The sound of water came from the direction where there was a small artificial lake within the academy.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Philip ran, holding Liche in his arms. They arrived at the artificial lake in an instant.

Calm surface, waves quietly flowing in the night wind.

The scene didn’t suggest that anything had happened.

“Could it have been the sound of fish?”

A noise similar to that could have been made if a fish as large as a young child had jumped out of the water and returned.

Liche focused intently on the lake, so much so that she didn’t hear Philip’s voice.

Then she found it.

Under a small arch-shaped bridge, a black energy seemed to move as if it were alive.

“Philip, there! Someone’s fallen in!”

“What?!”

At Liche’s urgent voice, Philip took off his shirt and dove into the water.

A person? At this time of night?

‘It’s really there.’

Philip swam to the bridge and grabbed a boy who was sinking in the water.

The face with closed eyes as if asleep belonged to someone I knew.

‘Lord Gerwer?’

Why Ian was here, why Liche had said we should find Ian, none of it made sense.

Now wasn’t the time to question it.

Philip hoisted the unconscious Ian over his shoulder and surfaced. He walked out of the water as Liche had found a flat surface nearby and was waving her hand.

“Here! How’s Ian Dwain?”

“His heart’s not beating.”

“What?”

Philip hastily laid Ian on the ground and compressed his chest repeatedly with both hands.

“Lord Gerwer! Wake up!”

But Ian’s face had turned pale, and there was no sign of his breath returning. Liche yelled at Ian.

“Ian Dwain!”

“…”

“You can’t die!”

You can’t die like this.

“I wish you would live.”

Her words to the mirror were sincere. It wasn’t because of Hikenka’s bet. She wished her voice would reach him.

Ian was a lonely child.

In the prison-like place called a mansion where no one reached out a hand, Ian Dwain had lost hope and given up on everything.

Just like when she had been locked in the basement of the Gerwer mansion, collapsed.

‘You haven’t tried anything yet. You promised to see the world and meet precious people. Don’t die, Ian…!’

Liche grabbed Ian’s hand.

“Lord Gerwer, for God’s sake!”

Philip kept pressing and lifting on Ian’s chest, frustrated.

This isn’t working.

When one drowns and loses breath, surely,

‘Use your mouth…!’

You have to give breath.

The moment Philip brought his face over Ian’s,

“Cough.”

“Lord!”

Ian spat out water, and Liche quickly turned his head to the side.

Seeing him breathe again, Liche let out a sigh of relief and sat down. Her finger was torn, and a red drop of blood had formed.

‘That was close.’

She briefly used her power of purification.

The power of Ability users gathers in the heart, so she thought that if her purification reached there, it might start beating.

It was a gamble, but luckily it seemed to have worked. The pain that came after purification felt good for the first time.

Ian seemed to wake up for a moment, but then lost consciousness again.

“Is he alright now?”

“Yes. He’s breathing again, he’ll wake up as time passes.”

“You did good, Philip. Thanks to you, Ian Dwain is alive.”

Liche smiled brightly. Philip also sat down and lifted the corners of his lips.

“It’s not me. It’s thanks to you, miss, for finding the lord.”

Only then did Philip breathe a sigh of relief. He vigorously shook his dripping hair and asked Liche as he threaded his head through the shirt he had taken off.

“Miss, did you expect Lord Gerwer to have an accident?”

Liche shook her head.

Over the years, Liche realized that her acting gave her away in her tone of voice, so when she lied, she often substituted words with actions.
Philip was unaware, so he naturally continued the conversation.

“When we arrived, the water was still. It seems someone dropped the sleeping young lord into it.”

Even if he had jumped in himself, the water wouldn’t have been so calm.

Because humans have a survival instinct, at least a few times his body would have floundered involuntarily.

But there were no ripples, nor were there any sounds other than the water we initially heard.

“Who could the culprit be? You don’t know either, Miss?”

Nod.

“After all, we’ve only been here for one day. Wow, what a long day.”

Though she said she didn’t know, she had a suspicion. Probably Count Gerwerwer was behind it.

Hickenka had made a meaningful noise too.

“You know, Rettiom. Humans all end up the same. No matter how much you twist fate, the gifted die from the side effects of our powers, and Iandwein is… ah, what do you think?”

“Me?”

“You think your end will be the same?”

Riche shook her head. She didn’t want to think about the strange thing Hickenka had said.

“It’s better to report this matter to the governor. It could be dangerous for you, Miss.”

“……Yes. That would be better.”

Blake might be able to help Ian. Right now, Ian needed allies.

Riche got up and dusted off her dirt-stained clothes.

“Let’s go back. We’ll catch a cold from being wet. Philip, Iandwein too.”

“Yes.”

Philip lifted Ian and the three arrived at Riche’s lodging.