Chapter 22

“For graduation, Beatrice, you are essential. Could you help me? No, you probably won’t. Even I know how shameless that sounds, especially after I’ve been avoiding you all this time.”

He deliberately sounded discouraged, calculating his words. Fortunately, the kind-hearted Beatrice didn’t realize his dark intentions and quickly took his hand.

“No! If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll do it. I haven’t sent a letter to the Temple yet, so nothing is decided. It was just something I’d been thinking about alone.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Julian responded quickly before Beatrice could change her mind. As if to make sure, he repeated how glad he was that she agreed to help.

“Yes. It really is a relief.”

The word ‘relief’ bouncing between them felt a bit amusing, so Beatrice smiled, her eyes crinkling.

“I never thought I’d be able to talk with you like this again, Julian.”

“I feel the same way.”

“It’s all thanks to this room that won’t let us leave.”

If the door had opened, she would have gone straight back to the dormitory. She would have immediately sent the remaining letter in her bag to the Temple, and within days, her return to the seminary would have been settled. The door never opening always caused trouble, but this time, it had its fortunate side.

“By the way, what do you think that message actually means?”

Julian spoke as he looked at the words on the blackboard, which had been forgotten for a while. Beatrice also turned to look at the board after hearing Julian’s question.

Room you cannot leave unless you cure the illness.

And at that moment, the answer the room wanted flashed through Beatrice’s mind.

“Kyaa!”

A scream burst from Beatrice’s lips, shocked.

***

Room you cannot leave unless you cure the illness.

Even after reading those words, Julian couldn’t make sense of it. So, this time, it was Beatrice who could interpret the message.

But Beatrice’s reaction was strange. Clearly, she had realized the answer, but she trembled and couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Because of her odd reaction, the word ‘illness,’ which he hadn’t taken seriously before, now weighed heavily on Julian.

‘Is Beatrice sick somewhere?’

He hadn’t noticed, but could she be suffering from a serious illness?

If she couldn’t leave unless the illness was cured… Julian was talented in magic, but he wasn’t a healer. When it came to treatment, at best, he could make recovery potions with Beatrice, but he couldn’t claim to be more skilled than her.

A patient cannot cure themselves. That meant it was his responsibility to cure Beatrice, but since she wouldn’t tell him anything, Julian had no idea what to do.

“Beatrice.”

“No. No, I can’t. I absolutely, absolutely can’t say it.”

Beatrice was so shocked that she sniffled as she spoke. Her resolute response made Julian step back.

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s okay. But you said it’s an illness, so I’m worried.”

Illness.

Ancient magic truly seemed to know everything. How could it know something that was a secret only Beatrice herself knew?

It had been Beatrice’s greatest concern lately. Whenever she saw Julian’s face, she was reminded of what happened in the previous room, and she couldn’t help but feel dampness between her thighs. It was something she couldn’t consult anyone about, so all she could do was wipe herself whenever she got wet, as a temporary fix.

“If you can’t leave without curing the illness, it means I can help with whatever’s troubling you, Beatrice.”

“Hic…”

Beatrice sank down to the floor.

She knew it too.

To leave the room, the fastest way was to satisfy the condition the room wanted.

Since it said the illness had to be cured, Julian would be able to cure her symptoms.

Julian would listen to her seriously. He wouldn’t make her feel embarrassed or ashamed.

But she just couldn’t bring herself to speak. Beatrice was experiencing the same embarrassment Julian had felt in the previous room.

“Where does it hurt? The infirmary? Have you been?”

“No…”

“Is it a serious illness? Are you eating properly?”

“It’s not… It’s not related to that.”

Beatrice shook her head. Understanding that Beatrice didn’t want to say more, Julian closed his mouth. He just quietly recalled all the recovery magic he’d skimmed over before, wondering which ones he actually knew how to use.

“Don’t worry too much, Beatrice. I don’t know many recovery spells. But if I can cure you, it means it’s not a serious illness. After we leave this room, I’ll introduce you to our family’s physician. You should get a check-up.”

“That’s not it. That’s not it, Julian.”

“If it’s not a serious illness, could you tell me? I’m worried, that’s all. It’s frustrating not to be able to do anything when I might be able to help you.”

The heavy word ‘illness’ weighed on them even more. Beatrice bit her lip at Julian’s genuine concern.

It was difficult, but she couldn’t just keep silent and endure it forever.

With tears brimming in her eyes, Beatrice looked up at Julian.

“You absolutely won’t think it’s strange, right?”

For Beatrice, it would have been easier to choose not to tell Julian, even if it meant not leaving the room. But keeping silent while Julian kept worrying about her made her just as uncomfortable. Now that their positions were completely reversed from the previous room, she could clearly understand just how troubled Julian must have felt then.

“Absolutely.”

Julian spoke firmly, promising he wouldn’t think of her strangely. At his words, Beatrice bit her lip once more, then finally opened her mouth. Even though she had made up her mind, her words soon began to falter.

“I… That is… hic…”

“If it’s hard to talk, you don’t have to force yourself, Beatrice.”

“N-no. I have to… I have to say it… because otherwise, I can’t leave.”

As Beatrice stammered out her words, tears finally began to roll down her cheeks. How could she say this? Telling Julian about such an intimate part of her body felt more shameful than death itself.

But even so, it was something she had to say in the end.

“It’s… true that I’ve come down with an illness, Julian. But it’s just… it’s such a strange illness that I haven’t been able to tell anyone about it until now. It’s just, ever since what happened in that room last time… I keep…”

Julian waited patiently for Beatrice, who couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence. Taking a deep breath, Beatrice tried to steady her emotions.

“I keep… feeling strange down there.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s just, well… down there, there keeps being this slippery liquid or something…”

Julian’s mouth parted slightly. His mind went blank for a moment, so much so that he couldn’t be sure he’d heard her correctly.

Beatrice, blushing as she confessed about the fluid, looked almost excessively alluring. In front of her, Julian bit the inside of his cheek hard to maintain his composure.

Does ancient magic not harm people? That was all nonsense.

Julian clenched his teeth, determined that he would break through this spatial transposition magic no matter what.

“Julian… how can something like this be cured?”