[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-53":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s War Hero",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1531660,1990,"Chapter 53 : The Uninvited Hero (5)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-53",53,"\u003Cp>Chapter 53: The Uninvited Hero (5)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What the hell?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no way he died just like that, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought flashed through my mind for a moment—but as if to deny it outright, the boy revealed himself once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poking his head out slightly between the trees, he gave Rubia a firm signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the beast noticed it or not, it let out a shrill, furious roar and kept clawing uselessly at the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Rubia simultaneously deployed Paralyze Field and Mud Swarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast realized its mistake the moment it saw the magic circles appear beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike before, it was far too late to run now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body stiffened up entirely, and soon enough it began to be pelted mercilessly with waves of mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about two minutes, the mud had completely adhered to the beast’s body and hardened in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Rubia immediately used Ignite Field, the entire area was instantly engulfed in flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the paralysis had worn off, even a B-rank beast couldn’t shake off the hardened mud caked all over its body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it crashed and writhed in all directions, rapidly consuming its life force, the girl sprinted toward the boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir Eugene, quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Thought I was done for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving behind the beast’s dying screams, the two managed to escape the scene safely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smoke billowing from the flames thickened the air even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching it quietly, the two of them savored their miraculous survival for a brief moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… Sir Eugene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Rubia who broke the silence first, unable to contain her curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the end… you did something, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The beast suddenly attacked a random spot, right? As if you were actually there….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy caught his breath and answered casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I used Illusion Barrier just before that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s what it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Illusion Barrier—a barrier that projects illusions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to ordinary barriers, its defensive power was drastically weaker, but its exceptional illusionary capabilities made up for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast must have thought it was finally tearing its prey to pieces, attacking excitedly—but what it had been seeing all along was just an illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s a pretty rare ability. It wouldn’t have been easy to acquire even through Mana Devour….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help but wonder, once again, just how absurdly powerful Eugene Carter must have been at his peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was only fifteen and already capable of this level of performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, how powerful had he been during his Special Task Force days, when people said he’d fully blossomed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe his prime had already begun at this point.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I marveled inwardly as though it were someone else’s affair—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brushed the dust off his clothes with a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew, it must’ve been pissed as hell. Charged at me without even checking. Thanks to that, I barely made it out ali—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped mid-sentence and looked down at his left calf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through a tear in his pants, a small wound was visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around it, dark reddish blisters had begun spreading along his veins toward his foot and knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Damn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir Eugene!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the boy struggled to roll up his pants, Rubia tore a piece of her cloak and tightly bound it above his knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the bare minimum of first aid to slow the poison’s spread—but even that was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his complexion paled rapidly, she clutched both his hands in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay with me! Just hold on a bit longer, the people from the Magic Tower will—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least… you’re safe… that’s… good….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words faded out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sir Eugene?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Contrary to her hopes, the boy lost consciousness right then and there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir Eugene!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips had turned pale and were trembling faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that, Rubia froze in despair, frantically glancing around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone! Is anyone there?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s an injured person here—he’ll die if it keeps up like this—please, someone, save him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tears fell one by one as she screamed until her throat tore, but in the vast forest, her cries couldn’t reach anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After shouting for a long while, Rubia collapsed to the ground and lowered her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What… what can I even do….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The helplessness of her own powerlessness only drove her deeper into despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…How cruel.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just a memory, so I couldn’t be certain—but honestly, she hadn’t done anything wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing illusions in the Forest of Delusion was common, and escaping from them wasn’t an easy feat either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her to have broken free that quickly was something to be praised, if anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the later battle, it was the same. Though the boy had held the line, Rubia had been the one to land the killing blow on Delusio Corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fate had been unkind to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite all her efforts, what she’d been left with was the poisoned, unconscious body of the boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Rubia was still drowning in her sorrow, an earth-shaking noise erupted in her ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along with a fierce gust strong enough to blow away all the smoke that had filled the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trees that had thickly grown along the side were now neatly cut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From beyond them emerged an elderly man with an impressive brown beard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him stood a number of attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man seemed to say something to Rubia—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as if her senses were glitching, no sound reached her ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hearing faded, then her vision went dark, and finally even her sense of smell—the scent of earth and smoke—disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the end of the dream’s glimpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to return to reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the same space-like room from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was half-leaning forward, both hands still pressed against the Episode Gazer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I calmly took my hands off the artifact, a searing pain surged through my entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kh—ugh?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was quite long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing a few meters away, Meriel spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t mention the side effects that follow after using the artifact. My apologies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s fine. More importantly, how much time has passed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly ten minutes just now,” she said after glancing at her wristwatch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not ‘only,’ it’s ‘as much as.’ The average usage time of the Episode Gazer is around two to three minutes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What about Rubia?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll have to check on her now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Meriel was about to leave the room, she suddenly asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How was it? The woman in the dream… did she look happy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, right. She did say something like that earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mentioned before—that she wasn’t waking up because she was having a happy dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was only speaking in general terms. That if someone’s having a pleasant, happy dream, they don’t want to wake up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a faint sigh and replied,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Maybe it wasn’t that she didn’t want to wake up, but that she couldn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is that so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was it that bound her so tightly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it guilt for failing to save me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resentment and despair toward her own weakness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps the sense of duty she gained afterward?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I opened the door and stepped into the room, a familiar figure came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia Magnus was sitting against the wall with a blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after we arrived at the lounge, she had remained silent for quite a while before finally speaking softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you… leave us alone for a moment, Meriel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meriel looked at us with a conflicted expression, then quietly stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia stayed silent for some time longer. I went over and sat beside her, leaning against the same wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling her furtive gaze, I awkwardly rubbed the corner of my mouth. A sigh escaped her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haa… This isn’t a dream, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke gently to her, who had both hands covering her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sorry? For what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For peeking into your dream without permission.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…So it really was you, Sir Eugene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia wiped her eyes roughly and leaned back against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, I was scared. I promised myself that this time, I’d definitely protect you—but then I thought, what if I fail again? The thought terrified me so much that… I just couldn’t wake up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s why you didn’t want to wake up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sniffling, Rubia nodded slightly instead of answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought for a moment about what I should say, then took both of her hands firmly and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look closely, Rubia. You did it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, you protected me—safely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now, she didn’t have to be crushed by the weight of her past anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was here, alive and well. So it was okay now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely stopped those words from leaving my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was strange, even for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could I, the present me, really speak about things from the time before I became Eugene Carter? That little question sealed my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, there were things that had to be said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Rubia I had seen all this time, I gave her a short word of encouragement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes were red and swollen, probably from holding back tears all this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When tears finally rolled down her cheeks, I gently wiped them away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia pressed her lips together and lowered her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was her way of saying she didn’t want me to see her cry, so I just patted her back silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, I was also organizing the questions that had arisen in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took fifteen minutes before her tears finally stopped completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>11:05 a.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of us were sitting in Meriel’s private room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the faint awkwardness lingering between the two women, I nodded inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Things must be quite complicated between them.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d raised countless main and supporting characters over ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was one thing I knew well, it was a character’s potential and limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level of talent Rubia Magnus possessed surpassed not only most deputies but even precursors and great sages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even compared to geniuses like Francia Brida or Karen Rosefield—renowned for their unfairly immense talent—Rubia outclassed them in terms of raw firepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her only weakness was her fragile mentality. But if she could overcome that, she would become the strongest area-of-effect damage dealer in Apocalypse Mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, having to compete with someone like her—it wasn’t hard to understand the other’s feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But I doubt that’s the only reason.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled the expressions Meriel had shown toward Rubia earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she saw her purely as a rival, she wouldn’t have looked so sorrowful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if she saw her as a dear colleague, she wouldn’t have shown that faintly condescending gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She probably wanted Rubia to leave the Magic Tower—but not to end up in such danger. Something like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, I’ll find out soon enough.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cleared my throat and began to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, I want to express my gratitude, Meriel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Pardon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it weren’t for your help, Professor Rubia wouldn’t have regained consciousness this quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for saving the life of someone precious to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I gave a short bow, her expression twisted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did consider stepping back now that Professor Rubia has safely recovered, since that would be the proper course… but honestly, it just doesn’t add up to stop here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paying no mind to her discomfort, I continued from where our last discussion had left off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall we resume the conversation we were having earlier?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1912,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.334Z",1,"novelbin.me","83a088beaee29bdc9142830723fe90136b1d666fa743061c8593443d8377f2c3","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-54","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-52",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]