Heaven's Greatest Professor

Chapter 12: A Vision

"I think I owe you an apology?"

Warden looked up at the ravishing blonde girl, unsure how she made it sound like a question. He couldn't help but rub his chin and brood, but unfortunately, he couldn't make any sense of it, so he played the oblivious role.

"You do?"

The girl gave Liam a quick glance and turned to him again. "Yes," she said with great distress, as if she couldn't believe herself. "I'm sorry. I acted harshly when you just wanted to help. I also thank you for saving our lives. If you ever come to our state, I promise to treat you well."

With that, she quickly left. No, she actually ran. Sadly, she was still weak from last night's fight and fell headfirst on an uneven bump on the ground.

"I'm fine," she said, rising before anyone could even ask anything. Even though she said that, she certainly didn't look fine with blood coming down her nose.

Warden didn't know if he should laugh or cry at her antics, but he felt none of them would be appropriate at this moment. So he came to help her.

"If you're not in a hurry," he said softly, "don't run around randomly."

The girl didn't know what to say and nodded her head heavily. Only then did Warden remember he didn't remember her name, or if she even introduced herself. He couldn't bring himself to ask, as it would be awkward, and she was literally making a mess of her face, trying to wipe the blood.

Ultimately, he caught her arm and helped her, wiping away her nosebleed with his sleeves. For some reason, her face grew a pale shade of pink as she looked up at him.

"Well, apologizing is hard," he said. If you didn't think that was true, take a reality check just now and count how many times you have really apologized. Bet, you could count on your fingers. "With how embarrassed you were, I figure you probably never had to do it before today."

The girl shook her head in agreement.

"That means you don't make mistakes," he said, rubbing her head. "Well, apology accepted, and thanks for trying to save the villagers."

She nodded slowly, flustered. "Your eyes," she said finally, "look kinder up close."

Abruptly, a blurry image of someone else flashed into his mind, strikingly blonde hair as if they were glowing, the face of a young girl, younger than the nosebleeding girl. She said words very similar to what the girl said and then disappeared from his head.

Warden grunted, clutching his head as a sharp pain assaulted his brain. Before he knew anything, he discovered he couldn't remember the face anymore, only the glowing blonde hair. Who was that?

Warden stood up, his brows tied in a knit. "Hey Liam, how long are you guys staying in the village?"

"I was just thinking of bringing up this topic." The lad had been watching him for some time, but the question seemed to surprise him. "As I already told you, our mission was merely scouting. However, after we discovered higher numbers of tainted beasts rising in these areas, we informed the Academy five days ago. With that, our job is done, and officially, we have nothing to do in the village."

"So you'd want to leave the village as soon as you can?"

Liam nodded. "We were merely waiting for the reinforcement to arrive to do their job, and then Miss Kiara's bunny went missing. In the end, we decided to fight for the safety of the village. But with you here, we can finally leave with relieved hearts."

Warden frowned. "Is this the condition of most villages around here?"

"The ones closest to towns are in better shape," he said. "But not those that were too much on the fringe. The arrival of the tainted was just unexpected."

Warden was in a dilemma, as he was unsure what to do from now on. Although they have defended the city from the wolf pack, another disaster could arise at any time. He couldn't just leave them right after saving them.

"The reinforcements you mentioned," he asked, "when are they coming?"

Liam gave a look that told him he was unsure. "It's about a week's journey from the academy, and the message will need another two days to reach."

"Curious. How did you send the message?"

"Of course, through a carrier bird," Liam said, as if it was only natural.

"A bird?" Warden's face grew hard. "Is it strong enough to protect itself from other aerial predators?"

Liam and Kiara looked bewildered, as they were hearing this type of question for the first time.

"You don't worry, Sir Warden," Liam said. "There's a good chance the message reached the academy. There are others who were sent on these scouting missions other than us, from the other academy as well."

Warden nodded, though it didn't put his mind completely at ease. Even if all the messages reached the academy, it would take another week for reinforcements to arrive. Meantime, all the villagers would suffer.

Honestly, Warden was planning to leave with these two. Whatever his condition was, he needed medical attention. Someone with high expertise in Mind, and those specialist healers could only be found in the cities. Not to mention, he could just search for clues himself.

But now hearing about the other villages made his mood sour. He really shouldn't have become laid back after barely saving a village. The situation was always more dire than it seemed.

"Looks like I have to stay for a week at the very least," he told him, which seemed to put their minds at ease. But obviously not his. The last fight hadn't been effortless, far from it. While he fought, many people died. What happens when more powerful monsters arrive?

"Of course, the chances of another strong cursed creature appearing are low, but with Sir Warden around, the village had nothing to worry about."

"I'm no sir," Warden said, letting out a breath. "Just call me Warden."

A week's time, he thought as he crept toward his lodging for his equipment. Perhaps I'll be able to clear some of the fatigue and my unbalanced attributes in time.