Challenging the Heart Demon
"I'm here to share some unfortunate news today."
As Norton spoke, looks of apprehension appeared on the trainees' faces.
"Ruslan's heart demon symptoms have worsened. He will be excused from training until he shows improvement."
"Whoa... does that mean he might not even be able to compete in the team league?"
Norton gave a heavy nod in response to one trainee's question. To be honest, they shouldn't be worrying about the team league at this point—they should be concerned about whether Ruslan could ever recover. But stating that outright would make the atmosphere unbearably grim. Norton simply conveyed that they would monitor him until he made a full recovery.
So self-recovery is off the table, huh.
I clicked my tongue inwardly at Norton's words. He hadn't said everything, but I could sense the situation was graver than it seemed.
"Whoa... Ruslan's really out of the running now."
"How bad is it? Without Ruslan, it'll be tough to get good results in the team league, right?"
"We still have Robed and Aleck, who've reached the Juvenile Stage. If we support those two well, we could still place, don't you think?"
"True, but... it's still a shame to lose one of our mainstays."
The other trainees didn't seem to grasp the full severity yet.
I should explain the situation to them.
Just as I thought that, Kind spoke up beside me.
"Aleck! Shouldn't we go visit him?"
"Yeah, good idea. Let's all go see his face."
Robed chimed in from the side. I figured it was for the best.
"Sure. Let's head over after training today."
"Hoo—."
Ruslan lay on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, sweating profusely. Was he having a nightmare? Soeri let out repeated sighs of worry at the sight.
His symptoms are getting worse with each passing day.
The first few times, she'd tried to dissuade him from training, but he'd kept having nightmares. Even as he sweated, he kept mumbling "Training...." It showed just how obsessive he was about it.
There are so few records on heart demons—my options are limited.
Soeri couldn't hide her regret as she cast another healing spell on Ruslan.
Shaaaa—.
A blue wave emanated from Soeri's hand and settled over Ruslan's body. His furrowed expression eased somewhat. It looked effective on the surface, but she knew it was just a temporary fix. At best, it lasted a few hours—and even that was shortening as resistance built up.
I should have gotten data from the Shinseon butterfly clan.
Soeri had requested records from the healing arts institution where she'd studied under the Shinseon butterfly clan. With their vast medical archives, they might have known how to treat Ruslan's condition.
But...
"Unfortunately, we have no materials we can provide."
Her face had hardened at their response.
No materials at all?
"We're sorry. We have nothing we can share with Mantis Hall."
In other words, they had data—but they weren't sharing it with us.
Why?
She couldn't understand it. Were heart demon records classified? Even so, refusing to provide any information was suspicious.
At this rate... maybe I need to seek help from the Amar king centipede clan...
Mantis Hall had the closest ties among the four great clans to them. They possessed medical expertise rivaling the Shinseon butterflies, so they might have a solution. The only issue was their inherent sinister power—but she couldn't be picky right now.
She was about to contact them when...
"Third Pavilion Chief, we've received a visiting request for patient Ruslan. What should we do?"
A staff member from the health pavilion contacted her just as she began drafting the letter. She paused her pen and tilted her head.
Visitors?
Maybe Ruslan's fellow trainees.
"Let them in for now."
She set down her pen and stood.
"Come on in."
"Hello, Pavilion Chief."
"Some familiar faces here."
Descending to the reception room, Soeri recognized several of Ruslan's peers. Some she even knew.
Lord Karimru's daughter Robed, that one's Kind... Begli, Geri too.
And finally, her gaze landed on the talk of the town lately. Lustrous black hair contrasting pale skin. A handsome man sculpted like a statue.
Aleck.
True to Norton's word, he's grown a lot.
She was inwardly startled by how much Aleck had grown. His build was unbelievable for a young mantis from the lesser clans.
"You're all here to visit Ruslan, right?"
"Yes!"
"Pavilion Chief, how's our Ruslan doing? Is he in a lot of pain?"
Soeri gave a wry smile at the children's worried eyes.
It's extremely serious right now. His vitality is declining daily—we might need to move him to intensive care.
She couldn't say that honestly.
"Yeah, he seems to be in a lot of pain. He'll probably need to stay in the health pavilion for a while."
"Ah..."
"Can we see his face?"
Soeri hesitated at Begli's words. Would letting them meet Ruslan now be good for everyone? What if his symptoms worsened? Or if they were shocked by his state?
She couldn't answer easily.
"...Is it really that bad?"
Geri's perceptive question. She couldn't confirm it.
In the end, they decided to allow the visit. There was no protocol isolating heart demon patients. And meeting them might even bring positive change.
Her gaze turned to Aleck.
His reaction to Aleck is my biggest worry... but it might help him improve.
Having vaguely sensed Aleck played a major role in the heart demon's cause, it was a cautious decision. But as the saying went, fight fire with fire. Leaving things as-is would only worsen. Facing Aleck directly might clear the knot in his heart.
"Just a heads-up—Ruslan doesn't look great right now. Keep that in mind."
She warned the children firmly, then handed out notices with visiting precautions.
Then she turned to Aleck.
"Aleck, could I speak with you alone for a moment?"
Robed's ears perked up as she looked at Soeri. Soeri's expression was serious. Robed wanted to ask what was up but sensed the mood and swallowed hard.
Soeri led Aleck outside.
"Aleck, it seems you have some influence on why Ruslan fell into his heart demon."
Aleck stared silently into Soeri's eyes. Thinking he hadn't understood, she elaborated.
"We suspect impatience triggered it. And I think seeing your rapid growth lately made him feel that way."
"Hmm, I see."
Soeri's eyes widened slightly at Aleck's calm response. It was like he'd already suspected as much.
"...Did you know?"
"To some extent, yes."
She swallowed a sigh at his words. Aleck was sharper than she'd thought. It was actually convenient—she could speak more freely.
But Aleck's next words left her flustered instead.
"I was going to ask you for a favor anyway, Pavilion Chief. I want to help Ruslan overcome his heart demon. Could we have Ruslan..."
Soeri's eyes grew wider as Aleck continued.
Ruslan's private room, long quiet, was suddenly bustling with visitors.
"Ruslan!"
Ruslan lifted his heavy eyelids at the familiar voices calling him.
"You feeling any better?"
"Aigoo... our Ruslan's face is half gone."
"Must've been rough, man..."
Ruslan's lips curved faintly at his worried peers. Perhaps because he truly felt their care—for the first time from anyone besides his parents, his chest tickled oddly.
"...Thanks... everyone."
Ruslan twisted his parched, thin lips with effort. Constant sweating had dried them out.
"This has omegwan extract. Robed went through a lot to get it. Think you can drink some?"
Begli offered the omegwan juice she'd received from Robed. A semi-elixir juice known to boost vitality and calm the mind. Too pricey for Juvenile Stage kids usually, but Robed had gotten it for Ruslan.
"Give it a try. The Pavilion Chief said it'd be really good for you."
Soeri, standing behind, nodded slightly. Ruslan smiled faintly. His long-absent smile made his lips tremble with the effort.
Gulp, gulp.
Ruslan's eyes widened at the surprisingly good taste. Begli and the other girls giggled.
"It's... tastier than I thought."
"Glad it suits you."
After finishing, Ruslan looked more revitalized than before.
Aleck watched, then turned to Soeri. She gave a subtle nod of approval. Stepping forward, Aleck called out.
"Ruslan."
"Aleck..."
Facing the Aleck he'd been avoiding, Ruslan's eyes wavered. His eased heart began to tighten again.
His fingertips trembled faintly. Everyone's faces darkened.
But Aleck pressed on undeterred.
"Ruslan, want to spar with me?"
"...!"
Everyone but Soeri and Ruslan froze in shock.
"W-what, Aleck? Why say that to a patient?"
"Yeah, Aleck. Wait till Ruslan's fully recovered..."
As they panicked to stop him, a fierce light gleamed in Ruslan's shaken eyes. His trembling hands steadied.
Now, Ruslan stared straight at Aleck with unwavering eyes.
"Sure. Let's do it."
Ruslan's firm acceptance left everyone staring between him and Aleck in astonishment once more.