“Ah.”

Even though I needed to wipe it away, I didn’t have the strength to reach out. The water I was controlling stole the blood from his cheek and seeped into the surrounding towels. I shook my head at him as he hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief to cover my wound.

“Don’t do that, use this blood.”

I gathered my power into the blood escaping my fingertips.

Strangely, my powers moved more freely than usual, holding more power in the blood. The blood shimmered with a blue aura, staining my fingertips and the bed.

“No way.”

Diello’s expression hardened.

“Use this to make a power crystal and give it to Nira.”

Then, he’d be able to use the power of Alors.

A power crystal containing the power that drew out the source should be strong enough to interfere with the flow of the upper stream.

“If you use the power of the source like this—”

Diello seemed to be trying to stop me. He shook his head repeatedly, pressing the handkerchief firmly against the wound.

But there was no other way.

“I’m bleeding anyway. It’s better to make it into a crystal than just let it flow away.”

Although I was dizzy, I had to say what I had to say. Thankfully, Diello finally let out a short sigh after hearing my words.

“…Krua, I wish you were safe.”

I could tell it was a genuine sincerity without him having to add it.

Whoosh!

He put his mouth to my fingertips and made a crystal out of my blood.

I could see red blood smeared on his lips. Even in my blurry vision, the red was particularly noticeable, and I unconsciously grabbed his hand tightly. I couldn’t push away his worried gaze. I couldn’t bear to push him away and refuse.

“I wish Diello was safe too.”

That was why I bled. So…

“Come back safely. Please.”

At my words, Diello nodded with a resolute face.

“Yes, I will.”

With those words as his last, strength drained from my body once again.

I was on my limit.

“…Ah.”

Exhaling a short breath was the end. My vision went dark.

* * *

Swoosh!

As soon as Diello felt the strength leave Krua’s hand, the surrounding water began to sway more violently—the water that had soaked into the towel, the water that had been in the vase and teapot, all the water was trembling—and so was the blood on his fingertips near Krua.

Blood must also be treated as liquid.

“….”

He looked down at his tingling fingertips. Just then, Nias hurriedly came up.

“Blood… What happened?”

He approached, surprised.

“High fever.”

Diello replied, pressing on the wound.

“Fever… what about the premonitory symptoms?”

“There weren’t any.”

Vielle replied.

Diello was looking at Krua instead of turning to him. A fever that appeared without premonitory symptoms. The phenomenon of her whole body losing strength and the surrounding water reacting to her magic power… He felt a strange sense of foreboding.

Just then, Nias examined Krua and tilted his head.

“This doesn’t seem to be a physical problem. It’s a problem with her ability—”

Before he could finish, Diello brought his fingertips to Krua’s left wrist.

Whoosh!

His own blood seemed to boil in response to her power, though he endured the stinging pain and observed the flow of her power in detail.

And then.

“….!”

He opened his eyes wide. He felt like he had been hit hard in the back of the head by the familiar feeling.

“My lord?”

Nias looked at him. Rick and Vielle, who were nervous, and the other servants also looked at him.

Crash! Bang!

Just then, the vase and teapot filled with water shattered.

“Whoa!”

“My lord!”

Swoosh!

Even as sharp shards of pottery grazed his cheek, Diello couldn’t take his eyes off Krua. All the surrounding water was resonating with her. The vase and teapot had shattered because they couldn’t withstand the vibration of the water.

“This is…”

Even Argenta, the wielder of fire, felt emotions from the surrounding water.

Water, which was originally supposed to move according to instinct and reason, was now feeling awe and submission towards Krua. It was like when the flames that had tried to devour him alive twenty years ago had suddenly submitted at his feet.

The room fell silent as Diello uttered the short words.

“Awakening fever.”

Nias reacted a beat late.

“…Yes?”

This phenomenon was unique. Diello knew it well because he had suffered from it himself.

“It’s the awakening fever that makes one the head of the family.”

A small commotion spread among the Argenta people of the fourth floor. They also knew although they didn’t show it. Originally, Krua Alors was considered to be weak in her ability to control water, even among the Alors.

…No, that was the rumor.

However, the power she had shown in Argenta was stronger than expected, contrary to the rumors. That was why they thought she was hiding her power, or that the Pentas Alors had such strong qualities. They thought that the lady with such power was considered a losing card because of her weak ability.

But was that not the case?

“Come to think of it, when the lord received the mark of the head of the house, he suffered greatly.”

Some of the servants remembered Diello’s childhood.

The awakening fever of the head of the family.

Diello had suffered greatly from the awakening fever, which usually didn’t occur or passed weakly. As the legend went, the more severe the awakening fever, the stronger the head of the family became.

“Rick.”

He looked back.

Rick was already waiting with a serious face, his head bowed.

“Find out if the Pentas Alors has received the mark of the head of the family.”

Of course, infiltrating the Alors with people during the sensitive period just before the battle was a very expensive task.

The risk was also high.

However, the Pentas Alors and the Duke of Alors would be heading here now, and it wouldn’t be difficult to sense their power from afar.

So, it was imperative to find out. Whether the next head of the family was really not Pentas Alors. They need to know whether Pentas Alors had received the mark of the head and had rushed in, or if the Duke of Alors’ power had begun to weaken as the mark of the head was transferred to Krua.

Nevertheless, if that was the reason why they rushed in, that was also a bad omen.

“As soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

At that, Rick immediately left the room.

* * *

The information that Argenta’s intelligence agency had obtained by all means quickly reached him. Diello, who had opened the letter sent by the dispatched informant, narrowed his eyes.

[ No head-level power was felt from the Alors’ carriage. ]

It was said that the Pentas Alors and the Duke of Alors would be attending this meeting together. That was why Argenta’s informants were able to quickly check their carriage since they were both approaching Argenta.

“There was no head-level power.”

Diello tilted his head slightly.

Whoosh.

The burning paper in his hand turned to black ash.

This meeting was clearly a meeting in a touch-and-go situation. Of course, the Alors side wouldn’t have come without showing off how strong they were. That way, the people of Argenta would tremble in fear, and their morale would be lowered.

Moreover, Argenta was still a young lord who hadn’t yet reached the Ferro awakening. He was also rumored to be weak. But the Duke of Alors and the Pentas Alors’ group didn’t have head-level power?

There was only one answer.

“He’s really weakened.”

The Duke of Alors has weakened, and the Pentas Alors hasn’t shown the mark of the head of the family.

“…Krua.”

Diello looked down at Krua, who was still groaning in pain.

Awakening fever, indeed.

If she became the head of the family and could control water, it would be a considerable advantage in terms of military power. But rather than being happy about it, he was more worried.

“…You’ll experience extreme pain every two hours.”

He muttered in a heavy voice.

Nias and the maids listened to him with their heads bowed.

“The fever will worsen each time, so please help her as much as possible so that she doesn’t suffer too much.”

He let out a short sigh. No matter how much help they provided from the outside, the only way to reduce the fever was to apply cold towels and so on. The awakening fever had to be overcome by the one who would become the head of the family.

“….”

As Diello watched over Krua, Redias cautiously approached him.

“My lord, if you delay any longer, you will be late for the meeting.”

Rick, standing behind him, was also looking at Diello with a troubled expression.

“….”

Diello bit the inside of his lip.

He knew how much pain Krua was in because he himself had suffered from severe awakening fever. He wanted to be by her side.

But Krua…

“Come back safely, please.”

She was the one who wished for the meeting to be successful before she collapsed.

She trusted him that much.

He couldn’t possibly ruin it with his own hands.

“…I’ll go.”

Krua would be able to overcome it.

Diello thought that the power of the lord would become stronger or weaker depending on how the awakening fever was overcome, but as long as she endured it, it didn’t matter what power she had.

He hoped she would be safe.

His reason, which should have been colder than ever, felt like it was burning hot.

—