The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health – Chapter 174

Author: Asternkm

Lately, Chloe had been coming on really strong toward me. We used to just exchange greetings when our eyes met, but it hadn’t been like this before.

Every time something happened, Chloe stuck close to me, and as a result, Pession’s mood had been anything but calm.

“Could you back off?”

“Oh my, Your Highness. Do you want to butt into a girls’ conversation that badly?”

“A girls’ conversation? Arell was talking to me.”

“Then you can yield her to me now. I’d like to have a pleasant conversation with Miss Arellin as well.”

“Go stand next to Harun.”

“Shouldn’t you be the one to step back, Your Highness?”

Listening to the sparks flying between the two of them, I was the only one who felt confused.

Why are those two fighting?

The female lead and the male lead were fighting over me.

For a moment, I wondered if this was some cliché where they grow closer through rivalry—but judging by the way they were glaring at each other like they wanted to kill one another…

I have no idea.

And that wasn’t the only strange thing.

“Good afternoon, young lady. The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?”

“Miss Arellin, what kind of food do you like best?”

“Oh! Miss Arellin, we’re thinking of having a small tea party later. Would you like to join us?”

For some reason, the young ladies were being unusually friendly.

“What is this?”

The world was ostracizing me.

****

“Hmmm, not here either…”

A detached building where entry was strictly forbidden—not only to outsiders, but even to servants of the Halbern estate.

I was inside one of them, constantly searching through the annex.

I’d expected it to be coated in dust since no one came here, but for some reason, every Halbern annex was meticulously maintained.

It was as if time itself had stopped—everything looked perfectly intact.

“Ugh, seriously, where is it?”

The reason I’d suddenly started searching the annexes—

It was to find the Secret Archive of Halbern.

[Key Heir (S)]

Allows access to the Secret Archive of Halbern that exists in another world.

Can be used when visiting hidden locations.

Judging by this trait, it felt like I should be able to access the Secret Archive too—but I had no idea how.

I even tried casually asking my dad, just in case.

“Huh? The secret archive? Our daughter doesn’t need to know about things like that. Curiosity is dangerous.”

That was all I got—another evasive answer.

Well, considering Shione’s mom, I do understand why he’d react like that…

“I have my own reasons for needing to find it.”

Lately, my main concern had been how to raise my ‘rank’.

[Cooldown until next question: 98 days 1 hour]

With the all-purpose search window stuck on an absurdly long cooldown, I couldn’t just sit around waiting for it to reset. So I tried figuring things out on my own.

The first place I ran to was the library.

The Halbern family library, the Sperom private library, even the imperial library—I searched them all, but found nothing I needed.

There is one guy who probably knows…

I thought of Cheyen and immediately made a sour face.

“Rejected.”

You don’t ask unreliable people for help.

“Ha… should I seriously just go to grad school or something?”

The Academy seemed like it might have useful information, but after seeing countless ancient texts while getting close to Professor Milliert—who desperately wanted to send me there—I was sure of one thing.

This will take too long.

I didn’t have much time left.

“I die in a year. How am I supposed to study?”

If it were a disease or a curse, it might’ve been easier—but no, I was dying because my power was too strong and my body couldn’t withstand it, collapsing instead.

“So how am I supposed to raise my body’s rank, exactly?”

Without thinking, the most obvious method came to mind.

“Do I seriously have to become a Sword Master…?”

But I knew my own talent.

Sword Master in one year?

“Does that sound possible to you?!”

Why don’t I have Pession’s talent?

In the end, I had to find another way.

But then another problem arose.

What even is ‘rank,’ anyway?

“I really don’t know enough.”

There was so much I didn’t know—about this world, and about myself.

But I couldn’t just be honest with my dad and Mehen and share information. The problem was explaining how I knew these things.

Tracing it back would inevitably lead to admitting that I’d reincarnated…

I’m not ready for that yet.

Even if they took it seriously, it’d be a problem. If they thought I was crazy, that’d be a problem too.

“I’ll use that as a last resort.”

And so, after going in circles, I hit a wall:

How am I supposed to find a way to raise my rank?

That was when I thought of the Secret Archive of Halbern.

“The secret archive that contains all the secrets of this world and the history of Halbern!”

If anywhere had the information I wanted, it’d be there—but I just couldn’t figure out how to get inside.

“Sion’s mom went in even when she was younger than me. How did she do it?”

If I couldn’t find the secret archive, the next place to go would be the Mage Tower. It had an infinite archive too.

But how was I supposed to even enter the Mage Tower?

“Ugh, not here either.”

Should I check another annex?

I’d assumed that since it was the Secret Archive of Halbern, the entrance would be somewhere inside the estate—but it seemed my assumption was wrong.

“Gnnngh…”

The caretakers would be looking for me soon. I should head back.

Just as I stood up—

Flash.

Something glimmered in the distance, catching my eye.

“…What is that?”

When I got closer, I saw a fine crack in an otherwise normal wall, with a faint light leaking through.

“Huh?”

Without thinking, I touched the crack—and it spread open.

“Eh?”

Startled, I tried to pull my hand away, but the crack suddenly widened and swallowed me whole in one bite.

****

Mehen checked the mail that had flown in with her name on it, wearing a strange expression.

Milliert Sobörn.

It was odd to suddenly see the name of a friend from her Academy days—someone who had been particularly conscious of her and often harassed her.

And the contents of the letter…

“I saw the genius you are raising. It reminded me of your childhood. In my opinion, this one may be an even greater genius than you were. She read through all the materials I showed her! Such talent must not be allowed to rot away here. I will write a letter of recommendation, so you must send her to the Academy at once! And then—”

“What is he even talking about?”

I’m raising a genius?

As Mehen tilted her head in thought, her eyes happened to meet Valer, who was lounging diagonally on the sofa opposite her.

“What kind of letter is it?”

At Valer’s languid, low voice, Mehen shook her head.

“I think it can be ignored.”

Mehen had no intention of letting Arellin out of her arms until her health fully recovered.

The Academy?

It was laughable.

“He says Arellin is a genius.”

“She’s my daughter. Of course she is.”

“Hm.”

The letter was filled with rambling sentences—self-praise, lavish compliments toward Arellin, and a glimpse of complicated emotions toward Mehen—but its conclusion was clear:

“Arellin must be sent to the Academy!”

Still, just in case, Mehen was about to write a reply, thinking she should at least meet him once.

That was when—

“What on earth are you reading to make that face, my lord?”

“A report from the Mage Tower.”

As Mehen wondered what kind of report the Mage Tower would send to Valer, Valer spoke first.

“Arellin’s condition is more serious than it appears.”

“…What?”

It was a conclusion drawn solely from Arellin’s blood, a simple scanning tool, and journals kept by healers at the branch—but once again, it proved that archmages were a breed entirely separate from ordinary mages.

[We request permission to treat and conduct research at the Sky Tower.]

Though the request was laced with various ulterior motives, Valer found the request itself reasonable.

Valer fell into thought.

Even in the dreams he had repeatedly, cooperation with the Mage Tower had never once occurred—so this was something that required closer examination.

“I should go to the Mage Tower.”

As Valer stood up, Mehen held out her hand.

“Leave the report.”

Valer stared at Mehen’s eyes, filled with determination to read it herself, then let out a short laugh.

“As my lady wishes.”

“…Seriously, damn it!”

Dodging the flying fountain pen, Valer hastily retreated as Mehen muttered under her breath.

“Hoo…”