Chapter 362

I accidentally killed Leo again, but somehow I brought him back to life.

I thought Jesus only resurrected once, but Leo did it twice!

However, it didn’t make sense for a mortal to resurrection twice without any aftereffects.

“Why am I here?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“I don’t remember at all, brother. I can recall entering the forest, but that’s it…”

So, it turns out he has short-term amnesia. Leo’s memory completely cuts off as soon as he enters the forest.

Therefore, he showed a complete lack of understanding as to why he was in the hospital.

But since it was an event of epic proportions, I had no choice but to tell him everything. After all, the rumors would spread quickly.

“Squirrel? Excuse me, did you lose your memory too?”

“I could make it so you would never remember anything for the rest of your life.”

“I’m sorry, but the fact that I got beaten by a squirrel is just ridiculous.”

Maybe he hasn’t been hit enough. Leo denied reality, saying it was utterly absurd.

But denying it was useless since Porori’s lightning was ingrained deep in his body.

When struck by lightning, it typically leaves a mark on the body like the roots of a plant.

It’s tough to erase, almost like a scar. And Leo had something similar etched into his own body.

‘I wish all my memories would just disappear.’

Given that he was such a reckless guy, maybe that would be for the best. He was pure evil incarnate.

However, it would also be a problem if Leo died just like that. If that happened, even the Matra Empire couldn’t keep it quiet.

His very existence is a double-edged sword. Karas knew this well, and it was highly likely he’d stay quiet.

‘Maybe they’ll just leverage him alive as a bargaining chip.’

Like, sending Leo as a substitute wherever he needed to go. A hostage, so to speak.

In this world, it’s better to have more royal bloodlines than less. One had already kicked the bucket at Karas’s hands.

“Then why don’t we just kill that damn squirrel? What the hell are you doing?!”

“Shut your mouth, useless little brother, before I kill you.”

“Yes, brother.”

More than anything, in front of the truly insane Karas, Leo had no choice but to back down. Just look at him squirm.

Considering Leo’s reckless nature, he was in fact predictable, while Karas was utterly unpredictable. Guess that’s why he enjoys chaos.

“And you should thank Sivar. He saved your life.”

“Can’t we just forget that he cracked my head with a bottle last time?”

“If you don’t want me to crack your head again, bend your back and apologize.”

“Yes.”

Is this what they call prostrating oneself to receive an apology? Seeing him bow with a twisted face was pretty clear.

Honestly, I would love to just stomp on his head. Everything about his behavior was irritating.

‘He deserves divine punishment.’

I secretly asked Karas to spread a rumor that he got struck by lightning, instead of saying he was just defeated by Porori.

Since it was lightning from a spirit creature anyway, calling it a divine punishment wouldn’t be strange. Lightning equals the heavens, and the heavens equal the will of God.

Karas seemed to think it was a reasonable idea and agreed to my request. Leo had no other place to fall.

“I’d like you to receive an invitation from the royal family in return.”

“I’m not going. I’m busy.”

That I definitely wasn’t going to do. I needed to head to either Tartar or the East soon.

Like I said before, I planned to go to Tartar or the East for practical purposes. The level of difficulty would vary depending on where I went first.

Right now, I was leaning more toward Tartar, but since the situation in the East seemed odd, the Academy put it on hold.

‘Just when the Soul World was about to erupt in rebellion.’

I wonder if it’s still the case. Anyway, since going to Tartar was almost a done deal, Kara’s significance would skyrocket.

If I also receive the royal family’s invitation here, it would become chaotic, forcing me to back out. I had no intention of getting involved in politics right now.

In any case, I considered resurrecting Leo for the third time, after he had already been resurrected twice in one day, but I decided against it. I didn’t want to create more headaches.

– AAAAHHHH!

“?”

Just as I was about to leave the hospital, I heard a scream that I suspected belonged to Leo.

I wondered if Karas had really cracked Leo’s head with the bottle, so I turned back. I can’t resist a good scream.

Upon entering the intensive care unit, I was met with a rather complicated situation unfolding before my eyes.

“Doctor! What the hell is that?! Explain it again!”

“It appears… the lightning caused some issues with your nervous system.”

Leo had the doctor by his collar, and despite being grabbed, the doctor looked genuinely regretful.

And then there was Karas and Diana in the background, silently observing the situation. I was particularly curious about Karas’s reaction.

Normally, he’d be smiling through everything, but now he wore a look of genuine concern. I wanted to know the reason.

“What’s going on? Why is he acting like that?”

“You’ll understand when you hear it. Even I cannot refrain from sighing this time.”

“Is this actually a good thing?”

What on earth could this be about? I looked at Leo with questioning eyes.

“To put it simply, Your Highness, it’s going to be hard for you to have descendants moving forward. You’re not completely incapacitated, but… if it doesn’t stand up, then it’s all meaningless.”

“Then fix it so it can stand up! Are you even a doctor?!”

“I’m sorry. I’ve seen quite a few people struck by lightning, but this is the first time in my medical career that I’ve encountered this… it would be difficult even with surgery.”

“Ah… Ahhh…”

Leo collapsed helplessly at those words, which felt like a death sentence. His focus shifted, despair filling his face.

He then looked at the ceiling, as if he was about to leave this world at any moment, mumbling weakly.

“I’m… I’m a… impotent being… this body is impotent…”

“….”

“No way. This can’t be happening! Hahaha…”

Does getting struck by lightning really cause that? I tilted my head in confusion.

But it was no surprise that the power of lightning could cause significant nerve damage, leading to paralysis somewhere.

Leo was just plain unlucky. And for him, it was a severe punishment.

‘Did Porori hit that spot with its lightning?’

That’s not an impossible scenario. If that were the case, Porori handed out quite a fitting punishment.

Or perhaps Gulrak might have thought, “This is too much…” and tweaked it a bit. Either way, it’s a fortunate development.

“…”

Even the doctor left, leaving Leo staring blankly at the ceiling. His eyes were lifeless.

Now that he could no longer engage in activities he loved, life must seem unbearable. Of course, it was great news for everyone else.

If it gets around that Leo is now impotent, all those female students surrounding him will leave him in a heartbeat.

Some might argue they were only after his royal title, but if that’s true, then it’s true love.

The class structure demands that one can only elevate their status by having a prince’s child. In simpler terms, it’s insurance.

Now that all that insurance has vanished, it was the worst possible situation in many ways. His position as a prince is also precarious.

‘Looks like all that’s left is a shell.’

How could things come to this? It’s truly bizarre.

At the same time, I felt a shiver of awareness. I had been struck by lightning countless times myself.

There’s no guarantee I wouldn’t suffer the same fate as Leo.

‘Gulrak might not do something like that because he’s a man.’

It’s sort of an unwritten rule. An unspoken rule among men.

Even if they are arch-enemies, one does not kick another in the most sensitive of spots.

As men, they know that pain all too well. Even the sex maniac wouldn’t be so cruel.

If one were to dominate through pure skill before neutering, that would be one thing, but kicking someone in the groin during a battle is not typical.

“My life is over… there’s no reason to live…”

“….”

“Oh God… why are you giving me such a harsh punishment…”

He still hasn’t come to his senses. That’s because he’s been acting like a reckless fool all this time.

I hope he lives as an impotent for the rest of his life. As a fellow man, he thoroughly deserves it.

“….”

“….?”

Oh, now we made eye contact.

After lamenting for quite a while, Leo’s gaze shifted to me.

He stared at me for some time, then suddenly seemed to have a thought and shot up.

His eyes, which looked ready to dim, regained a bit of sparkle. The light of hope, perhaps.

“Y-you! You just said my heart started beating again because of that lightning!”

“That’s true, but…”

“Then…! Doesn’t that mean I can revert my body back?! The doctor just said it was ruined because of the lightning!”

“….”

That was quite the dazzling epiphany. I was more amazed than flabbergasted.

How could he come up with such an idea? It’s honestly absurd.

It’s so ridiculous that I almost want to give it a try. But first, I need to talk to Karas.

“Karas.”

“Speak.”

“You know your younger siblings? They split their brain halves at birth, right?”

At my outrageous sarcasm, Karas just…

“Khuhuhuh…”

Let out a really strange laughter, covering his face with one hand. He clearly struggled to hold back.

[Your faith increases!]

Chaos was no different. It’s rare to see faith increase from my actions rather than my words.

Meanwhile, the silent Diana, who had been hit, suddenly complained to me.

“Hey, why am I being dragged into this?”

“Because you’re similar to him.”

“Please don’t compare me to that idiot.”

To me, both seemed quite similar. When compared by intellect, maybe Diana is a bit more rational, but Leo is closer to pure instinct.

“I’m being serious! Do something!”

“I can do something. I can.”

“Then right away…!”

“But there will be side effects.”

“Side effects?”

At the mention of side effects, Leo flinched. He still has some human intellect left, it seems.

Honestly, the chances of success for this procedure are very low. Besides, I’m the type that’s far from ‘delicate.’

I gazed at the tense Leo, then extended my axe toward him and said.

“Get ready to explode.”

“Explode? Where?”

“Both. Whether it’s the pillar or the egg.”

“….”

“Do you want to?”

The answer was already decided.

*****

After the incident of Leo’s impotence, the Academy was in chaos regarding the issue of the Chaos Forest for a while.

Most of the chatter revolved around the fact that spirit creatures dwell within the Chaos Forest, which Rod managed to handle appropriately.

Until confirmed in detail, they restricted access to the Chaos Forest, specifically the Porori region.

Though it wasn’t complete control, an official notice was issued stating that anyone entering the region would be met with severe penalties.

Thanks to that, the rumors only grew while time went by, and soon the long-awaited day was approaching.

“The midterm exams will be held soon. They’re more complicated than practicals, but you don’t need to worry; they aren’t that difficult.”

It was almost time for midterm exam season. Following the new students’ midterms, the second-year midterms would be next.

Dis announced the period for the midterms and, looking around at the students, opened his mouth regarding the theme.

“The theme of the midterms is… treasure hunting.”

“Treasure hunting?”

“Right. Treasure hunting.”

Dis offered a very brief explanation of the theme.

“The points will be divided based on the number of treasures found. There won’t be separate teams, but the points will differ depending on the number of treasures one finds. And… ”

Treasure hunting. And…

“If you manage to obtain the treasure guarded by the assistant, you will receive significantly higher points than other treasures.”

Another fun addition was scheduled.

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