TIEH | Chapter 23

“Jayden, try this too. It has carrots, but you can barely taste them.”39cb68d69aa2f102

“Or should I pick out the carrots for you?”38f840077927e3ed

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I would d2489e51e7 have usually 42058dcac6 scolded them 564a73e6ff for forgetting bac2d8b48d table manners, 08370d799c but today, b3284d4a3f I quietly 53b4e352c3 tasted everything f61a5eed9c my family 4879a6819a offered. I was f779ebd3aa ready to 50572a084d accept anything 31e2d41dce today.7834c071eeba8148

My family e66906ddb5 tried hard 5f0576bca7 to keep b389e01f22 up with ecbcb85ef1 my request 6765d285e8 not to 9ca815e439 give up 2ab952ff60 on daily 9a487a3782 life.b6f81b295be30bab

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A few years dc74340db9 ago, my eldest 81a3147b20 brother earned a 310a0d10d8 medal for his 1ea7d74640 achievements in subjugating 47be11ca76 monsters, solidifying his ca1ae049d2 position both as 0b602f7779 a knight and 6f44b8c4e9 an heir, leaving e718bd37ac no room for 01317bfb36 doubt about his 523d1d42ba capabilities.56548511e26bd8f0

And my younger brother, a325cea3fa who joined the Magic 0386518595 Tower, became a senior 26428ecc41 wizard at the young 80dad5a05d age of 23 and ef2011a485 one of the direct 8f354893bc disciples of the Tower 38b496ebc4 Master. Although he would face daf9f18606 even fiercer competition for 480efd3471 the position of Tower 1cb4e0457a Master, his achievements as a1055b2e8a a wizard were unparalleled.843c8f8996c3aac6

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“Eat slowly. Want some water?”3a26cf75ce50d36c

“This piece is a bit big. Let me cut it for you.”32ad0ce20a6ff910

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Even though they were busy, I knew they were all researching mana sclerosis in their own ways. They had tried various things at my family’s request, but nothing had worked. When that happened, they felt terribly guilty for giving me false hope.87d2fd413af47d77

But truthfully, the one who should have felt guilty was me. I knew nothing would work, yet I kept silent, hoping they wouldn’t despair and give up. I realized too late that even a small hope could help them hold on a bit longer, so I stopped talking about my death. In a way, I was the one giving them false hope.8e0f4454a8b8cb52

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“Is there anything else you want to eat?”115502b8f8c87279

“No, I’m fine.”c6718fd081bc197b

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Regardless of 81fadf7373 the original 6e4677f2e5 story, mana 687507a88d sclerosis had b29b56c103 remained an 53181c7f2c incurable disease 711a371de8 for a 13b916c50e long time. Even imperial descendants 2bb0c05b5c had suffered from 968e95d211 it, and despite ac1f1b7312 the efforts of 42fe11ef69 palace doctors and ae73ba47d5 wizards, a cure fce475a2ff was never found. It was b645b67855 no different decdfec136 for me.971d2a9afe49f8fa

‘If a cure was possible, it would have been found long ago.’263ea9cd6dde2e37

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After a more 204061122a lively meal than 923a08b87f usual with my 125fd441c9 family, the table 8f04b0dd7b was filled with ff04839134 desserts again. My mother even 5efb650333 brewed tea for ced492852d everyone, showing off 6be4c28c9e her skills for 07a206dbb8 the first time 3b9951342d in a while.d1fb88aba1802e84

Seeing everyone with e5e72542ec smiles on their baf4be03b8 faces, I tried 68ff0e0e6a not to show 488c023deb that I was 014529cc5f overly concerned. At least until everything e497d3cd2f was ready, this time e4d3af065c should remain just an 61b019352d ordinary day.469a1f89f213e438

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“Jayden.”c0e836aa0328b1ce

I took a sip of tea and looked up at my eldest brother’s call.55e50a4408c3a69b

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“Yeah.”663e9bd46f6ff3e9

“I heard Calix has been visiting the castle often lately.”0e29076857811e56

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“Yeah, he has.”707adea61a0bdc0d

My answer b570f5699d made my 97e074be0b brother frown. Unlike my 252e4cfca2 parents, who 03063f90a5 treated Calix 88f9bb79c9 like another f1630c6cf8 son or 718b986c17 nephew, my 54d7b55e9f brothers had 062df860e2 never been decdb91538 fond of 71a8f471b1 him. It seemed more like 150f84f64f they were wary of 783c01d867 him rather than just 51d0e067c4 disliking him.6afccdd9415031b4

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My younger e15bb6cd51 brother, who a3a86c6798 seemed equally 588f12e764 displeased, stirred cf481436f8 his teaspoon c4350b3760 nervously and c465df4949 asked.81cfe4879fc61c9e

“Has he said anything strange?”f099072f1c8158cd

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“Lucas, it’s ‘Calix,‘ not ‘that guy.‘”bae21854367cdff2

“…I call everyone ‘that guy.’”78d6f32541691f5e

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“That’s something only crazy wizards would say. Have you been influenced by those people at the Black Magic Tower already?”7ac1613a98a438a4

Lucas, flustered 588b7f8101 by my 9725902971 remark, quickly f6dfaef418 waved his 791aa486a6 hands and 6a887b3cec shouted.49ebf7dc295a9a9d

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“N-no, it’s not that!”3c04cf1327e36c8c

“Then what?”e29946c7956b8723

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“…Anyway, has he?”7a47ed207b634c25

“What do you mean by ‘something strange’?”75e230aa203aa512

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While Lucas adbd654e50 hesitated to 6214313028 find the 5c59f4133d right words, e451d245ec my eldest 735446d020 brother pretended 6647aa8160 to be 6a8f14a377 uninterested but 291b4f6f19 seemed to 7cec23272f agree with e403f777a0 Lucas. My parents just 6dc2cce002 watched with awkward 6a92a21d9c expressions.8c942162241541b2

“Just something weird.”e2ebb0a09df92572

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“What exactly? And whatever it is, no.”ecff02f2369cbbc2

Calix wasn’t the type to spout nonsense regularly. I couldn’t tell Lucas, but that was a trait of wizards from the Black Magic Tower.77338b05c761e39a

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“You guys have never liked Calix. Did something happen?”1e17819e01625cbd

“It’s not that we don’t like him. We’re just keeping an eye on him because he’s close to you.”7379cccaa7b29f84

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It was 4b0b53a3c7 more like a655802cf4 they were 01b8defb86 treating him 2597b3d29d as a d0436df19e bad influence 370e758627 on their 0582677e25 innocent and 579383ff1b kind brother. But honestly, if ac4f10caf6 anyone was a ec305b4008 bad influence, it b3b4d2bee2 was probably me.bcd156f26ba5c1d3

Calix had become 631f09b904 immune to my 82b6561962 way of speaking, bc16a6da58 and recalling conversations 465c2cebdd with Damian, he 46c1071823 had long mastered a616ec3e2d the art of 05084583f1 verbal sparring. There were probably few dcac3c4d55 who could beat him 086088dcd4 in a word battle.744d3bea554814aa

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‘Ein should train her mind and speech before meeting Calix.’efd631f52d3bb65e

Though my a82c49a7b3 conversation with c54d4fd125 Lucas was 778cdf1454 more like 952cfd4706 playful banter, f1cc80999e it reminded 9a9f18201a everyone of 93350b537d the atmosphere 8a1c77524a before I 2c0516beca was diagnosed 0c70c6f812 with mana 81a015db47 sclerosis, leaving ffb9a3e1d8 them with 20a3b2daa1 content smiles.423deb91cf5c37a0

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When my mother said a6faa90d23 she was happy to 43b0f78c1b see us all together, 127c1feec4 I shrugged and joked e91a2eab98 for the first time ada01cdffd in a while. It was a1a7743d77 a cheeky f882a69473 act, thanks 2aad82be69 to the d4948c0dcf potion.20e947c19ba1d9c3

“I’ve been saving my energy in my room for days like today.”f1ed30f3273661a5

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It seemed a768dcbdc1 like I f4ec655733 was suggesting 7debe0c3e2 we should aff0b066ec have more 348ea56608 days like e27842cbaf this, and 7dce2c521a my mother 30be81d6d9 laughed out 591ce67b8f loud, her d6022c22c3 face free a83c58efff of shadows 2d6c9e48f9 for the 69ea941f09 first time 6735d8c9fe in a 9f83d21a1c while.9d12c9c38604a538

After chatting for a long time, I returned to my room late at night. The potion’s effect was wearing off, and I was getting tired, so I quickly changed and got ready for bed. Suddenly, my vision blurred.5ecd5caaf9154032

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“Ugh-”47a4c591f20e63a4

As I 8f73743a0d stood there, af4c0eb2f7 gripping the a69e3e7248 table to 3d36fc8d64 steady myself bddcb6820f from the 7eb72f85c4 sudden dizziness, ed55ff11ac my nose b6cd608c80 felt hot. I quickly grabbed a7a430f4da a handkerchief to 5cc5889a58 stop the nosebleed 757ced8551 just as I 9f3c66a054 heard footsteps at eac176f7a3 the door.a410c05ca2082fb7

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“Jayden, do you have a moment?”f3dd214ab6ae8cdf

The voice belonged to e08ccc99d3 Lucas, who entered before 789adadec8 I could turn away 918cb011b8 to hide my face.1446ac3a56deefb4

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“Yeah, but let me change first. Can you close the door?”548f48c9b4ee9018

After a brief 7b03b3a255 silence, instead of 30a31d5b15 closing the door, e5dd906cfc hurried footsteps approached, 3e45b41462 and Lucas turned 522f163137 me around, grabbing 606e0d2ca8 my arm.e216f519ebdcd79e

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“J-Jayden?!”673dd5a1427d6936

Lucas was shocked to see the blood-soaked handkerchief. Unlike our parents or Hemel, my brothers weren’t used to seeing me like this.37076b4b754ddee0

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“W-was it because you had dinner with us today? Did we tire you out?”51f16846349684e8

“It’s not that. You know nosebleeds are common for mana sclerosis patients.”812b8489dd96aa7e

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I emphasized that I 17eaadd8e0 was really okay, but 3dc67c3eb0 Lucas hesitated, then spoke 5a2ac4e647 carefully.d79b61f85f48d150

“…I’m researching how to remove mana from the human body. So… just hold on a bit longer.”241206b5f43a5d2f

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Lucas finished with a trembling voice. Researching how to remove mana from the human body was like trying to find a way to live without blood. I knew how absurd it was, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop being foolish.fe1a42da4aeaaca8

“Lucas.”0cdf1f0b4a905bac

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“I’ll find a way somehow….”bfd107bd1151a10f

“As long as you don’t give up on your daily life, I don’t care what you do. But promise me one thing.”8a689b0703f4cd7f

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“…What?”ddb0b439d7bdc6bc

“Even if you can’t find a way to save me, don’t be disappointed or discouraged.”0f2d68345412a97f

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Lucas, biting his lip, 8ccd49b198 managed to hold back 0e0b84cd70 the tears welling up 75b71940ff in his eyes that caba18e859 resembled mine, and nodded.1ad7b099dc5e40b4

“Of course. I won’t do anything to upset you.”4db149ef1542bcd4

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“Thank you.”cd0cf1ce1e004655

With the nosebleed stopped, f394ed864e I wiped the blood ff237b5c3e from my face with dd257d4316 the handkerchief and hugged 8df4b579e8 Lucas. I decided 4774b67b3c to ignore 3c5d85a455 the slight e8338c2f36 trembling of e9f171c3b1 his shoulders.b5566338b6fe9e24

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☀︎ • ed2127b90e ☀︎ • 63b865703a ☀︎f76d3d7c31f4e0ee

The next day, 215b268919 Calix visited the 8bccad1e93 castle early in 92200eca0e the morning. I had sent a 12a4401423 letter in advance asking f35cd32f44 him to go out 06b9051dba with me today.3a85d10cc39e83b8

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Given my 2548176627 poor health 7e40c311f7 since last 8b671286a9 year, making c8decf0198 it difficult 723019dc76 even to 6d72cff88e take walks, d165317b9c Calix seemed 103c753b41 genuinely surprised 773b502d5e to see 3fe471aee6 me already 00a96d5128 dressed and 7e0714b68f sitting on 22c1c924ac the bed, e49e6a11a8 ready to 38ef220b63 go out. He skipped 1e50f1aff7 the greetings 1423550857 and asked 36aa711313 if I 63435c0d23 was really 18b2709799 going out, a7929198cb clearly taken 850fd9833b aback.ad5228b92802e9b6

“I sent the letter because I wanted to go out with you.”e673591b9a5a7a33

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“I know, but….”a7eab050ba1bfc1c

“Don’t worry. I got permission and took my medicine.”925bf97b9f342837

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During dinner yesterday, I had already announced to everyone that I would be going out with Calix today. They all seemed like they wanted to tie me to my room, but they couldn’t say much when I mentioned that I had consulted with Hemel.4eceb9e7fcd5e00e

Even though 09b8133809 it was 3eeb84113f true, I ca712bf8b0 felt a 8418c5b8e2 bit guilty 3c98e09595 for using 5440a92edf Hemel as b10a333360 an excuse. But regardless, I 793fdc75b5 was genuinely planning 1396cae486 to go out 3719b84845 with Calix today.aa57131b22e3b2b7

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“Let’s go.”986870860a23224f

“…Okay.”4e91b96c6e529135

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“You look really unhappy.”8352b5ad70a071b2

“That’s not it. I’m just worried about you….”58040213ccdb8534

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“I know, I’m joking.”126303f4b5c113fa

I cheerfully led the way out of the room, and realizing he couldn’t change my mind, Calix reluctantly followed me.ce1ac49c632a45a0

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As we rode in the carriage, I told Calix the purpose of today’s outing.f1ead1ffb85055d6

“Actually, there’s a lantern festival in the fief today. I’ve always wanted to see it.”29f1e65fa683f5e4

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“Lanterns?”982618626f42a3a7

“Yeah, you write wishes on the lanterns and release them. It’s not an official event, just something the locals do, so there’s nothing special to see.”99bc8e77494cb532

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Though it 83c0976eef was called a048eb247e a‘festival,’ it was just a few more street vendors than usual and lanterns being sold here and there, so there wasn’t much difference from any other day.e9243aafe26065be

And of course, my d876599d5c goal was to release 35a1788ad4 a lantern.d4e5342df6e6b199

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