Chapter 55: Draven wakes up and discovers something that unsettles him.

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Draven wakes up and discovers something that unsettles him.

The first thing Draven felt upon regaining consciousness was a slight pain at the back of his head.

After that he noticed a discomfort in his right shoulder and, when he tried to move his legs, he discovered that one of them was also quite sore.

’...’

He remained motionless for a few seconds.

’What the hell happened?’

He slowly opened his eyes and above him was a white ceiling he did not recognize.

The room was illuminated by several mana lamps and, to his right, he could make out a small table with some medicine bottles, in addition to which he perceived the characteristic smell of the products used by the healers.

’An infirmary?’

Draven tried to sit up.

"Ah!"

A sudden pain in his shoulder forced him to stop.

"Don’t move!"

A familiar voice came from his left, at which Draven slowly turned his head and Taliah was sitting beside his bed.

Her hair was slightly disheveled and she was wearing different clothes from the ones she had used during the forest test.

When their gazes met, the young woman’s expression immediately changed.

"Draven!"

Taliah stood up from her seat.

"You finally woke up!"

"Taliah...?"

Before he could say anything more, she approached and hugged him.

"Idiot!"

"Agh!"

Draven clenched his teeth.

"My shoulder! My shoulder!"

"Ah!"

Taliah released him immediately.

"I’m sorry!"

Draven let out a sigh.

"Are you trying to finish what someone else started?"

"Don’t say stupid things!"

"Then try not to break anything on me."

Taliah frowned, but after watching him for a few seconds, her expression relaxed.

"I’m glad you’re okay."

Draven noticed that she was speaking seriously, in addition to which his friend seemed considerably more relieved than usual.

’How long was I unconscious?’

He looked at the room again.

"Where are we?"

"In the academy infirmary."

"That explains a few things."

"The healers finished treating you a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago?"

Taliah nodded.

"We brought you here after returning from the forest."

"..."

Draven remained silent.

’After returning from the forest?’

He tried to remember what had happened and got as far as the point where he had found one of the objects needed to pass, but after that...

’The mercenaries.’

His expression changed.

’Those bastards...’

He also remembered the wounds he had received and how, finally, a blow had sent him against a rocky formation.

’My head...’

Draven slowly raised a hand and touched the back of his skull and it had a small bandage.

’I remember hitting the rock.’

After that, he only remembered losing consciousness and now he was in an infirmary bed.

’That means...’

He remembered the divine contract, so he did not need too many explanations to understand what had probably happened.

’That damn thing took control.’

If those mercenaries had continued threatening his life after he lost consciousness...

’I don’t want to imagine what it did to them.’

"Draven?"

Taliah was watching him with concern.

"What’s wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You got really serious."

"Ah, no, it’s nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I’m just trying to remember."

Taliah sat back down beside the bed.

"What do you remember?"

Draven hesitated.

He could tell her what had happened with the mercenaries and, in fact, it would be quite strange if he did not, but...

’I have to be careful.’

Draven briefly observed the door and then directed his gaze toward a small magical sphere installed near the ceiling, whose exact function he did not know.

It could be an artifact used by the healers to monitor the patients, but it was also possible that someone was watching his room.

’After what happened, it would be strange if they weren’t investigating.’

For now, the most convenient thing was not to reveal too much.

"I remember getting the test object."

He finally answered, at which Taliah nodded.

"And after that?"

"I had some problems."

"..."

The young woman narrowed her eyes.

"Some problems?"

"Yes..."

"Draven."

"What?"

"I found you with weapon wounds."

"..."

"You had a projectile embedded in your shoulder and another in your leg."

Draven remained silent.

"The healers also said you received a very strong blow to the head."

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"What the hell happened!?"

Draven sighed.

"I was attacked."

Taliah froze.

"By who?"

"Some unknowns."

"Students?"

"I don’t think so."

"Professors?"

"Neither."

Taliah slowly clenched her fists.

"Then who were they?"

"I think they were mercenaries."

The young woman’s expression immediately changed.

"Mercenaries?"

Draven nodded.

"They were dragons, of which three attacked me directly and another two were hidden."

"Five?"

"I think so."

"Five mercenaries tried to kill you!?"

"Well, technically..."

"Draven!"

"Yes, they tried to kill me."

Taliah remained silent for several seconds and Draven watched as his friend slowly lowered her gaze.

’She’s angry.’

It was not hard to recognize that expression, since he had known her for years and when Taliah got truly angry, she normally stopped raising her voice.

"Do you know who sent them?"

She finally asked.

"I have no idea."

"Did you recognize any insignia?"

"Neither."

"Did they mention any name?"

Draven shook his head.

"They only said they had a job."

Taliah clenched her teeth.

"I understand."

"..."

"So someone hired those individuals to assassinate you."

"Seems that way."

The young woman raised her gaze again.

"And why didn’t you use your emergency mark?"

Draven averted his gaze.

"I tried to find an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"There was a mage using a technique that interfered with mana signals, so the mark wasn’t working properly."

Taliah frowned.

"And after that?"

"The sniper started shooting at me every time I tried to escape."

"..."

"I guess I miscalculated."

Taliah watched him with an expression that was hard to interpret and then let out a sigh.

"You really are an idiot."

"You already told me that."

"And I plan to keep telling you."

Draven smiled slightly, but his expression changed when he remembered something important.

"By the way..."

"What?"

"How did we get out of the forest?"

Taliah seemed surprised by the question.

"You don’t remember?"

"Of course not."

"Nothing?"

Draven shook his head.

"The last thing I remember is receiving a blow against a rock."

The young woman remained silent for a few seconds and then began to explain what had happened.

"I found you near a restricted zone."

Taliah commented, at which Draven listened attentively.

"Near a restricted zone?"

"Yes, I had finished my part of the test and decided to look for you before returning."

"You were looking for me?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

Taliah watched him with evident annoyance.

"Do you really need to ask that?"

"...I guess not."

"When I finally found you, you were walking among the trees."

Draven felt a small unease.

’Walking?’

"Was I conscious?"

Taliah hesitated.

"That’s what I thought at first."

"..."

"But there was something strange."

Draven remained motionless.

"Strange?"

"Yes."

The young woman watched him attentively.

"I called you several times, but you didn’t answer."

"..."

"Besides, you were smiling in a way I had never seen."

’Damn.’

Draven maintained a calm expression, but internally he had already confirmed his suspicions.

’It was Elfin.’

There was no other reasonable explanation, while Taliah continued speaking.

"When I tried to approach, I felt a very strange concentration of mana."

Draven noticed that the situation was starting to get complicated.

"Strange in what sense?"

"I don’t know how to explain it."

Taliah frowned.

"I’ve known your mana for years and we’ve trained together practically our whole lives."

"..."

"But what I felt at that moment was completely different."

Draven briefly averted his gaze.

’She definitely sensed it.’

That was worrying.

Taliah was an S-rank swordswoman, so her sensitivity to mana was extraordinary and, although she still did not know Elfin’s true identity, she could end up discovering it if she investigated too much.

"Maybe it was one of the techniques the mercenaries used."

Draven suggested, but Taliah did not respond immediately.

"That’s what I thought too."

’This is going well.’

"But there’s something I don’t understand."

’This is not going well.’

"What?"

"If you really were under the effects of some enemy technique, why did it disappear right before you lost consciousness?"

Draven stayed silent, since he did not have a convincing answer and he also could not tell her the truth.

’I feel like someone is listening.’

He discreetly observed the sphere near the ceiling again, which had not changed, but that did not mean it was harmless.

"Maybe..."

Draven tried to answer, but Taliah continued speaking.

"And then something even stranger happened."

"What?"

"Beasts started appearing."

Draven frowned.

"Beasts?"

"Yes, and a lot of them."

"How many?"

"I stopped counting them after a certain point."

"..."

Draven watched her for a few seconds.

"Was it that bad?"

"There were creatures of various species, in addition to which some came from dangerous sectors and all of them seemed to be heading toward us."

Draven felt his concern increase.

’What the hell did you do, Elfin?’

Taliah continued explaining how she had had to fight while protecting him.

At first she tried to keep the creatures away from the place where she had left him, but more and more began to appear, so she understood that she could not stay there indefinitely, and decided to carry him and head toward the exit.

"You carried me?"

"That’s right."

"For how long?"

"Long enough."

"..."

"And it wasn’t pleasant at all."

"I guess I should thank you."

"You should."

Draven smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Taliah."

The young woman seemed surprised by his response, so she then averted her gaze.

"Well... I wasn’t going to leave you there."

"I know."

"And I also don’t want something like that to happen again."

"I’ll do what I can."

Taliah watched him.

"That doesn’t reassure me much."

"It’s the best I can offer you."

The young woman sighed.

"Idiot."

The door to the room suddenly opened and a woman’s voice was heard.

"Good morning, little lovebirds!"

Draven turned his head and a woman with dark brown hair entered calmly while holding a small bottle of liquor, so he clearly knew it was Torvellan Ari.

’Great, the drunk is here...’