Chapter 22

When I woke up, I didn't know where I was.

I looked around the room, and it took a while to confirm that I was in my room at Volsard's boarding house.

"Master Kent, have you come to your senses?"

"Oh... right, it's because Reinhardt didn't wake me up..."

Since I had been waking up early to go to the Lieble farm, Reinhardt had been waking me up in the morning.

That's why I didn't know where I was when I woke up on my own.

"Huh? How did I get back to the boarding house?"

I remember using up all my magic power at the Lastock clinic and making it back to the alley in Volsard, but I don't remember anything after that.

"Sir Donovan was informed, and he had me carried back to the boarding house."

"Really? I asked Donovan to do that? And how did you let him know?"

"I used a pen and paper, and since you repelled the Rock Ogres, it's not like you would be punished for such a small favor."

"Hmm... that might be true, but I feel like my training will get even tougher now."

"Hahaha, you should give up on that."

Well, I can't escape Donovan's training anyway, and since I get to train for free, I might be punished if I complain.

"But, I bet Amanda was worried when I was carried back unconscious, right?"

"Yes, but Sir Donovan said it was due to overwork and anemia, and that it would be fine if I just rested, so she seemed to be convinced."

"Yeah, but I should apologize for worrying her later."

"Yes, that would be best."

Gururu... kururu...

The fatigue from the magic exhaustion was gone, but I was hit by a fierce hunger.

"Master Kent, there's a sandwich on the table."

"Really?"

Sure enough, there was a plate with sandwiches and a covered cup on the table.

There was also a note from Amanda, telling me to eat it if I woke up in the middle of the night.

At the end of the note, there was a message from Meisa, wishing me a quick recovery, though it was a bit crooked.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the warmth of their concern, despite all the secrets I keep from them.

I ate the midnight snack with gratitude.

"Reinhardt, what time is it now?"

"It's just past midnight, around one o'clock."

In this world, a day is twenty hours, so it's already the middle of the night.

Amanda has to start preparing for the shop early in the morning, so she goes to bed early, and the boarding house is quiet.

There are no stores in Volsard that stay open all night like convenience stores in Tokyo, and even the bars are closing at this hour.

I must have fallen asleep at an odd time, so I woke up at an odd time.

"Hmm... maybe I should go to the training ground in the Demon Forest and move my body a bit..."

"Master Kent, you should rest tonight. Rest is also necessary sometimes."

"Right, I understand. By the way, was it really because I used too much magic that I collapsed?"

"Probably, Master Kent. I've never seen someone brought back to life after their heart stopped. Even the royal healers can't do that."

I could tell from Reinhardt's words that he was genuinely surprised.

In Japan, if your heart stops, you're not considered dead.

When I explained about cardiac arrest and brain death, Reinhardt was even more surprised.

"So, the world you lived in had advanced medical techniques, Master Kent."

"Yeah, but in the end, it was the dark magic that brought the child back, and the light magic that healed them, so it was mostly thanks to magic."

"Even so, Master Kent, to have accomplished that, you must be extraordinary... no, you must have a unique talent that has never been seen before."

"Still, I feel like it's not my power, but something I received, so I need to train more."

In that sense, the environment the class president is in, where she has to bear a heavy responsibility, might be the best for training in magic, even though it's tough.

But for a kid like me, it's a heavy burden.

"But... isn't it kind of exciting to fight a whole country by yourself?"

"Hahaha, that's great, Master Kent. You have a noble spirit."

"Exactly, if Master Kent starts a fight, I'll be there to help, no matter what."

"Don't worry... Master Kent will win..."

"Thanks, if it comes to that, I'll count on you."

Hmm, maybe the evil skeleton's temperament has rubbed off on me. I don't think I was this aggressive before.

But honestly, since we can move freely in the shadow world, I don't feel like we would lose if we fought the Riesenbourg army head-on.

"By the way, how many mages can move freely in the shadows like us?"

"Even in the era when we were alive, there were many mages, but I've never met a mage who could use the shadow world like this."

"Really? I thought all dark attribute mages could do it."

"I've heard of such mages, but Master Kent is the first I've actually seen."

"So, Master Kent is a bit of an exception..."

Hmm? I thought shadow movement was something all dark attribute mages could do, but it seems different.

I need to thank Donovan tomorrow and ask him about it.

"From what I've heard, dark attribute mages have always been few in number, and most of them learned magic on their own."

"Really? So, did they hear about shadow movement, shadow storage, and shadow summoning, and practice on their own?"

"Probably, yes."

If that's the case, thinking about what can be done with shadows might lead to various magic abilities.

Yeah, I really need to practice magic.

"By the way, if we were to defend against that weak hero's fire magic, what would be the best way?"

"Generally, a metal shield is used to deflect it."

"Deflect it? Like changing the angle to alter its direction?"

"Yes, with such powerful magic, if you take a direct hit, the fireball will explode and cause more damage."

"What about countering with magic of the same level?"

"It's difficult to gauge the power of the opponent's magic, and it's not realistic to counter a spell coming at such speed."

"True, it was really fast."

A fireball the size of a basketball was flying at a speed of about 150 km/h, and the target dummy was instantly reduced to ashes.

Honestly, it's really frustrating, but it would be unwise to make that handsome guy an enemy.

"Master Kent, I've heard that dark magic is the best for defending against magic."

"Really?"

"Yes, I've only heard of it, but the Dark Shield is said to repel all magic."

"Dark Shield... Dark Shield..."

Since it repels all magic, maybe it opens a portal to the shadow space, which is unique to dark magic.

Now, when I put things in shadow storage, I use my own shadow, but maybe it's possible to connect to the shadow space without a shadow.

"Yeah, I should try this out, but I can't practice in the dark."

"Yes, Master Kent, you should rest now."

"Ah... right, wake me up at the usual time, okay?"

"Understood."

I thought I wouldn't be able to fall asleep right away because I went to bed at an odd time, but as soon as I lay down on the bed, I was immediately pulled into sleep.

The next morning, I went to apologize to Amanda for worrying her.

"Amanda, good morning. I'm sorry for worrying you yesterday."

"Oh, you seem to be okay. When you were carried back, you looked like a corpse."

"Sorry, my memory is a bit fuzzy..."

"It's good to be ambitious, but if you break your body, it's no good. Don't overdo the training."

"Yes, I understand. I'll be more careful from now on."

However, I can't escape Donovan's training, and I need to train to rescue my classmates.

Hmm... it's hard to find a balance.

At breakfast, Meisa scolded me too.

By the way, Meisa, even if you complain, you can't force me to eat the carrots you don't like.

I also need to thank Donovan, so I told Amanda I wouldn't work or train and headed to the guild.

This morning, there was a huge crowd in front of the request board, and as usual, Ridnel and the others were causing a commotion.

Yeah, they must be enjoying it.

Looking towards the wall, Manon was standing there aimlessly, but when she saw me, she smiled brightly.

Ugh... I'm definitely in love with her, right?

Or maybe we're just good friends?

"Good morning, Kent!"

"Good morning, Manon."

When I glanced around, a few people were looking at me with warm eyes.

They must have heard about what happened at the guild's bar yesterday.

"Kent, what job are you going to do today?"

"Uh, well... I'm taking a break today..."

"Huh? Is something wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

"I'm fine now, but I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I'm taking it easy today."

"Oh, in that case, I'll take a break too..."

Hmm? Is this reaction because Manon likes me?

No, no, wait, if I get my hopes up, I might be called an idiot... But I'm pretty overpowered, right? Well, I was beaten up by Gilk... But I'm stronger than Ridnel and the others...

"Kent...? Hey, Kent!"

"Ah? S-Sorry, I was just thinking..."

"Don't tell me you were thinking about Muell..."

"N-No, that's not it. I heard that Donovan carried me back to the boarding house yesterday, and I wanted to thank him..."

"Really? You were that sick? Are you okay now?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I was a bit anemic, but I'm okay now."

"That's good, but Kent, you work too hard. Don't overdo it."

"Y-Yeah... I'm sorry for worrying you."

Wow, thinking about it, I haven't had such a close conversation with a girl since kindergarten. Volsard is really great.

As I savored this small happiness, Fred called out to me.

"Master Kent... something has happened..."

"Uh, hold on, Fred."

"Sorry, Manon, I need to use the bathroom..."

"Ah, okay, I'll wait here..."

"Y-Yeah, wait for me..."

Oh no, Manon, if you wait for me with those puppy eyes, I don't want to go.

Still, since I said I would go, I headed to the bathroom.

"So, Fred, what happened?"

"Funayama... has died..."

"Huh..."

My feet, which were heading to the bathroom, stopped involuntarily.

"Master Kent, if you walk... you'll be suspected..."

"Huh... Oh, right..."

Following Fred's urging, I walked to the bathroom, but my feet felt like they weren't touching the ground.

I went into the bathroom and hid in a stall.

"Funayama is dead... did they kill him?"

"Apparently, he didn't wake up this morning... when his comrades tried to wake him, he was already dead..."

"That's... so they did kill him, didn't they!"

"It can't be denied... probably due to overwork and malnutrition..."

To be honest, I only remember Funayama as a bad guy.

He called me "Bab" and hit me more than once.

Still, I didn't hate him enough to want to kill him.

"The Holy Maiden... is in shock..."

"Oh, right... is the class president okay?"

"She's quite shocked... but she's continuing treatment at the clinic... it might be a bit rough..."

"Is she feeling responsible for Funayama's death and putting more effort into treatment?"

"Yes... just as Master Kent said..."

If this continues, the class president might collapse too.

I should go to Lastock, and if I don't go and something happens, I'll probably regret it.

I left the bathroom and hurried back to Manon.

"Kent... what's wrong? Your face is pale."

"Sorry, Manon, I'm not feeling well, so I'm going back to the boarding house today."

"Okay... do you want me to walk you back?"

"No, it's not that bad, I'll be fine. See you next week..."

"Y-Yeah, take care. Get some rest."

I need to thank Donovan, but I'll do it later.

As I walked back to the boarding house, I had Reinhardt look for a place to hide in the shadows.

"Master Kent, turn left at that alley..."

"Got it, thanks..."

I checked the surroundings and hid in the shadows, then instantly moved to Lastock.

When I entered the barracks, to my surprise, the training was going on as usual.

"Huh... why is the training still going on?"

"Funayama... is being treated as if he wasn't there..."

"That's... what the hell! How can they treat a person like that!"

"Master Kent, calm down!"

"Even Reinhardt is saying that?"

"The others are still being held hostage..."

"Ugh... damn... damn it!"

I'm frustrated, but as Reinhardt said, with the others still being held hostage, I can't make any rash moves.

And since they have the ultimate trump card of sending us back to our original world, I can't just kill everyone.

"Damn... I'll never forgive that evil princess. I'll make her pay..."

"Master Kent... the Holy Maiden..."

"Right, the class president..."

I hurried to the clinic, and the class