"Astron," Sylvie mumbled with a sleepy tone as she raised her head. "Mmmm…." However, even though she mumbled my name, she was still pretty sleepy as her eyes were closed.
Seeing her like that, it seemed she had a pretty rough night…'Was she not able to sleep after she saw everything? That makes sense.'
From what Headmaster said, it was evident that this girl had witnessed everything.
"Are you okay?" A hand approached my cheek as Sylvie, with her sleepiness, tried to touch me.
/SLAP/
"Huh?"
However, the reflexes I had developed over time and the pressure I had just been subjected to made my body more tense than usual, thus making me react to the hand that was approaching me.
"Awake now?"
"Ah…. Sorry…" Seeing my eyes open and looking at her, she answered, averting her gaze.
"Don't be," I answered. "I didn't mean to react that way. It's just a reflex." This girl was the one that helped me, no matter if it was necessary or not. Being rude to her was not something I should have done. "Thank you for your help." Bowing my head slightly, I thanked her without any type of scheme, different from my words before.
Sylvie blushed slightly at my gratitude, her gentle nature shining through even in her sleepy state. "You're welcome," she replied softly, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'm just glad you're okay."
'Ah… This smile again...'
The tension from earlier with the headmaster seemed to fade away as I focused on Sylvie. Her presence brought a sense of comfort and calmness, soothing the turmoil within me. I don't know why, but it made me remember the good times of the past… Then came the bad memories. The memories that haunted me all the time.
'But, I shouldn't be rude.' Still holding the uncomfortable knot in my heart, I looked at the girl. Even though there was a blush on her face, she was averting her gaze and throwing me some gazes from time to time constantly.
'Is she trying to ask me a question?' I thought to myself, seeing her squirming.
"If you have something to ask, you can," I said, looking at the girl. It was starting to bother me.
"Ah…" At first, she was surprised… "I-I" Then she stuttered as if she couldn't muster the courage. "I just remembered… I have something I need to take care of!" After that, she blurted out, a hint of panic in her voice, and immediately bolted outside of the room.
/SWOOSH/ /THUD/
Slamming door.
"What?"
And leaving me dumbfounded inside the room….
"What happened? I heard the door slamming, and student Sylvie was running." Before I could start thinking again, the infirmary doctor came immediately asking me about the noise.
"I don't know…."
In the end, it was that answer that came to me.
The doctor gave me a knowing look as if he had seen this type of situation before.
"Youngsters nowadays…. They are lively…" I heard him say with a smile, and I was sure he misunderstood something, but I didn't care.
"Anyway, I was coming at you. Let's check your wounds."
Just like that, the doctor approached me, and he started looking at the wounds on my chest….
********
"AAAAH! What did I just do? What did I just do?" Sylvie berated herself, pacing back and forth outside the infirmary building. Her blonde hair bounced with every step, mirroring her inner turmoil.
"You dumb girl, you promised yourself you would be asking him about the things you have seen. Why are you getting embarrassed now?" She scolded herself, frustrated with her own hesitancy.
"But he looked so serious, and his eyes… I couldn't bring myself to ask him about something so personal," Sylvie muttered, tugging at a loose strand of her hair in frustration.
Her heart was torn between wanting to know more about Astron's past and not wanting to intrude on his feelings. She had sensed the pain and darkness within him, and she didn't want to add to his burdens.
The scars she had seen on his body yesterday came to her mind the moment he looked into his eyes. Then following that, it was the feeling of shame since it was her first time seeing a man's naked body from that close.
'So, their body looks like that.' She thought as a small blush appeared on her face.
Even she herself didn't know why she was that adamant about helping Astron or why she was that curious about his past.
"Ugh, I'm such a mess," Sylvie muttered, her frustration evident in her voice. "I just-…. Mou, I don't know…." In the end, she gave up thinking and started walking towards her dorm, until her watch started ringing…. "Ah… I forgot to call them!" It was her friends…..
At that moment, she knew her head was going to hurt….
*******
"You're healing nicely, young cadet," he said with a warm smile. "Your wounds seem to be closing up well. Just make sure to take it easy for a while longer, and you'll be back at your peak in no time."
After the doctor and healer looked into my wounds and healed them using his light attribute skill, I was allowed to leave the infirmary.
"Thank you, doctor," I replied, offering a small nod of appreciation. "I appreciate all the care you've given me."
The doctor chuckled lightly. "It's my duty to take care of the students here at the academy," he said with a smile. "Be careful not to push yourself too hard."
Just like that, I left the infirmary as I got outside. The sun was shining over my body as the academy was filled with students once again. It was the middle of the day. I slept for the whole night while resting, which made sense.
'He said I shouldn't push myself much, but I don't see a problem, so that should be fine.' With that thought, I reached my room. 'Those bastards are also no longer here. I can be free for a while now.'
Entering my room, I immediately changed my clothes, then left again while taking a sip from the brews I made yesterday.
After all, training was all I needed to do for now.
******
Entering the training grounds, I made my way to the reception, where the personnel was waiting. It was the time to test my trait on long-range weapons, after all.
"Hello." I greeted the receptionist.
She looked up from her paperwork, her expression welcoming but not overly familiar. "Welcome to the training grounds. How can I assist you?" she asked politely.
"I'd like to borrow a long-range weapon for some target practice," I explained. Even though I had my talent bloomed, there was a term that was called enlightenment in this world where a person would acquire another occupation and can change their weapons in the middle of their career.
Therefore, no matter what one's weapon choices were, the academy allowed students to train in whatever type of weapon they wanted, ranging from whips to staffs, swords to katars or claws….
"Oh, certainly," she replied, walking over to a secure cabinet. "We do have a few options available for training purposes. Let me get one for you."
She opened the cabinet and brought out a sleek recurve bow with a quiver of arrows. "Here's a recurve bow. It's a popular choice for those who prefer long-range weapons for practice."
As she handed me the bow, I looked at the bow with a squinting gaze. A bow was generally used by those who liked to be sharpshooters since guns were rather hard to make use of.
'However, in my trait, it was clearly stated that I could imbue objects with magic.' I thought. 'That should imply bullets are also available.'
The reason why guns were not chosen is that they are simply not efficient enough. However, I didn't care. After all, I felt like I needed to use a gun, be it a gut feeling or something different I didn't know. I just felt like it.
"Can I get a gun too?" I asked, grabbing the bow and the quiver.
"Gun?" And as expected, the woman's reaction was surprising.
"Yes. I want to test something."
"No, you can't. Only one type of weapon is allowed unless you are registered with a special occupation."
"I see." Hearing this, I was not surprised. It was also a setting in the game. After all, the academy was not a charity, and all the students needed to be supplied with weapons. Therefore, they needed to apply a rule that prohibited students from taking all types of weapons around.
"Understood. I will come back later then."
Saying that I left the reception, making my way toward the shooting range.
As I arrived at the shooting range, I set up the target at a suitable distance for the bow and decided to make the most of my practice session.
But at that moment, I saw a girl with green hair and red eyes holding a bow.
'Lilia Thornheart.' I thought, seeing her posture. 'As expected, she is here.'
Since she was a heroine and a seventh-ranked student, she was a hardworking girl with good looks. Being an archer and calculating made her a good example for me. But at the same time, I knew if I looked at her too much, it would not end well for me.
'But, I shouldn't lose my focus too much. I should test my trait.' With that thought, I reached the private shooting range.
Just like that, my training began…..
------------------------------A/N----------------------------
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