There It Was
Yohan heard something completely unexpected from Aria.
⋯⋯Hah.
Yohan let out a short, internal sigh of amazement.
⋯⋯To think there were three whole books brought back from the Dragons’ territory.
If Aria hadn’t been sitting right in front of him, his reaction would have been far more dramatic.
[We should be able to gather information faster than expected.]
Zeno agreed with Yohan’s thoughts.
Of course, his plan to visit that race’s territory next hadn’t changed. But if things went this way, he might be able to make far better use of that time.
After all, he would be facing them with more information in hand.
‘I don’t know how you managed it.’
⋯⋯Naturally, he didn’t believe the Dragons had handed over the books easily. There was a high chance some kind of deal had taken place.
‘Still, I can’t afford to miss this.’
Even so, he had no intention of letting this opportunity slip through his fingers.
[It would be best to hear the full story of what happened, slowly.]
‘Yes, that sounds good.’
Well, he wasn’t sure how much he could probe the Magic Tower Master, but…
⋯When it came to years lived, he wasn’t exactly at a disadvantage either.
It was a gamble worth taking, Yohan thought.
“Still, we’ll need to be careful about security.”
The contents must not be leaked carelessly.
Aria made that point perfectly clear.
Yohan nodded.
“Let’s leave that discussion here. Now, I’d like to talk about your treatment.”
Aria gripped Yohan’s hand with noticeable strength. It was a clear warning not to even think about running away.
‘⋯⋯What is this?’
Yohan’s body stiffened.
⋯⋯He couldn’t easily predict what would come next.
‘Once my eyes are healed, shouldn’t that be the end?’
It was a treatment that could be finished quickly through mana transmission.
‘Even at the longest, it should only take two weeks⋯⋯.’
⋯That was only a rough estimate. Since she had mentioned increasing the amount of transmission, the actual time required would likely be even shorter.
As Yohan tilted his head in thought, Aria let out a small sigh and continued.
“You expected that I would take you to the Haven, didn’t you?”
Yohan nodded.
⋯⋯It had been within the realm of expectation.
‘From the moment you asked the Headmaster if it was possible to take me to the Nest.’
No matter where they were going, it had been easy to predict that she wanted to bring him along.
Yohan had never doubted that he would end up traveling to the Haven with Aria.
“There are two reasons I want to move together with you.”
⋯⋯Two reasons?
Yohan hid his confusion and listened carefully to Aria’s words.
“The first is to gather more information about that corpse.”
That was why Professor Aria had gone to the Nest with Headmaster Kassian.
‘⋯⋯Even if we brought information from the Nest, there’s no reason not to visit the Haven as well.’
The more information, the better. It seemed Professor Aria had kept that in mind.
“And the second reason is.”
Aria paused for a moment.
Yohan couldn’t see anything with his eyes, but from the atmosphere radiating from her, he could tell she had stopped speaking and was hesitating.
‘⋯⋯Hm?’
⋯⋯Why?
Yohan’s mind quickly filled with questions. He couldn’t predict the reason at all.
A brief silence fell between them.
Then, at last, Aria spoke.
“The second reason is so I can pray for your treatment.”
Yohan tilted his head.
It was the same thing he had thought moments ago—his eyes didn’t have much treatment left.
‘There’s no reason to drag this out⋯⋯.’
“It’s not that there’s no way to treat your throat.”
[⋯⋯!]
‘⋯⋯!’
Neither Yohan nor Zeno could speak right away.
To Yohan, the act of drinking poison had always meant one thing in this lifetime.
It meant completely giving up on ever regaining his voice.
‘⋯⋯I thought there was no method.’
Even the Academy, with all its accumulated knowledge, had been unable to treat it. Moreover, even with the Headmaster’s influence involved, there had been no solution.
But now…
‘⋯⋯It’s possible to treat it?’
Yohan couldn’t easily shake off the shock.
Even after Aria had finished speaking and left the room, he remained trapped in that stunned state.
‘⋯⋯Wow.’
What was this?
Yohan dragged a hand down his face. He couldn’t calm down at all.
⋯⋯Haa.
He let out a long sigh.
[Yohan, it would be good to calm down now.]
Zeno, unable to watch any longer, spoke to him.
‘Ah, I’m sorry.’
Yohan snapped back to his senses at Zeno’s words.
⋯⋯Why had he become so emotionally unstable lately?
Yohan reflected on his behavior for a moment.
⋯⋯Get a grip.
He patted his cheeks several times with his palms, then calmly organized his thoughts.
[Are you feeling a little better now?]
‘Yes, thank you.’
Yohan nodded. He had calmed down.
[Then⋯⋯.]
Knock, knock.
The moment Yohan finished regaining his composure, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
‘⋯⋯Who could it be?’
The bedroom door opened, and Serafina cautiously peeked her head inside.
[It’s the assistant.]
“Student Yohan, is it alright to talk for a moment?”
Yohan nodded. There was no reason to refuse.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, so I thought we should finish the conversation we started last night.”
⋯⋯Ah, I see.
Yohan rose from the bed.
It was time to wrap up their discussion about the research.
“Actually, I met with the mages inside the Magic Tower starting this morning.”
Serafina sat on a dining chair and continued speaking in her gentle, soft voice. Most of it was related to the research.
Yohan listened quietly to Serafina’s words.
“I also received some very good advice from the mages.”
That was fortunate. Their perspectives would be a great help to the research.
“They were amazed when they saw the research materials. I think it’s thanks to you, Student Yohan.”
Yohan shook his head. He had helped, yes, but he didn’t think she had reached a level she couldn’t have achieved on her own.
“I thought you would say that, Student Yohan.”
Serafina smiled as she spoke.
Yohan smiled back.
“⋯⋯Um, I plan to finish the remaining research after returning to the Academy.”
The research wasn’t complete yet. There would be plenty of work left even after returning to the Academy.
Although the appearance of the Giants wasn’t far off, Yohan hoped they could complete the research before then.
It was time to return, but that didn’t mean all their effort would disappear.
“Thank you. And⋯⋯.”
Serafina took both of Yohan’s hands in hers. There was a slight strength in her grip.
Yohan held his breath for a moment.
“Actually, there are a lot of things I need to do before I leave. So this goodbye might be the last one for now.”
‘So this is the last.’
Yohan nodded. It was time for their final farewell.
Yohan expressed his gratitude first. A moment later, Serafina silently tapped his fingers.
⋯⋯Hm?
‘Is she asking me to move my fingers?’
Without understanding why, Yohan withdrew his fingers. Then Serafina moved her hand.
Perhaps because it was embarrassing to say out loud, her ears had turned a much deeper shade of red.
⋯⋯Ah, I see.
‘This makes me kind of want to tease her.’
He wasn’t sure if she regretted that confession, but if things were like this, he wanted some compensation for the chaotic time her words had caused in his head.
⋯⋯Hmm.
After thinking for a moment, Yohan put on a playful smile and deliberately didn’t answer her.
Serafina waited for his reply for a while. When no answer came for a long time, she finally lifted her head. She wanted to see his face.
The moment she saw Yohan’s expression, Serafina’s face flushed bright red.
“Student Yohan?”
“Pardon?”
Serafina’s face burned as if it would explode. She released one of his hands and fanned herself to cool down the heat.
“What, um, ⋯⋯what do you mean?”
Yohan pulled back at the perfect moment. He judged that this was about the right line.
“⋯⋯I, I see.”
Serafina stammered. Then she slowly let out a breath.
“⋯⋯Huu.”
Serafina turned her head to check the time. It was time to pack her luggage and depart.
“⋯⋯It’s about time I should go.”
Yohan stood up. Serafina followed and rose as well.
Soon, the two stood in front of the door. Serafina held her luggage bag in one hand.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t hear your answer. You will, right?”
Having cooled down, Serafina turned to face him and asked.
Yohan nodded, indicating that he would.
‘⋯⋯Haa.’
After Serafina left and he was alone once more, Yohan sat on the sofa and leaned back.
It felt like a storm had swept through from morning until now.
[You worked hard.]
Zeno also spoke to Yohan, praising his efforts.
‘Well, it’s easier than facing a Giant, isn’t it?’
It was definitely on the better side. At least he didn’t feel like his body was suffering or experience extreme tension.
⋯⋯It was simply a different kind of ordeal from everything he had experienced so far.
In truth, it hadn’t been that difficult.
⋯⋯By the way.
‘Come to think of it, don’t you have something you wanted to say?’
Yohan had noticed the subtle atmosphere from Zeno before his conversation with Serafina.
[⋯⋯I do. It seems I should say it now.]
Yohan waited calmly for the words that would follow.
‘I don’t know what it is, but…’
It probably wouldn’t surprise him too much.
Nothing could be more surprising than the news that his throat could be treated⋯⋯.
[It seems the Magic Tower Master has noticed my existence and the shackles engraved on your body to some extent.]
Yohan’s expression hardened instantly.
⋯⋯There it was.
Something to be shocked about.