27 - The Hero

Despite being in hiding throughout the entire fight, a reporter was able to capture the titanic battle on camera. Rather than expressing concern for the victims, the reporter exclaimed, "This is going to be the biggest scoop of the century!"

Albert and his group arrived at the incident site where Trevisani was still being hounded by reporters. Christina took charge and updated them on the situation, "Samuel entered the area about 30 minutes ago, but we haven't received any updates since then."

Albert reassured the group, "There's no way Lele died. He's probably sitting on the monster's corpse or something." Mase and Finn nervously nodded in agreement.

As they advanced into the restricted area, their anxiety heightened as they bore witness to staggering levels of destruction. The only sounds were the crackling of flames and their own footsteps. Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching, causing Mase to summon his pawn reflexively. All of them drew their weapons, including Kohaku. A man in a business suit, carrying a large camera and sporting a badge, appeared on the horizon. The tension dissipated momentarily, and Albert inquired, "Did you witness the fight? What can you tell us?"

Improvement: Panting and with a labored voice, the reporter revealed, "The dragon is dead. The hero sacrificed himself to vanquish the monster. I have to tell this story to the whole world!" With those words, he ran off at full speed, leaving the three boys in disbelief.

"This can't be real, can it?" Finn's voice trembled with fear.

"Let's not trust a reporter; I won't believe it until we see it," Albert stated with resolute conviction.

[...]

As they navigated through the rubble, they stumbled upon a prone figure on the ground. It was Lele, unconscious and covered in cuts and bruises. Finn rushed to his side, placing his hand on Lele's wrist. After a few agonizing seconds of silence, he exclaimed, "He has a pulse! He's still alive." Overwhelmed with relief, tears streamed down his cheeks as the weight of worry lifted from his shoulders.

Albert took charge of the situation, "Lele is alive, but his injuries are severe. We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible. Mase, help me carry him."

After receiving the good news, Mase and Kohaku's attention was immediately drawn to the other body lying on the ground. The mangled form bore the signs of a vicious battle, and after seeing Lele's condition and the destruction their fight had left behind, Kohaku couldn't help but wonder, "Would I have been able to defeat the dragon?"

Albert shook Mase's shoulder, snapping him out of his trance. "Let's go, we need to move Lele to a hospital and he's not exactly light," he said, urging Mase to help him carry Lele's body.

"Wait, it would be better if we take him to my mansion. I have a personal doctor who is a highly regarded surgeon and has helped me countless times." Kohaku stated.

"Then he will be in his care."

Finn persistently used his Small Heal spell, casting it repeatedly. With each successful cast, Lele's complexion showed a slight improvement. Despite his ragged breath after six consecutive spells, Finn continued to press on.

[Ding! You surpassed your limits Small Heal leveled up to LV 2]

As Finn completed his tenth cast, his body was trembling with exhaustion. When they emerged from the battlefield, they were stunned by the sight that greeted them: thousands of people crowding the streets. It had only been ten minutes since they encountered the reporter, but news of the dragon's defeat had already spread like wildfire. As the crowd caught sight of Lele being carried by the group, they raised their right fists in silent tribute to the hero who stood up for them. In that moment, Lele became one of humanity's greatest symbols - a true hero, revered by all.

The reporters quickly shifted their attention from Roland to the group, sensing a bigger story. Jennifer and Kohaku, experienced in dealing with such situations, acted fast and pulled the group, including Mr. Trevisani and his secretary, into the waiting limousine. With the door shut, Jennifer commanded the driver to start the engine and head to the mansion without delay. The driver complied without a word, knowing the gravity of the situation. The car quickly sped away, leaving behind a stunned crowd of reporters with their mouths agape.

Finn's complexion turned pale and he began to visibly shake, but no one dared to tell him to stop using his magic. Despite the strain on his body, he continued to cast healing spells. Eventually, he passed out from exhaustion, unable to handle the mana strain anymore.

Roland's expression turned dark while Albert glared at him with murderous intent. Trevisani knew that speaking at the moment would only escalate the situation. Instead, he begged Christina, "You have a priest class. You know I wouldn't ask for such favors usually, but this is my responsibility. Please help him."

"I would have done it even if you didn't ask," Christina replied. "After all, I also feel responsible for his condition."

She first used a holy magic spell, "Health Scan LV 1," to detect Lele's wounds.

Christina's expression turned to shock as she thought, 'This is impossible! How is he still alive? If we assume that he was much worse before Finn healed him, I can't see how someone could still be breathing in this situation. Seven broken ribs, multiple shattered bones in his legs, countless internal injuries, and a ruptured spleen. He should have died hundreds of times over!'

Roland's expression became even more worried as he heard Christina's words. The other members in the car also waited with bated breath for the verdict. "How bad is it?" he asked anxiously. Christina's response left them all stunned. "Do you believe in miracles?" she asked. After a moment of silence, she continued, "If he survives this ordeal, then it means that miracles are reality. To be frank, I can't imagine him surviving for more than 10 minutes. However, I will try using everything I have to keep him alive until we reach Kohaku's mansion, where her private doctors will take on the task of trying to save his life." With that, she immediately began casting holy magic spells to help Lele survive.

Albert's gaze shifted back to Roland as he spoke with a chilling intensity, "It won't happen, but if it does... If he dies, I won't be able to protect you. And you, you will die."

Mase explained, "We have a friend who is currently in a coma. He's usually easygoing, but if you try to take away the things he loves, you'll end up dead. It's already happened before."

"I'm an awakened and a fairly strong one, but while your friend is in a coma, how could he…"

Roland trailed off as he noticed the unwavering gaze of both Mase and Albert. Their determination spoke volumes, and Roland realized that they had faith in their friend beyond measure. 'How? How can they put such faith in someone that is not even a confirmed awakened yet? I thought Samuel was special, but apparently every single one of them is crazy! What kind of group of friends is this?'

The tense atmosphere dissipated as a massive mansion came into view. Kohaku announced, "We're nearly there. Christina, please hold on a little longer."