“Nora, this is…”

Well, you already know the truth, right?

I gave a cheeky smile to Cecily who was shocked.

Well, I was definitely frail to begin with.

I had roughly a month left in this body… no, two weeks.

Naturally, life was only possible with a body.

When my body’s lifespan ended, my life would end as well.

It doesn’t seem like someone did anything bad to me, right?

[I don’t think the intruder did anything…]

There was no sign of anything having been done by an external factor.

I wonder what the person who came here wanted…

But if I tried to openly investigate it, it’d only worry Cecily.

So, I let out a small sigh and called out, “Hey, Cecily…”

Thank you for putting up with the selfishness of this old lady.

That was right—the reason I brought Cecily along was because I wanted to thank her.

The truth was, I wanted to embrace Cecily with my own body.

But, if I took my body out of the crystal now, my body would probably fall apart right away. So, I gave up on that petty, self-centered wish.

Instead, I just thanked her.

Besides, it wouldn’t even gain her a penny.

Still, she looked up at my body and asked in a trembling voice.

“Hey, Nora… Is there nothing I can do about it?”

What?

“If I work hard as a researcher, can’t I revive Nora?”

That was absolutely impossible.

Even if a Rejuvenation Potion was used, a body in such a devastated state wouldn’t be able to withstand the regeneration. It was a miracle that a human body had been preserved for 800 years. Unless a new body could be created, it’d be an impossible idea.

But… there was no need to tell her that.

The only thing I could do for Cecily in my final moments was lie.

If my lie could help Cecily take the first step toward her dream…

…I guess that’s up to you?

“Just you wait! I’ll definitely make Nora better!”

Her expression, full of hope befitting of her age, was dazzling.

Ah, as long as I can see her smile like that, I’ll gladly become a villain.

At that moment, I felt something behind me.

I turned around at the same time as Cecily and saw a cloaked figure, their hem fluttering in the wind.

Is that the intruder?

“I won’t let any harm come to Nora!”

Like I said, Cecily was quick to chase.

She instantly went after him, but the man in the hooded cloak kept a steady pace.  Instead of speeding up, he kept glancing back at us.

…I feel like I’ve seen that person before?

Then, just as we left the cave, a strong magical barrier appeared over the entrance.  It was just behind my back.

The barrier was the forbidden magic that had once trapped us.

Only one person could use such magic.

Cecily, I’m borrowing your body!

She didn’t resist my request. I was glad for that moment.

Even if the other person was the Modern Era Sage, he wouldn’t be able to hear my inner voice.

“Eivind, why are you here?!”

He easily removed his hood.

Eivind Dahl showed me his usual frivolous smile.

“Well, the other day, I got too excited and showed you something I shouldn’t have. I was scolded and told to come apologize.”

“…Who scolded you?”

He didn’t answer my question. He just made an excuse, “I didn’t expect he’d wonder about romance like me.”

Then, it was probably Mark. He was probably apologizing for what happened at the school festival.

Even though he said he had locked himself up in his lab, he came to apologize. The person he kissed must’ve told him to do so.

I wondered what this feeling was.

It went beyond anger… I felt sorry for myself for shedding tears at that time.

“Cecily, forgive me, but I’m going to keep my promise.”

What is he trying to say?

His irritating words left me with unease.

Also, Cecily?

“Hey, who are you—”

“Well, see you later. Anyway, do your best on your entrance exams.”

With that, he vanished into thin air.

It was a long-distance spatial teleportation. If I used the magic of Nora Noz, I could probably follow him, but, but then, I’d…

The Cecily in my heart stopped me from wavering.

[I won’t stand for this! I won’t lose to someone like that… I’m going to become a better researcher than him and save Nora!”

Yeah, so it doesn’t really matter.

And so, with the new semester starting, Cecily was able to take the entrance exam for the Royal Institute of Magic without any problems.

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