บท 21: Future plans
"Wow, this is a mess."
The Hakama man turned his head at the sudden voice behind him.
"Dedelia died, eh? how sad"
Behind him stood a person covered in dark robes, On his shoulder, covered in bandages, hung what could be a sword, almost as large as the figure
"You are one of those who caused this?"
I asked the man in the Hakama without changing his expression, that always looked tired and bitter.
"Well...not exactly? Technically, I didn't do anything."
Said the figure as he held up his hands to prove his innocence.
"I just came to see if there was anyone worthy to cut."
As he said those words, the air changed completely, Exuding an immense bloodlust, he moved his hand towards the sword on his shoulder
"And it looks like I found it."
*Fush!*
But before he could make a move, a black-haired demon appeared and grabbed his shoulder
"We're leaving"
He said in a monotone voice, with no discernible emotion on his face
"Eh? Wait-"
Before the figure could refute it, they disappeared.
"..."
The Hakama man just looked at the place where the two used to meet with no apparent interest before grabbing the unconscious Kein and leaving the area
***
Arriving at the base where the students were being treated, the Hakama man left Kein in the hand of one of the medical team, While walking through the chaotic corridors, he could see Arthur, who was being treated, He gave him a glance before continuing walking
"Takehiko!"
But he stopped when someone called his name, When he turned, he could see an imposing man with purple hair and dark skin
"Don't yell so much, you idiot; you're disturbing the injured."
Takehiko complained to his noisy friend before putting on a more serious expression.
"How is Norma?"
"She's better now; the demonic energy was completely eliminated from her body and her wound was also treated, although she's a bit depressed."
At the words of his friend, Takehiko sighed before walking again.
"Let's go see her."
"Behind you!"
"I told you to stop yelling."
They walked until they reached a secluded room, knocked on the door and entered. Inside were not only Norma but also Professor Vivian and Hilda, the envoy from the wizarding tower
"Looks like everyone is already gathered."
Takehiko said this before closing the door and approaching the bed where Norma was lying.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah."
Norma, with her head down, replied.
"Don't feel so bad."
"How do you want me to do that? I got careless and was disabled in the middle of the fight, leaving the students defenseless."
"As I understand it, there was an infiltrator among the students, no one noticed, there was no way you could have known something like that was going to happen, and no students died, right? no reason to feel so bad."
"But what if?"
*Pam!*
"Ouch!"
Before Norma could finish her sentence, she received a hit on her forehead, She held it up as she looked at Takehiko with teary eyes
"Stop worrying about the 'what ifs'; none of that happened and everyone is fine, If you really feel bad, stop regretting what you could have done and become stronger so something like that won't happen again."
He said with a firm tone as he looked Norma in the eyes. Norma seemed to get the message and her mood improved as her eyes took on a determined expression.
"But you didn't have to hit me like that, you know? That's why you don't have a girlfriend."
"Noisy."
*Pam!*
"Ouch!"
The two joked around for a while before Vivian clapped her hands, getting their attention.
"Good! today everything went well but we can't be sure it will be like this next time, Hilda already contacted the wizards tower to have them investigate the matter, and it looks like the targets were the children of the three ducal houses."
"Wow, they sure are fast."
Takehiko exclaimed at the speed of the mage tower in terms of investigation.
"Not only that, it seems that the demons have been moving more than usual during these past few years; the threat of a new war is becoming more and more worrisome, and from the demons' bold move to attack the children of the ducal houses of the empire, it seems that it's not going to be a small thing."
"If a war breaks out, then the students will inevitably have to get involved if things get really bad."
"Unfortunately, that is the case."
Those in the room were silent for a while before Vivian spoke again
"Because of this, the academy decided to prepare something."
Everyone's attention was focused on Vivian again.
"They prepared something?"
Norma asked curiously
"A training plan: they will gather the most talented students of the academy to create a special class, they will be premiered by the best teachers; and they will receive direct lessons from you three, especially you Takehiko, you are going to train the students who excel even in that class."
"Hey, why do I have to do that?"
Takehiko asked him with a clear reluctance.
"Because you are the strongest student in the academy, genius, you are even stronger than many teachers.
Norma said as if it were something obvious
"Sigh~don't blame me if they come out crying in the end."
"Haha, we're counting on you, champ~"
Vivian said while patting him on the shoulder, Takehiko just wanted to sigh and go to sleep at that moment.
***
"Agh..."
My body felt heavy and hot, I think I had a fever; and my head was also hurting like hell
"I'm in the hospital?"
Feeling the soft sheets and seeing the white-colored ceiling—that's what I first thought of.
"Wait, I'm back at the academy already?"
I tried to get up when my hand touched something, When I turned around, I could see Livia sleeping next to my bed, She had dark circles under her eyes so she probably stayed awake watching over me
"Now that I notice, I also have a damp cloth on my forehead."
I could only smile at my lovely maid, Doing my best not to wake her up, I settled her in and laid her down next to me, The bed was a bit small but it was better than if she would get back pain from sleeping in that uncomfortable position
"Sigh~"
After settling Livia next to me, I let out a sigh of relief and started to think about the fight I had with that unknown demon.
'He never appeared in the novel, or at least not as far as I got.'
But one thing was for sure: he didn't have to be present during this attack and it also seemed that he was aiming solely at me, apparently with the goal of awakening whatever was inside me.
'And it looks like he succeeded'
Arthur could feel it, the mana inside his body had practically doubled and his body felt much stronger than before, His senses were also greatly enhanced, he could see the dirt stains in the far corner of the room, he could smell the medicines and herbs in great detail, he could even differentiate some of them, he could hear the breathing of the wounded in the next room; and the most important thing was his hearing.
Concentrating, Arthur could see several streams of mana, both small and large, flowing through the room like the water of a river.
"This is the flow?"
That's what he thought—all those streams of mana were part of the flow that Professor Vivian has studied so much and tried to sense before with no luck
"I don't know if this is lucky or not."
While it's great to be able to sense the currents of the flux and be able to use them, it's not all good.
As an experiment in combat against the unknown demon, even a small current of the flux is too much for his body to handle without hurting himself or destroying everything around him
"And since what's inside me woke up, itmore likely to end up exploding like the head of the Reclesia family in the novel."
This was another point of concern
"The Reclesia probably already know about my performance."
What I have inside me is something that apparently has always been inside my body without me realizing it, so only Reclesia could have put it there.
"And knowing what those bastards are like, I wouldn't be surprised if they implanted it in me when I was nothing more than a newborn baby."
In the novel, there was never any mention of Arthur being attacked other than the "accident" he had when he left the academy. I'm sure they thought Arthur would be useless to their plans and decided to eliminate him and investigate what he had in his body or something.
I have acted exactly as the original Arthur would, but while the original Arthur acted that way because that was his personality, mine was just that—an act. They must have realized that and started to move.
"Sigh~ the question is, when did they realize it?"
Maybe recently, maybe for a few years now or maybe they've known all along
"This complicates things a lot."
The target I was looking to deceive and attack from behind already figured me out; that's a very fucked up thing to do, Knowing them, they must be monitoring my every move so I won't be able to plan an attack without them knowing it
"I'm sure they already found out about my awakening too."
They could abduct me in my sleep or give an order to return home and trap me
"I can do this."
It doesn't matter if they already know; I'll find a way to destroy them before they destroy me
"Hmm..."
I heard a noise and when I turned around, I could see Livia, who was waking up, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning"
"!¡"
At my greeting, Livia woke up completely, She opened her eyes wide and tried to get up.
"Young master-!?"
I put her back to bed, giving her a hug and sinking her head on my chest.
"Rest, you were taking care of me all this time, weren't you? I thank you so much, I'm fine now."
I told her while caressing her hair, Livia hesitated a little but she returned the hug, sinking more into my chest
"Are you really okay?"
"Yes"
"I really worry, you know? Suddenly they reported that the demons attacked the students on the field trip and brought you back covered in blood and you were unconscious for almost a week."
I could feel his body tremble slightly as he spoke.
"Sorry for worrying you."
"You should be sorry; how do you plan to make it up to me?"
"What would you like as compensation?"
"Let's stay like this for a little longer. It's warm."
"I have no problem with that."
We stayed like that until Livia fell asleep, and I don't know if it was because my body was still tired or because of the comfortable sensation of having Livia in my arms, but I also fell deeply asleep.
***
The next day, when I woke up, I found teacher Vivian looking at me with a mischievous smile on her face
"Oh, sorry, am I interrupting you?"
Livia, who woke up a few seconds after me, looked at me, then at teacher Vivian and finally the position I was in.
"!¡"
After coming out of her drowsiness, she quickly straightened up, fixed her dress and her messy hair, wiped the drool from her face and then bowed respectfully.
"You must be Miss Vivian, right? It's nice to meet you."
Although she looked serene, the blush in her ears gave her away.
'Cute.'
That's what I thought and most likely, Professor Vivian.
"Nice to meet you too; you must be Livia, Thank you for taking care of my dear disciple."
"No, thanks to you for teaching him."
They chatted a bit to get to know each other before Professor Vivian focused her attention on me
"How are you feeling?"
"Very well, better than I've ever felt in my entire life, I have to say."
The headache was gone and I felt fresh and light, I could feel the enormous power inside me, eager to get out and although my body was still warmer than normal, I didn't feel feverish
"Yes, I can see that; your magical power grew exponentially and also..."
Professor Vivian walked over to my bed and brought her face close to mine as she seemed to be analyzing something
"Yes, you've become more handsome."
"Eh?"
I couldn't react to the sudden comment but Miss Vivian didn't seem to notice that and continued talking
"Your skin is smoother and whiter than before, your eyes have a brighter glow, your muscles are bigger and more defined and your hair is super silky! What envy! Do you know how many creams and hair products I have to put on to maintain my beautiful appearance?! And you, a man, look more groomed than me!"
She said this as she scratched her hair in frustration.
"Um, sorry?"
"Hmp!"
Professor Vivian just folded her arms pouted and looked away.
"Tell me, did he wake up?"
But she suddenly became suddenly serious and asked me, and although the question seemed ambiguous, I knew what she meant and nodded.
"Yes."
"Hmm, I thought so."
Livia, who was silently listening to our conversation, tilted her head and asked
"Wake up? What are you talking about?"
Professor Vivian looked at me, asking if I could talk about this in front of Livia, I nodded and she began to explain everything to her
"Why didn't you tell me this?"
"I didn't want to worry you unduly and we didn't know if it was really dangerous or not."
Livia seemed to understand my reason but she didn't seem satisfied
"Please don't hide things like this from me again, I am your personal servant after all, worrying about you is part of my job."
"Haha, you're right, I'm sorry I won't hide this kind of thing from you again."
Livia seemed satisfied with my answer as she smiled slightly.
"And...you can feel it? The flow?"
"...Yes"
*Click*
Professor Vivian immediately snapped her fingers and created a barrier that prevented us from being overheard, She pulled a chair closer to my bed and sat down in front of me
"Tell me everything."
"Yes."
I then began to tell him everything I experienced.
"So there are several streams of different sizes."
"Yes, the mana in those flows is also incredibly powerful; just by gathering a small amount, I ended up causing an immense explosion."
"Wait, you manipulated it?!"
Miss Vivian asked in astonishment and bewilderment.
"Yes, although I did it unconsciously that time and didn't try it again for fear of blowing up the whole hospital."
"Hahahaha! This is unbelievable! If you learn to control the flow, you could do high-level magic as a warrior, create artifacts with colossal power, indestructible barrier formations, and scrolls with the power to destroy a city; you would literally be a god on earth."
"..."
"..."
Livia and I just looked at Professor Vivian, who looked like a mad scientist as she babbled with a maniacal grin on her face.
"Ahem, sorry, I got a little excited."
After that, she asked me a few more questions and wrote down everything I told her in a notebook.
"By the way, how long have I been unconscious?"
"5 days exactly, but don't worry, the academy gave the students 2 weeks off to rest before returning to their activities."
"I see."
If it's two weeks, that event should be starting soon
"I think it's about time."
Livia and Vivian looked at me, wondering what I was talking about.
"I'm going to get myself kicked out of the academy and the family."
"It's come to this, eh? I had my suspicions that this was your plan but it will be sad to see you go, boy!"
Said Professor Vivian as she rubbed my head.
"I'm sorry but it has to be soon. Also, I think the Reclesia family already knows about my act."
"They know?!"
Livia looked shocked at my comment
"Yes, and they are likely to start moving; we have to be quick."
"Don't worry, my pretty disciple; I'm going to cover for you to make sure everything goes smoothly."
"Yes, young master, count on me; I will help you in any way I can."
With Livia and Vivian giving me all their support, my nerves calmed down quite a bit and with a smile, I thanked them.
"Thank you very much for your support; this is the plan".
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