Although I won the battle with Julian, I was immediately taken to the infirmary because of the severe injuries all over my body.
I don’t know who the winner is in this.
It was a long fight.
Does it just feel longer because I’ve been wandering around in my memory?
Owen in me is quiet.
I don’t know at what point he will show up again in the future.
It was a real mixed bag of a fight.
“But I still have a final to fight.”
The other semi-final was held a little after my match.
The winner seems to be Berg.
That means tomorrow’s final will be me against Berg.
The pain is completely gone because of the recovery magic that was performed on me.
“Thank you, Farren.”
I thanked Farren.
The injury I sustained was apparently one of the more serious in this tournament.
So Farren, a saint and user of restorative magic, cured me.
“You’re welcome, but more importantly, Owen-san, don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“No, I didn’t mean to overdo it.”
“A lot of bleeding and a lack of magical power. In addition to that, under mental attack… What’s this “I didn’t mean to overdo it”?”
Farren said in dismay.
Sure, it’s a great injury if you ask me.
I’m honestly amazed at how I was able to hang in there.
“Look, Owen-san, no restorative magic is perfect, some things can be cured and some things can’t.”
“What can’t be cured …?”
“Yes, just like I couldn’t fix Dominic-san.”
With that, Farren looked gloomy for a moment.
“Are you still upset about that day?”
“I’m not worried, it’s just that I wasn’t good enough to save Dominic, and there were days when I thought that a better saint than me or … would have done it, but I know now how ignorant I was back then.”
After that day when Dominic went off the rails, Farren changed little by little.
She is not the justice wielding woman she used to be now.
What can I say? …I think she’s become a girl with a sense of justice for my size.
I have a better feeling about Farren now than I ever did.
While asking back, I had a general idea of what to expect.
“Was it [Bullet], the magic you showed me back then, I’m sure there were plenty of opportunities to use [Bullet] in today’s match, but you never used it, no … not just today, you haven’t used it in the last two years.”
“I just never had a chance to use it.”
“The magic that shot Dominic-san through the air, are you afraid to use it?”
Farren asked me a question that got to the heart of the matter.
The feeling of shooting Dominic that day still lingers in my arm.
It was a long time ago, and I scoffed at myself for dragging the past too far.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to question you!”
“No, …it is fine.”
Stay with me, man.
How long are you gonna be stuck in the past?
It’s a challenge I’m going to have to overcome at some point.
Even though Farren has gotten back on his feet and moved on a lot faster than I have.
“Owen-san, I failed to mention one thing, congratulations on reaching the finals.”
Farren smiled at me, and I naturally relaxed my expression.
“Thank you, although I didn’t think I’d make it to the final.”
Especially against Julian today.
If I tried it again, I think I’d lose nine times out of ten.
“I, too, thought Julian-san would win.”
“Let’s just say that you believed me, even if it’s a lie.”
I looked at Farren with a wry smile.
“I’ve decided to be honest with myself, and I’m sorry.”
“No, you can’t apologize for that. …”
“Just kidding, I was hoping for a bit of a … final, I don’t care how badly it hurts, I’ll fix it, so good luck.”
“That’s not what you said earlier, is it?”
“I’ll make an exception for tomorrow.”
With that, Farren snickered.
It was the smile of one pretty girl, not as a saint.
“I think I’ll leave it to your story, I have other things to take care of, and …”
Farren glanced at the entrance door.
I looked at her and saw her golden hair through the doorway.
“And now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Farren bows lightly and leaves.
Then, a blonde girl —Natalie—came into the infirmary, replacing Farren.