A dull ache pulsed through Yuuya's body.
He felt warmth spread through his limbs, a soft tingling sensation lingering in his muscles. Healing magic.
The scent of herbs and medicinal potions filled his nose. The faint murmur of voices drifted around him.
His eyelids felt like lead. Heavy. Difficult to lift. His thoughts were sluggish, like trying to wade through deep water.
But then—he heard it.
A voice. Familiar. Soft. But filled with emotion.
"…Yuuya?"
Slowly, painfully, he forced his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was a white ceiling. Then, his vision shifted, blurring before sharpening again.
A girl sat beside his bed, arms crossed, expression unreadable—but her hands were clenched against her sleeves.
Flora.
Next to her, Sena, her small hands folded anxiously on her lap. Her eyes were wide, filled with concern.
"You're finally awake," Flora said.
Her voice was steady. But Yuuya wasn't stupid. He noticed the way her fingers gripped her arm too tightly.
Yuuya blinked slowly. His throat felt dry. His body heavy.
"…Where?" His voice was rough.
"The infirmary," Sena answered softly. "You've been asleep for an entire day."
A full day?
His mind tried to replay what happened. The dungeon. The Minotaur Tyrant. The battle. The fire burning through his veins. The pain.
Then nothing.
"You pushed yourself too far," Flora continued. "The healers stabilized you, but you were completely drained. You need rest."
Yuuya tried to push himself up—
Sharp pain.
His entire body protested violently.
Before he could even process it, Flora's hand was on his chest, shoving him back down.
"Don't even think about it," she snapped.
Yuuya stared at her.
Flora's golden eyes burned too intensely.
"Just this once, Yuuya," she murmured, her grip tightening. "Listen to me."
Yuuya exhaled, letting himself sink into the pillow.
Fine.
Meanwhile outside the infirmary, the academy was chaos.
The students had seen it.
The Minotaur Tyrant's corpse had been dragged through the main gates, its massive, bloody body leaving streaks across the cobblestone. It was bigger than any monster they had ever seen up close.
And the ones who brought it back?
Three students.
"Did you hear? It was Leonhardt and two first-years!"
"Leonhardt must've been the one who killed it, right? There's no way a first-year could take down an A-rank."
"Even surviving against an A-rank is insane!"
"No, no—think about it. What if it was the first-years the one who kill it! "
"You mean that commoner? No way."
Despite the growing respect, Yuuya's role was unclear to most of them.
Some whispered that Leonhardt must have landed the final blow, while others argued that Yuuya had done something unnatural.
At the faculty office, the tension was even worse.
A group of senior instructors stood gathered, their faces dark.
"This shouldn't have been possible," one of them murmured.
"The dungeon's structure changed. We need to send an investigation team immediately."
"An A-rank monster inside a beginner dungeon? This has never happened in the academy's history."
"And the Headmaster? What does he say?"
Silence.
No one had an answer.
Whatever had happened in that dungeon wasn't just a random event.
And the academy was no longer a safe, controlled environment.
The infirmary was silent when Yuuya stirred awake again.
He felt the lingering warmth of healing magic against his skin, but his body was still weighed down with exhaustion.
And then—
He sensed it.
A presence. Powerful. Controlled.
At the foot of his bed, a figure stood perfectly still, exuding an aura of quiet authority.
Eltharion Vaelith.
The Headmaster's eyes, piercing and sharp, studied Yuuya with an expression that revealed nothing.
"You've caused quite the commotion," Eltharion said lightly. "The entire academy is talking about you three."
Yuuya, still groggy, said nothing. He knew Eltharion wasn't here just for small talk.
The Headmaster's smile faded.
His next words came in a low, serious tone.
"Tell me, Yuuya," he murmured. "What did you feel inside that dungeon?"
Yuuya's frown deepened.
His mind flashed back—
The suffocating pressure.
The wrongness in the air.
The Minotaur's rage-filled roar.
"The mana was… wrong," he muttered. "It wasn't normal. It felt like the dungeon was changing—like something was awakening."
Eltharion exhaled softly.
"So, you noticed it too. I thought it was nothing big."
A tense silence settled between them before the elf spoke again.
"That Minotaur Tyrant should not have been there. Something altered the dungeon, allowing a higher-level monster to manifest. That is… unnatural."
Yuuya's eyes narrowed. "Then that means…?"
Eltharion's gaze darkened.
"Someone is interfering with the academy."
A chill ran down Yuuya's spine.
Eltharion's focus shifted, and for the first time, his voice held a hint of… something else. Regret.
"From the wounds on the Minotaur…" He paused, studying Yuuya's battered form. "You were the one who defeated it, weren't you?"
Yuuya instinctively wanted to deny it.
But when he met Eltharion's gaze—one filled with certainty—he exhaled and nodded.
Eltharion did something unexpected.
He bowed his head slightly.
"…I owe you an apology."
Yuuya blinked. An apology? From the Headmaster?
Eltharion's voice was calm, but there was something heavy behind it.
"I sent you into that dungeon without knowing what was waiting for you," he admitted. "Had I known… I never would have allowed it."
Yuuya stared.
Eltharion wasn't the type to make careless decisions. But this time, he had.
"You were forced into a battle you should have never had to fight," Eltharion continued. "Yet you still faced it. And you survived."
His eyes softened just slightly.
"Thank you, Yuuya," he said, his voice sincere. "Because of your actions, two students were saved… and the Minotaur was stopped before it could escape the dungeon and wreak havoc elsewhere." Yuuya tensed.
He wasn't used to being thanked. Not like this.
Eltharion straightened, his composed demeanour returning.
"But this isn't over," he warned. "The academy will investigate, and until then…" His eyes flickered with something unreadable.
"Be cautious."
With that, he turned and left, his presence fading like a shadow.
Yuuya exhaled.
Something bigger was happening.
And this was just the beginning.
A few days passed.
The soft glow of morning sunlight seeped through the infirmary windows, casting long golden rays across the quiet room. The rhythmic crackling of torches on the wall, mixed with the faint scent of healing herbs, gave the space an oddly peaceful atmosphere—one that sharply contrasted with the ache in Leonhardt's entire body.
With a pained groan, he stretched his arms above his head, feeling his joints pop in protest. Every muscle screamed in exhaustion.
"Hah… I feel like I got trampled by a dragon."
His voice was hoarse, but light-hearted. A joke to break the lingering tension.
But across from him, Christina wasn't laughing.
She sat stiffly in her bed, her gaze locked on the white sheets beneath her fingers. Her entire posture was rigid—unnaturally still.
Leonhardt frowned.
"Christina?"
No response.
Her hands were clenched into fists, knuckles turning pale from the sheer force of her grip. The bedsheets beneath her fingers were crumpled, twisted.
Leonhardt sighed. He already knew what was going through her mind.
"You're still thinking about it, huh?"
Finally, Christina spoke.
Her voice was low. Tense.
"I froze."
The words were harsh. Bitter.
Leonhardt exhaled through his nose, leaning back against the pillow.
Yeah. He knew.
The sheer terror they had felt in that dungeon.
The overwhelming weight of the Minotaur's presence—its suffocating bloodlust, its monstrous pressure. It had made their bodies lock up, made their instincts scream for them to run. It was a feeling that no amount of training could prepare them for.
"Fear is normal, Christina," he said, keeping his tone even. "That wasn't just any monster. Its aura alone was enough to break warriors stronger than us."
Christina gritted her teeth.
"But Yuuya moved."
Leonhardt smirked. "Yuuya's not exactly normal, you know."
Christina snapped her gaze up. Her crimson eyes burned with frustration.
"That's not the point." Her voice was sharp, strained. "It doesn't matter if Yuuya's special or not. I'm supposed to be strong too. I trained my whole life to be a knight, to face danger head-on."
Her hands trembled.
"And yet, when it really mattered—I couldn't move."
Her grip on the sheets tightened until the fabric threatened to tear.
Leonhardt observed her carefully. Then, after a moment, he sighed.
"Let me tell you something," he said, his voice quieter.
Christina looked up; brows furrowed.
Leonhardt rested his head back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling.
"Do you know the first time I felt fear in battle?" he asked.
Christina hesitated.
Leonhardt let out a dry chuckle.
He stared at the ceiling, lips twitching in amusement. "It was during my first real duel with my father. He's His Majesty's Sword, one of the strongest warriors alive. I thought I was ready."
"But when I stood in front of him, blade in hand… I couldn't even lift my sword."
Christina's eyes widened slightly.
He let out a quiet laugh. "I barely lasted ten seconds."
Leonhardt smirked faintly. "Fear isn't about strength, Christina. It's about what your mind accepts as reality. Back then, I thought I had no chance of winning. That belief alone froze me."
He turned his gaze back to her.
"And that's what happened to you in that dungeon."
Christina bit her lip.
"You saw something so overwhelming that your mind believed you couldn't do anything. But that doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you experienced something you weren't ready for—yet."
Christina swallowed. "…And what if it happens again?"
Leonhardt's smirk widened.
"Then use this as fuel."
Christina's gaze lifted.
"You're already strong," Leonhardt said. "But strength isn't just in the body. It's in the mind. And next time, you won't freeze."
For a long moment, Christina said nothing.
Then, she exhaled slowly.
Her fingers loosened from the sheets, and the tension in her shoulders eased.
"…Next time," she echoed quietly.
Leonhardt grinned. "That's more like it."
Across the room, Yuuya listened in silence.
He hadn't spoken since waking up that morning. He simply lay there, eyes half-lidded, listening to their conversation.
(I'm glad they're doing fine. They both got stronger because of this fight. And so did I.)
But deep inside, he knew—
This was only the beginning.
Then, the door creaked open.
Both turned to see a familiar figure step inside.
Flora.
Her golden eyes swept over them—relieved, but stern.
"You two are finally awake." Her voice was even, but her posture betrayed her emotions. She had been worried.
Leonhardt smirked. "What, did you miss us?"
Flora sighed. "More like I wanted to make sure you weren't dumb enough to try walking out of here already."
Leonhardt raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I get it. We'll rest."
Christina, still quiet, glanced at Flora. "...How's Yuuya?"
Flora hesitated. Then, she stepped further inside.
"He woke up few days ago," she said softly. "He's... fine. But tired."
She crossed her arms. "And if I have to sit on him to keep him from getting up, I will."
Leonhardt laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like him."
Flora's expression softened slightly.