As Noah was still in bad health, only a few staff were allowed to meet with him directly. Even though there weren't any bodyguards that followed him, Wilhelmina Walker, the head maid stayed near him at all times.
"Good morning, Noah. Come sit down." Trish hugged him, kissing him on his cheek.
Although it was getting easier to talk to them by the day, every time he wanted to start a conversation he still felt a little uneasy.
The dining table was set in a large glass room. The room was prepared in such a manner that allowed anyone inside to view the amazing garden surrounding it while maintaining temperature and airflow regardless of the weather outside. Luxurious plates and cutlery were placed neatly for each person at the table.
As maids brought freshly prepared dishes for each of them, Noah waited for his to arrive.
Till now, in his entire life as Noah, he couldn't recall many instances where he got the chance to eat wholeheartedly. Although things got better when he was at the temple and during his short stay with Edgar and Elma, it did little to nothing to put fat in his scrawny body.
"How are you feeling now? I heard you didn't sleep–oof." Receiving an elbow to his side, Edwin stopped mid-sentence.
Looking at his wife's expression, Edwin realized his mistake and corrected himself. "I hope you slept well. It has been quite a long time since that room was used. Ahem. You can check with Wilhelmina if you want anything changed."
Awkwardly accepting the offer, Noah shot a fierce look at Wilhelmina before turning back.
Sigh. "Everything related to the young prince will be reported to the duke and duchess, whether it be me or any of the other staff." Bringing the warm soup in front of Noah, she continued, "have this soup first. A healthy body can sleep well."
"Noah, you are not able to sleep?" Emilia questioned.
"Well, I.."
"You can sleep in my room with me if you are scared."
"You can sleep with us as well, Noah. Maeve still sleeps together with us as well."
"Not always," Meave interjected quietly.
"So you don't need to be shy about it. Right, Edwin?"
"Yes. There is nothing to be ashamed about."
"Noah, do you want me to stay with you today?" Emilia offered.
"Go to school, young lady. Just because the school year hasn't started, doesn't mean you can slack off. If you volunteered to take up club activities during the break, then you need to properly complete it."
"I know, mum."
"Mm.. okay. Dear, we need to go. I think we are already a little late. Emilia, why don't you come with us. We will drop you off at school. Maeve, are you still sleepy? You are so quiet today."
"Just a little."
"Okay. Study well. Don't disturb your brother too much. Noah, take care, okay. Eat well. Don't skip your breakfast now just because we are leaving. You need to grow up tall, strong and healthy like your mum and dad, okay?"
"Yes, mum.."
"Noah is short… but cute," Maeve spoke out loud unknowingly while watching Noah.
Taken aback, everyone in the room went quiet. If there was one thing that bothered the maids in the mansion, it was how malnourished Noah looked. Although it was a topic that all of them wished to slowly gloss over and fix with time, Maeve hit the nail on the head.
Seeing Noah stammering for a reply, Trish comforted.
"It's okay, Noah. You'll grow up soon. Make sure to eat well, okay. And, Maeve don't tease your brother. It's not a good habit."
"I wonder who she got it from," Edwin spoke his thoughts out loud while looking at his wife.
".. we will talk in the car." Trish gave a stern glare, before turning to face Wilhelmina. "Are there any other appointments scheduled for today?"
"Prince Icarus and Princess Astrea requested an audience with Prince Noah this afternoon."
"Hmm… Noah, you can turn them down if you are not well."
"Yes.. mum…"
As his mum, dad and sister left the room, Noah could only sniffle about his circumstances. While on the other side, Maeve had a huge smile on her face.
====
looking at his status screen, Noah couldn't help but sigh.
"Skadi, is this really supposed to work?"
"It won't heal you, but it will give you more time."
"Alright."
After finishing his breakfast, Noah went to the medical room with Wilhelmina to meet with Dr Clara.
When Dr Clara read through his files, she couldn't help but be surprised. The sheer number of affinities Noah awakened would surprise anyone. But without mana, he would lose that as well. Although she understood how important mana was for him to survive outside, she wanted to help him feel safe so that he won't be troubled if they have to block his mana.
Exiting his domain, Noah explained Skadi's plan to Dr Clara: just continuously use mana. Skadi reasoned if his current physical condition made him weak because his mana veins were being expanded slowly but continuously, then if he were to utilise the mana as it recovered, it should offset some of the stress his body was under.
"That sounds possible in theory…"
"We have a library in the mansion right? Ms Walker."
"Yes. Do you want to read a novel while Dr Clara confirms your theory?"
While EtherWorld was set in a time where magic and technology coexisted, he didn't know for sure how much they were put together. As more than 800 years passed by, mankind was able to develop magic circles and circuits that didn't require the user to know anything about the circle or even have mana, if it was connected to a mana tank.
As technology made progress, humans shifted from fossil fuels to hydroelectric to nuclear and now finally to mana-based power.
But that didn't mean the transition was smooth. Mages were never friendly towards scientists and vice versa. It was only in recent years they started to work together. So, there was still a question of whether medicine today was properly correlated with mana and technology. Not one over the other.
As an alpha tester for EtherWorld, this was something he never thought of looking into. Who would expect the technology in a game to be real as well?
Looking at the medical equipment around the room, his curiosity arose. What if humans in EtherWorld were physically different from humans in the world he lived in before? Are mana pathways/veins hypothetical? Or is it through a vein that carries blood? Or is it an actual dedicated vein in his body that carries mana?
Time has proved us to be an evolution of Pliopethecus or a monkey to a Homo Erectus and then to Homo Sapiens. What if 800 years ago, when we were exposed to mana, we evolved again?
"Do we have any anatomy or any other medical books?"
"No. There are no medical books in the mansion except for Dr Clara's personal books. There are a few on first aid though. I suggest checking with Dr Clara or on the internet."
"Holy $hit. The internet!"