Aaaaah! Seriously, what the heck was he just babbling about?!

Having all but fled the scene, Vinny now regretted every word he’d said. He’d gotten carried away and his mouth outran his brain; now that he’d cooled off and looked back, the shame hit like a brick. What nonsense had he even spouted just now?!

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” and “Principles, loyalty—do you even get that?”—how weird could he get?

And in front of that pint-sized dinner roll, no less. Great. She’d probably laughed herself to death behind his back. Maybe she’d pegged him as a clown hamming it up on stage—or some childish little brat.

Ugh, how could he let that white-haired short stack catch such a massive joke at his expense?

Anyway... so Aesphyra really did have aftereffects from last time’s overclocked use of [Sacred Blessing].

Vinny had thought he’d patched her up afterward. Looks like the half-bottle of life-saving elixir brewed from the Saintess’s blood still wasn’t enough—insufficient to fully heal the backlash caused by Carillian blood.

For someone else, for some other mortal wound, a single drop of the elixir might’ve been enough. But he’d been hit by Jiu Lixue’s magic—without half a bottle he wouldn’t have made it back. Aesphyra, however, had suffered backlash from god-blood—Carillian blood—worse than his, a nearly irreversible injury.

Vinny had tried already, and exactly as Aesphyra had said, not even Saint Light could restore her injury—only greatly alleviate it.

The reason she’d bounced back so fast at the time was because Vanessa had temporarily suppressed her heart injury with Saint Light. That’s why, after she got moving again, Aesphyra had seemed bright-eyed and fine, like nothing had happened.

But afterward was different. The damage from god-blood backlash began to flare up, and only then did Aesphyra slowly realize something was wrong.

Vinny had noticed it already: her complexion had looked a bit pale just now. Her return to the Galathus estate over the break likely had a lot to do with treating her heart.

And the result was plain: even the Galathus family seemed to have no way forward.

No one doubted the Galathus family’s loyalty to Carillian. The moment they found the bloodline’s sole surviving scion, the whole clan must have boiled over—pinning their hopes on Aesphyra to claim the orthodox mantle and return them to glory.

Now Aesphyra’s heart had a problem—a big one. The Galathus family was probably as frantic as ants on a hot pan. Odds were they’d already mobilized every connection to petition high-ranking clergy and scour the world for a remedy.

If only he hadn’t used up half her life-saving elixir—then the potency would have been enough.

The essence of the Blessing Angel was the only divine substance in the world that could bring someone back from the dead. If one were to drink a whole bottle of the life-saving elixir brewed from a Saintess’s blood, it should completely repair the heart damage caused by Carillian god-blood.

In the end, this was on him to handle. If not him, then who?

Yes, he’d been injured saving Aesphyra, but all told, he still owed her a mountain of favors.

Honestly, Vinny himself found it strange. An entire summer had passed. With the fate-blessed luck of a destined leading heroine like Aesphyra, shouldn’t a fated benefactor have popped out of some crevice to save her already? Why was there still no movement by now? Did the leading heroine’s plot armor short out?

As for how a mere alchemy apprentice with no Spirit rank to his name could help Aesphyra—Vinny had an idea.

So what if his ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) cultivation was curbside? Specialization exists for a reason. The Facilis line’s whole deal is saving lives, isn’t it?

And wasn’t it just his luck? Back in that dream, Elusha had passed down all the recipes of her life—some from the Facilis inheritance, some from ages lost, and some she’d devised herself.

He was a Facilis with a fully awakened bloodline; the blood of the Blessing Angel flowed in him—something no one else had.

Of course, having the Blessing Angel’s blood wasn’t enough. It was the primary, indispensable ingredient, but other materials were needed as well—and in the end, the one to refine it had to be him.

After all, no one could be allowed to learn that his bloodline had awakened.

He had considered simply handing the recipe to Aesphyra and supplying the materials. But this knowledge seemed to have some kind of confidentiality lock. Though the names and exact ingredients existed in his mind, the method of refinement did not. Only when the time came would he “know” how by intuition.

That was likely to ensure the recipes never spread—to keep them from falling into unworthy hands. If the principles became known and were altered, the disaster could be immense. Elusha must have taken that knowledge to the grave and set this safeguard even as she taught him.

Vinny pondered how to make the medicine.

First certainty: with Vinny’s processor, even with a recipe he couldn’t possibly refine a life-saving elixir in the short term.

No problem. Vanessa could do it. Vanessa would learn alchemy and specialize in curative elixirs, and then Vanessa would handle the refinement—after all, the Blessing Angel’s blood resided in Vanessa.

But that meant, other than popping out to prove he still existed, Vinny would need long stretches to remain in Vanessa’s state. He’d also need an alchemy lab where no one would interrupt him, and a full stock of materials.

On top of that, someone would need to cover his Student Council work, because he’d be “offline” for a long time.

These conditions obviously weren’t things he could secure on his own. He needed an ally.

That’s right—her again.

His most reliable, most outstanding childhood friend: Mirexia!

So Vinny didn’t return to the dorm. He went up to the third floor to the Student Council President’s office to find Mirexia.

“Vinny? Finished check-in? What’s up?” Mirexia looked up when she saw him.

“Here’s the thing, Mirexia—I might need your help again. Aesphyra...” Vinny laid out the situation. Of course, he said nothing about Aesphyra’s background or [Sacred Blessing]; he only said those were Aesphyra’s secrets, and he didn’t know them.

“Life-saving elixir brewed from the Blessing Angel’s blood? I’ve heard of it. But what kind of illness or injury would require a legendary, long-lost divine medicine like that?” Mirexia truly couldn’t make sense of it. By rights, no matter how severe the injury, using such a divine elixir would be overkill.

“I don’t know either. What I do know is that Saint Light can only alleviate the injury to Aesphyra’s heart—it can’t fundamentally heal it. And I can’t stay as Vanessa at her side to keep alleviating it, nor is that anything but treating the symptom.” Vinny didn’t explain further, out of respect for Aesphyra. Even to Mirexia—whom he trusted most, and who wasn’t a blabbermouth—he wouldn’t speak without Aesphyra’s consent.

Mirexia was silent for a long while. She vaguely sensed that Aesphyra’s origins weren’t simple, but she chose not to press.

Barring necessity and permission, she wouldn’t pry into others’ secrets.

And she believed Vinny one hundred percent.

“So you mean... you want to help Classmate Aesphyra?”

“Why not? Part of why she’s hurt is on me. And you only need one reason to help, right?”

“She’s my friend.”

Mirexia inclined her head.

[Virtue +50]

[Current Virtue: 8874]

“What do you need me to help with?” Mirexia asked.

“I need you to prepare an alchemy room where no one will disturb me, and the alchemical materials. I also need time to practice my ancestor’s recipes, so I might fall behind on Student Council duties.”

“Alright. Which materials, specifically?” Mirexia asked.

“Here, I’ll make a list.” Vinny wrote down the necessary ingredients on a sheet of paper and handed it over.

“Most of these the academy has in reserve. But since they’re all precious, even Carillian Academy can’t let students use them for free—unless you promise the finished elixirs go to the academy and you hold an alchemist certification of a certain grade.” Mirexia scanned the list and said so.

“Uh...” That stumped Vinny. He was just an alchemy apprentice—no certifications. And he couldn’t hand the finished elixirs over to the academy, either.

“It’s alright. The materials are actually the smallest problem. Vinny, even with your ancestor’s recipes, how confident are you?” Mirexia asked seriously.

“I don’t know. I’ll refine in Vanessa’s state. As for how many attempts it’ll take to get in the door, I can’t say. But I’ll do my best,” Vinny said solemnly.

“Very well. The Camella royal house will supply the materials. I’ll write Father a letter; they’ll arrive quickly.”

“Really?!” Vinny lit up. “Thank you, Mirexia.”

“Knew it—my childhood friend is the best. Most thoughtful, most understanding.”

Which... meant he’d be using Mirexia’s resources to pay back a favor he owed Aesphyra, didn’t it?

He felt like he owed Mirexia more and more.

Why did the debt pile only grow the more he paid?

[Virtue +60]

[Current Virtue: 8934]

“Because Classmate Aesphyra is my friend too, isn’t she?” Mirexia looked slightly aside. “She’s helped me a lot. Helping her is only proper.”

“Yeah.” Vinny nodded. In the original, Mirexia and Aesphyra had a great relationship—exactly how great...

Vinny left the Student Council. Classes hadn’t started yet, so he figured he’d check the library for any relevant books.

It hadn’t been long since students started trickling back; the campus wasn’t too crowded. Most returnees were off meeting friends—after a break apart, you had to catch up. His card-playing buddies would be the same, no doubt already discussing the latest releases and finding a place to duel.

He envied how clear-headed they were about their priorities—how cleanly they set things down.

The library had some people, but Vinny still quickly found an unclaimed seat and sat. As usual, his “field” spread out—enough that other students, just catching a glimpse, decided they didn’t want to come any closer; even a glance felt ill-omened.

Vinny asked the librarian and pulled a few alchemy-related volumes to read.

Reading along, he suddenly felt the chair at his side slide back. At the same time, a familiar cool, orchid-like fragrance drifted over, making him momentarily lightheaded.

He was still wondering who would choose to sit right beside him when he looked up and recognized her.

That familiar body scent, the waterfall of dark-blue hair, and those aristocratic violet eyes—none other than the Tyrel Empire’s exalted First Princess, Isatia Lanteville.

As for why she’d chosen the seat next to him—she’d said long ago.

“Long time no see, Classmate Isatia. How was your break?” They weren’t close, but when you recognized a classmate, you couldn’t pretend you didn’t. Vinny greeted her warmly.

“Mm. It was fine.” Isatia dipped her head slightly—her answer.

“Fine” was practically saying nothing. Standards differed person to person; who knew what her “fine” meant?

It was a reply given for politeness’ sake.

Vinny realized she had no time for small talk, and he didn’t mind. He’d only asked out of courtesy.

He was curious, though—Isatia always seemed to have a book in hand. Did she really love reading that much?

Vinny snuck a glance at the title in her hands.

“Studies and Records Concerning the Lost Civilization of Marsmo”

Vinny had no idea what “Marsmo” was, but the book was clearly some historical research.

Last time in the library, too, Isatia had been reading extracurricular history.

The First Princess seemed particularly enamored with history books—wherever she went, she was reading history.

Vinny frowned slightly.

Was she just a history buff? Or was there a deeper reason?

He didn’t dwell on it, and went back to his own reading.

With the First Princess, coexistence was simple: don’t get in each other’s way.

Then, as he read, he felt—maybe it was his imagination—that cool, orchid fragrance inching closer and closer.