An overwhelming wave of despair washed over me. Though I’d spent the previous day working as hard as I could, trying desperately to drain my mana, a single night’s sleep had put me right back where I’d started. It was like completing a magnificent sandcastle, only to have the tide come in and wash it all away. This was worse, of course; having more mana in my body meant torturous pain and a very real chance of death.
Guhhh... My head feels so fuzzy.
Two days spent working my fingers to the bone and yesterday’s excitement about the ocean had finally caught up with me. My body felt heavier than ever, but going back to sleep would only cause my mana to regenerate even more. I needed to stay awake and think of ways to use it.
I trudged to the dining hall for breakfast and saw that Ferdinand was eating already. As much as I’d tried to make my Pandahouse enormous, there was still only enough space for Ferdinand and me to have our own bedrooms and small areas to change clothes; we shared the same space at mealtimes.
I sat down and started working through my breakfast: vegetables served with fruit juice. Unable to use rejuvenation potions, meals were the best way for me to restore my stamina. That didn’t make the food any easier to eat, though.
Ferdinand ate the last of his breakfast, then rose from his seat and moved to stand next to me. “I can tell at a glance that you are feeling unwell. How bad is it?”
“The fish betrayed me...”
“Fool. Your celebrations in Kannawitz gave you a fever, and now you cannot stop shaking. Express that clearly next time.” He touched my forehead and nape, his icy hands soothing my temperature. “To think my idea failed this abruptly... How should we proceed, I wonder?”
“My apologies... I can make it through this morning, at least...”
“You would go outside in your current state? Or, what, do you intend to use a rejuvenation potion?”
I shook my head, enduring his stern glare. The very act of sleeping recovered enough of my mana to make me despair. Drinking a rejuvenation potion in my current state would make the task ahead of us so hopeless that I would probably crumple to the ground and sob in front of everyone.
“I meant to say that I could travel via Lessy.”
“And where would you go? You need to use up the rest of your mana—what good would your highbeast do?”
I desperately racked my brain. There had to be a way for me to expend my mana without wasting all my stamina. And then it hit me. How had we always dealt with problems we couldn’t solve on our own? We got someone else to do them!
“I poured my mana into the other divine instruments, right? Anyone can use them as long as they know the prayers. We could get the others to drain the instruments for me; then I could simply refill them.”
“The divine instruments?” Ferdinand asked, raising an eyebrow.
I nodded. “Though I would rather not burden them, they could restore the land with Flutrane’s staff, slay feybeasts with Leidenschaft’s spear, keep Lessy safe with Schutzaria’s shield, and perform Spring Prayer in Bindewald—where there is no giebe—with Geduldh’s chalice. I would need only to refill their instruments each time they ran dry. Can you think of anywhere devoid of mana but still teeming with feybeasts?”
I needed to recover my stamina but couldn’t risk my mana rising even further. My idea sounded perfect—if all went to plan, I could expel my divine power from the comfort of my bed.
“Additionally...” I continued, “Hartmut and you can draw the healing magic circle used in the Academy’s gathering spots, right? Could you stick them all over the place so I can pour my mana into them? Maybe I could rest this morning and then focus on the circles after lunch.”
“You place too much faith in your stamina...” Ferdinand muttered. “Still, I admit—your plan should work better than what we attempted yesterday. It does not bode well that you are coming up with so many solutions...”
“What do you mean?”
His eyebrows drawn together, Ferdinand took one of the potions from his belt. It was long and slender like a test tube. He poured a drop of the red substance inside into one of the spoons on the table. “I would prefer not to elaborate. It was a troublesome habit of yours—one I would rather you not relearn. More importantly...”
Ferdinand gave me the spoon, uttering not another word. I slowly brought it to my lips. It was only a single droplet, but an intense bitterness spread through my mouth, and my tongue sparked in protest. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for anyone who had the misfortune of drinking the whole vial.
“This is awful...” I groaned. “What does it do? Restore mana? At least warn me before you try burning a hole through my tongue. I wasn’t ready at all.”
Ferdinand gave an even deeper frown as though he’d tasted the potion with me. “You should hardly have noticed a drop that small. Hartmut, where are the other divine instruments? Did you return them to the temple?”
Hartmut stuck out his chest, brimming with pride. “They are so crucial to Lady Rozemyne’s ceremonies that I decided to bring them with me.”
Impressive! That’s a win for Hartmut!
Cornelius shook his head, seemingly exasperated. “I was told you did return them, then rushed to retrieve them before we departed the temple.”
“Is that so? Do you really think I would entrust divine instruments containing Lady Rozemyne’s divine power to others?”