Full Citizen (35)

Archeon’s VIP-only recovery center.

In the innermost ward, Bastian Crowe lay inside a recovery capsule.

His body could barely move. All he could do was open and close his eyes and move his fingertips a little. Bastian merely blinked at the ceiling.

Blue lights slowly brightened and dimmed. As he watched them, he recalled the same scene again and again.

A flash in an instant. Nothing remained in his memory except that flash of light. High-output magic had manifested in an instant. One strike of it tore through the barrier and sent his body flying. If it had hit him head-on, he would have vanished without a trace.

It was strange that he had survived at all.

Bastian thought he would be discarded. Aurelian Valencroft could not tolerate defeat. Even if he were cast aside after serving his purpose, Bastian would have had no grounds to complain. That was how the Valencroft family operated, and Bastian was accustomed to it.

Yet Aurelian had not abandoned him.

He ordered Bastian’s treatment and added only one thing.

-Train harder...