"...I'll tell you everything, just please save me."

What an impressive bit of nonsense.

Thinking it wasn't a big deal, I held her hand to infuse starlight as a medical procedure before moving her to the ward.

"Ahhh!!! Please save me!!! I was framed!!! I was framed!!!"

"..."

Jane had a fit.

She only had her hand held, yet she reacted so strongly...

She seemed to be quite terrified from being in an isolated situation.

'I should've rescued her a bit sooner...'

I patted her back to calm her down.

"Calm down, it's all over now."

"Huh?"

"The Giant is dead, and everyone is getting treated and resting, so don't worry too much."

-Pat, pat...

As I comforted her sincerely, Jane's eyes darted around. Her expression seemed to say, ‘What on earth is going on?’

After infusing her with starlight, I supported her and led her to the temporary ward.

Then, I laid her on a vacant bed.

"You've injured your head, so get plenty of rest."

"Oh, okay..."

She switched from formal to casual speech. Starting to get a hold of herself?

As I was about to leave her at the bedside, Jane called out to me.

"Gardner, um… Is it...?"

Was she about to say something important?

Judging by how she struggled to say it, it seemed to be something significant.

I waited patiently.

While I was listening and waiting for her to speak, someone’s voice called out from behind me.

"Gardner, how are you feeling?"

I turned around and saw an unexpected figure standing there.

It was Elki, the operator of the Punitive Squad.

She stood there.

‘She’s becoming more and more impressive by the day.’

The recluse-like demeanor I’d seen before was gone, and she now exuded a completely elite aura.

She seemed almost like a lawyer from a law firm.

"Senior? What brings you here?"

"I have some business with her... Could you give us a moment?"

"Um... Do you mean with Jane?"

"Yes."

I looked at Jane, who had started to tremble.

...I had no idea what had happened between Jane and Elki-senpai, but it seemed like something they needed to resolve themselves.

"Whatever it is, I hope you can solve it through a peaceful conversation."

"Don't worry, I don't plan to talk long."

I thought it best to step aside, so I was about to move away when a hand grabbed my sleeve.

"Uh, uh… U-uh, earlier... I was trapped under debris and it was terrifying... Please stay with me..."

It was Jane. She looked up at me with moist eyes, speaking formally.

She seemed desperate to hold onto me, not wanting to be alone with Elki Senior.

Seeing this, Elki Senior scoffed.

"This is how you want to play it, huh?"

As Elki Senior curled her lips into a smirk, Jane anxiously darted her eyes around, gripping my clothes even tighter.

Elki Senior chuckled and spoke to me.

"Hey, we caught the guys who were trying to falsely accuse you earlier."

What on earth is she talking about?

"...Falsely accused?"

"Yeah, someone said you smashed a blockhead's skull."

Me? A blockhead's skull? That's news to me; I've never done such a thing.

"Who on earth would make such a false accusation and why?"

"They found you bothersome in the exam and wanted to get rid of you beforehand."

"Hmm..."

Is she talking about that exam held in a tournament format? Then it must be students from my group.

"Can you tell me who they are?"

At that point, Jane's grip on my clothes loosened.

"Hmm... Should I tell you? What would you do if I did?"

"I'd make sure they wouldn't even think of doing something like that again."

"Explain in detail."

In detail? She’s surprisingly interested.

Given her role, she seemed interested in discussions like this.

I told Elki Senior about a traditional method of persuasion.

"I'll inflict every possible pain within the Disciplinary Committee's authority."

The ‘pain’ I referred to was merely the mental anguish of a stern lecture. But if I told the truth, she might think the punishment was too light and withhold the culprits. So, I exaggerated a bit.

"Oh... Does that include physical pain?"

"If possible."

Wouldn't I at least be able to cut their nails short? But assault is a crime, no matter how minor.

"Should we let the Disciplinary Committee handle it directly?"

"I'll make sure it's resolved without you having to worry, Senior."

"Really? Hey, what do you think?"

Unexpectedly, she directed the question at Jane.

As Jane began to tremble, I tried to mediate between her and Elki Senior.

Even though Jane was a patient, I thought additional pressure wouldn't be good, so I stepped in. However, Jane rejected my intervention.

"I-I'll do as Senior says..."

"Really? Alright then, go on with your business."

"..."

Invited to leave by Elki Senior, I exited the temporary ward.

"Um..."

Honestly, after hearing that scenario, I could infer how the events might unfold. Yet, I refrained from deducing further.

"Elki Senior will handle it, I guess."

Once I rescued the last injured person, I decided to call it a day.

Heading to the temporary resting area for a break, I found no available spots.

‘Am I too late...’

The temporary resting area was filled with people.

There were only a few people occupying the bedding, and even then, they slept two or three together. It was like students were packed in tightly, resembling tadpoles in a summer valley.

I couldn't bring myself to squeeze in and sleep among them, so I stepped outside with a blanket in hand.

I decided to just camp out.

I found a suitable spot, settled down, and closed my eyes.

This was my first night sleeping outdoors since enrolling in the Academy.

'Normally... I would have slept outdoors during the Midterm Ability Assessment...'

With that thought, I finally drifted off.

Mermaid, the Health Teacher.

After finishing the treatment for the last patient, she walked out of the makeshift ward.

"Phew..."

Seeing the students get hurt was never pleasant.

Though she understood they were soldiers too, each fulfilling their roles, it was hard not to feel sorry for these young ones.

She set aside her stray thoughts and headed towards the Main Building.

Since she couldn't arrange for sleep here, she aimed to go to her personal room set up near the Medical Room.

-Thud...

Something caught on her foot.

"A person?"

Why on earth is someone sleeping in a place like this?

The Health Teacher lifted her head and looked around.

This is near the camp area...

‘Why is he sleeping outside instead of in the camp? What if someone trips over him?’

The Health Teacher looked at him with concern. Judging by the footprints all over his body, he had already been tripped over and stepped on several times. Occasionally, there were notes scribbled in choppy handwriting saying, "I accidentally stepped on you while half-asleep... I'm sorry."

It seemed like one of the people who had stepped on him left those notes.

The Health Teacher thought she couldn't leave him like this. She tried to wake him up and bring him into the camp by shaking his shoulder.

But there was no response.

"Cadet..."

He was sleeping so soundly that he wouldn't notice even if she carried him away. Curious about who could sleep so deeply, she examined his face and recognized it immediately.

He was a cadet who had been to the Medical Room several times. It was Gardner, the Head of the Disciplinary Committee.

"No wonder he can't wake up."

As an emergency response team member, the Health Teacher knew what Gardner had been through during the giant's attack. Seeing that he had emerged from inside the giant, he must have fought hard to defeat it.

Despite having fought such a giant, he continued to care for the injured until sunset.

"I told him not to overexert himself..."

Could it be that he feels a sense of responsibility due to his title as the Head of the Disciplinary Committee for the first years?

Gardner was always at the forefront of incidents, and as a result, he often got hurt. The Health Teacher found it frustrating that she couldn't properly reprimand him even though she wanted to.

She knew that his injuries were from helping others.

If she, too, had to go to the battlefield to help others, she would gladly do so.

Considering thoughts like these for herself, how could she tell Gardner not to sacrifice himself for others?

The Health Teacher helped Gardner to his feet as he lay on the ground. She could have ignored him, but her heart went out to him, and she decided to bring him into the camp.

“…Oh, no space inside.”

Having checked the situation inside the camp, the Health Teacher understood and closed the door again.

It was only natural that Gardner had not secured a spot in the temporary camp setup, since he had been working on the rescue operation until the very end.

“I’ll have to ask to expand the camp tomorrow…”

Resolving herself, the Health Teacher supported Gardner and headed towards the Main Building. Gardner was a head taller than the Health Teacher, so his legs dragged on the ground, but no one paid attention to it.

With Gardner in tow, the Health Teacher entered the Medical Room. As they passed through the ward full of critical patients towards her private room, no one raised objections.

The Health Teacher laid Gardner on her bed. Then, she settled on the sofa to sleep.

And the next day…

"What on earth happened..."

Gardner was shocked as he got up from the bed.

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