Eugene and the others stayed until seven twenty-seven, then they left the hospital and returned to the academy accompanied by Alex.
Eugene smiled as he touched the injured spot.
"Hehe, I don't feel any pain."
Alex said while raising his head upward, "I told you, that doctor is skilled and experienced."
Fred looked at Alex and asked, "Do you always go to her when you get injured?"
Alex looked at Fred and replied briefly, "And how do you think I knew she was skilled?"
Eugene smiled and raised an eyebrow mockingly.
"It seems the sad falcon is extraordinary in his beloved sea of isolation, hahahaha."
Eugene and Fred laughed quietly, but both were hit on the head at the same moment.
The train arrived at the academy, and they all got off.
Fred headed toward the second-year dormitory.
Rem looked at him and asked, "Why are you going?"
Fred looked at her with sleep filling his eyes and said, "My lecture starts at one… aaah," he yawned loudly, "so I'll sleep a little."
Eugene extended his hand sarcastically. "Please take me with you."
But Alex grabbed him by the collar and lifted him slightly.
"Huh? You want to sleep? You have hours of cleaning ahead of you."
Eugene raised his eyebrows, his eyes and mouth widening for a moment, shocked by Alex's words.
"Cleaning? Didn't you say our punishment would be after the lessons?!"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Yes, your punishment for fighting and destruction with that old man. But… you have another punishment, and that's your fight with Ralph."
Eugene felt shocked. The only ones who knew about that were Thora and Melsia.
"H-how did he know I fought with Ralph?"
Ren and Rem looked at Eugene, then at each other.
Rem clasped her hands and raised her eyebrows.
"You fought with Ralph? Haha, well then, what else are you hiding from us?"
Ren opened his mouth angrily. "Man, will you stop dragging yourself into trouble?"
Eugene replied indifferently, "Man, he's annoying and a bully. He started it."
Ren said with the same irritation, "Yeah, today it's Ralph, tomorrow the head of a criminal organization, right?"
Alex yawned. "Alright, you fought and it's over. He'll be punished along with Ralph. Aaah, no need for all this fuss."
Ren pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. "I think I should tie you with a chain so you don't cause trouble again."
Eugene raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "A chain? Do you think I'm a pet?"
In the background, Alex imagined Eugene as an annoying brown dog wearing a party hat and drinking soda.
Alex thought to himself, "That would be a very bad idea. It would cause chaos everywhere."
"Aaah, fine, I'll take a nap until the lecture starts."
Ren and Rem left, and before they departed—
Alex spoke loudly while taking the bag from Eugene. "Hey, you two."
Ren and Rem looked at Alex. "Hold the bag."
Alex threw the bag, unaware of what was inside.
Eugene looked at the bag flying toward Ren, his heart racing and sweat pouring down.
He imagined a thousand scenarios: the bag falling, breaking, losing Melsia's trust, her secret being exposed, being punished for lying and for keeping something dangerous like this.
Time slowed down, but all scenarios vanished when Ren safely caught the bag.
"Ooof." Eugene breathed in relief.
Alex pulled Eugene away while Ren and Rem moved off.
Alex released Eugene and started walking beside him.
After a few minutes, passing behind the first-year dormitory and a garden, they reached a new area of the academy unfamiliar to Eugene.
Terraced land covered with green grass, trees and waterfalls on both sides, and a wide blue lake below the terraces. Some blue-and-white birds stood on the trees, chirping to each other.
"Wow, what a beautiful view."
A voice came from Eugene's left, mocking and arrogant. "Of course you're amazed. You're a villager who lived among the poor and common folk."
Eugene looked toward the source of the voice—it was Ralph.
His arm was broken, his face covered with bandages and cotton.
Eugene laughed when he saw Ralph's face, which looked like a clown with a red nose.
Alex spoke sternly. "Enough fooling around. Start cleaning. I want the place organized and tidy before the lecture begins."
Ralph shouted angrily, "Why is he even here? He should be in prison!"
Eugene was about to reply—
But Alex spoke first, his gaze sharp and angry. "Prison? You're the one who should be in prison. Using a weapon with intent to kill, the first to use an imprint outside the academy, and the first to start the fight. Eugene was punished for excessive force. You deserve prison."
Alex's tone and presence made Ralph freeze in fear.
"Now take the shears, trim the trees and grass, and when you're done, collect the leaves and cut branches."
Alex left, leaving Eugene and Ralph alone.
Each took a pair of shears and began cutting the grass without speaking or looking at each other.
Eugene occupied himself with his thoughts.
"According to what Fred said a few weeks ago, the final test before moving to the second year is working with an organization to gain experience and get used to a warrior's life."
Eugene recalled his fight with Ralph and seeing Thora back then.
"He's Thora. If my memory serves me right, he's one of the heads of the Border Guards organization. Now in front of me is Ralph. A fight will surely happen. If I fight him again, I'll show myself, which will make joining that organization easier. And I'll also take revenge for Rem when he killed her cat. It may not concern me, or even be emotional for me, but if I can take her revenge, why shouldn't I? And I'll also get rid of this annoying arrogance."
He returned to the present as he cut the grass near the lake.
His reflection in the water showed his features, hair, and eyes.
Was taking Rem's revenge really an excuse born from wanting to help her… or from wanting to prove that he could bear responsibility and wasn't a source of trouble?
Ralph glanced at Eugene out of the corner of his eye, barely holding back his rage.
But Alex's words echoed in his mind, along with his crushing defeat against Eugene.
Ralph's expression slowly turned sad and miserable as he recalled his past…
He had lived a miserable childhood. He was born rich, but he was his father's fifth son. His mother was hated among his father's four wives because she was the favorite.
Due to bullying, beating, and harassment from the wives, one night at dinner his mother brought divorce papers. His father refused to sign at first, but the wives pressured him until he agreed and signed without reading, just to avoid trouble.
His mother and he left the house.
Later, his father's wives agreed to get rid of him and take his money.
They put a sleeping drug in his juice. He felt dizzy while hunting deer, and a blue-horned deer attacked and killed him.
After his father's death and the funeral, the wives went to court to claim the inheritance, since his father hadn't written a new will.
The last will was written when his father thought he was dying of a serious illness, before marrying Ralph's mother, so it divided the wealth among the four wives only.
But when they went to claim the inheritance, they discovered that his mother had made his father sign a will transferring all the inheritance to her. Because of his love for her and not reading the papers, he hadn't noticed.
The wives were shocked. One of them screamed, but it was too late.
His father was dead, and his mother was the legal owner. She expelled the wives and took the mansion for herself.
She raised Ralph in extreme luxury, giving him everything he wanted. Yet she was mentally unstable.
She developed a mild mental illness that made her extremely irritable and obsessive.
She had lived a lonely, miserable life, and his father was the one who gave her everything. After his death and her deep loneliness, she became controlling. The slightest mistake earned Ralph severe beatings until he fainted.
She gave him whatever he wanted, yet beat him brutally for any mistake. He grew up arrogant, spoiled, and starved for affection.
When he was seven, he became attached to a maid, thinking she loved him. But she was only doing her job. When his mother found out, she killed the maid, believing she would kidnap him and leave her alone again.
Ralph clenched the shears in rage and sorrow. Every time he remembered this, deep sadness overwhelmed him.
He had everything except a mother. He bullied and mocked everyone, entering the academy only to prove he was better than the filthy poor.
But then… memories of the fight with Eugene flooded back.
He realized that these "filthy poor" were mentally stronger than him—and even physically stronger. His pride shattered in an instant, along with his arrogance.
Ralph looked at Eugene with intense hatred, grinding his teeth, wanting to stab him with the shears.
"This villager… he beat me, destroyed my dignity, stole the spotlight, and made me look like an insect at the birthday of the girl I love. He… he's the reason!"
Ralph stepped toward Eugene but stopped, then turned back and continued cutting the grass and trees.
Ralph drifted into his memories. Eugene noticed this moment but didn't care.
Minutes, seconds, and hours passed until they finished restoring the place.
Eugene sat on the ground, contemplating the lake.
The air moved his hair. The river was incredibly clear.
End of the chapter.