Chapter 28 – The Place Where the Storm Passed

“…So, just as I was about to faceplant into the ground, Deus suddenly appeared and just, you know, caught me like this! I swear, before I knew it, I let out this weird ‘Uweek!’ sound!”

“I see.”

“I only realized after Sunbae Luciel ran towards Hubae. Oh, no, did I just make a really weird sound?! Uwaaa!”

“I can roughly imagine.”

“But still. The feeling was kind of good. N-not that Hubae is good or anything! It’s good that I realized a man’s embrace could be so reassuring!”

—Chitter-chatter

Inside a two-person room in the Cradle’s infirmary, Nefertiti had been rambling for an hour straight.

She didn’t tire. In fact, it felt like the volume of her chatter was only increasing.

Perhaps that *thud* was a speed bump that helps to break her endless chatter.

Luciel, in the next bed, was accepting it all without complaint.

“It must have been embarrassing.”

“A little. Anyway. It was truly something. Junior kept insisting we stay far away, so with the other squads, we were distancing ourselves. Couldn’t see properly.”

“….”

“But, Senior, you were there until the very end, so you must have seen the most, no?”

“….”

“Senior?”

Turning his head, he saw Luciel gazing out the window with a blank expression.

Not really taking anything in. Just… the sky, the clouds, and the cradle below.

“Luciel Senior!”

“…Ah, yes. Did you call, Chairman?”

“Ugh. You’re not planning to reprimand me for rambling on my own, are you?”

“The Chairman was being a little excessively chatty by himself.”

Eep. Nefertiti quickly raised her fan and stealthily covered her mouth.

Still, the twitching of her hand suggested she still had much to say.

“…Just… what in the world is going on?”

From Nefertiti’s lips, which opened once more, came a voice noticeably more subdued than before.

“The Sealstones are damaged. Not functioning properly. So, I’ve heard that’s why the Gates are manifesting… But to think so many would appear, I never could have imagined it.”

“Hmm…”

“And with over eight hundred Gate manifestations across the entire Empire. This is, truly…”

“I share the same sentiment as Junior. Terribly uneasy, and I can’t help but wonder.”

Gates appearing in places untouched by the Sealstones’ influence. That was normal.

The Sealstones malfunctioning, causing Gates to manifest. That too was normal.

But the explosive increase in the number of Gates.

And the appearance of entirely unexpected beings, unlike the monsters they had fought until now.

‘All of this… these are all things that can absolutely not be considered normal.’

–*Clench*

Without realizing it, Luciel gripped the blanket tightly in his hand.

The being he had encountered a few days ago came to mind. The one with burning horns and a crimson body.

The one who called himself and the others, who would shoulder the future of the Empire, inferior beings.

But he had earned that right. In truth, that being was incredibly strong.

He hadn’t managed to land a single proper hit to shut that filthy mouth.

He had drawn on his power to the point of strain, but could only manage to create mere cuts.

It wasn’t just a matter of being outnumbered. It was more like he couldn’t even reach him.

‘Frustration.’

It felt as if his sword had broken. As if his romanticism had crumbled.

He had never once doubted his own abilities until now.

He had thought that if he went to the very end, even this romanticism could become a brilliant star.

But facing the true darkness of that bottomless abyss, he couldn’t see that light at all.

It was pitch black. Oppressive. It felt like he had lost his way.

‘My sword… couldn’t reach him at all. The opponent was… too far away.’

–*Grind*

This crushing defeat, so profound, so utterly devastating, is truly a first.

The more I dwell on it, the more a fiery rage surges from my chest.

The heat threatens to numb my mind, to bleed from my very eyes.

But, what am I to do? What can this weakling I’ve become possibly accomplish?

Only this pathetic act of replaying the defeat, of obsessing over it again and again.

Foolish. So intoxicated by such paltry things, by being top student, leader of the expeditionary force…

—Tap. Tap.

I turn my head. A fan is lightly tapping against the back of my hand.

“Senior. No, Your Highness, the Princess. I, too, this Nefertiti. I feel the same.”

“…”

“It’s vexing. So very vexing. I considered myself a rather competent talent. I thought that someday, upon graduation, I could elegantly fill the vacancies left by you seniors. And yet, I am utterly powerless.”

Nefertiti, who has somehow sidled up beside me, smiles.

“Therefore. We must strive harder. The next time we encounter that fiend… Ah. No, that’s right. Junior already took care of him, didn’t he? Then, when we meet those of a similar caliber, we must be sure to deliver a proper blow!”

“…”

“So. I believe that, for now, shaking it off and rising to our feet is the proper course.”

—Whoosh!

“How was that? Was I, as the true student council president, appropriately consoling my student? Ho ho ho!”

“…Yes. Junior. It would be wonderful if you could just return to your bed without falling down—”

Too late. Or perhaps, it was an impossible feat from the start.

“Gah!”

As if to prove the point, she landed squarely on her bottom with a resounding thud.

Then, whimpering slightly, Nefertiti picked herself up and tottered back to her bed.

The sight of it all finally broke through Luciel’s gloom, and she burst into laughter.

‘…Come to think of it.’

That colossal foe who instilled such a profound sense of defeat, not only in myself but also in Nefertiti.

The image of that man, punishing such a being with his bare fists as if it were nothing more than a punching bag, rises in my mind.

I thought I was dreaming. Or else, watching a fairy tale unfold.

…No. A fairy tale would be a stretch. It was more like, yes.

‘A legend. Or perhaps, a myth.’

Since childhood, I have grown up hearing tales of the Empire’s numerous heroes.

Some with swords. Some with magic. Titans who dominated an era.

I felt as if their stories were unfolding right before my very eyes.

The radiant power, soaring like lightning and striking down like thunder.

His posture, sitting atop the corpse of his enemy at the end of the battle, welcoming the dawn, was simply awe-inspiring.

Most vividly imprinted in my memory, above all else, was his exceptionally sturdy, muscle-bound torso…

“—Not that!!”

“Senior?!”

“Ah, no! Junior! It’s not like that, really!”

“So, what isn’t like what?!”

Whatever Nefertiti said from beside her, Luciel shook her head with fervent conviction.

Absolutely, absolutely she wasn’t like that! So, absolutely not thinking about a man’s sculpted body…

“Kyaaah!”

She collapsed face-first into the blanket.

“Hh, hwaaa…!”

Her face burned. Suddenly, she had no idea why she was like this.

Why did he keep appearing? Why wouldn’t it stop, this lingering image of her junior?

Him catching her as she nearly fell. Him stepping forward, saying he’d handle it.

Saying, just as she had her own brand of romanticism, he, too, had his.

He had followed his own starlight. One step, another step.

And in the end, truly, like a legend, he had achieved victory!

He would never falter. Not in the face of his own battles.

His retreating figure seemed to shout that very thing!

—*Thump-thump*

“Ugh…”

This is strange. This, this is the first time since witnessing the Master’s sword.

My heart feels like it’s going to burst. My entire body burns.

“…”

Meanwhile, Neferti, who was watching Luciel, thought.

‘What to do? The shock seems greater than I anticipated…’

Even though Luciel’s skill almost reached that of a Cradle Instructor.

Even though all the Cradle students admired her not as a ‘Princess,’ but as a ‘Talent’.

Ultimately, she remained a student.

Even Teacher Smith, who was right beside her, couldn’t last.

It wasn’t because Luciel was lacking in any way.

She had merely encountered an opponent worthy of defeat.

“Senior. I told you, it’s okay? It really is!”

“I, it’s because I’m not okay…!”

“No! Really! No one’s going to say anything?!”

“They definitely will say something?!”

It’s obscene how that muscular upper body of Deus’ keeps popping into my head, so I have no choice but to say something!

Even the teacher couldn’t do anything against him, so it’s not good to blame yourself for losing!

—*Knock-knock*

“Ah. Senior. Quiet for a moment. Someone’s here. Ahem. Who is it?”

“It’s me. Deus. I, uh, came to visit the sick.”

Oh. I thought he’d be too dense to come!

Senior! Our junior, Deus, has come to visit you!

Neferti, smiling brightly, turned her head towards Luciel.

“…Senior?”

She could only stare in bewildered silence as Luciel suddenly pulled the blanket over her head and lay down in the bed.

“C-Come in, then!”

Deus edged into view, seeming to ask permission of Nefertiti.

He was being so careful for such a mountain of a man that it was almost comical.

“…Ah.”

Deus offered Nefertiti a quick bow, a flash of bafflement crossing his face.

Then, lowering his voice to a near-whisper, he murmured,

“President. Um… have I come at a bad time, perhaps?”

“Ah. Well…”

Nefertiti’s gaze flicked to the bed where Luciel lay.

Just moments ago they’d been chatting away, and now he was feigning sleep.

Pulling the blanket over his head as if to scream, ‘Don’t you dare mention me!’

“…He, uh, my senior… seems to still be… recovering his strength.”

“Then I’ll come back later.”

“No, no. It’s alright. No need to make two trips! Have a seat!”

He’s probably got his ears open anyway. Oh, well, too bad, Senior!

“How unexpected. I didn’t think you’d bother visiting without me breathing down your neck.”

“I came rushing over, terrified you’d berate me for not visiting as soon as you were discharged.”

“A bit late for such terror, wouldn’t you say?”

“My apologies. Things have been rather hectic back at the Cradle these days.”

Whisper, whisper. A quiet murmur, like some clandestine affair.

“…”

Beside them, Luciel lay listening intently, ears straining to catch every word.

A nervous fidget rippled through his fingers at the mention of the junior who’d come to visit.