Chapter 11

Mystery of the Moment

Eyolian stood nervously in a luxurious and elegant bedroom inside the Bordroward family castle. In the same room with her were eight other people - not counting Noah, who lay motionless on the large white bed.

Eyolian stood by the door opposite the bed. On either side of her were Mr. Edric, Mrs. Aileen, and little Elowen, who looked as confused as everyone else in the room.

On the far side of the room near the large window were the lords of the castle, Lord Garrett and Lady Elara. Next to them, comfortably seated on the yellow couch, were the red-haired twins, Cadet and Seraphina.

Everyone in the room was watching the eighth member, some with nervousness and concern, others with coldness, and some with indifference or even annoyance. This eighth member, with his slicked-back white hair and elegant green suit, was closest to Noah on the bed, casting some kind of medical inspection spell on him.

Time passed quietly as everyone watched the healer cast all kinds of medical detection spells, changing them periodically, sometimes even repeating the same spell more than once. Each time, the old healer's wrinkled expression grew more serious and intense.

The silence was more than suffocating, especially for Eyolian, who somehow felt responsible. Mr. Edric noticed her plight, gently patted her head, and hugged her with his free hand. He said nothing, but Eyolian felt even more guilty. 'If only I had reported it sooner and not wasted time on unproductive things.'

What Eyolian did when Noah collapsed in front of her could only be described as inappropriate for the situation. She checked his breathing, which didn't seem to have changed, and based on that, she decided he had just lost consciousness. So she prioritized treating his bleeding head wound. She suspected something was wrong only when she noticed how pale his skin was. Even after that, she didn't report it immediately. For people like her or Noah, there are things to do before coming out clean...

The old healer named Joel pulled her out of her thoughts and motioned for her to come closer. She looked at Mr. Edric, who nodded and followed her without words. Eyolian was grateful for that, and it gave her some courage too.

She stood next to the healer, who asked her again, the same question as before. "Girl, tell me again what happened, and don't leave out any details you might think are unimportant, like the time of losing consciousness. Was the patient under any psychological pressure or stress? Did his skin color change before, after, or at the moment of losing consciousness? Did you notice any strange smell or substance near the patient?"

Eyolian felt some of her skills coming into play even before she began to speak. [Feign Innocence, Lying Tongue, and Subtle Manipulation] - appearances are deceptive too.

She took a nervous breath and began to explain the situation. "We were just talking, and then he just stopped mid-sentence. His expression didn't change, but he became slightly pale, and then he lost consciousness, hitting his head on the glass table in the shop. I approached him; his breathing seemed stable and normal to me, so I thought he had just fainted. I focused on treating his head wound because it was quite bad. We were just having a normal conversation, no psychological pressure. The place is cleaned with scented water, which is a routine done every day."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Eyolian seemed to search for words and found nothing else to add. She then asked with clear concern, "Will he be okay?"

The healer bowed his head in thought, time passed in silence, and it didn't seem like he would say anything. In those moments, Lord Garrett, with his shoulder-length hair and athletic build, approached. He looked at the silent healer with his blue eyes and commanded in a firm voice, "Is there anything you can tell us, Joel?"

The healer lifted his head with difficulty as if the movement itself required effort. He met Lord Garrett's gaze and bowed his head again. Finally, he said in confusion, "I don't understand, my lord. Every medical inspection spell I cast on the boy comes out negative. It's clear there is something wrong with him, but I don't know what it is."

Lady Elara and Mrs. Aileen also approached the sides of the bed, appearing to corner the hunchbacked healer. If Noah had a chance to see the worried expression on Mrs. Aileen's face, he would have been surprised. But he was the subject of study in this case.

With concern but steadiness, Mrs. Aileen asked, "Is there anything you can tell us at all, even if we might already know it?"

Mr. Edric met his wife's eyes but looked away at her worried expression. Eyolian noticed the exchange and somehow connected it to the private conversation the couple had behind closed doors. But this wasn't a good time to ask, as she also noticed Elowen trying to climb onto the bed and went to stop her.

With a tired sigh, the healer spoke of what he knew. "What I know for sure is that the boy has awakened, but not as a result of what is happening to him now. My findings suggest that he awakened about three months ago, give or take. But the strange thing is, his body is devoid of any mana signature. It's not like he's depleted or anything, but his body seems like it never held any mana signature at all, despite being technically a mage."

The healer paused, hesitating in his words, but decided to continue. "What I'll say now is purely my speculation about the cause of his current state. - Despite his body being devoid of mana, this is not an indicator of harm or a cause for losing consciousness. As for the reason his body is devoid of any mana, I suspect the boy was subjected to some kind of poison or something similar that prevents his body from generating mana naturally. If my guess is correct, he was exposed to it for more than three months before his awakening. And the reason for his loss of consciousness, I suspect, may be due to the emergence of his innate ability. I can't determine the latter because I am not skilled enough."

Everyone fell silent, trying to digest the healer's words. The first to speak was Mr. Edric in a calm voice contrary to the situation. "He's been working with me for over seven months; I don't think he was awakened as you suggest. Even his behavior didn't give the impression of someone curious about the changes that occur at the moment of awakening."

The healer nodded in understanding and explained. "I don't think the boy himself knew about it, otherwise he would have reported it. It's not surprising that his behavior contradicted the curiosity of someone with his new accompanying system. The mana never touched his body to mark him as an awakened mage, so he appears as an ordinary human to himself and everyone else... I suspect, if he was awakened, then probably, definitely, acquiring a system, but his body in its human state is unable to see the system... if it exists?"

No one else said anything. In the silence, Lady Elara approached to take a look at Noah lying on the bed. She examined him with her volcanic red eyes. With a sigh, she inquired, "Is there any chance he will wake up?"

The healer bowed his head and said nothing. Lady Elara just nodded and looked at everyone, addressing them. "The situation is unclear, so the best thing we can do is send a report to the capital with all the details and let them determine the seriousness of the matter." She looked at Noah without changing her expression. "As for the boy, we can only hope for the best for him."