The wheat-blonde-haired man sat on a stool near Amon’s bed. There was a kind and gentle smile on his face.
Amon studied his face. He was Bishop Jonathan, the one who came here to assist the Headmistress. He also helped Amon and Selena in their recovery.
"How are you doing, Amon? Are you feeling better now?" His voice was gentle and warm, just like his expression. It was as if he was talking to his own child.
Amon was a little taken aback by how this man spoke. He had heard people talk kindly to him before, but something about this man felt more calming.
"Cough..." Amon cleared his throat.
"I’m feeling better now, Bishop Jonathan. It’s all because of you. Thank you for taking care of me and curing me." Amon didn’t really know how to talk to a high-ranking priest.
It’s not like he was from a noble family or knew proper etiquette.
Bishop Jonathan chuckled and replied, "There’s no need to thank me. It was my duty. If you want to thank someone, it should be your Headmistress."
There was no malice or disgust on his face. After all, Amon was a commoner.
He remembered Hector’s words — how the people of the temple had ruined his life, how cruel they were to commoners while wearing false masks of kindness.
But then again, not every person in the temple was like that. Either way, whether Bishop Jonathan was truly kind or not didn’t matter. He was the one who healed Amon and Selena.
Bishop Jonathan raised his palm and brought it above Amon’s chest. A soft golden glow emitted from his hand, enveloping Amon in a warm sensation.
His body felt lighter. The ache he felt whenever he tried to move slowly faded away.
After a few minutes, the glow stopped. Bishop Jonathan pulled his hand back and smiled at Amon.
"You’ll be fine by tomorrow. You both can leave for the Academy then. A mana car will be prepared for you tomorrow," Bishop Jonathan said.
Amon’s eyes widened in surprise. A sense of relief washed over him.
’Finally! We can go back!’ Amon Thought.
Selena, who was listening from her bed, also felt relieved. She wanted to go back to the Academy just as much as Amon did.
"Then Amon, if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear what happened there — from your point of view, in detail," Bishop Jonathan finally asked, just as Amon had expected.
Amon remained quiet for a while, trying to recall everything that had happened two days ago from the moment he and the others ran into the forest following those monkey-like monsters.
After thinking for some time, Amon began to speak.
"After Vixra and I got back to the orphanage, leaving Jareth and Selena to deal with things in the forest..."
"...after that, I lost consciousness." With that, Amon stopped talking. He had tried his best to describe everything that happened in detail, though his last moments were a little hard to remember since he had been focused only on killing.
But he still remembered the flying crystal eye from the burgundy-haired woman’s head.
This time, Bishop Jonathan remained silent for a while.
"Hm... it’s not much different from what Selena told me. But it’s still more detailed. Thank you for sharing this, Amon," Bishop Jonathan said sincerely.
"That thing — the crystal with one eye and black feathered wings... We’ll try our best to learn more about it. For now, both of you should rest." He raised his hand, and a yellow-colored pill appeared in his palm.
"Eat this, Amon. It will boost your recovery. You need to be awake and in the right state of mind to consume it. Since you’re fine now and your mind looks stable, take it. You’ll be fully recovered by tomorrow, just as I said before."
Amon nodded and took the pill. "Thank you again for helping me," he said.
Bishop Jonathan smiled kindly and left the room, leaving Amon and Selena alone.
"That wasn’t hard. You handled it easily," Selena said from her bed with her usual calm, expressionless face.
Amon couldn’t agree more. "It was easy because he seemed kind and warm. More than anything, he doesn’t have that aura like the high-ranking nobles or our Headmistress."
He didn’t waste time and put the yellow pill into his mouth.
It smelled of herbs, but the taste was bitter; just like any other medicine.
His expression turned ugly as he chewed and swallowed the pill.
As it broke apart and slid down his throat, a sudden warmth spread through his body. It felt as if his fractured bones were slowly mending, cracks filling in, and his blood flowing more smoothly.
The pain in his body slowly subsided to a great degree.
Though he felt a little hazy, like he was about to fall asleep again, he tried his best to stay awake — remembering the Bishop’s words.
Selena watched silently from the side.
Then her gaze turned toward the window. It was evening, and the quiet town could be seen outside. It was too silent.
"Sigh..." She sighed tiredly. For the last two days, she had felt so many emotions. It was hard to accept the death of her close friends and the promise she had made to those children about finding their missing friends. She felt regret and guilt.
She hadn’t been able to protect them. Yet, in that moment, she also felt relieved — relieved that her junior, whom she had forcefully dragged into this mess, was at least alive.
She looked at Amon again. His breathing was steady and calm. His expression looked peaceful — no longer in pain. She smiled at him, but it vanished instantly.
She narrowed her eyes.
"He fell asleep again?" He had just woken up a few hours ago and was already asleep again.
It seemed she would have to eat her dinner alone tonight. Just like she did for last two days.
"Tch! I’ll wake you up later. You’re fine now," she muttered to herself.
She wasn’t going to have her dinner alone tonight. Not that nonsense, healthy, tasteless food.