Chapter 216: Back To Academy

Several more days passed.

And at long last, I was discharged from the hospital.

Honestly, I thought I might die of boredom before anything else got me.

Sure, it was a high-end hospital—the food was surprisingly good, almost indulgent—but no amount of decent meals could make up for that atmosphere. The constant quiet. The sterile smell. The way time seemed to crawl when all I could do was lie there and stare at the ceiling.

It felt suffocating.

My body still wasn’t in great shape. Every time I moved, there was a dull ache, a reminder of just how badly I’d been wrecked. Even with healing magic, shattered bones don’t magically erase the memory of pain.

Still, the moment the doctor said I could leave, I didn’t hesitate for even a second.

Anything was better than being stuck in that bed.

"It’s been a while," I muttered.

I stood in front of the academy’s main gate, taking in the familiar sight as if seeing it for the first time. The tall iron bars, the emblem carved into stone, students passing through in small groups—laughing, arguing, completely unaware of how close I’d come to never returning.

I paused there longer than I expected.

About a month, huh.

That sounded about right. It had been around then that the arrest warrant was issued, and everything had spiraled out of control. Hospital beds, interrogations, rumors spreading faster than facts—none of it felt real until now.

Being back here made it sink in.

From now on, I need to stop drawing attention to myself.

I clenched my hand slightly, feeling the stiffness in my fingers.

No more heroics. No more sticking my neck out. Unless the world is genuinely on the verge of ending, I’m staying out of trouble.

I’ve learned my lesson.

Even with healing magic, having every bone in your body shattered is not something you "get used to." It’s the kind of experience that crawls into your memory and refuses to leave.

I can’t help but wonder why I’m always the one getting dragged into trouble when there are so many people stronger, more capable, and frankly more suited for it than me.

With that familiar thought lingering in my mind, I steeled my resolve once again.

I’ll live quietly this time.

Or at least... I’ll try to.

Whether that resolve would last more than a few days was another matter entirely.

After safely returning to the academy, the first thing I did was take a slow walk around the campus. According to those who had visited me while I was hospitalized, quite a few changes had taken place during my absence.

They weren’t exaggerating.

The academy looked noticeably different. Construction marks were everywhere—fresh stonework, newly laid paths, scaffolding still standing in a few places. Entire sections that had once been damaged during the regular students’ riot had been repaired or outright rebuilt.

One of the most obvious changes was the expansion of the dormitories. New wings had been added, their walls still carrying that faint, clean scent of fresh stone and wood.

I suppose it was inevitable.

With everything that had happened since the start of the semester—the riot, the kidnapping incident, the heightened security—the academy couldn’t just pretend nothing had changed. Repairs weren’t enough. They needed visible proof that the academy was moving forward. Stronger. Safer.

Before heading back to my dorm, my steps slowed as a particular building caught my eye.

It stood slightly apart from the others.

A large, dome-shaped structure, its roof made entirely of glass, reflecting the afternoon sunlight like a massive crystal. The framework was reinforced with metal and magic circuits faintly etched along the supports, glowing softly as mana flowed through them.

I stopped at a distance, staring.

"...So this must be it."

The building Anna had mentioned.

An experimental facility designated for students specializing in alchemy.

It certainly looked the part. The transparent dome wasn’t just for show—it allowed precise control of sunlight, temperature, and mana density inside. Perfect conditions for volatile experiments. And if something exploded... well, the structure was clearly designed to contain it.

I let out a quiet whistle.

"They really went all out."

The Crucible.

Up until now, alchemists had been forced to share cramped laboratories with students from the magic department. It was inefficient, inconvenient, and—judging by the complaints—downright miserable.

But with this large-scale construction project, a laboratory dedicated solely to alchemy had finally been completed.

And not just any laboratory.

They’d named it The Crucible.

Honestly, the sheer grandeur of that name said everything. You didn’t slap a title like that onto a building unless someone influential had taken a personal interest in it.

As expected, Anna immediately came to mind.

She’d mentioned her fondness for alchemy to me in passing before, but seeing this... it was obvious her interest ran far deeper than casual curiosity. Building something this impressive for a field still considered non-mainstream by most nobles wasn’t an easy decision.

If Anna ever became Empress, I had no doubt she’d actively support alchemy. More funding, better facilities, maybe even policy reforms that elevated its status alongside magic and swordsmanship.

...Now that I think about it, that could turn into a lucrative opportunity.

Maybe I should invest early.

Buy some stocks, back a few workshops—

No.

I shook my head with a dry chuckle. That was a problem for future me. Right now, I didn’t even have the spare coin to entertain the idea.

Still, there was that reward the imperial family had promised for preventing the bomb incident. A substantial one, if the rumors were true.

I’d think about investments again once that money actually landed in my hands.

For now, I’d seen what I needed to see.

With one last glance at The Crucible’s towering exterior, I turned away and followed the familiar stone path leading back toward the dormitory area.

Everything felt the same as usual—the layout, the scenery, the passing students chatting idly as they walked by.

Except for one thing.

Instead of heading toward the men’s dormitory, where my room was, my footsteps carried me in the opposite direction.

Toward the women’s dormitory.

Lisa, who couldn’t even come see me in the hospital because she’d fallen ill, was apparently still too sick to attend classes.

No one seemed to know exactly what she was suffering from. Not the teachers, not her classmates—no one. Just that she’d been confined to her room for days now.

With the dormitory unusually quiet while everyone else was at class, I followed the directions Elena had given me and made my way down the hallway.

Room 214.

I stopped in front of the door and hesitated for a moment before knocking gently.

Knock, knock.

"..."

No response.

...Maybe she’s asleep?

I waited a few seconds, then knocked again, a little louder this time.

Knock, knock.

Still nothing. Not even the faintest movement from inside.

A faint unease crept up my spine.

"Hmm... is she really just sick?" I muttered under my breath.

Placing my hand on the door, I noticed it was slightly cold—colder than the surrounding hallway. That alone was strange. Dorm rooms were usually kept at a stable temperature.

I leaned closer, pressing my ear near the door.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No breathing. No rustling of sheets.

My unease grew sharper.

If she was ill, shouldn’t there at least be some sound? A cough. A groan. Anything.

I straightened slowly, my mind racing.

Elena hadn’t mentioned anything unusual—just that Lisa hadn’t been feeling well and hadn’t left her room. But this silence felt wrong. Oppressively so.

I reached for the doorknob.

Locked.

Of course it was.

"...Lisa?" I called softly, keeping my voice low, just in case she really was resting. "It’s me."

No answer.

I hesitated, my hand lingering in the air.

I’d come to thank her for the bracelet she gave me—and, honestly, to check on her condition while I was at it. From what I’d heard, she was still far from fully recovered.

Maybe this was a bad time.

I should come back later.

Just as I turned to leave—

"...Who is it?"

The door opened a fraction, just enough for a pair of wary eyes to peek through.

I froze.

Through the narrow gap, Lisa was staring at me, a hat pulled low over her head as if she were trying to hide herself.

"...Louis?" she said, her voice tinged with surprise. "You’re already discharged?"

"Yes," I replied quickly, turning back toward her. "I’m fine now. I just wanted to—"

The door opened a little wider.

Lisa’s expression softened once she realized it was really me, though the fatigue in her eyes was impossible to miss. Her cheeks were pale, and even standing there seemed to take effort.

"You shouldn’t be up," I said without thinking. "If you’re still unwell—"

She shook her head lightly. "I’m better than yesterday. Just... not in the mood to see people."

That explained the locked door. And the hat.

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Author Note

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