"No! Just a moment! Just for a moment! If you can't provide a Purifier, then at least send a Soother!"
"Ellie, that's enough."
"No! Please! Will you take responsibility if someone suffers contamination? Check if you don't believe me! Our prince has Blackler Soul Disorder! If he isn't purified, contamination will keep building up inside his soul!"
"I'm sorry, student. As I've already explained, if you truly require a Purifier's services, you may contact the nearest district guard office or hire a mercenary. The Academy cannot simply provide one on request."
The pink-haired girl stubbornly blocked the path of every teacher and professor who passed.
No matter how deeply Merrick frowned at the growing attention gathering around them, Ellie continued pleading.
She even went so far as to tug on the sleeves of passing instructors.
"A-at least a Soother! Please calm his unstable soul! If his soul settles down, the contamination won't rise as quickly, and he won't suffer as much!"
The teacher whose sleeve had been caught wore an awkward expression when he noticed professors and honored guests beginning to watch the scene.
"Even so, student. Academy regulations prohibit any action unrelated to Academy activities, including dispatching Purifiers. How about this? I'll issue you a temporary leave permit. You may leave the Academy grounds, provided you return before curfew."
"No!"
Ellie cried out again.
"Our prince is already suffering right now, and you're telling us to travel all the way outside the Academy? That could take nearly an hour!"
"Student, please stop making this difficult."
"But—"
"Ellie."
The girl froze.
She turned toward Merrick.
His blond hair was soaked with sweat, sticking across his eyes.
His lips had already turned faintly blue.
Even his blue eyes looked dull.
Yet he still stood straight, as though refusing to lose his dignity.
"That's enough. They have their rules."
"..."
"They cannot break them just for us."
"But, Prince—"
"Do not bring further embarrassment upon our kingdom."
Ellie finally fell silent.
Only then did she realize how many people were staring.
The garden served as a gathering place for students.
Which meant nearly every candidate nearby had heard her shouting.
Watching the girl's face redden with humiliation, the teacher could only sigh.
He knew the boy's condition had already reached a level that warranted concern.
But rules were rules.
If he sent a Purifier today simply because of a personal request, there would be a second case tomorrow.
And a third after that.
That was exactly what the rules were meant to prevent.
The teacher glanced at his assistant.
The assistant immediately nodded and took out a sheet of paper and a pen.
With practiced movements, the teacher quickly wrote out a three-day leave permit—the exact duration of the examination period.
"Thank you..."
Ellie accepted the document in a small voice.
Her head remained lowered.
"Next time, try to think more calmly about what would be best."
"..."
"As a future student and a future soldier, you need to understand that rules matter."
The teacher looked at her seriously.
"Rules are not meant to be broken, except in matters of life and death."
Ellie could only lower her head and accept the reprimand.
Her shoulders drooped even further.
Seeing that, the teacher sighed once more before turning his attention to the boy beside her.
"What is your name?"
"Merrick, sir."
"When is your examination scheduled?"
"The third day."
"In that case, you are not required to return today."
Merrick lifted his head.
"..."
"And when you leave the Academy, don't focus solely on finding a Soother."
The teacher tapped the permit with his finger.
"Seek purification as well. As much as possible."
"Yes, sir."
"I know Blackler reduces the effectiveness of purification unless it comes from a Purifier whose soul is compatible with yours."
"..."
"But that isn't a reason to endure the pain alone."
Merrick fell silent.
The teacher continued.
"Try undergoing purification for an entire day."
"..."
"When one Purifier becomes exhausted, move on to the next."
"..."
"Then tomorrow, spend the day with a Soother."
The teacher tapped the side of his own head.
"A Soother will help keep your soul stable. Purification, meanwhile, will suppress the contamination."
Then he lowered his hand.
"The combination of both can slow the increase of contamination. In some cases, it can even stop it temporarily."
Ellie slowly raised her head.
Merrick, who had been quietly listening all this time, looked just as surprised.
"Haaa..."
Only then did the teacher realize something.
They had been handling it the wrong way all along.
"Cases like yours may be rare, but they do exist."
The teacher folded his arms.
"The Empire has spent years researching conditions like this."
"..."
"So the proper treatment methods are already well established.
Ellie still looked stunned.
"B-but..."
The teacher raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
"If that's the case... then why didn't anyone tell us when we went to the palace?"
The teacher immediately pressed a hand to his forehead.
"You two..."
His tone was filled with disbelief.
"The palace is hardly going to explain every detail to you."
"..."
"They aren't a public purification service."
The teacher looked between them.
"Did they tell you to visit a district office or hire a mercenary?"
"Yes..."
"And did you go?"
"Yes..."
"Did you explain that it was Blackler?"
"..."
"Or did you simply keep insisting on receiving more purification?"
Both of them immediately fell silent.
And from that reaction alone, the teacher already had his answer.
Half exasperated and no longer sure what else to say, he waved his hand dismissively.
"That's enough."
He let out a long sigh.
"The professors and teachers are still busy. So please stop blocking the walkway."
The two of them stepped aside.
Unable to bear the stares surrounding them any longer, Merrick quickly led Ellie away.
They entered the protected forest area.
Only after the noise of the Academy faded behind them did Merrick finally speak.
"Finished causing trouble?"
"I'm sorry, Prince Oriel."
"Don't call me Prince here."
Merrick pressed a hand against his aching head.
"Try controlling that reckless habit of yours."
"..."
"How many times have we been thrown out of district offices because of you?"
"I'm sorry..."
"If you cause another scene like that, I'll send you home."
"Prince!"
"I'm serious."
Ellie immediately shut her mouth.
But a few seconds later, she spoke again.
"I was just worried."
"But your worry nearly got us disqualified."
"I-it's because you almost collapsed earlier—"
"Enough."
Merrick's voice came out sharper than before.
"Even if we're cousins, there is a limit to how much I can tolerate."
Ellie bit her lip hard.
She had only panicked.
The cousin she admired had suddenly gone pale and nearly lost his balance right in front of her.
She had never intended to cause trouble.
But every time she saw Merrick suffering, her mind went blank.
And by the time she came back to herself...
it was already too late.
Just like at the district offices before.
Just like today.
Everything began with fear.
Fear that Merrick's contamination would never go down.
Fear that his condition would continue to worsen.
Fear that Merrick's condition would be exposed in a foreign land.
And now?
She had shouted everything in front of countless strangers.
Her soul ached.
Regret and self-loathing churned endlessly inside her mind.
Slowly clouding her soul.
Her soul sent warnings in the form of pain.
But Ellie, drowning in her own dark emotions, never noticed.
"But at least thanks to you, we now know how to handle it."
Merrick let out a quiet sigh.
"Thank you, Ellie—"
His voice cut off.
Merrick's eyes widened.
"Ellie!"
Having already walked several steps ahead, Merrick immediately turned around.
The footsteps that should have been following behind him had stopped.
And behind Ellie—
stood a Shadow.
Shadows were humans who had surrendered to contamination and lost their sanity.
Yet they were also creatures drawn to their own kind.
To those who carried contamination.
Which meant—
Merrick's heart instantly turned cold.
I should have been more patient with her.
She was only seventeen.
She wasn't truly an adult yet.
The Shadow slowly raised its hand.
A black, decaying soul-arm.
And the distance between them...
was too close.
Merrick went pale.
No.
I didn't even bring my sword—
"Ellie! Wake up!"
"Huh?"
Startled out of her thoughts, Ellie immediately lifted her head.
The cold breeze brushing the back of her neck made her react instinctively.
And that was when she saw it.
"!!"
The black hand was right in front of her face.
Empty black hollows replaced the Shadow's eyes.
Below them, a grotesque grin stretched across its face.
Ellie's complexion immediately drained of color.
"No—"
Before Merrick's shout could fully leave his mouth—
Sreeeeek!
GYAAAAAAHHHH!
KKKKKHHHHH—!
A bluish chain burst from the ground.
It wrapped around the Shadow with terrifying speed.
The tighter it coiled, the more piercing the Shadow's screams became.
Crack!
The Shadow exploded.
Merrick could only stare blankly.
Fragments of its body and black smoke scattered in every direction.
Yet the bluish chain continued to ripple softly.
As though it possessed a life of its own.
"Ah..."
Ellie stared at the chain with a pale face.
Her legs had already given out beneath her.
Hearing her voice, the chain shifted slightly toward her.
"Watch out!"
Merrick immediately stepped in front of Ellie.
Strangely enough—
the chain truly stopped.
As though it understood his warning.
Merrick's eyes widened.
Slowly, the chain began to fade.
"Wait—"
Instinctively, Merrick grabbed for the chain.
He managed to grasp it for only a moment before it disappeared.
The chain vanished.
"Hic..."
Behind him, Ellie finally began to cry.
But Merrick's attention remained fixed on his own hand.
Blood trickled from his palm.
A thin cut had formed where he had touched the chain.
Merrick frowned.
Wasn't that chain a hard-type ability?
The kind meant for combat?
...then why had his contamination dropped by nearly a quarter from a single touch?