“Sa, sataguni!?”
Clara alternated between looking at the water bottle in her hand and Rohan, who was slumped under the sunlight.
It had been a while since her head started spinning.
Even though she knew she had to move quickly, her steps creaked like a broken machine.
“Oppa! Uh, let’s get to the shade first…”
Clara, who had placed the water bottle in the shade, approached Rohan.
She draped one of Rohan’s arms over her shoulder and hoisted him up, even though he was holding his head as if he had a headache.
It was a strength that didn’t match her delicate frame, but those with magical power couldn’t be judged by their physical appearance, right?
“Osha…!”
With delicate hands, Clara gently laid Rohan down on the ground, leaning his back against the wall.
If the shade had been a bit larger, she could have let him lie down more comfortably, but that would only be possible if Sion secured a better spot.
“Clara…?”
“Yeah! I’m right here!”
Rohan’s eyes fluttered open as he called her name.
The girl was worried about Rohan, as he seemed worse than before.
“How’s your body? Do you want some water?”
Rohan shook his head, saying he was fine.
Clara pouted at Rohan’s usual attitude of downplaying things.
But this time was different.
Rohan, too, was in a state where he couldn’t move due to the dizziness that wouldn’t go away.
He had no choice but to ask for the group’s understanding.
“Sorry. Let me rest for a bit, then we’ll move.”
“Oppa… You don’t have to apologize… It’s fine, just close your eyes and sleep.”
At her urging, Rohan bit his lip and hesitated before closing his eyelids.
“Can you wake me up in 10 minutes?”
“That’s too short. I’ll make you feel refreshed, so sleep well and wake up later, okay?”
There was no yes or no from Rohan. No answer came back, only the sound of his ragged breathing.
It seemed he had already fallen asleep after asking to be woken up in 10 minutes.
“…”
Clara blankly watched Rohan’s sleeping face and recalled what Sion had said.
She decided to follow Sion’s advice and loosen his clothes. She moved her hands to undo Rohan’s Academy uniform.
‘This is first aid…! First aid!’
In this situation where she was undressing Rohan of her own will.
Even as she repeated the word “aid,” the strange feeling in the girl’s head wouldn’t go away.
She took off his Academy jacket and began unbuttoning his sweat-soaked shirt.
The dungeon’s climate was so hot that even the girl, who wasn’t usually bothered by heat, had beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and Sion was sweating profusely too.
Rohan’s clothes were already drenched in sweat, so it didn’t seem necessary to wet them further.
‘Oppa’s smell is stronger than usual…’
Jinhae… This is good…
The scent of human flesh and sweat varies so much from person to person.
Clara didn’t feel even a hint of discomfort from Rohan’s body odor. On the contrary, she had to suppress the urge to bury her nose in it.
Even with his shoes off, she gulped before proceeding.
Clara, with trembling hands, carefully avoided touching *that* area as she undid his belt. She unzipped his pants, loosening all of Rohan’s clothes.
“Now, fan him!”
Clara gathered the monster’s vine leaves scattered on the floor and gently fanned Rohan.
She was a bit disappointed that she couldn’t fully smell his scent anymore, but stopping wasn’t an option.
“Oppa, are you asleep…?”
She called out just in case, but he was completely out.
He wouldn’t even notice if someone carried him away.
This was the first time Rohan showed such vulnerability. The girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as they darted around.
In that trance-like moment.
As the girl’s gaze grew busier, her fanning became more vigorous, and Rohan’s expression seemed to relax a bit.
“I’ve secured the spot.”
“───!!!”
A voice interrupted her focus.
If Clara hadn’t reflexively covered her mouth, a scream would have escaped.
She was so absorbed that she didn’t notice Sion’s approach.
“The interior is fine. The temperature is definitely lower than outside. It’s perfect for resting.”
“Th-thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s nothing. How’s Rohan?”
Sion folded her truncheon and tucked it away as she asked.
Clara, leaning against the wall, looked at the sleeping Rohan and relayed the information that came to mind.
“He said to wake him up in 10 minutes and then fell asleep…”
“Hmm, that’s way too short for recovery. It’s better to let him wake up on his own while we take care of him.”
Sion suggested they move inside, and together with Clara, they carried Rohan.
They entered the dark interior, where the only light came from the sunlight outside.
“Ah…! It’s so cool!”
The inside was indeed cooler.
Honestly, it felt like mid-summer, but since it was so hot outside, even the 30-degree interior felt refreshing.
“Let’s stop here.”
“Okay!”
They laid a jacket on the floor and carefully laid Rohan down. They also brought his shoes and placed them beside him.
“Clara. We need to be more thorough with the heatstroke measures.”
“…?”
Clara looked confused.
Sion quickly spread open Rohan’s shirt, which Clara had timidly loosened.
“Normally, heatstroke or sunstroke would be dangerous, but since his body is tempered with magic, he’ll recover quickly.”
With that, she also took off Rohan’s pants.
Throws it away.
“!?!?”
Clara’s eyes spun around in confusion.
“I’ll handle the fanning. Use the water bottle to cool him down.”
Sion finished speaking, suddenly stood up, and went outside to start picking vine leaves.
“…”
Clara followed the instructions and placed the cold water bottle on Rohan’s neck.
Although Rohan’s condition wasn’t actual heatstroke, it felt good to have something cool against his hot body.
Seeing his expression relax, the girl felt relieved and began cooling other parts of Rohan’s body.
She eventually stopped, leaving one last spot untouched.
“Hmm, I think the fanning is enough for now.”
Sion sat down beside him and started fanning Rohan’s body.
Clara, holding the water bottle, fidgeted and moved to Rohan’s lower body.
‘Ahh…’
She caught a glimpse of his black underwear. Plain and form-fitting.
Though simple and without any decorations, the fact that it matched the color of her own underwear made her feel a bit ticklish.
She knew she should look away, but her gaze just wouldn’t budge.
Perhaps because of the sweat, the shadows on Rohan’s underwear were strikingly vivid.
The thickness looked like it couldn’t be grasped with one hand. Honestly, the first time she saw it, she thought he might be hiding dynamite.
‘Oh, Oppa must be uncomfortable normally…’
Having something like that must cause a lot of inconvenience in daily life.
With such thoughts, Clara placed the water bottle on Rohan’s upper thigh.
The heat indirectly transmitted to her hand was unusually intense. The scent that reached her nose was so strong it could be described as wild.
In the silence, the two girls struggled for a while.
Rohan stirred and drowsily opened one eye.
“Uhh… what time is it?”
“Sleep. It’s been less than 10 minutes. Have a sip of water too.”
It was a relief that he regained consciousness. But Sion, sharp as ever, lied and made him drink water.
After moistening his lips, Rohan muttered something and closed his eyes again. Sion and Clara sighed in relief.
“He seems fine now, so we can leave him be.”
“I’ll keep fanning him…”
“We’ll take turns. Once Rohan feels better, we can stop.”
Sion smiled faintly, softening the atmosphere.
She watched Clara fanning him and then stood up.
“Mind if I take off my outerwear for a bit? It’s too hot.”
“Ah, sure…!”
Sion removed her thick outerwear, which was packed with various equipment, freeing herself from the heat.
With only her sleeveless top left, she looked a bit more alive. She twisted her clothes…
Ugh, sweat was dripping down like crazy.
Clara, who was fanning herself with one hand, noticed Rohan sleeping and blushed, fluttering her skirt slightly to cool off.
“This heat and humidity are insane. If it weren’t for Rohan, I might’ve been the one collapsing.”
Sion took a sip from her water bottle and handed it to Clara.
The girl also paused her fanning for a moment to moisten her mouth.
“Clara.”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe Rohan’s condition isn’t just regular heatstroke.”
“Is there a disease you’re suspecting…?”
Sion touched her slender chin with an extremely serious expression.
Then, after glancing at the sleeping Rohan, she lowered her voice to inform Clara.
“I think it might be some kind of price for using a skill.”
“Ah…”
Clara nodded as if agreeing with Sion’s speculation.
After all, Rohan did say that using skills comes with a cost.
*****
Orion Academy, Class 1-1.
Right after lunchtime. Gilbert was glaring at Rohan’s empty seat.
“Something’s off! Something’s really off!!!”
“Definitely, there’s something going on.”
Even Dick, sitting in the back, rarely agreed with Gilbert.
Normally, it would be time for practical training, but Juyun disappeared after telling them to wait. Plus, Rohan wasn’t answering his phone.
“Noah. Do you know anything?”
“Hmm…”
In response to Noah’s question, Ichinose took out her smartphone and sent a text to Rohan, who wasn’t in the classroom, asking where he was.
Of course, there was no reply.
Just as baseless speculations were flying around,
The front door opened, and long rabbit ears perked up as someone appeared.
“My adorable Class 1-1! Today, Instructor Juyen is suddenly busy with work, so we’ll be having a joint class with Instructor Carrot’s class!”
