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Chapter 327

“Hhhp… hhhuuh… hhhhuup…”

Melissa clutched her chest as if she were suffocating, gasping desperately for breath.

“There. It’s okay. Calm down. Slowly. Breathe in… and let it out again.”

I hugged her gently, soothing her until her frantic, panicked breathing began to settle.

Only once she had calmed down did I slowly let her go.

This method was, truthfully, full of risks.

Normally, I had planned to take several more days, proceeding step by step.

But Melissa already possessed enough aura, and since she panicked so badly she tried to run away… well, I had no choice.

Even if it was a bit extreme, I had to provide a way to shorten the time drastically.

Someone else had barged in midway, of course.

And for whatever reason, he’d been so fired up that he smashed everything around him.

If I hesitated, I wouldn’t have been able to keep pressing Melissa at the right moment, so I’d had no choice but to play along.

“What are you going to do about this?”

I decided to brazen it out, thick-skinned.

Sure, I was partly to blame for starting this here, but wasn’t he the one who attacked like someone with PTSD triggered, when I was just handling things carefully?

“Wh—what?!”

“You went on a rampage, and now the building’s collapsed.”

“Haah? You brat! Isn’t it because you launched an attack that things turned out this way? Who the hell are you?”

His face was full of outrage and bewilderment.

I only shook my head.

By now, Melissa had stabilized and lost consciousness.

“You’re… not the assailant? No—wait, what the hell even is this insane situation…?”

“An assailant? I was just training my little sister.”

At my shameless reply, he scowled and leveled his spear tip at me.

“What kind of lunatic trains like that?! And here, at the Academy of all places!”

“Here.”

At my calm answer, he pressed his temples as though a headache was coming on.

“Utter nonsense! From what I saw, you were trying to kill that girl!”

“I always train with live combat methods.”

We were still facing off when footsteps approached, audible even through the pouring rain. The commotion had clearly drawn attention.

“Lord Bellion—what on earth happened here…?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask… what a mess…”

While we stared each other down in the chaos, I hefted Melissa on my back.

“My sister will catch a cold if she’s left in the rain. Let’s go.”

“Lord Leon… good grief…”

* * *

Inside the Academy’s faculty conference room, I stood alongside the spear saint Bellion Krevard, the duty professor, and the Headmaster.

“The damage from this incident is significant. A large portion of the building has collapsed.”

I raised an objection.

“Most of that destruction was caused by the old man here.”

“You little—! You were the cause in the first place!”

“You saw me adjusting carefully, but you went all-out like you meant to kill. Don’t blame me.”

He ground his teeth.

“What an insolent brat! I’ve never seen anyone so shameless!”

“Now, now. Let’s all calm down. Leon, explain the circumstances.”

At the Headmaster’s words, I explained.

Melissa had grown worn down from long training, so I’d chosen an extreme method to push her over the wall.

In the process, Bellion had mistaken me for an attacker, and we clashed.

He wrecked the building, but Melissa broke through the wall to Sword Master level, ending the fight.

A ridiculous turn of events.

“Haah… honestly.”

The professors pressed their brows in frustration.

“That Melissa became a Sword Master is astonishing enough. But that she crossed the threshold during a midnight battle between Lord Leon and the spear saint… this is absurd. Let’s quietly cover this up. Public scandal benefits no one.”

I squinted.

“Strange. The building looked half-demolished.”

“That was your fault!”

“Careful with your words, old man. I didn’t break anything. I deliberately kept collateral damage minimal. You smashed everything.”

“You insolent whelp!”

Unlike the old sword saint Osberg, Bellion looked vigorous and youthful, and now he flared his aura as if ready to leap at me.

“Enough! What are you two doing?”

The Headmaster sighed.

“As for the repairs, don’t worry. We were planning renovations anyway.”

Obviously just words.

“Still, Headmaster. Why is a figure like the spear saint guarding the Academy? Is there some threat here?”

If Melissa was at risk while enrolled, that was serious.

The Headmaster shook his head.

“Nothing of the sort. The elder was merely passing through and lent a hand.”

Ah.

If that’s all.

“By the way, Leon… did I hear correctly? Melissa actually became a Sword Master?”

“Yes. I saw it myself.”

With Bellion also confirming, the Headmaster looked stunned.

“Leon, could you perhaps—”

“No. Not won’t, can’t.”

I cut him off firmly, knowing what he was about to ask.

Melissa had leapt from beginner Expert to Sword Master in just a few years.

Of course they’d fixate on that.

“Melissa was capable of it, so I pushed her. That’s all. Her swordsmanship and training method allowed it.”

“…A shame. Very well. We’ll revisit this later if needed.”

“Fine.”

After a few more words, I left the conference room—only for Bellion to follow.

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“So you’re Leon Cascadia.”

“You know me?”

“I heard from that Osberg rascal. And my grandson’s letter also mentioned you.”

“Your grandson… ah, him.”

He nodded.

“Thanks to you, the boy’s found new motivation. He’s training hard. Do you have a moment?”

“Sorry. I need to stay by my sister’s side.”

He didn’t press further.

Considering the incident, I’d already caused enough of a stir.

* * *

“Ugh, heavy.”

Grumbling, I carefully laid Melissa on her bed.

“Too noisy.”

“Come on, it’s frustrating.”

She didn’t know how much risk there had been.

A single mistake, and she could have died.

I had been painstakingly careful.

“At least now she won’t be beaten up easily.”

“She’s still weak. Arsha could beat her.”

“You do know Sword Masters are already considered transcendents? And with Arsha’s companions—no one on the continent can touch her. She’s guarded by Nesi of the Deep, the golden monster Radon, and even the black dragon she tamed, Cainia.”

“Anyway, we didn’t push Melissa just to torment her.”

“Hmm. But forcing her like this… will she really be okay?”

“Hm?”

“She was mentally exhausted already. Forcing a breakthrough like this could leave psychological aftereffects.”

Luna specialized in physical trauma, not this.

“Hmm… she’s right. There might be lingering stress. Next time, don’t push so hard. You’re missing a few screws by human standards.”

“Thieving pigeon!”

Luna fumed, but Lispa Eldé had quietly entered.

She placed a hand on Melissa’s forehead.

“Leon. There’s a rare flower, the Azure Heatbloom. It has seven violet petals that change color under sudden temperature shifts. You’ll need it for her recovery. Sometimes it grows near Cascadia territory. If you can’t find it, treatment is still possible, just slower.”

“I know of it. Hard to find, though.”

-Beep!

I didn’t notice.

As I brooded, the little chick on its cushion perked up.

Its eyes flashed, and its tiny legs pattered quickly away.

* * *

The Fire Spirit, Sur.

Unlike other spirits, it was tiny—just a chick with a faint red glow.

But it strode proudly on its small feet.

How vexing!

That the youngest, Serqet, was praised so much!

Even Grivy lavished compliments on her!

Surely it too could achieve something!

With bold determination, Sur flapped its wings and shot into the night sky.

The Heatbloom… it would be easy for Sur to find.

A flower whose petals changed under sudden temperature shifts—who better than the Fire Spirit itself?

Master of both freezing cold and burning heat!

As it soared, it spotted in a clearing the great Shadow Dragon, curled asleep, and the shadow wolf, Muyeong.

Grrrr…

Muyeong opened his eyes at Sur’s approach.

The chick puffed up and cried fiercely—

Chirp!

The wolf simply glanced, then closed his eyes again.

Thus began Sur’s second adventure.

It braved the dark forest, passing colossal trees and towering grass.

Yet the rare flower was nowhere to be seen.

Then—

Grrruuuu…

A low growl.

On the ground, Sur turned and saw four giant boar-like monsters glaring at it.

Predatory eyes, seeing only prey.

Sur stepped forward proudly.

Chirp!!

It gave a short roar—

BOOOOM!

The chill dawn forest suddenly blazed with heat.

Startled, the boars squealed and fled.

Chirp!!

Sur marched on, scanning diligently.

“Oh my? A spirit? What’s a spirit doing here?”

Before it, a woman appeared—clad in scandalously revealing clothes, bat-like wings at her back.

She looked down at the chick with an amused smile.

“My, how cute. I’ve never seen such a spirit before. What element are you, little one?”

But Sur glared back.

Don’t you dare look down on me like that!

Chirp!!

It roared again—though without unleashing its deadly fire.

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