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As I grew pale, Felix continued to speak with a troubled look.

“Every human being has mana. Life energy, such as blood and water, dies once depleted. But mana exists everywhere in the air, so it rarely runs out.”

Just by breathing normally, mana would come in and out.

“But each person has a different ‘bowl’ to contain the mana. If the average person has a bowl this big…….”

Felix made a slight gap with his thumb and index finger. It was a space where an ant could barely pass.

Then he looked around with a half-cold languid gaze and went on, casually.

“I have a bowl the size of this mansion, I guess.”

The size of the Chamberlain mansion was only a little smaller than the imperial palace.

It would have been awkward to say those words myself, but it was perfectly acceptable since it was a statement made by the best sorcerer in the empire.

“Mana is the most basic substance required to be able to operate magic. Therefore, a sorcerer with a large bowl of mana can live long without aging. It’s like filling your body with more life energy.”

If it had been the way it was, Felix would have lived longer and healthier than others.

If it weren’t for the three useless brothers.

“However, I feel like I’m stuck in the mana bowl, so I can’t get in or out of it.”

“…….what?”

Even from just listening to it sounded like a big deal.

“I can’t describe it exactly because it’s just a feeling…….”

Felix seemed to have difficulty expressing it in words and trailed off for a moment.

“Even if there are people who have contracted with the devils, there is no precedent for accepting them directly in the body because no one has survived.”

I listened to him in a daze.

I was glad that Felix returned alive, but I didn’t realize how great it was and had taken it for granted.

However, the choice to be the sacrifice to the devil was almost a gamble, and it seemed like it was a miracle that he was safe like this.

No one, but Felix, would have succeeded.

“For now, resistance is the biggest problem. And even if the person has resistance, the moment they accepted the devil, their mana will be sucked away till they died, or their mana will slowly dry out, and the person dies in a state where they were unable to absorb more mana.”

I could finally understand what was going on.

So mana was essential for living. But Felix couldn’t use magic or accept any mana due to the blocked passageway.

Didn’t that mean he was about to die? Didn’t that mean Felix had a time limit?

Felix casually reached out towards me when he saw that my face had turned pale and that I was about to cry.

But he managed to stop in the air and quickly took it back before he even reached me.

His conflict made me anxious.

I just thought it would be nice if he didn’t hesitate and did as he pleased, whether he wiped my tears, stroked my head, or pinched my cheeks.

But like a coward, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

In case I got rejected again.

“I’m not going to die.”

As he intended, I felt assured for the moment.

It was not a big deal to be unable to use magic.

Although things would become harder, Felix’s survival was more important.

This was about us trying to live happily ever after!

“There’s a way to temporarily use the power of the devil and forcibly clear the path. At first, blood flowed backward because I didn’t have the hang of it, but I kept trying, and it worked out.”

Last night I clearly saw Felix vomit blood instead of magic while brandishing his arms like he was about to use magic.

But I told him to take a good rest because he must have been tired, but he ended up studying instead of resting?

I didn’t know why he pushed himself to the limit when he was already injured.

Felix had to be scolded.

‘Whether you resist or not, I will force you to lie down on the bed and put you to sleep.’

But for now, it was best to listen till the end.

“Is that so? You said you couldn’t use magic, so is there something wrong with that method?”

“Yes, there is. In my opinion, we should avoid this method as much as possible. Leraze quickly delves into the gap that I force myself into…….”

Now that I thought about it, I never heard the answer to what it meant for the power of the devil to delve in.

He belatedly informed me what it meant.

“It’s harder to control myself. I feel like I’ve changed a little bit stranger than before…”

Hmm?

“I feel like a fragment of the soul has been tainted by the devil.”

Felix looked like Lucifer when he realized that where he stood was hell and that he had fallen.

It was what a fallen angel would say.

So did he mean he had already tried that method, and he was now being influenced by the devil?

I blinked and said, “I had no idea.”

I could not tell which part of him was tainted by the devil. If there such a gentle devil existed, the world would be a better place than it was now.

Felix then laughed bitterly and said, “I’m desperately holding on.”

Felix, who never said he was having a hard time, expressed it like that.

At that moment, there was a sound of water dripping from somewhere in the room where silence had fallen.

This place was not even a bathroom. I cast a curious look in the direction of the sound.

I instantly freaked out. It was because blood was dripping from Felix’s clenched fist.

It was a color so vividly red that it contrasted with his pale skin and blue veins.

I was so horrified, my whole body stiffened. I slowly moved my eyes.

I glanced over and checked his complexion.

The question of whether he was okay seemed meaningless as he didn’t look okay at all.

So I couldn’t say anything.

“Magic……. there must be another way.”

He cleared his throat and stared at me from an angle.

Since Felix said there was a way, it must be true.

So his suffering would be over once he found a solution, right?

Undoubtedly, Felix would be included in our happy future together someday, right?

“So, will you call your family now?”

A smile as vague as his gaze appeared at the corner of his mouth and then vanished. It was like a mirage of hope that tortured people as they hallucinated about what they desperately wanted.

I felt that the beginning and the end of his misfortunate suffering all implicitly stemmed from me.

His desire towards me.

I deeply inhaled and exhaled because I felt endlessly stuffy inside.

‘Let’s grab him by the collar and force him to say it.’

Even if we bump into each other and I get smashed into pieces, let’s do it.

The ruthless impulse made my head dizzy, but my gaze fell on the drops of blood dripping like IV fluids.

What if it was something I just couldn’t handle?

If the desire was too much to talk about, it must already be beyond my acceptance range.

‘What if it’s a desire for me to embrace the three brothers?’

I had no intention of doing that, but I unconsciously made a scornful face.

I couldn’t pry any further because I was afraid it would hurt him even more.

* * *

Claudia moved ahead of Hugo, who I unquestionably believed would run wild the most.

She strode over and slapped Felix relentlessly on the cheek.

His head turned back with the sound of a smack. Neither the person who hit him nor the one who got hit blinked an eye.

Hugo forgot his anger and blankly looked alternately between the two brothers and sisters.

Oh, no, guys. Why were you fighting all of a sudden…….

He glanced at me for help. It was the face of a father who witnessed his children fight for the first time.

But I didn’t think this was a situation where I could step in and stop it.

Olivia, who came down in a magic wheelchair with the help of the butler, Alfred, shook her head. It seemed to mean that no one could stop it.

However, the cold war, which felt like treading on thin ice, did not last long.

It was because Claudia grasped her hand and screamed silently.

‘Is this the first time you’ve ever slapped someone in the face?’

Come to think of it, I didn’t recall seeing a description of the heroine hitting anyone in the face.

On the contrary, Felix, who was slapped, seemed worried about her hand.

But Claudia tried to swallow the pain and raised her head as tears welled up.

“The rumors have spread around the neighborhood that my brother has died. A funeral will be held soon. He has such a good reputation that people voluntarily wanted to hold a memorial service. Should I say congratulations?”

“……”

While Claudia made sarcastic remarks, Felix faced her without answering.

Felix’s outfit was no longer a magic robe embroidered with gold thread on a pure white cloth.

The robe, which looked as sacred as the clothes worn by the priest, was said that only the Minister of Magic and the Vice Minister¹ were entitled to wear it.

Having become a dead man, he could no longer wear it.

Felix, who shone more brilliantly than a jewel in the sun, could no longer be seen.

Recognizing that fact, I felt like my body was sinking into the abyss.

In fact, until yesterday, I had no sense of reality to the point where I thought it was all a dream.

Now, I finally realized that everything between us would never be like before.

“I heard from Rin that it could have been worse than this. I know this was the best way.”

Claudia closed her eyes for a moment and gasped.

“But when I look at you, my brother……. I get so mad it feels like my head is going to explode.”

“Chloe, it’s not your fault.”

“I know. I know……. but I’m angry at myself for not being able to help…….”

“It was a problem that I was supposed to solve,” Chloe continued, unable to hide her dismay. The air around them suddenly felt cold.

At that moment, Felix broke the silence and opened his mouth.

“Why is it a problem that Chloe needs to solve?’

Anger, sorrow, and consolation were mixed in his voice.

I also wanted to ask that. If burglars broke into your house and you accidentally killed them due to ‘self-defense,’ what would you do?

In that case, you should ask the public authorities for help. However, the power in the world was in ruins. It was because the public authorities were the burglars – those useless tax thieves.

But you know.

Even if everything was not the same as before, it was just a different position or stance. At least the fact that we could be together right now remained unchanged.

“Well, that’s why I’m ready.”

I clapped my hands in a bright voice to lighten up the mood.

At the moment, the eyes of the family, who were wallowing in grief, turned to me simultaneously.

“Shall we go on a summer vacation to the island?”

* * *

^{1. For anyone who forgot, Felix is the youngest Vice Minister of Magic aka the genius sorcerer.↩}

* * *