Egret: The Great Sage

Chapter 8

“It rained yesterday like you said it would. Do you perhaps know how to read the weath... Huh?”

“Good morning, Baikal.”

Judas greeted Baikal with a soft smile, who, in turn, scanned the prince up and down with skepticism. Judas was clearly sick—his face flushed with fever and his bangs drenched with sweat. Baikal couldn’t decide whether to point it out or pretend not to have seen it. He bit his tongue.

Everyone knew the white heron prince had weak health. His complexion was always ghostly pale, and he was often out sick, so it wasn’t surprising. But this time felt different since he’d never come to class looking like he had a high fever.

He’s unpredictable in many different ways.

As Baikal clucked his tongue, Judas seemed to recognize the book he’d been reading. Interest flashed across the prince’s face.

The book was a collection of biographies of the greatest historical figures in the Kingdom of Ruvarsan. Most of those notable figures were Ruvarsan royals and nobles. There were also rare cases of commoners praised as important public figures, such as a martial artist who had made huge contributions during a war, a merchant who had supplied the advancement of technology or culture, or a great mage with supernatural powers.

“Which among them do you respect the most?”

Having noticed that Judas was eyeing the book, Baikal knew what the prince was asking about. He answered apathetically.

“Egret.”

“Eh...?”

Egret couldn’t remember the last time someone had said his name other than the spirits. Of course, Baikal hadn’t said his name knowing who he was.

“I respect the great sage Egret the most. An elementalist in command of all four elements. His intellect and knowledge, all of it.”

Judging by the overlapping classes they had, Baikal was more of an academic than a martial artist. The boy respected those who had achieved scholarly excellence, and Egret, regarded as the great sage, was at its pinnacle.

“The strong deserve respect,” Baikal spoke in a condescending tone that seemed to suggest that the prince had been bullied because he did not deserve respect.

Having been respected and bullied simultaneously, Egret could only let out a chuckle.

After the economics class ended, Egret headed straight toward bo staff class. His fever wasn’t getting any better, but it wasn’t a problem. He had felt lethargic in this body anyway, so it being a bit worse wasn’t too terrible. Thinking so, Egret picked up a training staff from the gym equipment and went to his spot.

Ethan, who had arrived earlier, noticed Judas’ state the minute he saw him.

“I think you should rest today.”

“Come now, I’ve been resting every class. Do you mean I should continue that?”

Whenever they practiced, Judas would end up scraped or wounded, having no other option but to sit out each time. Ethan felt awkward at the prince’s self-deprecating joke.

The prince looked especially sickly today—like he might have a high fever. It seemed a slight push would knock him over. Actually, he looked like he might just collapse on his own.

After having partnered with Judas for the bo staff class the past couple of days, Ethan noticed that the white heron prince was, in fact, very motivated and determined. And he was surprisingly honest and had a positive outlook on everything.

Ethan thought highly of those characteristics. He had no special reason to be amicable toward the prince, but he had come to think that Judas was someone worth being friends with. So, Ethan was a bit worried that Judas was overdoing it.

“Your complexion...”

“I am all right, child. Thank you.”

Judas shook his head while thanking Ethan for his concern. He couldn’t win against the stubborn prince, so he reached for his own staff.

As expected, the result of the day’s practice was brutal. Judas did well with his swings and had the perfect pose for blocking a strike, but he couldn’t withstand the impact of the blow. He lost grip of his staff and fell down, almost rolling on the floor.

Ethan was alarmed, but the prince got back to his feet with his staff in hand, albeit a little wobbly.

“I do apologize. Could we give it another—”

“My goodness, Judas!” Instructor Meiran came rushing to the ill boy who’d tried to continue with the practice. She placed her hand on his forehead and looked at him with a serious face. “You have a very high fever. Have you visited the therapist?”

Judas didn’t say anything, but she could read the answer in his expression. She let out a deep sigh and took his staff.

“Hurry and go to the infirmary. Ethan, I’m sorry to ask you this, but could you accompany Judas?”

“Yes.”

Not really giving anyone a chance to refuse, she firmly shooed them out of the gym.

Ruvar-H had several infirmaries on the grounds for the safety of the students. There was one right next to the gym too, staffed with a top-tier therapist since injuries were more likely during physical activity.

“Ah, hello. What brings you here to— Oh?”

A student working as an assistant in the infirmary was surprised to recognize one of them as they walked in. Egret also recognized her.

“Ah. We meet again. It is nice to see you.”

“Th-thank you for your suggestion. I did have to try several times to find the right ratio, but...”

She was the student who had broken all her beakers when she’d run into him. He had given her advice at that time. And the lead he had given her to complete the healing food recipe seemed to have helped her out. She smiled bashfully.

“I’ve... succeeded. Hehe.”

“Reena? Did we just receive a patient?”

She flinched at the voice of the therapist coming from inside the room and then looked between the boys.

“Um. So, um... Who is sick, or hurt...?”

Her wandering gaze naturally landed on Egret. She looked like she was going to panic as she realized he was visibly unwell. He gave her a gentle smile and patted her on the back.

“Haha, I am only here because of a cold.”

Reena calmed down at the gentle pat and led the two boys into a room.

The therapist was a middle-aged man with a friendly demeanor. He wrote down Judas’ name on the chart. He checked for fever and cocked his head to get the girl’s attention.

“Reena, bring three days’ worth of type C1 fever reducer, a cold medicine complex, and a restorative tonic.”

“Got it!”

While she went to get the medicine, the therapist took a look at Egret once more.

“I knew of your condition from your record, but honestly, I’m still surprised at how delicate your body is. So, how are everyday activities for you?”

“Hm... I am doing well. I have been feeling a bit weak, but that is improving.”

“Despite the improvement, your body is on the verge of shutting down completely. You should never overexert yourself.”

The prince’s body was very different from how a twelve-year-old boy’s usually was at this stage of development. The therapist warned him, taking into consideration that his physique resembled that of a small child.

Meanwhile, Reena had returned with the medicine in a bag. As she gave it to Egret, she offered her hand too.

“Um, please.”

Egret reached out his hand to shake, thinking that was what she’d meant. Instead, the girl held his hand in hers and closed her eyes.

With a whoosh, warm and rosy energy emanated from her touch. The translucent pink light signified life force. Absorbing the light, Egret felt refreshed and much lighter.

He blinked and stared at her.

“Is this healing power?”

“It’s a big reason why she’s assisting here. Your cold should be gone soon with that.”

Although not as rare as elementalism, healing power was one of the rarer special abilities. Those who worked with only general medical knowledge to treat patients were called therapists, while those who used their innate healing powers to restore health were called healers.

Egret eyed Reena curiously because it was an unfamiliar ability that he had not encountered often, even in his time as a great sage. When she opened her eyes, she blushed hotly at his gaze and let go of his hand.

“I-I hope that helps.”

“I already feel better. Thank you very much, Reena.”

She stared at him blankly as he grinned like he was proud of her.

He’s just like my father...

Reena shook her head in disbelief at the thought. Judas was two years older, but the idea that this boy who was smaller than her reminded her of a father figure would make anyone laugh.

Once out of the infirmary, Judas also thanked Ethan.

“I’ve only done my duty as your paired partner.”

“I will recuperate soon so we can practice together properly.”

“You were told not to overexert yourself.”

“This is not overexertion. This is called putting in effort.”

Ethan glanced down at Judas, hearing him speak so calmly. He knew the prince had weak health, but what he’d just heard from the therapist was shocking.

To have one’s body function almost shut down...

He had heard that the purer a person’s bloodline, the weaker their body. Even among animals, mutts usually had healthier builds, while purebreds that had maintained ancestral traits tended to be frail.

The first prince was the physical embodiment of the Ruvarsan lineage. His hair was shining silver, and his eyes were the purest gold. And it wasn’t just that. He was the spitting image of his ancestors’ portraits.

So when Judas was born, the emperor had been enormously delighted. He’d welcomed the prince into his arms, not knowing that the child was greatly flawed despite his perfect appearance.

While Ethan was preoccupied and deep in thought, they had arrived in front of the gym. The class was three hours long, so there was still more than half of the class left. But Judas couldn’t participate in practice when he’d just been to the infirmary.

As he did in previous classes, Judas had to sit and watch the other students until Instructor Meiran gathered everyone. They lined up by her instruction, and each student was given a piece of parchment made of very fine leather.

At the top of the page was the crest of Elysium.