NYM 4

Chapter: 4

Judging by the slight furrow of his brow, it seemed he was checking the flow of mana. He wasn’t a mage, but Sebtina could tell—she’d seen Dante do this several times before.

The unconscious mind was truly frightening.

She had sworn to herself that she would no longer pay him any attention, and yet she still noticed his every movement instantly.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything abnormal.”

“…That’s a relief.”

Sebtina answered curtly. She didn’t want to exchange words with him, and there was nothing more to say anyway.

“Then I’ll ask you a few final questions. This is to check whether there are any issues with your thinking or speech.”

Oh—this was new.

Priests and doctors had focused only on her physical condition. At most, they asked things like ‘Are you feeling all right?’—but checking whether there were problems with her thoughts or speech was different.

Dante took a notebook and pen out of the bag he’d brought. As he sat down on a chair near the bed, there was an inexplicable sense of solemn resolve about him.

“Do you have any memories from before you woke up?”

She had memories as July Reeve, but as Sebtina, there was nothing she could say. And it wasn’t as if she could bring that up anyway.

Saying she remembered something would have been stranger.

Sebtina shook her head firmly.

“No, I don’t.”

“Even something very simple would do.”

Dante pressed her again.

“Nothing at all?”

“No. There’s nothing.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try tracing your memories carefully. Think about it cautiously. It could certainly be helpful—”

Dante’s face, as he continued talking, looked anxious. Sebtina was more than a little surprised by the sight of him frowning and growing impatient.

She had woken up safely. There shouldn’t be anything she was needed for…

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Sebtina finally asked.

“…Helpful for what, exactly?”

“It could become reference material for others who have similar symptoms.”

Strangely enough, hearing that made her think of July Reeve first.

Get a grip. This is Dante O’Drian.

He was a man who didn’t care whether she was sick or not, and who went about his own business even when she was unwell.

There was no way this was because of July.

And yet, she grew curious. If not for July Reeve, then for whom?

“Who is it for?”

“Oh, I thought I was the one asking the questions.”

Dante smoothly changed the subject.

“You’ve only just woken up, so you may still be confused, and your memories may not be intact yet.”

“I want to know who it’s for.”

She had no reason to play along with Dante. Sebtina asked him outright. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly—an expression she’d seen many times before, whenever she displeased him.

In other words, he was irritated.

The old July would have apologized immediately or tried to placate him. She’d wanted to maintain a good relationship with Dante. But things were different now.

Whatever. Let it go however it goes.

Sebtina asked again, shamelessly.

“It feels like there’s something behind these questions you’re asking me. If my memories are going to be used for something, you should at least tell me that much.”

“For someone who’s supposedly been in a coma since birth, you speak remarkably well.”

He struck a sharp blow. But strangely, the knife-edged tone relaxed her instead. He sounded exactly like the Dante who used to deal with July, which made him easier to face.

This was a question she had expected. If anything, she was almost disappointed it hadn’t come sooner. Sebtina answered confidently.

“That’s because the knowledge a mage implanted in me was absorbed as-is.”

Whether that knowledge had truly been absorbed properly was uncertain. Still, Sebtina used it as an excuse. The count and countess, Cordelia, the doctor, and the priest all believed her.

Her case was unprecedented—so such a thing was considered possible.

“If I had a reason to remember, I think I could try harder.”

Not that she had anything to remember anyway. Seeing what Dante wanted, it was easy to respond accordingly.

“…It’s for July Reeve.”

“…What?”

The reason he was asking about her memories—because of July Reeve?

“Miss July, the second daughter of the Reeve family, has been in a coma for the past year. She’s in a situation similar to yours, Sebtina, so I’m gathering information that might be helpful to her.”

Her mind went blank.

“…Why?”

The words slipped out before she could stop herself. She truly couldn’t understand. Whether July Reeve was asleep or not, she was now useless.

The successor of water had already been decided.

July Reeve had neither family backing nor power.

Did he swallow poison or get brainwashed or something?

But the Dante standing before her looked exactly the same as the man she knew.

Dante’s expression hardened.

“Do I really need to explain that as well? Lady Sebtina. I’ve been observing proper manners, but even I have my limits. Let’s end this here.”

He cut off the conversation, but he didn’t correct the question she had asked.

At that moment, Sebtina realized something.

…Good heavens.

That Dante O’Drian—

He really was gathering information for July Reeve.

It was ridiculous. July Reeve had become Sebtina Xeros.

And yet here he was, struggling to wake July Reeve—right in front of the person herself.

Still, it was true that Sebtina’s behavior must have been confusing. She acknowledged that readily. Because she was Sebtina now.

“I’m sorry. I’d heard about Miss July Reeve, but I didn’t know what kind of relationship she had with you, Sir Dante O’Drian, so I was curious.”

“I’ve given you my answer, so now you’ll need to give me the answer I want as well. If anything comes to mind, could you tell me immediately?”

Dante waved his hand dismissively, as though her apology meant nothing to him. The polite, courteous man from when he’d first entered the room was gone. Only the Dante O’Drian she knew from her days as July remained.

“If you feel you owe me anything, surely you can do at least this much.”

He spoke quietly. It felt like unspoken pressure. The more time passed, the more he resembled the Dante July had known.

…No way. Was he being gentle just to ask this?

The absurd thought kept popping into her head. Sebtina shook it away. There was no way he’d go to such trouble just for July alone.

“So? Does anything come to mind?”

Sebtina pretended to clutch her head. It was to show sincerity in response to his serious question.

“Nothing.”

“I thought as much.”

…Then why ask at all? Sebtina narrowed her eyes.

“I’ll come back in a week. If you remember anything by then, please tell me.”

Deciding there was nothing more to gain from her now, Dante stood up. He snapped his notebook shut and packed his things into his bag. Before leaving, he met Sebtina’s gaze.

She stared back at him, dumbfounded.

“Then I wish you a good day.”

“…Yes.”

Sebtina sat on the bed, received his farewell, and blankly watched his retreating figure as he left the room.

…He’s coming again?

She knew he was someone who pursued what he wanted relentlessly. Dante spent most of his time in the study on research, and once he hit a roadblock, he clung to it for hours, even days.

But Sebtina had thought that persistence was limited to academia.

He was the man who wouldn’t even cast a single spell when she was sick, telling her to deal with it herself.

The man who hadn’t cared even after seeing the bruises Julia had left on her.

What on earth had happened over the past year?

If Dante O’Drian was acting like this, could Crown Prince Wyatt or Clazen have changed too?

…Probably not, but still.

It was a small doubt, but she wanted to confirm it.

She might even find out why they were asking about July.

Listening only to Cordelia wasn’t enough.

She needed to learn more—about the Reeve family, and about the heirs of the four elements.

I can’t trust people.

They might find it suspicious if she started digging into the matter.

So if she wanted to go herself, the most important thing was to recover her physical condition.

No matter how well Sebtina maintained herself, her body was inevitably weak after lying in bed for so long.

She had gained a goal as Sebtina.

To build enough stamina to move around outside.

It seemed she could accomplish that fairly soon. With a doctor, a priest, and even a mage examining her together, her strength was returning at a noticeable pace.

And every member of House Xeros treated her with utmost care.

What is Dante really thinking?

The image of Dante casually wishing her goodbye resurfaced in her mind. She couldn’t understand it at all.

But one thing was certain.

I won’t give Dante any information.

Not that she had any to give.

At the time, however, Sebtina didn’t know—

That Dante wasn’t the only one who had gone mad.

Only after the doctor, the priest, and the mage had all come and gone was Sebtina officially declared healthy.

The Xeros couple were delighted to hear the hopeful prognosis—that if she ate carefully, exercised, and rebuilt her strength, she could live a life no different from an ordinary person’s. Cordelia felt the same.

“…May I come in for a moment?”

The short leave Cordelia had taken to spend time with Sebtina had ended. She had to return to work as vice-captain of the knight order.

The day before she returned, Cordelia came to Sebtina’s room out of consideration for her.

Sebtina, who had been opening and closing her mouth hesitantly, finally spoke.

“Please come in.”