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chapter 66
Coughing up blood? I had no idea what that meant.
Stunned and speechless, I froze in place, until Aiden, standing behind me, explained.
“I heard what Claude Escliff shouted. I even saw something red on the corner of your mouth.”
“Ah.”
I let out a short exclamation and quickly explained.
“That’s just the juice I drank before the match because my stomach wasn’t feeling well.”
“Oh! I see!”
Felix nodded cheerfully.
“Ugh.”
Then he hunched over, clutching his stomach.
The culprit was Daun.
He grabbed Felix by the collar and whispered,
“Do you actually believe that? Are you out of your mind?”
“Well… he said it, didn’t he?”
“I think that’s a lie too.”
Aiden whispered from the side.
“Of course, it’s not entirely Claude’s fault, but it’s clear that your condition wasn’t good.”
Felix’s pupils wavered.
“R-Really?”
Stay steady. You understood correctly.
But the gullible Felix eventually gave in.
And he said,
“So… you thought I’d just believe such an easy excuse? No way!”
No. You’re right.
And I can hear everything you’re saying.
Why does a person always twist what’s said?
That scene was clearly just me throwing up the juice I drank on an empty stomach.
How pathetic would it be to cough up blood just because a sharp rock hit your solar plexus at 150 km/h?
It took almost an hour to clear up the misunderstanding among the three of them.
I should’ve just kept my clothes on. If they had seen the stains on my sleeve, they would’ve realized it was definitely not blood.
“Escliff.”
On the way back to the dorm after the match, a familiar voice called out to me.
It was Aiden.
In this world of dazzling colors, black hair stands out more than anything, so I quickly spotted him.
“Can we talk for a moment? Somewhere quiet.”
“Sure.”
I took his hand, and we slipped behind the building.
I blinked, and the place transformed into a dense forest hidden from view.
“…This far?”
Aiden looked slightly dumbfounded.
I shrugged.
“So, what did you want to say?”
“It’s about earlier, when you… coughed up blood.”
“I didn’t.”
“Coughing up blood…”
“I didn’t.”
“Just hear me out!”
“Your tone is annoying.”
“Escliff, please.”
I stopped before I started to feel like crying.
“I know. There’s no way you’d be harmed by the so-called attack from Lord Escliff. You’re the one who knows your own abilities best, so I’m certain of that.”
“But?”
“But the public will think differently.”
He explained seriously.
“A wizard’s body is generally tougher than an ordinary person’s. You know that, right? It’s basic knowledge learned around age five.”
I didn’t know.
Everything I studied was from the Academy’s textbooks and advanced-level magic studies.
The simple common knowledge of this world felt harder than solving a calculus problem.
“…Of course.”
“You’re slow to answer.”
He let out a slight huff.
“Are you like one of those dragons that come out for amusement?”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not, dragons exist. Do you even know anything?”
“…Our school’s textbooks?”
“Useless.”
Excuse me.
“Anyway, here’s the point.”
Aiden sighed and continued.
“The reason a wizard’s body becomes tougher than ordinary people is that, after awakening magic, the body slowly develops in a completely different way than normal humans.”
“Mm.”
“And publicly, you’re a rookie wizard who’s been awakened for less than a month. So here’s the question.”
He raised his index finger.
“What would others think is the only weakness of a genius wizard who defeated prominent skilled opponents immediately after awakening and achieved outstanding results?”
“Ah!”
A light bulb went off in my head.
“That they think my body is weak?”
“They would think so.”
After a moment, he added thoughtfully,
“Honestly, I think similarly. Your only weakness might be the hardness of your body.”
“Hm.”
I think that’s actually a strength.
If I revealed that, people would probably treat me like a dragon, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Of course, that wouldn’t really be a weakness. You could just teleport before being attacked.”
“Well, sure.”
“No, you’d probably eliminate the opponent before they even attack. You prevent the chance of being attacked in the first place.”
“What do you take me for?”
He stated firmly:
“A strategic living weapon.”
“What?”
“I don’t know the full range of your spatial magic, but it’s clearly beyond common comprehension.”
He continued explaining.
“Even the founder of spatial magic, considered revolutionary, couldn’t move more than 100 meters. But here we’re in a forest that would take a day by carriage from the Academy.”
“-”
“At this level, you could even move from the border to the enemy’s court in an instant.”
His eyes darkened.
“You, alone, could destroy a nation. Including an empire.”
…It was too accurate to argue against.
“Did you call me here to say that?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I just wanted to warn you. Your power is immense, but you’re still vulnerable to physical attacks if you’re poisoned or caught off guard.”
I wanted to say it was a useless concern.
I can neutralize poison with sheer will, and no blade can pierce my skin.
Even if I consciously adjust my body’s hardness, any scratch from a highly skilled opponent wouldn’t matter.
My recovery magic competes with fire in speed.
I haven’t tested it, but I’m confident it’s that strong.
“I see you understand.”
Aiden nodded, mistaking my silence for comprehension.
Hm. Fine, let him think that.
He looked satisfied and then suddenly remembered something:
“Oh, and one more thing.”
It’s probably useless too.
“After the coughing incident, your sister suddenly disappeared. Did you not see her?”
“Wasn’t she just embarrassed?”
“I meant your younger sister.”
Correction: This was actually important.
Seeing my expression sour, Aiden reassured me.
“Don’t worry. I probably just missed her presence.”
“You, a Sword Master?”
“Well, I was distracted by you too.”
He cleared his throat softly.
“I was a little worried as well.”
His cheeks were slightly flushed.
I hardened my gaze.
“Sorry, I’m not planning a romance with you.”
“Huh?”
He sounded incredulous.
“I only truly love myself.”
“Ah… okay…”
I replied reluctantly and snapped my fingers.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in my dorm bathroom.
Aiden had sent me to a pre-checked location.
“May?”
I opened the door and stepped out.
I thought maybe May, who had disappeared, had gone to the dorm first—but that wasn’t the case.
The room was eerily quiet.
‘She’ll come if I wait.’
Honestly, what Aiden said probably wasn’t a big deal.
Unless May has teleportation like me, there’s a limit to how far she can walk.
Even if she really had disappeared, I could find her soon.
Besides, it was 1 PM.
May usually came to the dorm around dinner, so waiting a while would suffice.
.
…
……
“…Hm.”
But when that ‘while’ stretched beyond eight hours, I began to feel uneasy.
‘Should I go look for her?’
Just as I was about to stand, warm liquid ran from my nose.
When I wiped it with my hand, it was blood.
‘Hmph.’
I was exhausted from only four hours of sleep yesterday.
I hurriedly cast a coagulation spell inside my nose and tried to erase the blood on my hand.
Squeak.
“Unni, I’m he… Unni?”
Oh, sh*t.
