Chapter 40

“An artifact?”

“Yes.”

Madam Jane stroked Little One’s damp forehead and continued.

“When Felix was young, he also used to develop fevers without any apparent reason. Later, we found out it was a rebound effect happening inside his body. Felix had unknowingly used magic.”

“……”

“So, we gave him an artifact. It worked wonders.”

Elena swallowed nervously and asked.

“Does that mean Little One is experiencing the same rebound effect after using magic like Felix did?”

The rebound effect. It was something Felix had experienced once before.

It referred to the abnormalities in the body that occurred when someone used magic beyond their ability or failed to properly control the mana surging within them.

A fever was the most common symptom.

‘But Little One is experiencing a rebound effect?’

Could such a young child even use magic?

Even if he could, Elena had never seen him use magic.

Wait a minute.

‘I have seen it.’

Little One floating in midair during the night.

Felix had dismissed it as her imagination, but what if it wasn’t?

Maybe Little One had instinctively used magic to come to her. Or perhaps he had used magic on other occasions that Elena hadn’t noticed.

If that were the case, it made sense that his symptoms were due to a rebound effect.

“I’m not entirely sure.” 

Madam Jane said. 

“But his symptoms are very similar to Felix’s. Let’s give it a little time.”

“Huuh…”

“Yes, it hurts, doesn’t it? It’s okay. You’ll be fine.”

Madam Jane gently patted Little One’s stomach, skillfully soothing him.

At that moment, the bracelet began to emit a faint light. It was proof that the artifact was reacting.

That wasn’t all. Little One’s shallow, labored breathing gradually began to stabilize.

When Elena touched his forehead, she found that his fever had gone down.

“It’s working.” 

Madam Jane said with a relieved smile.

“Looks like Roy might become a mage like Felix.”

She murmured this with a hint of pride.

Even though Little One wasn’t Elena’s child, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride herself.

“Little One.”

“Heehee.”

Little One, who had kept his eyes closed, squinted them open and smiled. Elena picked him up and held him close.

His body was still warm, but not as hot as before. She pressed her forehead against his.

“Becoming a great mage is fine, but don’t get sick.”

She didn’t want to see Little One in pain. It was better for him to live a healthy life, even if he wasn’t particularly talented.

Saying this made her feel like she was his mother or something.

“Maah!”

Little One laughed brightly, as if he understood her words.

And then, later that dawn, when Elena woke up briefly while sleeping next to him…

Little One was gone.

***

Little One had disappeared. Elena and Felix searched every corner of the mansion, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

Perhaps because she had experienced this once before, Elena wasn’t as panicked as last time.

She calmly asked Felix, 

“Do you think Little One has returned to his family?”

The last time Little One had disappeared, Elena had been worried about his safety.

What if someone harmed him? What if he didn’t get enough to eat? Those thoughts had plagued her.

But when she reunited with him, he had looked healthy. He had gained weight, and there was no sign of mistreatment.

Elena didn’t know exactly where he had gone, but it was clear that he had been well cared for.

So, this time, she wanted to believe that he had returned to someone who would cherish him.

Besides, she had seen his fever go down, so she didn’t have to worry about him being sick.

And the artifact she had placed on his arm had vanished along with him, so he wouldn’t have to suffer from the rebound effect again.

“Then there’s no point in investigating further, is there?”

“Probably not. I’ll have to ask Professor Deros about it once the semester starts.”

With that, they decided to tell Madam Jane and the other mansion staff that they had sent Little One back to his family because he had fallen ill.

At this point, Elena became curious.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just erase their memories of Little One? What if Madam Jane asks about him later?”

“Even I can’t erase memories that easily. Besides, large-scale memory-erasing magic is extremely difficult. Only someone like Castor Grosvenor could pull it off.”

Elena, being an ordinary person, couldn’t understand the difference between mind-control magic and memory-erasing magic.

She simply accepted Felix’s explanation.

When they told Madam Jane that Little One had returned to his family, she looked disappointed.

“Well, it’s better for him to be with his family. Still, it would’ve been nice to say goodbye one last time.”

“We had to send him off in a hurry.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Tony and Lindsey were also saddened by his departure.

“The baby’s gone?”

“The baby left?”

“Yes, he’s gone.”

“Aw…”

“I wanted to play with him more.”

Elena hugged the twins tightly.

And so, the eventful spring break came to a bittersweet end.

***

The beginning of the 8th grade.

After returning from the Christian estate, Elena headed straight to the academy. As a result, she arrived a bit early.

When she arrived, there was about a week left until the start of the 8th-grade semester. Fortunately, some of her friends, including Alice, were already at the dormitory.

Alice had come early to keep Elena company, and Penny had stayed at the academy throughout spring break. Penny’s father, a Royal Knight, had gone on a business trip to the empire, and her mother had accompanied him.

During the semester, dormitory curfews were strictly enforced, but during breaks, students were allowed more freedom to come and go.

Taking advantage of this, they decided to have a pajama party, which was scheduled for that night. The girls gathered in Elena and Alice’s room, carrying pillows and snacks.

“Welcome.”

“It’s been so long since our last pajama party. I’m so excited.”

Their last pajama party had been before Valentine’s Day, so it had been at least a month and a half.

Although they were all magic students, they took different classes, so they didn’t see each other often. Pajama parties were a rare opportunity to catch up.

With about five girls crowded into the living room, the space felt full, but not cramped. Being close together was comforting.

They began by sharing stories about their spring break.

Alice spoke first.

“I didn’t do much. I just stayed at the estate. Honestly, I feel like I’m getting too old for outings. Even going on trips feels exhausting.”

The girls giggled.

“You’re only nineteen, and you’re already acting like an old lady?”

“Yeah, we’re still young.”

“No, we’re not young. We’re just kids.”

Next, it was Elena’s turn. Worried that mentioning her visit to Felix’s estate might spark strange rumors, she kept her story simple.

“I didn’t do much either. Oh, but I did have fun meeting my cousin.”

Of course, the “cousin” she mentioned was Little One.

Alice, knowing that Elena spent her breaks at the Christian estate, squinted at her but said nothing.

The storytelling continued, and finally, it was Penny’s turn.

Penny, who had been eager to share something, suddenly adopted a serious tone.

To be honest, no one expected much from her story.

After all, she had spent the entire break at the dormitory. What could possibly happen in a nearly empty dorm?

Seeing their lack of enthusiasm, Penny clapped her hands to grab their attention.

“Listen up, everyone. I have something to tell you.”

“Okay.”

“Come on, show some interest. You all know I stayed at the dorm during the break, right?”

“Yeah, we know.”

“Well, because you weren’t here, I heard some interesting rumors around the academy.”

Rumors? The girls leaned in closer, intrigued.

“What kind of rumors?”

Penny gestured for them to come closer. They followed her lead, leaning in to listen.

“Apparently, there’s a ghost in the library.”

Screams might have been the reaction Penny was hoping for. Instead, the girls looked unimpressed.

“Seriously?”

“Ghosts? In this day and age?”

“Just listen to me. There are witnesses.”

Though they didn’t believe her, they pretended to be interested.

“Witnesses?”

“Yeah. Do you know Denian, the student a year below us?”

Elena didn’t, but Alice nodded.

“He’s known for being a bookworm. Apparently, he fell asleep while studying in the library.”

“Studying in the library during break? That’s scarier than the ghost.”

“Alice! Just listen!”

Penny glared at Alice playfully.

“Anyway, when Denian woke up, he saw a dark figure pass by. When he screamed, it disappeared.”