Chapter 24
If it had been someone else she knew, she would have just let her body go limp.
But it was Aheel Duff’s voice.
“Ah? Not yet, it’s Sun—… You’re here too… early…”
“What?”
His voice had hardened, turning grave.
She already owed him once—there was no way she could ask him of all people for more help.
“Wait.”
Charmant mustered every last ounce of her mental strength, groaning as she forced herself to step away.
“No, just… wait a moment. I suddenly feel dizzy.”
Her vision started to spin, so she closed her eyes and spoke to him.
She tried her best to sound fine, but her voice came out strained and weak.
It felt as though hands had sprung from the ground, dragging her entire body downward.
That was how exhausting it was.
Her head kept drooping toward the floor, her stomach churning as if she might vomit everything out at any second.
She staggered again, and then—suddenly—her feet left the ground, her body lifting into the air.
By the time she managed to pull her senses together, she was already cradled in Aheel Duff’s arms.
Charmant struggled to speak again.
“I’m fine, you can put me down—”
“You layered your barrier, huh?”
Either he didn’t hear her or didn’t care. Still holding her, Aheel used one hand to unravel the double, triple-layered barrier she had set, dismantling it in an instant before opening the door.
I tied it up pretty tightly, too.
Even in that moment, she wanted to ask how he had undone it so easily, but she had truly reached her limit.
In the end, Charmant let her forehead fall against the side of Aheel Duff’s neck, her body going slack.
The sound of his footsteps filled the otherwise quiet shop.
Had she been awake enough, she might have been startled at a stranger suddenly walking in—but thankfully, Jasper was still asleep under her spell.
Before long, she was laid down on a soft bed.
Her heart ached again, and Charmant curled up, gasping for breath.
Her hood had fallen off, letting the cool air touch the sweat-damp skin of her forehead.
“Come on, stay with me.”
“Mm…”
“You squeezed every drop of mana out of yourself.”
A click of the tongue.
Aheel urged her to take deep breaths again and again.
But now that her body had relaxed, it felt like she was hovering on the brink of death.
Even lying down didn’t help—her mana reserves were completely drained, leaving her parched and heavy.
Her heart felt like it was splitting into ten jagged pieces.
She felt a hand against her cheek and jaw, but couldn’t open her eyes, forcing herself to draw in shallow breaths.
“Breathe out—yes, like that. Now in again.”
His deep, low voice coaxed her gently, almost soothingly.
She felt the faintest thread of cool air reach her, and then—slowly, barely—her breathing began to ease.
“More. Don’t lose consciousness. That’s it, just like that.”
The touch on her jaw and cheek grew clearer.
Charmant instinctively clutched at his collar like it was her lifeline, tilting her head toward that breath as her lips parted unconsciously.
At last, she reached what she wanted. Even in her fading consciousness, she followed it as if by instinct.
Her fingers crushed Aheel’s shirt in a helpless grip.
That lifeline-like energy seeped into her like rain into parched soil.
When Charmant blinked awake, she realized she must have dozed off for a moment.
The stabbing pain in her heart was completely gone.
If she hadn’t noticed the presence of someone beside her, she might have simply drifted back to sleep.
At least—if not for that broad back in her view.
Charmant quickly pushed herself up.
The thick hooded robe she’d worn to hide herself was now hanging neatly on a coat hook.
“Stay lying down.”
Aheel spoke without even turning from the chair beside the bed.
Charmant hesitated, then lowered herself back down slowly.
She fidgeted with her hands, feeling oddly uncomfortable.
She knew she should thank him first—but it seemed wiser to explain why she had drained her mana so much.
“Um, well…”
In the end, she sat up again.
At the same time, Aheel rose from his chair and approached.
When he sat on the edge of the bed, the frame creaked faintly.
Without warning, his hand touched her forehead, and Charmant’s already wide eyes went even wider.
“Looks like it’s mostly replenished.”
“Ah.”
“Your stomach okay? You don’t feel like throwing up?”
“…I’m fine. Thanks for earlier.”
“You must have been in a real hurry.”
She opened her mouth to explain, but her words faltered, leaving her with a blank, foolish look.
“You didn’t go to see the Glutton Swamp, did you? Not with how much mana you burned.”
Why was he suddenly talking about Glutton?
Charmant was confused at first, but quickly remembered.
Oh, right—last time they’d talked about the swamp’s barrier.
They’d been discussing Ellium’s border defenses when she’d brushed it off, saying she wanted to travel.
She nodded quickly.
“I just had some free time before Sunday’s lesson.”
“What kind of trip makes you risk your life? Your already meager mana is completely drained.”
Meager? Well… maybe not that bad.
It wasn’t the same as her original body, but she wouldn’t call it that bad.
Still—he wasn’t wrong that her life had been in danger. She swallowed her indignation and let it go.
“Guess I was too eager. But it’s not even Sunday, so why are you here?”
“Just dropped by.”
“Huh?”
“Bored?”
“Mm… Ah, I see.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Whether it was someone obsessed enough to drain their mana dry for a trip, or someone who came all this way out of boredom—neither was what she’d call normal.
Especially not someone who supposedly disliked her.
Come to think of it, both the face and the soul inside “Charmant Pepe” must have been off-putting to him.
So where exactly did Aheel Duff’s supposed dislike of Charmant Pepe come from?
Mia Belkinson must have gotten the wrong idea entirely.
“That kid—does he live here?”
Aheel glanced toward Jasper’s tightly closed room.
Straightening the blanket into crisp folds, Charmant stepped completely out of bed.
“Ah, yeah. Something came up, so I’m looking after him for a while. He’s a shop customer, too.”
“I see. You should rest at least one more day. I’d give you more mana, but that would damage your natural regeneration.”
Charmant nodded quickly.
After all, some people who relied too much on others for mana recovery lost the ability to generate it themselves.
Even when helped, the body still took a hit—so most mages preferred to recover on their own.
Charmant had always naturally replenished her mana without help, which made her push herself to the limit as a matter of habit—so she’d long forgotten about such concerns.
Then she remembered, with horror, how she had clung to him in a daze earlier.
I really wasn’t in my right mind…
Heat rose from her neck, threatening to burst across her face.
The man who had helped her, meanwhile, looked perfectly calm.
“I’ll come tomorrow just to check that you’ve recovered. We can have the lesson after that.”
While Charmant’s head was on the verge of exploding with embarrassment, Aheel got up completely.
She was about to thank him when she suddenly remembered—oh, right. The follow-up!
She quickly grabbed his arm.
“Hm?”
Aheel’s eyes showed mild surprise.
Still holding onto the fabric she had once clutched so tightly, Charmant spoke.
“Um, this is about what we talked about last time.”
“Last time? Ah, Halse Lake?”
“Yeah. If we manage to strike a successful deal with the Soro Forest—or anyone on that side—you’ll do whatever’s needed, right?”
She’d already promised on his behalf, but…
Charmant fixed her eyes on his lips, waiting for the answer.
“Well, yeah. Since it’s something I asked you to do, I’ll do whatever’s needed.”
Relieved, she added one more thing.
“Even if it means moving the king?”
She’d already promised that, too, but…
She swallowed, waiting again.
“Sure. If it’s what Ellium wants, I suppose so.”
“They might need to open the path. Of course, it’s not for anything bad.”
Her words were vague, but the gist was there.
“That’s oddly specific.”
“Oh? Well, um… it’s only half specific for now.”
“If there’s profit in it, I don’t mind. And if there’s not, I’ll make it happen.”
“Good.”
Only after hearing all his answers did Charmant finally release his shirt with a satisfied smile.
Follow-up—complete.
She reminded herself to give him the full explanation later.
“Alright. Thanks for today. I think I’ll be able to visit the Soro Forest soon. Let me know when you have time after the banquet.”
“Sure. If you need help, call me. If I’m not available, get someone else.”
“Someone else?”
Did he mean Mia or Aleksandro?
Well, considering there were plenty of people coming and going here, it wasn’t like she had to pick one specifically.
“Whoever it is, they’ll come to help. You’ve got plenty of people around you now.”
Now?
The wording sounded a bit odd, but Charmant nodded readily.
“I will. Really—thank you for today.”
She meant it. Even if it felt like she owed him yet again.
After making sure multiple times that she was truly okay, Aheel left.
Charmant didn’t lift Jasper’s spell—she only checked on him, hoping he’d sleep peacefully until morning, before closing the door again.
Cold sweat ran down her skin.
“If it hadn’t been for him today, I might have died.”
The thought left her feeling a bit shaken.
Strange.
In her previous life, regardless of how weak her body was, she had never feared death.
But now—having come back to life once—she seemed to be growing more and more reluctant to let go.
Charmant sat down in her chair and closed her eyes.
She slept soundly until morning for the first time in a long while.
