The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

The natural mana of Black Stone returned to its original place.

As a result, stronger earthquakes occurred, and a volcano threatened to erupt, but the highest-ranking Heavenly Beings and their subordinates used Divine Power to stabilize the unstable flow of natural mana, preventing disaster.

Afterward, the Heavenly Beings returned, taking the surviving rebels with them.

As an act of atonement, the highest-ranking Heavenly Beings bestowed a blessing of abundance upon the world and promised that their kind would no longer interfere in the human realm before disappearing into the light.

And so, the war drew to an empty and futile close.

Afterward, discussions arose about where to send Isaac.

Would it be Düpfendorf, the empire’s best medical facility, or the Märchen Academy Hospital?

After a brief discussion, it was decided to send him to the Märchen Academy.

This was because Isaac had left instructions with the Legion commanders of Düpfendorf and the Imperial Court.

If he were to collapse and require treatment, he asked to be taken to the Märchen Academy Hospital and to be attended by a priest skilled in healing or a capable healer.

He had foreseen, at the very least, what condition he could be in if he returned from the Nether and things went well.

Thus, Isaac was sent to the Märchen Academy Hospital, accompanied by Düpfendorf’s knight commander, Morcan, as his escort.

At the Märchen Academy Hospital, Isaac was treated with healing magic from the empire’s best healer and Kaya’s plant magic.

His body was so damaged that it was miraculous he hadn’t died on the spot. The powerful mana, rebelling like an unruly teenager, resisted and hindered the healing magic, prolonging the grueling treatment for three days.

Still, he had not regained consciousness. He merely laid there, breathing quietly like a comatose patient, deeply asleep.

“Sir Isaac… It’s already the fourth day, and he still hasn’t woken up, right?” Kaya Astrea, seated in the guardian’s chair, quietly gazed at Isaac and asked.

Dorothy Heartnova, who was sitting by the bed holding Isaac’s hand, quietly nodded from the other side.

The witch’s hat she usually wore was placed in a corner of the hospital room.

During that time, Kaya snatched brief moments of sleep as she devoted herself to treating Isaac, while Dorothy remained in the hallway. Since the treatment had taken so long, they were only permitted to visit Isaac’s hospital room on that day.

“You only told Senior Alice and then left… Just how much did you push yourself…?”

Even Kaya, who had been holding back tears every chance she got out of worry for Isaac, had now regained her composure.

Even the persona of Kaya the Ravenous stood beside her, looking at Isaac with a concerned gaze.

Dorothy glanced at Kaya.

She hadn’t yet spoken of the memory of another Dorothy Gale that had surfaced in her mind.

Not only did she not know what that memory was or its origin, but she also judged it necessary to discuss it with Isaac first.

If this memory is true…

It made sense why Isaac’s emotions had been so subdued since last summer break.

The scene of Isaac appearing before another Dorothy Gale in the Nether vividly resurfaced in her mind.

Isaac’s bloodied face, smiling sadly, left a heavy knot in Dorothy’s heart.

And then.

The monster is gone.

The unknown monster within Isaac’s essence, which even Dorothy had found terrifying, was gone.

Isaac, what have you been through…?

Dorothy gently ran her worried fingers through Isaac’s hair.

[How boring. How long are you going to keep sleeping? Our Dorothy hasn’t slept for well over four nights you know?]

Ella, the white cat familiar, climbed onto Isaac’s stomach and let out a series of deep sighs.

Though she grumbled, Ella was also worried that Isaac might not wake up.

Clunk.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the hospital room became noisy in an instant.

[News of Isaac’s fainting received! Bello has arrived on the scene!]

[Isaac, are you alright?!]

“Isaac…!”

A small killer whale familiar with a bandaged torso, Bello, and a raven-like thunderbird, Galia, flew into the hospital room.

Following them, Luce, covered in bandages and using crutches, entered the hospital room.

“Luce Eltania? Have you just regained consciousness?”

Kaya looked surprised at Luce’s visit, as Luce had also been unconscious until now.

[This is Bello! This is Bello! Isaac, respond! I repeat, this is Bello! Isaac, respond!]

Bello circled above Isaac, chattering cheerfully in a boyish, childlike voice.

[Isaac…]

Thunderbird Galia perched on the cabinet beside the bed, gazing at Isaac with worried eyes.

Luce approached Kaya, tossed her crutches aside, and gripped the bed. Her shocked eyes were fixed squarely on Isaac.

“Isaac. I heard it’s been four days… I’m naturally frail, so I get it in my case, but he’s not the type to recover this slowly… Did you treat him properly?”

Luce looked at Kaya with desperate eyes.

“I—of course…”

“Then why is this happening? Isn’t plant magic one of the best in the healing category? It’s the power of the fairies. Do it properly again, until Isaac wakes up. Hurry!”

Luce shouted, driven by her concern for Isaac.

“…”

Kaya’s eyes turned red. Dark Kaya stepped in, unable to stand by any longer.

She tilted her head to the side, furrowing her brow and letting out a snort.

“You were collapsed and helpless, yet now you’re barking orders? Luce Eltania, do you think you’re someone important?”

“What…?”

Luce’s gaze turned icy cold as if frozen like a block of ice.

Dark Kaya leaned her head forward, glaring at Luce from up close. Her blood-red pupils formed a stark contrast with Luce’s aquamarine eyes.

“Do you think I wouldn’t have done my best? Do you even know how I feel? If you haven’t contributed anything to Sir Isaac’s treatment, keep your mouth shut.”

“…”

For three days, she had struggled to treat Isaac, barely sleeping. Even after the treatment ended, Isaac hadn’t woken up, leaving Kaya deeply distressed.

With her emotions already pushed to the brink, Luce’s remarks had struck a nerve, making it impossible for her Ravenous persona to stay quiet.

“What are you two doing in the hospital room?”

[You two, stop fighting here. Do I need to get angry?]

Dorothy and Ella shot disapproving looks at Luce and Kaya.

A menacing atmosphere descended on the hospital room, and Ice Knight Morcan, who had been quietly standing by the wall, also reacted.

At that moment, a nonchalant voice came through the open door.

“Oh my, what’s this atmosphere?”

[Meow!]

Dorothy, Kaya, Ella, and Morcan all turned their gazes toward the door. Luce cast a cold glance in that direction.

“What a heavy atmosphere.”

Alice Carroll entered with a sly smile, accompanied by her chubby purple cat familiar, Phantom Cat, Cheshire.

Alice had bandages around her forehead and arm, but her condition was better than Luce’s.

She approached Luce and Kaya, placed her hands on their shoulders, and leaned her head between them.

Her fresh, cherry blossom eyes alternated between looking at Luce and Kaya.

“You mustn’t fight, okay? This is a hospital room, after all. And Baby is sleeping.”

“I wasn’t planning to fight. I just said something because someone was spouting nonsense without knowing any better.”

Dark Kaya leaned her head back and responded with a sigh in her voice.

Her red eyes still glared at Luce.

“Dear?”

Alice’s characteristic smile turned toward Luce.

“…”

Luce stared at Kaya with lifeless eyes, as if reflecting the depths of the ocean, then let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

An emotional attitude should be avoided. Creating a bad atmosphere here would only disturb Isaac’s recovery.

Eventually, Luce silently looked at Isaac, and the tension came to an end.

“Good.”

Alice kindly praised Luce for backing down gracefully.

Dorothy shot Alice a sharp glare. She was glad the tension between Luce and Kaya had ended, but she couldn’t stand that it was Alice who had mediated.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Dorothy?”

“Just… I feel annoyed for some reason.”

“You really dislike me, don’t you? How adorable.”

Alice gave Dorothy a gentle smile.

The women in Isaac’s harem were all strong-willed. In other words, someone was needed to mediate between them.

Alice decided to take on that role herself.

[Meow. Isn’t Isaac sleeping a little too peacefully? I’ve been working myself to the bone…]

Phantom Cat Cheshire curled up next to Isaac’s head and grumbled softly.

The Phantom Cat turned its whining expression toward Ella, complaining in a theatrical tone.

[Ella, do you know that?]

[I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.]

[I, Loyal Cheshire, have been faithfully following Isaac’s orders, spying on the Heavenly Beings every day, getting beaten to a pulp, and even brushing death! It was so incredibly hard…! To heal the wounds in my heart, I need your comfort. Could I ask for just one word of solace?]

[Oh dear. Why didn’t you just die then?]

All that came from Ella was a cold response.

[Meow, as expected of Ella, you even make a single word of comfort sound so stylish and elegant! That’s why I like you!]

[As I thought, you’re frustrating and ugly. That’s why I dislike you.]

Ella calmly rebuked the Phantom Cat, whose face melted into a dreamy, silly grin.

A sharp dagger of words struck deep into the Phantom Cat’s chest. The cat coughed up imaginary blood in anguish.

The Phantom Cat looked at Ella, who curled up on Isaac’s stomach, with a sorrowful expression.

[Ella…]

[Your breath stinks.]

[Do you really hate me that much?]

[Yup.]

[I can’t accept that…!]

The Phantom Cat sprang to its feet with a solemn expression.

[A cat as charming as me being disliked? That’s impossible! If you want me to accept it, give me 1,000 logical reasons why you hate me!]

[I dislike you because you’re fat, ugly, annoying, and purple. I dislike you because you wear a mismatched bowler hat, because you look clumsy and slow-witted, and because your thoughts are immature. I dislike your sly, pretentious tone and your overly playful attitude. I dislike your weird teeth, your ugly stripes, and the way your breath smells like rotting food. I dislike your creepy smile, your uneven claws, and how frustratingly clingy and oblivious you are…]

As Ella confidently listed 1,000 reasons why she disliked the Phantom Cat, Cheshire’s tears trickled like chicken droppings down his cheeks.

While everyone silently listened without denying Ella’s words, the door creaked open cautiously.

Ella stopped talking, and everyone’s gaze, except for the Phantom Cat’s, who was tearfully sobbing with a defeated expression, turned toward the door.

To pass through the door, the Escort Soldiers stationed there had to recognize the visitor as someone connected to Isaac. In other words, the visitor was someone they all knew.

“Um…”

A first-year female student timidly peeked through the slightly open door.

It was the princess, Snow White.

She trembled like a small, frightened fish standing before a school of sharks.

“I came to see Senior Isaac…”

“…”

“I’m sorry for presumptuously coming to visit. Take care…”

Creaaak, click.

Overcome with fear, White quickly closed the door again.

Silence descended upon the hospital room.

As everyone in the room stared at the door, it suddenly swung open again.

“Excuse me.”

“M-Merlin…! You can’t go in…!”

Merlin Astrea, the Imperial knight with dark green ponytailed hair, boldly stepped in. Behind her, White, wide-eyed with fear, tried to stop her but to no avail.

Kaya’s eyes widened as she looked at Merlin.

“Merlin? Sis?”

“Greetings. I am Merlin Astrea, serving as Princess White’s escort knight. Princess White was worried about Sir Isaac, so we brought a gift for his recovery. May we join you?”

Holding a beautiful potted plant, Merlin gave a polite knightly bow. Meanwhile, White fidgeted nervously, glancing back and forth between the girls in the hospital room and Merlin.

“Uh-hehh…”

White, who had won first place in a beauty contest, was unintentionally perceived as someone showing interest in Isaac, making her a person of concern among the girls who liked him.

Moreover, each of them was strong-willed and renowned as powerful figures, every one of them was a force to be reckoned with… White could only tremble uncontrollably, tears welling in their eyes from sheer fear.

[Rival alert! Rival alert! A rival officially certified to be prettier than the master has appeared! Master, prepare for war!]

Smack!

[Ah! Bello, shocked! No violence! No violence!]

Luce, wearing a cold expression, flicked Bello on the head. Bello flailed his arms in the air in protest, while the Thunderbird scolded him.

[Calm down, Bello.]

“There’s no problem. Come on in.”

The first to warmly welcome White with a kind smile was Alice.

That angelic smile made White feel as if she had found a dependable killer whale to side with her amidst a swarm of sharks.

One by one, the other girls also stepped forward.

“Hehe, what are you so scared of? Come on in. Do you think we’d chase away someone who’s worried about the president?”

“Welcome, Princess White. This way, please.”

Dorothy also welcomed White with a smile, and Kaya stood up and greeted her politely.

Luce stared at White with an expression as emotionless as a doll’s before turning her gaze back to Isaac.

Merlin bowed her head again, and a relieved White allowed a smile to form on her face.

“Then, thank you…!”

White went with Merlin to stand beside Dorothy and quietly looked at Isaac.

“Senior Isaac…”

For a while, she simply stared at Isaac, who remained unconscious.

Gradually, White sniffled, and her eyes filled with tears.

“I was so worried…”

White sobbed ungracefully, openly revealing her deep concern for Isaac.

While everyone was focused on Isaac, a commotion was heard from the hallway.

“Sir Tristan! You shouldn’t be moving yet!”

“Sir Tristan, you need to rest first…!”

It was the voices of students.

“Ha!”

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a blond boy on crutches appeared. Most of his body was wrapped in bandages, and he let out a self-assured chuckle.

“Still unconscious, Isaac? What a pity! I woke up first! The battle of willpower is mine to claim!”

The boy, suddenly declaring his victory and laughing heartily, was Isaac’s classmate, Tristan Humphrey.

The students accompanying him trembled in fear as they gazed at the overwhelming powerhouses filling Isaac’s hospital room.

Everyone in the hospital room was taken aback.

[What’s with that lunatic?]

Even Bello was stunned.

“Over there!”

“Huh…? Ack!”

The hallway quickly became chaotic as a crowd of students pushed past Tristan and tried to enter the room.

The Escort Soldiers immediately blocked their way.

“Isaac! I’m here! It’s Ian!”

“Isaac, are you in there?!”

“T-there! My friend, don’t die! Whaaaa!”

“I-it’s not like I’m worried or anything, but…!”

“My connections, no, wait, Isaac, is he okay?!”

“There’s no sign of bloodshed.”

Ian Fairytale, Mateo Jordana, Amy Holloway, Lisetta Lionheart, Keridna Whiteclark, Ciel Carnedas, students who were once part of Mateo’s clique, and others who had built connections with Isaac.

“Senior Isaac…!”

Even visiting students like Priestess Miya and Taryn Bartin.

Because visiting Isaac became possible starting today, everyone rushed to the hospital as soon as their schedules allowed.

The hallway plunged into pandamonium

“This is total chaos…”

Dorothy expressed her amazement.

“Everyone, please maintain order! You cannot cause a disturbance in front of the hospital room, ack!”

The Escort Soldiers tried to control the flow of students crowding the hallway, but suddenly, a pink-haired woman appeared, accompanied by her Escort Priest, and the Escort Soldiers quickly bowed deeply.

The students all turned to look behind them and flinched in surprise.

“Greetings, Saintess!”

“Is the Ice Sovereign doing well?”

“Yes, the treatment was completed successfully! However, he remains unconscious for now.”

Saintess Bianca Anturaze stood behind the students, carefully surveying the hospital room.

“Our Holy Kingdom of Bardio will spare no effort in offering our full support to the Ice Sovereign… Ahem, by the way, it seems there are many visitors here.”

Bianca cleared her throat as she watched the restless students.

Although Bianca’s throat-clearing was meant to subtly signal the students to move aside, they failed to fully grasp her intention.

[All of you are too noisy! For Isaac’s complete recovery, this valiant killer whale demands silence!]

“You’re the loudest one here.”

[Le gasp.]

As Bello reached the entrance and prepared to scold the students, Lisetta calmly delivered a biting remark. Bello swallowed his breath, lowered his tail, and shrank back in dejection.

Despite the commotion, Isaac remained motionless, wandering in unconsciousness.

Many people continued to visit him, and Kaya, Luce, Dorothy, Alice, and White stayed by his bedside, sharing countless conversations as time passed.

A month later, around the time when white snow lay gently piled outside the window.

Isaac’s finger twitched.