“*Hmm…*”
I slightly lifted my clothes and looked at my belly.
There was a scar about the size of a joint, but that was it.
Maybe all my internals were restored, as I felt no pain at all now.
The only problem was that I had no energy in my body, making it hard to get up.
That was all.
“May 10th.”
Looking at the calendar, it seemed I had slept for a whole day.
Speaking of which, what happened to the class?
“*Ah…*”
I just remembered that the Elemental Magic class was definitely scheduled for today.
I’m losing my mind. The current time is… 2 PM.
The class starts at 6 PM, so I should have enough time.
Should I get up soon?
While I was sleeping, I had successfully dismantled the large-scale flame magic, which had become my achievement.
I planned to hide it forever…
I heard that Alexia felt something was off, analyzed the traces of mana, and proved that the large-scale magic had been dismantled just before it was cast.
And the one who pointed fingers at me as the culprit was Iris.
She probably didn’t know and did it to get me into trouble. That was the right guess.
Even though Alexia showed irrefutable evidence, Iris’s claim had no basis at all.
Yet nobody doubted it because the saintess wouldn’t lie…
In the end, I became a hero who stopped terrorism.
What a mess.
Maybe I’m now on the assassination target list of the Intelligence Agency.
If Emilia decided to, she could probably kill me while I was asleep.
Should I fire Emilia right now?
No. Who would do the cooking, laundry, and cleaning then?
It’s rare to find a slave willing to do that kind of hard labor for 100,000 won a month.
*Knock-knock—*
“*…What?*”
Just then, while I was deep in thought, a sound of knocking came from the hospital room door.
I had just faced a barrage of questions from reporters earlier.
Who could it be now?
I sighed deeply and opened my mouth.
“Come in.”
“*Excuse me.*”
“*…!*”
The person who walked in was unexpected.
A tall man in a black suit.
And his handsome appearance was unbelievable for a middle-aged man.
It was Roman, just as I had imagined when I wrote!
“General Roman…”
“*Shh. I came without my guards, so let’s not draw too much attention.*”
Roman smiled as he took off his hat.
He hadn’t set foot outside his unit for years.
There were many people out there who wanted his life, so he wouldn’t go anywhere without guards.
What kind of wind blew in here?
“*What brings you here?*”
“*I prefer to be straightforward rather than beat around the bush. First of all, I want to thank you for saving my life as well as the lives of thousands of civilians.*”
“*Yes…*”
“*So, I’ll cut to the chase. Have you ever thought about enlisting in the military?*”
“*Huh?*”
“*Ah, of course, I mean after graduating from the Imperial University. If you complete just 8 weeks of training, you’ll be commissioned as an officer. I want to see your talents bloom under my command. What do you think?*”
“*…*”
That was a very sweet offer.
If I were an ordinary commoner, that is.
It was an opportunity to quickly rise to elite soldier status, but there wasn’t even room for consideration.
Being bound to the military would restrict my freedom to cross borders.
I’d have limitations when meeting Majins or collecting enlightenment.
“*I’m sorry. I’ll have to decline your offer.*”
“*You have no interest in becoming a soldier?*”
Roman looked surprised, his disappointment evident.
He wasn’t someone who showed his emotions openly, so it was quite a rare sight.
“*Still, I should express my gratitude. I have to repay you for saving my life. You can call me anytime you need help.*”
“*…?*”
“*This is my aide’s contact information.*”
Roman handed me a business card.
“*For anything at all, just once. Don’t hesitate to call.*”
Roman would never lie.
When he said for anything… he truly meant anything.
Whether it was a request to kill someone or to kidnap, he would gladly oblige.
Unless it directly countered the interests of the Imperial Army.
It was like receiving a wish card.
A wish from the second most influential man in the Empire after the Emperor.
I had to save this for a rainy day.
“*Thank you.*”
“*By the way…*”
*Knock-knock—*
Just then, interrupting Roman’s words, another knock sounded.
Roman instantly changed his expression and suddenly turned around.
He was gripping a knife hidden in his inner pocket.
An attack? Just then…
“*Halt!*”
“*Ah…*”
Erica walked in, opening the door.
I sighed in relief, thinking someone was about to be stabbed in the hospital.
“*The daughter of Lichtenburg, I see? My apologies. You can lower your guard.*”
“*General Roman…*”
“*Oh. You know me?*”
“*Of course. Speaking of which, do you know my father?*”
“*I do. He was a wonderful man.*”
As Roman put away his knife, the atmosphere turned warm.
Come to think of it, I had set it up so that Roman and Erica’s father were friends.
Erica still believed her father just died in battle, but Roman knew the truth.
The Count had been driven into a corner by the careful calculations of the imperial army.
Since then, Roman had become the vanguard of military reform, feeling disillusioned with the upper echelons of the military.
“*Ah. I was being too oblivious. My apologies. I shall now take my leave for the sake of the young ones.*”
“*What?*”
Roman chuckled as he adjusted his hat and left the hospital room.
Erica seemed bewildered, still in a daze.
It was understandable; an opportunity to meet a war hero like Roman was rare.
“*Why are you here?*”
“*Um…*”
When I broke the silence and asked, Erica began to stutter.
I thought she disliked me.
I had no idea why she showed up.
“*I wanted to thank you.*”
“*For what?*”
“*Actually, my mother was at the Magic Day event. I came to say thank you for saving her life.*”
Lady Lichtenburg was there?
I tried to recall if I had written such a detail, but nothing came to mind.
Even if Lady Lichtenburg was among the many people there, it wouldn’t create any inconsistencies.
“*Is that all?*”
“*Huh?*”
“*Are you expressing your gratitude with just words?*”
Suddenly, my playful side kicked in.
Seeing Erica’s flustered face was enough amusement for me.
Should I confess it was a joke and leave it at that…
“*N-no. I’ll grant you one request… since you saved my mother’s life.*”
An unexpected response came back.
A wish… no, a request right?
Unlike Roman, Erica might refuse unreasonable requests for various reasons.
How far would she go to fulfill a request?
The mischief inside me grew stronger.
“*Then a simple invite to your house would suffice.*”
“*Huh? To my house?!*”
This was an obvious refusal.
The Lichtenburg family is an established noble house that despises commoners.
Even if Erica were okay with it, her mother would surely disapprove.
…At least, that’s what I thought.
“*Okay. How about dinner?*”
“*…?*”
The answer was acceptance.
This was seriously unexpected.
“*Why are you looking at me like that? You asked for it!*”
Erica flushed and yelled at me.
Were we at a point where we could make such requests of each other?
I reflected on my connections with Erica.
When we first met, she ran away after hearing my name, and we crossed paths once in the library.
Then there was… uh… um…
*’What the heck is this?’*
Other than that, I had no interaction with Erica.
We had only exchanged a few words.
We were merely acquaintances who knew each other’s faces.
Then why would she grant a request to come over?
“*Let’s set the date for this weekend… is that okay?*”
“*Sure.*”
What did it matter?
It was a chance to build a friendship with the future Elste-class magician, Erica.
Even without that, I could enjoy a delicious dinner.
I wasn’t dumb enough to throw away good luck that had come my way.
“*But can I ask one thing?*”
“*Sure.*”
“*What about Iris… no, never mind.*”
“*…?*”
Erica hesitated and suddenly averted her gaze.
What was she going to ask?
Before I could inquire, Erica dashed out of the hospital room.
“*What the heck?*”
Was Erica always this kind of person?
I didn’t remember giving her a timid character.
What went wrong?
*
I ate the meal provided by the hospital.
One bowl wasn’t enough, so I devoured about three.
Afterward, I felt much stronger and could walk well enough.
Since it was Iris’s healing magic, I didn’t have to worry about aftereffects.
I thought it wouldn’t be long before I could be discharged.
“*Y-you’re leaving already?!*”
“*Yes. I have class today.*”
“*You can’t! The thorough examination isn’t finished yet—*”
“*I’ll receive it after attending class at the Imperial University Hospital. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?*”
“*Well, um… yes…*”
The Imperial University Hospital was truly the best hospital on the continent, without a doubt.
So they couldn’t say their facilities were better than this place and insist I stay for my examination.
I left the anxious doctor behind and stepped out of the hospital.
I dragged my still wobbly legs back to the Imperial University.
I felt all eyes on me from every direction.
I never received kind looks before, but now it felt like all attention was on me.
If this goes on, I might have a panic attack, and just as I was about to head straight to the mansion…
“*Have you already been discharged? Schlus Hainkel!*”
“*Ugh.*”
With a booming voice, a spike flew toward my back.
Rubbing my sore back, I turned around, and sure enough, Sergey was there laughing heartily.
“*Don’t just hit me out of nowhere…*”
“*Hahaha, sorry! I heard all your exploits! You fought barehanded against an armed assailant!*”
“*…?*”
The fact that I dismantled wide-area magic spells should be more famous, though.
Sergey seemed more interested in the brawl with Hertlocker.
What a fighter, indeed.
Back in the day, he once took down 17 opponents without using a drop of mana.
It says it all.
“*Once the facts are clarified, the school will push for a medal of honor to be awarded.*”
“*A medal?*”
“*What? Are you not happy about it?*”
“*…*”
A medal, huh.
While it’s not bad to have one, it’s not exactly exciting either.
I guess it could provide a slight boost for my future.
That should be good enough.
“*No. I’ll accept it. But what kind of medal is it?*”
“*You’ll find out when you receive it! Hahaha! Well done, well done!*”
“*Ugh.*”
After a couple of hard pats on the back from Sergey, I was finally free from him.
Now I really had to go straight to the mansion.
I didn’t want to get involved in troublesome matters while my body still hadn’t fully recovered.
“*Welcome back! I was so worried, Hainkel!*”
“*…*”
As soon as I opened the door, Emilia ran out to greet me.
Her eyes were even glistening with tears.
Wow. What excellent acting! I almost got fooled.
She probably felt regret that I hadn’t died.
“*I’m sorry for not visiting you in the hospital. I had to protect the mansion…*”
“*I understand.*”
“*Are you feeling a bit better? I heard you were stabbed, but can you really leave already…?*”
“*Not an issue at all. But—*”
Forget about Emilia’s method acting.
What the heck are those two doing there?
“*Who are those two?*”
“*What do you mean? I’m a little hurt.*”
“*Excuse me for a moment!*”
Iris and Trie were sitting across from each other on the living room sofa.
When did my mansion become a rest stop for bored nobles?
A sigh escaped me.
