WFMW 21

Chapter 21

I’ll Help You Heal

March 21, 2024

It was clear to anyone that she wanted Heil to leave the room for a while.

Heil hesitated, looking reluctant to leave me alone with Jacques, but eventually trudged away.

Of course, not without a word of caution before going.

“If you need me, just call loudly. The Captain has very sharp ears, so it’s best if nothing happens that makes you do that, though.”

“Don’t worry.”

According to the old texts, elves were peaceful beings who never attacked first.

‘If he knew anything about elves, he wouldn’t worry like that.’

Thinking that, I shrugged my shoulders. Heil let out a sigh that could’ve sunk into the ground.

“I’m not worried about you, milady. I’m worried about Sir Jacques. Jealous men are terrifying.”

“Would there be any reason for him to be jealous of me?”

“Not of you… ah, never mind. Everyone but the people involved can see it. Everyone but them.”

“…?”

I couldn’t understand what Heil was talking about at all.

He didn’t explain further and left the dining room. I looked at Jacques with a questioning glance, and he merely shrugged.

“Should I call you ‘milady’ too?”

“Just call me ‘mage.’”

“Yes, Mage.”

Even though I was the one who told him to, hearing him obediently call me “Mage” stirred a strange emotion inside me.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone has ever treated me like a real mage before.’

My life really had gone off-track somehow.

I’d worked so hard to become a great mage, only to end up being treated like this.

While I was lost in thought, Jacques finally brought up what he’d clearly wanted to discuss.

“You said you could see the curse. Then… can you break it?”

Ah, so that’s why he sent Heil away — to talk about something sensitive.

Though Jacques’s expression remained calm, his eyes betrayed the deep desperation behind them.

I bit my lip.

‘So that’s why he’s living among humans… not because he wants to.’

I looked down at his body again.

Around him, faint wisps of power spun slowly like frost, swirling around his form.

‘A curse.’

The flow of energy clinging to him was unnatural — and unmistakable.

‘That feeling… I can relate to it, at least a little.’

It wasn’t a curse, but since I lost my magic, I’d been stuck by Sither’s side, unable to leave of my own will.

‘Of course, it’s not that Sither’s a bad person, or that being here is unbearable.’

Still, how many people would truly enjoy living without choice?

That’s why I felt sorry for the elf before me.

I wanted, sincerely, to help him return home.

But even before I lost my power, I doubt I could’ve lifted his curse.

My specialty was time and space manipulation — curses were outside my realm of expertise.

Still, I did know someone who could interfere with curses.

“It’s not my specialty, but I know someone who can help. A boy named Grisha — he’s like a younger brother to me.”

Grisha’s research focused on how mana affects the human body, with a secondary field in magical circuit theory.

‘A curse or a spell — both are made of mana. If you can interfere with one, you can interfere with the other.’

Even if he couldn’t remove it completely, perhaps he could at least stop that hostile flow around Jacques.

Jacques’s eyes lit up like stars. His pale face flushed with excitement.

“That’s wonderful news! I’d like to meet him right away!”

He must not have found even a hint of hope for a long time, because even this small chance filled him with joy.

I wanted to introduce him to Grisha immediately — but, unfortunately, I couldn’t only give him good news.

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t know where Grisha is. You know I was in a coma for a long time, right? The last I knew of him was before I lost consciousness.”

“Ah…”

His expression darkened. I hadn’t exactly given him hope and taken it away, but still—I hurried to add:

“But we’ll meet soon. He promised to visit me when I woke up. Grisha always keeps his promises, so don’t worry.”

“I see!”

His expression changed with every word, making my heart race in turn.

That only showed how important this was to him.

“Still, try not to get your hopes too high…”

“Just having hope at all is enough for me.”

“Grisha’s the best mage I know — both in skill and in heart!”

“Wow, now I’m really looking forward to meeting him.”

“…”

What was I doing?

Repeating myself like a fool, I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

‘And I haven’t even told Grisha about any of this. Sure, I know he’d never refuse me, but it’s still his decision to help, not mine.’

While I was mentally wrestling with guilt, Jacques quietly watched me.

After a long pause, he smiled gently and lowered his head.

“If he truly cures me, I’ll tell you how to solve your problem, too. Though it seems you’re already managing it instinctively.”

I blinked.

“My… problem?”

What problem?

‘If he means the vegetables Sither keeps forcing on me, then yes, please fix that.’

I was thinking exactly that when Jacques, still smiling kindly, said casually:

“Mana depletion. Am I right?”

“…!!”

My eyes widened. He tapped a finger under his eye and winked.

“I have good eyes too, you know — not as sharp as yours, perhaps, but good enough.”

“Th–that…”

I was the Archmage. The only one in the entire Empire.

For such a great mage to have lost her mana—it wasn’t something small.

‘And on top of that, my life’s in danger.’

Without magic, I was weaker than an ordinary person.

I was slower than a turtle, and as Sither said, my physical strength was pathetic.

‘If Diana finds out, she’ll kill me instantly.’

As I nervously bit my lip, Jacques spoke gently, his tone calm and reassuring.

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Does the Captain know?”

“No.”

“I see.”

I was afraid he’d ask why I was keeping it secret from Sither, but thankfully he didn’t. He only nodded once and dropped the subject.

“Then I’ll wait for your friend to return — the sooner, the better.”

“Um, wait…”

As he turned to leave the dining room, I realized my hand had unconsciously gripped his sleeve.

I swallowed hard. What had he just said?

He’d said he could tell me how to fix my problem.

“Mana depletion… can it be cured?”

Honestly, I’d already given up.

No matter how many magic circles I drew, no matter how hard I tried, mana only gathered drop by drop, barely enough to notice.

I thought I’d never return to how I once was.

Jacques’s gaze fell upon me.

In his round eyes, reflected there, was a golden-haired woman who looked so desperate — me.

“Yes. It can be cured.”

“…!”

With that, he left the dining room.

Alone now, staring at the plate piled high with vegetables, I pressed a hand against my pounding heart.

I knew Sither would come back soon, inspect my plate, and scold me for not eating — but I couldn’t lift my fork.

‘So I can really become a mage again…?’

The thought alone made my heart flutter uncontrollably. I shut my eyes tight.

‘What on earth is that elf?’

Having left the dining room first, Heil tilted his head in confusion.

He hadn’t understood most of what they were saying, but one thing was clear —

They were talking about something serious.

‘That’s why I had to give them privacy.’

Still—

Heil kept walking a few steps, stopping, turning around, then walking again, clearly uneasy.

‘Ugh, I really shouldn’t have left those two alone.’

He scratched his head furiously. Everything he’d said to Jacques and Nelly earlier was sincere.

He wasn’t worried Jacques would do something indecent to her — far from it.

Jacques had served as a healer in the Azure Dragon Knight Order for years.

If Jacques wasn’t human, Heil would’ve believed he was an angel.

And Nelly — though clumsy and sometimes slow-witted — was the kind of person who’d never hurt anyone.

So his concern wasn’t about them at all.

It was entirely about Sither.

More precisely, Sither’s jealousy!

‘If the Captain finds out they talked alone, he’ll roast poor Sir Jacques alive with jealousy!’

Heil gnawed nervously at his fingernails.

‘Not that I ever expected the Captain to act like this…’

When Sither first declared he’d marry Nelly, high society had been full of ugly rumors.

Why marry a woman in a coma? Was he crazy?

And every time, it was Heil who’d stood up for him, insisting, “It’s true love!”

And when the lady had finally awakened, confirming that love was real, he’d been so happy.

‘But I never imagined this!’

Now, Sither stood at the front entrance, looking down at the garden.

Seeing his back, Heil sighed deeply — and, forcing himself, opened the door and spoke.