Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 23

“But the most decisive moment was during the magic combat practical training.”

“The practical training?”

“Yes. Back then, two male students in your year were fighting, and one of them got seriously injured. He was bleeding so much that even the healing professor panicked, but you healed him and saved him. Eloise, who was always quiet, suddenly stepped forward and healed him so calmly… I fell for you then.”

“Ah, I know exactly when that was.”

Magic Combat Practical Training was held once a month. All academy students gathered at the grand training grounds and engaged in a simulated real-combat exercise. Normally, violence between students was strictly forbidden, and breaking that rule meant punishment. But that day was the one exception. Because of that, some students maliciously took advantage of the rule.

If I remembered correctly, it was the one-on-one match between Miles and Jerome Hartman.

Usually, nobles stuck with nobles, and commoners stuck with commoners, barely paying attention to each other. But there were low-quality noble groups who occasionally bullied commoner classmates, especially those whose magic abilities were weaker.

Jerome Hartman and Miles were exactly that case. Jerome’s group had always subtly tormented Miles, but they didn’t dare use direct violence out of fear of punishment. But when the practical day came and they were assigned to a one-on-one match, Jerome attacked immediately as if he’d been waiting for it. Miles was already down after several blows, yet Jerome struck him again with a cowardly attack. Miles received a severe wound and bled heavily.

Such a critical injury was rare even during practical training, so the professors panicked, and Miles was seconds away from dying. I didn’t even have time to think. My body simply moved on its own, and I rushed in to pour healing magic on him. It was an automatic, reflexive action that required no conscious thought.

“…It’s because of my sister. I told you before that a demonic beast attacked her when we were little, and she almost died.”

Back then, Iella was collapsing while pouring out bright red blood. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and her breathing became shallow. My magic had awakened just moments before, and I’d killed the demonic beast with a fireball, but that didn’t heal Iella.

“Unnie, Unnie!”

I’d cried out helplessly.

It had been a desperate moment, with no time to spare. Bringing her back to the village or calling someone from the village would’ve taken too long.

“Magic, huh. My Eloise….”

Iella smiled faintly and forced out those words, and that snapped me out of it. If I was a wizard, then somehow, even if I didn’t know how, I might be able to save her. There was no other method.

Is it true that people gain superhuman strength in moments of crisis?

In the end, I succeeded in using healing magic I’d never learned before, and I saved Iella.

“Ever since then, I get weak around injured people. When I see someone hurt, I just heal them reflexively. It doesn’t come from kindness… it’s because of that childhood memory.”

I suspected it was just trauma.

“Did you heal your sister yourself too?”

“Yeah.”

“It must’ve been right after your magic awakened, and you already managed that. You had both the will and the talent. With your sister, and with that male student too.”

“…Maybe.”

“You’ve already saved multiple lives.”

“….”

With Miles, maybe, but not with Iella.

The demonic beast had targeted me first, and she’d deliberately drawn it away to protect me. Iella had been the one who saved my life.

“I think you just see me too nicely.”

“No. You’re someone anyone would fall for, Eloise.”

I didn’t think I was as good or amazing as Nardi believed. It felt a little burdensome, but then I realized there was no need to live up to his expectations.

He hesitated as if unsure whether to speak, then finally opened his mouth.

“…And, not just me, but you got countless confessions from other men too.”

“That’s true.”

Surprisingly, I’d even been confessed to by female students.

“I heard you rejected all of them except me… why did you reject them?”

He looked like he also wanted to ask why I’d accepted him. As if he was hoping for a certain answer.

“There wasn’t really a reason. Like I said, I just wasn’t interested in dating… and I wanted to focus on studying. After doing nothing but self-study before entering the academy, being able to study properly there was exciting.”

It wasn’t an excuse. It was the truth.

Back when I self-studied, even getting a single magic book had been difficult, but once I entered the academy, an entirely new world opened. There were good professors, a library with tens of thousands of magic books, and a magic training hall. In that perfect environment, I threw myself into magic completely, and I had no time to socialize.

“That’s how it seemed. But you’re a bit different now, aren’t you?”

“Now I have more free time than back then… wait.”

A strange sense of déjà vu made me stop.

What was this?

I felt like I’d heard the same question about why I rejected a confession before.

And it was from Nardi, the man sitting in front of me.

A forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.

“You… didn’t you ask me that before too? Back when we were at the academy, didn’t you ask why I rejected a confession?”

“…!”

Seeing Nardi freeze in panic, I knew my memory was right.

“It was the rose garden, wasn’t it? After I rejected someone’s confession there, you showed up and asked why I turned him down.”

It was such an absurd moment. I’d unexpectedly received a confession from Leon, rejected him, and as I walked out, Nardi just happened to be nearby. He must’ve heard the conversation because he was close enough, and then he asked me that.

“Why did you reject him?”

I’d been so taken aback I might’ve laughed a little. It wasn’t a question worth answering.

“Class is about to start.”

I’d brushed him off and left.

“Please forget that ever happened….”

Nardi groaned and covered his face with both hands. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’d completely forgotten until just now. Why did you even do that back then?”

It had really come out of nowhere. Even if someone I actually knew asked that, it would’ve been weird, but it had been a junior I didn’t even know well.

“I asked because I wanted to know why you rejected him, and I wanted to avoid becoming another rejection myself. And… since I was already asking, I wanted to know what kind of man you liked. I guess I was a bit impatient.”

“I see. I thought you were just messing with Leon.”

Leon had reminded me of Miles. Both commoners, both weak in magic, and both looked down on by some nobles. I’d wondered if Nardi was trying to tease Leon.

“Of course not. I’d never do that. I’m not that kind of person.”

“I know that now, but back then I didn’t know you well.”

It was true that even though we weren’t close, I’d never seen Nardi bully anyone.

“So you really did like me since our academy days.”

“Yes. I really did.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I let out a small, awkward laugh.

Was this good? Or bad?

I almost hoped he wasn’t too serious about this relationship.

I’d gone along with the idea of ‘dating lightly’ because that’s what he said. But Nardi didn’t seem to be thinking lightly at all, and that made things feel heavier.

“Dinner was delicious. I’ll take care of the cleaning.”

“No, I’ll do it. It won’t take long, so Eloise, go rest.”

A small back-and-forth unfolded in the kitchen.

Even when I said I’d just help a little, Nardi didn’t let me touch a single dish. In the end, he gently pushed my back and shooed me out of the kitchen.

With nothing to do, I wandered around, then brushed my teeth in the bathroom. After that, I went to the bedroom and lay on the bed. I burrowed under the blanket and lazed around, and before long, Nardi came in.

“You’re lying down right after eating?”

“Yeah, I’m not very disciplined.”

I was more lazy and sleepy than I looked, but strangely, people always thought I was diligent.