Chapter 42: I HAVE A CONDITION

“Who are you really… Logan Smith?”

Emily Starwind’s voice lingered in the room like a blade suspended mid-swing. Calm, cutting, and impossible to ignore.

Logan’s gaze didn’t waver. But behind his calm face, his mind spun fast.

“…What do you mean?” he asked carefully. “I’m the youngest heir of House Smith.”

Emily didn’t blink. “Not that.”

She stepped closer, folding her arms.

“You don’t have any mana flow in your body. And yet, I saw you cast magic spells—several of them. How do you explain that?”

A long silence.

Logan’s fingers twitched slightly beneath the blanket.

She knows.

“…Who said I don’t have mana flow?” he deflected.

“I checked myself,” she said simply. “When I touched you during treatment. There was no trace of active mana flow. Your core wasn’t reacting. And yet I saw you wield air and lightning with perfect control just hours ago. You can trick other healers, but not me.”

Logan’s mind scrambled for options. Then, with a mental breath, he made a decision.

Time to mix truth with lie. There’s nothing else I can do.

“Oh… that?” he said with a sheepish look. “I… ummm… I’m not quite sure, but I think I can guess what happened.”

Emily raised an eyebrow.

“During the match… I think I was pricked by something. A needle, maybe. After that, I couldn’t summon mana. It was like my core just… shut down.”

“A needle?” she echoed, frowning. “Are you telling me the truth?”

Logan nodded. “Why would I lie? If you don’t believe me, go ahead and check my body properly. Right after I was hit by it, I couldn’t cast anymore.”

This part was actually true. It really did happen. After that needle struck him, he couldn’t use mana anymore.

Emily’s gaze turned sharp.

“Then how did you win?” she asked. “How do you beat a Tier 2 mage—without magic?”

“I train physically,” Logan replied smoothly. “Even before my mana core was unsealed, I trained my body. Reflex, strength, endurance. After I lost my mana, I just continued dodging and waited for a chance. After coming this far, I didn’t want to lose without even trying.”

“And what? She gave you a chance saying ’Come punch me’?” Emily said, clearly unconvinced.

“She suddenly started acting strange,” Logan said, shifting in the bed. “One of her spells… it reflected mid-air. It hit her instead. I don’t know why, but her own spell backfired.”

This accusation even felt weird to Logan himself. Own spell backfired? Really? That’s the best I could come up with? Looks like with my body, my brain has also become childish.

Emily’s expression was unreadable.

For a long moment, she said nothing. Logan could feel the weight of her judgment in the air.

Is she buying it…?

Then suddenly—

A faint sound from the hallway. Muffled voices. Urgent footsteps.

Emily turned toward the noise instinctively.

“I’ll check it,” she said and stepped away.

Logan watched her go, then slowly sat up. The pain in his ribs had dulled to a manageable ache.

But curiosity outweighed the discomfort.

He rose from the bed, steadying himself against the wall, and hobbled to the doorway. When he looked out into the hall—

His breath caught.

One royal guard was carrying two unconscious unknowns at the far end. Another royal guard dragged a limp figure—Lira Wynn.

Behind them stood Prince Rowan, his expression worried but his stance proud. His eyes were locked onto the two unconscious unknowns.

Emily reached the scene, her healer robes flowing behind her.

“What’s going on here?” she demanded.

Rowan didn’t look at her at first. His gaze lingered on the unconscious girl and those two fallen figures.

“This is a sensitive matter,” he said firmly. “I can’t disclose everything. But we believe this girl… isn’t who she claimed to be.”

Emily frowned. “You mean she’s not Lira Wynn?”

Rowan finally turned to face her. “Her disguise is breaking down. The mana signature doesn’t match. Her real identity—still unknown. But she’s an imposter.”

He looked back toward the two unconscious persons, now bound in chains conjured by flame runes on the floor.

“And those two?” Emily asked.

“Foreign agents,” Rowan replied grimly. “We suspect black magic was used to change her face. She was planted here to achieve something… and we still don’t know what.”

Emily glanced at Logan, who was leaning against the wall, watching everything unfold with blank eyes.

She turned back to Rowan. “I see. Please keep me informed.”

Rowan nodded, then gestured for his guards to move. The whole group turned and disappeared into the far hallway.

The corridor fell silent again.

Emily stood still for a moment, thinking.

Then she turned back to Logan.

“…Looks like you were telling the truth after all,” she murmured.

Logan didn’t reply. He just exhaled quietly.

That was close.

Emily stepped closer again. “If that girl used black magic to alter her appearance… it’s possible she was the one who used the mana-blocking needle too. That would explain the way her attack backfired. An unstable disguise—combined with unstable magic.”

She paused, then said gently, “That’s… theoretically possible.”

But only I know what really happened, Logan thought.

Then she added, “Still… your next match is coming soon. And without mana—how do you plan to fight?”

Logan shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “You do realize you’ll be up against elite mages. Even with physical strength, that won’t be enough if your mana doesn’t return.”

Logan didn’t respond.

But then Emily smiled faintly.

“I might know what technique was used to seal your mana. It’s not permanent, I think. It usually fades after 24 or 48 hours.”

Logan’s eyes lit up. “Is there any way to fix it sooner?”

Emily’s grin widened. “Of course. Who do you think you’re talking to?”

She walked closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m a national-level healer. Tier 4. There’s not much I can’t fix.”

Hope bloomed in Logan’s chest. “So… will you help me?”

She nodded. “Yes. But…”

She leaned in, her tone changing slightly.

“There’s a condition.”

Logan blinked. “A condition?”

Emily’s eyes sparkled with quiet amusement—and something else.

“That’s right,” she said.

She stepped back.

“And the condition is…”

To be continued…

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