Soul-loss Syndrome—this is an extremely rare condition, as it only occurs among magicians, and the odds of contracting it are as slim as one in a hundred thousand.
It’s said that those afflicted by this illness will experience intermittent spells of absent-mindedness, as if their consciousness is being pulled out of their body.
However, the episodes don’t last long—at most, they’ll regain awareness within a dozen minutes or so.
Still, since it’s the consciousness that gets damaged, patients are left weak all over and their heads feel swollen afterwards.
And as the years of illness drag on, it can even lead to a decrease in magical reserves.
All of these symptoms pretty much matched Lanafit’s situation.
As for the last one—her magic reserves dropping—maybe it’s because she hadn’t been sick for long, or perhaps it’s because, as a witch, her magical power was nearly limitless, so she didn’t feel it at all.
After learning she had become the “lucky one” among a hundred thousand, Lanafit was speechless.
She had considered returning to Sky Island to ask the witches if there was a cure, but she still hadn’t gathered the resolve to go back after defying the will of the Demon God.
For now, Lanafit could only hope there was a doctor in the Lower Realm who could treat this illness.
But while the Haide Empire was vast, its population was only in the tens of millions.
As for magicians, there were fewer than ten thousand.
With the odds of this rare disease being one in a hundred thousand, almost no one would bother researching a treatment.
Fortunately, not long ago in the previous city, Lanafit had heard in the hospital that there was a doctor named Dragan in Padugel who was studying the syndrome.
That’s why she rushed straight for her destination, even breaking her previous vow and flying.
Who could have guessed she’d have an episode mid-air and fall out of the sky?
Luckily, Lanafit had been careful not to fly too high or too fast, in case she needed to spot people on the ground to avoid them—or in case she fainted mid-flight and crashed.
Otherwise, with the speed and height, she wouldn’t just have flattened her already modest chest; she’d have ended up as a smear on the ground.
Fried and Letuwa had wanted to help her earlier.
Although they hadn’t managed to, they seemed like decent people, and there was no reason to hide this from them, so Lanafit told them the truth.
But after she finished, she noticed the two looked a bit odd.
Just as she was wondering, Fried spoke up to clear her confusion.
“That really is a coincidence, Miss Lanafit. Padugel is my territory, and I know the Dragan you’re looking for.”
Lanafit was pleasantly surprised when she heard this.
She’d been worrying about how to find the doctor once she arrived in Padugel, knowing she’d have to ask around and risk attracting unwanted attention.
Now, Fried’s appearance was a godsend.
The man before her turned out to be the lord of that region, and he knew the doctor she was searching for.
With his help, finding the right person would be much easier.
But before Lanafit could get too excited, Fried’s next words hit her like a thunderbolt, nearly making her faint again.
“Miss Lanafit, I’m afraid I have bad news. Dragan passed away half a year ago.”
“…Eh?”
Lanafit was stunned for several seconds before she finally made a sound.
The spark of hope that had been kindled was instantly snuffed out.
After traveling so far and nearly getting herself killed by fainting mid-flight, all to seek treatment, she was now told the doctor was dead.
How was she supposed to hold it together?
All this trouble for nothing—she might as well have resigned herself and gone back to Sky Island from the start.
As Lanafit’s emotions soared and crashed, Fried, who clearly had a habit of dramatic pauses, spoke again.
“Miss Lanafit, don’t give up just yet. Although Dragan has passed away, he left behind a student. My father was once a good friend of his, so his student is now also a doctor in Padugel. Even if he hasn’t studied Soul-loss Syndrome, he should at least have Dragan’s research notes.”
After hearing this, Lanafit couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Fried.
Why couldn’t he just say everything at once? Did he have to string her along like that?
Then again, even if the doctor himself was gone and his student had inherited his skills, Soul-loss Syndrome was such an obscure field that the student might not have bothered to study it.
Even if there were notes, as a layperson, Lanafit might not understand them or be able to treat herself.
That was probably why Fried had explained things in that order.
Still, hope was hope.
Lanafit decided she should at least go to Padugel City and see for herself.
After their conversation, her dizziness had gradually faded.
Once she got the address of Dragan’s student’s clinic, Lanafit prepared to set off again.
After exchanging a glance with Letuwa, Fried invited her.
“Since you want to go to my territory, Miss Lanafit, why don’t we travel together? A carriage is faster than going on foot.”
Fried truly was a gentleman.
He made the offer out of kindness—after all, it was still quite a distance to his domain.
Even by carriage, they wouldn’t arrive until the next day.
If Lanafit went on foot, who knew how many days it would take?
What’s more, Lanafit’s Soul-loss Syndrome was like a ticking time bomb.
If she lost consciousness on the road and ran into wild beasts or bad people, it would be extremely dangerous.
Logically, Lanafit shouldn’t refuse such an offer.
But contrary to Fried’s expectations, Lanafit shook her head at his invitation.
“My lord, I appreciate your kindness, but I think I’d better go on my own for some reasons.”
If she flew by herself, it would only take an hour or two to reach her destination.
Right now, she was desperate for a cure, and in her heart, she was reluctant to travel with others—especially strangers.
But Fried couldn’t understand Lanafit’s reasoning; after all, he didn’t know she could fly.
He assumed that, since there were three men—himself, Letuwa, and the coachman—Lanafit, as a woman, might be wary of joining them in the carriage.
So he explained, “Miss Lanafit, there’s no need to worry. Besides myself, Letuwa, and the coachman, my daughter is also in the carriage. I’m sure she’ll love having a young magician lady like you for company.”
With that, he called toward the carriage.
“Bella!”
“Father!”
A small head popped out the window.
But when Bella saw Lanafit outside, her eyes spun mischievously, and she said, “Father, cheating is not allowed. Otherwise, I’ll tell Mother when we get home.”
“…Huh?”
Fried was instantly covered in cold sweat.
“Bella, don’t get the wrong idea! This is just a magician we met on the road. How about we let the magician lady travel with us?”
He quickly added, “Papa hasn’t done anything! Grandpa Letuwa can vouch for me, so don’t go telling your mother nonsense.”
His survival instincts were clearly in full force.
Bella looked at Lanafit again, especially noticing her outfit.
When she heard her father say the lady was a magician, admiration shone in her eyes.
She nodded.
“Bella wants the magician lady to come with us!”
Hearing this, Fried breathed a sigh of relief.
He was probably more relieved to have cleared himself of suspicion than to have Bella’s permission for Lanafit to ride along.
He turned to Lanafit and invited her again.
“Miss Lanafit, it’s still a long way to the territory. Why not travel with us? My daughter dreams of becoming a magician, so I’m sure you’ll get along well.”
At this point, it would have been hard to refuse.
But in the end, Lanafit still shook her head and politely declined.
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