However, after the smoke incident, she, who woke up after a week-long sleep, became a slave to sleep. She spent more than half of her day sleeping, dozing off while reading a book, and even succumbing to drowsiness during meals. The situation with her sleep became severe.

‘Something is definitely wrong with my body.’

Although there was no specific pain, she was like a sick chicken that kept nodding off. It was evident, and she became more anxious because there was no specific symptom. A disease without any symptoms was scarier.

‘What if it’s a serious illness?’

Terrified, Irene, who kept dozing off like a sick chicken, was certain of it. Without any specific symptoms, the fear of an invisible illness was even more frightening.

What if it’s a serious illness? Overwhelmed with fear, Irene asked Jessi to call a doctor.
Upon hearing this, Jessi asked with concern, “Where does it hurt, Miss?”

“It’s not a specific pain, but I have something I want to ask,” replied Irene.

Although it seemed like she might be sick, Irene didn’t confirm anything yet.

Jessi immediately brought a doctor. Originally, there was no physician in Esper Castle, but one had been residing there since Irene fell seriously ill.

The doctor asked with a somewhat anxious expression, “Do you have any specific areas where you feel pain, Miss?”

Irene, standing behind the doctor and observing Jessi, cautiously said, “It seems like I might have a serious illness.”

The doctor’s eyes widened, and Jessi had a similar reaction.

“A serious illness?”

“Recently…”

Starting from the extended sleep duration, Irene listed everything that seemed odd, such as nodding off even while eating.

After hearing all the details, the doctor, with a curious expression, shook his head as if amused.

“Why is that?”

“It seems like there’s nothing wrong with you at all, Miss.”

“Then why suddenly increased sleep?”

“It might be due to the fatigue from a recent traumatic experience. I’ll prescribe some medicine to help you recover your strength. If your condition doesn’t improve, it might be advisable to undergo a detailed examination then.”

The doctor added, “Receiving blessings from high-ranking priests is also a good method. Typically, it’s challenging to meet high-ranking priests, but if it’s a summons from His Highness, they will come immediately.”

“…”

Irene also knew very well that receiving a high-ranking priest’s blessing was considered good, to the extent that it was said to revive even someone dying. However, the reluctance likely stemmed from the memories of almost being killed by priests in the past.

Just hearing the word “priest” made her stomach churn, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Irene forced a smile, clenching her fingertips inwardly.

“For now, let’s try to regain strength. If there’s no improvement, I’ll consider it then.”

It was an empty promise. Even if such a situation arose, she had no intention of seeking help from priests.

Absolutely not.

After the doctor left, Irene took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. Although they couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause of the sudden increase in sleep, and no significant problem had been found, her anxious feelings had somewhat eased.

“There’s probably nothing wrong, so don’t worry too much, Miss,” Jessi reassured her, and Irene, feeling even more relieved with Jessi saying that, smiled awkwardly.

“I feel a bit embarrassed for making a fuss over nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Since you started sleeping a lot suddenly, it’s natural to be worried.”

Jessi added with a smile, “Animals often hibernate in winter to survive the cold. Maybe it’s something like that for you?”

“I’m not an animal.”

“Technically, humans are a type of animal too.”
Jessi draped a white, soft fur over Irene’s shoulders. Due to the recent drastic drop in temperature, Irene had been wearing fur even while inside her room.

“Now you look like a snow rabbit,” Jessi said in a joking manner, making Irene blush slightly in embarrassment. Enchanted by her adorable appearance, Jessi let out a small laugh.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I plan to read a book.”

“A magic book?”

“Yes.”

Though Zerdin had returned to Hwang-gung, making it impossible for Irene to continue magical lessons, she still wanted to study magic. She continued reading basic magical texts as there was little else to do.

“I’ll go out now, so if you need anything, just call me. Especially if you plan to go out, you must call me without fail.”

The intention to monitor her closely was evident in Jessi’s words, written as if she chewed on a herb.

‘Should I say I have no intention of escaping?’

Irene considered it briefly but refrained. Though her determination to escape had faded compared to before, it hadn’t completely disappeared. It was more of a belief that Callos wouldn’t mistreat her now, but if that confidence wavered, her thoughts might change.

Moreover, she doubted if they would believe her just because she said so. It would be fortunate if they didn’t misunderstand her intentions, thinking she was setting up an escape plan after making them complacent.

After Jessi left, Irene, left alone, unfolded the basic magic book. Unlike before when she could hardly understand the words in the book, thanks to what she had learned from Zerdin, she could now grasp some of it. The problem was that her understanding was limited to the early sections. As more unfamiliar terms appeared, especially in the most vulnerable subject of mathematics, her concentration wavered.

“Ugh.”

To make matters worse, drowsiness poured in, and her eyelids kept descending.

It felt like she had just woken up from a nap, yet drowsiness was overwhelming her. Irene tried to resist the sleepiness, rubbing her tired eyes. However, her heavy eyelids wouldn’t budge.

Eventually, as the consciousness overwhelmed by drowsiness faded away, her eyelids completely closed.

When the book she was holding dropped with a thud, shadows shimmered around her.

Kallos, who had been inspecting how the territory had recovered with Dewey, stopped when he sensed a dull sound coming from Irene’s shadow.