Chapter 82: Heart Demon (2)

There were two main ways to deal with a heart demon.

One was to raise the person’s self-esteem.

The other was to utterly shatter it.

Each method had its clear pros and cons.

Raising someone’s self-esteem required time and considerable effort.

It meant staying close, soothing, and comforting their exhausted mind.

It had fewer aftereffects, but for Carl, who preferred an efficient and effective approach, it wasn’t quite the right fit.

That meant he would have to choose the latter method…

‘Still, there’s always the chance he might overcome it on his own.’

Carl thought the relationships among the cadets surrounding him were in just the right balance.

Maximilian, Gail, Pozers, Amy, Rien.

And Laysis, Yuria, Nerian—who was standing a little apart—Louis, and a few other cadets.

He was part of the mainstream group while also maintaining close ties with the more noticeable cadets.

Of course, not every cadet maintained a smooth relationship with him.

Some cadets were wary or subtly hostile toward him for drawing more attention than necessary.

From the start, he hadn’t expected to win over everyone’s goodwill, so he was satisfied with building rapport with the key cadets.

Maximilian’s presence was an important factor in maintaining that circle.

That was why Carl, without making it obvious, had kept a close eye on him for the past few days.

“Maxim, it’s lunchtime.”

“Maxim, let’s go to the library today. We still have assignments left.”

“Maxim, today…”

He subtly encouraged Maximilian, boosting his self-esteem without letting him notice.

It seemed no one else had noticed anything unusual.

After all, they often spent time together anyway.

…Except for Amy, who had known Maximilian well for a long time.

“Carl, is something wrong with Maximilian?”

“Hmm.”

Seeing Carl hesitate to answer, Amy gave him a knowing look.

“Why do you think so?”

“Well, he seemed a bit off ever since we got back from the Erendal training. I thought it was temporary, but…”

“But?”

“Yesterday, during a lecture break, I went for a walk in the garden for some fresh air, and he was alone in a corner, gagging.”

“…”

Carl furrowed his brow.

It seemed his condition was worse than expected.

Carl had thought Maximilian looked a little better, but to hear that this happened when no one was looking…

“I think what happened back then left him a bit traumatized…”

“By ‘back then,’ you mean when we fought the monster in the forest?”

“Yes. Maximilian had it especially rough. He had to stand at the vanguard to help Brother Darius.”

“Hm.”

Amy glanced worriedly toward Maximilian’s empty seat.

He had stepped out to the restroom with Gail.

Which was why they could talk about him freely now.

“I’ll keep an eye on him for a while.”

“…Thanks. I’ll help however I can too.”

“Understood.”

The lecture soon began.

Even while listening to the lecture, Carl kept his gaze on Maximilian, who sat in front of him.

Tsszzz.

A thread of inner energy flowed out as Carl cautiously swept over Maximilian’s presence.

Like a skilled doctor, he read Maximilian’s pulse and realized his condition was worse than expected.

‘His balance is completely ruined.’

His body had been pushed to the limit.

Had he not rested at all?

Even his mana, which normally radiated a vivid presence, was swaying dangerously with irregular movements.

His mind, energy, and body were all heavily damaged—barely keeping him standing.

According to a quiet tip from Gail, Maximilian had been waking before dawn every day to train.

‘At this rate, he really won’t last long.’

Carl scratched his cheek.

At first, he considered asking Brother Darius for help.

After all, Darius was probably the person Maximilian respected and relied on the most right now.

But Darius was still recuperating from the injuries he had sustained in the Erendal Forest.

If Carl asked, Darius would help, but Carl didn’t want to trouble someone still recovering.

‘Looks like there’s only that method left.’

Carl thought seriously.

And the next day—

Creak, tap.

Before dawn, Maximilian stepped out of the dormitory.

His face was gaunt, as if he hadn’t slept properly through the night.

After changing his sweat-soaked clothes and quickly washing up, he stepped outside.

As usual, he intended to clear his head by training before morning came.

But he stopped short when he spotted a familiar face leaning against the entrance to the training ground.

“…Carl?”

“Maxim? You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep well.”

“Same here. I figured I’d get some training in, and I guess we had the same idea.”

Carl shrugged casually.

Maximilian forced a faint smile and nodded.

As they entered the training ground together, Carl spoke first.

“Since we’re here, how about a light spar?”

“A spar?”

“Yes. It’s part of the upcoming midterm’s practical exam, so it would be good to prepare in advance.”

“Hm.”

Maximilian hesitated for a moment.

Training until he was drenched in sweat after waking at dawn had become part of his routine.

It felt like a ritual to get through the day normally.

‘I know my body’s falling apart.’

But without it, he couldn’t shake off the unpleasant stickiness clinging to his mind.

He had to get his head straight before he could recover or do anything else.

“…Well, I guess that’s fine too.”

Maximilian gave a short nod.

Whether it was hard training or sparring, moving the body was the same either way, so it didn’t seem to matter.

“Then shall we go lightly?”

“Understood.”

Soon, with wooden swords in hand, the two faced each other in the middle of the training ground.

Since they were sparring purely with physical ability, without using mana, his larger build gave him the advantage.

At least, that was what Maximilian believed.

He had been slightly superior in skill to begin with, after all.

But the moment the spar began, Carl’s sudden, explosive dash across the ground made Maximilian let out a sharp breath.

“Ugh?!”

He was incredibly fast.

Was he really moving without using mana? The thought came naturally to mind.

Maximilian immediately raised his sword higher, guarding his front.

Tak! Ttak! Tak!

Relentless attacks poured in.

All Maximilian could do was grit his teeth and block Carl’s strikes with his wooden sword.

Forced to keep retreating, he was quickly driven into a corner.

He wanted to counterattack, but Carl gave him no opening, pressing in without pause.

Bang!

From time to time, attacks laden with heavy force crashed down.

They were so weighty that, for an instant, his knees nearly buckled.

By this point, Maximilian began to suspect Carl might actually be using mana.

“…”

But Carl’s face, locked with his over their crossed swords, was more serious than ever.

Calm and emotionless.

The first time he’d seen him like that, Maximilian had thought he looked like an old man trapped in a young body.

Now, that look had grown oddly familiar—almost endearing.

Of course, he still couldn’t read what Carl was thinking.

‘You think… I’ll lose?’

A fire lit in Maximilian’s chest.

Gripping the sword with both hands, he planted his feet firmly.

Gritting his teeth, he twisted his waist and swung his arms with all his strength.

Kagak!

Their locked wooden swords screeched unpleasantly as they tore apart.

This time, Maximilian was the first to push off the ground hard, launching a counterattack.

Swish!

Carl bent his back to avoid the strike, then spun his body to unleash a sharp kick.

Maximilian, who had been about to swing again, hastily turned his blade to block the toes digging toward his chest.

“…Tch.”

The chance he had gained was cut short again.

In that moment, Carl regained his stance and charged forward aggressively once more.

“…!”

Maximilian didn’t know why he was doing this.

Why was he attacking him like he meant to kill, this early in the morning?

But he didn’t want to back down.

He had already been driven to the edge—one more step back and he’d fall into the abyss.

Tak! Ttak! Tak!

The two wooden swords clashed without pause, ringing with fierce sounds.

Thud!

And then, unable to withstand their limits, the wooden swords broke against each other, bringing the intense bout to an end.

“…Ah.”

The moment both swords broke, Maximilian let out a short breath.

Finally, he could be free from this pressure.

Naturally, he thought the spar was over now that the swords were broken, and he lowered his hands in relief.

But then Carl tossed aside his sword and clenched his fists.

Thud!

“…Gah!”

Caught off guard, Maximilian took a direct blow to the face and was sent flying backward.

The pain was so great that he couldn’t regain his senses for a moment.

Staggering but managing not to fall, Maximilian looked up in confusion.

Tap, drop.

But only briefly.

Feeling the warm, sticky sensation along his jaw, he instinctively raised a hand to his face.

When he saw the bright red blood smeared across it, the fire inside him flared up again.

“You son of a—!”

Carl generally avoided making enemies once someone had entered his ‘friend’ category.

He wasn’t rough by nature, got along well with others, and disliked creating pointless grudges.

But if he was hit in an incomprehensible situation like this, he couldn’t just let it go, even for a friend.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A merciless brawl broke out.

Frankly, Maximilian didn’t know why he was fighting Carl like this.

Even stranger was why his all-out punches somehow couldn’t land solidly on Carl.

“…Why?”

Instead, he kept getting pummeled, his face turning into a mess.

Carl either dodged or deflected every clean strike, landing solid hits to Maximilian’s face in return.

“…”

Just once.

He just wanted to land one clean blow on that face.

So, forcing his trembling legs to move, he clenched his fist.

“Haaaaaah!!!”

Maximilian roared loud enough to shake the training ground and swung his soul-infused fist.

Of course, he expected Carl to either meet him head-on or dodge as before.

If he met it, Maximilian would land the blow before he could evade; if he dodged, Maximilian would charge in and mount him.

But Carl’s response was completely unexpected.

Whish.

Carl unclenched both fists, smoothly reached out, and grabbed his arm.

Frankly, Maximilian wasn’t sure what happened next.

“…!”

The world flipped upside down.

The dim pre-dawn light was suddenly beneath his feet, and he felt as though he were floating in the air.

‘Ah.’

Ironically, at that moment, the pounding in his head seemed to ease.

Bang!

Of course, the crushing impact that slammed into his entire body right afterward hurt so much he couldn’t even scream.

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