In the large room, Cadel, Van, Lumen, and Lydon, who had returned to his normal size, were gathered together, and serious voices were heard among them.
âIf the information Sir Garuel gave me is true, there is no better way.â
âDonât worry, Commander. Your mana will come back, the only question is where to find a magician who can imbue you with manaâ¦â¦.â
Lumen and Van racked their brains, trying to find a way to regain Cadelâs mana as quickly as possible. Their worried faces were serious.
Cadel, looking at those subordinates in turns, pointed to a huge fairy lying around behind him.
âIf itâs a magician, we have one here.â
ââ¦â¦Lydon?â
âYou said Lydonâs powers were sealed. Shouldnât he be running low on mana?â
Even though Lydon had half of his powers sealed away, it was a downgrade from being an âoverwhelming geniusâ to a person of âregrettable ordinary talentâ. In fact, in this battle, Lydon used a variety of powerful magic spells and never once failed.
He should have enough mana to fill the mana vessel in his body. With that thought, Cadel looked back at Lydon.
Still sprawled out in a debauched position, he stared at Cadel with a deep look in his eyes.
âLydon, can you do this for me? I just need you to infuse me with your mana until my mana returns.â
It wasnât that difficult, and there was nothing to lose. All it would take was a little care, and Cadel was sure that Lydon would grant the favor without much thought. However.
âWhy should I?â
Lydon widened his eyes as if there was really no reason to do so. An innocent question with no malice. It was rather Cadel who was embarrassed.
âWhyâ¦â¦. Youâre in the same mercenary corps? We should help each other when we need help!â
âHmm, maybe in a fight, but Iâm not interested in that, and a Cadel who canât use magic is no fun.â
It was a firm refusal indeed. Cadel was speechless, his lips pursed. Van and Lumen, enraged on his behalf, denounced Lydon, saying âLetâs dispose of that piece of junk right nowâ and âHeâs a damned fairy whoâs been ungrateful from the startâ. Their anger did not dissuade Lydon.
âI never thought Lydon would come out like this. Itâs difficult. If I find another magician here, I will be bound to the White Kingdom unconditionally.â
In addition, Lydonâs attitude was also a problem. As soon as Cadel was judged incapable of recovering, it seemed that he would leave in search of another âfunâ to satisfy his curiosity.
How much pain he had suffered for being a guardian he had never been before! The feeling of betrayal made his teeth tremble.
ââ¦â¦No, calm down. I already knew Lydon was a crazy fun-loving bastard. Heâs as simple as he is crazy.â
Hiring another magician would drastically change Cadelâs plans for the future. Once on the wrong track, he would continue to take suboptimal lanes, which could adversely affect story progression.
He couldnât let that happen when there was a useful magician sitting right next to him.
âI have no choice but to coax him.â
Cadel, whose eyes shone solemnly, looked back at Lumen and Van.
âCan you give me a minute? Iâd like to talk to Lydon in private.â
âCommander, itâs difficult to kill that scum with only your strength. You will need my help.â
âYou donât have to convince him, Iâll get a magician, and Iâll find a place to bury the fairy.â
Apparently, the two men were quite displeased that Lydon had refused the request, as they were more upset than the one who had been denied. Cadel smiled weakly at the two angry men, trying to calm them down.
âIâm not going to kill Lydon, and itâs too early to start looking for another magician. I just woke up and I donât have the strength to be angry, so when I tell you to go, will you just go?â
They also had consideration for the patient. Eventually, Lumen and Van, respecting Cadelâs wishes, trudged out of the room. Only Cadel and Lydon remained in the silent room.
Lydon was staring at Cadel with a face that kept him from knowing what Lydon was thinking. Cadel, facing that straight gaze, uttered a voice as sweet as he could. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âNow, itâs just the two of us here. If thereâs anything you want, feel free to tell me.â
âWhat I want?â
âIf thereâs anything you want as a condition for imbuing me with mana, Iâll do my best. A trade of sorts.â
Hmm. Red eyes stared at the curtains fluttering in the wind and the landscape beyond. It was an attitude of wanting nothing in particular.
âCome on, cooperate. Youâre the one who suffers the most when Iâm not funny. You canât stand being bored. You think youâre gonna find another human being here whoâs as funny as me?â
As he spoke calmly, hiding his impatience, Lydonâs gaze shifted to Cadel once more. A pensive gaze lingered beneath the disheveled blond hair as it lazily swept over his face.
After a long pause, Lydon suddenly grabbed Cadelâs wrist. Cadelâs center of gravity on the bed tilted in an instant, and his upper body collapsed.
Cadel, who had fallen down without a chance to hold on, slammed his face into Lydonâs chest. Stars seemed to twinkle in front of his eyes for a moment at his dull pain.
âWhat is it all of a sudden!â
âAre you really going to listen to anything?â
Cadel lifted his head, his nose crushed against Lydonâs hard chest, and saw a kind face looking down at him. Lydon was a radiant beauty that just by looking at him, Cadelâs eyesight seemed to improve, but only interest overflowed in Lydonâs gaze toward him.
Cadel nodded hesitantly, and the corners of Lydonâs mouth moved up in a charming arc.
âThereâs no taking back, Cadel. Itâs a promise.â
* * *
After completing the main quest, Cadel planned to collect more reputation through sub-quests in the White Kingdom. For the upcoming knight order promotion quest.
However, with a body that had lost mana, it was impossible to properly fulfill the sub-quests. So should he give up the reputation? Ridiculous.
Cadel intended to rake up the reputation somehow, and at last, came up with one possibility.
âYou want me to check the condition of the Baskin Villageâs villagers?â
âPlease, Van. I blew up their whole village, and all their homes and farmland are gone. If thereâs anything I can do to help, Iâd like to, okay?â
âNo oneâs going to blame Commander for thatâ¦â¦.â
âJust see if they need anything.â
âAll right, Commander. Then take a good rest in the meantime.â
Substitute quest progress using his subordinates.
He wasnât sure about the main quests, but the degree of occurrence of sub-quests might be possible to activate through the members. Cadel sent Van to check.
In fact, accepting the quest itself was more certain and more convenient if Cadel did it himself. However.
âIf they find out Iâm well enough to walk around, Iâll be meeting with the King, and Iâd like to put that off as long as possible.â
He was avoiding the Kingâs audience by pretending to be a weak patient in front of the healer who visited periodically. Since he was in such a situation, it was unreasonable for him to go looking for sub-quests on his own.
And the system window popped up, just as Cadel had hoped.
ãKnight âVan Herdosâ has discovered the sub-quest âUncomfortable Legsâ !ã
ãUpon acceptance, the quest will proceed.ã