Chapter 12: The Curse Unveiled

Luke rushed Elin to a physician immediately.

With Elin’s personal doctor unavailable, they sought Gerald’s clinic instead.

“She’s overexerted her mana heart,” the physician concluded after a brief diagnosis.

“…That little effort caused strain on her mana heart?” Luke muttered in disbelief.

Maintaining a single mana orb and a failed spell shouldn’t have pushed her mana heart this far.

Something felt off.

After ensuring Elin’s comfort, the physician left some antipyretics and strict instructions to keep her hydrated.

Luke placed a cold cloth on her forehead.

As it slid down to cover her small face, he gently adjusted it, securing it with magic.

“She barely recovered from her leg injury,” he sighed, glancing at her delicate feet and flushed face.

The road to starting their lessons seemed long.

To investigate further, Luke channeled a thread of mana through Elin’s palm.

Though not a healer, he knew how to assess mana flow.

Her mana heart seemed perfectly healthy, even brimming with more mana than average for her age.

But why did it fail under pressure?

As he probed deeper, he sensed an unsettling purity in her body—a perfect vessel for mana.

Yet, when her mana heart activated, it expelled a sinister black aura.

The aura lashed at his mana like a rabid beast, forcing him to break the connection. Blood spurted from his mouth.

“…A curse?” he realized, wiping the blood away.

Puzzled, Luke wrote a letter to Ranean, an expert in magical curses, using an enchanted paper he had designed during his university days.

Her response came swiftly.

“Are you setting up a magic tower finally?”

“Not at all. I need your help with a curse on a young lady.”

After an animated exchange, Ranean agreed to examine Elin once her condition stabilized.

Luke resolved to figure out the curse’s origin in the meantime.

Elin woke up briefly, overwhelmed by her failure to meet Luke’s expectations.

Her doubts and self-reproach weighed heavily, but Luke reassured her with a warm smile.

“Don’t belittle your talent, Lady Elin. Maintaining a mana orb is impressive. Many academy students can’t do that.”

He handed her a repaired stuffed rabbit, one she had cherished since childhood.

“I noticed it was worn out, so I patched it up,” Luke said shyly.

Elin hugged the rabbit close and leaned against Luke’s arm.

Despite her feverish state, his cool touch brought her comfort.

“Thank you,” she whispered, expressing gratitude for his unwavering faith, care, and kindness.

Luke smiled at her peaceful expression.

In that moment, the troubles of his past four years in this foreign world seemed to fade away.

Elin fell asleep, her soft breathing filling the room.

For Luke, her smile was a precious reward—a glimmer of humanity in their uncertain journey.