Guiding the Male Lead out of His Trauma - Chapter 47.2
Now that I could feel it on my skin, I began to understand, just a little, why they made that choice.
From the moment I was drafted, I had been cut off from my previous daily life.
They simply could no longer endure the everyday routine at school.
Even if it had only been for a short time, what they experienced out here was so vastly different from everything before.
The engagement began with sudden flames erupting from our side.
“Mitchel! Put out the fire first!”
The air turned cold and dry, and the flames didn’t spread further.
But something was charging at us fast from across the plains. Not just one or two.
A pack of clearly dead wild dogs came rushing toward us, and the platoon members burst into curses.
The moment I pulled out my Nexium and placed it in my mouth, one the size of a house lunged at me.
I tried to use my mana, but someone else was faster.
With a crackling sound, a gem-like crystal formed in front of me.
The crystalline mass acted like a shield and deflected the wild dog.
The corpse of the dead beast didn’t make a sound.
The crystal that had shielded me shattered with a sharp crack, turning into jagged fragments that pierced the wild dog’s neck.
The beast, which had failed to find eternal rest, returned to the earth.
“…Something’s strange.”
Acteon, who had come up beside me, looked around at our platoon.
“They’re not actively using mana.”
“Now that you mention it…”
It wasn’t that they weren’t using mana at all.
But even as they engaged in close combat, the platoon members avoided using mana unless absolutely necessary.
“The unawakened soldiers aren’t fighting, and the awakened ones are minimizing their use of mana… It’s unnatural. Something’s going on.”
“But why? Wasn’t it exactly because they’re capable of using mana that things got to this point?”
Acteon shook his head.
He had no idea either.
The reason the unawakened soldiers had stopped participating in battle altogether… was because the Awakeners’ abilities had become the central axis of warfare.
But now, the Awakeners themselves were avoiding the use of mana.
However, before we could figure out why…
‘I guess we need to finish this battle first, one way or another.’
Acteon was undoubtedly thinking the same thing.
To see how engagements unfolded, to get a feel for what real combat was like.
Once his overall scan was complete, he began drawing in mana without restraint.
Despite this place having been stagnant for quite some time, the mana density was rather rich.
That’s probably why Uskal’s Awakener, the so-called necromancer, could mobilize so many corpses.
However.
Once his operation concluded, dozens of crystals appeared behind Acteon.
They steadily grew in size, transforming one by one into finely crafted spears of mana.
Bathed in the reflection of lingering embers, the dazzling glow of the crystals made Mitchel mutter blankly.
“…Is he insane? That’s a damn monster.”
And it wasn’t just Mitchel.
Platoon members who had been fending off corpses all paused their movements, their gazes locked on Acteon.
When one of the corpses took advantage of the moment and bared its fangs, it was instantly impaled by Acteon’s spear.
With a calm face, he said to Mitchel and me,
“I’ll finish this.”
The spears of mana descended upon the plains.
Everyone stared, mouths agape, as hundreds of crystals fell from the sky.
In that moment, Acteon was singlehandedly absorbing and commanding the mana of the entire area.
Countless gemstones rained down like a sudden downpour, dominating the darkened plains.
No further attacks came from the area where the crystals had landed.
“…Looks like even they were shocked…? Well, I mean, of course they were… How could they not be?”
Someone scoffed and clicked their tongue.
“Wasn’t there someone like that before? From the Brondearn family…”
“Hey, watch your mouth. That’s the new S-Class from Brondearn, remember? If you get what that means, keep your gossip to yourself.”
Following Acteon’s response and counterattack, the Uskal side fell completely silent, without even a new ripple of mana.
Only after it was confirmed that the attack had stopped did people finally collapse to the ground with a thud from all directions.
Having ended the battle in a single strike, Acteon kept his eyes fixed on the front for a long time before turning back toward me.
Mitchel, now face-to-face with him, looked like he wanted to say something but just sighed and clutched his head.
“This is driving me crazy, seriously…”
“If there’s something I should correct, please point it out. I’m curious why you’re reacting this way.”
“…N-No… You did well. Go in and rest now…”
Mitchel kept glancing at Acteon as we returned, clearly troubled by something.
What now? What’s the problem this time?
I had to restrain myself from demanding answers on Acteon’s behalf.
Before that, though… I figured I’d have to get a little more used to this place.
Back at the tent, the platoon members returned to their usual behavior, same as the day before.
And Acteon—
“There’s probably a reason they don’t recklessly use mana.”
—was slowly surveying the camp with cold eyes.
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