By Zephyria 
Sunday, I woke up early as usual, packed my training gear and study materials, and headed to the library.
Seeing Shayden, who arrived a bit later, sit beside me, I told him he didn’t need to worry about me, but he loudly declared he was here to study as well and not to misunderstand, so I just let it be.
I opened the Imperial Genealogy handout and sat down. Familiar names danced across the page. I carefully read the descriptions of the two ducal families located near the Yuil Mountains.
The Duke Widro Family focused on forestry, leading Mages and felling monsters that descended from the mountains, using their byproducts. The Duke Grimsbein Family mined minerals from the mountains and forged iron by pouring seawater over it.
I figured the end of the mountain range that separated the two ducal families must be Mount Eldos, where I had recently been.
The continent map, simply drawn, showed the Yuil Mountains blocking off the entire northern region, obscuring whatever lay beyond.
My mind was a jumble of thoughts, so I asked the librarian for help and brought books on monsters and wild beasts to my seat.
I first looked up information on the Dire Wolf, which Rubel had mentioned.
The book stated that the largest Dire Wolves could exceed five meters in length. A beast that long would have been considered the king of the mountains in the Central Plains if such a large tiger existed there.
Looking through the bestiary, I was stunned to find that the Dire Wolf wasn’t even the largest among monsters.
The monstrous appearances of each creature, which I hadn’t found particularly frightening in picture books, were utterly grotesque. Thinking of these beasts swarming together made me question the peace of this land.
Shayden, noticing I had been distracted for a long time, nudged me with his notebook, blocking my view and changing the subject.
“I’m going to take some food to Demi again this evening. Want to come along?”
“…Is the aftereffect that severe? I thought the Healing Artifact would have completely cured it.”
“My body isn’t.”
As I sat there, not quite understanding, Shayden gave a bitter smile and explained.
“The memory of the terrible pain remains. We’re used to training our bodies through Swordsmanship and taking a few light stab wounds, but Demi isn’t.”
“…Right.”
“She’d only ever seen monsters as pictures in books. How could she easily forget nearly dying? They say she was almost dragged away.”
“…”
“She didn’t overcome it or fight back; she just… did what she had to do. She thought keeping Jenny and Marianne behind her was her responsibility, her part to play. But she must have been terrified.”
Every word was true.
Even in the Central Plains, there were many who could no longer wield a sword after experiencing a major battle. Those who boasted of not fearing death would tremble violently when they saw their close comrades and relatives die.
I had been like that too.
Not anymore.
I had decided long ago not to give up my sword. I was grateful that I had severed the neck of the wolf that had tried to drag Demi away with a single stroke.
I hoped she would remember that the creature that had tried to harm her was dead by my hand when she awoke from her hazy nightmares.
“Is there anything else I can do to help Demi, besides bringing her meals?”
“Hmm… Demi tends to keep her struggles to herself. I’m just worried, I guess.”
A shadow fell across Shayden’s face as he sighed.
I roughly ruffled his red hair, and he did the same to me. We playfully tussled for a while, messing up each other’s hair.
We were warned by the librarian for fooling around in the library.
I packed dinner and went to Demi’s room. Demi laughed out loud, calling me overly dramatic for such a trivial matter.
Shayden and I learned, when we visited her, that Shayden had also brought Demi meals during lunchtime.
I had received similar help from Shayden early last semester.
Despite everything, I knew he had a kind and generous heart, so I resolved to become a more magnanimous person myself.
Seeing Demi laughing and chatting, her actions not seeming much different from usual, I felt relieved. But on the way back, seeing Shayden’s hardened expression, I realized I had been mistaken.
However, I didn’t want to trouble Shayden by asking if Demi had seemed that distressed.
I went out under the moonlight for the first time in a long while and practiced my sword.
❖ ❖ ❖
Monday.
In the beginner Swordsmanship class, Maelo Sanson lectured on how to find the weaknesses of beasts and monsters. In the Artifact class, Jurgen Kaiser gave a further explanation of the emergency treatment methods we had learned before the midterm exam.
Demi complained that she was mortified by the children constantly glancing at her throughout the Artifact class. Though her expression was bright, I felt uneasy noticing her slight limp as she walked.
It was evident that everyone at the academy was paying close attention to the incident with the wolves during the camping class. Even if it was a case of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, the follow-up measures were swift.
It felt like I had been given another chance to relax, knowing that I wouldn’t be needed for now.
If I were to work for the Imperial Knight Order after graduation, I would be handling such matters alongside the faculty.
Thinking back, I couldn’t recall anyone in the Central Plains I particularly wanted to emulate.
Of course, there were many great individuals. The Central Plains were vast, filled with renowned masters and great sages. But I had never looked at those close to me and decided, “I want to be like them.”
I now realized I had lived solely with the goal of becoming stronger, stronger than anyone else, and making a name for myself. I had taken pride in killing some and defeating others.
It was a time when people were praised for saving many lives, but also lauded for killing many.
Lately, I had often pondered what kind of person I wanted to become.
I wanted to live like Maelo Sanson.
To spend my life surrounded by countless children, opening paths of enlightenment and learning for them, occasionally sharing a joke, and then peacefully passing my remaining years.
I also wanted to live like Douglas Mustang.
I envied the ambition of firmly establishing one’s principles, researching new truths, and gaining widespread recognition.
I also wanted to live like William Ernhardt.
Having a beautiful wife, multiple children, and living a loving, harmonious life caring for one’s family was something I had never experienced in my life.
Sometimes, I even wanted to live like Shayden Rose.
I admired his affectionate nature, his way of caring for and meticulously looking after everyone around him.
Perhaps my past life’s pursuit of chivalry, which was partly because it was the only path available, was also driven by a craving for the approval of others.
Back then, no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake off the label of being a collateral relative of the Namgung family.
In this life, I had received so much more than I deserved, and I wanted to give it back to everyone.
The affection and attention showered upon me felt like a debt, perhaps because I had never received such unconditional love in my previous life.
In Sierren, everyone was deeply interested in each other. I was happy to be a part of that world.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mage Boulder brought a Golem to demonstrate.
He was supposed to have brought it last week but couldn’t finish it by the deadline. I remembered having to stop him from bowing profusely in apology.
Having already experienced a gruesome Golem with gaping wounds in Artifact class, I didn’t have high expectations.
And the Golem Boulder brought… was beyond my expectations in many ways.
“No, what is this?”
“I’ve constructed it using human bones, organs, and blood vessels, and then simulated hypothetical Acupoints! The antifreeze flowing through the internal blood vessels is mixed with ground Mana Stone powder, so it can sparkle when there’s movement of Mana, aura, or internal energy! Like this!”
“Ugh.”
“Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve used different colors to distinguish the blood vessels from the Acupoints!”
“Ugh!”
It was so grotesque and bizarre that I couldn’t bring myself to get any closer.
It wasn’t just vaguely shaped like a human. Its outer skin was transparent, revealing everything inside, a sight so hideous I feared it would haunt my dreams.
I had seen the internal organs of many people in my life, but most of them were stained with blood and blurred, passing through my vision. I had never seen the inside of a human that was so intact.
What’s more, the Golem’s height and facial features were not unfamiliar.
“…Excuse me, but doesn’t the Golem resemble your face?”
“An excellent observation, Sir Sanson! I thought using the human body, which I could examine most thoroughly, would be the best way to minimize discrepancies with the real thing. If you grant me permission, I can create one for you as well, Sir Maelo Sanson!”
“No, I’m good. It’s certainly sparkling…”
A transparent Mage Boulder. It was fortunate the Golem was wearing underwear.
Seeing my discomfort, Maelo Sanson burst into laughter.
It was the first time I felt such a surge of emotion while Maelo was enjoying himself.
Douglas Mustang chuckled wryly after touching the dull hair covering the transparent skull.
“Is the hair implementation a copy of the original model?”
“Ah, yes. I put the original hair into the Beniplavix reagent and replicated it to attach it.”
“It would be better for observation if there were no hair at all.”
“Even though I made it, I found the visible eyeballs and teeth a bit gruesome. I usually fold it forward to cover them…”
Even though I, who rarely swore in either my past or current life, couldn’t comprehend the bizarre standards of the creator.
The area on the Golem’s head corresponding to the Hundred Meeting Point was glowing blue. It was horrifying.
Boulder continued his explanations for a long time. He spoke of embedding Mana Stones in the Golem’s fingernails and toenails to avoid obstructing Mana flow as much as possible, and how he designed the space for the hypothetical Dantian.
While Maelo and Douglas nodded along, I averted my gaze from the Golem, my eyes glazed over.