Chapter 66: Swordmaster Siegfried (1)

I slowly opened my eyes. Through my half-open eyelids, the first thing I glimpsed was the familiar white ceiling.

It was the infirmary of Joaquin Academy. The chemical smell of medicines filled my nostrils, an aroma I still hadn’t gotten used to. That artificial scent cleared my mind instantly, and it didn’t take long for me to regain my sense of reality. After all, this was the third time I found myself in this situation.

I moved my body slightly, and a cracking sound echoed, as if my bones were snapping back into place.

I had undoubtedly been lying down for a long time.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but keeping them open seemed very difficult. After several attempts, I finally managed to lift my eyelids.

“Ugh…”

A faint groan escaped between my teeth. It felt as though my bones and muscles had been shattered into pieces and then put back together. My body trembled with constant pain.

I would have preferred to be stabbed directly. At least then, only that part would hurt. But with this pain coursing through my entire body, there was no way to relieve it. However, thinking about it differently, this suffering was proof that I was still alive.

‘Of course, being alive hurts like hell.’

I rested my hands on the bed and slowly lifted my upper body. The white sheet was imprinted with the marks of my hands.

As the buzzing in my ears subsided, I heard the sound of newspaper pages turning. Focusing my blurry vision, I turned my head toward the source of the noise.

“It seems you’ve awakened.”

“…Master Siegfried?”

Siegfried was there, wearing glasses, folding the newspaper he had in his hands. With one smooth motion, he gracefully lowered his square glasses to the tip of his nose and set them on top of the newspaper. The movement was so fluid it seemed like he had done it thousands of times before.

Where his right arm should have been, his sleeve hung limp and empty. Sensing my gaze, the Sword Master touched the place where his arm used to be and smiled kindly at me.

“I’ve rarely seen such a noble spirit as yours. You’ve been unconscious for two weeks, and the first thing you do upon waking up is worry about others instead of yourself. But don’t worry. I’m getting quite used to living with just one arm.”

“…Two weeks? I’ve been unconscious that long?”

“To be exact, you spent one week in surgery and another week here in the infirmary.”

“A whole week in surgery…?”

My surprise was evident, and the Sword Master shrugged his right shoulder, as if downplaying it.

“Media threatened the entire hospital to make sure you were saved. More than ten doctors worked on your surgery. It was an extraordinary scene, something I hadn’t seen in my seventy years of life. Thanks to you, I’m still learning new things, haha.”

The Sword Master let out a low chuckle.

The severity that usually defined him had disappeared, leaving only the image of a kind and familiar old man.

After laughing for a while, he picked up the newspaper and glasses from the table and stood up.

“In any case, now that you’ve regained consciousness, I’ll take my leave. Oh, and once you’ve fully recovered, come see me in the director’s office. That’s where I usually am.”

With those words, he turned on his heels decisively. The sleeve of his empty right arm fluttered with the motion, making a lump form in my throat.

“Master Siegfried.”

I called out, and my voice reached his back. He slightly turned his torso to respond.

“Yes, anything else?”

“Have you been taking care of me personally all this time?”

Master Siegfried was silent for a moment, as if considering how to respond. Then he glanced toward the door, his silver hair shining under the light as he moved.

“What kind of nonsense is that? I just happened to come to the hospital by chance today and was lucky to find you awake.”

He shook his empty sleeve for emphasis and then opened the door.

When he had pushed the door halfway, he seemed to remember something and added one last thing.

“Ah, by the way, don’t worry about the medical expenses. This room will remain yours permanently. Eat well, rest plenty, and take care of your health. See you.”

He knocked on the white wall with his knuckles before leaving without looking back, closing the door behind him.

“…What was that?”

I tilted my head, confused, but soon let my body collapse onto the bed. The tension drained from my body, and exhaustion dragged me back into sleep.

At that moment, I didn’t understand Master Siegfried’s words.

It was only after three more days in the hospital, when I was finally discharged, that I learned the truth from a nurse.

Master Siegfried had paid out of his own pocket to rent the entire VIP section of the hospital and had stayed by my side throughout my recovery.

***

In the Wolf class. It was a morning, two days after Kang Geom-Ma had been hospitalized for over two weeks.

From her seat in the third row, Saki Ryozo rested her chin on her hand while looking out the window. Her long lashes gently fell over her eyes.

Although her face remained expressionless, a variety of emotions flickered through her pupils.

Since Kang Geom-Ma’s hospitalization, male students from all the classes had approached Saki, trying to talk to her.

Every time that happened, she struck them with a cold glare that seemed to pierce their foreheads. Inevitably, the students would step back awkwardly and leave.

“…Ha.”

Saki let out a long sigh. The dull monotony of her daily routine weighed heavily on her.

Even if she slept all day, her mind remained foggy, and sweets no longer tasted as good as they used to.

“Has he woken up already?”

Saki murmured softly with a blank look.

After the survival training on the deserted island, she had heard the news that Kang Geom-Ma was in critical condition.

More than ten medical staff members had performed emergency surgery for an entire week.

Although they had managed to get him breathing again, rumors claimed that his life was still hanging by a thread.

Every time she heard those rumors, Saki felt the urgent need to shoot an arrow into the forehead of whoever was talking about it.

“Kang Geom-Ma, he would never die.”

Saki affirmed this to herself, but in truth, she knew nothing about Kang Geom-Ma’s current condition.

The academy had strictly prohibited any visits to him. Security guards constantly monitored the room where he was hospitalized, working in shifts day and night.

Even when Speedweapon, Chloe, and she tried to visit, the guards blocked them with the same response—they were following direct orders from the academy director.

“…Does this have something to do with the Sword Master?”

In reality, the attention wasn’t on Kang Geom-Ma but on the Sword Master.

To protect the students, the Sword Master had accompanied the expedition and returned from Avalon missing an arm.

Saki, who had been on Avalon Island, also felt that something strange had occurred. Even from a distance, she had sensed the magical resonance that made her hair stand on end.

In fact, the map of Avalon Island had changed significantly since that day.

Where there had been no lava before, it now bubbled, and the mountain ridges showed edges that seemed artificially cut.

Although she didn’t know the details, she assumed some demon or magical beast had invaded and that the Sword Master had intervened.

However, no information about what kind of enemy they had faced was revealed.

Media, the academy’s director, took on the role of spokesperson, stating that they would investigate the situation before making a public announcement.

“Ugh, how frustrating.”

Saki murmured while tilting her head back. Her light blue hair spread out like a fan before settling back on her shoulders.

Many thoughts swirled in her mind, but her instinct refused to draw conclusions without evidence.

“…When are you coming back? You’re worrying me.”

Saki muttered with a heaviness that felt like dense smoke filling her chest. Even her sharp intuition couldn’t decipher this feeling.

All she knew was that, at that moment, even a simple, emotionless greeting from Kang Geom-Ma would be enough to brighten her day, as if they were meeting after decades.

When the image of Kang Geom-Ma, likely fighting between life and death, crossed her mind, the area around her eyes reddened and began to burn.

Saki wrinkled her nose to hide her emotions and shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. Her blue hair fluttered like a fan before settling again.

At that moment, she sensed someone’s presence.

“Sniff, sniff. Oh, Geom-Ma…!”

Two seats away, Chloe was wiping her tears with her sleeves over and over again.

Since Kang Geom-Ma was hospitalized, Chloe hadn’t stopped crying. Her swollen eyes were as red as a rabbit’s, completely dried out from all the tears.

Saki felt sorry for her, but at the same time, a slight discomfort lingered.

At first glance, Chloe seemed like an adorable girl, but her actions during Kang Geom-Ma’s hospitalization had gone beyond all limits.

‘No matter how much you care for him, breaking into the hospital in the middle of the night… that’s not normal.’

Because of that incident, Chloe had been detained by the guards and suspended for a week. She had only returned to class today.

According to the stories, Chloe had shown incredible resistance. The hospital staff began referring to her as the “Red Oni,” turning her into a kind of terrifying legend.

“…”

As she watched Chloe’s profile from the corner of her eye, Saki was about to look away when someone unwelcome entered the Wolf class.

“Hey, Speedweapon! Why are you here again?”

“Tch, it’s not like I came because I enjoy seeing your face.”

Speedweapon shot a quick glance at the tearful Chloe before fixing his eyes on Saki. He was carrying a large rolled-up poster under his arm.

“What’s that?”

Saki rested her cheek on her palm and pointed with her gaze.

“Ah, this is a poster for our club. Once the president is out of the hospital, we’ll finalize the paperwork to establish the club, but we still need one more member. When you think about it, we’ve always relied on him and never really done anything proactive.”

Speedweapon rubbed his nose awkwardly while speaking, but his tone conveyed an unshakable confidence that Kang Geom-Ma would return safely.

Upon hearing those words, Saki’s previously indifferent pupils widened like plates. Chloe also stopped crying.

“…Speedweapon, you…”

“What? What’s wrong? I know it sounds ridiculous, don’t look at me like that!”

Speedweapon, with a slight blush on his cheeks, raised his voice. Saki gave a small smile and added.

“I’m doing this because I’m a senior student, that’s all.”

“Sniff, yes, Geom-Ma will be fine and come back. In the meantime, let’s do what we can.”

Chloe nodded vigorously.

“For the first time, you’ve surprised me, Speedweapon.”

“Huh? What? Is that a compliment?”

Disoriented by the unexpected response, Speedweapon scratched his cheek while smiling awkwardly.

“Well, show the poster you brought. Let’s see if there’s anything to change.”

“Ahem! I doubt there’s anything to correct. I, Speedweapon, spent all night designing this.”

With a proud expression, Speedweapon unrolled the poster with a brief clearing of his throat.

When Speedweapon spoke enthusiastically, Saki’s eyebrows arched elegantly. On the other hand, Chloe’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

She tried to control her expression and gestured for him to unroll it.

Speedweapon cleared his throat briefly and unfolded a rolled-up piece of paper.

“Rustle⎯”

== ==

“☆★We are recruiting members for the exploration club!★☆

♣ Are you this type of person?~!

– Those who want to share warm friendships and the romance of youth while casually exploring dungeons? ^^

– Those who want to enjoy camping and traveling while freely exploring the eight islands of Korea!!^^

– Do you feel that life at the academy is a bit boring? Then join right now! <(_ _)>

♦ Conditions and method to join
– Condition: Any student of Joaquín Academy can join!

… … … …

… … …

… …

…

“….”

Saki looked at the poster with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.

The combination of scattered emojis, flashy text, and fluorescent colors was too much to process all at once.

“Wow, even if I tried, I couldn’t have created something like this,” she muttered, her voice filled with a mix of amazement and sarcasm.

“Haha, what do you think? Did I impress you?” Speedweapon asked confidently.

Saki nodded slightly, still staring at the poster.

“Yes, in many ways.”

“I knew you’d appreciate my sense of design, being a top student and all!” Speedweapon thumped his chest with pride.

Saki bit her tongue to avoid saying anything further. She looked from Speedweapon to the poster again.

‘Is this guy in his right mind?’ she thought, unable to help herself.

Although the intention behind the poster was noble, its quality left much to be desired. Saki sighed, managing a faint smile to maintain her composure.

Before Speedweapon could say anything else, the sudden sound of a box cutter slicing through paper made her turn around.

Screeech.

Speedweapon stared in horror as Chloe calmly shredded the poster with her pink box cutter.

“Ch-Chloe! What are you doing?” he exclaimed in disbelief.

Chloe closed the blade with a cold expression and spoke in a low voice.

“I can’t allow something so awful to be shown to Geom-Ma.”

“But I spent all night working on that! How can you just destroy it like that?”

Chloe tilted her head with an expression of icy indifference.

Click.

The sound of the box cutter sliding open again made Speedweapon take a step back.

Speedweapon’s pupils trembled visibly. He gestured toward Saki, who was watching silently, pleading for help.

However, Saki, with a serene smile, began patting Chloe on the back.