Checking me with a magical glowing hand wasn't all Mister Virel had done, he also had me do some specific movements and had me describe my physical and mental well-being after every test. And I was more than eager enough to tell him I was thoroughly healthy and healed. More than healthy, in fact. I didn't think magic could do this much. But I felt very, very nice. Even better when I had that nice cup of Jasmine tea, a slice of meat, full three cups of rice, and a somewhat still fresh apple. The most scrumptious meal I had when someone important visited the orphanage.

"Hmm. How... unfitting. You really don't have any headache, any bodily dysfunctions? Nothing that makes you feel wrong?"

I shook my head. "Yes sir. There's nothing that feels wrong."

My answer had mister Virel sent into another series of introspective hums. Nothing I could gauge a sure-hit guess out, but something I'm inclined to believe had something to do in my situation... obviously. Regardless, what I had told him was the truth. Even if I could endure pain, I was compelled to tell him everything that was required, believing healers must know everything about a person's well-being if they wanted to get fixed to their healthiest form. Now that I have such rare opportunity, fixings I shall have.

"How about on magic? Is there anything that seems off when casting? Do you easily lose mana? Any corrupted spells? Or spells that underwent change negatively? Or class? Have you lost your magic? Can you try checking it?"

Questions after questions was hurled at me faster than I could have answered, but I was able to remember it since I had no one to worry about or feel distressed while getting interrogated. There were some that I lack in knowledge to fully answer, but had words I could easily guess the meaning of. Still, the underlying meaning of his words sent me to apprehension.

Magic vanishes? That's more than what books had told. The only way it could fail was by means of eating particular foods, blasting one's mana veins, or through death itself. The last one was particularly a doubtful case given where I was. Death looked like it wasn't the end at all. Either of the previous two also wasn't an issue for me. Air had been the sole delicacy I've had since I had been burnt—heated to death. Blasting one's mana veins is something even harder for me to accomplish since even the Northers couldn't do it without harming a person, only by accident or getting submerged to high-intensity spells does it occur.

... probably. I mean I'm basing things on books, no acquaintance legible enough to confirm it. And considering that they had magic words here, it might not necessarily work on the same line of thought at all.

Still, I checked each spells to be sure. And to my relief, I found out they were the same. Class, still none; number, unchanged; names, unchanged; and description, unchanged. Though, a particular one stood out.

Mana Manipulation • Lvl 7

Core [0%] • Mana-touched

"I'm mana-touched?"

Mister Virel waved a hand. "Oh, not an issue. That's a blessing more than a danger. Most of those revived gets the same," he briefly explained. "and yes, you can ask for the specifics on the townguard later. Anymore?"

A particular string of words had my inquisitive brows perked up before it eased down on the next. I lightly bowed at him in apology before I gazed back at my spells, considering. "Umm. My mana core is zero?"

"Empty? Well that could be an issue. Can you use your spell and check how much input—wait, I suppose yours is called Mana Manipulation?" he said, stopping fumbling for something in his drapeclothes with a question.

I nodded, my thoughts back on thinking how and where my magical problem, or problems, should be.

Mister Virel lifted a hand to his chin, humming thoughtfully."... truly odd. He couldn't have perfected it in such short amount of time, could he?" Mister Virel was, this time, voicing out his introspection. Whispered but enough for me to hear it. But it wasn't with enough of a substance for me to make guesses. So I followed along his rumination as I checked more of what magic might be wrong. I brought back all the magical words again. But in the end wading through the magical words earned me same words. Or perhaps it would be different if I had casted it? He didn't say anything about that, though. Problem with magic... how abou—

Elf.

Not an issue defining too. But maybe it got a problem of its own. Which certainly has. No words had responded when I focused into the ground or wall. Very unlike when I had tried it on the catacomb's walls and floor. Not even 'Virel's Mansion' or 'Elf Castle's or simply just 'mansion'. What was there was simply nothing.

"Umm," I started, taking mister Virel's attention back at me. "I can't seem to word out this place, sir."

He blinked. "Ah. No, young lady," he chuckled as he realized something. "That's also a given. This place isn't built for that."

Hm. Another thing to ask about.

"Can I ask again? Are you sure your spells weren't tagged as corrupted? Even class? Or perhaps your name and other more?"

Although I already confirmed it thrice, I still followed as he said and went back to check once again. Much, much thoroughly this time. In the end, to my relief, I still had to shake my head at him and voice that there weren't anything like he had said. He had also asked me if there was something wrong when I casted magic earlier, to which I had to tell that I was actually able to generate some more mana. This also had him thinking once again.

After that, Mister Virel tapped his chin for a moment before he cast his hand again, another series of the familiar glow of his healing magic taking place. Or checking magic, I think. But he didn't take too long musing and quickly gave me a positive response, to my further relief. It would have been worrying if magic would be taken away from me now that I've only began knowing if it. That's the best thing I have if I wanted to live better this time.

That thought, however, was eclipsed when Mister Virel was suddenly with a heap of healthy yellow fruit I didn't know came from. Like how the chair came to be. But that's not the point, that could easily be explained with magic. The main thing was what it was—banana.

A delicacy to be exact. With its healthy yellow color unblemished with dark spots, there's nothing that my stomach would feel discomfort at. It would churn, rather.

"You can stay here and fill yourself with these for the time being. I'll explain to the guard with what's going on. But I must remind you not to practice overcharging again, young lady. I have no knowledge to infer how they teach magic in your place, but believe me of what it can do. You should abstain using too much magic for a week at most. For now, you can do Mana Manipulation, at least. Remember, you can't overly use a spell or it would affect your physical state. Okay?"

I bobbed nods at him. Noting his words and barely noticing him flashing a smile as my eyes furtively zoomed in to the armfuls of banana here and then.

Only after the heap landed on the table beside did I settle my eyes on his back, sending him off. And as quickly as he got out, my stare almost grasped the banana towards my arms. I didn't know how long I had passed out, and hunger wasn't within my problem now even if I know it should have been. Still, that won't stop me to make my stomach hungry when necessary. And the luster of the banana, along with its length having the size twice my hand, necessitated me. I should gobble it up before they return.

Gobbling it, was, undeniably, a moment of greed, leaving me to have just relished a piece. Though I was only able to munch out a peel at most, that didn't mean I was necessarily stuffed. I could definitely finish at least three peels to be properly satiated. The reason was because I wasn't initially hungry that my mind immediately settled for one thing—conservation. Who knows how long would I have such fine fruits after this? This heap should be properly divided now that it's on my hand. I couldn't eat it all but returning it would be very disappointing. And I doubted whether mister elf would still want this pile of bananas back. He felt dismissive of it and seems he doesn't lack much of such delicacies.

I hope.

And that hope pushed me to think ways if he'd ever want it back. Inspecting my clothes and I was sure I had nothing to hide it from. They'd bulge. Sheathing it on my waist was a no-go too, that would have been too obvious as well. With nothing left to do, I had it carefully hugged, peeling one banana with a hand to serve as a pretense I still had not eaten enough. Quite a waste but it would be munched down nonetheless.

It was by the time close to a minute had passed and mister elf had not returned that I thought something more practical than feigning hunger.

I should just directly ask him.

I munched the whole banana clean with that realization. Torn between nibbling it or gobbling it within seconds. Still, yum it was.

"Two, four, six, seven." Enough to last me a day, maybe more. For now, two was enough to whet my mind of how great a taste it was, is, and will be.

Feeling stuffed and nothing much to do, I inspected the wooden chair that mister elf had sat on, wondering where he had pulled it from. Its appearance was nowhere close to those plain and smoothened woods I've sat and seen. This was gnarled and clothed with barks. Irregular-looking that it appeared as if it accidentally formed the shape of chair. Appearing as if it would even bear fruit or leaves anytime soon.

It looked naturally grown, in the simplest description. In a way I couldn't think how it could've formed a chair. Tracing my fingers at its warm, uneven surface, I noticed that it wasn't rough and couldn't be easily peeled at all despite its appearance. Something that shied away the thought if it being nature made.

Hmm, magic, I thought. I couldn't help but think further what they could do more than pull chairs out of nowhere. Or perhaps create chairs. The thought of magic had me feeling for my shoulders, chest, and head again. Feeling neither discomfort. Another very useful magic that I'd have to learn sooner.

Book of Spells [4/10]:

Mana Manipulation • Lvl 7

Candlelight [Derived Spell] • Lvl 5

Blue-embered Dagger • Lvl 0

Adaptive Flame • Lvl 0

I have six left. And five less with that healing spell in the future. But most importantly, I stared in wonder and let the vivid yellow reflect back to the banana.

The spell for this is a must more than anything else.

I didn't have the time to dwell further into my thoughts. Seeing faint outlines trudging through the opened door, I leaped from my crouch back to the bed. I caged in my curiosity as I await what would happen to me now. Of course, all the while as I cradled the bananas safely and secured between my arms and chest. Luckily mister elf—Virel didn't ask for the leftover banana, nor bothered going for a chair. Instead, he immediately introduced me to the richly-clothed man.

"So, young Nudius, I'll leave you in care to Orden here. He's the townguard who'd get you to town and other things you'd need to know. Feel free to ask him anything, okay?"

Townguard? I stole looks at mister guard's everything as I nudged nods and voiced my thanks to mister Virel, making his smile a bit wider at that. Likewise, I nodded at the other.

Mister Virel gave us nods before he immediately excused himself out of the room, leaving me with the banana I was supposed to ask for—seemingly now mine. My grip loosened a bit as mister elf finally got out the room, and I finally had the time to assess who mister Orden was.

I had not put too much attention on mister Orden before, my attention entirely focused to my benefactor. Now I could immediately assess that not only was the mister clothed with expensive garments, heavily-polished boots, and a very new-looking sword. They all look shiny. He, like mister elf is, had that healthy color in their eyes. And moreso in their firm and plump muscles that screamed of being well-fed. Probably the product of large servings of meals and abundant fruits more than anything I would dare believe. The evidence already shows. Not mentioning his hair that likewise shone the same as mister elf had, they looked extremely well cared. The fact that he was a guard with such attire and lavishness was something I was baffled as well.

That wasn't the point now, though. His unwrinkled and unshaven face was held to an amiable smile that mister Endar would have had if he smiled too. They both had that same hairstyle that reminded me of him. Same figure that could slam me back to unconsciousness if I wasn't careful enough with a single word. Or it was perhaps his thick eyebrows that reminded me of him?

Nonetheless, it was another occurrence where I had craned my neck and met nice-looking elderlies. Never taunting me to be apprehensive but daring me to find out more than my thoughts, memories. To see whether they were as I had hoped them to be. So it's a must to have a nice greeting with this person as well.

"Hello, sir—mister Orden. Good...day, or night. And to meet you... sir. I'm Nudius," greeting him, I paused in the middle noticing that there wasn't anything to infer whether it was night or day. The whole place covered in brown color.

"Good to meet you too, lass. Heard you're from an untouched and actually had done some dumb overcharging thing? What the heck made you do that?

"And before you start yappin', get to your feet and we'll have a talk going back to the town. I suppose you're healthy enough to do as much?"

A grin with unfiltered words. The guard had that besides the curios look he donned. And those things combined meant I had another elderly well met. I nodded at mister Orden, who began to walk back to the hall, and then thought of the questions I should ask.