Doggone Academy

The monster seemed to have succumbed to death, its movements coming to a halt.

Its head was firmly lodged in the wall, so even as its body drooped, it remained stuck there for a while before the neck detached and fell, shaking the ground.

Thud!

And with that, the battle finally came to an end.

Bertang collapsed where he stood, his legs giving out beneath him.

Ha, haha.

His hands were numb from unconsciously clenching his fists too tight.

Cecil and Marta likewise succumbed to relief and plopped down on the ground.

After hesitating for a moment, Marta broke the silence.

I cant believe it.

Cecil threw out a remark as if pleased with the outcome.

See, wasnt it a good bet?

It was a wise decision.

Bertang admitted he had been wrong.

It wasnt just a success; it was an unprecedented grand success. At this moment, he strongly wanted to praise Cecils discernment. Her gamble had saved the group.

The rumors that Candy had the skills to rival Sion were true.

Understanding why that accomplished Sion was so desperately searching for Candy became crystal clear at this point. Currently, among all students, there was no one but Candy who could stand against Sion.

Bertang looked around. Everywhere was filled with the corpses of the dead lizards.

We came here with non-lethal practices in mind this might lead to their extinction. Arent we going to be kicked out of the Circulatory System?

Though grades seemed insignificant after a life-threatening encounter, since practice was still ongoing, they had to complete the remaining duration.

Cecil, whose thoughts had seemingly changed since the preparation for practice, did not agree with him.

No, its only now that were truly integrated into the order of the eating and being eaten in the Circulatory System.

It was a different perspective from mainstream alchemy, but it had its own logic.

Could that possibly be his plan?

He didnt say it outright. Probably similar, though?

Everyones gaze naturally fell on Candy.

They were no longer able to look at him the same way as before.

The mysterious sword, emitting a mystic light in Candys hand, had disappeared.

A summoned sword Bertang had never seen nor heard of such a thing before. He was so curious he felt as if he wouldnt be able to sleep.

Initially feared to be severely injured from the lizards tail strike, Candys movements were unexpectedly untroubled and even elegant, except for his drenched clothes.

Then, just as the thought crossed his mind, his soaking wet clothing slowly began to stain with blood.

Cecil, upon seeing this, was shocked and rushed over to him.

Luna quickly followed after her.

***

Damian exhaled a sigh of relief and relaxed his body. Although he inevitably manifested his demonsword, he was somewhat satisfied with the successful hunt, though the issue of silencing the witnesses remained.

Even with the pain throbbing from taking a direct hit from the lizards tail, he didnt bother with it and immediately reviewed the battle.

What he appreciated the most was how well he synergized with Luna. It was Damiens first time conducting combat in tandem with someone, and surprisingly, there was not a single misalignment.

Lunas reflexes and responsiveness were both remarkable. The synergy from the opposite traits and abilities complemented each others weaknesses.

After reflecting, he looked at his comrades. They all seemed drained, sitting in place, while Trisha stood alone, staring at Damian with a trance-like expression, like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

Although full of questions, it was not the time for dialogue.

After a while, Cecil and Luna abruptly stood up and hurried over to him.

Candy, blood!

Damian surveyed himself. Suddenly, his side and forearm were smeared with crimson blood.

Engrossed in battle, excited, one often doesnt feel the pain of injuries. Only after his tension eased did the pain start to creep in.

It wasnt deadly, so a potion would suffice.

Im okay; wont die.

When he nonchalantly responded, Cecil appeared puzzled.

What?

Damian, setting aside his own state, checked on Luna.

Luna, you didnt overuse your powers, did you?

Luna shook her head.

Im also okay.

Even so, her hands gathered in habit shook slightly.

As Damian observed silently, Luna hid her hands behind her back.

Given her tendency to not show weakness, it was likely she might cover it up with lies, even in pain.

It was evident Luna was exhausted just by looking.

Rain or shine, she always maintained the same style neatly cut hair reaching down to her waist and one strand tucked behind her ear. But now, stray hairs had begun to stick out, and the strands were in disarray.

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and neck, and she still panting slightly. Even her complexion didnt look good.

Damians condition wasnt great either, and if Sion launched a surprise attack then, theyd have no chance.

They couldnt rejoice just because theyd hunted the ruler of the danger zone. Rest would have to wait until they reached a safe location.

Lets just take a bit of the meat and move on.

Cecil cleared her throat several times and blocked Damians path.

Ahem, no, first take off your clothes.

?

Cecil fished a potion bottle from her pocket, waving it in front of him while reprimanding him.

Are you in your right mind? Treatment comes before moving.

Lets do it later.

No.

The traces of an old wound on his abdomen were as difficult to reveal as his own face because the more people knew, the higher the chance the news would reach Silveryns ears through any route.

He had delayed treatment for this very reason.

Trisha, Luna, and even Marta, with whom he had no personal acquaintance, sidled up and stood in his way.

Seeing the young women with venomous eyes blocking him, Damian sighed.

Since there was no way around it, he began unbuttoning his shirt. He exposed his upper body and sat down on a rock.

Lets hurry.

Upon seeing Damians body up close, everyone grew solemn. Even Cecil, who had seen it once, looked again and her eyelids trembled.

The new injury was considerable, but compared to the old scars that trailed across his abdomen and back, it was nothing.

The reason Damian could stay calm in the face of the beast was that he had experienced a hell incomparable to the current situation. Those who saw the scars could intuitively sense that, even without Damian saying anything.

Everyone was paralyzed on the spot, so Damian urged them to hurry.

Are we not going to treat it? Its getting cold.

Trishas face was the gloomiest. Knowing the origin of Damians old wounds, she wore the most desolate expression in the world.

Trisha grabbed Damians clothes and said,

Ill go wash these

With that, she rushed toward the waterfall before her emotions overflowed.

Cecil began the potion application in earnest. Luna reached for Damians wooden sword.

I need to borrow this.

Damian quickly withdrew the sword behind him.

Its dangerous to touch when youre out of mana.

Oh, okay

Then Luna spoke with a wolf spirit beside her. Suddenly, the wolf bit the hem of her dress and growled, tugging on it.

It ripped off a piece of the fabric to use as a makeshift bandage around Damians forearm.

As Luna tied it up, her hands shook. Whether it was from the contact with a mans body or due to exhaustion, it was unclear.

Seeing her elegant outfit become a mess bothered Damian.

And he resolved that once the practice was over, he would treat Luna to a meal.

The treatment was quickly finished.

Damian drew his sword again and headed towards the Wingless Dragons carcass.

Candy, where are you going?

I need to get some meat.

Cecil shook her head as if to say there was no helping him.

Theres no cure for stubbornness, I swear.

He approached the carcass of the monster.

Although unpleasant work was required, there was something essential that needed taking.

The heart.

There was one thing the primitive tribes rooted in the Circulatory System had in common.

The heart meat was always reserved for mothers and warriorsthose needing plenty of nourishment and energy.

They believed that the Circulatory Systems energy was concentrated in the heart.

Damian ruthlessly sliced into the flesh around the beasts chest. And into the still warm heart, he plunged his knife.

Fortunately, since the beasts body was turned away from his comrades, the gruesome task of salvaging the heart meat was not exposed. Since he needed to consume the same thing as Luna, he avoided revealing any stomach-churning sights as much as possible.

As he separated the cardiac flesh, his knife edge felt something solid.

Initially, he thought it had touched bone, but as he continued and sensed something unusual, he split the heart open to check.

At the hearts center, there was a fist-sized crystal entangled with what looked like nerve strands resembling a spider web.

It was as if there was another heart within the heart.

This is

Damian, with experience dealing with jewels, intuited that it was not an ordinary object and quietly pocketed the crystal.

After wrapping up the work, he washed his hands and sword in the waterfall and rejoined the group.

Everyone was ready to depart, waiting for Damian.

Their eyes sparkled as they looked at him. It seemed a sense of camaraderie, akin to a fellow feeling, had formed after the shared crisis.

Regrettably, Damian had no interest in those who couldnt be of help.

Lets go.

They hastened their steps once more.

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