“Ha…”
The expression of Arhen, who had returned to his office, was far from good.
It had been a long time since then, so he had expected that the world would soon be invaded again, but the fact that the adversary was Maleficent was not a pleasant one.
Hadn’t she made a grand debut by breaking through the barrier of the Academy, created with all the magical knowledge, skill, and magic power she possessed, and attacking them?
The fact that that skull-faced witch had resumed her activities was a fresh shock in itself, but the bigger problem was that the barrier had been breached.
In hindsight, it was to be expected.
Although the barrier had protected the Academy for centuries, the opponent was a great magician like himself.
No matter how well-made the barrier was, it was inevitable that it would be breached after such a long time.
It was a mistake to have been overconfident in the barrier.
“My head hurts.”
Thinking about what would happen in the future, it was impossible not to have a headache.
From the official envoy of the Holy Kingdom that would be coming on the surface, to the possibility that those guarding the Arctic Realm might stop doing so in response to what had happened at the Academy—it would be a catastrophe.
There was a mountain of things to do.
In any case, the fact that the Saint had been attacked was significant in itself.
And the state of the boy named Albert was also problematic.
Although he had improved significantly compared to before, he still had difficulty participating in activities like attending classes.
The need to address the issues concerning that child only complicated his thoughts further.
“I’ll have to leave that student to Aria.”
He felt sorry for the boy, but he could only hope that, as a Saint, she would somehow handle it.
She wouldn’t have the luxury to counsel each student’s mental issues, so there was nothing she could do if something happened.
Arhen glanced down at the crystal.
Seeing the turbulent magic power swirling, he had a premonition that something unpleasant was about to occur.
“Ascelina… must be really angry.”
It was only natural.
The Saint she cherished so much had once again been attacked at the Academy; it was certain that she would come seeking accountability for that.
Even if she didn’t, there was now a reason for her to visit the Empire, and she would be coming not as Ascelina but as the Pope.
He had to prepare to welcome guests.
Arhen magically gathered various documents and left his office.
*
“[Is this person… Albert, brother?]”
What’s with his condition?
Although he hadn’t been in a good state before, he hadn’t been able to confirm how he was doing because I lost consciousness at that time.
‘No, perhaps not.’
I think he was in a pretty bad state even then.
He seemed dazed and unable to grasp the situation, and it looked like he had suffered a great mental shock, enough to faint, thus unable to remember what had happened.
In any case, Albert’s condition was an entirely unexpected problem.
What on earth happened to make Albert end up like this? Did the other two have a rough idea about it? They said nothing.
Were they thinking that it was natural for him to show such behavior after experiencing that?
‘That’s not incorrect…’
From my perspective, it doesn’t seem like a big problem considering that I wasn’t directly experiencing it. Had I been in a position like the two, witnessing it with my own eyes, I might have struggled to handle it and might have mentally collapsed like Albert.
In the first place, such events could deliver a significant shock even to Evan and Stella; how much more so for me?
The fact that I am relatively okay feels surreal, especially since I am the one being affected.
‘This can’t be left as it is…’
Seeing Albert’s state, I couldn’t just leave it alone.
I approached Albert and used my Divine Power.
Well, using Divine Power for healing wouldn’t restore his broken mind to its original state in an instant, but it could provide a stable and comforting feeling, helping him regain some consciousness so we could have a conversation.
Sure enough, his unfocused eyes seemed to regain some focus as he slowly turned his head to look at me.
“H-huh…?!”
He appeared quite surprised, nearly gasping.
‘U-uh-oh…’
Was I not supposed to show my face?
…
…
Ah…
‘This is dangerous…’
In the case of Stella and Evan, a high-ranking demon had directly appeared and caused trouble, for which I had sacrificed myself to stop it. But Albert was different.
From his perspective, he had gone on a rampage having turned into a demon, continuing to kill me repeatedly.
It was clear that just the fact that he had committed such acts would have inflicted an even greater mental wound compared to the other two.
“Ugh, uah… Aah…?”
It seemed that the other two sensed that the current situation wasn’t good either, calling out to me with urgent voices.
“Ah, Aria? Please wait a moment. Staying here might be dangerous…”
“[No.]”
But I couldn’t back down now that I had come this far.
‘There has to be… there has to be a way…’
A way to calm down Albert, who seemed about to have a seizure…
‘That’s it…!’
I can only hope this works.
“[Brother Albert…!!]”
I poured intense thoughts toward Albert and embraced him.
Right now, he must be reeling from the shock of having turned into a demon and the additional trauma of having killed me countless times while in that state.
I assumed that all those memories were still vividly intact in his mind, which is why he reacted this way upon seeing me.
With that level of trauma, anyone would react like this.
Though it might be somewhat of a roundabout method, while stabilizing him, I let Divine Power flow into his body, allowing him to feel warmth and relaxation.
As I embraced him and sent forth my Divine Power, his body, which had been trembling as if in a convulsion, began to calm down little by little.
“Aah… ugh…”
“[I’m fine, so don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s all just an accident.]”
“…”
There was no response from Albert.
It seemed he had entrusted his body to the comfortable and warm energy and had somewhat closed his eyes, relaxing his body.
Was he falling asleep?
I carefully laid the body I had been holding back on the bed, looking down at Albert with a complicated expression.
‘It must be because of me…’
To be honest… I don’t particularly want to think about it.
Ultimately, looking back, although I managed not to get caught this time by using that special stone after playing around, it wasn’t like I acted with such intentions back then.
Since I couldn’t go rescue Evan regardless, it wouldn’t make a difference whether I quickly dealt with Albert or not, so I thought it might be better to just play around and then return things to normal afterward.
‘Is this all due to my selfish thinking…?’
Had I used the special stone immediately back then to restore Albert to his original state, he wouldn’t have had to endure so much pain or regret.
“Are you okay? Aria?”
“[Yes… I’m fine.]”
I am fine.
What I should be worried about here is Albert.
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
I thought Albert was showing that kind of behavior because he had turned into a demon.
I assumed that high-pride fellow was suffering a significant mental shock from having used magic after becoming a demon.
But it was different.
‘Is it because of me…’
Seeing him struggle so much after having turned into a demon and killed me like that, the guilt from my past actions crept up on me.
It wasn’t just that.
Once I felt that sentiment, I sensed a similar guilt from the other people who were worried about me.
But…
‘What is even the point now…’
After having had so much fun, is it just now that I feel guilty?
That’s a foolish thought.
Even if I expressed these feelings to someone who knows my true intentions, no one would believe me; why should I feel guilty and burden myself?
I don’t deserve that.
“[May peace be upon you…]”
I offered a careful prayer toward Albert.
Forcing myself to ignore the tumultuous thoughts bubbling within, I sincerely prayed for Albert’s peace.
The thoughts weren’t substantially pressing, but still,
“…”
What is this sensation…?
This feeling that keeps nagging at me…
This bittersweet sensation that I don’t want to be bothered by.
I swallowed down that feeling that was surging from within, wearing a gloomy expression.
Because I found myself disgusting.
