Nathan held out his tattered arm.

Already distraught, I gave him a sideways glance and replied, “Why are you speaking informally?”

“If you don’t like it, forget it.”

“Fine. Take off your jacket so I can stop the bleeding.”

Suddenly, Nathan turned obedient. With his back to me, he twisted his body and took off his jacket.

Only his white shirt remained, revealing his back.

‘Wow.’

Look at those shoulders.

‘…Get a grip. He’s a patient.’

Nathan hung the jacket over the opposite seat and leaned back against the backrest in just his shirt.

His left sleeve, soaked in blood, hung in shreds over the arm that had been mercilessly torn.

He extended his arm toward me with some difficulty and said sideways, “Do you even know how to do this?”

“Yes.”

“Then quit crying. I’m not going to die.”

I didn’t answer and sniffled, beginning to concentrate mana in my hands.

A bluish scalpel-shaped mass of mana formed at my fingertips, and with it, I cut away the blood-soaked section of the shirt around the wound. I also removed the tattered bits of flesh.

“…Don’t tell me you’re Level 7?”

“Yes.”

According to the author’s TMI, mana condensation is possible from Mana Control Level 7.

Level 1 users can use magic with incantations, but not in such visibly condensed form.

“You’re a genius too, so you’ll die quickly. Don’t waste time here, go find your destined one.”

“Getting shot made you suddenly start speaking informally again. You must be delirious.”

“Hmph… maybe so.”

“I’ve already secured my own path to survival, so don’t worry about me. And don’t talk to me.”

Using the condensed mana, I sterilized the gaping wound and the cloth. According to the original author, pure condensed energy like mana could occasionally be used for purposes like this.

Even with a Level 7 buffed by transmigration, this was a delicate procedure requiring full concentration.

The vivid blue energy wrapped the wound and cloth, then quickly dispersed into nothing.

“Not bad.”

“Ah, yes.”

I carefully padded the burst wound with the sterilized cloth and wrapped it securely. While I focused on the treatment, Nathan kept talking.

“That was a compliment. Didn’t hear it?”

“No.”

“If I die, even if the world splits in two, Miss Mirabell Pearl will probably come cry at my funeral.”

“That won’t happen. Because I won’t let it.”

“You really are a subject of study…”

I thought I heard Nathan sigh through his teeth, but I was too engrossed in the emergency treatment to notice.

My efforts weren’t in vain. For now, at least, I had stopped the bleeding.

“I haven’t learned healing magic. Once we reach the estate, please see your personal physician… Professor?”

“……”

Nathan had fallen asleep while sitting.

‘So it suddenly got quiet.’

From his peaceful sleeping face, you wouldn’t think he was injured.

“Come on. My heart was racing, and he’s sleeping like a baby?”

I rested my chin on both hands and entered observation mode.

“Your pale rice cake-like face looks even paler now. What do you call it, white snow? Snowflake? Shaved ice?”

“……”

“Why hide your pain? Just say it hurts and whine a little. Are you going to throw your life away over some girl? Is Latina the only woman in the world?”

“……”

He must really be asleep. Not even reacting to the mention of Latina?

Perfect. I began quietly pouring out all the fan nonsense I’d been holding back.

“But seeing you sleep right in front of me is even better. Now I can gush freely. Look at those muscles peeking out from the shirt. Oh, I’m dizzy. I think I’ll faint!”

“……”

“Are you in a vegetative state? How can a human be more beautiful than a flower?”

“Mmm.”

Nathan stirred. The wound must’ve reopened slightly, as a bit of blood soaked into the bandage.

Oops. He’s about to wake up.

I ended my fangirling and watched Nathan quietly.

‘By the way, where could Nathan’s “Name” be located? Collarbone? Back? Or… there?’

There?

Blushing, I covered my face with both palms, then wiped the corners of my mouth with the back of my hand.

I really wanted to find it soon, but now wasn’t the time.

‘Let’s stop for today. I’m exhausted.’

I lowered my arms and leaned against the window.

‘I’m so glad I read the special side story.’

The Name deletion project was just a public excuse.

If a young person like me claimed to know the answer to a centuries-old unsolved problem, no one could predict what might happen.

I already knew how to delete a Name.

The author had detailed the deletion method and how to suppress the resulting berserk episode in the special side story.

‘If only Nathan would listen to me.’

With thoughts like that, I too soon succumbed to sleep alongside Nathan.

“She really is a ridiculous student. Chose the wrong department.”

And so, I missed the moment Nathan slowly opened his eyelids. And the moment my lips kept rambling.

“Ethan-ah.”

“Who’s Ethan now?”

“Ethan. Nathan. So handsome.”

I also missed the slight upward curl of his beautiful lips as he looked at my sleeping face.

And the surreal sight of Nathan trembling with laughter, then wincing from the pain.

***

“Your Grace, are you awake?”

“Ugh.”

Nathan opened his eyes to the morning sunlight piercing through.

The master bedroom of the Christopher ducal estate faced south, and the entire wall was a window.

The fully drawn curtains flooded the bedroom with sunlight.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing better than sunlight for mana recovery.”

The attending physician, Charlotte, bowed her head toward Nathan.

A woman in her later years, Charlotte had served the royal family of Hamish for generations before coming to the Christopher household.

“It’s fine.”

“It would be best if you didn’t get up.”

“I’m fine.”

As he sat up and brushed back his hair, Nathan instinctively lifted his left hand out of habit, then stopped.

Though he said he was fine, the pain was severe, and his arm was temporarily wrapped in bandages by the physician, so he only nodded in response.

“…This is my room.”

The familiar feeling of the soft bed, whether he liked it or not, reminded him he was back home.

“I’ll remove your shirt and redress the wound.”

“Bring the change of clothes first.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll bring fresh clothes.”

“Alright.”

While Charlotte stepped away for a moment, Nathan slowly got out of bed.

Everything around him was familiar.

The wallpaper, the furniture, even the air.

Even the memories.

“Nathan, come here. Calesto and I came up with a plan today.”

“Ah, spicy. Nathan, you like spicy food, huh? Latina says it’s too spicy for her to eat.”

“Nathan, shall we go over there?”

“Nathan!”

Memories so precious that now they could only be recalled by tearing open his chest.

A bitter smile shadowed his beautiful lips.

‘I didn’t expect to return here.’

Nathan couldn’t bear to be in this place, filled with memories of Latina.

It was for that reason President Avent had deliberately arranged a nonexistent professor’s villa.

‘It was all because of Latina… Then why am I…?’

Biting his lip, Nathan tore off the bloodstained shirt with one hand and dropped it to the floor.

If Charlotte saw, she would’ve panicked and tried to stop him, but he ignored that.

He channeled mana through the inner circuit connected to his heart, the other bloodline flowing within a mage’s body, and cast healing magic.

“Ugh.”

More than any other spell, this one required a vast amount of pure mana.

It was something Nathan, who lived with the threat of berserk episodes, should have avoided, but he didn’t care.

“Haaah.”

As the flesh mended and the damaged tissue regenerated, a wave of relief washed over him.

Panting heavily, Nathan soon steadied his breath and slowly approached the mirror on the wall.

With his fully healed left hand, he carefully touched just beneath the right collarbone reflected in the mirror.

The place where the blood-red name of his “fated partner” was engraved.

Nathan carefully lifted his fingers one by one and took in the name reflected in the mirror.

A name that caused him pain just to look at.

‘RA’

Just then, Charlotte returned with the fresh shirt she had prepared.

Nathan quickly turned his back so she wouldn’t see the name.