Hero, Go To School! - Chapter 19

There’s no helping it. I have no choice but to step in myself.

The moment I gently gripped his shoulder, Ian’s knees buckled. His body immediately began coughing up blood, and Helith seemed even more shocked than when his own neck had been choked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Are you alright? Ian!”

“Ha, cough-, cough-.”

He turned to look at me with bloodshot eyes. I pretended to support him, pulling his body into my arms.

“I told you not to harbor any murderous intent towards me. It’s your own doing.”

I whispered softly, and Ian muttered a curse under his breath.

“Damn it, I don’t plan on being your pet rat.”

“Who would keep a rat as a pet?”

Ian suppressed his harsh breaths and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. Seeing him endure the pain with sheer willpower, after all the times he’d passed out from it, made him seem like the hero traveling across the continent. Truly relentless.

While Ian was gasping in my arms, Duke Zenor and his wife acted as though a war had broken out.

“Doctor! Call the doctor!”

“If you don’t want to see the doctor becoming a patient, please stop, Madam.”

“But, our Ian is coughing up blood like this!”

“I’ve told you before, he’s not in a condition to be examined. From what I see, his nerves are heightened, and the violence and deterioration of his health seem to be connected.”

“Oh my God. Ian, what could possibly be bothering you so much? I’ll do anything if it’s what you want.”

Josefina approached with a face that seemed about to burst into tears. At that moment, I secretly twisted Ian’s n****e.

“Ugh!”

Seeing Ian instinctively groan from the sudden pain, Josefina gasped in surprise. I reached out to stop her.

“Don’t come any closer! Right now, Ian is extremely reluctant to have contact with anyone other than me.”

“Ian!”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me.”

I spoke to Ian with a serious face.

“Ian, you can be honest with me, right? What’s bothering you so much?”

“You think I want to die because of you… Argh!”

I pinched his n****e hard again. It was swollen and firm enough to give a satisfying feeling. Ian groaned in pain and grabbed at my clothes as if to rip them off.

“Armband? You want to wear an armband? Ha, you were saying you wanted to be the top student at the academy, and now you want to be the student council president too.”

“Stop talking nonsense! Ouch, take your hand off…”

“So, just thinking about entering the academy makes your hands shake in excitement?”

“Did Ian really say that?”

“Of course. He said it so passionately.”

I turned my head slowly toward the Duke and Duchess. As soon as they heard my words, they exchanged looks and sighed, or maybe it was a groan.

They were parents who wanted to do anything for their son, but it seemed they couldn’t completely disregard their worries. There was a strange atmosphere, as if they were about to make a decision, but it soon got buried under a thick veil of concern.

The Duke and Duchess stood at a critical crossroads, and it was Josefina who took the first step.

“But… Luxus is a boarding school. Do you think Ian can handle life there?”

Nice. I had them. I quickly hid the smile trying to spread across my face and pretended to be serious as I lowered my eyes.

“Exactly.”

I intentionally hesitated for a moment, creating a heavy atmosphere. The Duke and Duchess were staring at me desperately. Feeling their gazes, I slowly raised my head.

I turned to face the Duke and Duchess directly. I tightened my expression, making sure the determination in my body showed, as if to deliver my decision at this very moment.

“I will go with him.”