Chapter 23: Felix’s Gift
AS springtime came, the research team began developing a new drug to treat the symptoms of Demon Claw.
Using the materials from Henrik’s father, they had managed to narrow down a list of appropriate herbs, synthesize a prototype, and begin the process of administering it to their rabbit test subjects.
What happened to Trout? Well, after that, he vanished from campus entirely. The other professors had held a meeting and decided to officially terminate his employment.
While searching through Trout’s personal effects, they discovered documents proving that he had received large amounts of compensation from the army for the delivery of his experimental research data.
After what happened with Einz last year, Trout was given zero leeway. The Academy now had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to army collusion.
But something about it all didn’t sit right with Mia. The way Trout was talking sounded like the army was giving him something much more impressive than money.
What did he mean by power? Reaching the sky…?
The remaining equipment from the abandoned building’s lab and the rabbit test subjects had been retrieved and designated as valuable materials for the medical and pharmacology departments. Then, in an almost miraculous stroke of luck, Mia and her group had managed to keep the Demon Claw ravaged little rabbit alive under the supervision of Bralle.
This miracle led to the resolution of one of the biggest problems facing Mia’s group.
The little rabbit was physical proof that Demon Claw wasn’t contagious. With this proof in hand, Bralle had finally decided to back them up on this, too.
Then one day, after six months of solid experimentation, it finally happened.
The Demon Claw-affected rabbit they had retrieved from the lab hopped. It actually hopped. And it ate food on its own for the first time.
When they’d first retrieved it, it could barely even breathe on its own, it was so weak. This was a huge, marked improvement.
It put on some weight, and its core temperature rose. The data alone was beautiful to look at, but it was nothing compared to the joy of seeing the little rabbit getting its strength back.
“It’s working?”
“It’s working!!!”
Mia leaped into the air, and Felix impulsively reached out to hug her, beaming in excitement. “It’s not complete yet, though!” Mia shrieked, jumping back out of reach of his arms.
Henrik smiled at them both, suppressing an internal tear.
“We’ve still got a long way to go until it’s complete. Once we have the data from this, we enter a clinical study. Then if that goes well, clinical trials. Then the real thing. Felix, your turn is almost up. You have been studying law like we said, haven’t you? You haven’t failed any classes, right?”
Felix paled, remembering the end-of-semester exam.
“Yes, yes, I get all of that…but once that’s all done, then we can get Mia’s mom out, right?”
“Yes, we can!!!”
Mia nodded joyfully, but Felix noticed something.
There was a shadow that lay beneath her smile.
“What’s wrong?”
They were able to go on to clinical trials! So why did Mia look so sad? Come to think of it, she’d seemed kind of down ever since the animal trials started.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
Mia turned away, hiding her face and reaching for her notebook. “We’ve gotta write our report!”
“…?”
Felix frowned, shooting a look at his rival. Henrik was watching Mia, wearing a small frown of his own.
“Man, I’m hungry.”
Jerking his chin at Felix, Henrik got up and strolled out of the lab room. Felix got up and followed him out.
Walking in the opposite direction to the cafeteria, Henrik led Felix to the patch of lawn in front of the boys’ dorm. Then he finally spoke.
“What’s wrong with Mia? We finally have promising results. That means we can cure her mom, right?”
Yes, they had definite results now. This was a huge step forward. Mia ought to have been able to relax a little and enjoy their success. Only…
“Mia wants a total cure.”
Henrik spoke plainly.
“A total cure?”
Felix felt his heart sink. So that was what had been bothering Mia.
The cause of Demon Claw was a lack of magical energy in the body. If they couldn’t fix that issue, then you couldn’t call it a cure. That’s how Mia saw it.
Henrik kicked the gravel miserably.
“But what more can we possibly do? Yes, okay, finding out how to inject magical power into a body would be the best solution. But we have no idea where Trout fled to, and we don’t have the power to face off against the army. And anyway, even Angel Tears is being brought under control by symptom-reducing drugs. Patients might have to keep on taking medicine for the rest of their lives, but isn’t it good enough to keep their symptoms under control? How is that any different from being healthy?”
It was unusual to see Henrik so upset. Felix was taken aback. Apparently, he wasn’t as cool as he tried to appear.
Living without Mia’s smile. Feeling responsible. Wanting to grow up faster. Wanting to be a more powerful man.
Felix could understand that. After all, he felt the same.
How could he get Mia to smile genuinely from the heart? How could he save the girl who had saved him?
That was all Felix had been thinking about this whole time.
Felix clenched his fists. He had made all kinds of preparations, wanting to give her a gift that would make her smile, but would she ever be truly happy?
A total cure…
Felix thought about Trout’s experimental data, the contents of his notebook. Mia had wanted it so badly, but there was no way to access that data, save for infiltrating the army.