Catching a cold in a hot country like Atica!

‘They say even dogs don’t catch summer colds, so what am I?’

It felt like her body was outright declaring itself a piece of junk.

Yet anyone who unexpectedly fell into icy waters in the dead of night would inevitably catch a cold.

“Cough, cough, achoo!”

Watching Rosha repeatedly sneeze and squirm under the blankets, Froy remarked:

“You need to recover quickly if we’re to depart… This cold doesn’t seem to be subsiding easily.”

Indeed, their original plan had been to return to the Empire immediately after the trial’s conclusion.

However, the journey from the Atica Kingdom to the Marcia Empire was excessively long, making a direct jump via Froy’s ability difficult.

‘Even utilizing multiple exit points, it would still take at least two days.’

Furthermore, his mansion lacked any physicians, naturally complicating medication procurement during travel.

It was amidst these circumstances that Nardil, upon learning of Rosha’s severe cold, insisted they remain until her recovery before departing.

Hence their current stay at the Atica royal palace.

Knock knock.

The spacious, luxurious guest chambers reserved for esteemed visitors.

Responding to the timely knocking, Froy retrieved some medicines – several round pills and a viscous, brown liquid.

“Some medicine has arrived, so take it all and get some rest. Your fever should subside.”

“Ugh.”

Despite her disgruntled expression, Rosha chewed and swallowed the offered pills before gulping down the liquid.

She had always considered the bitter concoctions of the Aper household’s physician unrivaled, yet surprisingly, these local medicines were nearly on par.

‘Wait, isn’t this the royal palace’s physician? Shouldn’t they have made it a bit less bitter?’

As she grumbled inwardly, Nardil’s face suddenly surfaced in her mind. That man didn’t seem like someone who would complain about a medicine’s bitterness.

‘Um… I suppose he wouldn’t find any need for taste improvements.’

Whether Rosha retched or not.

With an utterly nonchalant expression, Froy closely observed her bedridden state.

“How are you feeling? Not dizzy, I hope?”

“Hot.”

Rolling over towards him, Rosha petulantly shoved the blankets aside. Witnessing her actions, Froy let out an exasperated chuckle.

During their day-and-a-half stay at the palace, while Froy would occasionally step out for tasks, he remained by her side for the most part, diligently re-tucking the blankets she had tossed aside each time.

Unsurprisingly restoring the bedding, he murmured in response:

“It seems I’ve become more comfortable now, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose… A lot has happened recently.”

Rosha studied Froy. Likely due to Atica’s warm weather, he wore a white tunic shirt and vest.

His violet eyes slowly blinked a few times. While his countenance still occasionally felt unfamiliar, she could now discern his expressions to some extent.

“Indeed, quite a lot has transpired.”

Froy appeared to be recounting the events of the third trial in depth.

More precisely, the extraordinary sensation he had experienced when the Guide God had briefly borrowed Rosha’s eyes.

“That experience…”

He started to speak but closed his mouth, as if the memory still defied clear articulation even for his brilliant mind.

Truth be told, Rosha too had many lingering questions.

‘At one point, I thought I had safely returned to my original world, and that would be the end of it… But it seems I can’t view it so simply.’

Just what kind of world are we living in?

If all the trials are cleared, will peace truly be restored then?

After gazing at the azure sky through the window, Rosha turned to regard Froy.

A sudden realization washed over her – she was fortunate not to be alone.

‘Somehow, I’ve ended up sharing more with him than even my own family… If I were alone, it would have been immensely difficult.’

Her initial reason for cooperating with him had been to ensure Cassis or Cedric wouldn’t become sacrificial victims if necessary. Yet Froy had gradually become one of her cherished individuals as well.

It seemed he had similar thoughts.

For who knew how long, his violet eyes had been fixedly observing her.

Their gazes slowly met.

With an inscrutable countenance, the man whose eyelids had regained their intensity murmured:

“This wasn’t my initial intention… but I’m growing quite fond of you.”

“What?”

His lips twitched ever so slightly, as if he had more to say.

However, perhaps deferring it until after her recovery, he held back his words, gently tucking the fallen blankets before covering her eyes with his palm.

“Close your eyes now. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

Having brushed her disheveled hair behind her ears, Froy seemed intent on doing just that. Unable to resist further, Rosha closed her eyes as she inwardly mused.

‘In this state… I should resume physical training once the cold subsides.’

Training…

Marian’s face suddenly surfaced in her mind. The last time they had met, she had openly aimed her sword at the Emperor. Would she be alright?

While Froy had assured everyone was safe, one could never be certain.

With the thought of swiftly overcoming her illness and returning home, Rosha soon drifted into slumber.

In the ensuing dream, a bizarrely muscular Koko appeared, forcibly teaching her how to swim under the guise of physical training.

Ugh, nooo!

* * *

Perhaps due to the trial’s crevice having opened, the Atica Kingdom’s skies had an unusually high mana concentration – not just near the shoreline, but around the palace as well.

Taking advantage of this, Rosha sat diligently gathering mana on her sickbed.

‘With nothing else to do while recovering, I might as well practice this. It would be great if I could raise my magical stage in the process.’

While advancing from the 6th to 7th stage was arduous, progressing from the 5th to 6th was reasonably manageable for her.

The reason Rosha still lingered in the 5th was simply the excruciatingly slow expansion of her mana capacity.

Yet that final hurdle was nearly overcome.

After intensely focusing on mana gathering for a while, Rosha suddenly glanced to her side, where Koko slumbered with his feathery body curled atop a plush pillow.

‘…With all this abundant mana, Koko would certainly have enjoyed it too.’

When would the parrot finally awaken?

Gently stroking Koko’s head with her fingertips, Rosha was greeted by a familiar voice accompanied by a knock on the door.

“If you’re awake, may I enter?”

It was Nardil.

Receiving her response, the man entered carrying a vase blooming with vibrant flowers, as if paying a convalescent visit. Amusingly, it was a vase rather than a bouquet, likely since this was his own residence.

After placing the vase on the bedside table, he surveyed the room and muttered:

“That man isn’t here.”

He then perfectly naturally bent over and lightly brushed both her cheeks – the customary Atica greeting, albeit still occasionally leaving her feeling slightly awkward.

“Now that you’re no longer the target, I can greet you in close proximity, can’t I?”

Noticing her reaction, he looked her over intently with those pale lemon eyes, likely still recalling when Froy had intervened to block his approach.

Rosha managed to respond:

“But what if my cold is contagious?”

“Well, even if it is, I won’t mind. I’m unlikely to fall severely ill.”

His self-assurance stemming from his robust constitution was somewhat enviable.

Pulling over a nearby chair to take a seat, Nardil swiftly broached the reason for his visit, mindful of not overtaxing her:

“First, I came to express my gratitude – for resolving the trial, and for gracing our Kingdom with your presence, however brief.”

The latter had been unavoidable due to her severe cold, yet Nardil seemed to view it as ‘affording them the opportunity to properly host a benefactor out of consideration for the Kingdom.’

Oh, I see. With that level of vitality, he likely couldn’t comprehend her condition.

He proceeded to explain that most of those who had attacked her for being the target had been punished, and they had officially protested to the principality that had placed the bounty.

Consequently, the principality was in the process of sending an envoy to convey their apologies.

After updating her on recent developments for a while, Nardil smoothly shifted the subject, signaling the arrival of his true purpose.

“And… there is something I wish to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

“Our Kingdom’s great fortune-teller desires to meet you. I would like to know your thoughts on the matter.”