
You always act this way.
Born with talent, you’ve always obtained things easily. And here you are, looking down on me as I struggle to compete with you—
“That’s enough talking. Get out, Ivan.”
“Karla?”
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, leave. If I were the kind of person who needed your apology or comfort… Hell, if I were the kind of guy you think I am…”
—You idiot. You act so strong, yet in crucial moments, you falter. What exactly are you learning magic for? Did you gain an extra life through magic? If not, why are you even studying magic?
Ivan recalled the words Karla had spoken when he saved her during the attack on the carriage days ago, as she shouted in frustration.
Karla had saved him.
So unlike him now, she had rescued him without a scratch.
And me…
Ivan gripped his fists, trembling.
Looking at the fluttering edge of Karla’s sleeve from the breeze through the open window, Ivan closed his eyes.
“… Still, I’m sorry. You saved me, but Karla, I couldn’t save you. That’s why I’m sorry. I studied magic for reasons like this… you know.”
“Stop acting all high and mighty and get out of my sight. Please…”
Her trembling voice.
Her words were like daggers, piercing the listener’s heart.
“Karla, we came to visit you.”
Liam couldn’t watch anymore.
It was difficult to intervene, but Liam decided that Karla was being a bit too harsh just standing there.
“Everyone, just shut up and leave. Get out! Just go! Throw out your cheap pity… Leave, all of you!”
Her face flushed, Karla shouted.
Liam narrowed his eyes as he stared at Karla after her wild dismissal and said,
“…And one day, when you’re really in danger, no one will be there to save you, Karla. Keep that in mind.”
“When it matters, I’ll take care of myself. Drop your worries.”
Liam didn’t respond to Karla’s remark.
He quietly turned around and left the hospital room.
“Ivan, Karla… Let’s leave her to herself for a while.”
Ivan seemed to have more to say to Karla.
However, Regina grabbed his arm before he could speak, pulling him out of the room.
“…”
The only one left was Emil, who leaned against the wall and silently watched Karla.
After a long pause, though he appeared to have something to say, Emil sighed heavily and walked out.
An empty hospital room.
The cold wind swept through it.
A lonely bed stood there.
On it sat Karla alone.
Reality finally settled in.
She faced reality head-on.
And reality spoke coldly to her.
What can you do in this state?
“Who do you take me for… I can manage on my own, I can…”
I can.
I can manage on my own.
But how?
With this one remaining right arm?
Tracking down the original body or anything like that… how could she do that in her present condition?
Before she could finish her sentence, Karla began pounding the bed furiously.
The bed groaned under the impact, buckling slightly, until Karla finally buried her face in her clenched fists.
Eventually, she lay there helplessly.
Looking up blankly at the ceiling, her eyes showed no trace of hope, and the tears she had held back finally spilled onto her fists, dampening the bedsheet.
The light of the setting sun filled the hospital room with a deep crimson glow.
Her fluttering sleeve danced incessantly in the wind while Karla’s stifled sobs filled the room.
