Before the academy - Part 2

POV Alex Eralith

While healing Jasmine's wounds, I noticed that, although she had some internal injuries, they weren't too severe. After some time of treatment, she woke up without any major complications.

As soon as she opened her eyes, her gaze instinctively went towards Arthur. Noticing that she was trying to get up, I placed my hand on her to stop her. If she stood, some of her wounds, which were still healing, might reopen.

"Don't worry about my brother," I said, gently pushing her back down. "Both he and the boy next to him are completely healed. Just rest a little longer and let me finish healing you."

She sighed when she heard me and laid back down again. I could sense that her mood wasn't great, and this feeling was confirmed when I saw her start to sob.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect Art, it's my fault," she said through her tears, covering her face with her hands.

Seeing her like this made me feel strange. The first time I met her, she struck me as someone strong-willed, and this impression only grew after I learned more about her family. I reflected for a moment and, noticing that her most serious injuries had healed successfully, I pulled her by the waist and brought her close to me, letting her head rest on my shoulder.

At that moment, I realized how light she was and finally noticed that she wasn't very tall since we were about the same height.

It seemed my accelerated growth had almost caught me up to her. Although, thinking about it, it wasn't that surprising, since she was the smallest among the Twin Horns, and even Arthur barely reached past her shoulder.

"You don't need to worry. Knowing how impulsive my brother is, I understand it's not easy to keep him safe," I whispered while stroking her hair. "Besides, thanks to you, he's still alive, and that's what matters most. Thank you so much for looking out for him and helping him all these years. It's us who should be grateful to you."

After that, I said nothing more. I hugged her tightly so she could let out her grief and frustrations. This lasted longer than I had expected; maybe she really had a lot of emotions built up and took the opportunity to release them all.

Meanwhile, I focused on continuing to use the [Regeneration] skill, helping her heal all her wounds, both recent and old, while also removing any scars she had.

"It's alright, try to regain some mana in your body. We'll depart in an hour," I said, helping her sit up, though she didn't really need it.

"My wounds? My scars?" she whispered, feeling her body and glancing at parts of her skin where there had once been marks.

"I've always known that a young lady's most important concern is her appearance and skin care," I said with a smile. "So I took the liberty of removing those marks so you can show your beauty to the world."

"Thank you so much," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Miss Jasmine, I know I'm handsome and all, but I'm still young, and I don't think others would approve of… us," I said with an exaggerated expression, as if the situation truly pained me, before pretending to come to a decision. "But even so, I don't care what people say. Don't worry, I'll talk to Mother and Father so they can accept us, and if they don't, we'll run away to the far corners of this continent."

"Pff," a small smile appeared on Jasmine's face as she shook her head.

Seeing that her mood had improved, I simply nodded and let her rest and recover her mana. Meanwhile, Arthur and his friend were doing the same.

I stepped out of the cave created by Arthur's friend, searching for any other signs of life, remembering that there was another girl here. I extended my mana perception, seeking any fluctuations that didn't belong to the environment. After some time, I finally felt a faint pulse of mana.

I spotted a metal tent embedded in the ground, like a small shelter. Inside, I found a woman who looked to be around 20 years old. If not for her countless injuries, one might say she was beautiful.

Her legs were broken in several places from the impact of the Guardian's tendrils, and the rest of her body was cut and bruised. Bones were protruding from her legs, and from the changing color of her wounds, they were undoubtedly infected.

"It seems she's in worse shape than Arthur," I whispered as I approached her to heal her. "Though I'm surprised that despite all these injuries, she's still alive. Her persistence is quite admirable."

Just like with Jasmine and Arthur, I aimed to eliminate all the scars her wounds might leave behind. For such a young woman, having those ugly marks on her soft skin would be a fate worse than death, so I decided not to allow that.

Fifteen minutes later, when all her injuries had healed successfully, I noticed her regaining consciousness.

"Huh? What happened?" she said, holding her head.

"Looks like you've woken up," I said with a smile, catching her attention and causing her to tense up. "Don't worry and try not to make any sudden movements. I've just finished healing you, and I wouldn't want one of your wounds to reopen."

"Am I healed?" she asked, looking at her hands and legs, slowly moving them until tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Thank you so much, I…," she stammered, unable to speak due to her sobbing.

"Don't worry about that, what's important is that you're feeling better now," I said, extending my hand to her. "Come, I'll help you get up and take you to where the others are."

"The others?" she whispered, her eyes widening in surprise. "Are the others okay? Elijah, Note, and the rest?" she asked, clutching tightly to the sleeve of my vest.

"Yes, Elijah, Arthur, and Jasmine are all fine. I healed them a little while ago, and they're recovering their mana now," I replied, gently loosening her grip on my clothes. "After healing them, I went out to see if anyone else was still alive, and that's how I found you."

Hearing my words, I felt her body tense up for a moment.

"Is there really no one else besides me?" she asked, though it seemed like she already knew the answer, grasping at a vague hope that it might be different.

"Other than you all, no one from your group survived. Well, there might be one, but they would've already escaped, leaving you all behind," I said, recalling what had happened according to the manhwa.

After that, I helped her stand. I could feel that she was hiding something beneath her robe, but I didn't mention it, knowing exactly what it was: the mana core of the Forest Guardian. Thinking about it, I couldn't help but recall what I knew about this creature—it was an S-ranked beast with a certain level of will.

This was also one of the reasons I found Samantha so quickly. Knowing what they would do with the core, I didn't interfere, as I knew it would be useful for Reynolds in his advancement, and the will of the beast would benefit my cousin Tessia. So, I wasn't worried.

Besides, the core wouldn't be of much use to me anyway.

Soon, we reached the cave where the others were meditating. Samantha's arrival surprised everyone, who rushed to her, asking how she was feeling. Watching the reunion, I couldn't help but feel a little envious, but beyond that, I began to recover some of my mana.

After a while, when everyone was ready, we left the cave.

"It's time to move," I said, being the first to step forward, followed by the others.

"ROOAAAAR!"

"What now?" Elijah jumped in fear, pointing his magic wand towards the source of the noise.

"Wait! Wait, Elijah, it's fine!" I calmed him before he could cast any spells.

Moments later, a large figure landed in front of us.

"Sylvie," I thought, looking at the massive dragon before us.

Her body wasn't as large as Sylvia's, but she was still about eight meters long. Now, there was no doubt—Sylvie was a dragon.

Her scales were obsidian black, reflecting the dungeon's light in an almost divine way. Her two horns were sharper and even more menacing than the titan I had seen a few years ago.

Her wings were similar to Sylvia's, with black blade-like feathers. For some reason, the red tips she once had along her back and tail were gone, but the scales along the ridges of her spine protruded, making her look even fiercer.

Sylvie's limbs were powerful, armored with spikes on her elbows and knees, and her sharp claws extended from her paws. Her once adorable face now bore elegance and poise, highlighted by her black sclera and yellow irises—her eyes reminded me of yellow gems against the night sky.

"Little one, you've grown quite a bit," I whispered, approaching her as she greeted Arthur.

"Husband?" she transmitted her thoughts, uncertain, which greatly improved my mood.

"Hahaha, it seems you haven't forgotten about me, very good," I said cheerfully, patting her head and receiving a big lick from her in return. "It looks like you've become much stronger in this time. How many mana beast cores have you devoured to grow this much so quickly?"

"Hum, quite a few," she said proudly.

"That's good," I replied, continuing to stroke her head.

After that brief moment, and after explaining a few things to Arthur about keeping Sylvia's identity a secret, we walked back toward the dungeon's exit. The journey was peaceful since none of them were as injured as in the original story, and everyone was in their best condition.

As we walked, they began to recount what had happened inside the cave, including the issue with the Wykes family boy who had betrayed them.

Finally, after exiting the cave, I noticed how everyone let out a big sigh of relief. Seeing that everything had been resolved, I knew it was time to leave.

"Well, since you're all safe and sound, it's time for me to go," I said, stroking Sylvie.

"So soon?" Arthur asked, confused. "After reporting this to the guild, I'll head home. Don't you want to come with me?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I can say I've visited that home more times than you, so you don't need to worry. Besides, I have a lot of things to do now. A prince has many responsibilities," I said, bidding them farewell. "As for the Wykes boy, he's a half-elf, so in some way, he'll have to face the elven royal family. So, if you think it's necessary, just mention my name. See you at school, and please let Reynold and Alice know that I won't be able to return. My room will be available."

"Are you really leaving?" I heard Sylvie's thought transmission, which made me sigh.

"Little Sylvie, your husband has to get stronger, so I must continue training," I said for a moment before adding, "But don't worry, we'll see each other again when school starts, and you'll be able to play with Kumara."

After that, I disappeared from the spot, reappearing several meters away, heading toward a small cave where I could rest and plan my next steps.

As for my duties as a prince, they were all a facade. Although it's true I've visited their home several times, most of my visits were just to see little Eleonor. The first few times I went, I could clearly feel their discomfort, even the nervousness from the Helstea family.

When they found out I had been named the successor to the Elven Royal family, they all distanced themselves from me. Although it's understandable, it still made me uncomfortable, causing me to doubt myself many times.

Am I fully reincarnated? How is it possible that, at my age, these things still affect me so much? I can understand being brought to this world, having retained a bit of my memory from the remnant of a soul that remained intact.

So, am I truly 100% a reincarnated soul? Or did my soul merge with that of a child to stabilize itself? This latter option would be the only explanation for my actions and why I feel so affected when I sense rejection from Alice or Reynold.

"If I were truly just a child, I wouldn't know how to handle this small situation," I thought, shaking my head to push the thought away.

Returning to the important matters, alongside the discomfort and their distance, I decided to only visit little Eleonor, who, being so young, still greeted me with joy every time I came.

Though I knew that most of her excitement was probably due to the gifts I brought her, I didn't mind.

I wasn't interested in worrying about my supposed reincarnation or whether I was still completely the same as before, or if the emotions of this body, in line with its age, were affecting me. "I'm still me, after all." There was no need to consider other possibilities or complicate things further.

"Well, time to start focusing on what needs to be done from here on out," I thought as I sat on a large rock. Kumara, who had grown rapidly, lay beside me, letting me pet her.

****

"As it should be for a happy family," I thought as I looked in the direction of the Helstea mansion. There, Arthur was being embraced by his mother and father, while little Eleonor held Sylvie. Nico was with the Helsteas, before they all gathered together and started sharing stories about their journey.

"Let's go, there's no point in staying here," I thought as I vanished from the spot, reappearing in a room at an inn near the academy. I placed my things on the nearby dresser while little Kumara settled down beside the bed, finishing absorbing the S-rank beast core we had obtained with Diablo before heading to see Arthur.

"Sir Alex."

Diablo's voice caught my attention, and I turned toward him. He wore his usual black suit and bowed respectfully.

"Congratulations, Master, on reaching AA rank," he said, handing me a golden adventurer's card.

"Thank you, Diablo," I replied, examining the card for a moment before shifting my focus to something else. I grabbed the chair in my room and placed it near the window, giving me a clear view of most of Xyrus City. "How's the task I assigned to you coming along?"

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Note: Our MC is gradually distancing himself from things, so be patient. I don't want the changes to feel too drastic from one chapter to the next—I want everything to flow smoothly. He will also learn to continue on his own, although he will have to face the consequences of his actions in the future and learn from them.

Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has commented, left a review, or supported this fanfic with your votes or by saving it. We're now among the top ten search results for TBATE fanfics!