I Have Time On My Side!

While Nolan tried to keep his composure, the guards, following orders from their superiors, quickly took Alistair away along with the explosive Emily had picked up moments earlier.

Despite the situation, Princess Iris, her face still showing astonishment, approached Nolan.

"Thank you," she said, her voice filled with admiration as her eyes studied him.

'Now I understand why they call him The One Who Sees Beyond,' Iris thought.

It was a title given to Nolan for his ability to foresee danger before it happened, his instinct seemingly infallible in critical situations.

Iris had never seen Nolan in action before, but now that she had experienced this…

"Are you okay?" Iris asked, her tone shifting from admiration to concern.

Nolan, feeling the weight of his body and the burning pain in his chest, managed a tired smile.

"I'm fine... but I wouldn't mind if the healer checked me again."

The pain wasn't stopping, but he wasn't going to show weakness now.

With a nod, Iris agreed and accompanied him back to the room.

Outside, the murmurs and commotion continued, but the priests quickly imposed silence with stern looks.

After all, they were in a church, and respect for the sacred place had to prevail.

When they returned to the room, Iris couldn't help but frown when she saw Emily entering with them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked politely, though with a slightly distant tone.

Before Emily could respond, Nolan intervened with a firm voice.

"She's with me. She's my companion."

The princess repeated those words softly, as if she couldn't quite grasp the situation.

"Your companion…?"

She was clearly confused but decided not to press further for now, turning instead to the healer, who had already begun urgently examining Nolan.

The healer leaned over Nolan, focusing on his chest where the mana core resided.

What she found was troubling.

The cracks that had once seemed minimal had now spread, dangerously propagating.

With a serious expression, the healer motioned to the princess.

"Princess, please, come closer."

Iris approached cautiously, her eyes shining with curiosity and concern.

Just as the healer was about to ask Nolan for permission for the princess to examine his core, Nolan, with a slight nod and without saying anything, gave his consent.

His willingness surprised her, but there was no time to show it.

Both women focused on the core, analyzing the cracks threatening it.

"It's beautiful…" murmured the princess as she looked at Nolan's core.

Its hues glowed with a unique, almost hypnotizing radiance.

However, she quickly shook her head, remembering the gravity of the situation.

'This isn't the time for that…' Iris thought.

The healer began working quickly, using her magic to try to seal the cracks that had formed, and Iris soon joined her.

Her hands, delicate yet firm, began channeling energy into the core, trying to repair the damage as best they could.

The pain was immediate and intense.

Nolan let out a choked scream as the two women's magic tried to contain the cracks.

The heat emanating from the core, the internal pressure, was unbearable. He felt as if his very being was being torn and burned from within.

His body trembled, every fiber of his being struggling to stay conscious. Sweat ran down his forehead, and his jaw was clenched so tightly he could almost hear his teeth grinding.

But the feeling that bothered him the most was that of being restrained.

"Please, hold on!" the princess pleaded as she kept her hands firmly on him.

The healer, though more experienced, also urged him to endure the pain.

Both knew that if Nolan gave in, the core could fracture beyond repair.

Meanwhile, Emily watched everything from a corner of the room, her heart aching as she witnessed the scene before her eyes.

'Why does someone like him have to go through this?' she thought, feeling a deep sadness for Nolan.

It was clear that the suffering he was enduring wasn't just physical, but also emotional.

Emily felt more helpless than ever.

She knew she had no magical abilities, and watching Nolan fight something like this made her feel even smaller.

'I want to help... but how can I do that?' she thought repeatedly, frustration burning in her chest.

She wanted to do something, anything, to ease the pain he was enduring, but she had neither the power nor the means to do so.

After several minutes, the intense magic flowing between the princess and the healer began to fade.

Both women were exhausted, their breaths labored. The healer was the first to step away from Nolan, letting out a sigh of relief, though her expression showed she wasn't entirely satisfied.

"We managed to repair most of the cracks," she reported calmly. "However, you'll need to come every day so we can ensure your core remains stable."

Nolan, still breathing heavily, nodded as he tried to control the pain still residing in his chest.

"That's fine," he said between breaths.

As he regained some strength, a question came to his mind.

"Who was that nobleman?" he asked, his voice firmer than before.

He wanted to understand who had coldly tried to kill them all.

The princess, nervous, avoided his gaze at first.

"Well… he's no one important," she answered, trying to change the subject.

However, Nolan wasn't willing to let it go so easily.

"For someone who's not important, he almost killed us all," he pointed out coldly, his gaze fixed on the princess, expecting a more honest answer.

Iris sighed, realizing she had no choice but to tell the truth.

"He's a guy who confessed his love to me some time ago… but I never thought he'd do something like this." The disbelief in her voice was evident, as if she still couldn't process what had happened.

As the princess continued explaining, Nolan listened, but his mind was already working on a theory.

Although the princess's explanation made sense on the surface, there was something deeper at play.

The noble didn't seem possessed or directly manipulated, but someone had clearly pushed him to act this way.

Nolan suspected this was all part of a larger plan, one aimed at eliminating the princess and perhaps other members of the royal family.

The nobility in this country was always up to something, and although he usually tried to stay out of it, he knew this incident could entangle him more than he wanted.

Nolan turned his gaze to the healer and asked directly,

"Couldn't you come to where I live to continue the treatment?"

The healer frowned slightly, considering the idea.

"I could," she replied honestly, "but treating you here has several advantages. This is a sacred place, and the healing energy we have is much more effective due to the faith surrounding it. If we treat you elsewhere, the healing process might be slower."

Nolan nodded, understanding the healer's reasoning.

However, the thought of staying close to the nobility, with all the political complications and dangers that entailed, didn't appeal to him at all.

'Maybe I can find another church,' he thought, wondering if changing locations would affect his recovery that much.

Finally, Nolan stood up, still feeling the weight on his body, and politely bid farewell to both women.

"Thank you for everything," he said, bowing his head to the princess and the healer.

"Please, rest," insisted the princess, with a mix of admiration and concern in her voice.

"I will," Nolan replied, though they both knew those words were far from a firm promise.

As he turned toward the door, he called to Emily.

"Come, follow me."

Emily, who had been watching silently, nodded quickly and said goodbye with a hurried bow to the princess and the healer.

The two women watched in silence as she followed Nolan out, and just as the door was closing, Iris couldn't help but ask the question that had been on her mind since Emily entered the room.

"Who is she?" the princess asked, not hiding her confusion.

The healer, who had been so focused on Nolan that she hadn't even noticed Emily's presence until now, let out a small, nervous laugh.

"She's… a good question."