The library after the vacation smelled slightly mustier than before, and some books were missing or added on the shelves.

However, overall there was no change. Probably as it had been for decades.

As if there had been no summer vacation, last semester felt vivid. Neris quietly went to the secret place on the 5th floor of the library.

She planned to come sit here tomorrow or the day after if not today, but as she picked out a suitable book from the shelf and read, a familiar man was suddenly sitting on the floor. Looking up at her.

“Call me when you come.”

Neris knew how oblivious she became to her surroundings once she was absorbed in a book. As she casually reproached him, thinking he must have waited long, Cledwin grinned.

“I didn’t want to disturb your reading.”

“It’s a shame to waste someone else’s time. What are you here for? If you came to communicate, should I step out for a moment?”

As she was in a position to ask a favor, Neris showed consideration first. Cledwin shook his head while sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“I came to see you. Didn’t you have something to discuss with me?”

How did he know so quickly? It seemed Cledwin’s subordinates were closely monitoring the area around the library. Well, it was understandable since it was a meeting point.

Neris, who was about to ask to borrow some people, suddenly thought Cledwin’s complexion didn’t look good. And she soon found the reason for that thought.

“Are you hurt?”

Cledwin smiled faintly. It was suspicious that no answer came. He was always annoyingly articulate, except when trying to make jokes.

Neris sighed. A fairy-like face in perfect harmony, with a head taller than before the break and slightly more defined features… A relaxed smile.

He was an almost perfect boy, and if he had been born into an ordinary noble family, he would have had a joyful school life. Why did he have to go through such a difficult growth process?

Only after seeing his seemingly fine but clearly troubled face did Neris have to admit, if only slightly.

She was worried about him.

Really, just a little bit.

No, well, it would be inconvenient for her if he died.

“Is it a wound that can’t be treated, or is there no one to treat it?”

Before he could even open his mouth, she guessed the answer. It must be the latter.

Neris, having seen all sorts of things in the imperial palace, knew that there were very few truly untreatable wounds.

While the aftereffects of illnesses already suffered or body parts long severed couldn’t be recovered, most injuries from external factors could be resolved with the power of divine force and medical assistance.

Magic had similar effects too.

Of course, there were far fewer mages compared to priests, but not so few that the heir to the Grand Duke of Maindlant couldn’t employ even one.

Cledwin didn’t change his expression, but Neris caught a slight dissatisfaction in his eyes.

“How do you know everything?”

That was always what she wanted to ask. Neris narrowed her eyes.

“If you were in pain, you didn’t need to come yourself. No, if it’s difficult to receive treatment freely because you suspect there are spies inside, you shouldn’t have come here in this state in the first place. Do you know you’re sweating now?”

Cledwin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as casually as if he were picking up something he had almost forgotten. Neris stood up.

“Come on. I don’t know where Ren is right now. No, it doesn’t have to be Ren. Let’s go to the theology department and threaten any teacher. What’s wrong with someone knowing the heir of Maindlant is injured? By the time rumors spread, you’ll be healed.”

In her flustered state, she forgot to add “senior” after Ren’s name. She only realized this after finishing her words.

“You’re surprisingly reckless.”

Cledwin just smiled bitterly, not even standing up with her. Neris glared at him.

“Who’s the one surprisingly getting injured all the time?”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Do you need to be worried about?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then I won’t.”

Although she had recognized that she was worried about him, there was no need to show it to the other party. There was no benefit in revealing vulnerabilities to be exploited. Neris spoke clearly, lifting her chin.

Cledwin was strangely deflated by her stern tone. If he had demanded concern from a child who didn’t even reach his chest, it would have been proof that he lacked qualification as an elder.

“I wasn’t avoiding treatment out of fear. I just didn’t have time.”

“Why?”

“There was an issue in the territory.”

Neris had guessed as much.

If there had been an issue during the break, it would have been in the territory. Ren had also hinted about the situation in Maindlant.

“You must have attended class yesterday.”

“I just briefly attended class, and have been searching continuously.”

“For what?”

Cledwin’s eyes, which had been calm until then, suddenly flashed sharply.

“The minions of the traitor.”

That was an unassailable statement. Neris looked at Cledwin’s face for a moment and sighed.

“You’ve had it tough.”

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

“The details? If I need to know, you’ll tell me. What’s the point of prying when you’re not saying anything first?”

Gradually, Neris began to feel awkward about being the only one standing. As she debated whether to sit back down in the chair or forcibly make Cledwin stand up, he slowly rose.

Cledwin’s posture upon standing was indeed slightly unstable. Neris frowned and grabbed his arm. Cledwin blinked once and then grinned.

“Are you trying to support me?”

“I might not be tall enough to support you, but this way you won’t suddenly collapse. How busy were you that you didn’t have time to get that treated? Don’t you know it’s the stupidest thing if the wound gets worse?”

“The best healer we had switched sides, and the one who could still heal is fighting for his life. I’ve been out continuously and just got back to the dormitory. I don’t know what would have become of me without such a reliable employee as you, Lady Neris.”

It was his usual act. Neris glanced at his face, which for once made an understandable joke and smiled slightly, as they left the secret place together.

“You managed to come all the way here despite being so busy.”

“I had to come first in case it was urgent. As for treatment, as long as I’m not dying immediately, it can be done sometime.”

What an idiot. Neris mentally revised her assessment of Cledwin once more, after the incident in the bushes last time.

Diligence. Unnecessarily diligent. A man who puts duty first even when it’s clear he’ll be at a disadvantage.

Honestly, no matter how urgent Neris’s matter might be, could it be more important than the future Grand Duke of Maindlant being injured to the point of sweating?

And would Cledwin himself not know this fact? He was just an idiot who cared more about others than himself.

Seeing such a person reminded her of her past life. Neris straightened her neck.

“Nothing would be more troublesome to me than you dying right now. I still have many favors to ask of you, so stay healthy whether you like it or not, understood?”

Seeing her brazenly demand as if ‘many favors to ask’ meant ‘many things to do for you’, Cledwin let out a laugh like a sigh.

Indeed, his injury was in a serious state. Not a wound that would kill him immediately, but one that would fester and become fatal if left untreated.

If anyone else had requested a visit, he would have ruthlessly refused. He was a ruler and knew well what impact his well-being had on his people.

However, when he heard that Neris was waiting, he had no choice but to prioritize this over finding a priest. Because otherwise, it would have kept bothering him.

A child hiding something alone, and carrying something on her back. With that tiny frame. A girl clearing up a past that even Cledwin couldn’t understand.

Last semester, when he heard the news that she had been summoned to the student council after falling into Megara Likeandros’s trap, the situation had already ended.

Because of Cledwin, who had been injured and gone missing due to his maternal grandfather’s betrayal, his subordinates were also using all their strength to find their master, and after finding him, to resolve the situation.

It was all his fault. He had stupidly relied on blood ties, and as a result, that misjudgment had affected even a young child who was already carrying a heavy burden.

Wasn’t it a trap she was dragged into because of saving his life?

So if she needed help, he couldn’t help but be more concerned about it than anything else.

But saying such things to her seemed too much like showing off. Therefore, Cledwin just laughed instead of making any excuses.

“Injured again?”

In Ren’s dormitory where Neris had brought him, the pink-haired boy snapped as soon as he saw Cledwin’s face.

And immediately after, he added with a bright smile to Neris.

“Welcome, Neris. I have snacks, want some?”

It was blatant discrimination. The reason Ren could treat the heir to the Grand Duke of Maindlant so poorly was due to his special status.

It’s hard to say which is higher between the Pope and the Emperor, the two pinnacles ruling the minds and bodies of the empire’s people.

‘I think it’s partly due to his personality too.’

No matter how important the Pope was, only people with particularly deep faith would treat even the previous Pope, who had already passed the position to the next generation, with such respect.

Power is absolute only when you have it; once it’s gone, nothing is more fleeting.

Ren, who was once an almighty being as the younger brother of the previous Pope, was now in the position of a kite with a broken string. Yet he never lost confidence and acted according to his own preferences.

Neris didn’t find Ren’s behavior unpleasant. After all, seeing someone become servile after being oppressed was truly unpleasant.

She just sighed and said.

“The snacks are fine. More importantly, I’m really sorry, but could you treat this person?”

“Whose request is it? Of course I can.”

Unlike his nonchalant reply, Ren quickly surveyed the surroundings and ushered the two inside.

There were a few people walking on the street as morning classes were about to start. He closed all the windows on the first floor and drew the curtains to prevent anyone from peeking inside.

“How did you run into that guy?”

As Neris seated Cledwin on the sofa in the first-floor reception room, Ren asked in a gentle voice. Neris made up an excuse. She couldn’t say they had a regular secret meeting place.

“There was a bit of a situation. Originally, I was just going to have a few words with him, but when I saw him, he was injured. Senior Ren, you’re not someone without anything to do, and I’m sorry for always asking for these favors. You were the only one I could ask.”

Neris’s words included a bit of flattery.

In fact, when she told Cledwin to ‘threaten any teacher’, she was somewhat serious. But since she knew full well that Ren had no connections to the higher-ups, why waste such a good resource?

He wasn’t the type to use his wits either, so the probability of him pretending to heal while doing something else was low.

However, Ren’s face brightened at her words. At the same time, a white and warm light burst from his hands.