'It's done…'

I sigh heavily, finally leaving the Royal Academy's post office.

I just finished sending a letter to the third prince to inform him of my visit. I have also begun making preparations to leave for the Royal Palace.

As for my Notice of Leave… Its application is still pending, but Anna has assured me that it will be fully processed before the end of the week.

That means I can visit the Royal Palace next week at the latest.

'It has already been a few weeks since the Summer Term resumed. It's about time, with how long I've waited…' As I return to my residence, my gaze lands on Seraphina, who waves at me the moment I spot her.

What is she doing at my place?

Did she just conclude her visit with Klein and wanted to stop by to say hello?

My two questions are immediately answered after I approach her, and we exchange pleasantries.

"I need to talk to you… It's about Klein."

Oh?

Her troubled expression tells me it's nothing good, which means I'll have to brace myself for whatever new surprises I'll receive from this encounter.

"Alright. Let's go inside…" I lead Seraphina to my home, a place I still haven't managed to customize all this time due to my busy schedule and worries ever since I became a Professor.

I thought I would have time to do it during the Summer Break, but look how that turned out.

Now, I don't even see the use.

I'll just maintain this space until it's time to move on.

"So, tell me… what's the matter?" I lean forward, clasping my hands together as I stare at my dear friend and colleague.

I did offer her some refreshments earlier, but she said she was good.

She's a busy woman and will probably not be staying long. Her visit simply shows the depths of her worries, and I can only hope that—in some way—I can help.

"Klaus is… I'm worried that he is pushing himself too hard for my sake." She finally begins by stating the obvious.

It's no secret that Klaus is desperately trying to be a Grand Scholar.

Even though he already has his Barony to worry about, as well as his career as a Senior Professor, and then his business as well, he still tries to juggle everything with his very taxing Master's Degree in the university.

All of this… just for the sake of marrying Seraphina.

"I honestly don't care about our difference in status or what my family thinks. I won't be with anyone except him, and I plan on making it clear to them. But… he seems to have something he wants to prove to my family, especially my father. It's driving him to the point that I'm worried about his health. Not just his physical health… but also his mental health."

"What… do you mean?" For some reason, I shudder when she mentions the latter.

Obsession!

I should know, firsthand, what that kind of thing does to a person.

My obsession with revenge.

My uncle's obsession with Leviathans.

Alaric Duskryn's obsession with becoming one.

All of these led us down the path of self-destruction, but thankfully, my uncle and I came out without losing our lives.

Alaric… wasn't so fortunate.

"He has started talking to himself a lot more these days. He walks in his sleep. He is also losing a lot of weight, and his skin's complexion is growing paler. He isn't healthy! But he refuses to go for a checkup and tries to assure me that he'll get better. I… I… don't know what to do…"

The more I listen, the more I understand her worries.

I understand Klein.

I also appreciate his determination to achieve a high status and rightfully claim the one he loves.

But… this has become far too unhealthy.

'Seraphina doesn't understand the level of inferiority that Klein is battling and the levels of anxiety he has regarding her father, which is why she naively believes their love is enough. He has done his best to hide these insecurities from her, only revealing some of it to me, but this only makes me all the more worried about him…'

Klein is desperate to secure Seraphina and win over all her other suitors.

And…

Desperation accompanied by obsessive extremity is never a good thing.

"You remember Professor Alaric, right? Alaric Duskryn? He and Klein started close, but slowly drifted apart. He told me that Alaric began to give him the chills because of how dissociated with everyone he became over time. I… have begun to see traces of that in Klein, Javier… and it frightens me."

"Seraphina…"

I sigh.

This is the first time I've heard that Klein and Professor Alaric were once close.

I know they were colleagues in the same department. In fact, I only remember that their relationship wasn't the best during my student years. The two of them were both Barons and Senior Professors, but their dispositions were completely different.

Klein had a bright and friendly spirit, with a young appearance and a social aura. Alaric was the opposite, being a reclusive creep who constantly talked to himself and had no friends.

For Seraphina to draw a comparison between the two of them now…

Now, I'm really concerned!

"I don't want my Klein to become like Alaric. Please, you're his friend…" She sobs loudly, her eyes leaking tears.

"… Talk to him."

I nod at her words, delicately holding her shaky hands while resolution flashes in my eyes.

"I'll do my best… I promise!"

Although I'm busy with preparations to visit the Royal Palace, I can't ignore this.

Klein Mornantte is my friend.

Besides, if I leave him in this state, what's to say I won't find another tragedy once I return to the Royal Academy? I don't want there to be another Incident like with Alaric Duskryn.

************

"Javier… what an unexpected surprise."

It's the next day, and I have chosen to visit my good friend at his residence.

Klein greets me warmly, and although I reciprocate with the same gesture, a deep frown slowly forms in my heart. I can see what Seraphina is talking about when it comes to Klein and his health.

It definitely seems to be declining.

Using Aego Sight, it's become clear to me that his existence is even fainter than an average person's, and he appears to be corrupted by something.

But… what?

I can't discern these details with Aego Sight alone.

But that isn't the only concerning thing about Klein. One look at his residence, and you can easily notice another problem.

"Haha! Sorry, my house is a mess. I haven't had much time to clean up properly. Matter of fact, is this visitation going to be brief… because I actually have a lot of work to attend to." Klein awkwardly laughs after noticing how stunned I am by the mess of a house he now lives in.

This is truly concerning.

The Klein I know is a very neat and meticulous person.

His home reflects his state of mind—bright and noble. Now that it is a mess, I can't help but worry that he isn't well in the head.

'Also, he has never sent me away from his house before, no matter how much I imposed. The fact that he's doing so now…' My eyes narrow on him, and I shake my head in mild sadness.

Something is definitely wrong with him.

I doubt I'll be able to find out if I simply ask him, so I might as well use my Leviathan Powers.

Which Conception should I use?

I already used Clairvoyance to search his house last night.

I didn't find anything worthy of note, which comes as no surprise to me. Klein may be a mess, but he is an extremely smart man. Anything that would implicate him is likely hidden in some secret vault or hidden cellar somewhere.

Fortunately, after looking hard enough, I did find some clues, but I would have to physically interact with his house to find out.

"Can I use your bathroom for a moment?" I ask him with an awkward smile.

As always, he nicely agrees and points me in the right direction.

Hehe…

This is always a good trick to use.

'Frontflow!'

I quickly replace my Minute Layer with my Hour Layer, giving me sixty minutes in the place of a single minute. I am now sixty times faster than everything and everyone in the world…

… Including Klein.

Using the excuse of the bathroom, I will have stalled Klein in the parlor for a minute, and he won't suspect anything is off since it isn't too strange for a gentleman to spend a minute in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, I have an entire hour to search for everything I need in this place.

With my recon work already done last night, and my Aego Sight constantly activated, a lot of the burden has already been taken off of me.

And so… my search begins in earnest!

I first search the most suspicious place—his room.

The only thing of note that I manage to find there are… protective rubber for, ahem, sexual intercourse. It seems I was right… the two of them have already started doing it.

I always had my suspicions, but I never intended to find out like this!

'I'm sorry, Seraphina. All of this is to make Klein better…' I sigh to myself, feeling a little guilty once an inappropriate image of her pops into my head as an intrusive thought.

After his room, I search the kitchen and even the store.

Nothing!

I find nothing at all.

It's only when I check his closet, which I was honestly saving for last despite it being the most suspicious place in my mind, that I find something incriminating.

'Klein is very particular about his dressing, and he doesn't allow anyone to use his closet. Even Seraphina only enters it with his supervision.' With this in my mind, I paid special attention to surgically dismantling everything I found suspicious until I found it.

—The problem.

'T-these are…' After removing a hidden box from an inconspicuous part of the wall and opening it, I find some Potions lined up in it.

There also exists a piece of parchment that states their use, side effects, and dosage requirements.

One Potion is similar to the Mind Clear Potion, allowing him to think better. Another Potion helps him to perceive things in greater detail. Another aids in efficient multitasking. Another one allows his mind to process information very quickly… and so on.

It doesn't take me too long to piece it all together.

'These Potions are the reason behind his ability to juggle so many things at once. He uses them to maintain his academic performance while also not neglecting his other obligations. This man… just how long has he been using these Potions?' My eyes widen to their limits.

What a startling discovery.

It certainly isn't as bad as Professor Alaric's case, but this brings with it a new set of problems, as it has become evident to me that my dear friend is struggling with a severe problem.

'Klein… has a Potion Dependency Syndrome!'

His body has gotten too used to the Potion that it can't do without them, and will only require greater dosages to experience the same effect. This will lead to a harmful cycle of using higher dosages than recommended, harming the body, which will only keep demanding more and more.

This is why people should never depend on Potions, even if they are available.

Consecutive use only harms the body.

Klein surely knows his!

He knew about Potion Dependency Syndrome when he started down this path, and while he must not have intended to fall victim, his desperation forced him to venture down this path.

'I know how important this is to you, Klein… but this solution will only cause further deterioration the more time passes.' I clench my fist, feeling a deep feeling of dread within my racing heart.

If this problem isn't solved… Klein will undoubtedly meet a miserable end.

Madness or death.

Nothing else awaits him down this road.

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