DLRV 23

As I blankly stared at Xenon, he furrowed his brows.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“No.”

“…Hearing such a firm answer kind of hurts, you know.”

Grumbling, though his face showed no sign of actually being hurt, Xenon pulled out some items. As I glanced at what he was laying out, I saw bandages and medicine bottles.

“I gathered some information while you were out. From what I heard, the ‘Resurrected’ threw themselves into battle again to protect a poor rural village and ended up getting kidnapped by monsters. They say there were traces of blood left behind, but the pursuit ultimately failed, and your whereabouts remain unknown.”

So that’s how the rumors spread this time?

“Rumors always get exaggerated, but just in case, I bought these.”

Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, Xenon began explaining each medicine bottle he had laid out. After rambling for a while, he suddenly looked at me, as if finding my quiet demeanor odd.

“Did you injure your head, by any chance?”

“…Do you want so badly to make me unwell?”

Thanks to Xenon’s nonsense, my thoughts cleared a little. I glanced over the items he had laid out and picked out a few that were effective for bruises and cuts.

At least Xenon’s fussing reminded me of the pain I had been ignoring. My recovery ability was exceptional, but I had been on the run on Nadav’s back without proper rest. I needed to tend to my wounds while I had the chance.

“This will do.”

“So you really were hurt?”

“It didn’t stop me from running away.”

It still hurts, but once I reach a safe place and get some rest, it should be fine. But… was there even a safe place for me?

“Did you get stabbed or something?”

“Not a blade. An arrow.”

I replied indifferently as I rolled up my sleeve. The wound had split open nastily, with dried blood crusting over it. At least it hadn’t started bleeding again.

“You didn’t mention it was this bad!”

“It’s not bad. I fell off a horse, and this is all I got. I should be grateful.”

If I were an ordinary person, my neck would have snapped on impact, killing me instantly. This fall made me realize that not only did the gods grant me enhanced recovery, but also incredibly sturdy bones. I supposed I should be thankful.

“A horse? A galloping horse?”

“If you have the energy to make a fuss, then help me with this.”

I gestured toward the bandages with my chin as I opened a medicine bottle, ready to pour it directly onto the wound. But Xenon sighed and snatched the bottle from my hand.

“This stuff is expensive, you know.”

“I’ll pay for it.”

“Who said I wanted money? You have a bad habit of thinking everything can be solved with money. Do you think everyone in the world is after gold coins?”

Xenon’s gruff remark reminded me of Heinley’s words again.

That he just wanted to see my face.

For that, he had shown kindness, as if such a trivial act held immense value. As if I were someone of great importance to him.

Even now, after witnessing his sincerity, I still couldn’t understand it. Staring at the book resting quietly on my lap, I suddenly spoke.

“Then?”

“Huh?”

“What’s more certain than money? Promotion? A title? Land? Power?”

Xenon, who had been dabbing my wound with medicine-soaked cotton, looked at me in disbelief. Since he was leaning forward to tend to my injury, our faces were quite close.

Whatever he saw in my expression made him sigh deeply and set the medicine bottle aside.

“Sometimes, just a simple thank-you is worth more than all of that.”

I had been willing to accept most explanations, but Xenon’s answer was truly absurd.

Such an easygoing, naïve response.

As expected, mages who shut themselves away in towers knew nothing about the real world.

Feeling the flicker of anticipation I had toward his answer turn into disappointment, I listlessly extended my arm.

“Forget it. Just finish treating me. I need to leave by midnight.”

The reason I specifically asked for a room on the fifth floor of this inn was because it was a convenient place for people who wanted to slip out of the city unnoticed.

Requesting a fifth-floor room was equivalent to saying, Find me a carriage that can evade pursuit within 24 hours.

Knock, knock.

“Guest? This is the staff in charge of the fifth floor.”

Right on cue, a voice accompanied by a knock came from outside.

“Report.”

“Your order has been confirmed. When would you like it arranged?”

“Midnight.”

Raising my voice so I could be heard clearly, I received a brief acknowledgment before the staff left. Xenon, who had been glancing between me and the closed door, blinked with a blank expression.

Ugh, how could someone be this slow on the uptake? Clicking my tongue, I extended my arm once more. Finally understanding the situation, Xenon let out a small laugh before picking up the medicine again.

Hmm. Samuel was probably better at treating wounds, but Xenon wasn’t terrible either.

***

—Hey, you brat! Where the hell have you been running around without a word?!

“Sorry. I was a bit busy.”

—I don’t care where you go rolling around, but what did poor Nesi do to deserve getting dragged along with you?!

“Aren’t you worried about me, your own student, at all?”

― Be quiet! Hurry up and let me see Nesi! Do you know how much Gamon has been worrying about Nesi?

Even though the transmission crystal filtered it, the master’s voice was still deafeningly loud. Xenon shook his head while covering his ears.

“Nesi.”

With a deep sigh, Xenon called out to Nesi, who had been resting nearby. Nesi, who had been maturely waiting for his turn, quickly approached the transmission crystal.

Inside the round crystal, the blurred image of the person on the other side was visible. Nesi whimpered. Gamon, on the other end, also let out a sorrowful cry.

After rubbing his nose against the transmission crystal and whimpering for a while, Nesi finally stepped back. Gamon also moved aside, and soon, the white-haired old man reappeared in the transmission.

― If you had been even one day later, Gamon would have run off to find Nesi himself.

Every time, it’s the same thing—his master always exaggerated everything. Just because their scheduled communication was delayed by a few days…

Seeing Xenon’s indifferent expression, as if he wasn’t paying attention to a word being said, his master suddenly raised his voice in frustration.

― No matter how many times I tell you to listen carefully! Do you still not understand your position? I’ve told you countless times that you cannot afford to give anyone even the slightest excuse to find fault with you!

“I understand very well. That’s why I’m following this tedious trial training to the letter.”

Besides, his contact schedule was already exemplary. Even at Xenon’s rebuttal, his master’s expression did not soften at all.

― Tsk.

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, the master frowned. This wasn’t the first time Xenon acted so nonchalant, yet the old man never tired of scolding him.

― Speaking of which, it would be best to end your training now.

“What?”

Xenon looked puzzled. It was his master who had initially insisted that no matter what happened, he had to complete the training properly.

Yet now, he was suddenly telling him to end it early? Knowing his master’s personality, he wouldn’t say something like that without reason.

― The world is too noisy right now. You must have heard about the Resurrectionist while traveling. Monsters keep attacking the Resurrectionist, so it seems like something is truly about to happen.

No, that’s a huge misunderstanding. The Resurrectionist really likes monsters. She even keeps monsters that imitate animals as subordinates. I stay quiet because I assume they’ve tricked my eyes somehow, but every day, I feel nervous.

Unable to reveal the truth, Xenon kept his lips tightly sealed. Meanwhile, his master continued speaking with concern.

― There’s even talk in the Magic Tower about entering a lockdown period. Those who were dispatched outside are returning one by one. You should come back before you get caught up in something unnecessary.

The Magic Tower’s lockdown period was exactly what it sounded like—a time when the tower would shut its doors and cut off contact with the outside world.

They could come up with dozens of plausible reasons for the lockdown, but ultimately, it was always for the same purpose: they didn’t want to get involved in whatever was happening on the continent.

In other words, in this case, the Magic Tower didn’t want to get involved in the Resurrectionist’s affairs.

What to do? If the concern was about getting entangled with the Resurrectionist, then it was already too late. Xenon awkwardly smiled and averted his gaze.

“There’s not much time left anyway, so I’ll finish what I started.”

― Ugh, you stubborn fool. And with your magic sealed, no less! If you get caught up in something dangerous and die, do you think the gods will resurrect you too?

“If they did, I’d be grateful.”

Though I’m not exactly a believer.

At that moment, Xenon thought of someone.

― You insane brat!

“Still, since there’s a possibility of danger, you should at least approve the release of my magic seal in advance.”

― If it’s dangerous enough to need the seal removed, then just come back!

Hearing the husky voice, Xenon frowned in displeasure.

“You were the one who kicked me out in the first place, and now you keep telling me to come back? I’m finishing the full term.”

― You never listen to a damn thing properly!

His master was just as stubborn as he was.

“And I’ve been telling you properly. Your one and only disciple will be waiting for his magic seal release approval. I’m busy, so I’m hanging up now.”

Annelie, who had stepped out for a moment, would be back soon. Xenon decisively ended the conversation. His master, looking dumbfounded, hurriedly raised his voice.

― Hey, you brat! At least tell me where you are—!

Before his master could finish speaking, the transmission was cut off. Nesi, who had been watching quietly, turned his head with a bored expression.

…For a moment, I felt like there was disappointment in that glance. Am I imagining things?

Xenon smacked his lips and looked at Nesi.

“You don’t even realize how hard your owner is working to earn money for your food, do you?”

Nesi pretended not to understand, neatly folding his front paws and resting his head on them with his eyes closed.

That bastard definitely understood me. Insolent little thing.

Xenon sighed.