“How’s the condition? What on earth happened? It’s not life-threatening, is it?”

As Carinne bombarded him with questions, the doctor flinched at her momentum and began his explanation.

“He’s not in a good condition right now, but he’ll get better. The symptoms were unique. It seems like a large amount of magic power has drained from his body. It’s the first time I’ve seen such severe magic depletion.”

Carinne tilted her head at the unfamiliar medical term.

“Magic depletion?”

“It’s an illness commonly experienced by mages. The magic they use doesn’t suit their body’s constitution, so they feel pain whenever they use magic. As long as he takes his medicine, he’ll be fine, so you don’t have to worry.”

“That’s it? Magic depletion, that’s all?”

“Yes.”

She was told not to worry, so she should be relieved, yet Carinne couldn’t do that at all. The doctor’s initial words kept bothering her.

“You said the symptoms were unique.”

“….”

“You have to explain why he showed unique symptoms.”

The doctor made a troubled face and pursed his lips.

“For that, a detailed examination is necessary, and it’ll take about a month for the results to come out.”

“Isn’t there a faster examination?”

A month was too long. She didn’t think she could wait a whole month to find out the cause of the illness. However, the doctor made a reluctant expression at her question.

Something was definitely up.

“Why?”

“There is a test that gives immediate results, but… the price of the diagnostic kit is quite high.”

“Do you know where you are right now? I’ll go and do it right away! I’ll pay as much as it takes.”

Carinne, who was taken aback, suddenly shouted. The doctor said he understood and quickly ran up the stairs. It seemed that he must have been worried that he wouldn’t get paid at the mansion of Second Duchy.

He was an ignorant doctor.

Anyway, he said the results would come out right away, so she just had to wait a little longer.

Carinne couldn’t overcome her anxiety and paced around. Then, she noticed Duke Lucas, who was lost in his own thoughts. He was deeply contemplating something.

Seeing that, something came to her mind.

The doctor said that a large amount of magic power had drained from Archen’s body. That meant he had used magic, but what could he have used magic for before the trial? And he used a tremendous amount of magic power at that. Since he was with him in the morning, shouldn’t Duke Lucas know?

Carinne asked with some anticipation.

“Do you have any idea? A large amount of magic power drained from his body. What could have happened?”

“Why do you care so much?”

However, the Duke suddenly replied in a nonsensical way. She doubted her own ears and asked back.

“Pardon?”

“He’s from a lowly background, isn’t he? Even if he pretends he isn’t, everyone’s probably gossiping behind his back.”

“What are you saying? What did you just say?”

Her cheeks flushed with anger at his preposterous remarks.

“Is this the time to talk about that? He’s lying there sick! Yet those words are coming out of your mouth right now?”

“….”

“What does his background have to do with anything? Are you really thinking that way? I can see your true colors!”

Even as she lashed out at the Duke, ready to tear him apart, he just watched he quietly.

Carinne, who had been glaring at the Duke while grumbling, soon realized that the situation had taken a strange turn. He was staring at her with sharp eyes as if he was observing her reaction. This time, his crimson eyes were filled with suspicion.

She suddenly had a bad feeling.

‘…Did he notice it?’

Even though she tried not to show her panic, she couldn’t help but let her gaze waver anxiously. If the head maid hadn’t come to talk to her, her expression would have probably fallen apart.

“Milady, the doctor has something to tell you…”

Her mind cleared up at the head maid’s words, and her heart calmed down.

Let’s leave the future to their future selves. Right now, it was more important to listen to the doctor.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

After finishing her conversation with the doctor, Carinne headed straight to her room upon hearing from the maid that Archen had woken up. He was sitting up on the bed, just about to get up. His sickly face was less pale than before but still pallid.

“Where are you going? Please stay in bed. You’re fine.”

“No. I’ve caused you enough trouble, so I’ll go back.”

Despite her persuasion, he forced himself out of bed. As he took a step forward, his body swayed dangerously.

“Stay in bed. If you don’t want to lie down, at least sit down.”

“I’m fine.”

“What do you mean you’re fine?”

Carinne snapped at him irritably.

He opened his eyes with difficulty, looking like he was struggling even to stand as he ignored her and bowed his head to her. He was about to leave the room as soon as he finished greeting her.

However, he stopped in his tracks at her next words.

“You used magic to fake the oracle, didn’t you?”

The doctor had said that Archen’s depleted magical energy could not be explained by ordinary magic. He said that it would make sense only if it was a large-scale magic that could engulf the sky and overturn the earth.

As soon as she heard that, a scene came to mind.

…The reddened sky and raindrops, the figure-eight-shaped light swirling in the sky. It was obvious, really. It was strange that an oracle suddenly came after five hundred years and even stranger that the oracle proved her innocence, who had nothing to do with the saintess.

Why hadn’t she realized such an obvious fact?

“I collapsed because of my chronic illness.”

“Don’t lie. I heard from the doctor. He said a large amount of magic power left your body. That’s why you’re sick.”

It was an accurate observation. As he avoided her gaze and remained silent, Carinne quietly watched him for a moment before opening her mouth.

“You said it hurts when you use magic. You shouldn’t use magic, but I didn’t know that and kept asking you to use it.”

He felt severe pain whenever he used magic. She realized it only after hearing it from the doctor. Why he looked depressed whenever magic was mentioned, and why he was reluctant to use magic.

That day, he used the excuse that he was out of mana to avoid using magic, and on the day of the Ashite Flower Festival, he hesitated before using the tracking spell for the same reason. He didn’t want to cast magic if it meant enduring the pain.

That must have been why he looked upset after receiving compliments in the carriage on the way to meet Marta, and why he made those meaningful remarks on the day of the Ashite Flower Festival. He wasn’t depressed simply because he couldn’t achieve his dream of becoming an imperial mage.

As a mage, not being able to use magic must have been a huge despair for him.

Once she realized the truth, the first thing she felt was guilt.

Why hadn’t she looked into it a little deeper? Why hadn’t she guessed that there might be another reason? And why hadn’t he told her anything? Was it because he didn’t want her to worry? And so he acted like a fool, not saying anything and doing everything she asked of him?

“Why didn’t you tell me anything? Even today. You almost died.”

In prison, Carinne had sensed her impending doom and said her farewells to him. He must have been terrified when she reacted in an incomprehensible way. He made the best decision he could to save her, and thanks to that, she survived.

But unlike Carinne, he almost lost his life.

If she hadn’t found him in time, he would have died in that dark alley. Without anyone to mourn him, lonely and desolate, on the cold stone floor. Even if his body was discovered later, the cause of death would be unknown, and she would never know that he had risked his life for her.

“You knew this would happen. You knew you might die.”

The doctor said that he couldn’t have been unaware of his symptoms because the pain he usually felt was substantial, so he must have done it knowing that he would end up like this. He knew better than anyone that he would be in severe pain after performing the spell, and that he could even lose his life because of it.

Despite knowing that, he went ahead with his plan.

“Why in the world did you do something like that? What did I do to deserve this?”

He was her friend. Still, even if they were close friends, what reason could he possibly have to save her at the cost of his own life? They weren’t parent and child, or lovers. Was their friendship of a few months really more precious than his own life?

“Knowing that you might die, why…”

Carinne stopped scolding him. It was because she thought she knew the reason.

The reason he risked his life to perform the spell and fabricate the oracle. The reason he lied, saying it was because of his chronic illness so she wouldn’t worry about him. And the reason he wouldn’t meet her eyes right now and hung his head like someone being punished.

Surely not.

That couldn’t be it. It was ridiculous.

Nonetheless, there was no other explanation. On the contrary, if that was the reason, everything made sense.

“Ah.”

Finally realizing the truth, Carinne’s eyes widened in disbelief. Just like a person in a painting, she froze in place.

—