I had never once thought about it since crossing into this world. A life without him.

“How was his condition?”

[I don’t know. I was too scared to get close…]

He was my beginning, became my ideal, and the one to whom I would willingly give everything. Yet this man, always flawless and perfect, showed an expression of being pushed to the edge for the first time.

The look in his eyes after brushing away my hand was precarious, like a raft drifting on a stormy sea.

I should have followed him immediately… Why am I suddenly remembering that nothing in this world lasts forever?

The entire time I followed the butterfly, I shook my head vigorously, trying to erase these ominous thoughts.

The place I arrived at was the first floor. Specifically, in front of the side door leading to the garden rather than inside the mansion.

“Are you here…?”

I carefully went outside and looked around. But Asrein was nowhere to be seen. Had he gone somewhere else in the meantime?

Just as I was becoming confused, I heard a faint groan. Turning the corner, I saw a figure clinging to the shadow of the mansion’s outer wall.

“Professor!”

Asrein, whom I found again, was literally a mess. His back, on the verge of collapse, seemed to struggle even to lean against the wall. I rushed to him, grabbed his arm, and checked his complexion first.

His pale face was already drenched in cold sweat, and his body burned like fire.

He needed to be moved inside the mansion immediately to stabilize. But since I couldn’t support him alone, I immediately asked the butterfly for help.

“Bring Iris here.”

[Huh?! W-who?]

“She’s in the banquet hall. A human with purple hair and gray eyes. Hurry!”

The butterfly swiftly entered the mansion. Meanwhile, Asrein kept trying to go somewhere, taking steps.

His staggering footsteps looked dangerously close to collapse. Unable to bear this pitiful sight, I blocked his path and said:

“Professor, can you hear my voice?”

But Asrein didn’t look at me. No, he didn’t seem to recognize that the person standing in front of him was me. His constantly blinking eyelids, unfocused pupils, and irregular breathing resembled symptoms of shock.

I fell into a panic. My blanched mind couldn’t recall any appropriate response or medicine. With trembling hands, I wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath.

“I need to stay calm…”

If I didn’t pull myself together, Asrein would be in danger too. I pushed him with my whole body to lean against the wall and struggled to sit him on the ground. He seemed to have difficulty breathing, so I loosened his neatly tied tie and unbuttoned his shirt collar.

All the while, I kept looking around, worried someone might come.

Just then, the side door burst open. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Asrein and turned to see a welcome face. Truly, I was so relieved I could cry. Iris, who had been scratching her head in confusion, flinched when she saw me.

“Iris! Over here.”

“W-what’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong with the professor. We should lay him down in a guest room.”

“Uh… okay. I’ll take this arm.”

Thanks to Iris helping me support Asrein, we safely entered the mansion. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter anyone while climbing the stairs to the guest room. As soon as we entered, we laid Asrein on the bed and opened the windows wide.

By then, had he completely lost his strength? Asrein just lay there with his eyes closed, looking almost dead.

As I placed my hand under his nose to check his breathing, Iris approached and asked:

“I heard from Lord Sezan, but what exactly happened?”

“I don’t know either. He suddenly left the banquet hall and ended up like this…”

Before I could finish speaking, I sensed someone outside the door. I hoped it was just my imagination, but a knock-knock confirmed it, like someone making sure of a kill. At the sudden appearance of an uninvited guest, Iris and I simultaneously held our breath and turned toward the door.

Who could it be? I prayed it wasn’t Baron Klaus.

Shh. Iris placed her index finger on her lips and slowly walked to the door. She too looked visibly tense. Taking a short breath, Iris carefully turned the doorknob. The person standing beyond the door revealed themselves.

“Oh, Iris?”

“…Sister.”

“I heard voices from what I thought was an empty room, so I knocked.”

Iris’s frozen shoulders suddenly slumped. Thankfully, it seemed to be someone she knew.

“Why are you in the guest room?”

“Well…”

Iris turned her head slightly and gave me a look. I immediately stood up and moved the side table to cleverly hide Asrein’s face. Then, after hiding myself behind the bed, Iris stepped aside and showed the maid the room.

“One of the guests seemed quite drunk, so I moved them to a room.”

“Oh my, really? Should I bring some cool water?”

“It’s okay, Sister. I can handle this much on my own.”

The maid, without any suspicion, merely scanned the room with her eyes. She didn’t seem to realize that the person lying on the bed was Asrein, nor that I was in the room. Eventually, Iris naturally blocked the maid’s view and said:

“If the baron asks for me, please make something up.”

“Sure. I’ll tell another lie for you.”

“Thanks, Sister.”

“That’s nothing between us.”

After safely sending the maid away, Iris firmly locked the door. Still not satisfied, she remained glued to the door until the footsteps faded away, then returned to the bed. Seeing me still glancing suspiciously at the door, Iris patted my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. She’s a sister I was close with when I worked here.”

“Haah… That’s a relief.”

“So how’s the professor doing?”

“His complexion is still pale, but his breathing is much more stable than before.”

Iris checked Asrein’s temperature with the back of her hand and was quite surprised. Seeing Iris’s concern, I said:

“I think… he’s intoxicated by the herb.”

“Herb?”

“The fragrance they’ve been burning in the banquet hall. Of course, they said the herb only reacts to magical creatures’ power, but…”

That had been my question all along. I could understand it affecting me since I was partially merged with a magical creature, but why Asrein…? While wiping his face with a handkerchief, Iris, who had been mumbling something, suddenly clapped her hands.

“Ah!”

“What is it?”

“I overheard the baron talking to himself in passing. I only caught bits and pieces so I wasn’t sure what he meant, but now I think he was talking about side effects. That similar effects could appear in people with exceptionally strong magical power.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. That’s probably what’s happening to the professor.”

Could it be true? If so, did an antidote exist? What if Asrein never recovered from the fragrance? What if only Baron Klaus knew how to neutralize it? What should I do then? Should I negotiate with Klaus, or even use force if it meant saving him…?

“…Tae-oh?”

The moment I heard that deeply subdued voice, I reflexively turned around. Though still weak, his half-open eyes were clearly focused on me. I immediately knelt beside the bed and gently patted Asrein’s shoulder.

“Professor, are you okay? Can you recognize me?”

Asrein slowly closed and opened his eyes. With that brief gesture, all the tension drained from my body. I was relieved that my worry about Asrein never waking up had been completely unfounded.

Seeing those golden eyes regain their focus, I felt grateful to the deity I had so resented and hated.

“I heard your conversation just now… I’m indebted to you.”

“How are you feeling? How’s your condition?”

“Neither particularly good nor particularly bad.”

It was my mistake to expect an honest answer from Asrein, who never knew his limits.

We had just avoided suspicion thanks to Iris’s quick thinking, but who knew when another servant might barge in?

With all three of us missing simultaneously, it was only a matter of time before Baron Klaus noticed.

“It might be difficult, but let’s leave the mansion right away. You’ll feel much more at ease resting at an inn in the nearby village.”

As I stood up to help support him, Asrein gently shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not! You need to see a doctor for treatment.”

I reached out firmly, but before I could touch his arm, he grabbed my wrist. The heat from Asrein’s hand was still burning. I couldn’t understand how he could claim to be fine while running such a high fever.

I was so worried about him and frustrated by his disregard for his own body that I felt I might go crazy.

Whether aware of my boiling emotions or not, Asrein calmly said:

“Tae-oh. Didn’t you say you found something suspicious?”

“Yes, but you’re the priority right now.”

When I refused to back down even slightly, Asrein looked at me with furrowed brows.

“You haven’t forgotten what I told you before entering the mansion, have you?”

“……”

“I’m no exception.”

I must fulfill my duty even if a colleague gets injured before my eyes.

I had answered confidently, believing no one would get hurt this time. But now that Asrein was the subject, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. There was no way I could leave Asrein behind.

I bit my lip hard and shook my head vigorously.

“No.”

“You know that herb mustn’t spread widely.”

“I know, but…”

“I’m sorry to be a burden.”

“Don’t say that!”

How cruel. He was deliberately doing this, knowing it would hurt me. If I didn’t leave to investigate now, Asrein would literally become a burden…

What a truly cruel person. As I clenched my fist tightly, unable to respond, Asrein drove in the final nail.

“The opportunity to freely explore the mansion won’t come again. So you must catch the trail this time.”

“……”

“There’s not much time, so trust and follow your instincts.”

Asrein was right. Everything he said was correct, leaving me with nothing to refute. After a brief silence, Asrein looked at my feet and said:

“Agnus. I entrust Tae-oh to you.”

Summoned, Agnus howled softly from within the shadows. Seeing Asrein worry about me rather than himself even in this situation made me sigh deeply. Finally, I stood up, handed Iris a handkerchief, and silently walked away. As I grabbed the doorknob, Asrein quietly said:

“I’ll follow you once I feel better.”

Without further thought, my answer was predetermined.

“No. Please don’t come out at all and rest thoroughly.”

Thud. With that brief statement, I closed the door and left.

“It’s okay… It will be okay.”

Though I worried about Asrein’s condition, he would be fine with Iris by his side. Even though I had just left behind someone who had barely regained consciousness, someone burning with fever who could barely stand, someone I loved… it would be fine.

My duty wasn’t to care for him but to find the secrets hidden in this mansion. That was the only way to help him. So I needed to think coldly.

Complete the task coldly and surely, then return safely to Asrein’s side.

“Where was that suspicious place mentioned earlier?”

As I mumbled while rubbing my face, a nearby fluttering butterfly answered.

[The third floor. Follow me.]

The butterfly flying ahead eventually stopped in front of a door secured with two latches. I immediately noticed a small prayer inscribed to prevent magical opening. This was the study. The place in the mansion bearing the most traces of Klaus’s touch.

“Can you do it?”

[Hmph. You shouldn’t even have to ask.]

Unlike the heavily guarded exterior, the inside of the study had no additional locks. Thanks to the confidently entering butterfly, I easily accessed the study.

The room was growing dark with the setting sun, but I didn’t light any candles for fear of raising suspicion. While contemplating where to start among the bookshelves filled with hundreds of books, the butterfly headed in a completely different direction.

“…What’s that?”

A greenhouse model the size of a globe sat in the corner of the study. It was a detailed model that seemed to perfectly replicate the greenhouse inside Klaus’s mansion, down to each pillar and flower.

Unable to touch it carelessly, I circled around, examining its internal structure. However, I couldn’t spot anything suspicious with the n*ked eye.

“Is this what’s strange?”

[There’s a space inside. I can feel a different air flow.]

“…What?”

A space inside? I couldn’t destroy it… There must be a way to open it. After carefully confirming there was no magical formula protecting the model, I cautiously placed my fingertips on the greenhouse glass. Contrary to my expectations, it felt like touching an ordinary glass surface.

But the more I tapped the model, the more the greenhouse floor and glass lid seemed to be slightly misaligned. Just in case, I lifted the glass lid with both hands. Surprisingly, the lid separated with ridiculous ease. The cheerful click sound almost made me drop the lid in surprise.

“…Huh.”

After placing the lid on the floor, the model was no longer a greenhouse. But that was all. Nothing changed even with the glass removed. I couldn’t even press various parts for fear of triggering hidden mechanisms.

So all I could do was stare intensely at the model until my eyes strained.

Stone pillars stretching toward the sky. Vines surrounding those pillars. Colorful flowers defying seasons thanks to magical power. Shrubs created for small birds to rest.

And hyacinths… Wait?

“Hold on…”

Weren’t there hyacinths in the greenhouse?

That’s why the young ladies had been reminded of the deceased Mrs. Klaus while looking at them. But there were no hyacinths anywhere in this greenhouse model. In the place where hyacinths should have been, some unnamed wildflowers were blooming.

Could it be? With sweat-soaked fingertips, I tapped the wildflower. Then something magical happened.

“……!!”

The floor where the wildflower was planted slid open like a sliding door, revealing a small space inside. Carefully peering in, I found dozens of papers tied together with string.

The papers, seemingly sprinkled with crushed hyacinth petals given their strong fragrance, had brief words written on them.

‘To my beloved Hyacinth.’

They were letters to his deceased wife.