Chapter 5 : Regression (4)

Chapter 5: Regression (4)

Allen Amiel.

He was a man who had received countless praises and criticisms, respect and hatred, reverence and contempt all at once.

Perhaps that was why.

Among the many heroes, he was, in every sense of the word… truly special in a way that was unparalleled.

He was the one who was embroiled in overwhelmingly more rumors than any other hero, and it was even said that he often clashed with his own comrades.

Yet, everyone who had fought alongside him trusted him without hesitation and did not hesitate to entrust their backs to him.

Even the Dragon Crown Prince, with whom he had the most frequent confrontations, was said to have trusted and believed in him more than anyone else.

A hero who was different and unstable compared to the others, who had already been complete.

No, perhaps it was precisely because of that that he could stand at the forefront and lead the others.

Maybe that was the reason?

Compared to others, he had an unusually large number of nicknames.

Some were fitting for a hero — Savior, Sword Saint, Gale Sword, 2nd Commander of the Wolpen Knights, Heir of the Great Rite — but others were hardly so: Wrist Hunter, Crimson Sword Demon, Lunatic, Pleasure Killer.

But among them, the two most famous, without question, were these:

Dragon Slayer.

And Kin Killer.

…Yes.

He had been expelled from the Academy for the crime of killing his own kin.

On top of that, he had been notorious since his Academy days for his unstable mind.

Which meant that if something set him off, he would lose all sense of reason and act in an utterly unpredictable way — making him an extremely dangerous man.

In other words, my hurried decision to hide myself had been completely natural and perfectly rational.

Yes, it surely must have been…

‘…Am I seeing this wrong?’

Yet, what my eyes were showing me was Allen Amiel himself being beaten to a pulp.

It was a sight so unbelievable that even seeing it with my own eyes, I could hardly accept it.

“What the hell…?”

In the middle of the battlefield, he had once pierced straight through enemy lines alone.

He had cut down dozens, hundreds of demons by himself, and wherever his sword reached, crimson light scattered.

With a single swing of his sword, countless enemies had been helplessly slain.

…And yet, that same man was now, right before my eyes, being beaten so pitifully.

“Kh!”

His swordsmanship was feeble. His stance was staggering.

…Was that really Allen Amiel?

No matter how many times I looked, I simply could not believe it.

Could it be that he was acting, like Princess Velita or Lancia Jintia?

‘…No, that’s not it.’

I didn’t know why, but I was certain.

He wasn’t acting right now.

It was truly baffling.

‘And on top of that…’

Allen’s half-brother.

His appearance was strange in more than one way as well.

‘Just from a glance, he’s no ordinary person.’

Compared to the group of lackeys watching from the side, giggling as if amused, his skill was far superior.

No… not just compared to his peers. He looked like he could go toe-to-toe with a seasoned mercenary, perhaps even a knight, and have a real chance of victory.

‘For someone like that to be this conscious of his opponent, constantly keeping guard…’

On the surface, he looked as if he was driving Allen to the brink with the intent to kill, but he wasn’t actually doing things like smashing the wooden sword outright to disable him.

It was as if he was urging Allen to fight back properly.

But…

“Urgh, Khugh…!”

The match had been decided long ago.

Allen still hadn’t let go of the wooden sword in his hand.

But that was all.

He was lying helplessly on the ground, merely enduring the blows of the wooden sword raining down on him.

Watching that, I straightened my half-risen body.

‘…This doesn’t seem like something I should step into.’

I’d heard before that Allen Amiel had constantly been bullied by his half-brother.

It wasn’t without reason that, when his half-brother… Kyren Amiel, had been ambushed and killed, Allen had been named the prime suspect.

‘Judging by how he’s hitting only non-vital spots, there’s no risk of accidental death or serious injury.’

There was no reason at all for me to intervene in that situation.

In fact, stepping in now would be the worst possible move.

Without even grasping what was going on, if I got involved with someone like Allen Amiel of all people, it would surely lead to a massive headache.

Simply put, the best choice right now was to quietly back away.

But…

A sound reached my ears.

At the same time, memories I had no desire to recall began creeping in, slowly revealing themselves.

The sight of them laughing mockingly.

That sight was far too similar to memories I could never forget.

…The sounds brought the images with them.

A street in flames.

People who had met their end at the execution grounds.

Corpses thrown to wild dogs.

And those who laughed above them.

“…Tsk.”

If I kept listening to this, without fail I’d have another nightmare tonight, followed by sleep paralysis.

And that was one of the things I most wanted to avoid.

Yeah…

So this was something I had no choice but to do.

“I mean, it’s not like he picked the fight first… If it were a fair fight, maybe, but this is just wrong.”

As if to convince myself, I muttered it out loud.

Though… considering I’d just beaten someone up not long ago, saying that was a bit rich.

‘Still, I only smacked him a few times and stopped. I didn’t beat him half to death like that.’

Thinking that, I began calmly assessing the situation.

‘Counting Kyren Amiel, there are five total. Of the other four, none of them look particularly capable.’

The kind you could easily subdue barehanded.

Kyren Amiel would be a bit tougher, but… if I dealt with the trash first, I could manage somehow.

Once I’d made my decision, there was no reason to hesitate.

Just as I was about to spring up and throw myself into their midst—

“Ugh!?”

Something jabbed deep into my back.

No—being jabbed was just my imagination.

As I reflexively turned my head to check my surroundings, my eyes met Allen Amiel’s.

Even as he was being pummeled with a wooden sword, he was looking directly at me.

Eyes as vividly red as his hair.

It was as if those eyes were warning me not to do anything stupid.

I slowly sank back down from my half-risen posture.

Then, making sure only I could see, he gave me a small nod.

How much time passed like that?

“…Let’s stop here for today.”

The red-haired upperclassman, Kyren Amiel, tossed aside his broken wooden sword without care.

Allen, battered all over, simply lay curled up like a caterpillar, motionless.

“Don’t think this is over.”

He paused for a moment, spat on the ground while glaring at the fallen Allen Amiel.

“Whether you walk out on your own or get carried out… you’d better think carefully about it.”

With those words, he left with his group.

Only after they were gone did I approach the crouched Allen Amiel.

He didn’t move an inch until I was right beside him.

“…Hey, you alright? You’re alive, right?”

At my question, he twitched as if in answer.

Then he let out a raspy, strange breath.

I knew that sound well—it was the sound of broken ribs.

“Thank… you.”

“What?”

“For not stepping in unnecessarily. Thank you.”

Still curled up, Allen Amiel glanced at me.

“If anyone knew you saw what just happened… it would have brought trouble to you as well.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he coughed up a thick, sticky mass of blood.

I watched him for a moment before cautiously reaching toward him.

In a calm voice, he asked me,

“…What are you doing right now?”

“Meddling.”

I steadied my voice, which had been trembling without me realizing.

Because in my eyes, he didn’t look like a beaten-down student—he looked like something else entirely.

“Maybe it’s because I’m from the Crooks dorm, but I have a habit of meddling.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but if you help me, you’ll end up in trouble too. My brother—no, the young master—can be… persistent.”

“Let him. I’m just as stubborn.”

Even as we spoke, once I gauged the extent of his injuries, I couldn’t help clicking my tongue.

Left like this, he could very well have died—it was that bad.

‘Even if he avoided hitting vital spots, with a beating like that, there’s no way he’s fine.’

Maybe it was because of my memories of Allen Amiel from my past life.

I’d simply assumed the guy in front of me had the same monstrous endurance and body.

‘Funny… the guy who was cowering and hiding just a moment ago is now doing this.’

With a wry smile, I immediately placed my hand on the ribs that looked the most serious.

I was just about to channel divine power to heal him when a sudden thought made me hesitate.

‘…Nothing weird is going to happen, right?’

After all, there had already been that incident in the dining hall earlier.

Even after using a miracle on myself just to be sure and confirming there was nothing wrong, I still couldn’t help but hesitate.

“Ugh…!”

In the meantime, Allen Amiel coughed up blood again.

Remembering how critical his condition was, I reluctantly put my hand on him again.

Only, this time, instead of his ribs, I placed it on his leg.

You never knew—there might be a “just in case” scenario.

‘Let’s start with the legs.’

To get straight to the point, it turned out to be an unnecessary worry.

“This is… impossible…”

Allen Amiel muttered in disbelief.

The wounds that could easily have made him lose consciousness from pain had healed in an instant.

‘Whoa.’

I was just as surprised.

‘Normally, with my level, I should’ve been able to do little more than basic first aid.’

Hearing the sound of bones snapping back into place and watching new flesh wriggle into existence before my eyes was nothing short of grotesque.

Even though I’d half-expected it, the sight was shocking.

It seemed Allen felt the same way.

Checking his body over and over in disbelief, he finally bowed deeply toward me in thanks.

“I am truly grateful for your help.”

With an impeccably polite attitude, he continued,

“My name is Allen Amiel. You appear to be around my age. Embarrassingly, I am poorly educated and have little worldly knowledge. Might I be allowed to know your esteemed name?”

“Lian Gwendil.”

Thankfully, my voice neither shook nor cracked.

“I’m just a first-year who entered the Academy this year, same as you. Nothing ‘esteemed’ about my name — I’m just a fellow classmate, so feel free to speak comfortably.”

Though his extreme politeness caught me off guard, I managed to answer without showing it.

Allen Amiel looked at me for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Yes… or rather, I shall do so, Lian, if that is your wish.”

…It seemed he’d gotten entirely the wrong idea.

He was probably assuming I was someone from the Holy Sun Church who had snuck in under a false identity, or something along those lines.

“No, I mean speak casually. Who uses honorifics with a classmate?”

“I have spoken with so few people that this manner of speaking feels more comfortable for me.”

He looked at me.

“And, if it’s not too presumptuous…”

“Yes, I won’t tell anyone about what I saw just now.”

Allen nodded.

“In that case, could I ask the same of you — not to mention what just happened to anyone?”

“I’d appreciate that. Also, you should probably go to the infirmary, just in case. No matter how miraculous the healing, taking the time to recover is always best.”

“I will follow your advice. Thank you for your concern.”

He gave a small nod.

Saying he wanted to spend some time somewhere quiet, he added—

“Earlier…”

“Yes?”

“You… took the hits on purpose, right? To avoid more trouble if you fought back?”

At my question, he gave his first wry smile.

“No.”

He slowly shook his head.

“Shameful as it is, what you saw just now… is all I have.”

With that, he turned his back and walked away, saying he would never forget this debt and would surely repay it.

I stood there blankly for a while, watching his back, before murmuring softly,

“What on earth is going on here…?”

And for some reason I couldn’t explain…

I knew he wasn’t lying to me.

Which only made me even less able to grasp what was going on.

“Tsk.”

Clicking my tongue softly, I turned away as well.

I still had the original reason I’d come here.

I’d never been to the place Lancia told me about, but I at least knew where it was.

Right next to the cathedral.

It was impossible not to know.

But even though it was literally right next door, I remembered that not many people went looking for the training hall.

It made sense — if they’d been interested in that sort of thing, they would have joined Hilts or Dots instead of Crooks from the start.

I was also one of those who had never cared for such things.

‘I really did regret that to the bone.’

I absentmindedly touched the spot where a scar should have been, though of course it wasn’t there.

Before long, just as Lancia had said, a building that still looked freshly completed came into view.

As I drew closer, I could see several people in front of it, sprinkling water and murmuring something.

And among them, there was one person who stood out in particular.

A woman whose well-trained physique was apparent even from a distance.

It was surely Sister Roberta, the one Lancia Jintia had mentioned.

I had never crossed paths with Sister Roberta in my previous life, but I did know at least this much — that she had died fighting to protect the students.

And that she had been a devout follower of the Holy Sun Church.

“Greetings, Sister.”

“Oh my.”

When I approached and greeted her, the middle-aged woman gave me a gentle smile.

“Yes, hello there. I don’t believe I’ve seen you before — are you a new student?”

“Yes, my name is Lian Gwendil.”

“Nice to meet you, Lian. I am Roberta. You can simply call me Sister Roberta.”

“Yes, Sister Roberta. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

The tools in her hands were ones I found rather familiar.

“You’ve been performing a consecration?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Still smiling kindly, Sister Roberta replied,

“Soon enough, this will be a place for our students to use, including new students like yourself, Lian. Together with some brothers and sisters, we’ve been performing a consecration here, praying that the merciful Ilionel’s blessing will be with everyone’s future.”

“I see.”

She gave another soft smile.

“After the unfortunate incident yesterday, the Academy has been noisy, and both students and faculty are feeling uneasy. I believe that it’s precisely at times like this that we must take action like this. Fill the little things in daily life first — that is the teaching of our Holy Sun Church.”

“I share that view.”

I returned her smile, keeping it as gentle as possible.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“How kind of you… But unfortunately, this is our responsibility, so I will simply accept the sentiment with gratitude.”

She chuckled, glancing around.

“As you can see, many of our brothers and sisters are helping already.”

“…Yes, I see.”

As she said, there were priests and nuns moving about the area, performing the consecration.

And among them, there was one man who stood out — the only one dressed differently. Without realizing it, I smiled faintly when I saw him.

‘…I knew we’d meet eventually.’

But I hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

Or in this way.

“The Archbishop is here too.”

“Yes, that’s Archbishop Rahma.”

Roberta nodded.

“Since he’s teaching the first-years this year, you’ll be calling him Professor Rahma.”

Archbishop Rahma.

One of the Archbishops serving as a professor at Arpentia Academy.

“Well, well.”

Also, a servant of demons, a spy, and a worshipper of the evil god.

The very man who would cause the catastrophe that forced the current headmaster to step down.

“I’m looking forward to this.”

And there he was, right before my eyes.