81 – 81. Witnessing
Sit down.
Sit down dazedly and gaze into the void.
When Leon Roderdale arrived at the training ground, that was the sight he showed me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
It was the weekend, but there were quite a few students from the Swordsmanship Department at the Academy training grounds.
Some students were competing against each other, while others were receiving guidance from their seniors.
However, none of them looked at Leon strangely. It must mean that they had already witnessed Leon’s behavior several times.
Amidst the indifferent reactions, Leon just sat there.
He would occasionally stretch his legs uncomfortably and adjust his posture, and when our eyes met, he would smirk and glare at me.
“Will you keep your promise?”
“……”
At that moment, Professor Brennen from the Swordsmanship Department, who had come without being called, sighed beside me.
“He does this every day. Without fail.”
Professor Brennen. In the original work, he played the role of a collaborator who actively helped the protagonist and his group. I decided to pretend to be asleep because I wanted to hear what he had to say.
“Leon just sits there absentmindedly throughout the lecture. And… only after work is done, he comes to the training grounds alone and repeats that behavior. He sits like that, and only starts swinging his sword around when it’s around dinner time. Until past midnight, continuously.”
And then, when the sun rises, he goes back to his absentminded state.
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“His skills themselves… yes, they’re outstanding. He can even win against our top student. Well, to be precise, he has won against our friend who returned to being the top student after becoming like this. But there are times when he is powerless against junior students with lower abilities.”
“It doesn’t just mean that he’s emotionally unstable, does it?”
“It’s uncontrollable, Leon is… impossible.”
The medication I give Leon at my company is twice a day.
It seemed like he would swallow one dose as soon as the sun sets and start training. Judging from what he said to me earlier, I could guess that he believed he could receive more medication for free if he accumulated more skills.
He would probably swing his sword in his intoxicated state in his own world for hours, and when the effects of the medication wore off after a few hours, he would swallow the remaining dose.
“He’s been repeating that for over three months, huh.”
He wasn’t entirely sure.
Leon could discern what type of dru*g user he was.
He didn’t seem like a dependent addict who had no choice but to take dru*gs to sustain his life when he didn’t have any. He mentioned that he managed to go about his daily life, attending lectures and taking exams, just feeling spaced out.
However, because the feeling when he took dru*gs was so good, it was more like he was craving for it, struggling to find meaning in life when he wasn’t under its influence.
It wasn’t easy for this type of person to quit dru*gs. In some ways, it was even harder.
The problem then became his future. If he left him to the system, it was obvious that he would come looking for dru*gs, even going to the Thames Palace to get them. So, it might be better to…
“Allen.”
Professor Brennan’s familiar voice could be heard.
“Why did you call me?”
“I know you’re someone who aims high, but since I once taught you, I’ll speak comfortably. Is that alright?”
“Of course.”
“…I’ve heard rumors that you have connections in the military. They say that the most outstanding magician on the continent, an elf equivalent to Madeline’s Grand Elder, died after getting drunk and being stabbed.”
“…”
Professor Brennan, who seemed determined to say something while keeping an eye on me.
It was understandable that he felt bitter when he saw his promising disciple behaving like this.
It wasn’t me who introduced Leon to dru*gs, but rather Anais’ health syrup. And what Leon is currently taking is not heroin, but morphine and ephedrine, but I didn’t mention that. It’s clear that I started this situation.
At that moment, Leon suddenly stood up.
“You guys are just op*ium addicts, aren’t you?”
Saying that, he smoothly drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance. However, there was no one in front of him. Professor Brennan’s expression became even more gloomy.
“Of course, the elves were our enemies… No, that’s not what I’m trying to say. I’m just wondering if it was necessary to give heroin even to someone as precious as Leon. Is that mumbling and drowsiness he always has the result of that heroin? Is it called heroin when you mix it with something?”
“That’s not it.”
“If it’s not heroin, there’s no way a person can end up like that!”
“….”
“Even… there are people who say that Siena deliberately caused Anais to fall because Leon is close to her. I think it’s a conspiracy theory, but there must be some reason for such talk. Don’t listen to it unpleasantly.”
Among the professors, such rumors were circulating.
It sounded plausible. Especially when considering the image of Siena, who is nominally my lord.
Professor Brennan seemed to consider his own words disrespectful after spitting them out, and he glanced at me, but I had no intention of retaliating. I did have the intention of asking Leon to take care of him, though.
“Allan. No, Allan Kyung. My intention is…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t give up, Professor.”
“…Thank you.”
Even at this point, Leon was still in confrontation with someone.
“It’s difficult to keep him at the academy anyway.”
In that case, it would be better to induce him to drop out and then place him in an area where there is a high possibility of the appearance of devil worshippers.
The devil worshippers were not a group that revealed their existence and acted openly.
However, if things go as planned, they will start their activities in Lepstow, a city in the eastern part of the Empire, as soon as the academy’s winter vacation begins. There is no guarantee that things will go as planned, but it’s better to have insurance just in case.
Even if it doesn’t help, it doesn’t matter.
“At least it’s better than leaving him in the system.”
With that in mind, I simply left the training ground.
Unless something unexpected happens, I won’t see Leon again.
I didn’t feel any sense of crisis. Although I lost one genius, the Empire remained strong. Having preserved its national power while avoiding war with the elves, it should be able to deal with future events a little more smoothly. I also had the intention of supporting my own safety.
Let’s send it far away and forget it completely.
That was my decision.
…
However, things took an unexpected turn sooner than I thought.
After being forced to listen and having a formal meeting with the academy president who treated me to tea, I tried to leave the academy.
“Allen Kyeong-!!”
Professor Brennan came running towards me as if he had gone mad, grabbing hold of me.
Eyes filled with anger, a face contorted as if it had seen something unbearable.
When I asked why he was acting like that, instead of answering, he pointed towards the training facility.
“You’ll understand when you see it, just look!”
Once again, I was forcibly dragged back to the training facility.
Upon arrival, I had to admit that Professor No’s fuss was not unfounded.
The training facility, which was empty just a moment ago, was now bustling with people.
Not only were there students from the Department of Swordsmanship, but also others who were suspected to be professors and staff, all staring at the same place with astonishment on their faces.
There were at least several hundred of them, if not more.
The only person they were all looking at was Leon Loaderdale.
“It’s not a lie. Why can’t you believe me, why.”
With his eyes wide open, he was interrogating an unsuspecting student.
However, there was no one mocking.
It was because of the clear aura emanating from the sword in his hand.
Restlessly shimmering, yet distinctly crystallized in white aura that could be discerned even with the naked eye.
There was only one meaning in that.
“Sigh.”
Leon had not lied.
**
An uncomfortable stillness flowed through the room.
Under normal circumstances, the entire academy should have been engulfed in a festive atmosphere.
The word “festival” might not be enough. It was the moment when a genius entered the realm of a master during his academic years. The professors of the swordsmanship department were expected to receive unanimous honors, and there was even the anticipation of substantial educational support funds.
However, the expressions of those watching Leon were not entirely bright.
“Is it real…? It’s just spreading.”
“I’ve said it several times. Did you see him wielding the OraBlade just now? Alan demanded to bring him in quickly; he was about to go wild, but the professors stopped him, and he barely restrained himself.”
“How can someone do this before graduation… How old was Vice Commander Grant again?”
“But why is the atmosphere like this?”
Only occasional murmurs like this were heard.
‘In situations like this, they usually cover it up and enjoy it.’
They seemed to be more frightened because they knew Leon well.
In the first year, he was the student who laid the groundwork; in the second year, he suddenly revealed his genius, and now he is a confused addict seeking enlightenment.
Everyone seemed to know that it wasn’t a situation to simply congratulate the protagonist who had reached the realm of the extraordinary.
Honestly… I was taken aback too.
‘I thought it was a lie to get medicine.’
I can’t believe it, but what I just witnessed didn’t lead anywhere.
A stereotyped aura, sobbing while denying, then a resolute aura again, saying no while looking at me.
After repeating that, Leon, who eventually collapsed from exhaustion, was now lying down with a very satisfied expression.
Now, whether Leon liked it or not, he was destined to become a figure receiving national attention.
‘Taking medicine at this point… must be tough.’
The master, naturally, was a superhuman.
While not reaching the level of enlightenment, it was said that once you entered the realm, your body gradually strengthened. Looking at the seasoned master, Marcella, it seemed that the changes in the realm did not affect the brain-nerve connection, but it couldn’t be compared to an ordinary person.
It’s still a vague situation that’s hard to estimate.
So, as I continued to contemplate,
Leon, seeming to have regained his composure, pointed at me.
And he spoke slowly.
“Since I came this far because of the medicine, give me more medicine. Quickly… Ephedrine and morphine, definitely more. I didn’t come here without medicine. Couldn’t have come. It only makes sense if we take it together, so make sure that ugly man gets it for us.”
Even in this situation, he’s solely looking for medicine.
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At first, I laughed it off, conscious of my surroundings, but soon a subtle sense of discomfort crept in.
It was because the eyes of the academy members began to focus on me.
The old professor who indirectly criticized me, the academy president who hastily came over, and even the students from the swordsmanship department with defiant faces. All of them.
“…Alan Kye, perhaps.”
Hundreds of people were looking at me, not as the protagonist who achieved tremendous success.
It was not difficult to guess what they were thinking.