Longing for the Stars - Chapter 5

“Medical team, get over here fast!”

“Louvre! Hey, Louvre, can you hear me?!”

People swarm around Sirius. I could only stand there and stare blankly, unable to process what had just happened right in front of my eyes. I knew I was shaken. I was reeling from the sight of Sirius collapsed on the ground, the density of the magic that exploded at the end, and everything else currently unfolding. My heart felt like it was beating faster than usual. My breathing felt shallow.

Even as my thoughts narrowed, a part of me remained strangely calm. I realized that while I was panicking at the unpredictable situation, my senses had become incredibly sharp.

I could perceive everything with vivid clarity: the frantic voices of the others, their disorganized thoughts, and the sickening humidity of the forest.

“Hey, Stark, what are you—”

“I’m burning this whole area.”

“What?”

“It was a monster that attacked Sirius. I think it self-destructed as a final act of resistance. But if the monster itself is that tiny insect, then they scattered everywhere during the explosion.”

I sensed a faint, wriggling magic near the water barrier that had been set up and burned it instantly. Even without looking closely, I could tell those dull-colored insects were everywhere, and I clicked my tongue in frustration. Because Sirius had burned the giant tree, light was now entering the forest, but that actually made it harder to spot the insects. It would be incredibly inefficient to crush these many monsters one by one. Burning them was the most logical choice.

“Squad leader, give me permission. I’m going to burn everything within a ten-meter radius. While I do that, please take Sirius away. Also, call for someone who can use medical magic immediately.”

The surroundings should have been noisy, yet it felt quiet to me. It was a strange sensation—I could grasp the situation perfectly. The squad leader stared at me. I felt truly grateful that he was the kind of person who would actually listen to what I had to say.

“There is a possibility an insect entered Louvre’s stomach.”

“?!”

“I can feel a tiny bit of magic from his body that isn’t his. He might be parasitized.”

“…Understood. I’ll leave a few people behind. Follow their instructions and act carefully.”

“Thank you.”

As I listened to the squad leader give orders to the other squads arriving on the scene, I erased every insect I spotted. With just a little focus, I realized there was a terrifying number of them. There was a moment before we arrived when the forest grew loud—likely when Sirius tried to burn the giant tree. I wondered if the sound I heard then was from them fearing their host might be harmed. If that was the case, there were more monsters here than I could imagine.

Would burning them stop new parasites? What were they planning to do by parasitizing someone anyway? Why choose such a method? Questions with no answers floated endlessly through my mind.

“Stark!”

“!”

I snapped my head up at the sharp call. The squad leader was there, his eyes just as sharp as his voice.

“…Leave Louvre to us. We’re counting on you here.”

He tapped my shoulder, and only then did I finally shift my focus back to Sirius. His face was pale. Even when he’s sleeping, he usually has a slightly annoying look on his face, but now it was twisted in pain. However, that expression told me he was still alive, and I felt like I could finally breathe again. People began to leave to hunt down the remaining monsters or transport Sirius. In the end, only about ten of us remained, all of whom were skilled at sensing magic.

“It’s like a horror movie, having things all over the place that you can’t even see unless you focus,” someone remarked.

“Well, like Stark said, if we burn about ten meters, things should settle down for now.”

“Alright, let’s do this before the damage gets any worse.”

Any one of us could easily burn a ten-meter radius alone. The reason so many of us stayed was because this was an emergency. We moved away from the center and waited for the signal from the person in charge.

Neither while we were gathering magic nor when the fire spread to the trees did the forest stir this time. I felt a flicker of relief, but the anxiety wouldn’t go away. A clearing had been made in the once-dense forest. The ground was charred black from the high-intensity heat, and small fires still flickered where heat remained underground. I focused on sensing magic, but there were no longer any signs of the insects nearby. I let out a sigh, hoping it was over.

“…It’s finished.”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll go join the mop-up crew. You, go back.”

“What?”

My eyes widened at the unexpected words, and the senior tapped my shoulder just as the squad leader had.

“You’re worried about Louvre, aren’t you? You’ve known him the longest. Go stay by his side just in case.”

“But…”

“That’s an order from your senior. If you disobey, you’re on bathroom cleaning duty for three days.”

He smacked my back quite hard, making me stumble forward. I had my doubts, but I realized he was right.

“…Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The seniors raised their hands in a wave and quickly headed deeper into the forest. Left alone, I exhaled deeply. I finally realized I was more tense about this situation than I thought. Once I noticed it, an indescribable anxiety began to creep up on me. I didn’t want to understand the source of this fear, but my body started moving toward the barracks, and I began to run.

There was no way the biggest idiot in the world would let something happen to him. Besides, it shouldn’t matter to me what happens to him; in fact, I’d be relieved not to have to see his face. That’s because I don’t like him. I hate that reckless, stupid guy who is always one step ahead of me. That’s why I shouldn’t care what happens—and yet, I was running as fast as I could.

“E-excuse me…!”

“Whoa, Stark, what happened to you?”

” Cough …How is Sirius?”

When I threw open the door to the infirmary at the back of the barracks, the medic jumped in surprise. Seeing me gasping for air, the medic nodded as if understanding and gave a faint smile. From that alone, I knew Sirius was safe, and a wave of exhaustion hit me all at once.

“Hey, Stark, are you okay?!”

“I’m fine. I just ran way too hard.”

The medic looked surprised to see me collapse onto the floor but then laughed loudly, which made me feel a bit awkward. Once I caught my breath and stood up, the medic showed me the documents in his hand.

“We’ve thoroughly cleaned and treated Louvre’s wounds. There was indeed an insect-type monster inside him, but we’ve handled it. If you’re worried, you can go check on him yourself later. If your magic detection doesn’t pick anything up, it’ll make us feel better too. Most of the wounds are repaired, so now we just wait and see after he gets a night’s sleep.”

The documents detailed Sirius’s condition and gave a thorough description of the insect found inside him.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. I’m careful.”

“That’s good to hear. Well, I still have work to do, so come back if you have any more questions.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I bowed and left the infirmary, heading toward Sirius’s room. Calling it “Sirius’s room” is a bit much, since it’s also the room assigned to me. New recruits who haven’t even been in for a few months don’t get private rooms. Apparently, that applied even to Louvre, the son of the Knight Commander, so we continued to be roommates just like back at the academy.

I reached the room and knocked, but of course, there was no answer. “I’m coming in.” I turned the knob and opened the door, and the smell of disinfectant and iron, not the usual scent—hit me. I went inside, closed the door, and looked at the bed on the left. There lay Sirius, fast asleep. His complexion was still poor, and his hair which usually stands up straight for reasons I don’t understand, seemed a bit limp.

…But I no longer felt the presence of death.

“…Sirius.”

I stood by the bed and called his name, but naturally, he didn’t respond. He looked like he was in pain, perhaps because his abdominal wound hurt every time he breathed, and I pulled out my wand almost without thinking. I pointed the tip toward his stomach and focused. A faint light gathered and descended onto his abdomen, and his twisted expression softened. I can’t use high-level medical magic, but I can handle something to ease the pain. Seeing him begin to breathe deeply, I exhaled and put my wand away.

“…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say out loud that I was glad he was safe. Even though Sirius was unconscious, my pride would have made it impossible to say something like that. But looking at Sirius breathing here, I truly felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.