The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

Chapter 345 345: The Gambler’s Mercy [2]

As the creeping black energy finally dispersed, Lena felt as though a heavy shackle had been lifted from her body.

Her breathing steadied.

Her balance returned, followed by her speed, flowing back into her limbs as naturally as blood through veins.

When she stepped forward, light and precise like she always had, she heard it—a faint, cheerful sound, almost like a bell ringing in the distance.

Lena stopped and lowered her stance.

With this speed… she could catch it.

That hateful black thing.

She was still suppressing the foreign energy clawing at her body, forcing it down with everything she had. Because of that, her strength was only slightly stronger than usual.

But it didn't matter.

That power was never hers to begin with.

"…Ah."

A strange sensation welled up inside her chest.

It felt like she could do it again.

Like she could replicate that day's strike.

Her fist felt light.

Too light.

The memory surfaced vividly—

The cave.

The suffocating darkness.

The monster that lunged at her without hesitation.

And the single, fundamentally sound strike that erased it from existence in one blow.

That punch.

The one that allowed her to grasp a fragment of martial arts.

The one that let her step beyond her limits, even if only for a moment.

"…I can do this," Lena murmured.

As if sensing the danger, the violently flickering black mass reacted instantly.

It closed the distance in a blink and charged straight at her.

Fast.

Desperate.

Panicked.

Lena didn't raise her guard to hurt it.

She didn't tense her muscles to destroy it.

She simply stepped forward.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she whispered, her voice soft.

"I just… want to reach you."

She extended her fist.

Clean.

Straight.

The black thing was swallowed by that outstretched fist—the second time in her life she had thrown such a perfect strike.

The moment of impact came silently.

And then—

It lost its balance.

The violent flickering ceased.

The black mass stopped moving.

Caught in her hand, it no longer tried to escape. Instead, it leaned against her palm quietly, as though exhausted from running.

"…Got you," Lena said softly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Hehe… I caught you."

For the first time in a long while, the constant noise that had gnawed at her mind began to fade.

Not gone.

But quieter.

Bearable.

She pulled the black thing closer, instinctively cradling it against her chest.

She would have held it gently—

But something was wrong.

"…Huh?"

The warmth she felt began to drain away.

The thing in her arms was growing cold.

The fading heat sent an unexpected ache through her chest, sharp and lonely.

"No… wait," Lena whispered, tightening her grip.

As if she could stop it from disappearing simply by holding it harder.

As if warmth alone could keep it here.

---

"…Huh?"

Whose voice was that?

Ryan?

Leo?

Or… someone else entirely?

Ah, seriously.

My thoughts scattered before I could grasp them.

Thud.

Reality hit me all at once.

There was no way I could win just by getting angry and charging at her head-on. I knew that better than anyone.

…Right.

She hugged me.

No—hugged wasn't the right word. It was closer to being pulled in, trapped in an embrace that felt far too familiar.

A sensation I had experienced before.

Drip.

For a fleeting moment, I thought she had regained her senses.

But that hope shattered almost instantly.

Her eyes were still stained black, the darkness clinging to them like oil. Something foreign—something wrong—was mixed into her movements. They weren't fully hers.

The black energy surrounding her body had thinned considerably.

Yet, the more it disappeared, the more of her original strength returned.

…So this was the result.

I didn't feel much pain.

Instead of pain—

It was hot.

Unbearably so.

Things that should never be escaping were spilling out through the large hole torn into my stomach.

Ah.

This is bad.

My legs gave out before I could even think of steadying myself. The world tilted, spun, and then—

Thud.

I hit the ground.

Somewhere, I thought I heard a scream.

But I couldn't tell whose it was.

My vision blurred as Professor Lena's figure drew closer. Her arms wrapped around me, supporting my collapsing body.

She was shaking.

"…Rin…?"

Her voice trembled.

I inhaled weakly.

A scent filled my senses.

Professor Lena's familiar fragrance mixed with the floral scent emanating from my own body—probably the byproduct of whatever blessing or curse was unraveling inside me.

The result was something I had never smelled before.

Strangely comforting.

A soft touch brushed against my cheek.

Careful. Hesitant.

As if she was afraid I would disappear if she touched me too firmly.

Haha… damn it.

I really missed this.

How long had it been since someone touched me like this without fear?

…It would have been better if it wasn't in a situation like this.

Her black-stained eyes—no, her eyes—were focused entirely on me now. Beneath the corruption, I could see it.

Worry.

Fear.

"—Your mind…!"

"—The Saint's condition…!"

Voices overlapped in the distance.

Ryan. Leo. Others.

"Professor…"

I called out to her.

No response.

Of course.

Her lips were moving, but no sound reached me anymore.

"It's time to snap out of it," I murmured weakly, not even sure if my voice was audible. "The others are worried."

The heat.

The red flow that had been circulating through my body.

Almost all of it was gone now.

Drained.

Spilled.

Taken.

My fingers twitched once before losing all strength.

My consciousness began to sink.

Ah… so this is how it ends.

Right before the darkness swallowed everything—

"One Coin?"

A familiar, infuriating presence answered.

The Gambler's Mercy.

The last insurance I had put in place activated at the worst possible moment.

No—best, maybe.

How could the conditions for a relic contract be this cruel?

This ironic?

You damn coin.

Just as the world went completely black—

I felt fate flip once more.

---

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