As soon as Sophia replied back to me, her sweet smile immediately went rigid as she lightly hit my head with the blade of her palm.
"Didn't you promise not to use your magic?"
"I was planning to dispose of it after but something caught my attention. I suppose it also escaped my mind."
After my rough excuse, Sophia sighed a breathless sigh before walking to the counter table to get the teacup. I could feel the environment change slightly as Sophia protected her own hand with mana before taking out what's inside the teacup.
Earlier, before I left to follow after Lester and the others, it looked like an icy snowball. But now, it looks like a blue crystal clear ball with an even bluer fire-shaped core on the inside. It looked like something a collector would want to keep and that would have been encouraged even more if they knew that the fire inside the frosty crystal ball was even chillier ice.
"What do we do with this now?" Sophia asks, observing the translucent glow of the fire-shaped ice inside the crystal. "Let's just bury it for now." I noticed it first when I woke up, but it seems my raspy throat and a dry mouth made me feel uncomfortable.
Compared to when I overuse my magic, using Velxia's ability took me a toll greater than I imagined. Contrary to when I use my supposed ice magic, using Imaginary potential and overwriting the purposes of objects didn't make my insides feel cold at all but abnormally hotter.
As if my veins were letting magma instead of blood flow in it, I could literally hear my own blood flow and the throbbing of my aching head.
I expected Imaginary potential to have a backlash since I took it into account when I made my plan, but I honestly didn't think that it would give me sickness that could kill a normal human in my world.
I suppose the human body's constitution in this world is stronger than the ones in my world which don't have magic, in the first place. Looking at the open window, I noticed that it was already afternoon.
I got so used to having to greet Sophia in the morning that I unconsciously did it despite not knowing the time. It didn't look like she minded though so I was just overthinking things.
"Did I sleep for days, perhaps?" I asked in confirmation. I remember those times when I had to rest because of the backlash of my magic when I was in Bluoir, and those certainly didn't just take a day.
However, after waking up, I was already almost fully healed then. But now, I can still feel the lightheadedness of my throbbing head, my weak feeling as well as my troubled breathing.
If I slept for days and still as feel as when before I slept then of course I would doubt that I slept for days. I guess the only good thing that came out of this is that even if I still feel weak, I have enough energy to at least control the shaking of my exhausted body.
"No. Just for about 11 hours."
"... Were you perhaps, watching me the whole time?"
"Is something wrong with that?"
"... No. Thank you, Sophia." I felt a bit uncomfortable at first. But looking at it as she was just taking care of me made it seem okay. Well, it's not like I would have not thought about it even if she asks for permission.
"Did anything happen while I was asleep?"
"Ahh, yes. Sean came in earlier after they went to the dungeon and said he had some questions. But I told him you were sick. He saw you sleeping with a pale complexion so he didn't pursue any further."
Just as planned. "What about Anna?"
"You mean that demon?"
"... She told you?"
"No. My eyes can tell her magic is different from others. I knew she was a demon when we first met her." I see. So it seems she already knew from the start. I wonder why she specifically didn't tell me, but I suppose it would only lead to trouble if she did tell us when we first met.
"... Then... Did something happen?" It was weird for Sophia to call her a demon. I only knew about her being a demon hours ago and I don't think she'll do anything as dumb as exposing her identity.
"Well, she came here earlier..."
"And?"
"She said she was curious about you..."
"And?"
"She knew about your ability from Velxia, so I threatened her a little by telling her I know."
"You didn't have to do that though? She doesn't seem like the type to just expose my power out of a pure desire for attention."
"That's true. It was just in case." I can't really condemn her for that. If I were in her place who was suddenly told something bothersome, I would have tried to think of a quick countermeasure as well.
"Then, can you call her in for me?" I asked Sophia. At the same time, my stomach grumbled. Since I didn't sleep through the night and was active all day long, I suppose it's only natural that I'm already this hungry.
Sophia nodded with a sweet smile before going out of the room. As soon as she left, only the waves of the sea from a distance can be heard. By now, Alfen's injury should have been properly treated. Although I don't know if they can still fix his eye, it's none of my business now.
Just as I was thinking so, the door suddenly creaked open as Anna entered my room. "Can I enter?" She asks, but she already opened the door and had taken a few steps inside my room.
I thought for a moment if this was some tradition of the demons where they enter before asking permission, but I instantly denied the idea as that would just be contradictory.
"Of course. Take a seat." Anna calmly sat down on the sofa in front of my bed. She stole glances from me here and there while fidgeting, but I'm guessing that has something to do with our earlier talks and that she's feeling hesitant.
"I'm glad you didn't just run off," I started the conversation. If I let her start the conversation while she's acting like this, it might take a while. It's highly unlikely that Sean would think that Lester's confession is true, given all the evidence I presented, but it would still be troublesome if we got cast suspicion. Especially for Anna.
"As if I have enough mana to keep my attribute active while running," She scoffed at my joke. I already knew she wouldn't. After all, why reveal a secret such as your identity to someone who's supposed to be your enemy.
If I was in her position, it would be either because of a slip of the tongue or because I need something from that person which is why I took a gamble. She doesn't look seem like the type to do the former so I suppose the latter is the most likely to be it.
As if the thoughts in my head were getting conveyed to her, she followed up from where we left off. "Do you... believe in Gods?" Anna asks, her eyes full of determination as she waited for my answer.
"I can't say that I do, but gods from Dorr Valia exist, do they not?" It didn't look like she accepted that answer as she shook her head.
"Then let me rephrase it. Are you a future guardian apostle?" Her question made me tilt my head. Recalling what she told me earlier in the dungeon, my ability seems to be some sort of blessing from the god of serenity.
"If you're talking about my ability, like I said, I got it from a celestial. Ah,- Celestial are like beings from another plane of existence if you don't know." I figured that she's similar to Sean in the aspect that they don't know of celestials, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
"I know what celestials are. However, your ability is a direct gift. It's not something that's just given as a souvenir but a part of a god's ability. You were literally overwriting things from their original purpose in reality!" She covered her face, trying to calm herself down.
"As I said, I only got it from a celestial. He goes by the name Velxia if you know of him." Since it looks like she was going to lose it soon, I told her another information that might clear things up.
"Velxia? Do you mean... the griffin of the god of serenity's apostle?"
"I don't know about him belonging to a god, but yes. Velxia is a griffin." To my response, Anna's eyes flared up as she went close to me. Anna either goes on a wheelchair or a cane, but I guess this time she chose a cane which made it easier for her to move.
"Then are you a friend him? Wait, does that mean the god of serenity is in this world? But-, wait you got Velxia's ability so does that mean you-!" I covered her mouth with the palm of my hand.
I said it before and I'll say it again; if it's not regarding an informative discussion, I'm bad at dealing with people who blabber nonstop and don't hear what the other party is talking about.
"Calm down. First question, yes. I suppose you can call Velxia my friend. Secondly, I don't know where the "god of serenity" is, but he certainly was not with Velxia. And yes again, I now have Velxia's ability. But if you're asking whether Velxia still has it or not, I don't have an answer to that."
I spoke calmly whilst still covering Anna's lips. After I finished my explanation, Anna pushed my hand away and sighed in defeat. "Can Velxia at least come here then?"
"No, I doubt that. He said he needed to take care of something so I don't think he can even if you beg." Truth be told, I just don't want to accompany her back to Bluoir especially since we're already this far away. "Why are you even looking for him in the first place?"
I can see Anna slightly biting her lips so I assume that this was important to her that she can't discuss with me, but my thoughts were easily overturned as she opened her lips once more. "Then perhaps... could you help me?"
"In what, exactly?" I asked. She looked down on her injured leg then straight back to me. "Stopping Galaxia."