Chapter 44

### Chapter 44: The Price of Loss (5)

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#10

— Epic Class?

— Aren't they from the 2nd Academy? Why are they here at this time...?

— ...Wow, are they crazy? Do you have to look that good to be in the Epic Class?

Without any warning, Elena and Ezio, whom she was holding by the waist, appeared suddenly, along with Miu, all gathered in one place.

Even if we set aside Elena, who had achieved such great accomplishments that she was nominated as the High Priestess of the Honorable Sun, two students of the Epic Class, the pinnacle of all classes in the Frontier where the distinction between nobles and commoners had become blurred, had revealed themselves.

One was severely injured and slumped over, while the other, though bearing some scars, could not hide his overwhelming handsomeness, radiating a bright light in the dim darkness.

“Haa, haa...!”

Miu, who had run straight in a straight line, stopped beside Elena, seemingly indifferent to the curious gazes of the people who had gathered around her in an instant.

Her already pale face had lost all color, turning as white as a corpse.

“E, E, Ezio... A, are you... A, alright? D, did you... K, kill him? N, no, right? Yes? Senior...?”

Miu's hand, caked with dried blood, trembled violently.

When Ezio and Elena had thrown themselves out of the window from the 14th floor, she had reflexively tried to jump after them but realized it was impossible and immediately ran towards the stairs.

She didn't want to believe what she had seen. She didn't dare to imagine the inevitable conclusion.

No, no... Miu had emptied her mind of all thoughts except for this desperate plea as she stomped down the stairs, almost breaking them, and upon reaching the second floor, shattered the window without hesitation, arriving here.

From the atmosphere, it seemed they were already being treated as if they were dead. Seeing Miu on the verge of tears, Elena slowly shook her head.

“Don’t make a fuss. He’s not dead yet.”

“...Ah.”

Miu, who had been numbly feeling Ezio’s arm, suddenly felt all the tension and strength in her body drain away, and she collapsed to the ground.

“...Thank goodness, thank goodness. Thank goodness. Really, really, I...”

A storm of complex emotions swirled within Miu’s heart.

From the early morning when the sun began to rise to the late night approaching midnight. Although she was slightly taken aback by the unexpected encounter with Ezio, she thought this was the only chance she had.

Therefore, she had waited endlessly in the cafe, just like any other day, for Ezio, but he never came.

No, he couldn’t come.

Just like before, he had been caught up in another incident and couldn’t keep his promise to her.

But this time, she was close by. Yet, she couldn’t save him. She couldn’t prevent the crisis that was about to befall Ezio.

But that was inevitable and beyond anyone’s control. Who could have predicted it? Even Elena had only realized the danger belatedly and rushed over.

In the entire Frontier, there would be no one to criticize Miu, but the sight of the person she loved returning in such a state was heart-wrenching...

“S, so scary... Really...”

Elena, who was at a loss with Miu’s sobbing and covering her face with her hands, patted her head and said,

“Hey, hey. Junior. I know the world is a cruel place, but crying in the middle of the street isn’t good for your image, right? And we don’t have time to waste. We need to get out of here with him—”

Rustle.

“...Hm?”

Elena turned to look to the side, and slightly downwards.

Had Ezio’s shoulder just twitched? Seeing no movement, she thought it might have been her imagination.

Elena, who had felt a slight shudder, narrowed her brows for a moment but soon looked away.

—That was her intention.

She glanced at him.

Reading the subtle movements of his muscles.

In the slowed-down world, Elena meticulously observed Ezio’s shoulder and arm.

Then, she saw it.

Ezio’s hand, which she had thought was unconscious, was clenching into a fist.

“Oh, s...”

Boom!

A light exploded like a bomb.

— Ahhh!

— What, what is this?! I can’t see!

“Gah!”

In the moment when everyone’s vision was obscured, Elena quickly let go of Ezio. She did so to avoid his sudden attack.

So, even with internal injuries, he still had the strength to move. Or perhaps he had just regained consciousness after being unconscious for a short while.

Crack!

Elena, who was taken aback, quickly pushed off the ground and retreated. Ezio’s fist, which had aimed for her abdomen, drew a curve and fell to the ground.

Boom!

A new crater formed within the already created one.

As the burst of light that had illuminated the area like a flash of lightning dissipated, Ezio, who had staggered to his feet and bent over, was seen striking the ground with his fist.

Elena, who had put some distance between them, shouted,

“1! Are you okay?!”

“...A, a. I, I’m, I’m okay, but...”

Miu, who had sensed the danger but not to the extent of Elena, was pushed back by the shockwave and rolled on the ground for about two revolutions.

Her skin was scratched by something like a rock, and a thin stream of blood flowed, but it was nothing serious.

Miu, who had wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, soon widened her eyes.

There was no time to speak, no time for anyone to stop her.

“...Ah—.”

As if her own condition didn’t matter, she clenched her severely torn and broken hand.

Holding the blood-soaked fist, Ezio, who had struggled to stand up, suddenly extended his right arm and muttered something.

Zzzz...

After a moment,

The light particles that suddenly appeared in the empty air began to swirl and coalesce, eventually forming a complete shape.

A bright light, like the sun, seeped into the dark night.

— ...What is that?

Someone muttered at the strange and sacred sight.

A long, pointed object, like a nail, spike, or thorn, made entirely of light. It was as long as his forearm.

Ezio, who held it firmly with both hands, raised his arm high into the sky, like the eye of a storm.

Whatever mysterious power he possessed, everyone present looked at Ezio.

The mages who were casting spells, the professors who were rescuing people trapped inside buildings and coming down, the murmuring crowd, and the knights controlling them—all of them, without exception, turned to look at Ezio and the light spike in his hand.

It shone brightly in the night sky.

Ezio, who had been looking up at the thick spike he held, eventually tightened his grip even more.

What would happen next.

Most people had already predicted it.

“—No!”

Miu was the same.

Clang!

Her face pale, she hurriedly stood up.

She hesitated for a moment but then pushed off the uneven ground with her feet, moving through the space.

Miu’s long hair fluttered in the wind, and she ran swiftly, drawing her sword to cut off the spike in Ezio’s hand.

At that moment,

Elena, with a fierce expression, shouted loudly.

“Don’t come any closer!”

But Miu didn’t hear it.

She drew her sword and cut through the wind like a gale, but it was already too late.

——Thud.

A vivid and terrifying sound echoed.

It tore through his uniform and the flesh beneath, piercing through muscles and bursting blood vessels, causing a fountain of crimson blood to spurt out.

The long spike, which had completely penetrated Ezio’s left chest, extended for a considerable length, even piercing through the back of his uniform.

Everyone held their breath.

Clang.

Miu, who had stopped her sword in front of Ezio, lost her ability to speak and dropped her sword to the ground in despair.

No words came out.

Miu’s eyes, which had been watching Ezio pierce his own heart, lost their focus and wavered, darkening.

She slowly approached Ezio, who was gradually collapsing.

Sssss...

Particles of light fluttered. The spike that had pierced Ezio’s chest began to disappear from its sharpest tip.

Ezio, who had collapsed on his knees, had a gaping hole in his chest, from which a large amount of blood was continuously gushing out. Cold air flowed through the gap.

If one looked closely, they would have seen that the particles were slowly forming new structures, but Miu’s mind, clouded with darkness, could no longer process anything.

She walked towards Ezio, who was kneeling like a sinner with his head bowed. Miu couldn’t hear any of the sounds around her. In the pit where only Ezio and Miu existed, under the brilliant starlight, she stumbled and eventually knelt in front of Ezio.

Her ash-gray hair, soaked in blood.

Her shoulders, trembling at a slow pace.

Miu, who had been silently caressing Ezio’s broken and damaged fist, lifted her head with her dry lips slightly parted.

The black tears that had been falling from Ezio’s face were gradually becoming murky and lighter.

Mixed with the crimson blood from the wound on his forehead, but only for a moment.

The tears, now luminously transparent, flowed down his rough, dusty cheeks.

Why was he crying?

What was so painful?

What was so hurtful?

“...Ah.”

...No.

Tears are not shed only when one is sad or in pain.

They can also be shed when one is happy...

Ezio, who had let out a short, hoarse sound, suddenly trembled and slowly turned his head to the side.

There, Miu was.

Her face, stained with dust and a bit of blood. Under her beautiful purple eyes, tears like silver beads were falling, and she was trying to say something from her throat, which couldn’t produce any words. She also moved her head slightly from side to side, as if trying to deny something.

Ezio, who had lost all his strength, looked at Miu.

His eyes, which had turned a frighteningly pale white, like a blank canvas, ——returned to their original color, emitting the same blue and brilliant light as the sea.

With a distance where their breaths could almost touch,

Ezio closed his eyes and gently lowered his eyelids, as if to hide the fading life in his eyes.

A faint smile played on his lips.

“...I won, Miu.”

What exactly had Ezio won against?

Miu didn’t know.

But his smile somehow made her feel happy. Even though the deepest sorrow was solely his, he was stubbornly not crying, and he wanted to show her joy before his own sorrow. The effort he made to smile, despite his lack of strength, made her feel happy too.

But.

Her sorrow was too vast to be overshadowed by joy.

Holding Ezio, who was slowly collapsing towards her, in her arms,

Miu began to fill the quiet, dark night sky with her heart-wrenching sobs...

#11

— Since it’s a bit difficult for me to stay here, I’ll just tell you the important things. Listen carefully, 1. I’ll only say this once.

— He will come back to life in a few days.

— ...No, he wasn’t really dead, so saying he came back to life is a bit inaccurate. Anyway, don’t worry about his survival.

— It’s quite surprising that a novice like you managed to open the door to the treasure vault... but it’s a good thing. If you hadn’t, you would have died without finding any solution.

— No. I can’t explain it in detail. If you find it frustrating, come back when you’re older. I’ll tell you then.

— Anyway, it’s not something that takes away human life. It’s more the opposite. I think the parts of his body that have been reconstructed will be stronger than before.

— ...But, as a divine object, it will definitely take a toll on someone who isn’t qualified to use it.

— He probably won’t go berserk like before. You can be relieved about that. There aren’t many beings that can directly influence a human’s mental state... this incident was truly exceptional. I’ll keep an eye on it for a while, so don’t worry.

— Anyway.

— After a loss, only longing and a desire for revenge remain, and after achieving one’s goal, only an empty void is left. This is the first time I’ve seen such a case, so I’m not sure what will happen when he wakes up...

— But, for a while, he won’t be the same as before.

— In that sense, you, 1. No... Miu.

— Um, what was it... his ex-girlfriend?

— I don’t know the details of your relationship, so I can’t really judge if this is a good or bad thing. But from what I can see, you were the only one who still cared after everything fell apart.

— If it ended badly, you might have forgotten all the related memories, so... reunion...? It’s a bit sneaky, but if you keep your mouth shut, no one will know...

— ...No, just a thought.

— You’ll have to wait and see when he wakes up.

— Don’t stay here all day because his ex-boyfriend is in a coma. Attend your classes regularly. Attendance is a significant part of the Epic Class.

—...I think that’s about it.

— We might meet again, or we might not. Anyway, I’m leaving. I’m a bit sore after using my power for the first time in a while, sigh...

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