"W-Were you a pervert all along?" Ivy said with her eyes wide open.
I wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but I immediately noticed that she began moving further away from me after I uttered those words. The look in her eyes also seemed to have a faint presence of fear.
"I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just that I noticed a problem with your body, and I wanted to try and help you."
"A-A problem with my body?"
Her pointy ears turned bright red right away, and she couldn't even meet my eyes anymore.
"And I need to remove my clothes for you to help me?"
"Yes."
I didn't want to explain to her exactly what I had noticed since, from her initial reaction, she clearly had no idea herself. In fact, based on her background, there was an even bigger chance that this problem had been kept a secret from her.
"Y-You only need to see my bare back, right?"
I quietly nodded.
"Fine, I-I'll trust you."
She turned around and began unzipping the top of her dress, revealing her beautiful porcelain-like skin. Ivy was nervous, her feeble body shaking as she showed her back to me.
"Just so you know, I'm only trusting you because the headmistress sent you. I-I'm not an easy girl at all!" She suddenly raised her voice.
"I see."
Without speaking another word, I removed one of my black gloves and slowly pressed my hand against her back, causing Ivy to slightly jump from surprise since my hands were very cold.
She sneaked a glance at me, her face completely red.
'Why is she so embarrassed? She wasn't like this at all when we were younger.'
Nevertheless, now wasn't the time for questions. I closed my eyes and focused all of my energy on her mana core and her mana circuits.
Within seconds, I had already found many mana circuits that had been almost damaged to the point of no return. The state of her body was so terrible that every time she used mana, she must feel extreme pain coursing through her veins.
'How did her physician never notice anything?' I thought to myself, already knowing the answer.
"If you continue to use mana, you will become a cripple in the next six months," I calmly said as I removed my hand from her back.
"What!?"
She turned around suddenly, surprised by my words.
But the carriage lurched slightly at that exact moment.
Her foot caught against my leg, and before either of us could react, her balance gave out.
"Ah—!"
She fell forward, her weight colliding with me as I was forced back against the carriage wall.
The air was knocked from my lungs as I instinctively caught her to keep her from hitting the floor.
For a split second, neither of us moved.
Her breath was shallow and uneven, her hands clenched into my clothes as if afraid to let go.
"…S-Sorry," she whispered, her ears burning bright red.
I looked away. "Get up."
She hurriedly pushed herself away from me, both of her hands ending up on top of my chest, causing her face to turn even redder than before.
Ivy coughed twice and sat back in her original position.
However, when I looked up, I noticed that her dress had started to slip from her shoulders because of the fall.
Without uttering a word, I simply grabbed her dress from both sides and put it back on her correctly.
"T-Thank you," she said with a loud gulp. "But did you actually mean what you just said?"
"Yes. If you continue to use your mana core, you will certainly become a cripple," I said evenly. "About 70% of your mana circuits are heavily damaged, and if they aren't treated, you will end up a cripple. When you are casting a spell, do you usually feel pain around your chest area?"
"How did you know?"
"It's because when you are casting a spell, you are overexerting your body and your mana core, which makes it painful for you."
Ivy suddenly frowned. "But I was regularly checked by the best elven physician back home. There's no way he wouldn't have found such a thing. How do I know you're not lying to me?"
There was no point in trying to convince her. If she didn't want to believe me, then so be it.
I just shrugged and didn't say another word as the carriage continued to move forward.
We stayed like this for a few more minutes until the elven princess could no longer resist staying silent.
"Um... l-let's say that I-I believe you. Um... would there be a way for me to be treated?"
"Maybe."
I had learned a few techniques over the years inside my organization. However, there was no way to tell if they would actually work on her, and there was also a slight chance that I would be found out if anyone ever checked her body.
"Do you know the way?" she asked, her eyes brightening up.
"I would have to try to make sure."
"And what would your healing technique require of me?"
"I would have to—" I suddenly stopped myself. "Why are you already acting as if I would help you?"
"It's just..." She was at a loss for words. "Never mind, forget about it. I'll just ask for some help at the Royal Academy. The physician there should be at least as good as you."
"Mhm. Probably."
However, she was wrong. She would quickly find out that her problem wouldn't be solved using regular channels. No ordinary techniques could ever treat her damaged mana circuits.
"Still, if you ever do need help, um, I'll think about helping you."
"Really?" she said, surprised. "But how would I contact you? I don't even know your name."
"I'll know."
Ivy tilted her head again and ended up nodding.
"By the way, your main affinity is darkness, right?"
I froze for a moment, unsure why she would ask.
"Ah, don't worry, I noticed it earlier when you were observing my mana core. I just didn't find the opportunity to mention it." she said, brushing it off. "It's just that you remind me of someone I know."
'She couldn't be talking about me, right?'