Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Zach and Yanael almost got lost once when they were closer to the Academy since the trail through the forest was not as obvious at that point. But he luckily caught sight of the Academy's tall buildings through the trees and followed them out of the forest and back to the campus.

He walked slowly to the infirmary, afraid of what was waiting for him there. The sooner he arrived, the sooner he would get the bad news.

He had seen Nessa. She hadn't been in a condition that people lived through.

But he had to face it. It felt like it took an eternity, but at the same time, he arrived at the door to the infirmary before he knew it. He vaguely remembered seeing an antsy Millipede outside.

He tried to take a deep breath, but a lump blocked his throat. Light-headed, he opened the door and found the others after looking around.

Violina was sleeping on the floor. No surprise. She had worked hard. Her skill had drained it after she used it much more than she was used to. Dukiel and Anerias were sitting next to each other with their arms crossed and steely expressions. They looked forward, but they weren't looking at anything.

They didn't see Zach until he was right in front of them.

Based on the fact that they were in the hall, waiting for something, Zach could guess that Nessa wasn't dead yet. That was the best news he could have hoped for, considering he had spent a while in the forest after they returned.

"...How is she?" Zach dreaded asking it, but he had to know.

Dukiel and Anerias snapped out of their reverie and looked up at Zach.

"She's past the worst of it. But…" Dukiel glanced at the door across the hall.

"...But that doesn't say much considering the condition she was in." Zach finished his thought with a grave expression as he also crossed his arms and sat down opposite the door.

They could only wait for the healers and physicians to do their best. Time moved like an old snail. But none of them were in the mood to do something to make it pass any faster.

Worry ate away at them, not only for Nessa but also for Julius. One was close and the other was far away, but both of their fates were as unknown as the number of stars in the night sky.

The three boys were exhausted, and it was tiring to wait with how frayed their nerves were. But they couldn't make themselves nap. Violina had passed out from physical exhaustion. They were more mentally than physically tired.

But there was no way they were going to sleep when Nessa was fighting for her life. There was no way they could sleep.

Occasionally, healers and physicians entered and left the room in hurry to get supplies, let someone else take over while they recovered, or just because they were too drained to be of any use.

Zach and the others wanted to ask them how it was going, but they weren't going to ask. If they needed to know, the healers would tell them. They weren't going to disturb the ones working to save Nessa's life with useless questions. They could figure out how it was going just by looking and listening.

Nessa was still alive. Otherwise, they wouldn't be fighting to save her life.

Eventually, that fight seemed to reach an end as infirmary staff carried dead tired healers out of the room. Other healers and physicians also left it, also tired.

Zach and the others extended their stiff legs and stood up, hoping for someone to tell them how it had gone. After all, no one was dancing out of the room with joy at having saved another bright life. Zach didn't know if they were just too tired to show it or if there was nothing to celebrate. Stay connected through M-V-L

That might also explain why no one was telling them anything. They didn't have the guts to tell them that Nessa hadn't made it.

However, the last to leave the room was a physician Zach recognized. It was the same doctor who saved Rierdan after the kidnapped man-turned-underworlder tried to strangle him. His messy hair was hidden by a piece of cloth tied over his head, and a mask hung around his neck, but Zach recognized him.

And the physician recognized him. After closing the door behind him, the physician walked over to Zach and the others.

"I see you're still here. I'm sure she would be happy to know how worried you are about her."

"You mean…?!" They didn't miss the underlying meaning of the physician's words.

The physician nodded.

"Yes. She's alive. It came close a couple of times, almost as close as you," he said to Zach. "Even now, she might crash and succumb to her injuries. We did as much as we could, but in her state, it's best to stabilize the body and let it recover gradually to minimize complications and so on. Still, I've got a good feeling.

She's a fighter." The doctor patted them on their shoulders as he made his way past them.

'"Thank you!"' Zach, Dukiel, and Anerias expressed their gratitude to the physician who had helped save Nessa's life.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm taking a break. Come back later if you want to know how it went in more detail. And while I'm sure the lass appreciates your worry, I doubt she'd be happy seeing you guys right now. You're a mess." The doctor continued walking as he gently reminded them that they hadn't cleaned up or showered or anything at all after fighting for their lives with dirty monsters.

They were covered in filth and dried blood, their own and that of monsters. The layers of sweat didn't help.

And all of that just fermented while they waited for news on Nessa.

They should stop stinking up the infirmary and return later if they wanted to check on Nessa. She needed to rest, anyway.