Chapter 230: The Academy After Everything Ended

The battle was over.

The demon’s that had attacked the Academy had vanished, disappearing alongside the mysterious white beam of light that had pierced the sky.

The enormous mass of purple energy created by Leonardo and the nameless old man had also disappeared, leaving no trace of its existence.

When the people finally arrived at the scene, they were met with a horrifying sight.

Louis was lying unconscious on the ground, one of his arms missing. Nearby lay the old man’s corpse, so badly mutilated that it was almost impossible to recognize him.

The battle had ended, but the aftermath was far from peaceful.

And for the people who cared about Louis, the worst part was yet to come.

"How is Louis? Has he still not woken up?"

Elena asked Viola as soon as she entered the hospital room.

Viola, who had been sitting beside the bed, slowly shook her head.

"Not yet. He’s still asleep."

Louis had been found unconscious at the scene and brought to the Academy’s hospital immediately.

However, despite all the treatment he had received, he had yet to regain consciousness.

More than a month had passed since that day.

"What did the doctor say? Have they figured out what’s wrong with him?"

"No. They still haven’t found anything particularly wrong with his body."

Viola glanced at Louis, who lay peacefully on the bed.

Over the past month, his body had gradually recovered. His depleted magical power had returned to normal, his swollen muscles had healed, and even the internal damage caused by the tremendous strain he had endured was almost completely gone.

Physically, there was hardly anything left to worry about.

Of course, there was one exception.

His left arm.

The arm he had lost during the battle showed no signs of growing back. No matter what treatment they tried, they couldn’t restore what had been completely destroyed.

Still, compared to the condition he had been in when they first brought him here, his recovery was nothing short of miraculous.

The problem was that he still hadn’t opened his eyes.

His body was fine.

His magical power was fine.

Even the doctors couldn’t find any abnormalities.

Yet Louis remained trapped in an endless sleep.

"Why won’t you come back, Louis...?"

Elena approached the bedside and gently took his remaining hand.

"Please... wake up soon."

Her voice trembled, and she lowered her head as though she were desperately trying to hold back her tears.

But Louis didn’t respond.

He simply continued sleeping, his expression as peaceful as ever.

It was almost unfair.

After everything he had gone through, after risking his life to protect everyone, he was now the one who needed saving.

And there was nothing they could do for him.

"So, you’re both here."

A familiar voice interrupted the gloomy silence.

Anna entered the hospital room, accompanied by Lisa, who had one eye covered with an eye patch.

"You came?"

"Of course. How could I not?"

Anna approached the bed and glanced at Louis.

"We don’t even know when he’ll wake up. I can’t just stay away."

For nearly a month, they had all been coming here every single day.

Nobody had told them to do so.

Nobody had asked them to take turns.

They simply came.

Rain or shine.

Whether it was scorching hot, pouring rain, or snowing outside, they never missed a day.

And over that period, something had gradually changed between them.

They had become much closer.

Perhaps it was because they were all worried about the same person. Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time sharing their concerns and comforting one another.

Whatever the reason, they had come to understand each other in a way they hadn’t before.

There was also something else that everyone in the room implicitly understood.

Each of them harbored feelings for Louis.

And those feelings were far from ordinary.

However, the person at the center of it all remained completely unaware.

Louis was still sleeping, blissfully ignorant of the complicated emotions surrounding him.

"When will he wake up? It’s already been more than a month."

Anna sighed as she looked at him.

"I don’t know either," Viola replied. "We’ve tried almost everything we can think of."

They had given him all sorts of restorative elixirs, magical medicines, and specialized treatments.

Some of them were even rare treasures that ordinary people could only dream of obtaining.

Unfortunately, none of them had worked.

It wasn’t that Louis’s body was unable to recover.

Rather, it seemed that the problem had nothing to do with his physical condition in the first place.

Perhaps it was something within his mind.

Maybe he was trapped in a dream.

Or perhaps there was something else preventing him from waking up.

They could only speculate.

"Geez. Why is everyone acting as though we’re attending a funeral?"

A lively voice suddenly rang out.

"Sister...!"

Lisa’s expression brightened as she turned toward the entrance.

Lina had appeared, wearing her usual carefree smile. She entered the room with an energetic stride, seemingly unfazed by the heavy atmosphere surrounding everyone.

"Honestly, with everyone looking so gloomy, even if I brought you good news, I doubt anyone would be happy to hear it."

"What news did you bring?"

Anna immediately turned toward her.

"Hehe. I found a way."

Lina placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.

"A way to wake Louis up."

"...What?"

For a moment, nobody reacted.

Then—

"What did you say?!"

Everyone’s attention snapped toward Lina.

It was the news they had been waiting for.

For more than a month, they had desperately searched for a way to bring Louis back. They had consulted doctors, professors, and even people knowledgeable about ancient magic.

Yet all their efforts had led nowhere.

And now, Lina was telling them she had found a solution?

"Could you explain what you mean?"

Anna tried to keep her voice calm, but the slight tremor in it betrayed her excitement.

The room, which had been filled with gloomy silence just moments ago, suddenly became lively.

Everyone gathered around Lina, waiting for her explanation.

"Well, I owe this guy quite a lot, you know. So I’ve been looking for a way to help him ever since I heard what happened."

Lina glanced at Louis.

Although her expression remained cheerful, there was a hint of sincerity in her eyes.