Several days passed, and the weekend arrived when Zeronin swore he would definitely find a solution.

Nigel’s condition had worsened to the point where just sitting upright in a chair was a feat.

“Nigel, why don’t you go to the dormitory and rest…? Everyone who’s run into you has told you to rest.”

“…More importantly, your ears are showing.”

Ruans, who had been peeking out to check on Nigel’s complexion, startled and curled up tightly, burrowing deep into his robe.

Ruans had become attuned to Nigel’s unstable emotions and magic flow, and eventually his slime transformation wore off. Where there were once smooth curves, pointed ears and a small pair of wings now took their place.

“Ah, there are no humans here!”

Realizing belatedly that this was inside a warehouse by the lake where not a single human footstep could be heard, Ruans burst out of the robe in a huff.

“Still, it was a good habit. If you don’t want to be dragged off by Professor Nubilus, you need to stay well hidden.”

Nigel smiled softly, with a touch of apology.

“T-that’s not the important thing! This Ruans can escape strange human hands anytime, but…! Why, why can’t your magic escape your body? It’s like a boiling pot of stew…”

Ruans blurted out in a voice thick with moisture.

“I’ve explained it before. Why is clever Ruans suddenly like this?”

“But…”

Ruans squirmed furiously inside the robe. Though he had heard Nigel’s explanation many times, it didn’t make sense to a dragon’s common sense.

In nature, magic is power. If magic accumulates and causes pain, one should simply use that magic freely to feel better, but Nigel insists on hiding it, saying he can’t reveal his magic.

If he showed that powerful and beautiful magic that even a great divine beast like himself was captivated by, surely the humans at the academy and the white-robed priests would all treat Nigel with reverence.

“It’s alright, Ruans. It will be resolved today.”

At the gentle tone clearly meant to soothe him, Ruans lowered his tail once again.

And forcibly changed his thinking. If everyone knew how great Nigel was, more humans would gather around him, and naturally, the time to have Nigel all to himself would decrease.

“…If that Zero human doesn’t come by dinnertime, I’ll burn down his house.”

As his heart wasn’t completely appeased, Ruans found a new target for venting his frustrations.

Haha, Nigel let out a clear laugh.

“Don’t laugh! Laughing makes your magic flow worse. Let’s use that big human’s body instead! As much as I hate to admit it, your magic flow stabilizes when he’s by your side.”

“That won’t do.”

“Why not!”

“Because I came here to avoid Noah.”

He feared that if he relied on Noah once, he wouldn’t be able to let go of those strong hands. Afraid he might not be able to give up on Noah.

“Then I have a good idea! I’ll briefly cut off that fellow’s consciousness…!”

Ruans, who had been speaking with sparkling eyes, trailed off as he met Nigel’s stern face.

“Jo… joking, it was a joke! Haha, ha…”

“I know you’re worried about me, Ruans. But I can really endure without Noah.”

A lie.

Ruans’ face darkened.

Though there was no need or desire to know the state of a human body that crumbles easily like soft pudding compared to a divine beast, Nigel was an exception as a contractor.

Even without wanting to know, Ruans naturally wished for the happiness and health of his contractor, as he was affected by the contractor’s magic and emotions.

And now Nigel’s body had become dull and weak, leaving him breathless just from walking here with his book bag. Normally, he would have already skimmed through the books he brought, but for an hour now, he had been clutching the same book, wracking his brain.

Even when speaking to Ruans, there was an unsightly line deeply etched between his eyebrows. The fragile human body had finally reached its limit trying to handle the magic.

Unable to bear Nigel’s anxiously pounding heart and magic that surged wildly like angry waves even while sitting still, Ruans finally disobeyed Nigel’s orders and opened the warehouse door.

“Nigel, wait here quietly. I’ll bring someone who can help you.”

The sounds of humans searching for Nigel around the academy had been bothering his ears.

As soon as Ruans left the warehouse, Nigel’s body collapsed to the floor.

The proper posture he had maintained to the end, the heavy pile of books and assignments were just a deception to not worry Ruans; nothing was registering in his head.

He had reached his limit now.

Through his blurry vision from the heat, Nigel stared at the two rings on his left ring finger.

Above the ring Zeronin had given him was the diamond ring Noah had put on.

Right now, he wanted to throw off both rings and use his magic recklessly to escape the pain, but the feelings contained in those rings interfered with Nigel’s choice.

“I brought it just in case… Good thing I did.”

Nigel rummaged through his robe and pulled out a tiny bottle of sleeping pills the size of a pinky nail.

As he drank the liquid in that bottle, Nigel slowly closed his eyes.

Hoping that when he woke up, this pain would be over, that he hadn’t used his magic recklessly while asleep and harmed everyone.

Ruans fluttered his small wings and approached Allen and Noah directly.

“Ruans? Why is your body…”

“Ruans, did something happen to Nigel?”

As Ruans’ small face nodded slowly up and down, the two exchanged glances.

“Please guide us to where Nigel is quickly.”

“…Can you save him?”

“Yes.”

At Noah’s unwavering answer, Ruans twitched slightly before quickly starting to fly.

The place Ruans stopped was in front of a warehouse by the lake.

“This is a place we wouldn’t have been able to find easily.”

Allen muttered softly as he opened the warehouse door with trembling hands.

“Nige…”

The moment Allen’s words were cut off upon discovering Nigel collapsed in the corner of the warehouse, Noah entered in the blink of an eye and carefully lifted Nigel into his arms.

“Is Nigel alright?”

Ruans, who had suddenly perched on Noah’s shoulder, opened his eyes slightly and examined Nigel.

Allen, who had entered the warehouse a step late, looked around and picked up an empty bottle that had rolled on the floor.

“This is… sleeping pills.”

At those words, a low sigh of relief spread through the warehouse.

“Allen, how is Nigel’s magic flow?”

At Noah’s words, Allen closed his eyes and then opened them again in shock.

“Very… very unstable.”

“Hurry, do something!”

Ruans fluttered anxiously, flying quickly around Nigel.

“Alright. Noah, that.”

Noah nodded with a grim face and carefully placed Nigel on the hay. Then he took out Reparo from his pocket.

Ruans’ wings, which had been flapping hard at the sight of the familiar golden liquid, suddenly stopped moving.

“Don’t tell me you…”

Before Ruans could finish speaking, the lid of the Reparo opened, and the golden liquid flowed into Nigel’s mouth.

“Should I use mine too?”

“No, let’s observe the progress and use it if needed.”

“I’m glad we understood Nigel’s message in time.”

“Indeed.”

The tension eased, and the two finally showed smiles.

“Ruans, Nigel will be completely better after getting a good sleep. So you should rest too.”

Allen, whose legs had given out and sat on the floor, patted the space next to him.

“W-what in the world are you…”

Ruans, floating in the air, gritted his teeth and muttered softly.

“Huh? Ruans, what did you just say? Ah, you don’t need to thank us.”

“I said, what kind of stupid thing is this!”

“What? Ruans, what on earth are you…”

Allen, who had jumped up to get angry, sensed something strange in Ruans’ flustered reaction. He trailed off and quickly closed his eyes to concentrate on the magic flow.

Tension returned to Noah’s face as he held Nigel’s hand.

“…This can’t be.”

“Rich human, now you realize! Pouring your own magic into someone dying from magic overflow!”

“Ruans, Allen. What is this situation? And what do you mean by ‘own magic’…?”

No one answered Noah’s questions. Allen was just blinking in a daze, while Ruans glared with moist eyes that looked ready to spill tears at any moment.

“I’ve gone mad. I, the great one, should have found the solution myself… I let my guard down because they were humans my contractor Nigel cared about.”

After finishing his words, Ruans wriggled and glared at the two rings on Nigel’s finger.

He hated the rings that prevented Nigel from releasing his magic, the rings that made Nigel hesitate.

No, he hated himself most for venting his anger unnecessarily at the two. He could have prevented this situation with just one word about magic addiction, but his clouded mind couldn’t speak.

“You foolish humans, it’s not magic deficiency but magic addiction. It’s over now. Nigel won’t wake up.”

Ruans said, tears falling steadily.

Despair filled Noah’s eyes as he learned the secret last.

That’s when it happened.

Creeak, the warehouse door opened and a man with dark blue hair carrying a large bag entered, ducking his head.

Zeronin, scanning the warehouse with narrow eyes, burst into laughter.

“I told you to wait quietly, but you couldn’t wait and took sleeping pills, fed Reparo to someone with magic addiction, and the divine beast is getting angry at this… What a spectacle.”