I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 146

146. Snow in Midsummer (3)

“Alright, it’s done.”

“…Thank you.”

The treatment was over in an instant. Isis wiped her sweat and raised her head. Marianne looked down at her healed body and then looked up again. She still seemed unsure of how to interact with the saint. Isis did not initiate a conversation after seeing Marianne’s expression.

“Is Daphne okay? If you want, I can cast a spell on her.”

“No… She should be fine with some rest and not using magic for a while. It’s just simple mana exhaustion.”

“Still, just in case. Excuse me for a moment.”

Isis gently took Daphne’s hand and closed her eyes. After a golden aura brushed past, Isis let go of her hand and nodded with a smile.

“As you said, there’s no major issue. She’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t overuse magic.”

Daphne glanced at me. Her violet eyes pierced me sharply. At the same time, Isis and Marianne’s gazes turned to me.

“Thank you. And… I’m sorry, but could you please treat that person as well?”

“But I’m fine.”

Of course, my words were completely ignored as if it were obvious. Isis pulled up another chair in front of me and sat down. Her golden hair, once glossy, now looked dull. Her eyes were hollow with fatigue, and her clothes were no different from any other medical soldier. Having abandoned her saintly attire, Isis looked more like a saint than ever before.

“What about the others…?”

“I treated them all before coming here. I even went to see Georg on the upper floor, so it’s better for you to trust me and let me take care of you.”

Isis reached out her hand… no, rather, her grip, which seemed more appropriate, and grabbed my shoulder. Despite being a saint, someone seemingly unrelated to combat, her grip was much stronger than I had expected. Well, having experienced two battles against the Calamity, even as medical support, being strong was not surprising.

“Don’t roll your eyes, look at me. And don’t try to secretly pull up your mana.”

“You’re harsh. It’s not like you’re interrogating me or anything.”

Was that something she had in common with Bishop Andre? Isis grabbed both of my cheeks, immobilizing me, and slowly released her divine magic. The process felt smooth and comfortable.

“Just accept it. I can feel it if you’re subtly leaking mana.”

I had no choice. I couldn’t resist Isis’s determined gaze and voice, so I relaxed my strength. The fragrance spread slowly and gently. A mist-like golden divine magic entered my body, from my head to my neck, shoulders, and every extremity. And then, as Isis scanned my body, her face suddenly stiffened. She looked up at me with her blue eyes, as if asking:

‘What on earth happened to you?’

Instead of answering with my eyes, I smiled and said:

“See? I’m fine, right?”

Along with a silent plea to not push the issue any further.

“…Yes. It seems so. It doesn’t look like you need any treatment.”

Isis seemed to be trying her best not to show her emotions. I wondered if she knew that her pupils were trembling as she blinked and tried to adjust her expression.

“I’m not sure if it’s okay for you to be this fine when everyone else is so injured.”

“I didn’t participate in the battle from the beginning. It’s possible for me to be unharmed.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said this, but Isis’s expression did not match our light conversation. She forced a smile-like expression by moving her tight lips.

“Still, be careful. There’s no guarantee that you’ll remain so strong forever.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that final nag, the saint’s expression returned to her usual firm yet gentle demeanor. Catching a glimpse of Isis and Daphne’s faces, some doubt remained, but a hint of relief seemed to have arrived. Isis let go of my cheek and stood up from her seat.

“Shall we go for a walk for a moment? I have a message that the Holy Kingdom asked me to convey to you urgently.”

At the entrance of the room, Isis looked back at me. Her blue gaze wasn’t trying to confine me. It was like the eyes of someone helplessly watching an inevitable flow, like a flowing stream. Before her expression could be read and exposed, she quickly turned her head and opened the door.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

Leaving Daphne and Marianne behind, I followed Isis out of the room.

*Plop.* The snow let out a soft sound as it compressed underfoot. It wasn’t falling too rapidly. The rate of accumulation and the speed of clearing the snow were steady. I looked at the stride of Isis, who was trying her best to walk side by side with me. She was silent. I deliberately looked straight ahead and walked without paying attention to her.

It was when we passed the headquarters of the hero party and entered an alley where all the shops had closed their doors. Under the long shadows cast by the eaves, Isis opened her mouth.

“What do you want me to say?”

*Stop.*

My steps halted. Two steps ahead. I looked back at her. Isis’ transparent eyes resembled snow. Piled up, they resembled the transparently shining snow that reflected the sky.

“Is the treatment impossible?”

“Are you asking knowing where the problem lies and how?”

As I didn’t say anything, Isis let out a big sigh. Her interlocked fingers tapped her arm. The slight displeasure that couldn’t be hidden was evident on the corner of her mouth. We exchanged covert glances. Like the accumulating snow, my gaze and Isis’ gaze shifted and piled up.

“The heart has been torn apart, literally. Like paper. Tattered and torn. I don’t even understand how you’re alive. There’s a massive concentration of magical power forcibly holding the heart together, but…”

Isis trailed off and lowered her head. It seemed like something she didn’t want to say.

“That magical power is keeping you alive by holding your heart together, but because of that power, I can’t treat you. The magic is too strong for the Holy Arts to interfere with.”

There’s no way to treat it. Even now, I could feel the fake heart pounding in my left chest. As I subtly furrowed my brow, Isis stepped forward.

“It must feel like being pricked by dozens of needles every time your heart beats. How can you be so calm? It must be incredibly painful right now…”

“How long can I endure?”

Isis bit her lip.

“…If you don’t overexert yourself, until the magic runs out. If you ignore the pain, you could live like a normal person until you die of old age.”

“What if I push myself?”

“Your heart would be torn to shreds and you’d die, of course. Why ask when you should know best?”

Isis spoke irritably. She took another step and stood beside me. The eaves protected us from the snow, but the accumulated snow on our bodies melted, soaking our clothes.

“But you’ll push yourself anyway. No matter what I say. And to begin with, I don’t have the right or the reason to preach to you. A hero is such an existence in the first place. A being that lives for the sake of the world.”

Her words stung. Isis turned her head and looked outside, where the sunlight filtered through.

“No one will care how a hero dies.”

“Death, and the way it happens, are part of life. If I suddenly collapse and die on the street, everyone will point their fingers at me.”

Aisis clenched her mouth uncomfortably at my words.

“The saint is the same, isn’t she? She has to live for the world.”

“Don’t change the subject. We’re talking about your body right now.”

Death did not feel close. Therefore, death did not feel near either. Heartbeats were pain, pain was life, and life itself. I clutched my chest.

“Retire. You must have saved enough money to be sick of it. Build a villa in the warm southern lands and live there, stroking a cat on a rocking chair.”

“I’ll go to the north if I retire. I hate the south because there are too many people.”

“You must be kidding.”

There were unspoken words. A hero must not give up, but I must. Life and time piled up like falling snow, making it impossible to know what the ground was like originally. Was it something that started to live or to save lives? They are not snow, so they do not melt. I want to separate them, but they have already become one and cannot be separated.

“You looked in pain.”

“What?”

“When you started meditating to find a way.”

There was silence for a while. Aisis and I just stared at the changing light, dumbfounded.

“I hope you don’t die.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope you come back safe and sound, even after saving the world.”

A hero can be prioritized over a soldier, and a soldier can be prioritized over the world by someone. I must not be prioritized over the world in any situation or by anyone.

“I have to go. I couldn’t spare much time.”

“I’ll visit the holy kingdom once. I have to greet the bishop and the pope.”

Aisis nodded her head and walked out of the shade. I stood still under the shade for a while even after Aisis disappeared.

“[I’m sorry.]”

Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Holy Sword. My mouth was parched. The Holy Sword was not at fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for not fully achieving the third opening.

“I’m sorry too.”

“[It’s hard to read your thoughts completely.]”

At the Holy Sword’s words, I blinked my eyes.

“[I didn’t expect that, but now that it has happened, anxiety comes first.]”

“Is it because I’m dying?”

“[Maybe.]”

I laughed and lifted my foot. Looking at Aisis’s footsteps, I started walking in the opposite direction.

—

One afternoon, when Marianne and Daphne were out, I walked down to the first-floor lobby upon hearing a knock. After just one knock, I hesitantly opened the door.

“Hello, Professor.”

And reflexively, I closed the door. After a brief moment of silence, I heard patient knocking on the door. Slowly, I turned the doorknob. Beyond the door that opened again, the girl with black hair was still standing. The traces of the monster had disappeared, and now she was just in the form of a person named Natalie.

“…What brings you here?”

“I don’t think it’s that strange for a student to visit their teacher’s home.”

Natalie shamelessly replied. Outside the door, the snow of summer was melting. The time of daydreaming was ending. Shaking off the snow stuck to her boots onto the carpet, Natalie entered the house.

“It’s spacious.”

“It’s nice to have you visit, but could you at least call in advance next time?”

The academy was still closed. It had to be properly restored before the academy could reopen. Three students died in this war. Their deaths implanted three more swords in me. Even looking at Natalie’s face was a little difficult. I didn’t know what Natalie was thinking.

“Are you doing well? You entrusted yourself to Grayson’s family, Eugene’s clan, right?”

“Yes. I went after hearing that they would guarantee everything. I didn’t know enough to do anything on my own.”

Eugene and Kora didn’t die. Although Kora’s wounds were deep, she gradually recovered. Natalie was pardoned due to her achievements in the war. Having gained her freedom, Natalie decided to live.

From noble mtl dot com

“I’m trying to learn and live, one step at a time.”

“That’s a good idea.”

On the second floor, in the kitchen, I seated Natalie at the dining table and prepared tea. Curious about something, Natalie continuously followed me in and out of the kitchen.

“Is there something you want to ask?”

Natalie tightly held her teacup and stared at me intently.

“There’s something bothering me.”

I urged her to speak, nodding my chin.

“I can smell a scent similar to mine.”

“What do you mean?”

Natalie took a sip of tea, closed her eyes, and opened them.

“It’s you, Professor.”