By Zephyria 
Zeon activated Space Teleportation Magic and returned to the clearing.
The first thing Zeon saw when he reached the clearing in an instant was Raymond, covered in blood and collapsed, Herman unconscious next to him, and Polargehen, with a pale face, casting healing Magic.
“Zeon!”
Polargehen, who had just discovered Zeon, was delighted.
Herman was only suffering from a slight Mana deficiency due to overexertion, but Raymond was critically injured.
His exterior was relatively intact, but his internal organs were a complete mess, so he could die if he didn’t receive high-intensity healing Magic immediately.
They were short on hands.
Zeon, who appeared at this time, was truly a savior. Polargehen shouted at Zeon, who had appeared just in time, without even questioning him.
“You came at the right time, come and help! He’s going to die like this!”
Zeon, startled by the word ‘die,’ hurriedly cast healing Magic. Raymond’s faint breaths made Zeon feel like he was about to leave his side at any moment, and his hands trembled weakly with fear.
“Damn it…!”
Polargehen spat out a curse as if chewing on it. It was because the body was so weakened that the healing Magic wasn’t working properly.
But there was nothing more they could do. The Comforter they were currently using was the most powerful 7-star Magic among the existing healing Magic, but even this required some support from the patient’s energy to exert its full power. It would have been nice to have a few more hands….
Polargehen squeezed his eyes shut and opened them, first warping all the children to the clearing.
He forcibly activated the Space Teleportation Magic implanted in the mark.
He hadn’t thought about it because he was flustered, but if there had been an attack by something that had broken through the Barrier, the other children would also be in danger.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
“What, what is it?”
The children, who were instantly transported to the clearing, couldn’t hide their confusion. Some of them stumbled or fell because they were moving when they were transported. Newt, who had headed into the forest to get the mark and then returned to the clearing, widened her eyes with a bewildered expression.
But no one questioned it. The state of Raymond in front of them immediately told them that the situation was not normal.
“The practice is suspended. You guys wait here.”
Immediately after Polargehen’s command, which was more like an order, Clona, who had checked on Raymond, stifled a small scream and covered her mouth.
“Blood, blood….”
“Raymond! Herman!”
As soon as Tom recognized that Raymond and Herman were the ones who had collapsed, he called out their names and rushed over in a fluster.
Ibelia, her face darkened, frowned.
“Who on earth… did something this bad?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t caused by a battle between students.”
Polargehen, who answered, bit his lip. At this rate, a promising student would lose his life.
It was then.
Newt, who had been watching from behind as if it were none of her business, suddenly widened her eyes.
She seemed surprised by something, and after a moment, she looked back at Raymond. She seemed to be contemplating something, but that contemplation didn’t last long.
“Please… please.”
Just as Zeon was muttering in a tearful voice, a shadow fell over his head.
Standing there when he looked up was Newt Alkabas.
And Newt, who was quietly looking down at Zeon’s pitiful appearance, like a lost puppy, took something out of the small Hyperspace pocket she wore on her waist.
“It’s the only one, so use it carefully.”
It was the ‘Elixir,’ called the divine Elixir.
“……!”
Zeon’s eyes widened. It wasn’t just Zeon. Polargehen, who was right next to him, immediately recognized the identity of the red liquid and couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Newt. Do you know what this is?”
Polargehen was so surprised that he asked back. Newt pouted her chubby face as if she was asking something obvious.
“Of course! How dare you ask such a question, you insignificant speck!”
“Insignificant… what?”
“I’m just giving it to you because it seems to have found a place to be used. Now, hurry! No matter how good the Elixir is, it won’t be able to revive a dead person.”
Zeon, who finally came to his senses, carefully received it and opened the lid. He could feel the aura of highly purified Mana rippling from the cork that had been popped open. Polargehen, who had been treated as an insignificant speck by a student, sighed as if he had decided to let it go this time.
‘Slowly….’
Zeon tried to lift Raymond’s chin and put the Elixir in. But it didn’t go in properly and kept flowing out to the side.
Newt, who was watching, made a fuss, saying that he was wasting the precious Elixir and that he should do it properly.
Zeon, feeling anxious, bit his lip.
Because his internal injuries were severe, putting it inside was definitely more effective than sprinkling it on his body…. But at this rate, the Elixir would run out before he could even feed it to him.
“…….”
Zeon hesitated for a moment about what he was about to do, but that hesitation was very brief. He could be punished for his presumptuous actions after his master opened his eyes.
Zeon put all the Elixir in his mouth, supported Raymond’s head, grabbed his chin, and pressed his lips together. His lips, perfectly sealed to prevent it from flowing out, parted a little more, and he stuck out his tongue and pushed the liquid in.
As the soft flesh intertwined, Raymond’s Adam’s apple moved before long. He could feel his breath, which had been precarious as if it would break at any moment, gradually stabilizing.
He quickly put his hand on his chest and checked, and the Mana Circuit, which had been ruptured in places, as well as the internal organs, which had been messed up, were all recovering to a healthy state.
‘Ah.’
He didn’t lose him this time.
This time, he protected him.
At that moment, Zeon felt an overwhelming emotion that he couldn’t express in words.
‘Master….’
He realized how precious the small, weak movement rising and falling under his palm was. The mighty being who seemed capable of achieving everything on his own was no longer there.
All that was here was a small, fragile being that he wanted to protect.
Zeon hugged Raymond without realizing it. Then, he suddenly raised his head and saw that everyone was staring at Zeon with strange expressions on their faces. Clona’s fair cheeks were even blushing slightly.
It was because Zeon’s previous actions were quite lewd for someone who was just trying to easily give Raymond the Elixir. Zeon himself didn’t seem to notice anything strange, though.
Then, Polargehen cleared his throat and broke the strange silence.
“As expected, it’s the Elixir. It doesn’t seem like we need to use any more healing Magic, so I’ll take a look at Herman. That… Raymond will be moved to the infirmary, so you can watch over him until then.”
Zeon nodded at his words, and Polargehen approached Herman, who was still unconscious. The tense atmosphere had subsided.
Zeon thought about what kind of reward he should give to Newt, who had saved his master’s life, and ended up taking off the mark.
“Newt. I will give you everything I have. Of course, I don’t think this will be a perfect reward, but I hope it will be of some help.”
“Ooh!”
It was when Newt, who didn’t refuse his goodwill, was shining her eyes. Polargehen, who was using healing Magic on Herman, glanced at the two of them and intervened.
“It would be better to postpone the reward a little longer. As I said before, this practice is suspended. I’m sorry to those who worked hard to get the mark, but it will all be invalidated.”
The moment that statement came out, joy and sorrow crossed paths in various places.
Newt, who had been about to receive the mark, was stunned and said with an embarrassed face, bursting into arrogant laughter.
“Put it away, put it away! I didn’t want any rewards! But if you still want to reward me! I can’t help it. Prepare something else!”
Her true intentions were so transparent. Zeon smiled softly. He had overcome a hurdle and had his usual face.
☠
It felt like I had been submerged in a sea of darkness for a very long time.
Splish, splash. It’s a good feeling.
After swimming in that abyss for a long time, I suddenly came to my senses and slowly opened my eyes. It was somehow noisy. The surroundings were very bright, and unfamiliar wallpaper and ceilings welcomed me, so I felt unfamiliar for a moment.
Where on earth is this?
What… happened to me?
It was when I was blinking and trying to figure out the situation.
“Ray! You’re awake?”
Herman’s face suddenly popped out and blocked my vision. The tension from the unfamiliarity disappeared in an instant. I quietly pushed his face aside and sat up.
Now that I looked around, there were quite a few students from Class A. Tom and Zeon were looking at me with teary eyes, and Newt Alkabas and Polargehen were standing in the corner.
The only ones missing were Melicsa Cecil, Hokrun Zebil, and that freckled male student whose name I still couldn’t remember because he was so ordinary.
When I suddenly felt something strange and groped my body, Zeon, who had been watching me anxiously, made a fuss.
“Are you okay?! Are you feeling unwell anywhere?!”
…Am I okay?
I’m not just okay, my body and mind are so light that I feel like I could fly. That’s why it’s strange. I clearly felt my internal organs and Mana Circuit being damaged in real time before I fainted, but when I woke up, I was too healthy.
“Raymond?”
“I’m okay. I feel healthier than before.”
I answered to reassure Zeon, who was looking at me like a puppy worried about its owner, but suddenly Newt cleared her throat and raised her nose high.
It seemed like she wanted me to recognize something quickly.
And I was able to hear the reason for her strange behavior and why my body was healthy from Polargehen.