Jared, awakened from a light sleep, received word from a member of Duke Rüdiger’s family that Ernesta had woken up.
He quickly got dressed and headed to her room. When he knocked, Lily peeked out.
“Good morning, Jared.∼Ernesta is awake.”
“Good morning. That’s good. Can I see her?”
“Yes. Come in.”
Prompted by Lily, Jared stepped into the room and saw Ernesta sitting up in bed.
He couldn’t help but exhale in relief at the sight of her, wearing a thin nightgown with a cardigan thrown over it.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Ernesta.”
“I apologize for worrying you.”
Ernesta lowered her head slightly, appearing unchanged to Jared.
Jared sat down in the chair beside the bed and asked her,
“What happened?”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t remember anything. I have no idea why I lost consciousness myself.”
She closed her eyes as if trying to recall, but shook her head, her expression clouding over.
Ernesta recounted that she remembered going out for some fresh air, but had no recollection of what happened between then and waking up in her room at the mansion.
Lily, who had been by her side all night, had told her the events, and it seemed Ernesta herself was the most surprised. She was unable to recall anything even when trying to retrace her memories.
“At least the doctor said there was nothing wrong, so I don’t think anyone did anything to you… but it’s scary to have your memory be so vague.”
Jared, and Ernesta as well, nodded at Lily’s words.
The world wasn’t filled with good people. There were those who would harbor ill intentions towards a woman walking alone. However, as a Member of the Royal Mage Corps, it was unlikely she couldn’t have put up any resistance. With no physical injuries whatsoever, the possibility of her being attacked by a ruffian was also negated.
“It’s a good thing nothing serious happened, but I’m still worried… When we return to the Capital City, I want you to undergo a full examination at a hospital. Alright, Ernesta?”
“Yes. I will.”
Her apparent lack of energy was likely due to her memory loss after collapsing.
“Perhaps the incident with the ghouls led to accumulated fatigue. I also caused you a lot of trouble, so it’s not impossible that you accumulated fatigue and stress without realizing it.”
“Jared might be right. Doing things out of the ordinary naturally causes fatigue, and not just physically, but mentally too, with everything that’s happened these past few days. This is a good opportunity for you to rest well.”
“Thank you, Lily. I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“In that case, I’ll bring breakfast. What about you, Jared?”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
With that, Lily told Ernesta to wait a moment and left the room with a light step.
She too was clearly happy that Ernesta had woken up safely.
As Jared remained with Ernesta, she spoke to him first, her expression somber.
“I’m a failure as a Secretary Officer.”
“Why do you say that so suddenly?”
“Not only did I cause trouble for you and Lily, but I don’t even remember what happened…”
“You don’t need to worry about it. I almost died when I lost to the Orthodox Magician Army. If it weren’t for Ernesta and Lily, I might have been killed.”
If they caused each other trouble, it was mutual.
It was true that both Jared and Ernesta might have made mistakes. However, they were still alive. They could make up for it in the future.
“I’m being helped by you and Lily. So please, don’t be so down on yourself.”
“But…”
“If you truly think you’re a failed Secretary Officer, then I want you to try harder from now on. Let me tell you, I don’t give up on or abandon people easily. Let’s work hard together from now on.”
Ernesta’s eyes welled up at his encouraging words, but she rubbed her eyes with her cardigan sleeve, wiping away her tears.
She looked at Jared with tear-filled eyes and nodded resolutely.
Just then, Lily returned with breakfast. She had prepared iced tea for Jared, and he took a sip to wet his dry throat.
As he stepped out into the hallway to avoid getting in the way of the two who had started preparing breakfast,
“Jared, a moment?”
Pfeil was leaning against the wall.
“Good morning.”
“Ah. It seems she woke up safely.”
“For now, I’m glad nothing is wrong. I checked her magical flow, and there are no particular abnormalities. However—she doesn’t remember anything about why she collapsed.”
“I see… That is strange, but not entirely impossible. People can get sick without warning, and sometimes their memories become hazy. It’s not uncommon for this to be caused by fatigue or stress.”
“That’s true, but…”
It was a fact that many things had happened in the past few days. Therefore, the possibility that Pfeil was right was understandable.
However, Jared still felt a nagging suspicion. Unfortunately, it was just a hunch, with no concrete evidence.
“It’s fine to feel uneasy. Now that the Orthodox Magician Army has begun to make visible moves, there’s a possibility they might do something to you or those around you. Just in case, keep an eye on that woman.”
“Alright, I will. Thank you.”
“…What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Well, I’m grateful for you coming to Duke Rüdiger’s territory, and for helping Ernesta.”
“Hmph… I came because I was asked. The matter with that woman was a coincidence. If she weren’t your Secretary Officer, I would have left her alone. You shouldn’t worry about it.”
Pfeil replied curtly, but Jared knew better.
He wasn’t as cold as he claimed to be. When they first met, he had given off an icy impression, but living together had shown him otherwise. Or perhaps, he had changed.
“Still, I wanted to thank you.”
“Do as you please.”
Pfeil said something inaudible as he turned to leave, perhaps unsure how to respond to Jared’s gratitude, which included his warning.
Perhaps he had come to check on Ernesta because he was worried about her.
Jared smiled at Pfeil’s indirect way of showing concern, thinking how he really wasn’t straightforward.
With Pfeil’s advice in his heart, he looked at Lily, who was happily chatting, and Ernesta, who had finally managed a smile, and prayed that nothing else would happen.
