CH 75

Predicament

“――Sheila?”

After landing safely, Cody stared at his friend, who was lying on the ground, stunned.

Sheila, who was usually moving around energetically, didn’t move a single fingertip this time. It was a terribly shocking sight for Cody.

When he was about to fall off from Zechs, his eyes undoubtedly met Sheila’s.

His lightweight friend should have been able to land on the ground without any injury. But Sheila prioritized Cody.

In exchange for helping him, she was knocked to the ground.

Cody’s chest was almost painted with guilt. He just stood there looking down at Sheila, who had stopped moving.

Claushezade was the first to rush over to check on her condition. Almost at the same time, Leidyrune also arrived.

Cody, Zechs, and Hyderion….. They were the closest to Sheila, but they couldn’t do anything.

Sheila, in Claushezade’s arms, looked much smaller than usual. You couldn’t see her usual brazenness in the way she entrusted her delicate body to Claushezade. The scene looked so painful that it squeezed his heart.

….. Cody wanted to see the usual Sheila.

Despite her appearance, she was bold and had a habit of being unconcerned with things. Cody wanted to continue seeing her be innocent, well-fed, and smiling with a stupidly peaceful face.

“――He is safe for the time being. You can rest assured.”

Claushezade’s calm voice reached his dazed self.

“It looks like he hit his head a little because he couldn’t protect himself, but looking at his complexion, he doesn’t seem to have a problem. Probably a mild concussion.”

“Is Sheila…. okay?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to rest assured. If you look like that, his effort, after having gone to the trouble of saving you, will be meaningless.”

Those were words of concern for Sheila. Cody was convinced that this man, who seemed to be strict, was warmly looking out for his friend. The way his hands carefully lifted the petite body was extremely gentle.

Claushezade was about to walk away, but Leidyrune stopped him.

“I’ll carry him. Claushezade-sensei should stay here and continue to watch over the other students.”

Indeed, Claushezade was one of the only two teachers here, so if he left, he might not be able to keep an eye on things.

“…. Then I’ll leave him to you. Be very careful. He’s hit his head, so please carry him without shaking him too much.”

“Yes, sir.”

The unconscious Sheila was transferred from Claushezade to Leidyrune’s arms. It was as if to parallel the event that followed after the competency test.

Cody and the others watched Leidyrune’s back as he headed for the infirmary.

◇　◆　◇

Sheila’s consciousness slowly awakened.

She squinted at the glare of the stark white ceiling, then frowned at the pain in the back of her head.

The throbbing pain reminded Sheila of the situation all at once. She had fallen from a considerable height while practicing for the competition. Was Cody safe?

She could hear the curtains flapping as if the windows were open. The wind, still filled with heat, was making her sweat. It was quite tough for her to wake up from her sleep like this.

As Sheila was adjusting herself, a figure suddenly appeared in her field of vision.

“….. You’re awake.”

“….”

Sharp purple eyes, black hair that fluttered in the wind, and an aristocratic appearance. This was the person Sheila had been avoiding for some time.

“Leidyrune-senpai….”

She jumped up reflexively and backed up to the corner of the bed. Her head was a little dizzy, but she couldn’t care less.

Leidyrune’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You’ve hit your head. You shouldn’t move too fast.”

“D-don’t worry about me….”

Sheila quickly checked her surroundings, but there were no teachers stationed as healers. Even if she crawled into the blanket, there was no way she could escape. Sheila kept looking away from him, wanting to put off the problem.

A stifling silence filled the room.

It was Leidyrune who quietly opened his mouth.

“…. The healing arts mainly heal external wounds. It is difficult to extend the scope of the art to the inside of the body. But with the advanced healing arts, it is possible.”

His words raised a question in her mind. Sheila begrudgingly popped her head out of her blanket a little.

“…. Um, what about the divine arts? Can it heal the inside of the body?”

“Even with the divine arts, it is said to be quite difficult…. However, there are some miraculous people who can heal illnesses in an instant――dubbed as ‘God’s Beloved Child.’”

Leidyrune’s voice seemed relatively calm. It was similar to when Claushezade informed her about something. Reassured that she was unlikely to be dragged out of the quilt by force, she couldn’t help asking more questions.

“Is that the current High Priest?”

“You know a lot.”

“I studied it. I also heard a little bit about it from Cody. He said that Leidyrune-senpai―”

Sheila’s voice trailed off as she was about to say that his mother was rumored to be from the Faril Divine Kingdom.

Didn’t Cody say, “Don’t bring this topic up in front of the Centrix family”?

‘W-what should I do? Even just the fact that Leidyrune-senpai hid the fact that I’m a girl has lowered his favorability rating, and this will lower it even more….’

It might not have been very high to begin with, but in order to resolve the current situation in the right direction, she couldn’t be at the bottom of his favorability.

Sheila hated herself for forgetting everything so quickly. It was like digging her own grave.

“…. Are you talking about where I come from?”

At Leidyrune’s muttering, her shoulders jumped.

Sheila looked up at him in fear, but surprisingly his purple eyes were calm.

“As the rumors say, my mother is from the Faril Divine Kingdom. Moreover, she is the younger sister of the current High Priest.”

Sheila had heard that they were related, but she didn’t think they were that close in blood. In other words, Leidyrune was the nephew of the current High Priest.

“I guess that’s why. I haven’t prayed to God much, but I’m good at the healing arts too.”

“Huh? But Jornwerner-sensei said that the laws of the divine arts and magic are completely different.”

The divine arts were a miraculous ability obtained through prayer. Magic was the power to manipulate magical elements in the atmosphere. How was he so good at the healing arts when the rules of the two were completely different?

“The reason why I can’t say that the divine arts and magic are completely different is because of beings like me. I have strong magical powers, but I have always been particularly good at healing. That’s probably why he was so interested in me.”

“He?”

“Jonwerner. He’s…. my relative.”

“Eh….?”

The thoughtful Leidyrune, who could be called the epitome of seriousness, and Jornwerner were relatives.

The two men’s features were somewhat similar, but the atmosphere they had was too different.

According to Leidyrune’s explanation, even though they were relatives, there would always be a connection between them somewhere because of the repeated intermarriages in the narrow aristocratic society.

But Jornwerner might be a close relative in his own right, since he was said to have visited his mansion frequently since Leidyrune was a child and taught him swordsmanship and other studies.

“Back then, I adored him very much, even calling him “Brother.” I had a couple of half-siblings, but it was hard to get along with the child of my father’s ex-wife and second wife.”

Leidyrune muttered in a ragged tone of voice, as if he was ashamed of himself.

“I was genuinely pleased that he always came to visit me. I never doubted that he loved me like a brother. But one day, that guy made it clear.”

“…..”

His contempt was so strong that Sheila flinched. The change from “he” to “that guy” was clearly a demotion.

“‘From my observations over the years, I have come to the conclusion that just as there are bloodlines that are more prone to collect magical elements, there are bloodlines that are more prone to receiving divine blessings. Perhaps the High Priest is of that bloodline. So, you are no longer of any use to me. I thank you. You were a splendid case of mixed High Priest and Centrix blood.’….. After that, he never visited the mansion again. That heartless, cold-blooded man pushed me, who was 10 years old at the time, into hell.”

“That’s…..”

It was too cruel no matter what. If you looked at Leidyrune, who remembered every word of the story, you could see how much heartbreak he must have gone through.

He shook his head as if to chase away the memories and looked up again.

“I’ve told you some stupid stories. Anyway, I’m good at healing, and in case you’ve had a brain hemorrhage, I can heal you. So, what I’m trying to say is:――Hurry up and come over here!”

“Hic!”

The cover was violently pulled off, and Sheila immediately curled up.

Apparently, he was calm only on the surface. Sheila learned that the small talk was also intended to catch her off guard.

Sheila was pitifully exposed to a man who had cast off the face of a gentle upperclassman.