"Yhoung mashther… I… Hhhhh…! I c-can'th b-breathe…! Hhhh…! Hhhh…! Hhh! U-uuuuuuu…"
With Vicas grabbing his face with a terribly worried expression, Liam wheezed, his chin trembling uncontrollably, and big tears streaming down his face.
No acting or putting up a front, just pure fear and pain of a seventeen-year-old, injured boy.
"I will…"
"...!"
Rotsard spoke up while reaching his hand towards the crying upperclassman, but that caused Vicas to hurriedly step in between the bleached-blond-haired junior and his friend, properly stunning the former.
"I will carry this one, you take the lighter one. You don't have to believe me, but since I didn't intend to seriously harm him, the other one surely isn't completely fine either."
"Huh…?! O-oh! Th-that would be for the best…. I'll take you on that offer."
Rotsard rolled his eyes and said what he originally intended, causing the red-haired boy to flinch and vigorously nod his head after swallowing his saliva.
"Hhhhh!"
"Did you not use those spells after all?"
With Vicas leaving Liam to him, Rotsard grumbled when the large boy wheezed as he helped him up.
"U-uuu…"
"...haaaa…"
Even though he expected an answer, when the only voice that came from Liam's mouth was more crying, Rotsard groaned and simply picked him up.
"Let's get over this."
"Y-yes."
He said, glancing over his shoulder and causing Vicas, who was already carrying Klein, to flinch and agree hastily.
"Student Vallhall… about the explanations we will give the nurses…"
"I'm listening."
Their pace didn't accommodate for small talk, but even so, there were some things that had to be discussed before arriving at the hospital wing.
"You wanted us to leave traces by the shed because you want to keep me in check, don't you? In that case, how about making an alibi that requires all of us to make sense?"
"And in more details…?"
Vicas declared, quite honestly giving a bit too much credit to Rotsard, who was simply making sure that the events would play out as they did in the doefol's story... But the bleached-blond-haired boy wasn't going to point it out and nodded along.
"Your reputation is bad enough already. How about we will say that the three of us stayed late to study, bumped into you in the part of the Academy exactly opposite to the training ground and the sheds, and since you didn't see who we were, you beat us up? Only for you to realize who we were and end up helping us out."
Vicas came up with an excuse that seemed a bit too overly complicated for Rotsard's taste, but it wasn't to the point of him opposing it.
Although... there was a part he wanted to clarify.
"I can see in the darkness."
"...pardon…?"
Rotsard said, causing Vicas to slow down and start blinking repeatedly.
"Because of some circumstances, I can see in the darkness. Oh, and with my sense of smell, I could tell who was approaching me even if my vision was obstructed."
The bleached-blond-haired boy didn't stop and wait, simply adding as he power-walked, leaving the other one behind.
"C-circumstances...? Wh… a… are you even human, actually…?"
"All things considered? I'm more of a benevolent apparition by this point."
Vicas gasped, rushing to catch up to him, causing Rotsard to furrow his brows and scoff.
"?!?!"
"Don't worry, I'll only be around for a year and a half more. Even a bit less than that."
As the red-haired boy froze up with his mouth agape, Rotsard shrugged indifferently without looking back.
"Stop making that face. I said that I'm benevolent, didn't I?"
Since he didn't hear any footsteps, Rotsard groaned and scoffed, motioning with his head at Vicas to start moving.
"Let's go with your idea, but how about we don't give any excuses about me? Let's just say that I beat you up and that's that. As for helping you out? Psh. Change of heart or whatever. What? Do you believe they will do anything to me anyway?"
"...!"
Rotsard added, and Vicas's eyes widened once more before he trotted over with a completely different expression.
He kept glancing at Rotsard all the way to the hospital wing, and honestly…? The reverence in his gaze, so being treated like a personification of a Grand Fae, made the bleached-blond-haired boy's skin crawl.
…
"Oh faes of light, nature, and water…! Did he fall from the dormitory's rooftop!?"
"..."
"..."
The nurse performing the check-up on Liam traced the sacred sign in the air while crying out in shock, causing the wide-eyed Vicas to slowly turn to Rotsard, while Rotsard slowly turned away from him.
…yeah… No matter how much Rotsard wanted to swear that he was taking it easy, the damages his 'knee push' caused couldn't be denied…
Although Liam's wounds were serious, the immediate danger to his life was dealt with, and he could breathe properly.
Luckily, Klein's injuries weren't as serious, although he did have quite a severe concussion that was compared to getting kicked by a centaur, but getting lucky with it…
… so there went the claim about the 'light tap'...
Interestingly enough, even though originally the nurses appeared to be greatly interested in the story about the patients, the moment that the woman with green streaks in otherwise raven-black hair, Clementine Mivoress, entered the hospital wing, spotted Rotsard, and took charge, no questions were asked.
None at all.
It even required Vicas to proactively speak up about the 'supposed' spot in which the accident took place for their alibi to work!
Still getting left alone gave Rotsard time to explain to Vicas what he required.
The bleached-blond-haired boy was insistent on the urgency of the task.
It was not only because he wanted to learn who killed the commoner nurse, but also because right in the middle of the exam week, Vicas would have a confrontation with the future hero and his love interest, followed by being exposed and expelled from the Royal Academy.
A light tap on the hand of a punishment, even considering that none of the victims suffered any permanent physical damage, but still.
Vicas was the nephew of the current headmaster of the Royal Academy facing any consequences was a big deal.
But of course, for the righteous hero, that wouldn't seem enough, and the fire of justice would start burning even brighter in his heart.
…which is why the 1st volume of the deofol's story ended on the character of Rotsard Vallhall bragging about the perfect scores he received…
…by cheating, of course…
…and him getting humiliated by being unable to answer some basic questions by Justin and Amelia, followed by more humiliation in the form of getting angry, challenging Justin to a duel, and losing DESPITE cheating during the fight!
It was something that the real Rotsard had been preparing for some time, not wanting to get taken by surprise this time around.
Nonetheless, all the necessary information was passed on, and the bleached-blond-haired boy left the hospital wing, returning to the cold room for the night.