A heavy silence filled the royal infirmary.
Yuuya sat upright in bed, his body still weak from the sudden collapse. Across from him, King Alfred's golden eyes burned with concern and frustration.
Lena stood nearby, gripping her hands together, her face pale with worry.
"You've been hiding this from me," Alfred said, his voice firm but not unkind.
Yuuya sighed, looking away. "...I didn't want to cause trouble."
Alfred's brows furrowed. "Yuuya, you collapsed in your own blood. I think we're past 'not causing trouble.'"
Yuuya let out a slow breath, avoiding his gaze. "...I didn't think it was important."
Alfred's brow twitched. "Not important?" He gestured toward the bed. "You suddenly faint. If that's not important, then what is?"
Lena flinched at those words, her fists clenching.
Yuuya exhaled. He had no choice but to explain.
"It's because of how I've been treating Flora," he admitted. "She needs to release the excess mana in her body. But instead of letting her do it naturally, I've been absorbing it myself."
Alfred's expression darkened. "...And that's what made you sick?"
Yuuya nodded. "I stored too much mana inside me. My body wasn't made to hold that much, and it's been breaking me down."
Alfred's eyes narrowed. "I get the gist."
Yuuya closed his eyes. "this was the only way I could help her."
Silence followed his words.
Alfred finally leaned back, rubbing his temple. "You should have told me this from the start."
Yuuya frowned. "Would you have let me do it if I did?"
Alfred's lips pressed into a thin line. "...No."
"Exactly."
Alfred's expression softened. He let out a slow breath, then leaned forward.
"Yuuya," Alfred said, his voice quieter now. "You're not just some guest in this castle anymore. You're... family."
Yuuya's eyes widened slightly.
"Family takes care of each other," Alfred continued. "If you're sick, we take care of you. If you're in trouble, we help you. But I can't do that if you keep secrets from me."
Yuuya stared at him.
Alfred wasn't angry—he was worried.
Yuuya looked down, swallowing hard. He wasn't used to this.
"...Sorry," he muttered.
Yuuya's breath hitched slightly.
Alfred continued, "So tell me. What cure is there? What do we need to do to fix this?"
Yuuya shook his head. "There's nothing. I just need to stop treating Flora and let time heal me naturally."
Alfred nodded. "Good. Then here's what we're going to do. Flora will continue her magic training, and she'll learn how to release her own mana."
Yuuya opened his mouth to argue, but Alfred held up a hand.
"You will only check up on her when needed," Alfred said firmly. "And you will focus on your own recovery."
He turned to Lena. "Make sure he actually rests."
Lena straightened up immediately. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Yuuya sighed, leaning back into the pillows. (So much for doing whatever I want...)
But deep down, he felt something warm and unfamiliar.
But as he looked at Alfred's serious expression and Lena's worried face, he realized…
They weren't just giving him orders.
They truly cared about him.
And for the first time, he let himself accept that.
The days passed, turning into months. Two years went by in the blink of an eye.
Yuuya was now ten years old. He had grown taller
His body had fully recovered, though he still did routine checkups on Flora. Unlike before, he only absorbed her mana when absolutely necessary.
As he stretched in his room, a familiar voice called from outside.
"Yuuya-sama! Dinner is ready!"
Yuuya turned to see Lena standing by the doorway, smiling.
"You better not be skipping meals again," she scolded lightly.
Yuuya chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it."
The royal dining hall was as grand as ever.
Seated at the table were King Alfred, Queen Fauna, and Princess Flora.
As Yuuya sat down, Flora grinned at him. "You're late!"
"You're just early," Yuuya replied, smirking.
Fauna, the queen, chuckled softly. "It's nice to see you two getting along as always."
As they ate, the conversation turned to daily life.
Alfred sipped his wine. "Flora's magic control has improved a lot over the past two years."
Flora beamed. "I had a good teacher!"
Yuuya raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me. You had proper instructors."
Flora giggled. "Still, you helped!"
Lena placed a dish on the table. "And don't forget, the princess's tenth birthday party is next week."
Alfred smiled. "That's right. We'll be holding a grand celebration."
Yuuya sighed. "Sounds exhausting."
Flora pouted. "It'll be fun! You better be there, Yuuya!"
Yuuya smirked. "I'll think about it."
Flora huffed.
Fauna watched the exchange with gentle amusement. "Yuuya, you've really become part of the family."
Yuuya blinked, caught off guard.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
But deep inside…
A small warmth bloomed in his chest.
A Letter from Dia – No Progress, but Not Giving Up
Later that night, as Yuuya sat in his room, a familiar magical bird fluttered in through the window, carrying a letter.
It was from Dia-neesan.
Yuuya opened it, reading her words.
[Yuuya, I'm sorry. Even after all these years, I still haven't found any trace of your hometown.]
Yuuya's grip on the letter tightened slightly.
Dia continued:
[I won't give up. But it's strange…]
[Are you sure you didn't just wake up in the middle of nowhere? Haha, just kidding. But in all seriousness, this mystery only makes me more determined to find answers.]
[Take care, Yuuya. And don't overwork yourself.]
Yuuya leaned back in his chair, exhaling.
(Still no answers, huh?)
It wasn't surprising. Even after two years of searching the royal library, he had found nothing.
A village that simply… vanished.
Who could have done that? And why?
For now, though, he pushed those thoughts aside.
The next morning, Yuuya stood in the training grounds.
Gripping a wooden training sword, he took a deep breath—then moved.
His speed was incredible. His strikes were swift, precise, and overwhelming. His footwork was flawless.
A group of knights watching nearby murmured among themselves.
"His movements… they're not normal for a ten-year-old."
"He's already stronger than most adult knights!"
Then, Yuuya switched to magic.
He raised his hand, and a surge of mana flowed through the air.
With a flick of his wrist, a controlled blast of fireshot forward, explode.
BOOM!!!
One of the knights swallowed hard. "Monster…"
"How… how can a child have this much power?" another knight muttered.
The training ground shaking with the explosion and the wall on the training ground crumbling
Yuuya smirked.
He was stronger now. Far stronger than he had ever been.
But he still wasn't satisfied.
Yuuya looked at his own hands, still feeling the warmth of mana running through them. He had come so far… yet…
(It's still not enough.)
Even after few years, he still had no answers about his home. No way back. No clues.
And if he wasn't strong enough to uncover the truth…
(Then I'll become even stronger.)