The Academy Guard with a Terminal Illness - Chapter 18

“You should never have been born.”

These were the words Aria heard from her father since she was young.

Aria was a talented girl who was even nominated for the position of “Great Priestess.”

She excelled far beyond her siblings and captured the attention of many, garnering much expectation and interest from those around her.

However, Aria’s father never showed her even the slightest bit of attention.

Even when Aria approached with a bright face, he would always respond with a cold remark.

“Don’t touch me with those filthy hands.”

Her father’s hands always rejected her touch.

Despite the cold rejection, Aria, in shock, would think:

“It’s because I’m lacking. If I work hard, Father will surely… he will see me differently.”

She completely accepted it as her fault.

Because she was lacking.

Because she was wrong.

Because she didn’t show the demeanor befitting the noble Asclepius family.

She blamed herself for disappointing her father.

“If I show a demeanor suited for the Asclepius family, he will acknowledge me. He will.”

Aria began to study desperately.

She received education in magic, martial arts, medicine, etiquette, and more without any exceptions.

Sometimes, she even entered the field to treat patients.

Even when her siblings and friends were taking breaks, she suppressed her weak heart and focused solely on studying.

Despite pushing herself too hard at a young age, she grew rapidly with a dedication nearing madness.

However, despite her efforts and achievements, her father’s attitude did not change at all.

“Unpleasant.”

His cold tone rejected her without any expectations.

By this point, even at a young age, it was possible to realize that her father did not love her.

No, Aria had known from the beginning.

Her father never showed her affection while always showing warmth and kindness to her other siblings.

He smiled gently—something he had never shown to her.

“Why… Father? Why only me… What about me is lacking that you reject me?”

Her siblings were nowhere near Aria’s level.

They did not work as hard as Aria, nor were they as desperate.

Despite being full of mistakes and not exhibiting behavior befitting the Asclepius family.

Her father did not dislike those lacking siblings.

Seeing this obvious discrimination, Aria could only sob and shed tears.

She was an outcast despite being part of the family.

Her own family did not need her.

“Why did you bring me into this world if it was going to be like this?”

Aria resented her father for being so cruel to her.

But the desire to receive affection was more desperate.

She wanted to be acknowledged.

She wanted to hear that she was a proud member of the family and a wonderful daughter.

“It’s all because… I’m lacking. I must be perfect. I cannot allow even a minor mistake.”

The reason her father disliked her was that she was lacking.

It had to be.

It had to be that way in order for her to have a chance to be loved.

From this point on, Aria gradually developed a compulsion to be perfect.

Even though she was already doing well enough, she pushed herself relentlessly.

The more her father rejected her, the more severe it became.

Despite her numerous efforts, her father’s heart remained closed to her, and insidious rumors circulated among the servants.

That Aria Asclepius was an illegitimate child.

She was displeased by the insulting remarks about her mother, and hearing such things reminded her that she was not loved, driving her mad.

The only reason the rumors hadn’t spread further was that her father dealt with it all.

Not because he loved her, but because he was shamed by the insult to her mother.

This made her even more unhappy.

“Miss, you overdid it again today. It’s better to take a little rest.”

“Don’t hate yourself. You were born to be loved.”

“Yes, someday, you will be rewarded for your heart, my lady.”

Even when the maid who always stood by Aria offered comfort and encouragement to the heartbroken girl, nothing resonated with her.

Her distorted heart consumed her.

She knew it was an unattainable dream, but it was a dream she desperately wanted.

So, she resorted to forbidden texts.

Knowing the implications of forbidden texts, she could not suppress her desire.

What a child needs is the love of their parents.

Having lost her mother early, her father’s presence was immense.

Resurrection of the dead.

She thought that perhaps if her mother were to come back to life, her father might change too.

It was the desperate and earnest hope of a little girl hungry for love.

***

Cough, cough…

When Aria opened her eyes, she was inside a cave.

Trying to grasp what had happened made her head spin.

“Are you awake now?”

A familiar voice came, stopping her as she turned her head.

Her body ached, making her squint her eyes.

Only then did she examine her body. Lifting her sleeve, she saw a bandage wrapped around her arm.

“Shortly after the teleport, you held us to protect us from rolling over in the forest, and you rolled a lot in that state. Although first-aid treatment was done, your body will hurt a little.”

Aria, a blonde girl, kindly explained.

After finishing the explanation, her emerald eyes anticipated an answer.

“So what happened? Judging from how you acted at the moment of transmission, you seem to know what’s going on. Could you explain?”

I hesitated to inform her.

It’s one of the possibilities. My assumption might be wrong.

I feared that informing her rashly might incite unnecessary anxiety.

However, if I stayed silent and she acted on her own, it could escalate into a major incident.

Knowing is better than not knowing if it restrains rash actions and allows her to respond calmly regardless of the situation.

Hearing my explanation made Aria’s face grow serious.

“Demon kin…and remnants of a senior officer are involved….”

“That’s what could be happening.”

Seeming to organize her thoughts, Aria quickly regained her composure.

It was indeed suitable to have told her.

If it were other students, they’d be extremely anxious, acting all flustered.

“It’s fortunate that this patient seems alright.”

The patient was unharmed. However, their eyes were still closed.

Although it was fortunate there were no injuries, waking up was a problem given the current situation.

There were no other students around; it seemed they had all scattered.

“With a patient here, we must not move recklessly. Let’s use this place as a base and explore the surroundings. If we’re lucky, we might find others.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Pardon? Wouldn’t it be better for Lady Aria to stay here and wait? Someone should stay and take care of the patient, after all.”

“Milliena is okay. Besides, you are technically a patient too.”

“This is alright. I can move without difficulty, and above all, there’s a chance monsters might invade the cave, so someone should stay.”

“We can set up a barrier.”

She had no intention of bending her will and remained stubborn.

I sighed.

No matter what I said, she wouldn’t be convinced.

If I forced my opinion and she acted on her own, it’d be even more troublesome.

There was no need to cause a commotion here.

I had no choice but to yield.

Rather than bickering and making things harder, cooperating with the student would be more beneficial.

It would be advantageous in overcoming this difficulty together.

“Yes, understood. However, I lack the skills to ensure Lady Aria’s safety, so please be careful.”

“I can take care of myself. Besides, being a mage, I am much stronger than you, so you don’t have to worry.”

It was a provoking statement, but not wrong.

The deadlock in the library happened because magic was banned in that place.

If we hypothetically fought again, I might lose.

More importantly, in the current situation,

Someone like her who can use magic freely would be more helpful than a mere guard like me.

Whether or not I lean on her heavily,

I express this:

“Thank you in advance.”

***

We stepped out of the cave.

Watching the magic, I groaned in admiration.

“Impressive. Despite being a student, you were able to construct such a thick protective barrier. Surely it consumes a lot of magical energy, yet she doesn’t show signs of fatigue. She’s indeed talented.”

I vaguely noticed in the library that like Sonia, this student too has inherent talent.

Aria set up barriers at the cave entrance and for the patient respectively.

It’s so strong that no ordinary monster would get through it.

If she’d been more careful, she could have also concealed the cave or set anti-monster magic, but perhaps she’s not skilled enough for that yet.

I took out the necessary herbs from my bag and sprinkled them near the entrance.

Aria looked at me in surprise.

“Aren’t those herbs used for healing potions? Why are you throwing them on the ground?”

“Monsters detest the scent released from ‘Cutting Grass.’ With this, they’ll not approach easily.”

“Is that true?”

She nodded.

“Amazing… It’s astonishing that nobody knew that. Why didn’t anyone realize?”

Aria seemed shocked, her eyes wavered.

It’s something one would miss.

Primarily, this grass’s use lies only in making healing potions.

I too discovered it by chance when surrounded by monsters on the battlefield.

“Isn’t it wasteful to discard it like that when the barrier is firm?”

She seemed to say, how could I not trust a well-placed barrier, but I said gently:

“I understand the barrier is strong. Nonetheless, preventing monsters from getting close initially would ensure more safety.”

The barrier is trusted.

Monsters of the level I’ve spotted in the forest wouldn’t be able to break it.

But in such unexpected cases, there’s no harm in prioritizing safety.

“Alright, let us move.”

We roamed around.

Unfortunately, the compass and communication tools, which would be handy at such times, were all out of service.

It’s uncertain whether they were damaged during the teleportation or if interference was involved.

“There’s a monster ahead!”

I stopped Aria who was about to step forward.

Aria asked with a look: ‘Why?’ with her eyes.

“Let’s avoid unnecessary battles.”

“But isn’t the monster blocking our path?”

“If there is a monster ahead, we just go around. Our goal isn’t to defeat monsters.”

There’s no point in wasting our energy in unnecessary battles.

Moreover, attracting other monsters with noise could be troublesome.

Aria seemed to understand but was somehow not satisfied.

She seemed gentle by her appearance but surprisingly aggressive.

She might pair well with Sonia in that aspect.

“Now, let’s head this way.”

I navigated around the monsters utilizing the experience I gained on the battlefield.

Boom. Boom.

As we wandered the forest for a while, suddenly a loud noise erupted in the forest.

The sound grew closer.

Hidden in the thickets, I grip my sword tightly.

Aria also channels her magic.

A short moment later, a golem about 2 to 3 times the size of an adult man appeared between the trees.

Its entire body was covered in blood.

It was the smell of monsters’ blood.

‘Hmm?’

Following the golem were people walking in line.

Judging by their uniforms, they were students.

Rustle.

Aria rushed out.

I was startled and a step too late to stop her.

One of the students recognized Aria.

“Isn’t that Aria?”

“Doris!”

They seemed to be friends.

The golem was said to be a noble student’s magic.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a demon in disguise or an illusion of a monster.

We joined up with some students.

“Quite audacious. Weren’t you scared not knowing what’s in the woods?”

“Hehe, you commoners might not know, but this golem is my masterpiece. I put real effort into making it. It won’t be defeated by weak monsters in the woods. In fact….”

The noble student boasted triumphantly of the golem’s feats.

On the way back to the cave, I got to see the golem’s prowess.

It was strong. But it was conspicuous.

An unnecessary commotion only invites attention.

I hoped inwardly that nothing strange would latch on.

***

Upon reaching the cave, students began discussing their options.

Upper-class students led the meeting while common students stayed silent.

I stayed silent, to avoid meddling in the noble students’ meeting.

Aria stood up abruptly.

Everyone turned their attention to Aria.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked, and she turned her head.

I flinched for a moment. Her face was pale.

“The barrier’s broken.”

Immediately after those words, an ominous dark power flowed in from the cave entrance.

Clack.

An eerie noise made all the students flinch in fear and huddle together.

Clack, clack.

The noise reverberated in the cave.

As the power and noise drew closer, the students’ expressions hardened.

The intruder’s footprints came into view in the shadows.

“Attack!”

The noble student ordered the golem loudly.

The golem obeyed its master’s command without hesitation.

It swung its fist for a strike.

The impact shook the cave, and a strong gust of wind blew through.

“Did it bring it down?”

Gosh.

To say those lines here.

“Eh?”

The golem’s body shuddered.

With an ominous sound, it began to melt slowly.

“What a loud welcome.”

A captivating voice.

Strong.

I can’t win.

Having made a quick judgment, I retrieved a self-defense dagger and cut my palm.

“But it’s okay. I’ll let you go since I’ve found the human I was looking for.”

With the blood from my palm, I hurriedly drew a rune on the cave wall.

“I am a direct subordinate of the 『Plague』 Legion—”

“Everyone, close your eyes!”

Having completed the rune, I slammed my palm hard against it.

Immediately after, the cave was engulfed in a flash of light from the rune.

After the light subsided, the demon, busy with its self-introduction, had vanished.

Unexpectedly taken aback, everyone stared at me in shock.

In a serious tone, I said,

“We have to leave immediately.”