Seraphim is a Bystander

The Disciple’s Struggle
(Last time I said we’d return to Aoi’s perspective—yeah, that was a lie. Please enjoy this one from the Master’s point of view.)

 
“Hey! Aoi! You in there?! If you’re alive, answer me!”
Standing in ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) front of the blazing blue dome of flame, I was hit with a rare feeling of helplessness.
The barrier Aoi had likely created to see his mission through didn’t even budge under my full-powered attacks.

“Tch… Damn it!”
If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve had them hide until we were done on our end.
…No, what’s the point in saying that now?
Aoi protected the young lady—did his job perfectly.
Then it’s my turn to step up, to protect him, like a proper guardian.
As I began focusing all my strength to break through the barrier, it suddenly began to collapse on its own.

“…!?”
What does this mean?
Did he defeat the enemy?
Did my voice finally reach him?
Or… is it something worse?
The worst-case scenario ran through my mind—
—and then I saw it.
Aoi collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
The dagger-wielding black-cloaked bastard stepping back from him.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.
“You bastard!”
With my power already charged, I slammed a foot into the ground and launched myself toward the man.
Fueled by rage, I brought my scythe down hard, ready to kill—
—but felt nothing. No impact. No resistance.

“Haa… A blunder. I won’t say this is the worst-case scenario, but I certainly didn’t expect things to escalate this far.”
Somehow, he’d already moved out of my range.
He muttered to himself, hand to his head.
…So he dodged that?
Aoi… held out against this monster all on his own until I got here?
“Tell me what your goal was! What did you do to him?!”

“Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get to do anything.”
Even while I kept my eyes on the cloaked man, I checked on Aoi.
Unconscious… but alive.
At least it wasn’t the worst possible outcome.
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. Since you know I exist now, I’m sure we’ll cross paths again someday.”

As he tried to slip away, I launched myself at him with everything I had—
—but in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
“…”
I scanned the area, searching for any trace of him… but nothing.
He was already out of my sensing range.
Damn it.
He got away—right under my nose.
Still… Aoi and the young lady come first. I have to get them to safety.
By the time I returned to the courtyard, the other guards had already begun tending to Aoi.

“How is he?”
“Lord Morimiya, there are no serious external injuries. Our only concern now is whether his mind suffered any damage from an ability-based attack…”
That’s… something, at least.
If he’s not hurt too badly physically, then we’ve got a chance.

“And the young lady?”
“She seemed disoriented, but she was responsive and unharmed. We’ve called the medics to double-check, just in case.”
“Good. I’ll take care of this one. You all continue sweeping the area.”

“Understood!”
As I confirmed their orders, I lifted Aoi into my arms.
Even for a child, his limp body carried a certain weight—and it bore down on me more than I expected.
“…You feel heavy.”

I carried him back toward the room, feeling every shallow breath against my chest.
Inside, Katagiri was waiting.
As soon as she saw Aoi, her expression tensed and she rushed over.
“Lord Morimiya! Is Aoi alright?!”
“Calm down. No visible wounds, but I can’t speak for the internal ones. Call the medics.”

As I laid Aoi gently on the bed, Katagiri was already contacting the medical team.
They began checking his vitals immediately.
Strangely enough, despite going up against someone far beyond his level, Aoi’s body showed hardly any injuries.
The only real wound was a faint line on his neck—already halfway healed in the short time since it happened.
“He really… held on.”

I ran my finger gently along the thin cut.
It wasn’t deep, but the angle and placement told me everything.
If it had gone just a few centimeters deeper, it would’ve hit a major artery—he wouldn’t have made it.
God… I’m weak.
As his teacher, I’m ashamed.
While I was busy mopping up low-level terrorists, my student was out here risking his life to fulfill his mission.
I’m the one who brought him here—his life is my responsibility.

“Pathetic…”
“Lord Morimiya…”
Just as I was sinking into self-loathing, a knock came at the door.
…Must be the medics.

Right. Pull yourself together.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”

The person who stepped in was a healer I’d worked with a few times before.
A top-tier recovery-type ability user under the Ichijo family—skilled, trustworthy, and thorough.
He immediately began examining Aoi.
I stood by and watched in silence.
Eventually, the medic sighed and turned toward me.

“Phew… It’s done. There’s no issue with his body or his mind.”
“So he’ll wake up soon?”
“Most likely. It seems he simply passed out from physical and mental exhaustion. He should recover by the end of the day.”

At those words, both Katagiri and I finally let out a breath of relief.
Thank god…
If this had left him with permanent damage, I’d never be able to face his family again.
“Good… You’ve done well. You can go.”

“Of course. I’ll take my leave.”
After seeing the medic out, Katagiri and I stayed by Aoi’s side in silence.
I’m not sure how long we sat there like that.
Eventually, a message came in from the other guards—time for clean-up duty.
I left Aoi in Katagiri’s care and went to handle the aftermath.

It wasn’t until about five hours after the incident that I got a message from Katagiri:
Aoi has regained consciousness.