Chapter 45: Remember the name
The nurse was moving through the room checking on every survivor who might have lost their lives today.
She checked on Joseph and found that he was breathing a little unsteadily.
"We haven’t given him any potion, only applied pain relieving and burn healing balms." The nurse nearby informed the head nurse.
The head nurse, Maley, nodded, "He was healed by a high-ranking spell so he wouldn’t need any other external help. Let his body heal itself slowly."
She then proceeded towards the next bed where Natalie was awake and staring at the ceiling.
Maley glanced at the nurse nearby and asked, "Is she okay?"
The nurse in charge of Natalie gave a brief nod, "She is just upset right now."
Maley heaved a sigh, "These young warriors..." while she admires their courage and the never-yielding attitude, as a medic, she worries about how much they care about winning.
She didn’t disturb Natalie and moved toward the next bed where Kevin was sleeping soundly.
The nearby nurse shook her head, "It was really hectic pushing away those two butterflies."
Maley wryly smiled, "Young love." she has also noticed the two girls who came to check on Kevin and were all over the place, and even wanted to stay here to look after Kevin.
However, Maley’s rule was absolute. As such, they were removed from this room so that Kevin could rest.
After Maley asked about Kevin’s condition, which was fortunately normal, she moved toward the next bed.
There, bathed in the silver moonlight was the prettiest young lady Maley has ever come across.
Emma was soundly sleeping, but what concerned Maley was the absence of a nurse nearby monitoring Emma.
Just when she thought of calling someone, a voice reached her from the corner, "I told her to go away. I am looking after her."
Maley was startled since the boy was quite close to Emma’s bed but since he was sitting just beneath the window, she didn’t see him at all.
"Why...are you not in your bed?"
William calmly asked, "You diagnosed me, no? Did you find anything concerning?"
Maley frowned, "But still, it’s too late...why are you still up and looking after Emma?"
William looked down at the sleeping girl.
The moment she hit the bed, she fell asleep.
It showed how exhausted she was.
And William was feeling guilty about it.
If only he had not been stubborn to go out on a walk, or would have let her accompany him.
But a part of his mind argued that why should he feel responsible for her safety or what happens to her?
However, guilt suppressed resistance and here he was, sitting and staring at her sleeping face for hours.
Maley shook her head, "These love birds." William narrowed his eyes at the woman but before she could have said anything, Maley relayed, "I won’t stop you from looking after your beloved, but don’t strain your body too much. Even though you didn’t receive any damage, it is an inevitable fact that you have experienced something unexpected and dangerous today."
In a lower voice, she added, "And I am pretty sure that if Emma heard that you didn’t get proper rest because you were taking her care, she would be pretty mad."
William sucked on a short breath, glaring at the woman who, while giggling, walked away.
William grimaced, curling his left leg on the stand before glaring at Emma.
In a barely audible voice he muttered, "I don’t fear you, you got that?"
...regardless of that, he actually went to bed not so long after.
....
"What?" The Headmaster frowned in bafflement hearing the report.
They were in the headmaster’s office where Lancelot, Russel and the vice-headmaster were present.
The report was relayed late because the academy chief was out for a visit . So, when he returned and heard the news of what happened with Kevin’s team, he immediately summoned Russel to his office.
And after hearing everything that happened, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
"Talobo’s golems which took everything in front of the team to defeat were easily crushed by William. And not one but several of them?"
The vice-headmaster asked in a similar tone of disbelief.
Russel nodded, "Yes, sir. The fact is, if not for William, none from Team One would have survived."
The Vice-headmaster scoffed, "Stop exaggerating things, Miss Russel. You and I both are very well aware of what Kevin and Emma could achieve if they are working together."
Russel just lowered her gaze, not wanting to argue with a person who is blindly falsifying her report. And the only person who could have crossed his statement was actually in support of the Vice-headmaster.
"That’s right, Miss Russel. I won’t deny student William’s contribution but Kevin is our strongest student who has earned that title through countless trials."
Just as mentioned, both of them were quite biased toward Team One and especially Kevin.
A long moment of silence was broken by a sarcastic remark, "There could be a limit to how delusional you can be." Lancelot scoffed, "Why don’t you stop pretending and just outright accept that you can’t see anyone being named above your beloved Kevin?"
The Headmaster took a sharp breath and while fixing his glasses the vice-headmaster rebuked, "Sir Erik, please mind your words."
Lancelot chuckled, "And why should I be hesitating while speaking the truth?" Lancelot leaned forward, looked at the old man across from him and said, "Did you not hear Miss Russel? Kevin and his little group were nearly dead. They had surrendered to death, no hope of surviving. The only possible outcome I could see without William’s interference was Emma coming out of that dome. Not your special child."
"On the other hand, William smashed those things without even putting much effort. Do you realize what that means?" Lancelot asked, his brows elevated.
However, not getting anything but deathly glares from the old man, Lancelot uttered the truth, "That means William is way stronger than any of your elites? And that’s why you are frustrated. Frustrated that the actual strongest student is not your ideal type. He isn’t a worshipper of good and hates evil. You berate him because he has been mischievous in the past and also because he would never follow your ideals."
Lancelot grinned, "But you know what? The Round Hall respects strength above all."
The Headmaster’s expression faltered as he said, "Erik...you must rethink-"
"What’s there to rethink? They asked me to search for the strongest and I already have a name."
The Vice-headmaster hurriedly asked, "But if you give a name now, what would be the purpose of the Goblet of Honor?"
Lancelot chuckled, leaning back he said something that would haunt the two men one day,
"I will tell you this today, during the Goblet of Honor, the one who would be standing above all, with his hands in his pockets and while wearing a bored expression is the same man I have chosen as the true prodigy today."
Slamming his hand on the table, he finished, "Delimore William, remember the name."