Disappointing Teleportation Magic ~ Even Though The Movement Distance Is Only 1 Millimeter, I Will Rise Through Ingenuity ~ - Chapter 36.2

Ignoring the pain that made me want to scream, I knelt down.

“You did well, Yuto! Killing two wyverns is an outstanding feat.”

“Thank you. But this victory is not mine alone. It belongs to everyone who fought with me.”

“I understand, but without you, Yuto, we wouldn’t have defeated the wyverns. For those who have fallen, you should take pride in your accomplishment.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Furthermore, I will fulfill the promise made before the hunt. Those summoned with you will be under Alberic’s care. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Belnort protested, but the king did not change his decision.

“You will be rewarded later. For now, rest well.”

With the king’s permission to leave, First Prince Alberic approached.

“Yuto, you did well. I am grateful.”

“I was just acting instinctively. Without Araseli, I would have died three times.”

“I apologize for placing you on a battlefield you didn’t wish for.”

“No, facing a disaster like this isn’t irrelevant to me. Besides, my classmates will be in your care. Please look after them.”

“Leave it to me. I understand your usefulness better than anyone. From now on, you will fight with pen and paper.”

Just as I thought I could finally rest after being freed by Alberic, three more people stopped me: Umino, Kikui, and Hasunuma.

“Kirikaze-kun, you’re in terrible shape…”

“Compared to the classmates who trained for combat, this is normal.”

“I heard you fought the wyverns to free our classmates from combat roles.”

“Well, the wyverns couldn’t be left alone, and if I had to do it, I thought I might as well ask for that too… ugh.”

Umino hugged me in the middle of the conversation.

Honestly, it hurt, but this was a moment to look cool.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything…”

“That’s not true. Thanks to you guys coming up with a different way of using magic, we could show we were useful outside of combat.”

I nodded to Kikui and Hasunuma, who were watching from behind.

Umino rested her head on my chest and quietly shed tears.

“Thank you, Kirikaze-kun.”

“You’re welcome. And it’s not over yet.”

“Huh…?”

I lowered my voice and whispered to the confused Umino.

“Alberic isn’t guaranteed to be the next king yet, so we can’t let our guard down. Our work will still be important.”

“I see, we can’t relax yet.”

“Yeah, but I’d like to rest today…”

“Oh, sorry! Right, I’m sorry for holding you back… and for disturbing your girlfriend.”

Umino quickly stepped away from me and bowed to Araseli.

“N-no, it’s not like that…”

“We’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so please take care of me.”

“Likewise…”

Huh? I thought this would create a friendly atmosphere, but it seems tense…

“Yuto-sama, let’s go. We need to wash and tend to your wounds.”

“Yeah, please.”

Araseli wrapped her arm around mine and guided me to the bath. When we went out in the city, she didn’t usually cling to my arm like this, but the softness I felt made me very aware.

On the way to the bath, Araseli whispered something to another maid. When I asked, she said she had requested fresh clothes for me.

In the changing room, Araseli helped me remove my armor and clothes, but peeling them off the cuts and scrapes was painful.

“Ow… that hurts…”

“I’m sorry, Yuto-sama. It would hurt more if I did it slowly…”

“I know… but this is going to sting in the water too.”

Even pouring lukewarm water over myself in the bath was excruciating.

“Yuto-sama, are you alright?”

“Araseli… you’re injured too…”

Blood was oozing from many places on Araseli’s body, just like mine.

“These minor wounds are nothing since I protected you, Yuto-sama.”

“Thank you… I’m really happy to have met you.”

“Yuto-sama.”

“Araseli…”

All the emotions we had suppressed—our joy at surviving, the exhilaration from the battle—merged into a chaotic mix, and we embraced passionately. Looking back, someone might have entered during the act, and since fresh clothes were prepared, our voices or presence might have been noticed, but at that moment, we were oblivious.

After washing up, feeling refreshed, and applying simple treatments to our scrapes, we changed into new clothes and moved to the dining hall. We had a simple meal of pasta and tea, then returned to our quarters and got into bed.