Nephthys did not change her way of speaking while saying those words to him—but she meant them.
He was not going to die as long as she was here.
"YES, YOU DID!"
Avner suddenly stood up.
"This lesson is over. I'm leaving."
And he did, in fact, leave.
"Just why did I have to realize my feelings for her?"
After that brief exchange with Nephthys, Avner was annoyed—annoyed at himself, annoyed at his emotions, and annoyed that his feelings for her only seemed to grow stronger.
"Why did I even fall for her in the first place? Just what is there to like about her?"
The moment he finished that thought, her face appeared in his mind, and his heart immediately started racing.
"Damn it!"
Seeing his own reaction, he couldn't help but curse.
While walking, Avner was suddenly spotted by his cousin, Miyeon.
"Avner!"
"Huh?"
At the sound of his name, Avner turned toward the voice—and the moment he saw Miyeon, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Woah!"
He quickly raised his hands between them, creating as much distance as possible. He still remembered how angry Miyeon had been yesterday.
"Wait, wait, wait! I already apologized for last time, and I also cleaned the whole training ground!"
Seeing his reaction only made Miyeon angrier.
"Put your hands down!"
Miyeon shoved them down before Avner could even react.
Avner froze, careful not to provoke him any further.
"Are you alright?"
Avner wasn't expecting that kind of gentleness from his cousin, so he hesitated before answering.
"Are you alright?"
he asked, emphasizing the you.
smack
"Auh! Why did you do that?"
Avner complained, rubbing the spot that had just been hit.
"How is your fever doing?"
Miyeon asked, placing his palm against Avner's forehead to check for himself.
"It's not that bad,"
Avner replied honestly.
"You're right… but how is that possible?"
Miyeon frowned, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Now Avner was confused as well.
"I don't get it. You used a massive amount of fire yesterday right after unlocking it. Your fever should be much worse—critical, actually."
"That bad? Really?"
"Yes. Not only that, but I checked on you last night. You were in critical condition. I went to get the medic, but when I came back… you were completely fine."
"Woah… maybe I really am that strong,"
Avner said, half-joking, half-convinced.
smack
Seeing him act cocky instantly set Miyeon off again.
"Aish, you are annoying."
Avner immediately went on the defensive, and Miyeon raised his hand, ready to smack him again.
***
It was already very late at night, and Avner couldn't sleep.
His thoughts kept circling back to what Miyeon had said.
"Is it really because I'm that strong? How am I not in critical condition…?"
Something felt off. None of it added up.
He still remembered last night—how awful he had felt, how unbearable the pain was… and then he fell asleep, and it was gone.
Why? How?
Avner could feel his fever rising again, this time slowly and steadily. Pain crept back in, his throat feeling as if it hadn't touched water in weeks.
He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would take the pain away again like before.
It didn't.
Avner felt horrible. He didn't know if he could survive the night. In his nearly unconscious state, he heard footsteps approaching. Someone was coming toward him.
An assassin?
He forced himself to stay alert. He didn't know if he could fight in this condition—but his fear quickly turned into relief.
A cool energy flowed into his body.
He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
It was his beloved master.
She sat down behind him, facing his back. Even though she never touched him, the moment felt strangely intimate. He wished he could stay awake a little longer and enjoy her presence.
But soon, he drifted into sleep.
***
"You look very happy today,"
Nephthys remarked.
"Do I?"
Avner asked, his smile never fading.
"….."
Instead of answering, Nephthys simply stared at him as if he were an idiot.
Avner placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward slightly.
"Would you like to know why I'm in such a good mood?"
he asked eagerly.
Nephthys glanced at him before returning her attention to the book in her hands.
"No."
At her cold response, Avner's smile immediately flipped upside down.
"How cold… I'll tell you anyway."
Determined to stay positive, his smile returned as he looked her straight in the eyes.
"I'm happy to have such a great master."