The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 98: Overheating (3)

Inside the infirmary located within the hero school.

It was mainly used by senior cadets who often got injured due to frequent duels and practical classes.

Inside, private treatment rooms were available for use if one made a certain "donation" (basically an admission fee).

Among these private treatment rooms was the most luxurious one, requiring the highest "donation."

It was so opulent that even noblemen of the Empire, high-ranking clergy from the Holy Kingdom, and moguls from the Republic hesitated to use it.

“D-Dale!”

A woman with pink hair burst through the door in a panic.

Iris.

She was more famous by her title, “Saint,” and was said to have received the blessings of the Seven Gods.

“Huh!”

The moment Iris saw Dale lying on the bed, her face went pale, and she covered her mouth.

“D-Dale…”

Swollen lips, unfocused eyes.

His breathing was labored as if it could stop at any moment, and red liquid had splattered around his mouth.

“No, no! Get a hold of yourself!”

She knew he possessed the "Blessing of Revival," meaning he could revive even if he died.

But seeing his haggard face, that thought completely slipped her mind.

“Who in the world did this to Dale…”

Iris whimpered as she held onto Dale.

Perhaps he heard her voice, as Dale, who had been lying limp, trembled and pointed weakly in one direction.

“That… bas… tard…”

Where he pointed was a giant man, close to 2 meters tall.

Iris frowned as she looked at Berald.

“…Why is Berald here?”

“Haha. Don’t worry too much, Lady Iris. The boss just collapsed from over-exertion during training.”

“His condition looks far too serious for just exhaustion.”

“Well, medicines tend to make you feel worse right after you take them, don’t they? He just took his medicine, so he’ll be fine soon.”

“…Is that so?”

Only then did Iris seem to calm down a little, letting out a sigh of relief.

She then gave Dale a sharp look.

“Still, over-exertion… What kind of training did you do to end up in this condition?”

“Well, it’s not because of the training…”

I tried to explain the situation, feeling wronged, but before I could finish, Yuren interrupted me.

“Hmph. What do you mean it's not because of the training? You’ve been staying in the training grounds until 2 or 3 in the morning without sleeping.”

“Until 2 or 3 in the morning?”

“Yep. And you’d be back at 6 in the morning. Every single day without fail.”

“…”

Iris’s eyes turned cold.

She glanced at Yuren and Berald before speaking.

“I’m sorry, but could you both leave? I think Dale will need some focused treatment.”

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“If it’s focused treatment, wouldn’t it be better to call a healer…?”

“Oh my, did you forget who I am?”

Iris smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling.

“Ah.”

A quiet gasp escaped from Yuren’s lips.

Even though the healers stationed at the hero school were renowned across the continent, none could compare to the “Saint” of the Holy Kingdom.

“Alright. I’ll leave Dale in your care, then.”

“Haha! If it’s Lady Iris, we can trust her. Please take good care of him, sis!”

Yuren and Berald exited the treatment room.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell over the infirmary.

Iris looked down at me with eyes that had grown cold.

“Um…”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as I tried to break the awkward silence, Iris’s voice, cold and low, cut me off.

She clenched her fists, trembling, and bit her lip.

“Do you have any idea how scared I was when I heard you had collapsed?”

“…”

“And what? Over-exertion? Staying in the training grounds until 3 in the morning?”

Bang!

Iris slammed her fist down on the bedside table instead of me.

“I told you before, didn’t I? To take better care of your body!”

“…”

I cautiously reached out my hand to the teary-eyed Iris.

“Sorry.”

Even if I didn’t know that the "ashes" would cause such severe side effects, it was undeniable that I had been pushing myself too hard lately.

“You really… sigh.”

Iris sighed deeply and shook her head.

She gently placed her hand on my forehead.

A soft, comforting sensation spread across my skin.

“You’ve got a high fever.”

“If I rest, I’ll get better soon.”

I told her I’d recover quickly to ease her worries, but even I wasn’t sure when this “overheat” state would pass.

‘Still, just lying here feels better than before.’

It was true that I felt somewhat better, but getting up from the bed was still too much for me.

“I’ll cast a healing spell that relieves fatigue.”

“No, it probably won’t do much.”

After eating the “restorative meal” Berald had made earlier, a school healer came and cast a healing spell, but it didn’t help with the "overheat" condition.

“Still, you never know, right? Maybe the ‘Saint’s’ healing magic will be different.”

“Well… it could be.”

To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes.

Even though Iris was the Saint blessed by the Seven Gods, healing the mana heated by the primordial flame wouldn’t be easy.

“Just lie still.”

Iris extended her hand toward me, softly chanting a prayer.

“O Seven Gods, please lift up this weary child of yours.”

Whoooosh!

Her eyes turned the colors of a rainbow, and a brilliant white light flowed into my body.

It felt like I’d just gulped down a refreshing glass of cold water, and the heat that had been burning through me slightly subsided.

‘Huh? It’s actually working?’

I opened my eyes wide in surprise and looked at Iris.

I secretly thought that this would be difficult for Iris to heal, but I never imagined it would actually work.

‘Is this the power of the Seven Eyes?’

I marveled to myself as I looked into her irises glowing with rainbow colors.

"Whoo."

The rainbow-colored glow in Iris's eyes faded back to their original blue.

Perhaps it was because she had used the power of the 'Seven Eyes' to cast the healing magic.

Beads of sweat were forming on Iris's forehead.

"How is it? Did it not work this time either?"

"No, it worked."

I said that as I raised myself from the bed.

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Just moments ago, I couldn't muster any strength at all, but now I felt a bit of vitality return to my body.

As I attempted to stand on my own two feet after getting off the bed—

"Ugh!"

My body wobbled, and my legs gave out beneath me.

"Dale!"

Iris quickly supported me.

"Ugh... Walking is still tough."

Although her healing magic had somewhat calmed my overheated energy, I would still need more time to recover fully.

"Even with healing magic from the Seven Eyes, this is the best I can do."

Thinking about how long it might take to fully recover, a sigh escaped me.

"Hmm..."

Iris, who had gently laid me back down on the bed, let out a brief murmur.

She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, then swallowed nervously before speaking up.

"Oh, come to think of it... Um, ahem!"

She cleared her throat awkwardly, trailing off.

Iris looked around as if she were about to commit a crime, then cautiously continued.

"There's... a way to increase the effectiveness of my healing magic."

"What is it?"

"Well... Ahem!"

Iris's cheeks flushed red as she spoke.

"My healing magic is a bit special, so the closer our bodies are, the more effective it is!"

"...What?"

The closer our bodies are, the more effective the healing magic?

‘I've never heard anything like that before.’

Well, it made sense.

In my past life, I had never received healing magic from her because I wanted to reduce her burden of having to use divine blessings without the 'Seven Eyes.'

"Then, please lie on your side."

"...What are you going to do?"

"I already told you, the closer we are, the better the healing magic works."

Iris carefully took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.

She laid down behind me and wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"This way, by hugging you, the healing magic should be more effective."

"..."

I swallowed nervously, keeping my mouth tightly shut.

The unbelievable softness pressing against my back.

Her thin arms wrapped around my waist, and her slender legs, clad in white stockings, entwined with mine.

"No, this isn't just about healing magic."

I broke into a cold sweat, desperately trying to suppress the desire rising within me.

Even though we had been lovers who had shared everything in our past life... No, it was precisely because of that past that it was so much harder to keep my composure.

"I’ll cast the healing magic again now."

Her soft whisper tickled my ear.

Soon, a white aura radiated from her body and flowed into mine.

'Ah.'

It felt like taking a cool shower in the scorching heat of summer.

The overheated energy inside me quickly cooled down, and an indescribable warmth filled my body.

Along with the warmth came an overwhelming wave of drowsiness.

'Well... at least with Iris around, I won’t have to worry about the aftereffects of the Ashen Flames anymore.'

With that thought in mind, I surrendered to the sleep that was overtaking me.

* * *

In the darkened treatment room, the door opened, and a woman with long navy blue hair tied in a ponytail walked in.

"Saint, it's almost curfew for the dormitories. I know you're worried about Dale, but you should head back soon..."

Camilla, who had come to call Iris, froze in place, her eyes wide open.

There on the bed, Dale and Iris were lying tightly together.

Camilla stood there with her mouth agape, completely stunned.

"S-Saint?"

"Oh, Camilla, you're here?"

Iris groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed.

"Yawn. I must've fallen asleep with Dale without realizing it. Using the 'Seven Eyes' really tires me out."

"W-What exactly were you doing!?"

"Keep your voice down; Dale is still asleep."

Iris frowned as she climbed off the bed.

"And don’t worry, nothing you should be concerned about happened. This was purely for 'treatment.'"

"Treatment...?"

"You know, right? My healing magic works better when we're in close contact."

"..."

Camilla's expression slightly twisted.

"But can't you just hold hands while using it? There’s no need to hug him like that..."

"Camilla."

At Iris's low voice, Camilla flinched and trembled.

"Shh."

Iris smiled brightly, pressing a finger to her lips.

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