Chapter 3: Sickness

A few days later, Reines and Melvin were walking together through a corridor inside Clock Tower. They were discussing about Waver's actions and on how he was going to solve the entity case he was given by the Lords. She chuckled at the prospect of her dearest elder brother struggling to solve the case, even being wasted from alcohol from it.

"My poor elder brother, I'm glad he asked you for help. Is there anything spicy going on between you two? There must be more to this case than what he is telling me."

Melvin smiled as he asked her a question.

"I kind of wanted you to help me find a specific mage. Waver already asked, but I'm not sure if I can find him in time. He belongs to a subset of mages called Sealers. It's been at least a decade or so, so I wonder if you can find him."

"Oho. Interesting. Although why specifically him? We could always get a Sealer that can help us deal with the entity for elder brother. But, tell me the name later so I can see where he is right now."

"Thanks for the help, Reines!"

Reines laughed from Melvin's remark.

"That's fine. Anything else? Hope he isn't coped up in his office again. I sent in Trimmau to give him some tea and cakes. He better be thankful for it!"

As they were reaching Waver's office, they saw someone near the door. Adashino was being led outside by Gray as Waver yelled from inside the office.

"Get OUT! Don't try to treat me, leave me alone!"

Adashino sighed and covered her face with a kimono sleeve.

"Alright. So much for trying to make you feel better."

"…"

Reines and Melvin saw the commotion as Adashino walked past them. Gray blushed before she quickly went back inside the office. Adashino chuckled as she walked past them.

"Take care of Lord El Melloi II for me, Reines and Melvin."

Reines looked away, slightly confused on what was going on. The two of them walked into Waver's office and saw a mess around the couch and table. Waver was feeling sick, with a blanket and pillow next to him. Gray was trying to give him some soup and medicine for his illness.

"Elder brother, did you get sick? You need to rest sometimes, otherwise I can't bully you when you're feeling off."

"Shut up, Reines. I need to recover so that I can teach my lecture today…"

"Sir, please don't. You really should rest. Did you stay up late playing games and got sick?"

"…"

Trimmau was holding some hot tea and cakes, in which Gray took some and put them on the table. She sat on a chair next to Waver, where he was sulking on the couch. Reines and Melvin went and sat on the opposite couch, with Trimmau giving them tea and cakes.

"Sir, Reines and Melvin are here. Did you want a meeting with them? Or do you want them to treat you?"

"Give me a minute, Gray. I'll tell them something."

"Sir! Don't move too quickly! You'll feel dizzy again."

"I know. I know. Let me explain."

Waver slowly got up from his couch, with his face red and bruised. One would easily assume he had gotten wasted the night before, but instead just played his game too long that night. He had gotten himself distracted while at home to not think about the case for a bit.

"Reines. Melvin. I fear we would have to deal with Belle von Fransica."

"Belle? Who is she? Do you know her, elder brother?"

"She's not someone you should deal with. But she is possibly here within Clock Tower."

"You mean that lady we met back then as students, Waver?"

"I don't know."

He grudgingly took out a cigar and took a smoke with a lighter. Heaving himself, Waver began to explain his knowledge of Belle, the French mage he saw from the Clock Tower records.

"Belle von Fransica is an eccentric mage. Although mages tend to be eccentric in general, she is a different breed. She's a mage from France and specializes in Charm and Love Magecraft. The Mage's Association doesn't like to deal with her activities as much as long as Mystery is concealed and nothing is revealed to the public, but it's possible that she uses some form of pact to keep herself in line around Clock Tower."

"Why are you scared of her, elder brother? Did she do anything to you?"

Waver took another smoke before answering Reines' question. Gray patted his back, making sure he didn't choke on anything while he was smoking.

"It's a long story. But there's an important book that went missing in Clock Tower at least a decade ago. It could be related to the entity case going on right now, and also with me. But for now, we don't know where Belle is hiding. We'll have to see."

He coughed and sneezed on a tissue as Gray handed him a tissue box. She quickly pushed him to lay down and rest on the couch again.

"Don't speak too much if you're so sick, Sir. Did you overwork yourself?"

Waver sighed as he touched his forehead, which was burning with fever.

"I was around Adashino for the past few days, investigating around Clock Tower together. But for some reason, I got sick these days. I should really take a break sometime and not deal with her again."

"Sir, you should really rest. Do you need anything else?"

"Give me some time."

Waver relaxed, as Reines and Melvin looked across the office. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking about what to do with his investigations. Things had been going decently well, until he suddenly got sick. He still needed to get the Sealer mage to arrive at Clock Tower soon, so that he can help them deal with the entity.

"Makoto Nijima right? Is that who you want, elder brother?"

"Yes."

Reines was checking a list from the Far East, which listed some well known Sealers in the area. The eastern continent tended to deal with spirits and evil entities more than the west, so there was more demands for their duties there. They had lineage and history with the traditional shamans and mediums in the past.

"The Sealer in the past did manage to Seal up the entity in the past, but the way it was Sealed was probably not stable. If someone else could break the Seal like that, it's possible that it could have been planned. The only other way to unseal something was to use a catalyst related to it. But even finding those are rare."

"Like that book?"

"Probably. But the book is gone now. I wonder what happened to it."

Meanwhile, Melvin was checking up on his contacts that Waver had asked for. The Sealer would be arriving in Clock Tower in a few days, so they would have to prepare for his arrival. Reines continued to sip her tea and eat the cakes until Waver was done talking. Gray, by his side, was checking up on his fever from time to time.

"Well then, that's that. Make sure to rest well, or else you would have to cancel your lectures again, elder brother."

"Shut up! I'll get better. I have to, because of this case."

"The entity case? Take your time. What's the hurry? Isn't everything already explained?"

Waver glared at her, laying down on the couch with a wet towel on his forehead.

"It's not just that, Reines. We can't let the entity out for too long, or else things will get worse. That thing gains more power from mana, but since it's stuck around Clock Tower, it can get more than enough fuel to start wreaking havoc if we don't stop it in time."

"I see."

Before long, Reines and Melvin were done meeting with Waver. Gray started to clean up with the help of Trimmau. Waver continued to rest on the couch, not saying a word. He had gone back to sleep to recover from his sickness. As Gray was about to send Reines and Melvin off, Reines went closer to her and touched her shoulder.

"Gray, are you feeling okay? You don't need to hide your feelings to me."

"What do you need, Reines?"

Gray blushed as she turned around to see Reines so close to her. After a moment, the two of them went to a private area to discuss about Waver. Sitting down on a closed off area with small chairs and a table, Reines let Trimmau serve them some snacks.

"You didn't really need to get everything from the list, Gray. I just wanted to do it so you can be free from my elder brother sometimes. He wants you to make your own decisions as well, you know."

"B-But I was trying to help, Reines. You don't have to think about me so much."

"But I care about you. Is there something on your mind?"

Reines looked straight into Gray's face, slightly intimidating her. Afterwards, she went back and laid back on the chair again. She took a bite of a cookie that in front of her before shaking her head.

"Look. You look like you have been in a daze lately. I thought you probably had gotten sick like my poor elder brother, but it doesn't look like it. Just tell me what's going on and I'll help you. Between us, okay?"

"Reines…"

There were a few minutes of awkward silence between them. But from that silence, Gray did begin to speak her mind to her. The thoughts of love, the thoughts of what love Magecraft is, and what it means to her and Waver. Reines eagerly listened, with her face as smug as a cat.

"Oho. Such a fleeting adolescence. Gray, that's such a wonderful thing. You're just experiencing what any teenager would experience in their adolescence. It's fine to have a crush or two. So, how do you want to impress my elder brother?"

"I don't know. I don't understand it myself. Should I do something?"

Reines shook her head, crossing her arms as she leaned on her chair. She closed her eyes, trying to act serious.

"Maybe give him something? Well, he is sick right now. So probably something that he can enjoy while he is ill. Something sweet."

Gray gripped her cup of tea and sipped it. She didn't drink much during Waver's meeting with Reines and Melvin, but this time she had some alone time. Add was always there for her, and Reines just wanted to help her.

"You're right. I'll probably do that. Thanks, Reines."

Later that evening, Gray finished sending Waver off to bed so that he could recover and sleep more inside their small apartment unit. Reines had suggested Waver to live with her many times, but he had refused due to her nature. He had his reasons, so she respected that. Inside one of the rooms, she laid down on her bed, with Add by her side inside the birdcage.

A small bag of treats from the fortune teller girl lay untouched inside her room.

"Add. What should I do? Would Sir like it? Maybe I'm overthinking this."

"Just do it, Gray. You got to start with something after all."

"Really? But this just feels different than usual."

"Reines told you to give him something sweet, didn't she? Just start with that. He can't complain if that's what she suggested!"

"Add!"

"Come on. Better late than never."

Gray sighed as she looked outside the apartment window. The dim light in the room had only a table with her notebooks and her bed at night. Waver was sleeping and wouldn't wake up for a while. The best she can do is to leave a note for him when he wakes up.

She turned around to find the bag of treats on the table.

"Ah! The treats! I wonder what was inside."

She hurriedly went towards the table and looked inside the bag. Taking a peek, there were candies in many shapes and sizes. She took one of them out and out came a lemon drop, a sour yellowish candy. There weren't anything strange about them, as it looked like a bag of ordinary candies one could buy from a candy shop or supermarket.

"Sir did mention one time that lemons are good against a cold. Maybe that will help him when he wakes up."

Gray quickly checked the time. It was close to midnight.

"I'll just leave some candy and a note along with his medicine and bottle of water when he wakes up. Yes, I'll do that…"

She turned towards Add, who didn't say much anymore. Quietly covering the birdcage with a piece of cloth, she quietly got everything ready before going into Waver's room. She peeked inside his room and heard him breathing inside his room. Bringing a small handwritten note, she held onto it, being careful not to wake him.

"Sir, I'm sorry for intruding. I'll just leave some medicine and water when you wake up. Please take them."

She hastily put them beside his bed. Waver didn't seem to be paying attention to her, as he turned his back towards her. There was a faint stale scent of tobacco and alcohol inside the room. A dim light was inside the room, giving it a dreamy atmosphere. Gray, with her face turned red, quickly left the room.

"Good night, Sir. Please recover from your cold."