Claude didn't know that his herbalism teacher, Maria, had the royal aura over Bluefeather. He was still worried about Fitney's vengeance after he recovered.
If Fitney came in while he was awake, he could just risk being discovered and finish him off with a spell. He wasn't a match for him in close-quarters combat, but he could still use his right hand to cast Magic Missile. What was there to be afraid of?
It would be best if Fitney thought he had control of the situation and spouted some nonsense in front of him, giving him time to use Magus' Hands. That would be even better.
He could even fake the scene and pretend that he accidentally fell and broke his neck. As long as Bluefeather didn't let the special department investigate, he could avoid exposing his identity as a rogue magus.
What he was most worried about was that Fitney would sneak into his room while he was asleep and he would be under his control by the time he woke up.
He had a strong suspicion that Fitney would cut off his nether region when he came for revenge. He hadn't had sex yet and if that was the case, he wouldn't be able to rest in peace.
It was impossible for him to cast spells when his body was bleeding, in great pain, and when he was exercising intensely.
He was a one-ring rune magus, not a fifth-ring battlemage.
Apart from Magic Missile and Mental Shock, which could be cast while moving, all other spells could only be cast in a static state.
Mental Shock wasn't that effective on humans and was more suited to beasts with smaller brains. Perhaps it would be more effective when he became a fifth-ring magus, but it wouldn't be of much use at the moment.
Magic Missile could be used while moving, but the problem was that Claude was like a mummy. He couldn't move at all, let alone move.
The biggest weakness of the spell was that its power was similar to that of a flintlock. Claude was confident that he could use Magic Missile to deal with Fitney, but he couldn't explain why the wounds on Fitney's body were the same as if he was shot by a flintlock. If he used Magic Missile, his identity as a magus would be exposed.
But if Fitney were to sneak into Claude's room in the middle of the night and stab him in the groin, Claude wouldn't be able to use Magic Missile anymore.
He wouldn't be able to use the hexagram magic in his spiritual space under the intense pain. If that happened, he would have no choice but to die a miserable death.
Because of that worry, Claude suffered from insomnia and couldn't fall asleep at all. He would either stare at the door or the window.
He knew that Fitney was also lying on the bed, unable to move. It would be impossible for him to come to his wooden hut for a month, but he couldn't sleep peacefully for some reason.
Helpless, he had no choice but to meditate. He found that even though his injuries were severe, they didn't hinder his meditation. He also noticed that the elemental photons in his spiritual space, such as water, light, and wood, were greatly beneficial to his recovery.
The first hexagram in his spiritual space gathered fire elemental photons and converted them into his own mana. Now, the second hexagram was gathering light elemental photons. The progress was half as fast as the first one. So, he was still a long way from becoming a two-ring rune magus after a year.
That was especially true after he entered the camp. Since he shared the same tent with twelve soldiers, he couldn't insist on meditating every day. He would only do it once in the dead of night when he didn't feel like it was a problem.
Now that he was lying in the infirmary with only Berklin in the same room, he didn't have any worries. Coupled with his insomnia, he could meditate four to five times a day.
When he gathered the light elemental photons, he noticed that the biggest difference was that the ones he didn't gather before would dissipate in his spiritual space. Now, the ones he didn't gather seemed to be absorbed into his body.
It was a rather mystical telepathy. He could even feel a cooling sensation coming from the wounds on his body.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but that was what he thought.
About a week later, Perunt came to check on his injuries and said with some surprise, "Oh, your body is really stronger than others. You recover much faster than most people and your broken bones heal faster than others. Looks like you won't have to stay in bed for two to three months. You'll be able to get out of bed in a month or so."
So it wasn't an illusion. Claude suddenly recalled the western fantasy novels he read about in his past life. Healing spells were all of the water, light, and wood attributes. It seemed that they weren't made up. There was some truth to it.
Even though he learned magic after transmigrating to this world, the biggest problem he faced was that he didn't have anyone to guide him. He had to rely on the diary and notes left behind by Landes to learn magic on his own.
Even though Maria knew magic as well, she taught him more about the general knowledge of magic and the current state of magic on Freia.
On top of that, she only learned the so-called harmless spells, which weren't the same as Claude's.
Moreover, she had already lost interest in magic and put most of her energy into pharmaceutics. Becoming an intermediate pharmacist was something she was most proud of. She was also prepared to be promoted to a senior pharmacist before the age of 60, but that would require a lot of wealth and more time to conduct potion experiments …
Had it not been for Claude's meditation despite his injuries, he wouldn't have noticed that light elemental photons were beneficial to his recovery. Even though the recovery was minimal every time he meditated, the effects were obvious after some time.
With that discovery, Claude became even more passionate about meditation.
Another week passed in the blink of an eye. After Perunt's examination, Claude's broken ribs healed well and he was allowed to sit up.
However, he received a piece of bad news from Bell. Fitney's wounds were healing well and he could already get off the bed. Even though he couldn't do any strenuous exercises, he could still take a few steps.
Claude immediately felt a sense of urgency. Even though Bell said that Perunt believed Fitney would need another month or so to fully recover, Claude still felt like the Sword of Damos was hanging over his head. He began meditating even more fervently, hoping that he could recover faster than Fitney.
Another thing that puzzled Claude was that he had been in the infirmary for almost a month, but the corps didn't seem to care about him at all.
Nobody came to ask about what happened that day, nor did anyone come to inform him of his punishment. It was as if they had forgotten about him.
Only Berklin told him that a colonel came to ask about his injuries one night before disappearing.
But on the third morning after Claude was able to sit on his bed again, the chief instructor of officer training, Mikes, and the instructor of recruit training, Most, came to Claude's room to inform him of the division's final plan for the incident.
Am I dreaming?
After the two left, Claude slapped himself in disbelief and cried out in pain. Only then did he realize that he was awake and not dreaming.
What's going on?
Claude didn't quite understand.
He had crippled Fitney's family jewels, but not only did he not receive any punishment, Fitney was even sent home from the military.
Even though Fitney deserved it, losing his rank and leaving the army meant that he wouldn't be able to take revenge on Claude anymore. That was great news.
He even neglected the fact that he would have to take over Fitney's position after he recovered from his injuries and take up the post of sergeant major.
Was this a free lunch from the heavens?
Claude subconsciously looked up and saw that it was still the same dark wooden roof.
But why did the division's higher-ups handle the incident so impartially and gave all the benefits to him and the four nobles? Was there some other reason behind it?
Claude looked at Berklin, who still had some bruises on his face. Berklin was overjoyed. He didn't need to continue training to become an officer after getting injured, and most importantly, he was with Claude.
However, he understood why Claude looked at him. He waved his hand and said, "It can't be our families. In fact, the four of us were abandoned by our families. We came here to fight for a better future for ourselves.
Also, our families didn't have the ability to influence Bluefeather to make such a decision. Sending us here was already the best they could do. "
The next day, Perunt dispelled Claude's confusion when he concocted some medicine for him. "Did you forget what Captain Mykes said before he left yesterday?
He said that the two letters for you from Baron Normanley's manor and some from Whitestag are in the receiving area of the camp. You can retrieve them when you're feeling better. Now that you have time to recuperate, it'll be more convenient for you to write a reply. You can also tell your friends and family about the good news of you becoming a sergeant major. "
Soldiers weren't allowed to write letters to their friends and family during recruit training and officer training.
Even after they became regular soldiers, they could only send and receive letters once a month.
This was mainly to reduce the workload of censoring by civilian officers, as both sent and received letters had to be censored to prevent soldiers from inadvertently revealing military secrets.
It was said that this rule came from a military rebellion more than a century ago. During the reign of Stellin IV, the military minister plotted a rebellion and used private letters to contact his trusted aides in the army to secretly send troops into the royal capital.
Naturally, the rebellion ended in failure, but ever since then, there was an additional rule to check military letters.
"But what does that have to do with the corps?" Claude still didn't understand.
"Hehe …" Perunt chuckled. "You told me that you learned herbalism from Lady Maria and that you're her disciple. You even said that she's a mid-rank herbalist.
I thought she was just a famous herbalist in the royal capital.
But you didn't tell me that she's also a baroness and the king's trusted stepsister. "
"I forgot. I only treated her as my herbalism teacher. I never thought of using her name to do things," Claude said.
"When I heard about Captain Mykes's plan yesterday, I felt that something wasn't right. You're being treated too well, aren't you?
I went to the barracks to ask around and found out that a commoner like you has such a strong backer. Even the families of the four nobles combined can't compare to your teacher, Baroness Maria, "Perunt said with a sigh.
"I don't think Lady Maria has that much influence. She's just a noble lady who loves herbalism.
I don't understand why Bluefeather would give me such preferential treatment because of her, "said Claude.
"I'm not too sure about that. But our Bluefeather's general is currently active in the royal capital and seems to be fighting for something.
He probably didn't want your training incident to reach Baroness Maria's ears and cause her to feel indignant on your behalf.
I heard that her words are very effective in front of His Majesty. "
"By the way, Fitney left this morning and was sent to Gourneygada. He'll be staying in the infirmary there for half a month. When he's more or less recovered, he'll be able to retire and return home," Perunt said.