The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

49. Sanctuary (3)

A sudden, emergency alarm echoed through the Academy’s medical wing. Startled by the unexpected noise, everyone, including the medical department’s professor, who had been asleep, rushed back to the medical building, confirming the location that had triggered the alert. Then, they all wore strange expressions.

“This… this is where we housed the injured during the combat studies department entrance exam.”

The professor muttered.

A map of the Academy was displayed in the center of the medical wing emergency room. On it, three red lights blinked near the southern forest entrance.

The residual magic emanating from the alarm was too strong to be a malfunction. Someone had clearly sent a signal with intention.

It was unbelievable. The magic used during the entrance exam was not currently in use.

But for that magic to activate suddenly now? It wasn’t some trinket made by an amateur magician. It seemed more plausible that the remaining mana from that time had reignited.

But… the professor felt, for some reason, that this incident was not a simple matter.

It was in the realm of intuition. Every sense she’d honed as a battlefield healer was telling her to head to that forest immediately.

Her intuition, forged over a long life, had never lied to her. She hardened her expression and spoke to those gathered in the emergency room.

“Let’s go and see. Prepare everything.”

And so, the medical students, professors, and assistant professors began a march in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the medical building and the Academy’s southern forest were not far apart, so they arrived there before long.

Dispelling the darkness with lanterns and basic radiance magic, they continued their advance. At the end, they discovered three people collapsed in a wretched state.

Quill, unconscious with his entrails spilling from his side, Warren, heaving and sputtering blood, and Saya, vomiting blood as a spear remained impaled through her abdomen.

No one was in good shape. So gravely injured, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they died then and there. It was fortunate that none suffered any lost limbs, but even so, there was no room for relief. If they weren’t treated quickly, they would die from excessive bleeding or shock.

The professor acted fast. He prioritized the transport of the patients over assessing the immediate situation. At his command, the assistant professor and students, who had been staring blankly, hastily moved them to the emergency room.

The stifling smell of blood began to permeate the once-peaceful emergency room. One of the assistant professors reported the situation to Friede, while the students burned anesthetic incense to dull the three’s senses.

But the potency was far too weak to lull mana users to sleep. At best, it only slightly reduced their pain. It was difficult to achieve anything more.

“Wh-What should we do?”

“Get the ampules! And pull that spear out, starting with the shaft!”

The professor spoke, channeling the pure mana characteristic of healing mages. The students, smelling the scent of death so intimately for the first time, nodded with tension and fear etched on their faces.

No matter how advanced their year, the only injuries they had ever dealt with were minor ones sustained during exams. Critical injuries, where every second counted, were something they had only seen in textbooks. They had to rely solely on their theoretical knowledge, with no practical experience to draw upon.

But they couldn’t just stand idly by. In a situation where their own hands could either save or kill someone, no one here would simply stand there, frozen. They steeled their trembling hands and moved with brisk efficiency under the assistant professor’s direction.

“…First, cut the spear in half. Then, pull it out from the bladed end.”

“Yes.”

The students nodded. They used daggers, their sharpness magically enhanced to the extreme, to sever the spear, and then, following the assistant professor’s orders, pulled the spear straight out. As they did, the blood and viscera clinging to the shaft came with it.

“aaargh…!”

Saya screamed in agony. Though her pain was partially numbed, the sensation of her organs being ripped apart brought with it a pain beyond imagination.

As the spear that had been staunching the wound was removed, blood gushed from the hole like a fountain. Hemostatic agents were quickly administered, slowing the bleeding somewhat, but her condition remained critical. They needed to rapidly begin cleansing the body of remaining bacteria and impurities and commence regeneration using healing spells.

“Everyone who can use magic, channel your mana! We’ll begin treatment now–”

“Ah… keuh… Asel…”

Just as the assistant professor was shouting, Saya coughed up blood and muttered, her eyes struggling to focus.

In an instant, everyone’s attention was on her. Saya locked eyes with the assistant professor and continued,

“Asel… where is… Asel?”

*

“…Ugh.”

The sound of birds chirping slowly drew him awake. His eyelids were heavy, threatening to slam shut, and the throbbing pain coursing through his body made him want to lose consciousness again immediately. And why did his eyes ache so fiercely? Just keeping them open felt like his brain was about to boil.

He had a hunch.

The necromancer’s words. A sign that his mystic eyes were about to awaken, he had said. After constantly forcing mana into his eyeballs, it seemed his eyes and mana had finally resonated. The result was an exceptionally potent mana sensitivity that also affected his body.

Unfortunately, aside from his eyes, it was difficult to imbue mana into other areas, so he couldn’t expect anything similar to mystic eyes in those areas. Still, this alone was a significant boon.

He felt as if he’d received an unexpected gift. Asel smiled wryly and closed his eyes.

It was good that awakening was near, but right now, his body was in such disarray that even opening his eyes was a struggle. Moving even a single finger caused his muscles and nerves to scream in protest.

Still, the fact that he could clearly hear the chirping birds meant that his half-severed ear had been restored properly.

‘My Master must have taken care of it.’

Acel breathed a deep sigh of relief, cracking open only one eye halfway. To open both was simply too painful.

The immediate aftermath of the teleportation was a blank. After entrusting himself to the magic, he’d passed out, and awakened to a pristine white ceiling. It didn’t feel like the afterlife, not with all his senses still sharp, so it seemed his mentor had seen fit to heal him.

A calculated gamble, it seemed, and one that had paid off. The impromptu modification to the teleportation formula had left him uneasy, to be honest, but it must have worked.

He’d been fortunate.

It was a miracle, pure and simple. Acel luxuriated in the soft sensation on his left hand, lost in thought.

“…?”

After a moment, Acel realized the sensation was strangely familiar. With a Herculean effort, he turned his head slightly.

His gaze met Ena’s, her eyes wide and staring. She held his hand tightly in both of hers.

Streaks of tears marked her cheeks, evidence of a long cry. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her cheeks slightly hollow, as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

Gone was the cold demeanor she usually projected. She looked pitiable, vulnerable enough to stir compassion in anyone.

Perhaps that was only to be expected. The student she’d entrusted to the academy had returned a near-corpse, appearing without warning. The heartache she’d suffered while he was unconscious must have been immense. The tears she’d shed by his side could fill a small pond.

Acel, of course, didn’t know all the particulars, but he was aware he’d burdened Ena’s heart. So he managed a weak smile, his voice cracking.

“It’s been a while, Mentor.”

At those words, Ena seemed to choke back another sob. The corners of her mouth trembled downward as she brought his hand, still clasped in hers, to her cheek.

Warmth was slowly returning to his hand, which had been cold for over a week. That warmth spread through Ena. She couldn’t even think to wipe away the tears that streamed down her face as she looked up at Acel.

Acel offered a wry smile, watching her blue eyes glitter with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry. I’ve troubled you unnecessarily.”

“No.”

Ena managed to choke out the word, her voice thick with emotion. She rose from her seat and placed her hand on Acel’s cheek, forcing a smile.

“Thank you for coming back.”

During the week that Acel had been unconscious, she hadn’t left his side once. When his magical energy flared, she personally calmed it. When he broke into cold sweats, she wiped his body down herself, without the aid of magic. She hadn’t even slept, lest he suddenly take a turn for the worse in the middle of the night.

And all the while, she had been lending him her warmth. Until the necromancer’s magic that had tainted his soul was completely gone, she had pressed her skin against his, stifling the encroaching cold. None of it had been easy, but Ena had attended to him without complaint.

It would be a lie to say it hadn’t been difficult, but Ena didn’t feel the need to reveal that to Acel. His safe return to consciousness was more important to her than any acknowledgment of her hardship.

Any reward was secondary.

“Does anything hurt?”

Ena asked, wiping her eyes. Acel replied with a deliberately light tone.

“Everything hurts.”

His jest brought a soft smile to Ena’s lips. She pressed a quick kiss to Acel’s forehead, then met his gaze.

“Hearing you joke makes me feel a little better. I’d like to ask you what happened right away… but taking the time to rest should come first, more important, no?”

Ena rose from her seat and continued.

“Wait. I’ll fetch the Bishop. Stay put.”

She said this, opened the door and left. Asel, having answered that he would, lay still, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Click.

Just then, he heard the sound of the door locking.

“?”

Asel’s head tilted.

*

Thankfully, the Archbishop left, saying Asel would be alright with just a few more days of rest. Ena seemed relieved by this, letting out a long sigh. She fetched gruel from the dining hall and fed it to Asel herself.

“…I can eat it myself.”

“Quiet. You whine that even moving your arm hurts.”

“……”

Having nothing to say, Asel obediently accepted the gruel she offered. The gruel, with its even mix of chicken and vegetables, was quite palatable, more than he expected. The tomato juice she brought as a palate cleanser was not bad either.

After the meal, he spent the entire day lying in bed. Asel tried to at least rehabilitate himself by attempting to sit up, but each time she detected the slightest hint of this, Ena used her spellcasting to force him back down.

Asel could not resist that magic which compelled his movements.

He did try to resist by finding gaps in the magic from time to time, but then Ena would directly climb onto the bed and lie on top of him. Thanks to a magic that completely negated the weight felt by others, even though she was lying on top of Asel, he felt no pain.

Just like now. Asel stroked Ena’s hair as she lay on him, letting out a deep sigh. Ena enjoyed his touch without any particular complaint.

Even when a nun entered the room to use the Holy Law, she remained unmoved. Rather, she gave the nun a look, as if to tell her to leave quickly.

However, the nun was a person who would not tolerate even the slightest imperfection when it came to caring for patients. Ignoring Ena’s gaze, she meticulously examined Asel’s condition. Then, she used the Holy Law where treatment was needed, and gradually calmed his heightened sensitivity to pain.

That alone made him feel better. Asel slightly bowed his head towards the nun, remaining in a lying position.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, Lady Ena, how long do you intend to stay there? The patient is struggling.”

“Struggling?”

Ena asked, looking down into Asel’s eyes. Asel gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“I’m perfectly fine. Make yourself comfortable, comfortable.”

“He says he’s fine?”

Ena raised the corner of her lips and replied to the nun. The nun sighed deeply and shook her head.

“Just in case, the patient still needs rest. Please refrain from ‘such acts.'”

“Such acts?”

“s*xual acts, I mean.”

“……Ah?”

Ena’s face flushed crimson. Regardless, the nun gathered the dishes and bottle Ena had brought, and as she left the room, added a parting remark.

“Just so you know, the soundproofing here is non-existent.”

“Get out.”

“Yes, goodbye.”

The nun chuckled and closed the door behind her. Ena glared at the now-closed door, her fingers twitching. From her fingertips, strands of pure white mana snaked out, manipulating the lock.

Click.

The door was now locked. Ena double-checked to make sure it was secure, then collapsed back onto Acel, her upper body once again draped over him. She mumbled,

“Don’t mind her. I have no intention of doing anything.”

“….”

“Acel?”

“Ah, yes. I’m not minding it.”

Acel replied vaguely. Something about that response seemed to displease her, as Ena pouted and tapped her forehead against his chest. Acel wondered why his Master was acting this way, but shrugged it off and averted his gaze.

His vision fell upon the firmly closed door.

‘Why does she keep locking it?’

Like when she left to fetch the Archbishop a few hours ago, and now again. Why lock the door in a way that couldn’t be opened from the inside?

“….”

A disturbing thought began to creep into Acel’s mind.