"The exam's finished," the professor announced, signaling the end of our midterm.

I couldn't help but smile.

"This has to be a record..."

I hadn't held anything back during this exam.

After the joint practical, there was no reason for me to do so.

Rie had claimed the top spot, and to keep my second rank, I needed to excel in this exam.

I knew Evan would do well.

He always does.

I had to focus on my own performance, not his.

And now, after giving my best shot, I felt like I had achieved an unprecedented score.

"But the exam wasn't that tough."

In comparison to the challenging final exam last semester, this one seemed relatively straightforward.

I had an inkling that it would be easier when I reviewed the past exams.

Given the joint practical, most students were short on study time.

In response, the professors had seemingly toned down the exam's difficulty.

Feeling good about my performance, I headed back to the dormitory.

"Time for some rest"

Maybe I should go out for a meal...

Lost in my thoughts, I spotted Astina in the distance.

"Oh, there's Astina."

I made my way towards her.

Suddenly, Astina wobbled, losing her footing.

"Astina?" I called out, alarmed.

She was headed for a nasty fall, her head aimed directly at the ground.

"Damn."

Pooling mana in my feet, I sprinted towards her.

I lunged, reaching for her head which was perilously close to the ground.

Please...!

Astina hit the ground, but my hand slipped between her head and the hard earth, softening her fall.

"Phew..."

I sighed, relieved.

Astina's body had hit the ground, but I managed to shield her head.

Still, I couldn't relax just yet.

"Astina, Astina!" I called, quickly rising to check on her.

Blood trickled from her nose.

She was unconscious, eyes shut tight.

Groaning, Astina fluttered open her eyes, clutching her head. "My head..."

What happened?

She tried to gather her thoughts.

She had been heading back to the dormitory when suddenly, her head had started spinning.

Then, everything had gone dark.

A voice snapped her back to reality.

"Are you okay?"

Astina turned to see a familiar face.

"Rudy Astria...?"

She murmured, recognizing him.

"What... happened?"

"You collapsed while walking."

"I... collapsed?"

Astina sighed.

She'd been feeling tired lately, but she hadn't expected to faint.

"How long was I out?"

"An hour or two at most. You should get more rest."

"Really...?"

Astina sighed, visibly relieved.

Then, she tried to get up.

Rudy quickly tried to stop her.

"Don't stand up yet. You need to rest."

Ignoring him, Astina made another attempt to rise.

"I'll rest in my room."

Rudy pressed his finger against her forehead, pushing her back down gently.

"What are you doing?"

Astina asked, startled.

"If you go back to your room, you'll go back to work tomorrow, won't you?"

Rudy reasoned.

Astina didn't have a rebuttal.

"Just stay in the hospital for a week or two. I'll talk to the hospital."

"What? No way."

"Yes way."

Rudy insisted firmly.

His stern expression softened into a smile.

"Don't worry about the student council. I'll help out."

"But... there are things... I need to do..."

"I'll bring anything you really need to do. I'll handle the small stuff. I've been helping you all this time, so I know a thing or two," Rudy assured her.

Astina smiled wryly.

"Thank you, Rudy."

She was grateful to Rudy, but also felt a pang of guilt.

Astina looked at Rudy and confessed, "I told you not to shy away from responsibility, and look at me now..."

She'd been the one to advise Rudy about responsibility, yet she hadn't managed to take care of her own health.

It was embarrassing.

Rudy offered a slight smile.

"I admire you, Astina."

"Eh?"

Astina looked puzzled.

"Even when I'm avoiding responsibility because I'm scared, you always step up. Isn't that true, Astina?"

"But what's the point... I've ended up collapsing because I couldn't look after myself."

"Doesn't that just show how dedicated you are?"

Astina chuckled lightly at Rudy's comment.

She felt a warm sensation in her heart.

Someone acknowledged and appreciated her efforts, and it made her feel proud.

Astina always tackled challenges with full effort, but this also meant she never took it easy even with minor tasks.

She was always ready to face problems head-on, believing it was the right thing to do.

But it was because of this belief that today's incident happened.

But she realized that it was okay to take things easy sometimes.

Then Rudy said he admired her.

His words wrapped around her heart, acting as a soothing balm.

Much-needed words.

Words she longed to hear.

Words that warmed her.

"No one tried to stop you before you collapsed?"

Rudy asked.

"A lot of people did try. But I was too stubborn to listen."

Rudy fell silent.

Yes, many had tried to caution Astina, but she had stubbornly persisted.

"You should start listening to those around you. They're all just worried about you, Astina."

Astina gave a small smile at Rudy's words.

"Alright, Rudy. If you see me pushing too hard, you'll be the one to stop me."

She had more to say, but she swallowed the words.

Now wasn't the right time.

Rudy picked up his bag from the floor.

"I should get going. I don't want to keep you from your rest."

"Eh?"

Astina had reflexively grabbed his sleeve as he turned to leave.

"Ah..."

She too seemed surprised by her own action.

It was as if her body had reacted before her mind could process what was happening.

Astina looked at Rudy, her face flushed.

"Can you... stay a little longer?"

Rudy blinked, looking surprised at her words.

"I just... I just want to talk. I haven't had a proper conversation in a while. I've been so busy with paperwork..."

At her words, Rudy grinned and sat back down.

"Alright, I'll stay a bit longer. But just an hour. After that, you need to get some sleep."

Astina smiled, grateful.

"Thank you."

While the two were chatting, someone was eavesdropping outside the infirmary door.

"Hmm..."

Rie was listening to Rudy and Astina's conversation, a strange look on her face.

She had come to visit the sick Astina, but when she saw that she was busy, she decided to wait.

But as she listened, she couldn't help but feel something twist in her chest.

Something akin to jealousy.

At the mansion of the Fred family, a man sat in the office, laughing to himself.

"Haha..."

He was large in size, with a shiny, oily face that wasn't exactly pleasant to look at.

"Very good..."

The man was the head of the Fred family, Anton's father.

He was seated in a chair, reading a letter.

Although the chair was not small, it looked quite the opposite with him sitting in it.

If Anton could be likened to a small pig, then the head of the Fred family was a colossal pig.

"The Railer family..."

After hearing Anton's story from the butler, the head of the Fred family had immediately sent people to the Railer territory.

Naturally, they had done this covertly, under the guise of being travelers, without making their intentions known to the Railer family.

What they found was intriguing.

Levian had been to the Railer family's territory.

Upon showing the locals a portrait of Levian, there were a few who recognized him.

"Who would have thought he'd hide in such a remote place..."

The Railer family had a relatively small and insignificant territory located at the fringes of the empire.

The head of the Fred family was hearing about this family for the first time.

He hadn't expected Levian to seek refuge in such a disconnected place.

More interestingly, the locals also mentioned that Levian had supposedly died some time ago.

The head of the Fred family recalled Anton's message.

The story about the Railer family's daughter possessing a mysterious spellbook.

A spellbook that bore a resemblance to Levian's.

It wasn't something that could be dismissed lightly.

"I need to make a plan."

The head of the Fred family chuckled ominously and rang a small bell.

Shortly thereafter, a maid entered the office.

"Did you call for me?"

"Yes."

The head of the Fred family held out a letter.

"Deliver this to Oliver..."

And he selected another from the stack.

"And this one to the Astria family."

The recipient of the second letter was none other than Ian, Rudy's older brother.