Click-clack, click-clack......
Inside the swaying carriage,
Hulim slowly opened her eyes.
“Where am I......”
“Hulim, you’re awake?”
Miko’s voice came from beside her.
“Miko? Right, I remember now...... We’re on our way back to Langard.”
Hulim recalled everything that had happened lately.
To find the swordsmanship her ancestor might have left behind, she had embarked on a journey to the south. By chance, she participated in the Royal Martial Arts Tournament and ultimately won the championship.
Afterward, she ventured into the Hekadiza Mountains alone. There, she met her ancestor in spirit form, who had entrusted her with the Demon Sword Helkem and a memory crystal containing the complete Heyerar Swordsmanship.
Thinking this, Hulim felt beside her—Helkem lay nearby, and the memory crystal was safely tucked in her bag.
Feeling slightly relieved, she remembered what happened next.
After receiving her ancestor’s inheritance, she had entered an ancient temple.
There, she encountered a pitch-black stone tablet and gained some kind of power—but that was when her troubles began......
Hulim raised her right hand, trying to cast the First-Tier Fire Spell: Ignition.
But before the magic could activate, a sharp headache struck.
Hulim had to stop.
“Hulim, what’s wrong?! Are your symptoms acting up again?!”
Seeing Hulim’s pained expression, Miko panicked.
“Wait here—I’ll get the healer right away!”
With that, Miko was about to rush out of the carriage.
“......Wait, Miko.”
Hulim stopped her.
“It’s nothing serious—no need to trouble them.”
“Huh? But you......”
“Don’t worry. As long as I don’t use magic, I’m fine. I just tried to cast a spell, that’s why it hurts. I’m okay now.”
“Really...... Then don’t try that again.”
“I won’t—I’ve learned my lesson......”
Seeing that Hulim truly seemed better, Miko relaxed a little and stayed in the carriage with her.
The test had left Hulim feeling helpless.
Yes, she had gained power from the temple, but her body had suffered severe consequences:
Constant headaches and fatigue, an inability to use any magic. Even the slightest attempt to channel mana would trigger splitting headaches, and in severe cases, she would bleed from all seven orifices.
Essentially,
she was now almost completely useless......
“Hulim, do you want to rest more?”
Noticing Hulim’s low mood, Miko asked concernedly.
As for how Hulim and Miko ended up in this carriage, it all began when she entered the Hekadiza Mountains.
Though Hulim had gone in alone, Miko and the White Cat Clan’s guards hadn’t left—they’d waited at the mountain’s outer perimeter.
When Hulim obtained the forbidden power, the curse that had shrouded the Hekadiza Mountains for over a decade dissipated.
The White Cat Clan quickly noticed this and dispatched numerous men to search the mountains.
They finally found Hulim on a mountain path, in an extremely poor state.
Unable to use magic, she had been forced to walk out of the mountains step by step. Fortunately, the curse had kept dangerous creatures away.
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The White Cat Clan brought Hulim back to Hatoru. After some recuperation, her condition showed no signs of improvement.
With no cure in sight, Hulim and Miko couldn’t stay in Hatoru forever.
In the end, they decided to return to Manacos.
Thus, escorted by the White Cat Clan’s carriage train, Hulim and Miko set off for Langard......
“No need, Miko. I’ve rested enough. No matter how much I rest, my condition won’t suddenly get better. I might as well stay awake and move around a bit.”
“I see...... I’m sorry, Hulim.”
“Why are you apologizing, Miko?”
“Because I couldn’t help you again. Here you are in this state, and I can only watch, unable to think of any way to help.”
“You...... Don’t worry so much. I just can’t use magic temporarily—not forever. And as long as I don’t channel mana, I can live normally.”
“But......”
Miko still looked worried.
“Alright, no more ‘buts.’ By the way, where are we now?”
“Hmm...... We’ve entered the Directly Governed Province. We should reach Langard in about half a day.”
“That fast...... I must have slept a lot this trip......”
As the carriage train advanced,
gradually,
a magnificent white giant city appeared on the horizon.
Hulim and Miko had arrived in Langard.
......
Manacos Magic Academy.
“Hulim Heyerar, your study report is approved.”
In the same dim, cluttered room,
Grisa—with her usual cold expression—flipped through Hulim’s report.
Closing it, Grisa glanced at Hulim with a strange look.
“You’re not doing well......”
Hulim: “......”
Is it that obvious......
“I’ll keep the report. If there’s nothing else, you may leave.”
“Thank you, Professor Grisa.”
Hulim bowed politely and prepared to leave.
“Also......”
Grisa suddenly spoke up,
“Since you’re unwell, don’t be so ‘active’ these days. I can approve medical leave if you need it.”
Hulim turned back to Grisa, who was organizing files with a blank expression.
“......”
“Thank you, Professor Grisa.”
Hulim bowed again and left.
......
Irus’s Magic Potion Shop.
“You...... really got yourself into a sorry state.”
This was Hulim’s first visit to Irus’s shop after returning to Langard, and she was immediately teased.
“It’s because......”
“Save it—I don’t need the details. Nothing you do surprises me anymore. Come on, be good and stretch out your right hand~.”
“？？？”
Confused, Hulim did as Irus asked and held out her right hand.
Irus gripped it tightly and closed her eyes.
Hulim felt a surge of mana sweep through her body.
A moment later, Irus opened her eyes again.
She stared intently at Hulim, her expression growing serious.
“It’s definitely an overload reaction! But that doesn’t make sense......”
“Normally, this kind of symptom only occurs after overusing powerful magic beyond your limits, and it shouldn’t last this long......”
Seeing Irus’s expression, Hulim felt a faint sense of unease.
“......Irus, is there something worse about this symptom?”
“Of course there is!”
Irus looked at her like she was being naive.
“Don’t tell me...... you think it’s just that you can’t use magic?”
