‘I’m not sure if this was part of the plan as well, but thanks to it, I think I’ll manage somehow.’

Luca was directly unraveling the tangled cloud power in Bella’s body.

Was this what you’d call astral projection?

His consciousness had left his body and was manipulating the power of the clouds directly.

Ironically, the reason he could do this was thanks to the sensation he’d experienced when he entered Luca Traverse’s inner world.

The sensation of his consciousness escaping the control of his body.

He was applying that feeling now to heal Bella directly with his own hands.

‘Seeing it like this, it really is horrifying.’

Luca glanced at his own body.

Having become spirit form, he could also see the vitality moving through his flesh.

He could see his life force quickly draining away from his body as well.

‘Now I understand why Whistle said she didn’t want to do this.’

For the moment, there was no choice but to finish Bella’s treatment as quickly as possible.

“Master! I don’t know if you can hear me, but don’t try to heal every vital point! Just recover her enough so she can get proper treatment from a real healer!”

“Ts. Easier said than done.”

Luca grumbled but didn’t stop.

He had to heal Bella for even a second longer, even just a little bit more.

‘Please. Live. Bella.’

Luca’s spirit became sharper, almost to his limit.

At first, the tangled cloud power unraveled slowly, but soon, just his touch was enough to undo half of it instantly.

After a few fleeting minutes, Whistle shouted.

“Master! Any more and it’ll really be dangerous! I’m stopping now, so you come back too!”

“Just a little… more…!”

Luca healed Bella’s wounds until the very last moment when Whistle released the cloud’s power.

Srrrk!

The cloud wings covering Bella’s body drew back.

After checking Bella’s condition and letting out a sigh of relief, Whistle looked at Luca.

“Phew… Master. At least, with this… Ma-master?”

Whistle, who had been talking, paused as she checked Luca’s expression.

She quickly rushed to him.

“Master!”

Beeeep!

Whistle’s wailing cry rang out.

Ottbo, who was coming with a doctor, heard it.

“Is that… Luca’s bird crying?”

Sensing intuitively that something was wrong, Ottbo hurried to the source of the sound with the doctor.

“Luca!”

There, he saw Bella and Luca collapsed, with Whistle crying beside them.

* * *

“Ts, so melodramatic.”

“I’m just really glad nothing bad happened…”

Luca was lying in a hospital bed, with Ottbo sitting next to him.

Both Luca and Bella had been moved from the infirmary to the academy’s internal hospital for treatment.

It was the same place Luca had been treated after being attacked by Martin.

“I’m glad about Bella, too. Honestly, I thought she might die at any moment, but they said she could be saved.”

“That’s good, then.”

Luca spoke indifferently.

But of course, deep down he was overjoyed.

‘At least my efforts weren’t wasted.’

He’d had to sacrifice a lot, but saving Bella was enough.

Moreover, he’d now gained some ability to use the cloud’s power in the process. It had been risky, but the rewards were significant.

“Well, visitation time is almost over, so I’ll get going. Rest up!”

“Yeah.”

After Ottbo left, Whistle appeared.

“Master…”

Whistle looked at Luca with sad eyes.

Luca clicked his tongue.

“How much life force did I use?”

“… A lot.”

It seemed he’d used so much that she couldn’t even properly express how much.

Luca shrugged.

“Still, if I’m this intact, I guess I’m fine.”

“… Master, you used so much life force today that it will hinder your future growth.”

“Hinder my growth, huh.”

It didn’t quite feel real, but he could tell it was serious.

Even so, Luca remained calm.

“Master, in this state, you might not be able to withstand the power I’ll give you when I grow stronger in the future. Are you okay with that?”

“What if I said I’m not okay?”

“Huh?”

Whistle was caught off guard by Luca’s reply.

“Is there any immediate solution?”

“Well…”

“If not, don’t worry me for no reason.”

There was no point in regretting what had already happened.

Whistle was silent, as if at a loss for words.

“And losing a bit of life force is something I can make up for.”

“H-how can you make up for it?”

Whistle was unsettled by Luca’s vague answer.

Luca smiled wryly.

“Yeah. So don’t worry too much. When this is all over, dealing with my body’s problem is my first priority.”

“… You really mean it?”

“Of course. Trust in your master.”

At Luca’s confident words, Whistle looked at him for a moment, then answered brightly.

“Alright. I’ll trust my master!”

For Whistle, there was nothing left to do but believe in him.

“More than that, those bastards have really crossed the line.”

Luca crossed his arms and twisted his lips.

Bella had even been attacked.

He couldn’t act so calmly anymore.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I guess Plan E is basically impossible now?”

“That’s really not happening now.”

Whistle spoke decisively.

Luca clicked his tongue.

“That’s too bad. I thought it was the most surefire method.”

“If you even suggest going along with that now, I’ll really kill you myself, master.”

“Well… guess so.”

Plan E, the most dangerous plan, was for Luca to resonate with Whistle.

Even at his best, resonance put a heavy strain on his body.

Doing it now, injured as he was, would be nothing but dangerous.

And considering how much life force he’d used, as Whistle put it, it would really be like killing him.

“In that case, I’ll have to go with Plan D.”

“……”

At the mention of Plan D, Whistle’s eyes darkened.

Plan E was one thing, but Plan D was also highly risky.

“Master. You might feel this hurts your pride, but wouldn’t it be better to just run?”

“Are you telling me to run away from the academy?”

“I think you and I could keep running, getting stronger until we’re ready. Wouldn’t that be better than staying here?”

At Whistle’s tentative suggestion, Luca stroked his chin.

“Honestly, running away until your power grows isn’t a bad option.”

“If that’s the case…!”

“Well, if all I cared about was your power.”

At Luca’s words, Whistle tilted her head.

“What does that mean?”

“Whistle. Your power is strong. But it’s not enough on its own.”

Whistle’s power at full growth was formidable, but it was not enough by itself.

“Whistle, do you think you could defeat the Demons with just your power?”

“If I recover all my power, then for sure……”

“Are you certain? Did your first master fight the Demons with only your power?”

Whistle stopped at Luca’s words.

She looked dumbfounded.

“My… first master…?”

“Yeah. If you’re truly such a great being, do you think your first master—who made a contract with you—was just an ordinary person? And why did that person make a contract with you?”

Luca continued, stroking his chin.

“There must have been Demons in the past as well. Maybe not under the same name, but there were organizations wielding the power of devils before too. And the people who tried to stop them needed your sky’s power.”

“……”

“I don’t know the exact situation, but whoever became your master then must’ve been incredibly strong—even without your power.”

Luca glanced at Whistle.

Whistle seemed lost in thought and said nothing.

“If I only become strong by relying on your power, it might not lead to good results. I need to cultivate my own strength too. And to do that, I have to stay at the academy.”

“… How strange. I feel like you know more about me than I do, master.”

After muttering that, Whistle summoned a cloud and perched atop it.

“You’re right. Master, you need to grow stronger. Strong enough you won’t even need my power.”

“Then can I leave the preparations for Plan D to you?”

“… Alright. I’ll get things ready.”

Srrrk.

Whistle vanished into the clouds.

“… Finally alone.”

Luca muttered to himself and pulled out his phone.

It felt like a long time since he’d last checked it, but unlike when he’d gotten that weirdo alchemist’s hint, nothing new had changed.

‘Weird. There should’ve been several things that changed.’

Luca made a curious face.

There had definitely been factors that could have changed things.

Things like Herote or the academy’s darkness.

‘Is that stuff not considered a hint?’

Thinking that, Luca was fiddling with his phone when he discovered something.

‘Wait. Connection lost…?’

A “Connection Lost” indicator that hadn’t been there before.

With a sinking feeling, Luca opened the hint fragments and search apps rather than the memos.

— Connection to XXX currently lost; unable to receive information.

— Please try again later.

“…?”

Luca muttered with a sour expression.

“Isn’t this supposed to be automatic…?”

It was supposed to be made by divine power, yet connection lost meant he couldn’t get any information. It left him cold.

‘Well, at least the information I already have is still there, but… strange. Aren’t these things supposed to be automatic systems?’

It was another mystery concerning the phone, but as he’d said to Whistle, if there was no solution for something that had already happened, the only thing to do was to move on.

‘I wish I could use search at a time like this. Too bad.’

Clicking his tongue, Luca put the phone away.

He lay back on his pillow.

‘I’m exhausted.’

So much had happened today.

Luca closed his eyes.

He immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Boom!

“… Damn it.”

What woke him was a massive explosion from somewhere.

* * *

“If only I do this well… Just this, and…!”

Latik was filled with madness.

He was installing bombs all over the academy.

“Too many students here…”

Perhaps some last shred of conscience remained: he was planting them in places with fewer people, but it was already well past the point of no return.

“The medium magic stone bomb was too powerful. I’ll use only small ones from now on.”

For impact, he’d used a medium magic stone bomb in the emptiest spot first, but the power was much greater than he’d expected.

Shocked, he’d since prepared only small magic stone bombs.

Those were still plenty strong, though.

“Plant the bombs, detonate them. If I just do that, I’ll be able to join the Kisen Magic Research Devision…!”

For a mage in the Hernan Empire, joining the Kisen Magic Research Devision was a great honor.

Huge support, high-level research equipment, and the freedom to pursue one’s own projects.

What mage wouldn’t want to go there?

“The academy is too small for my talent. I have to go somewhere bigger!”

Latik was a genius mage who’d become a teacher at the academy at a young age.

But his work there wasn’t what he’d expected.

There was little support, and he couldn’t even deal with students easily because they were all nobles.

— H-hey, can you guys try to focus in class…?

— Hah… Do I really need to focus in a D class?

— Just ignore him. He’s just a regular teacher anyway.

Most of all, too many people scorned him for being a lower-class teacher.

And he couldn’t become a higher-ranking teacher; too many teachers above him were much greater.

— Teacher Latik, was it? You do have talent, it’s a pity.

— If you listen to me, you could join my family.

— What house, you ask? Ha, you don’t know after seeing my eyes and hair?

That’s when Miros appeared.

His words were simply too sweet.

“Huh… Huhuhu… Just a little more and…”

Just as Latik fired up the detonator, dreaming of a rosy future, someone appeared in his view.

“Ah~ Too many people here!”

“Let’s go somewhere quieter. My feet hurt.”

“Looks like there’s no one there?”

“Let’s go.”

“!”

Students were heading to where he’d planted a bomb.

Panicking, Latik tried to cancel the detonation, but with the makeshift bombs he’d built, there was no such function.

“H-hey, kids! Over there!”

Latik tried desperately to stop them, but it was already too late.

Bang!

The bomb exploded, and the shockwave flung the students to the ground.

They’d been far from the epicenter, so they avoided fatal injuries, but it looked like they were still hurt pretty badly.

“Ah… ah…”

Flustered, Latik stood there blankly for a moment, then hung his head.

“… Ha. Hahaha!”

Suddenly, Latik burst out laughing and looked up.

Whether it was from tears or madness, his eyes glistened wetly.

“There’s no turning back now.”

Click!

Latik pressed the detonator again.

Suddenly, explosions erupted throughout the academy.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep