Chapter 45

### Chapter 45: The Price of Loss (6)

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#12

On the night of Saturday, March 19th, a mysterious terrorist attack and fire broke out at the Lunatic Hall in the 4th Academic District of Frontier. The next morning, the incident was neatly concluded.

The cause of the incident was revealed to be the personal act of Professor Nadiele Hallenia, a chair professor in the Epic Class who taught Super Sensory Theory.

Consumed by endless ambition and a desire for achievement, she ultimately violated a taboo that should not have been touched. In the process, she herself died, and one Epic Class freshman fell into a coma... This was the official narrative. The fact that Nadiele's hidden identity was a despicable demon was known only to a select few in Frontier.

The silver lining, if there was one, was that there were almost no casualties. Those exposed to the unknown smoke merely lost consciousness.

Had the exposure been longer, they might have been severely corrupted by the dense malevolent aura, but thanks to swift action, the victims woke up normally in their beds without any issues.

Additionally, according to the results announced by the Frontier headquarters, the estimated damage was close to the three-year operating budget of a mid-sized imperial magic tower. This was considering the value of the permanently lost research materials due to the fire.

Moreover, it was self-evident that this incident tarnished Frontier's reputation. The perpetrator was a chair professor personally selected and invited by Frontier.

While the incident's summary, when strictly speaking, could not be entirely blamed on Frontier, the higher-ups did not seem to think so.

This was because the intruder was not just anyone but the empire's archenemy, a demon. The headquarters deeply regretted their responsibility and, instead of downplaying the incident, decided to strengthen Frontier's security.

As a result, the selection of new Frontier professors would be even more cautious, and a private meeting with Elena Kraymore was scheduled for all current Frontier professors in the near future. This caused significant ripples both inside and outside Frontier.

The incident itself was concluded, but given its scale, rumors spread quickly. The self-inflicted terrorist attack by an Epic Class professor in the 4th Academic District, and the one Epic Class student who fell into a coma as a direct result.

Most notably, the bizarre behavior of Elena Kraymore, who appeared that day, and the unconscious student in the middle of the building's surroundings...

Spread through the mouths of many Frontier students, the news naturally reached the ears of the Epic Class students.

#13

The Super Sensory Theory lecture was abruptly canceled.

It happened just a week after the course began.

Students would have to reapply during the adjustment period, but since Frontier announced that they would assign a trustworthy professor to restart the Super Sensory Theory lecture, most students decided to wait and see.

Thus, the return of Monday.

"What's going on? Why the sudden assembly?"

"I don't know. They said there's something to announce."

The Epic Class freshmen gathered in the first-year comprehensive lecture hall of the Kether Hall around evening, after their daily activities were over.

"Are you all here? Since the announced time is up, if anyone is late, you'll have to inform them yourselves."

Tyler Lebeguin, with his crooked all-back hair, which he had no intention of fixing, looked around at the freshmen.

"...Some of you might already know, but a significant incident occurred in the 4th Academic District last Saturday night."

Tyler paused, tapping his fingers on the podium.

"A terrifying terrorist attack and fire. I was wondering who had the guts to pull such a stunt at Frontier, and it turns out the new chair professor, Nadiele Hallenia, was the culprit. I heard a few of you... but it's not my business."

Tyler continued.

"Anyway, one of your friends who was there is currently in a coma. Edgio Crani... is that right? He's not here. They say he's being treated well and his life is not in danger, but he hasn't regained consciousness yet. If anyone wants to visit him, check the location on the paper here and go there."

A few students looked around at Tyler's words. As he said, one freshman was missing, leaving 14 in total.

"Stay here for a while and don't wander around. If you get involved in something like this again, it'll be troublesome for me too. ...Damn, I was hoping to get some sleep, but suddenly a summons... what the hell..."

Tyler, scratching his head and muttering, seemed to have finished his announcement to the freshmen and added one last thing.

"That's all for the announcement. Dismissed."

He quickly left the room.

The first-year students left in the spacious lecture hall were momentarily stunned. After a while, a few male students, who were interested in the incident but not the victim, left the lecture hall in a group.

Gabriel, who seemed to already know about Edgio's condition, looked quite calm. He whispered something to Aldrie beside him, but Aldrie, without even glancing at Gabriel, listened silently.

Among the students.

"...The rumors were true."

At the back of the lecture hall, Yurie, who had been listening to Tyler's announcement, which confirmed that all the rumors about Edgio Crani were true, muttered to herself, looking dazed.

Sure, it was understandable that Edgio was missing on Saturday. But he was nowhere to be found on Sunday as well, and it turned out he was directly involved in the incident.

Until Monday morning, nothing was confirmed, so the rumors weren't taken as fact.

But when Tyler explained the situation, including Edgio's unconscious state, Yurie felt a mix of confusion and concern, and cautiously looked at Rubya beside her.

"Are you okay, Rubya?"

"..."

She didn't look okay.

Rubya, who had been slightly open-mouthed since the beginning, seemed oblivious to anything that might enter her mouth.

Rubya had started to seriously worry about Edgio from Sunday afternoon. Even Gabriel, who had been close to Edgio, didn't know where he was, and Rubya had been pacing beside Yurie, insisting that something serious must have happened to Edgio.

Yurie couldn't predict how Rubya was feeling now.

She had tried to reassure Rubya that everything would be fine, thinking she was overreacting, but now, with the situation as it was, she couldn't think of what to say to comfort her.

Moreover, Yurie herself wasn't as calm as she thought.

'...What's going on, exactly?'

She didn't know. Was it worry? Or was it the thought that it would be better if he came back with just a minor injury, even as a joke? Maybe that's why she felt a sense of guilt. Yurie, with a more hunched posture, interlaced her fingers and fell into deep thought.

Stella, who had been sitting next to Rubya, was also sitting quietly, blinking.

"...Edgio...? Ah?"

Then, she made strange, incomprehensible sounds like "Ah" and "Hmm?" while tilting her head slightly to the sides.

She didn't seem to be in her right mind.

...Thus.

At the back of the lecture hall, where the three serious-faced students sat.

"..."

Sasha Elne, who usually chattered loudly at the back of the lecture hall, was sitting quietly today.

She smoothed her sky-blue low twin-tails and glanced sideways.

Miu, who seemed to have completely stopped caring about Sasha's existence, sat next to her without even a hint of annoyance, her mouth firmly closed.

Sasha still vividly remembered that moment. When Miu was about to head to a place that looked dangerous, Sasha grabbed her arm, and Miu's cold gaze and frosty voice made Sasha feel like she might have been turned into "Sasha" if she had irritated Miu any further...

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"Ah!"

Suddenly, Miu got up from her chair, causing Sasha, who was sitting next to her, to nearly fall backward in surprise.

Regaining her balance, Sasha cautiously called out to Miu, who was about to leave the lecture hall.

"T-That. Listen! I'm sorry, Sasha..."

Miu, without even acknowledging Sasha's apology.

Or, it was questionable whether she even heard it.

Since Saturday night, Miu's mind had been occupied by only one thought, and she walked down the lecture hall stairs and out the door without a word.

#14

The next day, Tuesday.

At 11:00 AM, two students were absent from the swordsmanship class.

Miu and Edgio Crani.

While Edgio Crani's absence was excused, Miu's was not. She didn't even bother to provide any reason for her absence.

Miu didn't show up in any of the classes that day.

Elena had advised Miu to attend classes diligently before leaving, but Miu, of course, didn't listen. She couldn't focus on the classes anyway...

So, Miu decided it would be better to spend the day at Edgio's bedside, praying for his recovery and nursing him.

"...I'm here, Edgio."

Tuesday evening.

In Edgio Crani's private room, located near the Epic Class dormitory in the 2nd Academic District.

Miu, entering the VIP room of the medical facility sponsored by the royal family, gently closed the door and looked ahead.

Edgio, covered with a thin blanket, lay on the white bed.

A gentle breeze entered through the slightly open window, softly brushing against Edgio's unmoving bangs.

The room was quiet and peaceful. A pot of flowers Miu had brought was on the table, and a faint fragrance filled the room.

Miu, moving quietly to the chair beside Edgio's bed, calmly looked down at his face, which had not regained consciousness for three days.

He looked like he was just sleeping peacefully. Just a long, deep sleep.

According to Elena, his body had recovered, but his mind was still far from waking up.

Thinking that he might never wake up, Miu felt tears welling up again.

Why did such things happen to Edgio?

...That day was the same.

Edgio was caught in an unknown incident and faced a near-death crisis.

But he survived... and became the way he is now, entering the same class as her.

Miu didn't know what had happened in between, but she planned to find out gradually.

Just as she was about to start, this incident happened. Edgio had shown her a battered form twice, which was terrifying.

While nursing Edgio, Miu often fell asleep, and the shocking scenes kept appearing in her dreams, causing her to have restless nights. Dark circles were visible under her eyes.

Most of his severe injuries had been treated, but some residual scars remained. Miu gently held Edgio's hand, slowly caressing it as if recalling a memory.

The first time she held Edgio's hand, it wasn't this big. It was the perfect size to interlock fingers, but now her small hand might be covered by his fingers.

Edgio had changed a lot, she thought.

"...I won, Miu."

No, he hadn't changed.

The gentle smile he showed Miu back then was the same, unmistakable, loving smile of her senior...

Thinking of her senior from those days, precious memories surfaced and then sank back down. The emotional turmoil was even stronger because she was holding Edgio's unconscious hand.

'...I can't do this.'

But she couldn't break down here. She had already cried a lot. She had promised to greet Edgio with a smile when he woke up.

The sharp, aching feeling in her heart made her lower her head for a moment. Then, Elena's voice from early Sunday morning echoed in her mind.

— Probably, he won't be the same for a while.

"..."

What did she mean by that?

Not being the same. Forgetting all those precious memories.

If that meant forgetting all the connections and memories between Edgio and Miu, Miu felt an indescribable sense of horror.

No, nothing was certain yet. They would know the full extent of his condition when he woke up. For now, she would focus solely on Edgio's complete recovery.

Wiping away the tears that had pooled in her eyes, Miu was about to check the flowers when the door to the room opened.

"Didn't expect to find you in the VIP room. It's not just because you're in the Epic Class, I guess..."

Miu turned around and met Yurie's eyes, who had appeared with a bouquet of flowers.

However, Miu's gaze soon shifted to someone beside Yurie.

They exchanged glances in the middle of the room.

"...Um. Hey, guys?"

Miu and Rubya silently stared at each other, and Yurie, caught between them, blinked.

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