[Ruvian’s POV]

Ruvian frowned, his eyes staying on Silvena as an anomalous and uneasy feeling slowly filled his chest.

’Weird... I still don’t understand how in the world did Silvena manage to catch a cold? And more than that... this doesn’t look like an ordinary cold either.’

Under normal circumstances, if a magus got sick, it would not become this serious.

Their bodies were strengthened by mana, much stronger than normal people. Even if they got sick, it would usually be light and would not last long.

But what he was seeing now was completely different. Silvena did not look like someone who was just sick.

Hell, she looked like she was about to die rather than just having a cold.

Ruvian looked at her carefully in silence, observing every small detail with deep focus. Her skin looked pale, her hair was slightly wet and sticking to her temple, and her breathing was uneven and a bit heavy...

’She seemed to be in pain.’

His brows tightened as that thought settled in his mind. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Then he turned to Irene, his expression becoming more serious, and his voice turned calm but firm, like he was asking for a proper report.

"Since when did her condition begin to show?"

Irene stiffened a little when she heard his tone, clearly surprised by how serious he sounded.

She paused for a moment, trying to remember, before answering.

"It started after we came back from the dungeon," she said quietly. "That night... her body felt very warm. At first, I thought she was just tired, but she couldn’t sleep at all. She kept coughing, and her nose was completely blocked. It only got worse the next day."

Ruvian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So it has been about three days..."

The realization hit him harder than he expected. Three days was not a short time, especially in her condition.

And yet...

His gaze moved back to Silvena.

’Despite that, she still completed the task I gave her.’

He let out a quiet sigh, low and heavy.

Silvena moved slightly under the blanket, her fingers weakly holding onto the fabric as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

"It’s alright..." she said softly, her voice hoarse and weak.

"I’ll get better soon. You don’t need to worry."

Ruvian did not reply.

He just looked at her, his expression still serious, his eyes searching her face as if something still felt wrong to him.

Something about this was not right.

And no matter how he thought about it, it still didn’t make sense.

Ruvian stayed still for a short moment, his eyes fixed on Silvena as his thoughts moved quickly in his head, trying hard to understand what was happening to her.

Then suddenly, as if something clicked inside his mind, his eyes became sharp.

"Irene," he called, his voice was a bit urgent, "bring me a shallow basin of clean water, and if the academy dining hall still has it, bring one Blue Lemon Citrus too."

Irene paused for a second, visibly puzzled by the strange request.

She did not understand what he wanted to do, but she did not question him.

Irene nodded quickly and hurried out of the private quarters, closing the door behind her.

The room became quiet again.

Ruvian let out a slow breath, but there was still tension in it. He took off his academy coat and placed it over the arm of the sofa.

His movements were calm but also a bit fast, like he did not want to waste time. Then he rolled up the sleeve of his white shirt to his forearm.

From the bed, Silvena watched him, even though her vision was a little blurry. She felt curious, even in her weak state, and could not help but ask.

"What are you doing?" she said softly.

Ruvian did not look at her.

"Finding a way to cure you and how you got ill," he said in a calm voice. "I am very certain that it is not a normal fever..."

"Anyway, just rest."

Silvena gave a weak breath, like she wanted to say more, but she did not have the strength.

Time passed slowly, and the room stayed quiet, filled only with the sound of her uneven breathing.

After a while, the door opened, and Irene came back.

In her hands, she carried a shallow basin filled with clear water and a dark blue fruit that gave off a soft, cool feeling.

"I’ve brought them," she said, as she walked forward and placed both items on the table.

The water in the basin moved slightly when she set it down, and the Blue Lemon Citrus rested beside it, its smooth skin faintly shining.

Ruvian looked at the table.

"Irene, cut the Blue Lemon Citrus and squeeze all the juice into the basin. Only the juice. Throw the skin away."

Irene nodded quickly and hurried out of the room again.

As soon as she left, Ruvian raised his hand and used the storage ring on his finger.

’I hope that I am right...’

A faint light appeared, and a small glass bottle showed up in his hand.

Inside, there was an orange liquid that looked rich with mana.

A Recovery Potion.

Without wasting time, he opened it and poured everything into the basin. The orange liquid mixed with the water, slowly spreading and forming a strange color.

Not long after, Irene came back from the kitchen, holding a knife and a wooden board.

She walked to the table and quickly cut the Blue Lemon Citrus.

The blade went through the dark blue skin smoothly, and a fresh, cool smell spread in the air.

She pressed the fruit and squeezed out all the blue juice into the basin.

After she finished, she looked at Ruvian and asked,

"You’re making a medicine?"

Ruvian shook his head.

"Not quite."

His answer was short, and Irene became even more confused, but she decided to stay quiet and just watch.

"Now bring me a clean cloth," Ruvian said.

Irene quickly gave him one.

Ruvian put the cloth into the basin. The liquid inside had now turned into a strange color, something between light blue and soft orange, mixing together in an unusual way.

He soaked the cloth well, then took it out and pressed it to remove the extra liquid.

Then he spoke again.

"By the way, Irene, does Silvena have any innerwear on?"

Irene froze, frowning in disgust.

"It’s not what you think."

Ruvian said quickly before she misunderstood more.

Irene hesitated before answering.

"Yes... she does."

"Good," Ruvian said calmly.

"Now strip her shirt off."

This time... Irene’s eyes widened, and her face twisted in even deeper disgust.

Ruvian sighed, clearly getting a bit irritated.

"Stop overthinking. I am not planning anything improper," he said firmly. "Hurry. I don’t want to waste my precious time."

Irene swallowed, still unsure, but she followed his order. She went to Silvena and gently helped her sit up.

Then she carefully started to remove her upper clothes. Silvena tried to resist a little, but in the end, she gave up and let Irene do it.

"...Pervert," she said softly, her face flushed red, but... she was smiling.

Ruvian heard it clearly.

His brow twitched slightly.

’What do you mean pervert? I was never a pervert! And I will never be! I’m trying to help you here. And it’s not like I’m going to look either way....

’...’

’Yeah, definitely not!’

"Here. Use this cloth and wipe her body."

Ruvian felt a bit irritated, he calmly sighed and passed the cloth to Irene before turning away.

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[Chapter 129: Partner in Crime (4)]