Six Months… Or Maybe More

Contrary to Arnold’s clean-cut impression, the inside of his home was cluttered with books everywhere.
Whether due to lack of space in the bookshelves, books were piled up by the windows, on display cabinets, and even on the floor.

‘How can he have so many books?’

He picked up one to examine it when suddenly he heard footsteps behind him.

“You’ve arrived, Mr. Lloyd! I was so focused I didn’t hear you. Please, have a seat.”

Arnold, dressed much more plainly than before, gestured toward the sofa in front of the fireplace.
Eren put down the book he was holding and sat down.

“Thank you for making the trip.”

“Not at all. The address you provided made it easy to find. By the way, do you live here?”

Eren asked, looking around the room.
It seemed unlikely that this was a place suitable for someone like Arnold to reside, making it hard to believe it was his actual residence.

“Surprised by how shabby it is?”

At Arnold’s smiling question, Eren belatedly realized how rude his question had been.
It was practically an evaluation of Arnold’s home.

For someone like Eren, who until recently had slept in a room the size of a palm, he had no right to judge the scale of anyone’s home.
In fact, no matter how vast a mansion one lived in, one wouldn’t have that right either.

“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant at all. Please forgive my rudeness.”

As Eren stammered, unable to hide his embarrassment, Arnold waved his hand as if it were a joke.

“This was the only place I could afford with my own savings. I didn’t want to rely on my parents, nor did I have any reason to. Besides, this is perfectly fine for living.”

As he’d felt before, Arnold seemed far more modest and down-to-earth than expected.
They called him the black sheep of the Harrison family, and that rumor wasn’t entirely wrong.

He could understand why people spread bad rumors about him.
He couldn’t mingle with nobles due to his common birth, nor could he associate with the poor.
People always tended to ostracize those different from themselves.

What’s more, Arnold didn’t even try to belong anywhere in between.
In others’ eyes, he must have seemed strange enough.

“By the way, why did you want to meet?”

Eren changed the subject to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Just then, the housekeeper entered the room to prepare tea.

“Have you eaten? Shall I prepare an extra portion for dinner?”

“Ah, no, that won’t be necessary.”

He would have to eat the dinner Bennet prepared when he returned home.
These days, Kazen checked whether he’d eaten properly, so he couldn’t skip it.
Otherwise, it would be obvious he’d gone out.

“Thanks to your successful persuasion of the Duke of Clifford, the transaction was handled smoothly. I wanted to express my gratitude.”

In truth, he hadn’t persuaded Kazen at all, but there was no reason to reveal that, so Eren smiled faintly and nodded.

“I’m very glad it worked out well. By the way, have you given thought to what I mentioned?”

“I’m afraid I don’t recall clearly; could you tell me once more what it was about?”

In truth, he remembered, but deliberately feigned ignorance.
Arnold had said, “People like us need to stick together.”

“People like us need to stick together.”

As he was inwardly pondering those words, Arnold uttered the exact same sentence, surprising Eren.

“Honestly, I still don’t fully understand. Could you explain what you mean by sticking together?”

“I can’t disclose details yet, but surely you can guess the general meaning? I aspire to a world where people can achieve things through effort, rather than one where they’re judged by what they’re born with.”

It was an extremely idealistic goal.
Eren could roughly understand, but couldn’t fully agree.
After all, what one is born with could also be considered part of their personal capacity in a broader sense.

“I think I understand what you mean. Though I’m not sure how I could be of help….”

“Everyone has potential. They just don’t know where to apply it.”

“Do you think so? I don’t particularly excel at anything.”

Eren answered quietly, lost in thought.
He tried to think of something he was good at, but nothing came to mind.
Perhaps the only thing he could claim was diligence?

“Mr. Lloyd, actually, I’m on close terms with Doctor Rosalin.”

At the unexpected mention of Doctor Rosalin’s name, Eren flinched in surprise.

“…I-is that so?”

He had a feeling he knew what Arnold was getting at, but asked just in case.
Arnold folded his hands neatly on his knees and leaned toward Eren.

“So I also heard that you have only six months left, Mr. Lloyd.”

Why did his bad premonitions always prove accurate?
Recalling Rosalin’s confident assertion that she would never disclose patient information, he felt a sense of betrayal.

“I asked her to keep it confidential….”

“Please don’t sue Rosalin over this. I obtained the information through methods I’m not particularly proud of.”

Not that he had any intention of suing Rosalin anyway.
Eren didn’t have that kind of time.

“I had no such intention. It wasn’t a secret I could keep forever anyway.”

Arnold looked at the disheartened Eren with a remarkably earnest gaze.
It was a persistent look, as if penetrating not his exterior but his very core.

“Then why bring it up?”

“Because I want to help you, Mr. Lloyd.”

Help him?
He had thought something was off from the moment Rosalin was mentioned, but now he couldn’t even guess what Arnold was getting at.

“What do you mean? How could you possibly help me?”

Arnold straightened his leaning body again.
He wasn’t the type to tell lies or jokes, which made his intentions even harder to discern.

“There’s a magician I know who researches matters related to mana. How would you feel about going to see him for treatment?”

Come to think of it, Arnold had mentioned the word ‘magician’ when they spoke in the Imperial Palace garden.
He had thought it strange at the time, but it seemed he really did know a magician.

But even so, he couldn’t believe his words.
As far as Eren knew, mana depletion was an incurable disease.

“Mana depletion isn’t curable.”

“I know. But you can alleviate the pain or buy a little more time. And you can spend your final moments in peace.”

In other words, he was suggesting Eren leave the Ducal residence.
At this sudden proposal, Eren’s eyes wavered significantly.

“Where does this magician live?”

“On a very quiet seaside in the border region between the Espel Empire and the Kingdom of Felosia. I’ve only been once, but it’s a scenic and secluded place. Good for spending time quietly and focusing on recovery.”

The border region was a distant place that would take a full day even by train.
Realistically, traveling back and forth for treatment would be difficult.
If his condition worsened, long-distance travel would become increasingly challenging.

“Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll support you as much as needed.”

“Why are you trying to help me? You barely know me.”

Having met Arnold only four times now, Eren couldn’t easily accept his kindness.

“I’m not offering help for nothing. There’s something you could do for me in return.”

As expected, there was a price.
He knew nothing in this world was free, but the problem was that he had nothing to offer Arnold.

“What do you want?”

“This, you wrote this, didn’t you, Mr. Lloyd?”

As if prepared in advance, Arnold picked up a newspaper from the top of a pile beside the sofa and handed it to Eren.

“This is….”

It was a short story Eren had written months ago as a hobby and submitted to a newspaper.
A brief amateur piece of prose; he was astonished Arnold had found it.

“A friend of mine runs the newspaper, and I occasionally help out as an editor. But as soon as I read your writing, I was captivated. You write calmly and well. So I’ve been interested ever since I first heard your name at the restaurant.”

Millie had accidentally seen what he’d written when he felt overwhelmed, and without permission, had sent it to the newspaper, insisting he submit it immediately.
He never imagined anyone would recognize it, leaving him merely flustered.

“What does this have to do with what I need to do for you?”

“I’d like you to write more for me while you stay with that magician.”