"Huh? What is this...?"
"Let's evacuate first."
"Ah, yes, Master."

Sylvia, confused by the strange changes in her body, hesitated only for a moment. She shakily moved her trembling legs and decided to leave the area.

The staff members quickly arrived and took over carrying the injured.
As Sylvia was struggling to move like a newborn foal,
"Ah!?"
"Relax."
"..."

Aslan’s arm slid behind Sylvia’s knee, lifting her effortlessly.
Sylvia had expected to groan and comment on how heavy she was, but instead, Aslan effortlessly lifted her without any difficulty.

"...?"

Has he become stronger?
Now that I think about it, his forearms do seem a lot thicker.
Sylvia let out a sigh of relief as she comfortably leaned into Aslan’s arms.

She had been fully awake just a moment ago, but now, with sleep creeping over her,
she couldn’t hold on any longer and closed her eyes.

"Is this really the knight...? Really?"
"How did this happen...?"
"Instructor...?"

Just as Sylvia was about to wake up, the voices of people crying softly tickled her ears, and her heart sank.

That's right. I was hit directly by the mana storm...

As the sleepiness faded and her mind cleared,
Sylvia recalled everything that had happened before she fell asleep.
She remembered passing through the mana storm while carrying the injured,
the moment her mana had run out while carrying the last of the injured,
and how the mana storm had engulfed her, bringing excruciating pain,
followed by the moment Aslan arrived and saved her, causing her to lose consciousness.

All these thoughts came flooding back,
filling Sylvia’s mind with anxiety.

What happened to my body that they're whispering like this...?

Surrounding her were Charlotte, Yulia, and Yuri, but their hushed conversations didn't sound right.
Even Charlotte, who was usually so lively, spoke with deep concern...
What happened to my body?
What kind of serious injury could I have sustained?
Sylvia began to dread opening her eyes, but she overcame the fear, slowly opened her eyes, and sat up.

"Knight! Are you okay? Can you recognize me? Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up? Huh? Huh??"
"Phew. You’re awake... Thank goodness..."
"I-I’ll go get the Count!"

As soon as Sylvia sat up, Charlotte rushed towards her with tears in her eyes.
Contrary to Charlotte’s worries, Sylvia didn’t have any memory loss or visual issues.
She didn’t seem to have any immediate pain either...

But that could just be because of the anesthesia.
Sylvia swallowed hard and slowly began to check her body, lifting the covers.

"H-huh...?"
"Wow. Your voice even sounds younger."
"What...?"

Sylvia was shocked to realize that her arms and legs were now shorter and thinner than she remembered.
The position she was lying in made her thighs fully visible, which was odd.
Normally, her chest would block the view from that angle.

Tap, tap.
As her hand touched her chest, she felt the smoothness of her body.
That’s when Sylvia had a gut feeling.

"Do you want to see the mirror?"
"Aaaaahhh...!"

Had she really regressed in age?
Seeing herself in the mirror that Charlotte handed her, Sylvia almost fainted.
What she saw wasn’t the Sylvia she knew—this was a version of herself from her childhood.

A small, youthful face.
Not only her face but her entire body had changed.
Her hands, feet, waist, and shoulders—all were smaller.

Her height had shrunk to about the same as Charlotte’s!?
Could it be that I’ve reverted to being around 13 years old?
Sylvia pinched her cheeks, pulling them, trying to see if she was dreaming, but...

"Ugh..."

Her soft, squishy cheek muscles only stretched painfully, and there was no awakening from a dream.
Was this reality?
Sylvia touched her red, swollen cheeks and teared up when the door suddenly slammed open.

"Sylvia. Are you awake?"
"Master!?"

Aslan entered, and Sylvia tried to sit up.
But Aslan immediately grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

"Stay lying down and rest. For now, there are no visible injuries, but we’ll need to watch you for at least a day."
"It’s not the injuries, it’s my body...!"
"Calm down and listen, Sylvia."

Seeing Aslan’s serious expression, Sylvia swallowed and calmed down.

"You were exposed to high concentrations of mana in the mana storm, which caused mana erosion."
"...!"
"Most people who experience mana erosion suffer severe internal damage and don’t live long, but you were fortunate. Due to a rare side effect of mana erosion, your physical age has regressed. There are no health issues, but this means you won’t grow any further... a curse, not just a side effect."
"A side effect...?"

Sylvia examined her body once again, dumbfounded.
She never imagined that she’d survive a direct hit from the mana storm.
She was lucky enough to experience the side effect.
At least she wouldn’t die, and could stay with Aslan.
The relief hit her hard, and tears started flowing.

At least I’m alive.
I can stay with the head of the household.
Just that thought made her tears pour out.

"But..."
"Huh? What’s left?"
"The organs that detect mana were fully exposed to the mana erosion, and because of that, your body has lost the ability to handle mana."
"...Huh?"

The thunderous news made Sylvia’s eyes widen.
She hurriedly reached out her arm into the air, trying to feel the mana.

There’s no mana in my body, but it’s just because it’s depleted.
I’m sure I’ll be able to feel mana again...
Sylvia kept repeating that in her mind as she desperately tried to feel it.

"Ugh..."

But there was nothing.
Her fingertips could not detect even a trace of mana.
It was as if mana no longer existed in her world.
Just yesterday, she had freely controlled mana, but now it was completely gone.

'Then, am I... useless to the head of the household now...?

Her combat ability had diminished due to her younger body.
She could no longer use barrier magic or any spells.
What was left for her?
Sylvia panicked, feeling like she was of no use anymore.

The mana storm incident ended much more peacefully than expected.
Upon hearing about the people trapped by the mana storm, the team quickly rushed to Ester, only to find Sylvia, single-handedly carrying the injured.
Thanks to her efforts, the injured were treated in time, and it seemed there were no more lives at risk.
Though the Duke of the North wanted to scold her for doing something reckless, he couldn’t bring himself to, considering how many lives Sylvia had saved.

'Born foolishly... what can you do?'

Such a person would probably be the one to tear off her own seal to save children, choosing a short life.
It hadn’t been very noticeable lately, but now it was clear that she was indeed someone capable of a noble sacrifice.

"Count Vermont! Thanks to your bodyguard, my soldiers are safe! Thank you!"
"You should thank him directly, Your Grace."
"Of course, I’ll thank him personally as well! And look at this!"
"...?"

The Duke of the North approached with a crumpled letter in his hand, unfolding it to show.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a letter from Merilda.

"My dear daughter! Merilda! Upon hearing about the incident, she realized the importance of barrier mages and is now dedicated to learning barrier magic through the system! Isn’t this wonderful!? She only thinks about working for the territory and the family every day..."
"Ah, yes."

Just as the endless praise of his daughter was about to start again, Sylvia quickly finished the conversation by shaking hands, putting an end to it.

With that, the fortress city mission was officially concluded.
Since the mana storm had made further exploration impossible, there was nothing else to do.
Finally, as soon as Sylvia regained her strength, the team prepared to leave Ester.

"You seem about the same height as Yuri now?"
"So, the knight used to be this cute?"
"Instructor, could you get a bit closer to Yulia and Charlotte? Heh!?
"Y-Yuri! Nosebleed!"
"..."

Surrounded by the children, Sylvia, clearly exhausted, made a tired expression.
When I gestured, Sylvia quickly ran toward me.
Her new body hadn’t fully adjusted yet, so she moved awkwardly.

"Master... I’m so sorry... for turning out like this..."
"Why would you be sorry? You’ve made Vermont shine. It’s worth praising, but... I can’t say you did perfectly. Don’t think of dying without my permission."
"Yes..."

I was about to give her a playful flick on the head, but I slowly lowered my hand and placed it on her head instead.
Then, as I gently patted her, Sylvia’s expression became strange.
She looked up at me, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Master... now that I can’t use mana, I’m such a huge loss to you, right?"
"Well... yes."
"Then... I’m useless to you now, right...?"
"What?"
"Master, you won’t abandon me, right...?"

At that moment, Sylvia clung to me, tears streaming down her face.
It wasn’t a sudden outburst, but rather a long-suppressed cry that had finally broken free.

Abandon her...?
How could I abandon Sylvia, looking like this?
Why...?
I couldn’t understand her question at all.