Chapter 26: Old Bonds

On the streets, Azrath was making his way toward the palace to assist Vaelcryst when he was suddenly startled by Vaelcryst’s voice.

"That’s enough, Azrath. It’s all over..."

"Is it over, or are you the one running away?"

Vaelcryst fell silent for a moment before responding in a relaxed tone.

"We’ll call a ceasefire. Inform everyone."

Vaelcryst and Azrath then headed to the place where their group had gathered to rest, while Haruki and Magnus went to the location where Lukas had fought, searching for him.

Meanwhile, Aelin took Philip back to the academy so he could rest and receive treatment in the academy’s infirmary.

"Teacher Lukas!!!"

Haruki’s voice echoed through the streets.

’Has he gone back already?’

’If he has, then what happened to the man he was fighting?’

Haruki and Magnus searched frantically for Lukas, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

As Magnus searched for their teacher, he suddenly spotted a man lying motionless in the middle of the street.

The figure looked familiar. He approached cautiously, and the moment he got close enough to see the man’s face, Magnus was horrified to discover that it was Teacher Lukas.

"Haruki!"

Haruki, who was some distance away, immediately turned toward Magnus’s voice. Seeing how desperately Magnus was calling for him, Haruki began to feel uneasy.

He slowly approached, and as his view became clearer, his expression changed as though he had witnessed something terrifying.

Haruki, who had been walking cautiously, suddenly broke into a run toward Magnus, who was standing beside Lukas’s motionless body.

Now standing beside his teacher, Haruki stared at Lukas. His eyes began to fill with tears, which eventually spilled down his cheeks.

"Hey! Teacher Lukas!"

Haruki immediately collapsed to his knees as though his strength had been drained away. He then opened his system and purchased a healing potion, which promptly appeared before him.

Magnus was not surprised by the sudden appearance of the potion. Given the dire situation, he understood why Haruki had done it.

[THE POTION CANNOT BE USED BECAUSE THE TARGET IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.]

[THE POTION CAN ONLY BE USED ON INJURIES THAT ARE NOT LIFE-THREATENING.]

"Impossible..."

Haruki’s face grew even paler as he read the system’s message.

"What’s wrong, Haruki?!"

Haruki couldn’t bring himself to say anything. However, Magnus understood what had happened from the expression on his face.

Without wasting another second, Haruki lifted Lukas and prepared to carry him back to the academy. He hurried forward as quickly as he could.

"Magnus, you’re a magic reinforcement user, right?"

"Yeah..."

Haruki handed Lukas over to Magnus and instructed him to use his reinforcement magic to get to the academy’s infirmary as quickly as possible.

Haruki let Magnus carry Lukas away. Meanwhile, he gradually came to a stop, staring straight ahead.

"Why did I even come here...?"

"All I wanted was to find out what happened next in the novel."

"I never wanted to continue the story myself..."

He looked up at the sky. The moon was nowhere to be seen not because it had disappeared, but because it was hidden behind the rain clouds.

Slowly, raindrops began to fall. Before long, the rain grew heavier and heavier.

"Why was I the one chosen to enter this world? Why couldn’t it have been someone else?"

"If I had never existed here, perhaps everything would have ended at Chapter 999. Wouldn’t that have been better?"

"I’m just an extra character... So why am I the one who has grown so close to Philip?"

Haruki resumed walking toward the academy.

"No. That’s exactly why I’m here to create a new page for this novel!"

Meanwhile, Magnus had already arrived at the academy with Lukas. He quickly carried him to the infirmary.

All the students who saw Lukas in such a critical condition could only hold back their tears.

The infirmary door swung open as someone hurried inside with a worried expression. It was Aelin, the person closest to Lukas.

Aelin immediately ordered the students crowding around Lukas to make way.

She was then shocked by the sight of Philip, whose body was now covered in white bandages. All she could do was look at the injured Lukas and hold his hand.

"You fool..."

Magnus could only watch as Teacher Aelin struggled to contain her grief.

He eventually stepped out of the infirmary and slowly made his way to Philip’s dormitory room.

He turned the doorknob and entered, finding Philip still lying on his bed.

Magnus sat at the foot of the bed, quietly looking at him.

’This feels nostalgic...’

...

"Please... Don’t hit me anymore..."

A child’s crying voice could be heard.

The boy had blonde hair, and his clothes looked somewhat dirty. That boy was Magnus, who was being bullied.

"Keep kicking his head! Hahaha!"

’They’re bullying me just because I’m a commoner...’

’If I fight back, I’m afraid things will only get worse.’

’Maybe it would be better if I just died...’

’But all those thoughts disappeared the moment you showed up.’

"Hey! Stop hitting him!"

The three boys who had been kicking me immediately turned around.

Standing behind them was a boy with blue hair, dressed in clothes that looked just as expensive as theirs.

"And what if we don’t?"

"Rift Magic: Rift Step!"

In an instant, he appeared behind the boys who had been bullying me. It was as though he had teleported from one place to another.

The three bullies immediately fled, too frightened to stand their ground against the blue-haired boy.

He slowly approached me.

At first, I thought he was going to hit me too. Judging by his expensive clothes, he seemed to come from a noble family.

But contrary to my expectations, he had no intention of hurting me. Instead, he extended his hand toward me.

"Are you okay?"

At that moment, the sunlight shone brightly, falling directly upon the boy standing before me.

To my eyes, he looked just like a hero of light.

Slowly, I reached out and took his hand.

From that day onward, I became friends with that foolish boy.

As time passed, my perspective on nobles gradually began to change.

I came to believe that he was a noble with a conscience, someone who genuinely cared about others.

And to me, he was nothing more than a complete fool.

Even so, Philip’s family was incredibly welcoming toward commoners like me, which made me respect them deeply.

When we reached our teenage years, Philip’s family enrolled him in Arcane Academy, a prestigious institution reserved for the elite.

I also tried to apply to the academy, but my application was rejected because of my commoner status.

For four months, we didn’t see each other because Philip was living in the academy’s dormitory.

Meanwhile, I could only remain in my little wooden house.

However, somehow, I eventually received a letter from Arcane Academy informing me that I had been accepted.

As it turned out, Philip’s family had helped me get in.

I had no idea how I could ever repay their kindness, but I still expressed my gratitude to Philip’s parents.

After entering the academy, I was assigned to Teacher Lukas’s class.

He was a dedicated instructor who took his teaching seriously, although he could be quite frightening whenever he got angry.

The person who most frequently tested Teacher Lukas’s patience was Philip.

He would sometimes skip class just to wander around the city.

Because of that, I rarely had the chance to talk to Philip.

Even when it came to the dormitory, he was rarely in his room. He would often head into the city in search of entertainment and get into fights with nobles who picked trouble with him.

From that point onward, Philip and I rarely spoke to each other.

Eventually, Philip almost completely forgot about me.

That was how things remained until someone came along and unknowingly rekindled our friendship.

That person was Haruki.

Without him, perhaps we would never have become close again.