Eric woke up from his quick nap, yawned, and got ready to head to a room. Along the hallway, he passed by servants on duty and several knights standing guard.
Then he recalled the findings of the joint investigation by the Ostheno and Videno houses. It turned out Connor had been targeted because his body contained a large pool of Mana, even as his condition deteriorated.
"That's certainly true…" Eric mused as he walked. Before the kidnapping incident when they were still children, Connor had indeed been an exceptionally talented child. In fact, one could say that Connor's birth at that time had shocked the noble world, as his Mana capacity had already been immense from a young age.
He'd also heard that by the time Connor was around 5 years old, he could already perform basic fire magic and manipulate Mana—albeit at a rudimentary level. The Videno family and their allies were overjoyed by Connor's potential… that was until that incident. And because of that incident, Connor and Dianne's relationship with Eric grew strained. Dianne even became openly hostile toward him.
His body still vividly remembered the kidnapping. Little Eric had run away but, fortunately, encountered one of the knights who was also frantically searching for the two of them. Then the knights came to Connor's aid, only to find him in a pitiful and tragic state. James was furious and immediately executed the kidnappers, and a few weeks later, the joint force of the House of Ostheno and the House of Videno completely destroyed the human trafficking and kidnapping ring.
But unfortunately, the brutal assault on Connor left him traumatized and confined to a wheelchair. He still possesses a vast reserve of Mana, but he is too fragile and unable to use it at all. The Videno family has even spent an enormous portion of their fortune trying to cure Connor—from pleading with the Radiant Church, to appealing to several ducal families, all the way to the empire's Royal Family.
But it was all in vain, and Connor still couldn't walk or use his magic. But that would change tonight.
Eric stopped at a door heavily guarded by four knights. The men in armor immediately saluted him and opened the door for him. When he entered, he was greeted by a crowd of people.
This room was reserved for important guests, and those important guests were the Videno family. James, Melissa, Lucas, and Laurene stood not far from a large bed, while Jonathan, Dorothea, and Dianne stood near the bed.
Connor lay down on the bed, anxiety etched on his face. Jonathan approached Eric, "We've all… complied with your request, Eric… is-is it true you can heal Connor?"
Eric simply nodded, looking at everyone present and taking a deep breath. "Before I begin, I want to make a few things clear."
"First, my power is very limited, there's even a chance I might lose this power today or tomorrow. I am not a kind-hearted Saint or Saintess like in children's fairy tales."
"Also, don't tell anyone about this. Whatever I say in this room must absolutely not be taken outside—keep it among yourselves."
For some reason, everyone felt nervous as Eric spoke so seriously. Even James and Melissa just nodded in response. Dianne clenched her hands tightly, feeling anxious.
"Finally, this healing process is going to be very painful. Once it starts, I hope no one interrupts or stops it. Especially you, Connor. You'd better let me know if you want to back out of all this."
Silence fell over the room, everyone was focused on Connor's answer. The young man let out a deep sigh and swallowed hard. "I'm ready, Eric."
The Videno family let Eric pass. As he looked at Connor, he saw a boy who was actually terrified, but mustering the courage for a better future—for himself, his family, and those around him.
Eric gently touched Connor's head, and the red-haired boy closed his eyes, preparing himself. Without a word, Eric activated Idle Transfiguration. Connor's entire body began to tremble and reshape.
In his mind, Eric knew why none of the healing methods performed on his childhood friend had worked. Because the attack had been so brutal that it had nearly shattered the child's soul, particularly in the spinal cord and throughout all the Mana pathways in his body.
"Akkhhhh!?!"
"C-Connor!?"
"Son!!"
The Videno family panicked upon hearing Connor's agonized roar, but Eric's piercing gaze stopped them. Connor clutched the bedsheet tightly, his expression clearly showing intense pain.
It didn't take long for Eric to finish. He lifted his hand from Connor's head. The red-haired man was panting, as if he'd just finished strenuous activity. Eric slowly stepped back from the bed, giving Connor some space.
Connor sat in silence, lost in thought. He could feel it. Something that had been missing had finally returned to him. Slowly, he began to sit up and get out of bed. The Videno family was about to help him, but Eric gestured for them to stay where they were.
Connor placed his feet on the floor and slowly stood up, his body tense. Everyone present gasped audibly, especially the Videno family. Dorothea and Dianne began to tear up, watching Connor walk slowly toward them.
"F-Father… Mo-Mother… Bi-Big Sis…! I… can! walk!" Tears of joy filled Connor's eyes, he kept walking until he finally reached his family. The Videno couple hugged Connor tightly and wept with gratitude, while Dianne silently joined them, hugging her family as she cried.
Laurene and Melissa also shed tears of joy, while James and Lucas stood in awe, witnessing the miracle. Still, deep down, they were overjoyed by Connor's recovery.
While sobbing, Jonathan and Dorothea thanked Eric.
"Th-thank you so much, Eric..."
"Yo-you just gave us...hick...the greatest gift of our lives..."
Eric didn't return their thanks and simply remained silent, then turned toward the door to leave. James stopped him just as he was about to open the door, "Where… are you going, son?"
Eric didn't turn around, only replying briefly. "Back to my room. I just… want to be alone right now, Father."
"I see… take your time, then…"
James didn't ask any further and let his son go. Eric returned to his room with mixed feelings, but the strongest were relief and calm.
"With this… you owe me, brat…" he said to someone who was gone forever, someone he might never even meet or hear those words.
***
The next morning, Eric was heading to his usual practice spot, but he furrowed his brow when he saw someone had beaten him there. A red-haired boy was running laps around the field. there was no one else there but the two of them.
Eric snorted when he saw Connor, saying in a slightly sharp tone, "Great, someone's using my practice spot without my permission."
Connor reflexively stopped and turned around, surprised that Eric had appeared out of nowhere. The boy ran over to Eric and greeted him awkwardly.
"O-oh! Big Bro Eric! I didn't know this was your practice spot…" Connor gave Eric a slightly stiff bow, which Eric dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"Nah, just kidding. So? How's your body, brat?"
"Uh, yeah! My body is great! I feel free to move my body fully! And look at this!"
Connor snapped his fingers, and a candle flame lit up at the tip of his finger. "I can use magic again!" Connor said with a beaming smile. Eric agreed, saying briefly, "Good for you, then."
Then they both fell silent, both gazing out at the vast field. It was Connor who broke the silence, "You know, at that moment... when I was beaten to a pulp, I thought I was going to die. But you came back with the knights to save me."
"..."
"And when I was told I couldn't walk and couldn't use magic anymore, my whole world came crashing down. Some people started blaming our knights for being negligent—even Big Sis Dianne blamed you heavily."
Connor gazed up at the sky with a calm expression. "Even the following year, I started to think that my situation was your fault… I really wanted to curse you and blame you… but my conscience told me that even if I did that, nothing would change and it would only make me even more miserable."
The red-haired man chuckled softly, "And you know what's most ironic? The person they say is the reason I ended up in a wheelchair turned out to be the one who healed me so I could return to my normal life."
Connor and Eric were still looking at the same sky. "If… if while I was in my wheelchair you kept blaming yourself and wanted to apologize…"
"I just wanted to say…I forgive you, Eric. And thank you for saving me…again."
Hearing that, for some reason, a sense of relief washed over Eric, and it felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted and was gone. "Thanks." Eric whispered softly.
"Huh? Did you say something—"
"Anyway, since you're feeling better, that means you can fight, right?" Eric asked, cutting him off. Connor just nodded, looking confused, but kept paying attention.
"Good. You can be my sparring partner for now. As fellow Fire Mages, we should be able to gauge each other's abilities, right?"
Connor's eyes lit up at that. "It's been a while since I've been able to use my Mana, but please look forward to it!"
Eric smiled contentedly and assumed his battle stance. "I heard the entrance exam for Zeris Academy is still open. It would be a shame if we didn't fight there too."
Connor was surprised to hear that and nodded deeply. "You're right! In that case, don't worry—I'll be the one to take the first place and surpass you!"
The two of them spent that morning sparring in friendly matches, until finally the time came for the Videno family to conclude their business at the Ostheno family's mansion.