Chapter 40: A D-rank Guided an S-rank?
The next instant—
His eyes snapped open.
He was back.
The familiar surroundings of the academy’s safety zone entered his vision once again.
His palm still rested firmly against a warm, solid chest.
Looking up weakly, Ethan met a familiar pair of now-clear dark eyes.
Drey.
The madness was gone. The violent crimson that had consumed his pupils had completely vanished.
He looked... normal again.
A small, exhausted smile appeared on his face.
"...Thank goodness."
Before anyone could say a single word...
Ethan’s body went limp.
And he collapsed.
Drey reacted almost entirely on instinct.
The moment Ethan’s body went limp and pitched forward, his arm shot out before his mind could even process what was happening, catching Ethan just before he could hit the ground.
For several long seconds...
Nobody moved.
Every single person stood frozen where they were, their minds struggling to process the unbelievable scene they had just witnessed.
Lord Drey...
The Empire’s strongest Sentinel...
The man who had fallen into a terrifying rampage only moments ago...
Had somehow returned to normal.
And before anyone could even begin to understand what had happened, Drey’s own body suddenly swayed.
The exhaustion finally caught up to him.
His grip on Ethan loosened as darkness overtook his consciousness, and he passed out as well.
Panic erupted instantly.
"Lord Drey!"
"The medical staff!"
"Hurry!"
"Quick! Take Lord Drey to the infirmary!"
The instructors and medical staff who had rushed over moments earlier immediately sprang into action. Several elite Sentinels carefully lifted Drey while the academy healers hurried over to examine Ethan’s pale condition.
"Both of them are unconscious!"
"Take them to the infirmary immediately!"
"Move!"
Within moments, the two unconscious figures had already been rushed away to the infirmary, leaving behind nothing but hundreds of stunned students who still struggled to believe what they had witnessed.
*****
"What exactly happened here before I arrived?" Principal Ronan’s calm voice echoed through the corridor outside the academy infirmary as he turned his sharp gaze toward Davin.
Davin rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully before answering.
"According to the eyewitnesses, Lord Drey entered a Rampage after finishing the battle against the monster. The students panicked and scattered. During the chaos..." He paused briefly, still finding the words difficult to believe himself. "It appears Ethan approached him and somehow... successfully Guided him."
"Guided him?"
Alex almost laughed from sheer disbelief.
"That’s impossible." He shook his head repeatedly before continuing. "Lord Drey has only ever been Guided by S-Class Guide Leon, or at the very least an A-Class Guide. Now you’re telling me a mere F-Rank Guide successfully Guided an S-Class Sentinel? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?"
"He’s no longer an F-Rank."
Principal Ronan calmly corrected him. "After the last assessment, his evaluation confirmed that he has advanced to D-Rank."
Alex’s eyes widened. "What?"
His expression twisted into complete disbelief. "That’s impossible! The evaluation must have been wrong!"
Principal Ronan’s expression darkened almost immediately. "Are you questioning the academy’s evaluation process?"
Alex visibly stiffened. "N-No, Principal." He hurriedly straightened his posture at once. "I’m only saying... even if he truly is a D-Rank Guide now, it still shouldn’t be possible. A D-Rank shouldn’t possess enough spiritual strength to successfully Guide an S-Class Sentinel."
This time, even Ronan didn’t immediately respond.
Instead, he fell silent.
This Guide...
Everything Ethan had done for quite a while now had shattered his expectations again and again. Just when Ronan thought the young man could no longer surprise him...
He did exactly that.
Nothing about that young Guide seemed to make sense anymore. Every answer only seemed to create more questions.
Just as Ronan opened his mouth to ask another question, the infirmary doors slid open.
A young nurse stepped outside.
Her neatly pinned name tag read...
Stella.
All three men immediately turned toward her.
"How is Lord Drey?" Ronan asked first.
Stella offered a respectful bow before answering professionally.
"Lord Drey is no longer in any danger. His physical condition is stable, and there are no signs of immediate danger. He merely fainted due to extreme exhaustion after coming out of his Rampage."
The three instructors visibly relaxed.
Alex even let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.
Davin, however, frowned. Weren’t they forgetting someone?
Turning toward the nurse, he asked, "What about Ethan? What’s his condition?"
Stella’s expression immediately became much more serious. "The situation is rather different."
She glanced down at the report in her hands before continuing. "He suffered severe spiritual exhaustion, extensive internal strain from excessive spiritual energy consumption, and multiple internal injuries. His Spiritual Roots are extremely unstable at the moment. Although we’ve managed to stabilize his condition for now, he remains unconscious."
Davin slowly nodded.
"Please do everything you can for him."
"Of course."
Before Stella could return inside, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.
A young man quickly approached the group before stopping beside Principal Ronan. "Brother."
Ronan turned toward him.
"Robert. What are you here for?"
Robert, the academy’s Vice Principal and Ronan’s younger brother, lowered his voice. "The Sentinel Response Unit has already contacted the academy. They’re requesting to know why the selected students still haven’t been deployed."
Ronan rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache beginning to form.
Today’s events had completely thrown every schedule into chaos. After several moments of silence, he finally sighed. "Inform them that the selected students will depart today."
Robert nodded before asking another question. "And... should I report today’s incident to the Administrative Heads?"
Ronan considered it carefully.
After a brief moment, he slowly shook his head.
"No."
His gaze drifted toward the closed infirmary doors.
"Not yet."
Robert acknowledged the order with a nod.
Ronan then shifted his attention back to Stella. "I need Lord Drey awake immediately."
Stella frowned slightly.
"Principal... He requires proper rest. His body has only just recovered from a Rampage. Even if he’s merely unconscious from exhaustion, it’s still better to allow him to wake naturally."
Ronan’s expression remained unmoved. "The Sentinel Response Unit cannot continue delaying their deployment."
"But—"
"That is not your concern. And neither is it mine!" His voice grew noticeably firmer. "Follow my instructions."
"I need Lord Drey awake. He has a duty to carry out."