Chapter 206
The long day’s schedule has come to an end.
All matches for the Top 32 in the morning and the Top 16 in the afternoon were finally over, and the students could finally find a moment of rest.
Vargan entered the infirmary with Erica and a few additional group members.
The inside of the infirmary was filled with injured students from Academia and Rikeion receiving treatment. Vargan walked through without hesitation, spotting familiar faces along one side of the lined-up beds.
“I’m sorry, Leon… If only I hadn’t said unnecessary things under the guise of advice…”
Leon, wrapped in bandages and lying on the bed, had Bell standing in front of him, bowing his head deeply.
Leon shook his head and laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! Bell! What are you talking about? At that time, it was the best I could do!”
“……”
“You’re still feeling down, are you, Bell?”
“…I didn’t even know Gaba was that good at dodging attacks, so how can I say anything?”
Bell struggled to lift his head, looking gloomy.
But honestly, it couldn’t solely be blamed on him.
Gaba had intentionally kept his training under wraps to prepare for events like final exams or ranking battles.
He had practiced alone in solitary rooms, pouring out blood and sweat without ever showing ‘seriousness’ when facing others.
It was the first time Gaba had fought seriously against an opponent after entering Rikeion.
It was also the first time he revealed the techniques he had been hiding.
So there had been no way for them to gather information.
“Hmm.”
Leon gazed at Bell with his unwavering gaze, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to speak.
“You don’t need to worry about it. Even if you hadn’t given advice, I would have still put all my strength into that punch.”
“…Huh?”
“The fact that my fist didn’t reach Gaba is entirely my fault. It’s due to my lack of skill, not because of you.”
“……”
Leon’s low, steadfast voice filled the infirmary, drawing even Vargan to briefly stop and observe.
He lightly pushed Bell’s chest with his fist.
“Be confident, Bell. Your advice has never been wrong.”
Feeling a surge of emotion from Leon’s gentle push, Bell’s heart swelled.
With a mix of feelings swirling inside him, he clenched his teeth in frustration and quietly replied, “…Thank you.”
Vargan watched this unfold and, perhaps losing interest, resumed his pace.
Following him were Erica, Alicia, and Serena, moving along together.
The direction they were heading was towards another bed shrouded in curtains.
Swish—.
As they pulled back the white curtains, a woman with red hair, who had arrived first, came into view.
“Emily…!”
“Lee…”
Alicia quietly murmured as she saw Emily, her face streaked with tears.
Emily was holding the hand of the man lying on the small chair next to the bed.
“Oh… you came…?”
“Don’t force yourself to get up, Liam. Just lie still.”
“But… okay, I’ll do as you say, Emily.”
The man Emily cared for so dearly, Liam, gave a sheepish smile and greeted her while half-lying down.
Vargan slowly inspected him from his toes to the top of his head.
Rather than worrying, he was simply reassessing how and where Liam was injured.
Feeling Vargan’s gaze, Liam spoke first.
“I’m sorry. I lost.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t expect anything in the first place.”
“Vargan! You didn’t have to say it like that—!”
Emily shot him a fierce glare, but Vargan didn’t budge an inch.
He placed a finger to his lips, suggesting silence, as if to say it was noisy.
“There are many other patients. Just when Leon was finally quieted down, now it’s your turn to chatter.”
“……”
As Vargan spoke so incredibly rationally, Emily couldn’t retort.
Once she quieted down, Vargan sighed as if finding her pitiful, then continued.
“Considering you’ve seen the match between Liam and Arha directly, it seems you still thought you could oppose me.”
The match between Liam and Arha in the round of 16.
Having grown significantly stronger than before, Liam wielded his sword with great spirit.
And he lost ‘perfectly.’
His current state was the proof.
Not a single intact spot on his body, bruised and battered.
If it hadn’t been for the intervention of the referee in that trial, he would have likely been written out of the story in a life-or-death match.
Throughout the match, Arha had overwhelmed Liam.
No, he toyed with him.
With Arha’s insane genius and Liam’s status display.
Liam had tried to keep an eye on the match more than before, but it was unbearable to watch.
Liam hadn’t been careless.
He hadn’t been injured in the round of 32.
It was purely a difference in skill.
Liam had to end the match without even grazing his sword against Arha’s skin.
Yet here he was, acting like a fool with a meaningless smile…
Vargan considered how he might get a headache from just watching Liam before he pushed those thoughts aside and spoke.
His purpose for being here was not to visit Liam.
“As you know, Arha’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Alicia.”
As if scripted, Alicia would face Arha right after Liam.
Vargan glanced at Alicia standing nearby and motioned for her to sit in a nearby chair.
“Given how badly you were beaten, you likely don’t know much. But it’s better than nothing. Transfer all the information you gained from fighting Arha directly to Alicia.”
“Okay. Got it…”
Though his tone was thoroughly dismissive and domineering, Liam accepted it without showing any discomfort.
The shadow behind the smile Liam wore pained Emily’s heart.
Tap.
Once his business was done, Vargan had no reason to remain here any longer.
As he prepared to leave, leaning on his cane, with Serena still there for Liam’s visit, Erica hurriedly followed him. Hesitatingly, Liam stopped him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help…”
“Didn’t I tell you, Liam? I didn’t expect anything anyway.”
Tap.
Vargan moved forward with his cane.
He filtered none of his thoughts and delivered them directly.
“With your current state, you couldn’t possibly win against him.”
He left after finishing his words.
“…….”
In the spot where Vargan and Erica had just departed.
Liam was surrounded by three people, but no one could easily open their mouth.
“Right now….”
Liam had been training harder than ever before.
Yet, feeling that he hadn’t changed at all, he couldn’t help but chew on his own bitterness.
* * *
Vargan exited the infirmary together with Erica.
As he opened the door to step out, he unexpectedly bumped into a woman.
“Whoa!”
Unlike them, the woman had been about to enter when the door swung open toward her, startling her.
The identity of the woman was Erlich, the Spirit Summoner who had faced Vargan in the first match of the top 32.
She was holding a gigantic staff that was the size of her own body.
With her glimmering eyes, she looked at Vargan and immediately bowed her head, expressing her gratitude.
“Thank you for lifting the curse placed on me…!”
Vargan received her sudden deep gratitude, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He started to step back out, mumbling about how she was thanking him for something trivial.
“Uh, um, uh, over there…!”
Erlich grasped at Vargan, her hand extending as if to stop him, but then withdrawing it while desperately mumbling, “Um, well, you see….”
Not liking her demeanor, Vargan shot her a fierce glare.
“What is it? If you called me, state your purpose clearly. If you have nothing to say, I’ll take my leave.”
“W-Wait a moment! I have something I want to say! That’s why I called you!”
Flustered, Erlich composed herself for a moment and caught sight of the small girl next to Vargan.
With a cute appearance and sharp eyes.
Yet her gemstone-like pupils seemed fragile, like they could break at any moment.
For a moment, he almost fell into those mesmerizing eyes, but then snapped back to careful inquiry.
“Uhm… you seem to have a lot of affection for your Familiar, huh?”
“…….”
Silence.
Vargan sent a look that seemed to say, “What kind of pathetic question is that?” in response.
Erlich was sweating nervously, mumbling.
“Ah, ahaha… um, sorry. That was a really unexpected question, even for me. Nothing at all. Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Taking a step back, Erlich opened the door to re-enter the infirmary, forcing a stiff smile as she tried to retreat.
Vargan, finding the perplexing conversation quite tiring, was willing to overlook her lack of manners.
“Um… if I could just say one last thing…”
Just when she asked him to forget it, she seemed to have something more to say.
Erlich made a small fist just before the door closed.
“…Don’t give up until the end. I’m cheering for you.”
Bang—.
The door slammed shut.
“…….”
What the heck was that?
She was an entirely different mystery compared to Alicia or Paula.
Internally, Vargan made sure to add Erlich firmly to his list of unknowns and leaned on his staff.
Tap.
Erica, having caught the edge of Vargan’s clothing, followed him.
Her eyes seemed uneasy, anxious, and vigilant all at once.
After watching the door Erlich entered for a moment, she turned her gaze back to Vargan and walked down the hallway.
Suddenly, as if waiting, a familiar figure appeared.
“Long time no see, Vargan.”
No, he had definitely been waiting on purpose.
He missed his chance due to Erlich, but he was probably going to speak up anyway.
Vargan smiled faintly upon hearing the male voice again after nearly four months.
“Good to see you again, Helion.”
* * *
Although he’d caught a glimpse from the audience seats, there were indeed three Heroes in the top 10 present here.
I caught a glimpse from the audience seats, but it turns out there are really three heroes in the top 10 right here.
This is definitely a storyline that’s straying from the usual plot.
‘Well, considering how mixed-up everything is now, sticking to the original would be the real challenge.’
It seemed like Helion wanted to chat since I hadn’t seen him in a while.
Just then, I also had some questions for him, so Erica and I headed to Helion’s guest room.
Helion’s room wasn’t much different from the other students’.
It was basically a spacious area filled with high-end furniture, just like in Academia.
In the middle stood a tea table, leather chairs, and a sofa.
Once we settled in, Helion quickly brought out tea.
This is a brew personally made by the future second-ranked hero. I took a sip and felt a sense of freshness.
“To be honest, the taste isn’t so great.”
“Really? I thought it turned out pretty well, so that’s disappointing.”
Maybe it’s because I’m so used to the tea that Alicia makes, but my sensitive taste buds were complaining.
Ever since I regained my sense of taste, I’ve become even pickier.
“I heard quite a bit, but it seems like a lot has happened while I wasn’t looking.”
Helion’s gaze briefly landed on Erica.
“I heard you teamed up with Maderro to clear the Seiman Dungeon. And Bishop Han happened to be in there, so you took him down along with it, right?”
“As easy as you make it sound, it was anything but simple… but yes. I never expected to find a top-tier bishop inside a dungeon, though.”
“Vargan must be pretty lucky. Just like Erlich.”
Helion flashed a smile.
He’s still a hero who looks awkward when smiling.
He could just say something straightforward if he felt uneasy, but Helion always beats around the bush.
Well… even if he asks, I probably wouldn’t give him a proper answer anyway.
“I heard you’ve been hunting down bishop-level foes hiding here and there. It must’ve been quite the effort.”
“It wasn’t easy, but I had capable teammates.”
He took a sip of his tea before covering his eyes.
“Right now, you can’t see?”
“Yes, it just turned out that way.”
“I suspected Vargan was researching unique spells by now, but I didn’t expect him to be undergoing trials. What’s it like feeling tested?”
“What can I say? It doesn’t feel great.”
“I’d like to say something helpful, but I’ve never been through a trial myself, so I wouldn’t know.”
Even Helion, who possesses multiple unique spells, has never faced a trial.
Of course, that’s ‘so far’ true, but it still shows how rare trials for unique spells are.
“I’m looking forward to Vargan completing his unique spell.”
“So am I. …By the way, Helion.”
“What is it?”
“Isn’t this pleasantry enough?”
I’m not one for beating around the bush.
When I do, it’s fun only when I’m the one doing it; listening to others isn’t all that enjoyable.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed in that regard. Very much the Vargan student.”
“That’s a relief. Well then, if you don’t mind, let me ask.”
I went straight to the point.
“Why did you call me? What purpose has the Central Church sent you here for?”
“Oh, that’s…”
Helion calmly opened his mouth and began to respond to my question.
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