Chapter 80

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After the training ended, I was cleaning up alone when I heard a knock on the door. I thought one of my juniors must have forgotten something, so I put down the bundle of herbs I was holding and approached the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Arnolt."

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The voice from the other side of the door belonged to someone I hadn't expected. I opened the door with a start. There stood Arnolt, his eyes slightly widened in surprise at the sudden opening of the door.

"Arnolt, you're back!"

"Sorry, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Without any greeting, Arnolt grabbed my arm and pulled me strongly, starting to walk somewhere. I couldn't lock the room or even know where we were going; I could only follow as he dragged me along. No matter how many times I called out to him, he didn't stop.

(Could something have happened to Elvira...?)

My heart started to beat uncomfortably. I shivered at the various possibilities that flashed through my mind. We arrived at a guest room in the castle. Inside, there was a simple bed, a desk, and a chair. I noticed a small figure lying on the bed. I approached the bed cautiously, and then peeked at the face of the person lying there.

(Elvira...!)

Her black hair and the pointed ears that marked her as an elf. There was no mistaking it; it was Elvira. Why was she here? Could it be that the worst thing I feared had happened...

My mind went blank. I couldn't even consider Elvira's well-being and confronted Arnolt loudly.

"Why is Elvira here!? Could it be that the self-destruction disease...!?"

"No, there are no symptoms of the self-destruction disease."

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The self-destruction disease—there were no symptoms. The words from Arnolt's mouth made the tension in my body ease. I felt so weak that my legs wobbled. I leaned against the wall to support myself and asked again, feeling rather pitiful.

"Then why did you bring her to the capital?"

"Her hometown village was attacked by monsters. It seems Elvira was targeted."

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Arnolt's answer gradually made the events of the past few days clear. Her hometown village was attacked. Arnolt must have rushed to the capital upon receiving the news. However, since he is back now, the situation must have stabilized somewhat. Despite the shock of the elf village being attacked by monsters, one word stuck in my mind. Arnolt said Elvira was "targeted."

"Targeted?"

"The monsters ignored the other villagers and only tried to attack Elvira."

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I couldn't immediately understand Arnolt's words. The elf village was attacked by monsters, but the monsters didn't attack the villagers randomly; they specifically targeted Elvira. I had never heard of such a case.

"Why... how could that be?"

"I don't know. I don't know, which is why I had to protect her."

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Arnolt's brows furrowed. His face looked terrible, and he seemed to be under a lot of pressure. Hearing that his hometown village was attacked, he must have rushed to the capital. Then, upon arriving at the village, he learned that his beloved sister was persistently targeted by the monsters, and he had no idea why. Why, how could it be just her...

I could sense that Arnolt was exhausted both physically and mentally. I thought it wasn't a good idea to ask him too many questions right now, so I tried to change the topic gently.

"Will Elvira be staying here for a while?"

"Yes. A room has been prepared for her in the castle."

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Indeed, the castle is probably the safest place in the country. But for Arnolt to arrange for his sister to stay here, he must have gone through a lot of trouble. Arnolt let out a deep sigh, as if it contained all his fatigue, and bowed his head slightly to me.

"I'm asking you to take care of her as well. I wanted to let you know this beforehand... I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine..."

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With such a deep bow, I could only shake my head in response. The fear of the self-destruction disease recurring didn't come true, but in its place, a new problem emerged. Why was Elvira targeted by the monsters? Just like the self-destruction disease, whose cause was unknown, this time the cause was also unknown. Moreover, while the self-destruction disease was within our expertise, the behavior of monsters was completely outside our field. Honestly, I was worried that the fatigue would wear me down both physically and mentally. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but want to be of some help to him.

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A few days after Elvira arrived at the castle, the door to the training room was suddenly opened without a knock.

Instinctively, I pulled Iris close to me. Basilio stood in front of us, on guard. I turned my gaze towards the suddenly opened door. There stood—

"Laura Ampere!"

"E, Elvira?"

It was Elvira, the elf girl with black hair. My thoughts froze as I wondered why she was here alone, but what brought me back to reality was the hurried footsteps. They came from the corridor—

"Laura, I'm sorry for coming at this time! I told her it wasn't a good time because you're working, but..."

Mercedes rushed into the training room and picked up Elvira, who was standing at the entrance.

Arnolt had mentioned that he would entrust Elvira to his master, so she would probably be staying in the castle for a while. I let go of Iris and smiled at Basilio, who was looking at me with a confused expression, saying, "It's okay, she's an acquaintance."

I approached Mercedes, who was arguing with someone, and asked,

"What happened?"

"Laura, I'm really sorry. While we were walking around the castle, Elvira suddenly ran off, and then—"

"Teach me how to make the recovery potion."

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I was taken aback by Elvira's request, which interrupted Mercedes' words. Before I could respond, Mercedes sighed and said,

"Well, I already said I would teach you."

"But I want to learn from Laura Ampere, not you."

"But that would be a bother. Laura is busy."

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Elvira puffed her cheeks, looking adorable. However, I didn't have time to admire her cuteness. I was genuinely curious why she had come to me instead of Mercedes or Arnolt. She was quite stubborn, and once she set her mind on something, it was hard to change. I had always wanted to get closer to her, mainly for the purpose of treating the self-destruction disease, though I couldn't deny that I also wanted to get to know her better. Considering the future, it would be easier to have a closer relationship. The possibility of the self-destruction disease recurring was still very real.

However, teaching her during the training would inconvenience Iris and Basilio. I decided to ask her to come back in the evening and opened my mouth to say so.

"Well, how about after the training—"

"Hey, hey! Let's do it together!"

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Iris, who had approached without me noticing, interrupted my words and spoke to Elvira. I was surprised by her unexpected action and took a moment to understand what she said.

"Wait, together?"

"It'll be way more fun! Right, Basilio?"

"Sure, I welcome it."

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Iris turned to me with a big smile, and Basilio nodded in agreement. He then smiled at me kindly. I finally understood that Iris was proposing to Elvira to join us in the potion-making, and Basilio had accepted the proposal.

"But..."

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Teaching Elvira during the training would mean less time for the two of them. It would be like having an additional junior to guide. Since Iris and Basilio were fine with it, I thought it might be better not to interfere, but...

"Okay, okay!"

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Iris took Elvira's hand and led her into the training room. Elvira, looking somewhat satisfied, followed along.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Elvira Roco."

"I'm Iris! And this is Basilio. Nice to meet you!"

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Iris and Basilio led Elvira to the potion-making table and started teaching her the basics of the equipment. I was surprised by their high adaptability. Was it really okay?

"Hey, Elvira! ... Laura, if it's a bother, please say so. It's Elvira's whim."

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Mercedes looked worried and apologetic. She must have been surprised by the situation.

"I don't have a reason to refuse if Iris and Basilio are fine with it..."

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Before I knew it, Iris had started demonstrating the potion-making in front of Elvira, calling it an example. She seemed unusually enthusiastic, perhaps because she was excited to have a "little sister."

"So next, we start the fire—oh!"

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Suddenly, a fire appeared in the potion-making equipment. It was Elvira's magic. I was startled by the use of magic, given the self-destruction disease, but it seemed there were no abnormalities.

"Wow! Elvira, you can use magic!"

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Iris's eyes sparkled with surprise. She might not be used to seeing magic. Elvira, being praised directly, looked proud. I watched the scene with a smile, but the fire was too strong!

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Basilio and I rushed over at the same time to put out the fire.

"Elvira, turn down the fire!"

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The noisy potion-making instruction continued, and before I knew it, the training for the day had ended with the instruction to Elvira.

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After that, the training proceeded with Iris and Basilio teaching Elvira. I knew from experience that teaching others also helps one's own learning. Iris seemed to enjoy Elvira's participation, and Basilio didn't show any displeasure. However, I thought it would be best to report to Arnolt. I went to the door of his potion-making room and knocked a few times. The door opened immediately, as if he had been waiting for me.

"Ampere."

"Arnolt, I'm sorry for the late visit."

"No, I should apologize. I heard Elvira caused some trouble today. I'm sorry."

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Arnolt bowed deeply. It seemed he had already heard about the events of the day.

"That's not true. Iris was particularly excited, and it was a different kind of training."

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Arnolt's eyes relaxed slightly, looking relieved. I felt relieved that his aura had become more gentle.

"Elvira will continue to join the training. If you have time, please come and see her."

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Seeing the harmonious atmosphere would probably make Arnolt feel more at ease. However, I thought it might be too much to ask him to come and watch the training, given his likely busy schedule, so I kept my words vague.

"Tell the master to make her leave if she's a bother. I don't want to interfere with the training of the newbies."

"Please don't worry. It was actually quite lively and fun."

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I laughed, trying to sound cheerful. My words were true.

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I tried to avoid causing Arnolt any additional stress.

"I'll come and see. Thank you."

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Seeing his furrowed brows slightly less tense, I sighed in relief. His face still looked