The next day, in a nearby tavern, four people sat around a worn wooden table.
The place was bursting with life; the bustle of adventurers, the clinking of mugs, and the scent of roasted meat filled the air. However, at that particular table, the atmosphere was a strange mixture of emotions. There was joy, yes, for having finally rescued Zenith, but also a profound sadness in accepting that the woman they recovered was not the same one they remembered from their old group.
Well, all except one, who although not part of the "Fangs of the Black Wolf," had also known her in the past.
— "It's a shame to see her like this..." Talhand let out, breaking the silence after a long swig of beer.
— "You can say that again..." Gisu seconded, toyed with a die on the table without much enthusiasm.
The other two remained silent for a moment, lost in their own thoughts, until Elinalise decided to change the direction of the conversation, fixing her gaze on the small mage.
— "Hey, by the way, Roxy... were you finally able to sleep well? You spent all your time watching over Arthur while he was unconscious," the elf said, softening the mood.
— "Well... yes, now that he's awake I've been able to rest more easily," Roxy replied, averting her gaze toward her drink.
— "You didn't take advantage of him while he couldn't defend himself, did you?" Elinalise flashed her a mischievous smile loaded with double meaning.
Roxy nearly choked on her drink, and her cheeks instantly flushed a deep pink.
— "W-what are you saying?! I was only returning the favor for him saving me!" she exclaimed, provoking a small laugh from the elf, who seemed to enjoy putting the magic teacher on the spot.
— "Oh, come on, Roxy. I've seen how you've been looking at him. That boy has something that makes even a woman as 'serious' as you lose her composure," the elf insisted, resting her cheek on her hand while winking. "And now that he's awake... well, the thanks he gave you yesterday was quite 'warm,' wasn't it?"
— "Enough, Elinalise!" Roxy muttered, trying to hide her face behind the brim of her hat out of habit, though since she wasn't wearing it, the gesture only served to emphasize how embarrassed she was.
— "Well, I think you should worry a bit. From what I've seen, at least two girls are already after him," Elinalise continued, enjoying the mage's reaction.
Roxy froze, her heart skipping a beat. She knew Elinalise usually exaggerated to tease her, but the thought of Arthur surrounded by other suitors caused a sting of anxiety she couldn't entirely hide. Her fingers tightened around the rim of her mug.
She tried to hide her agitation and took a long drink before responding in a voice that intended to be indifferent, though it trembled slightly at the end.
— "Well... it was to be expected," Roxy commented after setting the mug down, staring at a fixed point. "Arthur is a great guy; he's brave and... and very handsome. It's natural for others to notice him. At the end of the day, he's free to choose whoever he wants."
Despite her words, Roxy's tone betrayed a hint of discouragement. Elinalise let out a giggle, knowing she had hit the nail on the head. Gisu and Talhand burst into laughter together, enjoying how easy it was to make the stoic mage lose her cool.
— "Wow, it seems the 'Little Mistress' finally admits the boy is handsome," Gisu mocked, giving Talhand a friendly nudge. The dwarf only nodded, letting beer soak into his beard as he let out a grunt that sounded like a laugh.
However, Elinalise, who always knew when to drop an information bombshell to change the pace, leaned back in her chair and spoke with total nonchalance:
— "By the way, Roxy... you know Rudeus is going to be a father, right?"
Silence fell over the table instantly. Roxy, who had just taken another sip to calm her nerves, froze with her mug halfway up. Her eyes went wide, processing the elf's words.
— "A-father? Rudeus?" Roxy stammered, blinking in confusion. "But... When? With whom?"
— "With my granddaughter Sylphiette, at the Magic Academy," Elinalise replied with a nostalgic smile, yet full of her characteristic mischievous pride.
— "You have a granddaughter!?" Roxy exclaimed, nearly dropping her mug. "Wait... that means Rudeus married her... and you are..."
Roxy began to do mental math at high speed, getting lost in the tangled family tree of those present. Her brain, usually brilliant for magical formulas, seemed to be suffering a short circuit at the thought that her young pupil had not only surpassed her in certain types of magic but was already forming a home.
— "That's right," Elinalise laughed, delighting in the mage's mental collapse. "It seems the youngsters don't waste time. Rudeus has matured a lot, Roxy. He has become a responsible man who takes care of his wife and looks forward to his first child."
— "Ha... haha..." a forced and somewhat hollow laugh escaped Roxy's lips. "You don't have any more surprises to tell me, do you? I feel like if you say one more word, my head is going to explode."
— "Mmm... no, for now, that's all," Elinalise replied with a calmness that was almost suspicious.
— "Well... let's put the personal talk aside for a moment," Gisu intervened, regaining his seriousness and lowering his voice so they wouldn't be overheard at neighboring tables. "Elinalise, you mentioned before that you knew someone who went through something almost identical to Zenith. Do you think that person has a cure, or is there any hope in their story?"
Elinalise set her cup on the table with a sharp thud that made the liquid ripple. The playful glint in her eyes vanished, replaced by a somber and tired look. She let out a long sigh that seemed to chill the atmosphere at the table.
— "What I said is true... I know someone who went through the same thing," the elf began, staring intently at the bottom of her cup. "But what I didn't mention before, so as not to take away your hope in the labyrinth... is that person also ended up exactly like Zenith."
— "What a pity..." Roxy murmured, looking down at her intertwined hands in her lap. The discouragement in her voice was evident; the small light of hope she held for her student's family seemed to have dimmed all at once.
Talhand, who had remained quiet, let out a low grunt and set his mug down heavily.
— "We can only hope that Paul is strong enough," the dwarf spoke with a raspy but firm voice. "He will have to overcome this blow, not just for himself, but so he can care for Zenith and the rest of his family. Now, more than ever, they are going to need a pillar to lean on."
The rest of the day they talked for a bit, and after a while, they left the place.
.....
That afternoon, the Rapan base was immersed in an unusual silence. Arthur took advantage of the exact moment Lilia left to handle some errands and headed to Zenith's room. Upon entering, the image was touching: Paul, overcome by physical and mental exhaustion, had fallen fast asleep in the chair by the bed, his head down and his breathing heavy.
Zenith, for her part, remained lying back with her eyes closed.
Arthur approached with feline movements, holding his breath so as not to wake Paul. With a steady but delicate hand, he took Zenith's hand. He pulled out a small, sharp needle and quickly pricked the tip of her finger. A small drop of crimson sprouted instantly. After carefully collecting the sample in a small glass vial, Arthur withdrew from the room as silently as he had arrived.
Once safe in the solitude of his room, he locked the door and sat on the bed, letting the sample shine under the light coming through the window.
— "Alright... here we go," he whispered with determination. Great "Sage, go ahead. Analyze the sample"
After a second of absolute silence, the serene and slightly mechanical voice of the Great Sage resonated in his mind with clarity:
"I have finished processing the sample. The physical diagnosis is stable; her body is healthy. However, her mental state... is extremely problematic."
Arthur frowned. *
"Zenith Greyrat's consciousness is completely fragmented. The cause lies in the magic crystal where she remained trapped; it generated a constant interference of mana that forced her to remain in a state of artificial wakefulness. The human brain is not designed to process such an amount of external energy without rest, which caused a severe collapse in her psyche."
Arthur clenched his fists, understanding the gravity of the matter. It was as if Zenith had been screaming in silence for years until her own mind broke to protect itself.
Is there a way to fix her? To reconstruct her mind? Arthur asked, feeling a ray of hope mixed with urgency.
"It is possible... I can attempt to develop a reconstruction algorithm, a spell specifically designed to reorder her mental fragments. However, because this case is extremely complex and nearly unique, the creation process will take between two and three months. It will require countless trial-and-error simulations to ensure her personality does not suffer permanent damage."
Arthur sighed, letting his shoulders drop. It wasn't the immediate solution he desired, but it was a real possibility. While the rest of the world, including Elinalise, believed Zenith was a lost cause, he had a path to follow.
End of Chapter