Lucius gradually dropped back to the trunk, the golden radiance covering his body thinning before dispersing into the still air.
The tree’s colossal crown of silver-tinted leaves shimred faintly as if exhaling relief now that its energy had been drawn upon.
He staggered a step, his boots pressing against the ancient bark, and clutched his head with one hand.
"Fuck... I nearly blacked out," he thought, his mind spinning with the aftershock of creating his second mana heart.
He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his sight, until his gaze fell upon Villy.
She stood a few paces away, her hair swaying gently in the breeze, her violet eyes fixed on him with a rare softness.
She was smiling genuinely.
Lucius’s brows furrowed.
Did sothing happen while he was under?
Why did she look at him as though he had done sothing remarkable?
"Villy," he said, the mont she heard his voice...
Instantly, she rushed to his side.
"Did sothing happen, my lord?" she asked, concern flickering across her normally composed features.
Lucius exhaled heavily.
"Well..." he admitted, pressing a hand against his chest, "I don’t feel so good."
"It’s normal after awakening two mana hearts," Villy replied matter-of-factly, though the gentleness in her tone betrayed how seriously she was taking his condition. "You’ll need proper rest."
Before he could protest, she bent slightly, slipped an arm behind his back, and scooped him into her arms in a smooth motion.
Lucius’s eyes widened in shock.
He, who had just minutes ago carried her like a princess, was now the one being carried.
His mouth fell open, caught between indignation and disbelief.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, looking up at her face.
Her lips twitched into the faintest of smiles, almost imperceptible, but there.
"It’ll be hard for you to use mana right now," she explained calmly. "As your servant, it’s my job to help you get down safely."
And then, without waiting for his approval, she jumped.
Wind howled past Lucius’s ears as they plumted, his hair whipping against his face.
Instinctively, he reached for his Space elent to stabilize them, but the mont he tried to pull on it — nothing ca.
It was as if his mana veins had locked, a tight seal preventing any flow.
His stomach sank.
"I can’t..." he muttered under his breath.
Villy tilted her head slightly, still holding him firmly as the massive trunk rushed past them.
"The two elents in your body will cancel each other out for a while," she said evenly. "Everybody faces this issue. It’s part of balancing dual mana hearts."
Lucius grit his teeth.
For soone who prided himself on control, the sudden helplessness was suffocating.
He felt... useless.
Yet as he glanced at Villy’s expression, calm as she sprinted downward along the tree’s ridges, sothing in him eased.
Her legs glowed faintly, threads of mana reinforcing her stride.
She pushed off from the bark with explosive force, launching them clear of the trunk.
The ground hurtled toward them at terrifying speed —
and then, just before they struck, a burst of wind erupted from below, cushioning their fall like an unseen hand.
Villy landed gracefully, the petals scattered at the tree’s base swirling gently around them.
She adjusted her grip and lowered him slightly so that his boots touched the earth.
"We’re on the ground," she announced simply, her voice almost proud.
Lucius inhaled deeply, the cool forest air filling his lungs.
He swayed but managed to steady himself, leaning slightly on her body for balance.
His body felt heavy, sluggish, as though his own mana had turned traitor inside him.
He knew the cause.
Normally, those who opened mana hearts for two different elents suffered a fever or collapse — the body’s desperate attempt to equalize the conflicting flows.
It was natural.
Yet knowing that didn’t make the weakness any easier to swallow.
Still, he glanced sidelong at Villy.
She walked at his pace, patient, her hand never straying far from his arm.
She didn’t show it outwardly, but Lucius noticed the faint flush on her cheeks, the tiniest smile she tried to suppress.
’Of course,’ she thought quietly, stealing a glance at him. ’My lady foresaw this and entrusted to care for him today. Even though I must act reserved... the thought of taking care of my lord like this makes ...’
She cut the thought off before it could spiral further, forcing her face back into neutrality.
Step by step, they moved together through the clearing, hand in hand, until they reached the outer gates of the Evergreen Forest.
The guards stationed there imdiately stiffened to attention.
"Please open," Villy commanded.
The heavy gates creaked as they swung apart, revealing the courtyard beyond.
Elias stood waiting, his tall fra radiating authority.
Flanking him were Lily and Elliot, both watching with barely concealed anticipation.
Elias’s sharp eyes swept over Lucius, lingering on the faint pallor of his skin and the weakened way he leaned slightly on Villy.
"I take it he has awakened his second mana heart," Elias said, his voice bood.
Elliot’s eyes widened, surprise flashing across his face.
Lily mirrored the reaction, her lips parting slightly in shock.
"Yes," Villy replied smoothly before Lucius could speak.
She dipped into a small curtsey, her tone formal and asured. "My lord is currently feeling a bit unwell, so we’ll take our leave. I thank you for having us in this humble abode."
Without waiting for their response, she tightened her grip on Lucius’s arm and led him forward, dragging him along with surprising decisiveness.
Elliot watched them go, his jaw tightening.
His lips pressed into a thin line, and he raked a hand through his black hair in visible frustration.
’What the fuck is wrong with the plot?’ he scread inwardly, though his outward expression remained strained but controlled.
He had been reincarnated as an extra in this damned world, not even a good side character, but Elliot Runenforscher — the pitiful noble destined to be bullied endlessly by Lucius von Hohenberg.
All because, in the original storyline, Elliot had stolen Lucius’s fiancée.
His role had been to grovel, suffer, and eventually die pathetically.
Lily was supposed to end up with the protagonist that way.
That was the plot...
But now?
’I don’t understand... does he not like Lily anymore?’ Elliot’s thoughts churned, he was truly confused.
The Lucius he had read about in the novel had been a hopeless simp for Lily, blinded by her charms, desperate to win her back no matter the humiliation.
Yet the man who had just walked past him twice today looked utterly indifferent to her.
’Did my actions cause this? Did I push him too far off course? Or... is this Lucius not the sa as the one in the story?’
It should have been good news.
If Lucius wasn’t obsessed with Lily, then Elliot was safe.
He should have felt relieved.
But instead, unease gnawed at his chest.
’If I can’t rely on the plot, then I can’t predict the future. I can’t use what I know. That ans... I need to grow stronger myself.’
His eyes shifted toward Lily, who stood beside him, her face betraying emotions far more transparent than she would have liked.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her gaze distant, her teeth pressing into her lower lip.
He thought she was annoyed at being disrespected.
’Don’t worry Lily, I’ll protect both of us.’
However Lily’s heart was in turmoil.
’He’s so hot,’ she thought helplessly, recalling the image of Lucius brushing her off with such casual authority.
His dismissive behavior, his cold refusal to even look at her twice — it only made her want him more.
’Do I have a thing for Indifferent n?’ She wondered as she began walking inside.
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