Inside the Saint Diyashi Academy Infirmary.
The bright room was filled with a faint fragrance of magical potions and herbs.
“There’s nothing serious—just a bit of prolonged exposure to flames. Your skin is somewhat red, and you’re slightly dehydrated.”
Nurse Claire carefully examined Aiden’s body.
Her fingers, warm and glowing with healing magic, gently brushed over the parts of Aiden’s skin scorched by fire.
She then exhaled with relief, her tone light.
As she spoke, a soft, pale blue aura gathered in her palm, which she gently pressed against Aiden’s forehead.
In an instant, a cool and refreshing sensation swept through Aiden’s entire body, as if a spring of fresh water had poured over a scorched earth.
All lingering heat and discomfort vanished without a trace.
Magic truly is convenient.
Seres, who had been anxiously standing guard nearby, finally relaxed her tense shoulders and breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing Nurse Claire’s diagnosis that Aiden was unharmed.
She had been genuinely afraid that Aiden might suffer some irreparable harm while helping her.
Choosing to face Rufus alone, especially knowing full well that he would likely lash out desperately, was recklessly bold.
What if the Black Witch Senior hadn’t arrived in time?
If something had happened to Aiden… she didn’t even want to imagine how she’d feel.
Seres’ heart still pounded violently.
Instinctively, she covered her chest with her hand, her gaze complicated as she looked at Aiden, who, though a bit disheveled, appeared to be in good spirits lying on the hospital bed.
Her eyes held a mixture of gratitude, worry, lingering fear, and a faint, indescribable flutter.
“Although there’s nothing major, your mental energy has taken a hit. You should rest here properly for a while.”
Nurse Claire tidied up her instruments as she advised Aiden.
She paused, her tone playful as she winked.
“Honestly, you just transferred here, and now you’ve already caused such a big stir. I bet the whole academy is buzzing about you and Rufus by now.”
Aiden felt a bit embarrassed, scratching his somewhat messy black hair awkwardly, chuckling softly.
“Hey, I’m not complimenting you.”
Claire shook her head helplessly at Aiden’s reaction and turned to leave the infirmary.
Before exiting, she glanced slyly at Seres, whose expression was complicated—her eyes seemed to see right through everything.
Once Nurse Claire left, the infirmary ward grew quiet, leaving only Aiden and Seres.
Seres sat on the chair beside the bed, looking at Aiden whose face still bore faint traces of ash.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start.
In the end, she quietly called out,
“Aiden…”
Her heart swelled with countless emotions, but she didn’t know where to begin.
All her words were stuck in her throat.
“Yeah! Got him.”
Aiden relaxed on the bed.
Though he had just been through a fierce battle, his spirit seemed unbroken.
He turned his head and cheekily winked at Seres, flashing a bright smile and even throwing up a playful victory “V” sign.
Seeing Aiden’s proud, triumphant expression despite barely escaping danger, Seres couldn’t hold back a laugh—a soft “pfft” escaped her lips, as if all her tension had been melted away by his silly gesture.
“That’s more like it! Everything’s resolved now, Rufus got what he deserved, so why the long face? You act like I’ve been seriously injured or something.”
Aiden smiled even wider at Seres’ grin.
“You still have the nerve to laugh! Do you know how dangerous that situation was? Rufus… he really tried to kill you back then!”
Seres glared at him playfully, her tone chiding but unable to hide the care bubbling beneath.
“I’m fine now. And don’t worry, I wouldn’t do anything without a sure shot. Everything went exactly as I expected.”
Seres looked at Aiden’s confident demeanor and fell silent for a moment.
Thinking back carefully, it did seem that way.
Though Aiden often appeared to be getting into dangerously risky situations and tangled up in all sorts of trouble, every time he somehow managed to avert disaster.
Not once had he been seriously hurt—it was as if everything was under his control.
Such a strange person.
Lost in thought, Seres gradually relaxed, curling up lazily like a cat at the edge of the bed.
She rested her chin on her folded arms, blinking her clear blue eyes quietly, as if trying to read the answers from Aiden’s face.
“So then, the misunderstanding about you being a ‘witch’ should be completely cleared up now, right?”
Aiden asked casually, looking at Seres lying at the edge of the bed.
“Yeah… thanks to you, the other students all came over to apologize.”
Seres nodded.
Whether those apologies were sincere or not was hard to say, but at least her public disgrace had been washed away.
It was all thanks to Aiden.
“That’s good.”
Aiden heard this and leaned comfortably against the wall, hands behind his head.
His efforts hadn’t been in vain.
“Aiden…”
Seres suddenly sat up straight, placing her hands neatly on her knees.
She looked at Aiden earnestly, her deep blue eyes full of sincerity.
“Thank you… really. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Actually, what I did wasn’t purely for you. So you don’t need to overthink it or feel like you owe me anything.”
Aiden smiled lightly at Seres’ formal gratitude.
After all, everything he did ultimately served the system’s mission—an unchanging truth.
“No way! You helped me—that’s a fact. I have to repay you! It’s just… I haven’t found the right chance yet…”
Seres shook her head firmly, her tone stubborn, but it gradually softened into one of uncertainty.
She couldn’t help but ask herself:
aside from her decent magical talent and her looks, what else could she possibly offer to repay Aiden?
Seeing Seres fall into self-doubt like that, Aiden recalled the troubled and lonely life she had in her god-tier profile on the Seat of the Gods.
His heart stirred.
Now was the time to encourage her.
“If you really want to ‘repay’ me… then promise me this—live well. Don’t be bound by the shadows of your past, and don’t care so much about what others think. Live bravely and create a brilliant life that belongs to you. That’s the best way to repay me.”
Aiden thought for a moment and spoke sincerely.
(But ever since you showed up, it feels like my life truly began to shine.)
Seres was taken aback, her lips twitching.
She had almost blurted that out but swallowed the words back, feeling her cheeks burn fiercely.
In the end, she obediently nodded, silently burying this vague flutter deep in her heart.
“Yeah… I will.”
Seeing Seres seemingly take his words to heart and regain her resolve, Aiden finally relaxed for real.
To him, Seres had passed the first crucial turning point in her life successfully.
After this incident, Rufus’ reputation would be ruined throughout the academy.
He’d never lift his head again and wouldn’t pose a threat to Seres anymore.
Thus, the system’s mission to “conquer the witch” was at least halfway complete.
Aiden was quite satisfied with the pace of progress.
Once his nerves fully loosened, a wave of intense fatigue suddenly crashed over him like a tide.
After all, he hadn’t slept well at Seres’ place last night and had just gone through a highly tense confrontation and battle.
“I can’t… I want to nap.”
Aiden yawned deeply, his eyelids heavy as he lay back down, voice thick with sleepiness.
“Seres, you should go to your Special Training class. Don’t skip lessons. As a mage, practical training is very important.”
“You’re the only one I don’t want to hear that from.”
Seres chuckled softly at his drowsy state, teasing him with a rare playful tone.
“Uh…”
Aiden was caught off guard by her words, his face flushing slightly.
His training grades really were the lowest of the class.
He scratched his nose, coming up with a new excuse.
“Well… isn’t it good to experience the 180-degree shift in how classmates treat you? If you go back now, things will definitely be different.”
“No thanks. I don’t care anymore how others see or treat me.”
Seres shook her head resolutely, her gaze clear and calm.
At the same time, she made up her mind.
From now on, she would work hard to grow stronger—to become someone like Aiden, able to rely on wisdom and courage to help others and control the situation.
“Not bad.”
Aiden smiled with relief at Seres’ words.
If he wanted to prevent someone as sensitive and fragile inside as Seres from falling into darkness, external help and protection were important, but ultimately, nothing was more effective than guiding her to develop a resilient, confident, and strong character.
“But, Aiden, don’t think you can slack off in Special Training every day from now on.”
Seres looked at his smile, her heart warming, but then deliberately put on a stern expression.
Straightening her back, she seemed ready to make an important announcement.
“I’ve decided! From now on, I’ll tutor you on the Special Training content! Your training grades have got to improve! Your current level is just too weak! You need Special Training!”
“Huh?! Wait, wait… tutoring? That’s not necessary…”
Aiden’s face immediately showed his flustered panic.
Why was he still having to make up lessons in another world?
Before he could protest again, Seres cheerfully stood and left the ward.
As she turned her back to Aiden, a mischievous smile slowly curved at the corners of her mouth, a sweet grin filled with the satisfaction of a prank well played.
Turns out teasing Aiden is quite fun—usually so calm and composed, yet here he was, visibly flustered~
And…
he’s really adorable.