Louis was on his way back to the dormitory after parting with Aer. Recently, he had been in as good a mood as Aer.

The time he spent meeting her after classes was the most precious to him.

It was a time to enjoy the tranquility of the sparsely populated lakeside, feeling the warm breeze. While he was with her.

His mind felt refreshed and his heart peaceful. And when he saw Aer smiling brightly, emanating the scent of the gift he had given her, he often felt something rising from deep within him.

Upon returning to his room, Louis took out a communication magic tool from the drawer.

As expected, a call was coming in, timed with his return. When he pressed the button, a voice flowed out.

-My lord! Will you not tell me again today?

Since that day, Astin had been persistently asking about Aer.

“…Astin.”

-Yes! My lord!

Louis took off the glasses he was wearing and placed them on the table.

Brushing back his bangs that felt cumbersome, he stared blankly at the thick glasses.

His mother was a somewhat mysterious figure. According to those around him, his mother was of nomadic origin.

That’s why the word he heard most often since childhood was ‘lowborn’.

There were even those who refused to give him meals, saying it didn’t suit noble blood.

“Hmm…”

His mother, who had been like that, recognized his abilities early on and introduced him to those glasses and Astin.

All he knew about Astin was that he was from the same country as his mother.

-When on earth did you make such a beautiful fiancée? Perhaps…

“No. Aer told that lie because you were staring at me too much.”

-…?

Astin screamed a beat late.

-Aah! How could you think of me like that! T-That!

“Even if you discovered me there, still. As the head of information brokers, should you show such an obvious reaction?”

At Louis’s point, Astin retorted in a gruff voice.

-Well, you always refused when I asked to meet, and now someone has appeared.

“We can deliver information in various ways anyway. There’s no need to meet specifically.”

-I’m saying I want to see you, my lord!

“By the way, how is my father doing?”

At Louis’s question, Astin remained silent for a moment. Then, as if he had no choice, he answered slowly.

-Well… He’s the same as always. I think you should worry about the other side rather than that one.

“I see…”

Remembering the one who drove his mother to death, Louis fell silent for a moment.

Even if he was an illegitimate child not recognized by his father, he might have been happy if only his mother had lived.

But that woman took even his mother away from him. And yet, she still remained wary of him.

-By the way, about this healing stone.

“What’s wrong?”

Louis’s voice lowered as if there was a problem with the healing stone Aer had sold.

-It’s not that there’s a problem. The purity is higher than expected, so many places want it.

He recalled the place that had been full of blue water. A smile escaped him as he remembered Aer’s voice shouting in the cave.

-…Did you just laugh?

“…Ahem, isn’t it good if many places want it?”

-That’s true, but… Can we procure more? Do you know about that mine, my lord?

Louis had no intention of telling about the cave Aer had discovered. He didn’t know much about her, but for now, it seemed she needed money.

“I don’t know.”

-It’s a low-grade but high-purity healing stone, so it would sell well to awakened ones hiding their identity. Could you quietly tip-off that young lady?

In the Empire, awakened ones and healers had to participate in wars or subjugations unconditionally. This was regardless of class.

There was only one way to find awakened ones and healers.

A unique mark that only they possess appears on their body along with the manifestation of their ability, and they register as awakened ones and healers in the Empire by showing this as proof.

Most marks tend to appear in visible places, but occasionally they appear in easily concealable locations.

Such individuals hid to avoid service. Those in hiding couldn’t meet healers, so they removed impure energy with healing stones.

That’s why healing stones could be sold illegally. Where there’s demand, supply naturally follows.

Louis briefly recalled the mark on his hipbone before speaking.

“Haven’t you found any marked ones related to me yet?”

-…I’m looking into it. Don’t worry, my lord.

His father hadn’t thought he was an awakened one. To begin with, it wasn’t an ability that showed outwardly.

No one thought that he, with his seemingly frail body, could be an awakened one. So they were secretly looking for a healer that matched him, but it wasn’t easy.

Awakened ones and healers each had their own unique qualities.

If it was a fire element, a mark representing fire would appear, and if it was a water element, a mark representing water would appear.

It could be quickly identified by the n*ked eye, or if one was an awakened one, they could identify it with their ability.

However, healers could only be found by their marks.

Otherwise, one had to receive healing directly to notice the nature of the energy.

For example, if an awakened one had the nature of fire, a healer with the nature of water would be the best match.

Even if that wasn’t the case, if there was a healer with a nature that could suppress or envelop the fire nature, the two could be paired.

Louis, unable to receive elemental pairing, had no choice but to confirm the healer’s mark through information brokers.

-My lord’s mark is not a common one. It was the first time I had ever seen such a mark.

Louis recalled his mark. It wasn’t a complex pattern, but one would hardly think it was a mark representing an ability.

The simple circular pattern sometimes looked like the sun, and sometimes like a full moon.

What kind of healer’s mark would match this mark…

-Don’t worry, my lord. I will definitely find it.

Despite Astin’s reassuring words, Louis didn’t respond. Or rather, he couldn’t.

Because he was thinking how nice it would be if Aer was the match…

“…Alright. I’ll hang up now.”

-Yes, my lord.

After putting the communication magic tool deep in the drawer, he lay down on the sofa. Even knowing that she, an ordinary person, couldn’t be a healer, he harbored a faint hope.

Because she was the only one whose thoughts he couldn’t hear.

***

“Thank you for everything until now.”

She was glad that today, finally the last day, had arrived. She was excited at the thought of being able to spend more time with Louis from now on.

James wore a sad expression at Aer’s farewell. He never dreamed a month would pass so quickly.

However, unlike James, Professor Declan smiled as he bid farewell to Aer.

“I hope you won’t hit me openly with a book next time.”

“…Then, is it okay if I do it secretly?”

At Aer’s question, Declan chuckled, then took off his glasses and answered.

“There are only two kinds of things that happen in the world. Things that surface above the water, or things that sink below.”

Aer just blinked slowly at the professor’s words as he pointed his finger up and then down.

“….”

It was a strange advice. It sounded as if it was okay as long as it didn’t surface above the water.

“I’ll see you in class soon.”

“Yes, Professor. Then, I’ll be going.”

“Take care, Student Aer…”

James saw her off with a gloomy voice. Aer gave a light bow and headed to where Louis would be.

Her steps naturally quickened as her heart raced.

As Aer was going down the stairs, she failed to notice a male student coming up as she turned the corner and bumped her nose right into his chest.

“Ah!”

“…Oh?”

His chest was so hard that her nose stung. Aer took a step back and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“…Aer de Bestia?”

Aer looked up at the voice calling her. Then, a familiar-looking male student smiled brightly at her.

“…Kai de Uz?”

“Wow, it really is you? I guessed from your hair color.”

He was the second son of the Marquis Uz family, whom she had met a few times when they were young. She had heard that he later went to the Kingdom of Floss where his maternal grandfather lived.

She didn’t expect him to remember her, as they hadn’t met enough times to be called friends.

“You’ve enrolled in the Academy.”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m a citizen of the Basium Empire. Well, I’m a half-empire citizen who spent most of my time in the Kingdom of Floss, but still. Haha!”

His bright golden hair shimmered along with his beaming face. It seems he still had the same cheerful personality as before.

However, Aer has changed a lot since then. She had even recalled her past life.

“That’s right. I didn’t have time to think about it.”

Too much had happened for her to recall someone she had only met a few times.

“But why are you being so formal? It’s better for friends to be comfortable with each other.”

Even though several months had passed since entering the Academy, it seemed he hadn’t heard the rumors about her.

Aer swallowed a short sigh as if troubled, then said:

“It’s set by the rules to be formal with each other within the Academy. And aren’t we a bit short of being friends?”

Kai hesitated for a moment at her cold response. The girl he had seen when they were young seemed a bit gloomy, but she was quiet and kind.

“…Ah, sorry. No, it’s just that all the other kids use informal speech.”

“Please be careful from now on. Well then, I’ll be going.”

Aer resumed her halted steps. At that moment, a group coming up the stairs spotted Aer and stopped.