***
“Hmm… I wonder if our little maniac is awake by now~?”
The rooftop of the Academy’s main building.
Golden Boy, who was lying down there, let out a sudden yawn and muttered to himself.
Perhaps because he had been taking a nap, his golden hair was sticking out in all directions, forming a bird's nest.
He brushed his bangs back nonchalantly.
“Our maniac better find that letter soon… It’s not like he won’t see it just because it’s on the floor, right?”
Right after moving Raiden to the dorm.
Golden Boy had left a short letter behind.
In it, he had written about things like the outcome of the defense battle and the current situation at the Academy.
“Man~ there’s no helper quite like me. Even taking care of the situation report so kindly.”
Golden Boy stretched with a chuckle.
As he was about to get up from his spot.
A sudden stream of red blood trickled out from the nose of the boy who was humming a relaxed tune.
“Ah, dammit.”
At the sudden nosebleed, Golden Boy cursed under his breath and brought a hand up.
A bitter smile played around his lips.
“…Did I overdo it?”
Well, it had been a while since I’d used up my lifespan in 100-year increments.
It would’ve been weirder if there wasn’t any backlash.
“I used to be fine even after using this much… Did I get too lax?”
Golden Boy raised his head.
The clear winter sky was reflected in his blue eyes.
Just two days ago.
It had only been two days since the entire Academy was in chaos due to the Demon King’s army’s invasion.
But the radiant sun shone peacefully, as if denying that such a thing had ever happened.
Golden Boy moved his feet, suppressing a wry smile.
“What a damn fine day it is~!”
Come to think of it, it was a clear day like this when my mom died.
Golden Boy muttered to himself, his words a mystery even to him, and turned around.
On the ground where the boy had been, only a few drops of bloodstains remained, having already gone cold.
***
“…”
The letter I found lying on the floor contained a lot of information.
Information that I desperately needed right now.
The letter was an important clue to understanding the current situation.
I devoured its contents.
Since most of what it said matched up with the messages from my status window, it didn’t seem like there were any lies mixed in.
‘Just what is this letter…? Who wrote it, and how did they know all this…’
I checked the sender section with a questioning mind, but.
The only thing written there was the strange phrase, ‘From your awesome helper.’
‘Damn it…’
There were too many things that didn’t sit right with me.
The identity of this ‘helper,’ how they managed to single-handedly defeat thousands of monsters.
And lastly, the reason why they helped me.
I fell into thought with a groan.
Was it because I was overworking my still-recovering mind? My head throbbed, and my vision spun.
The thread of thought that I had been barely holding onto snapped in my swaying focus.
And in its wake, the pain I had been trying so hard to ignore came rushing back in.
“…Ugh.”
My entire body felt like it was on fire.
Dark red blood was oozing out from the wounds I had sustained from being slashed by the spear.
“Haah… haah…”
My white shirt was already soaked in blood.
Pulling myself together with my crumbling willpower, I got up.
{Oh, and you better treat those wounds quickly, buddy.}
{You might actually die, you know?}
Right, I might actually die at this rate.
Clenching my jaw, I recalled the sentence written in the last paragraph.
“Status… window… buy… recovery… potion… from the shop….”
*Ding!*
[%!$Purchase complete#%&*!%^]
[Total Points Spent: 400P]
“Sh… Shit…”
A curse left my lips at the outrageous price of the potion.
This was why I didn’t normally use potions from the shop…
Despite my inner complaints, I had no choice but to grab the two bottles that materialized out of thin air.
I couldn’t afford to be picky about such things when my life was on the line.
With a shaky hand, I popped the caps off the bottles.
And then I immediately poured their contents onto my wounds.
*Glug, glug, glug…*
The sound of liquid escaping the bottles rang out, and my vision blurred slightly.
I had to momentarily shudder at the cool sensation provided by the mana’s energy.
And then, just as the bottles were about to be emptied.
I suddenly noticed something strange.
“…?”
Why… weren’t my wounds closing up at all?
An unknown anxiety licked at my spine.
With trembling hands, I slowly removed the clothes I was wearing.
The sound of rustling fabric filled the air as the bloodstained pieces of cloth were torn away.
“Ah.”
The moment I saw the state of my body.
A dumbfounded sound escaped my lips without me realizing it.
On my arms and legs, deep cuts remained clearly visible, and on my abdomen, the spot where I had been pierced by the spear.
Inside those wounds, something black was writhing.
Exuding an ominous aura, it was slowly but surely eating away at my flesh.
I stared blankly at it before muttering under my breath.
“…I’m so fucked.”
I was in a much more serious condition than I had thought.
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It seems the status window might actually be the wall? hmm...
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