How To Ruin The Original Work (16 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 171

Nigel had thought she could hold out for three or four weeks, but time was not on her side.

Ever since realizing she was in the terminal stage of mana poisoning, her symptoms—worsening by the day—now intensified every half-day, every hour, even every ten minutes.

The burning, suffocating headaches had become routine, and her limbs felt as heavy as stones; without her teleportation stone, she would have long since given up commuting to school.

Not wanting to worry anyone unnecessarily, Nigel had told Allen, Noah, and everyone else around her that it was merely a common cold, never revealing the true nature of her condition.

Yet she couldn’t hide the secret from Ruth. Having resonated with her contractor’s unstable, surging mana, Ruth had grown increasingly listless, and whenever her eyes met Nigel’s, she would murmur, “Live a long, long life,” before burying herself in Nigel’s arms.

On days when she had swordsmanship classes requiring vigorous movement, she felt slightly relieved—at least she got to interact frequently with her training partner, Noah.

Whenever her skin brushed against Noah’s through their training uniforms, the searing pain coursing through her body would briefly subside. Though Noah always wore a troubled expression, he never once pushed Nigel away, clearly welcoming her touch.

But despite her best efforts to appear fine, her body had surpassed its limits and began betraying her. Her skin turned unnaturally pale and bluish, dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her movements lost all agility, becoming as sluggish as waterlogged cotton.

“She’s definitely faking illness just to get Vessalion’s attention… Ah.”

“What did you just say?”

Nigel, enduring a headache while reading, barely managed to turn her head and lock eyes with the student.

“Uh… Nothing. Just… take care of yourself and stay strong.”

Seeing Nigel’s bloodless lips, the student gave an awkward smile and quickly left.

“There really are so many strange people around, aren’t there?”

“Tell me about it.”

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