Chapter 72: Rewards and Punishments (1)

“Make way! Emergency patient coming through!”

When Matthias died, the distortion that had blanketed the forest began to gradually dissipate.

The tangled and twisted paths connected again, and those who had been unable to leave or enter the forest could now move freely.

The Imperial Army quickly began their search, sending troops to the nearest areas first to transport the wounded.

Even with a rough estimate, the number of those caught up in it—dead or injured—was easily in the hundreds.

And that number would only grow if one counted those still missing.

“Move! Move!”

The real problem was that this subjugation campaign had not been carried out solely by the Imperial Army.

The cadets from the Academy had also suffered significant casualties, making the situation even more troublesome.

“…Looks like we were on the lucky side.”

Maximilian, his entire body wrapped in bandages, looked at the scene with a heavy expression.

Thanks to Darius burning himself out to protect them, none of the cadets had sustained immediately life-threatening injuries.

Maximilian and Gale, who had taken the front line, had wounds bad enough to require a period of recovery, but that was the extent of it.

Considering the number of those monsters wandering in the forest had been said to be at least in the double digits, it was a miracle they hadn’t run into any.

“Carl’s still not out yet, is he?”

Yuria bit her lip.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the forest, scanning the faces of those being carried out one by one.

After Senior Carius arrived, the other seniors had gone into the forest to look for Carl.

She and the others had intended to go as well, but upon the arrival of the Knights, they had been led out of the forest first.

“It’ll take a bit. They say the magical beasts in the forest have gone berserk because of the distortion and the monsters.”

“…If it hadn’t been for Carl, we’d probably be…”

At Laysis’s words, everyone fell silent with solemn expressions.

The sudden appearance of that monster had been something they had no chance of resisting.

Just one had been that hard to handle—if both of the two that appeared had chased them, the number of survivors would have been in the single digits.

Carl had taken one away, acting as bait, allowing everyone else to make it out alive.

“Ah!”

At that moment, Amy, who like Yuria had been silently watching the forest, let out a cry.

All the cadets nearby turned their heads in unison and rose to their feet.

Ssshh.

Familiar figures emerged from beyond the forest’s edge.

Carius, the eldest of the Leipzig Family, and the second son, Darius.

Both were covered in wounds, but their steps were still steady.

‘…Haa.’

As Yuria studied the expressions of the two brothers, she spotted Carl being carried on a stretcher behind them and let out a sigh of relief.

“Carl!”

“Carl, are you okay?!”

The cadets hurried toward him, pushing their battered bodies to move faster.

Carius and Darius stepped aside slightly so the cadets could see their younger brother.

“…”

But the moment they saw Carl lying on the stretcher, they all froze and drew in sharp breaths.

“…This is…”

His entire body was covered in wounds.

It was as if he had been caught in the middle of a massive explosion—there wasn’t a single unscathed part.

His clothes were stained and stuck with dried blood, a clear testament to the crisis he had passed through to make it here.

“Carl, are you alright?”

Maximilian, standing closest, asked cautiously.

Carl, who had been staring blankly up at the sky from the stretcher, slowly turned his gaze toward the cadets.

“…Ah, sorry. I’ve been given an anesthetic. Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine. You’re the one we’re worried about. I heard you took a monster away with you.”

“It was unavoidable. If I hadn’t, we would all have been wiped out.”

“…”

That was why he had stepped forward.

Hearing Carl say he had risked his life on a gamble for their sake made everyone’s chests tighten.

Carl lifted his head slightly and gave them a small smile.

“I’m glad it seems to have ended well.”

“Carl…”

Amy, sitting in front of him, clutched his hand and sniffled.

Laysis, Lien, and Yuria looked much the same.

Clap.

From the side, Darius, who had been quietly watching, clapped his hands lightly and stepped forward.

“Alright, that’s enough for now. You can talk plenty later. You all need rest. Carl included.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Understood.”

As Carl was freed from the crowd of cadets and carried away on the stretcher, his eyes drifted toward the forest.

The Erendal Forest, shimmering faintly in violet, still exuded an unsettling air.

‘…It’ll be worth investigating later.’

If some unknown force had stepped into that place, it was almost certain there was something deeper inside the forest as well.

Carl committed that thought to memory and slowly closed his eyes.

The incident during the Erendal subjugation became a major topic within the Empire.

If it had been an accident during an Imperial Army training exercise, it might have been quietly buried—but this had been a joint operation involving several of the Empire’s most prestigious academies.

With cadets caught up and suffering losses, the Empire could not simply let it pass.

The Emperor himself had issued a direct order to uncover the full truth, fanning the flames.

As a result, the Empire’s elite were dispatched to conduct a thorough investigation of the Erendal Forest.

Meanwhile, Carl, having returned to Bayern, was hospitalized in the medical wing for intensive treatment.

The magic of the Erendal Forest was different from ordinary mana, so there was a possibility of contamination.

Bayern, unwilling to lose such exceptional cadets, provided top-level medical care, and one by one, everyone recovered without further issues.

“…”

Carl, taking the opportunity, rested completely.

Since enrolling in Bayern, he had barely stopped moving, so he decided to consider this period a well-earned break.

Of course, that didn’t mean he spent it idly.

What had happened in the Erendal Forest had given him a lot to think about.

The unidentified faction that had released the monsters into the forest.

Matthias had called himself a “Puppeteer.”

Did that mean he could knead and shape flesh into any form he wanted?

It was an ability rare even in Artenia.

‘It shouldn’t be hard to pinpoint.’

Owners of such rare abilities always had their names whispered in certain circles.

Tracing back from there would give him a rough idea of what kind of group stood behind it.

‘The other matter would be martial arts.’

It had been a long time since he had deliberately gone all out with martial arts.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art had, without a shred of doubt, shown overwhelming power.

He had reached the realm of 5 stars, and since mastery was not far off, it was only natural to aim for the next stage.

‘The Bright Heaven Divine Art showed far greater power than I had expected.’

The energy of the Bright Heaven Divine Art, fused with the Crystal of Frost, had proven unexpectedly effective.

Compared to Nerian during the entrance exam, he felt confident he could easily match him now.

This one had reached the wall of 3 stars.

He would soon reach 4 stars, so there was no need to be impatient.

And the Primordial Unity Divine Art…

‘Still a distant goal.’

While his achievements in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Bright Heaven Divine Art had deepened his overall martial prowess, he could not grasp the realm of 3 stars in the Primordial Unity Divine Art at all.

It felt as though it was flickering just before his eyes—yet at the same time, completely out of reach.

Since it was such an advanced martial art, there was nothing to do but accept it calmly.

“Hm, hm.”

As he sat with his eyes closed, lost in thought while savoring the freshness of the spring breeze, a soft humming reached his ears.

He had already sensed someone’s presence entering the hospital room.

It was neither a healer nor a cadet.

The footsteps were lighter than theirs.

Rustle.

That presence, now standing before his bed, carefully brushed his messy fringe into place.

Carl slowly opened his eyes, and standing before him was Luna—or rather…

“Queen, is it?”

At Carl’s instant recognition, Queen smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry. I came without saying anything because I was worried.”

She had heard what had happened in the Erendal Forest from Luna and the other operatives sent there.

Even if the wounds had been intentional, it was only natural to be concerned.

Her patience hadn’t been enough to wait until he fully recovered and returned to NOX.

So she had disguised herself as Luna to visit his hospital room.

For reference, the real Luna was hiding her presence in the dormitory, waiting.

“Your wounds have almost healed. I’m relieved.”

“I only delayed the recovery on purpose. It’s nothing serious. Won’t even leave a scar.”

“You did well. It’s not often you get a chance to rest like this.”

“Instead, it looks like you’re the one worn out.”

Carl lifted his hand and traced under Queen’s eyes.

The dark circles suggested she hadn’t slept properly for several days.

“There’s no problem with NOX. It’s just that I was worried about you, Master.”

“…Is that so.”

Carl gave a wry smile and lowered his hand.

But in that moment, Queen gently caught it and guided it to her cheek.

“Second has been troubled because of martial arts. She hit a wall and has been struggling, but I’ve been busy and the others have been out, so there’s been no one to help her.”

“It’s about time she hit that wall. I can take care of that when I get back.”

Carl gave a short nod.

Only the same martial arts could properly receive a martial art of that caliber.

Although Queen’s Silent Shadow Kill Technique was a top-tier martial art, the nature of an assassin’s techniques made direct confrontation a burden.

In that sense, it was impressive that Queen had trained with Second without holding back.

“And about the force that appeared in the Erendal Forest—I think we still need to investigate more. They seem to have been quite deeply involved inside the Empire, so I’ve been focusing there. I spotted several people whose movements were unnatural when the forest’s distortion happened.”

“They planted people like we did?”

“But of a different caliber. There are signs they’ve infiltrated the Knights or Imperial Army commanders. I’m not sure if they’re from the same faction, but they moved the moment the forest incident happened, so there must be some connection.”

“Since the Emperor must have ordered a thorough investigation, let’s leave the surface work to them.”

“Understood.”

Queen smiled again and nodded.

Still feeling the warmth of his hand on her cheek, she met Carl’s gaze and spoke softly.

“Still… I’m glad you returned safely.”

“I’m not so easy to take down.”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean I won’t worry.”

Queen closed her eyes, as though trying to engrave Carl’s warmth into her memory.

“…”

Then she opened them again and rose from her seat.

“I’ll go now. See you later.”

“…Alright.”

Carl nodded with an awkward expression.

In the Central Plains, he had met more than a few women.

But those had all been part of missions.

He had never truly given his heart or affection to any of them.

‘But NOX is different.’

He did not see NOX as a mere tool.

They were people he had to look after—family.

That was why Queen’s occasional gaze toward him felt embarrassing.

Perhaps even more than Carius or Darius, perhaps even more than the parents of Karl Leipzig, she looked at him with a deeper gaze.

‘…I’ll get used to it.’

It was a matter he would have to face eventually.

Carl left the answer to his future self and closed his eyes once more.

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