Chapter 12: Her Dad Brought the Military

Nero somehow managed to get Serina to the hospital.

The taxi ride had been nothing short of torture, but he had somehow kept himself under control. Once they arrived, he carried her inside and handed her over to the medical staff, who immediately placed her on a stretcher and rushed her away.

[Choice Completed: Damsel in Distress]

[Reward Distributed: Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge (Epic)]

[Note: You did a good thing today.]

Nero barely bothered reading the notification before dismissing it.

He was too exhausted to care about rewards right now, and all he wanted was to get home and rest.

However, he had barely stepped outside the hospital when the sound of helicopter blades suddenly filled the air.

"Huh?"

Nero looked up and saw several helicopters approaching from different directions.

At the same time, military vehicles came to a stop outside the hospital, and dozens of soldiers in tactical gear rushed out to secure the surrounding area.

"What the hell is going on?"

Nero was confused by the sudden commotion. Whatever was happening, it was clearly serious enough to involve the military.

But it wasn’t any of his business.

He had already done his part by bringing Serina to the hospital, so there was no reason for him to get involved in anything else.

With that thought, Nero continued on his way, leaving the hospital behind.

Meanwhile, inside the hospital, the atmosphere had become extremely tense.

Doctors and nurses hurried through the corridors, clearing the way as the military personnel entered the building.

A middle-aged man soon stepped through the main entrance, accompanied by several soldiers.

He wore a military uniform decorated with numerous medals and insignias, while his sharp gray eyes and stern expression made him appear rather intimidating.

His presence alone was enough to make the surrounding staff nervous.

"Isn’t that General William Blackwood?"

"The patriarch of the Blackwood family?"

"What is someone like him doing here?"

Whispers spread throughout the reception area as the man approached the front desk.

General William Blackwood was one of the most respected military strategists in the Liberty Federation, so his sudden appearance naturally attracted plenty of attention.

"Where is my daughter?"

His voice was calm, but the nurse behind the counter immediately straightened her posture.

"S-Serina Blackwood? She’s currently in Room 407, sir. One of our best healers is treating her."

She quickly added, "Please don’t worry, General. Her condition is stable. It was only a fever caused by exhaustion, and she should recover soon."

William nodded.

"Take me to her."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The nurse immediately led him toward the room.

After arriving outside Room 407, William dismissed the soldiers accompanying him and entered alone.

Serina was lying on the hospital bed with her eyes closed, while a healer stood beside her, using a healing ability to treat her condition.

A faint green glow surrounded Serina’s body.

The healer immediately bowed upon noticing William.

"General Blackwood, your daughter is stable now. Her fever has already subsided, and she should wake up shortly."

"Good. You may leave us."

"Understood, General."

Once the healer left, William pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down.

His stern expression softened slightly as he examined his daughter’s sleeping face.

A few minutes later, Serina slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked a few times before noticing the familiar figure sitting beside her.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

William raised an eyebrow.

"You collapsed from a fever. What do you think I’m doing here?"

Serina groaned and tried sitting up.

"It’s just a fever. You didn’t have to bring the entire military here."

"You’ve been overworking yourself again, haven’t you?" William asked sternly. "How many times have I told you to stop training so much?"

"I’m fine, Dad. You’re worrying too much."

William frowned.

"And why were you running around in the rain yesterday? I still don’t understand what you were trying to accomplish."

Serina shrugged.

"I felt like it."

"...You felt like it?"

"Yep."

William didn’t know what to say to that.

He had dealt with countless difficult situations throughout his military career, but when it came to his daughter, even he found himself completely helpless.

After letting out a sigh, he reached forward and gently patted her head.

"Whatever. As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters."

His voice softened slightly before he continued.

"I have to return to my duties now. Make sure you get home safely, and don’t overwork yourself again."

"Okay, Dad."

William stood up and adjusted his uniform before leaving the room.

With his departure, the tense atmosphere in the hospital finally began to settle.

A few moments later, a young nurse entered the room with a clipboard in her hand.

She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with a gentle face and a rather shy expression.

Serina noticed that the nurse was blushing slightly while looking at her.

A mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

"Sorry, but I don’t swing that way."

"W-What?!"

The nurse’s face immediately turned bright red.

"N-No! That’s not what I meant! I just thought you were really pretty!"

Serina couldn’t help laughing at her reaction.

"I’m just teasing you. Thanks for the compliment."

The nurse let out a relieved sigh, although her cheeks were still red.

Serina then lowered her head and sniffed her clothes.

"Ugh, I still smell like sweat."

She had been training before collapsing, and now that her fever was gone, she was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Is there somewhere I can take a shower?"

"Of course! We have a shower room nearby. I can take you there."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, Serina was standing beneath the warm water of the hospital shower.

She let the water run over her body, washing away the sweat from her earlier training session.

However, as she began relaxing, something suddenly crossed her mind.

’Wait, how did I even get here?’

Serina tried recalling what had happened before she lost consciousness.

She remembered training at the university, feeling unusually hot and dizzy, and eventually making her way toward the vending machines.

After that, her memories became rather unclear.

She vaguely remembered stumbling forward and someone catching her before she fell.

Then there was the taxi ride.

’That’s right. Someone brought me here.’

Serina frowned as she tried piecing together the fragmented memories.

It was a guy.

And for some reason, she remembered clinging to him quite a lot.

"..."

She could still vaguely remember wrapping her arms around him, pressing herself against his body, and saying all sorts of embarrassing things while barely conscious.

She didn’t even know who the guy was, yet she had practically treated him like a pillow throughout the entire trip.

And if her father found out about this, things could get tricky.

William Blackwood was extremely protective of his children, and if he discovered that some random guy had been involved, he would probably make a huge fuss about it.

’I’ll deal with that later.’

For now, she needed to figure out who had helped her.

She closed her eyes and tried remembering his appearance.

The guy had looked rather ordinary, without any particularly striking features.

However, there was something familiar about his face.

She was certain she had seen him somewhere before.

"Wait, isn’t he...?"

A name suddenly appeared in her mind.

Nero Martinez.

Serina’s eyes widened as she finally remembered where she had seen him.

Of course she knew Nero. Almost everyone at Awakener’s Pride University knew about the unawakened student who had become something of a laughingstock.

Her friends had mentioned him a few times, and from what she understood, he was supposed to be extremely timid and afraid of almost everything.

But the Nero she encountered earlier didn’t seem like that at all.

He had immediately helped her without hesitation, supported her all the way to the taxi, and even brought her to the hospital.

That wasn’t exactly the behavior she expected from someone known for being a coward.

Serina thought about it for a moment before a playful smile appeared on her lips.

"Interesting~"