The Academy Guard with a Terminal Illness - Chapter 17

Id found the current situation unsatisfactory.

He considered himself the protagonist of this world. Naturally, everything should flow in his favor.

That’s the natural course, and it’s the rule of this world.

But it wasn’t happening.

‘According to the game, my relationship with Sonia should have progressed. But nothing has changed. No, it seems even more distant.’

In the game’s scenario, Sonia’s favorability was supposed to open after the first main event.

From then on, Sonia would open her heart to the protagonist who treated her kindly, reducing the distance between them and eventually becoming inseparable friends.

In the end, they would develop into lovers.

However, the current Sonia seemed indifferent to him.

She didn’t approach first, and even when he talked to her, she just responded blandly.

Rather, she showed more interest in an unheard-of NPC than in him, the protagonist.

Why?

Why?

Id couldn’t figure out the reason no matter how much he pondered.

‘I certainly acted according to the scenario. So why isn’t it flowing as I intend? What exactly went wrong? Am I remembering incorrectly? Or is it just progressing slowly because it’s still the early stage?’

The problem didn’t end with Sonia.

The second heroine, ‘Aria Asclepius’, didn’t go as he intended either.

Originally, Id was supposed to run into Aria multiple times at the library.

─Aren’t you Id from the Ebony family? I never expected to see you here.

─You came to read books? That’s unexpected. I thought you weren’t interested in reading.

─The third son of the Ebony family is infamous even among nobles for being a debauchee engrossed in gambling, wine, and women. But seeing you now… rumors can’t be trusted, it seems.

Originally, he was supposed to become a reading friend to slightly change his bad reputation and image.

He was supposed to, but he met her fewer times than in the scenario and couldn’t build a proper relationship with her.

And the bigger problem was.

─Someone’s been poisoned. I’ll administer first aid quickly.

A student collapsed from poisoning.

Aria struggled to cure the poison but failed.

As a result, Aria was gradually becoming mentally paralyzed.

Here was where he was supposed to shine.

The protagonist steps up, detoxifies the poison, and saves the student.

─That’s impossible… How did you cure it? And that power…?

In the game, the protagonist Id Ebony had a hooligan setting.

Aria, seeing the protagonist’s power, is shocked and approaches out of half interest, half curiosity, which is the correct direction for this event.

It was supposed to be, but the scenario got twisted due to Derek.

‘That poison is not ordinary. It shouldn’t have been possible to cure with ordinary antidotes or recovery magic!’

When Derek stepped forward to treat the student, Id deliberately stayed still.

He was sure that a no-name NPC like Derek, a simple guard, wouldn’t be able to achieve it.

If the student’s condition worsened due to clumsy treatment and resulted in their expulsion from the school, it wouldn’t have been a bad development for Id.

But Derek defied Id’s expectations and cured the poison.

And with a method unknown to him.

‘What on earth? An unknown treatment method?! Such a setting wasn’t even in the setup book!’

Derek didn’t use recovery magic either.

He concocted a new medicine by combining basic detox herbs and antidotes.

An academy guard concocting a medicine not even mentioned in the setup book.

Id couldn’t believe it despite seeing it with his own eyes. He didn’t want to believe it.

He never imagined his role would be taken away so hollowly.

‘Damn. I should’ve stepped up right away.’

Aria’s gaze at Derek changed.

Originally, it should have been directed at him.

It was not a pleasant situation by any means.

What if this affects the heroine scenario like it did with Sonia?

Id shivered with a sense of foreboding.

He unconsciously clenched his fist.

Id quickly shook off his thoughts.

‘No, it’s okay. There are still more events. I just need to shine there. Then Aria and Sonia will notice me again.’

Id suppressed his jealousy.

Rather than regretting the past, he focused on the future to unfold.

There are still many events left. Opportunities are more than sufficient.

Grateful for his narrow eyes and smile.

If the protagonist’s appearance wasn’t like this, he wouldn’t have been able to hide his ugly emotions.

‘The next event is one that only I, the protagonist, can resolve.’

Id knows the incident that will happen next.

He clenched his fist tighter.

This time, there will be no room for Derek to step in.

‘Yes, since it’s an event dealing with the subordinate demons of the “Epidemic”, he, being a guard, will have no chance to intervene. Haha, I’m already looking forward to it.’

The next event is a stage for the protagonist.

Rescue the students, and furthermore save the heroines to solidify his position.

The distant relationship will be reversed.

Thinking about returning to the correct form, Id couldn’t help but smile.

◆◆◆

Outdoor activities are to proceed as scheduled.

Despite the incident of a student being poisoned, they insisted on continuing, and when I, along with other colleagues, expressed our concerns, the teacher said:

“The purpose of this activity is to allow students to gain experience. Such unexpected situations will make the students stronger.”

In addition, the teacher, being an educator at a top institution, instructed everyone to trust and follow his expert judgment, claiming that even if a big accident occurred, it wouldn’t be too late to stop by then and that he would ensure no student would be in life-threatening danger.

What on earth.

Do the other staff members know this teacher is behaving like this?

A problem has already occurred.

It has to be stopped now.

I couldn’t understand a teacher insisting on continuing activities when such an incident had already happened in the school.

Our group’s teacher spoke easily, but.

If the student poisoned hadn’t received timely first aid, it would have been truly dangerous.

Even some students, uneasy, mentioned it needed to be stopped, but the teacher dismissed this, saying it was all for the sake of their growth, and brushed it aside.

‘I’ll have to tell others if we join another group. What are they going to do if something really happens?’

The student who was poisoned is currently resting.

Since anything could happen, I am nursing beside them.

“How’s Milliena doing?”

“She’s improved a lot. No other symptoms have appeared since.”

Aria entered the tent to check the student’s complexion.

She placed her hand on the forehead of the student who was breathing softly.

She also examined the affected area.

The swelling had subsided, and the poison had neutralized so much that the dark red veins were almost gone.

Aria let out a sigh of relief.

“Even if she has improved, it’s still better for her to rest in the infirmary than in a place like this. Isn’t there anything we can do?”

The influence of nobility.

Despite asking if the Asclepius family could pressure the teacher to change his mind, Aria shook her head.

“The teaching authority of Akashic Academy is strong. They are so full of pride that they don’t bend their beliefs easily. Here, nothing I say would be of any use.”

At the impossible response, my expression became slightly dour.

I newly learned another aspect of the academy.

As strong as the authority is, it seems there are many stubborn staff members.

What a headache.

Aria sat down and focused her gaze on me.

“More than that… how did you do it? We used all the antidotes and recovery magic, but none of it worked. Did you know what kind of poison Milliena was under?”

True to her lineage as someone from the Asclepius family, she seemed very curious about how I treated the poison.

Well, she had to be more curious since she couldn’t achieve it.

To her question, filled with desperation, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I spent a long time on the battlefield. It’s knowledge picked up over shoulders there. I just happened to know about this poison, so I was able to treat it.”

It wasn’t a secret, so I told her frankly.

After hearing my story, Aria knit her brows.

She seemed to be slightly incredulous, as her eyes were slightly wavering.

“It wasn’t in the books….”

“Books aren’t everything.”

She didn’t seem pleased with my comment.

But it’s the truth.

Ignoring her pointed gaze, I continued.

“While books certainly contain a vast amount of information, they don’t record the entire world. I think you would know that better than I, Aria.”

“…….”

“Ordinarily, when it comes to such knowledge, Aria, you’d know much more than I do. It’s just that on battlefields, all kinds of creatures and events occur. I merely know a bit more about some unusual knowledge not found in books.”

Being born a noble, she received education from birth.

Naturally, she knows a lot more about what is termed as common knowledge.

It’s just that she lacks experience in how to utilize that knowledge.

If she extends her experience, things like this wouldn’t happen.

“So there’s no need to blame yourself. You’ve tried hard enough, Aria.”

I offered appropriate consolation to her, who was in distress.

But.

“No. Words and actions anyone can do. If you can’t save it, it’s meaningless. I… I am from the Asclepius family. I cannot tolerate something like this to happen.”

Perhaps because she was a noble, her tendency to pursue perfection was evident.

Being born a noble’s child must be difficult.

But.

“Why did she get poisoned by such poison?”

I turned my gaze to the student lying down.

This was poison I had seen on the lands of demons.

Especially, I frequently saw this poison on the faction side of ‘Plague’.

Hmm…?

Uh…?!!

Why did I only realize it now?!

This is demon poison. And it’s the poison frequently used by the ‘Plague’ faction.

So, does this mean that demons interfered in this situation?

Could there be remnants hiding in this forest?

I shot up from my seat.

I must quickly inform this fact.

“What─.”

Thud, thud, thud.

At that moment, the ground shook violently.

Right afterwards.

My vision went dark.