The Protagonist Already Knows

Chapter 41: Day 2 and 3

"That’s fourteen for me and seven for you. Anyway, we should probably head out: I saw a bunch of students running through the forest toward here."

After a short pause, Ren pointed at my bloody left shoulder, the skin barrier destroyed and bone exposed.

"...someone knows healing magic back at the fortress, we should hurry."

Shaking my head, I activated Anubis’s Ferry while Ren transformed into a light beam shortly after, sparing me from being blinded by the bright light.

Upon arriving at the fortress, I split off from Ren despite his nagging for me to see a healer and entered the now-empty barracks, where the boys were sleeping.

Wanting to escape the pain as soon as possible, I lay down on the wooden ground and covered my wound with a piece of cloth.

When I woke up, my wound was partially healed, but I refrained from using my right arm to prevent any further damage.

True to my word, I spent most of the second and third days in the dimly lit chapel, where our golden ball rested atop the stage.

Glancing through the stained-glass windows of the chapel, which barely let any light in, I sighed upon seeing the full moon.

So far, the alliance of other advisories had yet to make their move, only sending a few spies to scout from across the lake.

I spent my time sitting on the chapel’s stage and thinking over all my past fights, feeling my weapon art slowly develop: it was a hard feeling to describe.

Before going into a fight, I would create a set of constant, predetermined factors, such as my emotional and physical state, that I would review to determine the way in which I would fight: the ways I would parry my sword, the speed at which I would step, and the type of slash I would attack with.

"Ah...I’m exhausted. You’ve been here all day because you lost some sort of bet, right?"

"I can’t wait until this exam is over...I really need some dining hall food and a shower. Though...honestly, bathing in the lake isn’t that bad."

As per the rules Ren had created, I always had a partner to help me guard the golden orb, who rotated out each hour.

Snapping me back to reality, a boy, whose name I had come to learn as Fang over the past hour through his nonstop talking, said.

"My shift is up...I’ll see you later."

As he left, a familiar face walked through the chapel doors, her snow-white hair in rougher shape than usual, with clumps and leaves within.

"..."

"..."

Not even sparing me a glance, she sat by the bench by the door and looked down, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

Sighing, I slid the metal armband off my limp right arm and threw it at her using my left arm.

"Here, I brought it inside."

*CLANG*

As the metal armband landed right beside her, Lily’s eyes instantly flicked onto it, her entire demeanor transforming as she raced to grab it, like a child finding a new toy.

Finally turning around to face me, Lily asked.

"I see you’ve used it: is there anything wrong with it?"

Shaking my head, I responded after a moment.

"It’s fine."

Instantly, her aggravated voice shot back.

"Are you insulting me? ’Fine?’ The result of my last three years of research and work is ’fine?’ That’s the best it is!?"

Clicking my tongue, aggravated by the consistent stabbing pain in my still-healing right shoulder, I muttered while lowering my shirt and revealing my wounded right shoulder.

"I can’t even use it anymore, with my shoulder."

With all the blood gathered in my right shoulder because of the sword wound, the mechanical armband’s guiding of mana particles into my shoulder and through my arm had completely failed.

Of course, Lily couldn’t be blamed for this: it was my own fault for getting hurt.

"..."

"..."

Seemingly taking my words as a challenge, Lily took out a makeshift wooden screwdriver and began messing around with the mechanical armband.

Clicking my tongue, I turned around and lay down on the stage.

Anyway, it wasn’t like I was needed anymore.

I had gotten enough eliminations for a decent grade, and everything else could be handled by Ren, including the advisory alliance attack and demon incident.

All I had to focus on was protecting myself, the only variable.

"..."

As an hour quickly passed, the chapel door opened once again; however, before the rotating student could even step inside, Lily’s furious voice shot out.

"LEAVE!"

"...it’s my shift though."

Sighing, I said before Lily could yell again.

"She’ll take your shift, apparently."

Seemingly happy with the arrangement, the student left, leaving us alone in the chapel again.

Glancing at the bench where Lily was, I couldn’t help but notice the complete and utter mess of mechanical parts lying around the now completely dismantled mechanical armband.

"Trust the process...I guess."

"..."

"..."

As the sun began to slowly rise, lighting the virtual world a light-orange, I couldn’t help but stand up.

At this point, the silence was deafening even to me, or perhaps boredom had gotten to me.

Just as I arrived at her bench, Lily began screwing the metal armband shut, her light-blue eyes flickering open and closed as she struggled to stay awake.

Noticing me beside her, Lily suddenly asked.

"How are you wide awake?"

"My gift."

After pausing for a moment, Lily answered, a creepy smile on her face for some reason.

"So, you don’t ever need to sleep?"

"Something like that."

Nodding her head at my response, Lily took a deep breath before finally sealing the armband shut and dropping her screwdriver.

"We’re not even. Understand?"

Not even waiting for my response, she handed me the mechanical armband and stood up, leaving the chapel.

Putting on the metal armband on my limp right arm, I chuckled for a moment, alone in the chapel.

She had said that same thing to Ren in the novel.

It was probably time for me to distance myself, wasn’t it?