Brendu’s point of view:
“How boring…” I let out a long sigh.
It doesn’t matter if I’ve been busy or free these past few days—I’ve felt bored most of the time. Going out with my friends, noble parties, events, or any kind of activity… everything has felt a bit dull.
I had never experienced this feeling before. It’s strange, feeling it for the first time. I’ve grown so used to spending all my days with Maki that being without him feels empty. Maybe if I were with the girls or my family, I could get rid of this sense of loneliness.
These days have given me time to reflect. I’ve realized just how important Maki is to me. Watching him sit there while his body suffered spasms or negative reactions was a constant source of stress—at first, I worried a lot.
Seeing him now, in his calmest state, is a relief. It makes me feel less alone. I miss talking to him, hearing his crazy ideas, or hitting him when he does something inappropriate.
One of the good things during this time is that I’ve been able to prepare better for my own ascension to ruby rank. I’ve had more free time to refine the final details with my father and brother. I feel ready—I have everything I need.
The only reason I haven’t ascended yet is because I don’t want to entrust Maki’s condition to someone else. His ascension isn’t normal. His body has had many reactions—some bad, others much worse. I’ve never heard of a case like his.
If Maki didn’t have the object Aunt Susan gave him, I would have been extremely worried. I’m sure I would have already contacted my family for a powerful healer—or even asked Ogine’s father to examine him if necessary.
I’ve managed to stay calm and trust him. At the end of the day, it’s Maki—he can overcome anything and come out on top.
“Should I ascend to ruby rank as soon as he finishes?” I would feel safer if he were the one watching over me. Maki would do anything to keep me safe.
My father didn’t oppose the idea, but my brother is still very overprotective. Mike refused at first, but eventually agreed after I gave him several safety measures. I’ll need daily checkups from the school’s best doctor and several protective items just in case.
Days passed, one after another. I used the time to catch up with several friends. We hadn’t seen each other much lately because I had been busy. It helped ease the loneliness and boredom a little.
“What’s going on with the Archduke?” I wonder out loud. More and more reports are appearing about strange movements from his noble family—people are starting to notice something unusual in his territory.
Some areas are under strict surveillance—no one can approach, not even the imperial family. The emperor doesn’t want to abuse his authority and risk igniting a war.
Everything feels suspicious. The Kingdom of Merno is also making increasingly bold moves. There’s no direct proof of their involvement, but any noble with common sense can see it.
The problem is we don’t know if this comes from King Caput himself or another influential noble. Still, my family and the emperor’s are certain Merno is involved.
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I wish I could hide this from Maki, but I can’t. He’ll get involved sooner or later. Some of these events are happening near Uncle Julio’s territory—Maki wouldn’t hesitate to go help. It’s better if the information comes from me. I just hope things settle down soon—for everyone’s sake.
The screen starts beeping. These sounds are different from the usual alerts when he suffers negative effects. I rush over as fast as I can.
A huge smile forms on my face the moment I understand the reason.
It seems my love is finally waking up.
Maki’s point of view:
My consciousness slowly returns. I feel confused and dizzy. My head aches as if I’ve been struck thousands of times—not just my head, my whole body hurts.
I release life mana in all directions to ease the pain. The effect is immediate. I can feel my body healing instantly—torn muscles, slightly fractured bones, even my mind begins to calm down.
What happened? Why is my body in this condition?
This isn’t recent—my body has been injured for quite some time. It feels like it has been breaking down slowly while healing at the same time, but in the end, my recovery couldn’t keep up with the damage.
My mind is still foggy—my eyelids feel heavy. It’s like waking up completely sick. It would have been a serious problem if I couldn’t heal myself.
When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is someone running toward me. In less than a second, she jumps on me and knocks me to the ground.
“Someone missed me a lot… you look really happy to see me.” I say to Brendu.
“Of course I’m happy. It’s been almost a month since the last time you opened your eyes.” She clings to my neck like a koala.
Almost a month? I’m stunned. In my deep sleep, it felt like a week at most.
“I’m back.” I give her the best smile I can. Just seeing her refreshes me—the headache fades quickly. “Can you catch me up?”
Brendu explains everything that happened to my body during my ascension. I grimace at several points—it seems I’ve been suffering the entire time. Now it makes sense why I woke up in such pain.
The object Susan gave me worked better than expected—it was essential in keeping me stable. My healing ability was another key factor—it remained active most of the time.
She also tells me about the visitors. All my friends and Susan came frequently—especially Shawu. Apparently, she came multiple times just to complain about having to act as the substitute teacher. She would sometimes yell at me, thinking I might wake up, but she also had a sad look whenever my body reacted badly.
I should buy her some of her favorite desserts later as thanks. I’ll organize a small gathering—and this time, I’ll cook dinner myself.
I didn’t notice it at first, but now it’s obvious—I feel clumsy, like I’m moving in a different body. Even my mana and Imra feel unstable. I had heard about this effect, but I didn’t expect it to be this strong.
At first, the headache hid it, but now I can clearly feel it. My body has undergone major internal changes. My mana pool is enormous, but my healing ability consumes much more mana than before—and I’m wasting energy when I use it.
Everything feels unfamiliar, as if I’ve taken over someone else’s body. That’s why ruby rank is called a new beginning—you have to relearn everything, like going through a second adolescence.
My Personal World feels more alive too. Everything is clearer, sharper—as if the world itself has more color and life. It’s normal—this ability is meant to reach its full potential at ruby rank, just like most of my others.
I’ll take a few days to rest and get used to my new body. My movements feel stiff and robotic. I was already advised not to use mana or Imra during the first days—I’ll follow that advice.
“How did it go, Glia?” I can feel her slowly waking up. It seems she finished at the same time as me.
“Much better than you. Monsters adapt quickly to their new bodies—it’s part of our nature. Though… my head still hurts a bit.” I can feel her satisfaction through our connection.
Glia returns to rest inside my cube. Brendu jumps slightly when the massive creature disappears before her eyes.
“I’m going to rest a bit more. I’ll tell you everything later—I need to organize my thoughts. And apologize to Brendu for me.” I relay Glia’s words to the princess.
“Let’s go home.” Brendu stands first and offers me her hand.
“Yes… let’s go home.” A warm feeling fills my chest. Being able to call that place “home” is something I never expected. Even if it’s temporary, I’ll always remember it—we’ve spent so much time there together, and the girls lived with us too.